Hi Everyone! Today I woke up feeling amazing. I am very excited about this blog post and to tell you what I have been experimenting with over the last month. If you have been reading my blog posts, then you know that I have many food allergies, which contribute to my asthma and eczema. I follow a paleo based diet, which excludes dairy and gluten – my two main asthma and eczema triggers.
With summer approaching, I wanted to kick my diet up a notch… I was in no way overweight, however, even by following a paleo based lifestyle, I felt that my body always seemed a bit puffy, and I really wanted to lean out. I workout 5 days a week, doing HIIT and strength training, but I was really struggling to lose the last 5kgs. So I decided to try the ketogenic diet. I thought that it would be a big challenge due to the fact that I couldn’t have dairy, and only limited amounts of eggs, as these too, are a trigger for my allergies. Pork can also be a trigger for me, and so no bacon!! A keto diet without butter and bacon??? Is that even possible? ABSOLUTELY!! I saw so many benefits whilst following this lifestyle… it has been life changing! Here are some of the top benefits I experienced:
- No more cravings – this is probably the biggest benefit for me. I was ALWAYS hungry and never felt satisfied before keto… and this often lead me to binge in the evenings…. this would sabotage my weight loss efforts greatly, and I would wake up feeling awful from all the junk that I would eat (even though it was gluten and dairy free, it can still be junk). Since starting keto, I have not been extremely hungry or experienced cravings and have not binged on any junk food. I am amazed!
- No more bloating – my stomach has never been so flat (I can actually see my abs now), and my bloating has disappeared. Usually, by 10am I would look 6 months pregnant. Another great benefit! Who doesn’t want a flat stomach 24/7?
- Weight loss – I do not use the scale, as I think that it can lead to unhealthy and obsessive behaviours, and so I am not sure how much weight I lost. However, I did lose cms, my clothes feel looser and I look so much leaner. I can now see muscle definition that I was never able to see before. All the puffiness has gone.
- Energy – I definitely feel like I have more energy, probably due to having stable blood sugar levels. The 3pm slump is definitely not a problem anymore.
- Mood – I used to get so hangry, I would get super grumpy and miserable if I didn’t eat on schedule. I would always have to carry snacks in my handbag. Before going out my boyfriend would always ask “have you packed snacks?”… too funny. Now I can go longer periods without eating. Don’t get me wrong, I still get hungry, but not desperately hungry, and I don’t need to snack anymore. I have two or three big meals and have some bulletproof coffee in between to keep me going.
So there you have it… the top benefits that I have experienced following the ketogenic diet. Will I carry on with this lifestyle? Absolutely! As a nutritionist, I know that everyone reacts differently to various ways of eating, and lifestyle choice is very personalised due to many different factors. I found that this lifestyle works well for me, but it may not work for everyone.
I hope that you enjoyed this post…
xxx Jess
Jessie Claire 