5 Changes During My First Week of Keto

A couple weeks ago my husband and I decided that we were ready for a big change. We had tried to eat better in the past, but we were ready for something that would drastically change our lifestyle for the better.

When we first began, we simply decided to cut out breads and sugar. Not going in with a game plan usually isn’t a good idea but we just wanted to start something. Anything.

It was pretty quickly when we stumbled upon the ketogenic diet (keto). Keto is a low carb, high fat eating plan. Personally, I try to keep my carbs under 20 grams daily and usually keep them under 10. The hardest part of keto isn’t reading food labels to see all those sneaky carbs, but to get enough fat and protein. It almost seems wrong that I’m losing weight and eating a bacon cheeseburger for dinner...but you know what? It’s working for us!

Along with weight loss, there are lots of other great changes my body is experiencing since cutting down carbs and sugar.

1. Reduction in under eye circles

   I’ve had dark circles under my eyes for as long as I can remember. Nothing seems to cover them and I’ve been accepting that this is just how it is. In just a few days I noticed they were lightening up and my eyes were brighter.
   

2. I’m sleeping better
   

   Cutting out sugar really helps avoid random crashes throughout the day. I wake up sleepy but not exhausted like I typically would. At night I find myself sleeping more soundly and comfortably.

    

3. Decreased appetite, faster satiety

   A great thing about keto is that it severely reduces my appetite. As a stay at home mom, this is really helpful. I cook many times a day and sometimes it’s just really hard not to be snacking while I’m around all that food. In the morning, heavy cream and coffee usually can hold me until around 1pm when I decide to eat lunch. I also don’t get those hunger surges that make me want to eat everything in sight. Sometimes I’ll make a salad and brat and only eat half...but I’m actually full.
   

4. Brighter Skin

    Within a few days of starting my skin seemed to take on a gently glowy feature. I'm sure the water had a big part in this. Usually it's dull and once in a while gets a few blemishes but they have been a lot less frequent and my skin just looks healthier.
   

5. More accountable
   

   What's interesting about keto versus some other diets is that if you go off of it, you’ll likely regret it physically. Not only will gorging yourself on a giant pizza or cookies potentially knock you out of fat burning ketosis, it can really cause some not so fun digestive side effects. The great thing though, is that there are so many delicious keto-friendly foods that actually make me feel  good! It’s hard to see myself not sticking to it for a long time.

Keto is not for everyone, but I’m excited I’ve found something that is working for me. Each day gets easier, I’m drinking more water than ever and I’m able to maintain 30 minutes or more of exercise each day- much better than I’ve been able to do in the past. Plus, I get to eat jalapeno poppers, burgers and buffalo chicken dip whenever I want while consistently losing weight and feeling better. Couldn’t ask for more in this new lifestyle. 🙂