Keto works

I saw a book today by an author who lost 140 pounds on keto. I had a couple thoughts:

KETO IS AWESOME.

Yes, some people call it a bandwagon. Maybe it is. But I remain convinced because anything that does not require weird supplements and no extra costs besides food? That’s not a scam. That’s real.

My second thought…

Why are you bothering to talk about keto at all? So many people are more successful than you. No one cares what you have to say.

We can be our own worst enemies.

I’m not even sure if anyone is reading this anyway. But maybe someone is. Maybe someone needs it. Or will need it.

I actually started writing a..book? memoir? something? about my keto journey. Not sure what I will do with it, if anything. But losing weight? I learned that there is a whole lot more to it than eating.

For now, I will keep saying KETO WORKS because I believe it.

~sj~

Teachers and Keto

Well, looky there. It’s been a while. Why? ‘Cause teaching is kicking my butt ya’ll.

And can I tell you? Schools are basically run on carbs. Carbs everywhere! I can’t eat or participate in 95% of the food offered at school. “Free donuts in the teacher’s lounge!” Carb focused meals for every event.

And then there is this:

 

Why do schools think throwing candy on the table for EVERY SINGLE MEETING makes everything better? I don’t know ya’ll. But I know this. If I had not been invested into keto for a whole year before I started teaching, I’d have gained twenty pounds this year.

It’s SO EASY to eat mindlessly. To pop food in your mouth. That’s what changed for me when I did keto. I thought about what I was eating, and the compulsion to eat went away.

So if you’re a teacher, give keto a try during the summer so you can create new habits away from that carb-toxic environment!

Got questions? Hit me up!

~sj~

 

Free Keto!

The thing I love most about keto? Besides fabulous and fast weight loss (because – duh!- THAT is pretty awesome)?

Keto cost me nothing!!

I never bought a product.

Oh, there are a lot of keto products out there and if you like using them – then, go you!

But you don’t have to use them. You don’t have to buy anything extra. You don’t have to sign up for a program. You don’t have to spend money on anything except good, real food.

I’ll admit – my grocery bill is higher from keto. But my life is beyond better and totally worth the good food I buy now.

I’m in the process of simplifying my life (and boy is that probably worth a few blog posts all on their own). I went back to work full time after staying home with my kids for many wonderful years. So full-time work means I have to be super careful about what belongs in my life now.

I have been closing things down, purging my life of things that I carried around for a long time. I am getting rid of some baggage. It’s hard. So hard. But good. So good.

And as I have been “getting back to basics” I found that talking about keto – reaching out to you!! – is still super important to me. So I will keep blogging, keep raving about keto and I will try to help you as much as I can.

Because I believe in you. I know there are people out there just like me, desperate for lasting freedom from the weight.

I want you to succeed.

I want you to find freedom from the weight.

Photo by Lum3n.com on Pexels.com

So I’m back. Chime in with your questions. What do you want to know? How can I help?

~sj~

 

#keto and Shame

Keto is a powerful key to losing weight. I can’t say enough how it’s transformed my life. Seven months after hitting a weight I’d never thought I’d see, I’m still happily eating #keto. I feel SO MUCH better eating this way, that I see my old way of eating as destructive and harmful. So I don’t want to go back. Keto is my way of life – not a diet.

But we have to talk about shame.

Because shame is the gremlin that’s gonna taunt you. It’s gonna tell you you’re not worth it. It will lie to you and tell you to eat junk to make yourself feel better for a few minutes. It wants you to trade momentary pleasure for long-term satisfaction. It will tell you to eat the easy, fast thing rather than cooking something good and healthy for yourself.

Shame will lie to you and say that you’re not good enough. Not strong enough. Not worth it.

Kick that gremlin to the curb.

But be warned.

It’s a pesky gremlin. It’s relentless, And it will come back in other ways. It will sneak around your brain looking for another way to keep you from reaching your full potential.

I managed to kick it in the teeth when it came to what I eat. I no longer wear my shame on the outside for all to see. It’s an amazing thing. A real victory.

But I’m still fighting it. It just finds a new weak spot. I’ll share more about that new weak spot – because fighting it often means exposing it’s lies.

#keto and losing weight – it’s a mental battle with shame. Yes, what you put in your mouth matters. But the battlefield is your own mind.

But you can win the battle; and the whole dang war. But you have to know you are in a war, before you can win a war. Let’s fight the war. Because that gremlin doesn’t have any power at all – unless you believe him.

Listen to Brene Brown talk about it.

Easy Breezy Bacon – my #keto staple

Easy Breezy Bacon

I never cared much about bacon before #keto. And now? Hands off my bacon!

Seriously though – it’s one of my go-to staples, especially in the morning. I eat it warm, cold, whatever. It’s got that good fat to help you stay satisfied!

But I also hate popping grease and cleaning my whole stove just to make some. Then a friend posted about a recipe to make it in the oven and perfecto! Easy Breezy Bacon that’s a snap to clean up!

And now I shall share it with you so you can enjoy the yummy goodness, too.

Enjoy!

Spread the love! Like and Share!

Easy Breezy Bacon 

Supplies: bacon, cookie sheets, tin foil, oven

Cover two cookie sheets with tin foil and lay out the raw bacon on them.

Put them inside a COLD oven (don’t preheat).

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees and set your timer for 22 minutes.

You will want to keep a close eye on them after 22 minutes so that you get them to your perfect crispiness.

My oven is 17 years old so they take about 35 minutes in my oven, and darker cookie sheets will cook faster. So if you start watching at 22 you should know how long your oven takes within the first couple times. You probaby have a newer oven than me!

I pull them out when they look perfect (to me!) and drain them on some paper towels and then usually eat one whole plate…

The Magic Pill – #keto must see TV!!

The Magic Pill

 

I heard a few times about The Magic Pill and I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this Netflix documentary.

WOW. WOW. WOW.

Not even kidding. I was already a #keto believer before I saw this amazing documentary.

It’s on Netflix. Go watch it.

I took away so many things from it besides the benefits of I’ve already seen from going #keto.

1 – Meat is not created equal. I am now a huge believer in grass-fed, pastured beef, pork and poultry. One quick Google search and I found multiple local farms that provide grass-fed meats. I get to support local farms and eat healthy at the same time? Sign me up! Best part is the two local farmer markets have vendors which make it easy to grab fresh meat and veggies.

2 – The staggering amount of diet-related illnesses that are plaguing our nation and the flat-out wrong information the government has been handing people for generations? UGH!

3 – #keto is a true lifestyle. No different than someone saying they are vegan, or vegetarian. I am staying #keto because even though I don’t need to lose any more weight (Mind. Blown.), I continue to choose to eat this way because it is the absolute best choice for my body.

Go watch it. Chime in!

~sj~

Top Ten Benefits of #keto

Disclaimer! I am not a doctor and none of this constitutes medical advice. Just a normal person sharing an opinion. Consult medical professionals before beginning any plan!

So just yesterday a fitness person I follow posted a video “debunking the myths of keto.” In other words, saying why #keto is wrong and bad.

I didn’t watch the video but Mr. Google will help you find plenty of similar videos. I urge you to research all sides. I’m a fan of “find what works for you.” Everyone is different and every person is a unique individual. What works for me might not work for you!

That being said: #Keto worked for me! And now:  my top ten benefits to my #keto life.

1 – It was free.

I have three kids and we are on a tight budget and frankly, I couldn’t afford to do a plan that costs a bunch of money or requires me to buy special foods. I learned about #keto on Google. Friended some people who were farther along than me for advice. But it didn’t cost me anything but some time to learn. Priceless!

2 – I don’t get sick.

This one confuses me because I don’t really know why or how this is the case but I used to have pretty regular colds and at least one that turned into a hacking, coughing mess every winter. I’ve had maybe three times where I had a few sniffles, brought out the Thieves, took some Vitamin C and Zinc and it never turned into anything worse. The entire winter.

3 – My spring allergies are gone.

Like the above, I have no idea why this is the case, but spring – right before everything starts to bloom – has always meant heavy allergy attacks. This year? Maybe my eyes itched a couple times. I sneezed here and there. But that old allergy misery of early spring? Gone.

4 – My skin cleared up.

Shrug. No explanation but nice side effect! The bumps on the backs of my arms? Gone.

5 –  Bacon ( i.e. Food I like).

Seriously. I eat bacon practically every day and I lost 50 pounds and I’ve been maintaining for months. Whaaat??? I can eat bacon, cheeseburgers (without the bun), steak and pretty much any yummy meats and vegetables. I feel satisfied. Which makes it much easier to say no to the sweets that were my Achilles heel. Bacon cheeseburger, please!

6 – I don’t have to prepare multiple meals for a family.

I just skip any breads or starches I include for others but as time goes on, my kids don’t miss the starches so I rarely even make them unless requested. The rest of the meal is the same. Easy Peasy!

7 – I keep my coffee

I still drink my coffee the way I like it. Any eating plan that tries to take my coffee away would have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. I kept my coffee and #keto. Happy Sarah.

8 – More energy

Yep, I don’t need a nap every day like I used to. I still will have nights here and there where my brain doesn’t let me sleep or the full moon messes with me (anyone else) – those days I might nap. But that’s so rare now. Brain fog? Gone.

9 – I did not exercise and I STILL lost 50 pounds.

I am just not good at exercise. I have good intentions. But I’m bad at follow through. I tried to like running, yoga, etc, etc. I don’t keep it up. So any plan that requires me to change my food AND exercise is an even greater challenge. I lost over 50 pounds and my exercise attempts were practically non-existent. Phew.

10 – I lost 50 pounds with #keto

No other diet or anything I tried gave me the results of #keto – along with all of the above things. I wear a “small” now. I never thought that was even possible. I still look in the mirror and wonder who that girl is.

So the debunkers can keep debunking all they want and I just shrug and look in the mirror and see how far I’ve come. At the end of the day, I needed a plan, a lifestyle, that I could live with. I can live #keto and not have FOMO. That’s a good deal for me:-)

~sj~

 

I lost more than 50 pounds with #keto

Who wouldn’t love keto when you can eat like this?

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and don’t claim to be. Always seek real medical advice for any conditions or changes you make. Got it? This is just my personal opinion and journey:-)

It’s true. I lost more than 50 pounds with Keto.

I have struggled with my weight all my life. I never remember a time when I didn’t feel overweight. Being fat in high school was awful. At least it was for me. I’m sure there are girls who can embrace their curves and enjoy who they are even with extra pounds.

I wasn’t one of those girls. I was miserable. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin.

I tried everything to battle my weight. At various points in my life, I was able to lose “some” weight. But never enough to make a real difference.

Last summer, an Instagram friend mentioned losing weight and of course, I’m curious, but also feeling pretty defeated. I had just tried another program that resulted in eating better but no weight loss.

She shared about #keto. I decided to try again, for what felt like the millionth time. And of course, I decided to try #keto the week our family goes to the beach. Figuring out #keto on vacation wasn’t fun. I don’t recommend that!

But I stuck with it. And in six months to the day – I crossed the 50 pounds lost mark! I’ve been maintaining that weight ever since. And I’m only 5′ 3″ so losing fifty pounds was a big deal for me. Still is.

I’m not gonna lie. #keto is a lifestyle, not a diet. I know that I will never be able to eat carbs like I used to. But I’m completely okay with that. I don’t even miss most of the carbs. Honestly!

Lots more to come! Stick with me!

~sj~