Going Keto..

Around this time last year, I was doing a Whole 30 Challenge. I knew that something I had been eating wasn't agreeing with my body and I needed to figure out what it was. I successfully completed the challenge and upon reintroducing food groups I noticed that I felt like crap after eating many of them. So I still didn't have a solid idea of what the problem food was.

That is, until now. 

I had been really mindful of everything I had been eating and started suspecting that my body didn't agree with carbs. I brushed it off and figured that was crazy. But I constantly felt like crap. I mean, headaches every day, beyond tired all the damn time.. not just tired but full body and mind exhaustion. I was crabby. I was constantly bloated. I'm talking insanely bloated. And this would happen any time I ate beyond a certain number of carbs, whether they were "good" carbs or "bad". And I couldn't seem to drop weight and keep it off no matter what I did. I'd lose 5 and gain 3. Lose 10 and gain 15. Could carbs really be my issue? Surely I was crazy?! I mean, I had always preached about how carbs are absolutely necessary for our bodies. So how could this be?

The only thing I knew for sure was that I was seriously a hot mess.
(check out the awesome headband. My derby wives and I have matching ones! teehee!_

ALL ABOOOOOARD THE HOT MESS EXPRESS! CHOO CHOO!!

So one day I happened upon a random quiz that was supposed to tell you your personal #1 metabolic killer. I took the quiz, which asked things like when do I eat, how often do I eat, and if/how I exercise, what is my biggest struggle with exercising, etc.. I then got the results based on my answers and I was floored. I'm a "muscle burner" and my #1 metabolic killer is... Carbs. Go figure. My body is addicted to carbs and literally can't get enough of them to feel satisfied. As I listened to the video with my results, lightbulbs were going off left and right in my mind.

"This is why you probably go all day without eating before realizing you haven't eaten." Yes!

"This is why no matter what you do, the weight just won't budge." Duuude. Yes.

"You crash from not eating often enough and you are hit with mood issues, especially anxiety and the inability to sleep." Yessss.

"This is why you are constantly tired and nothing helps." Ummm yup!

"This is why a normal serving, or even two or three, of carb heavy foods don't satisfy you. You can eat and eat and eat carbs and NEVER feel satisfied even tho you are more than full." Ohhh my gawd yes!!! A thousand times yes!

Ok, so maybe I wasn't crazy after all. I've taken many quizzes before and always took the results with a grain of salt. Cuz nothing was ever dead on accurate. Except this time. This time was like someone had a direct view into my brain. And it really confirmed what I had suspected all along.

So I decided to research low carb living. Even further, I researched Keto. I had a feeling that I was onto something with this so I just jumped right in. I never realized just how many carbs I had been eating (and drinking!) on a daily basis. This is a pic of one of my typical days logged on My Fitness Pal. 

LOOK AT THOSE CARBS!!!

No freaking wonder I felt like crap! Who the hell eats like that?! Especially when they weren't even eating 3 times a day!! And of course this included an extra large iced latte here, a can of Monster there... Oy!!

This is how I'm eating now. Yes, high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbs. 

And guess what? It's working. 

I have officially been eating the Keto way for almost 3 weeks. And let me tell you, I feel amazing. The first day and a half was hard. I just wanted carbs. Alllll of the carbs. In my mouth. NOW. But by day 3? I wanted nothing sweet. Nothing extra carby. My cravings completely disappeared. Like, I'm not kidding, completely gone! I was no longer constantly hungry. My brain wasn't foggy anymore. My energy shot up a lot. Now, when I eat, I'm full long before my food is gone. Yaaaay for leftovers!! It has been a bit of an adjustment because looking back, 90% of my food choices involved carbs. Plus, fat has really been demonized for so long so it was hard to wrap my brain around eating so much fat- but I'm eating good fats. And ya know what? This has been the easiest way of eating I've ever done. I'm eating delicious filling food. And my grocery bill didn't go up a ridiculous amount like it sometimes had in the past. Oh... and did I mention that I dropped 21 lbs in the first 2 weeks alone? 

Yeah, I was floored. My jaw actually dropped.

Now, am I saying that carbs are the devil and all must be avoided? Absolutely not. But what I am saying is that for me personally, excess carbs were a very serious issue for my body. And I'm doing great, feeling great, and I cannot wait to see where this takes me.

I'll keep you all updated as I go!!