Clean Keto vs Lazy Keto

Today I posted an image of myself to a weight loss Facebook Group I am in and to be completely honest I was blown away by the response. The support I received on that post was overwhelming and I can't thank each person who took the time to like or comment, enough. Truly it means the world.

I had a few questions about what I was doing, wanting more info on Keto and how long it has taken me. I was trying to keep up while I was running errands but I am not nearly as fast at typing on a phone as a keyboard so I thought I would put it in a blog post so I can add more detail.

I am going to go back just a bit, so please bear with me...

I have probably dieted in some form since my early teens. Tried more plans than I could count. Sometime in my mid 30's I gave up. I was tired of exercising and not seeing progress. If I was working out, my eating was terrible. If I was eating well, I just didn't get up and move. I struggled to get the two in sync and since my weight seemed to stay within 231-235 I thought, I am done. This is what I will weigh for the rest of my life and I can live with it.

Only life happens.

I neared 40 and my metabolism said, I am slowing down now.

Nothing changed in my eating habits but the scale seemed to jump to 238, and the little tricks I did so many times at 235 to get back to 231 didn't make a difference.

Then I was 245.

I was like, shit.

My clothes were getting snug and I couldn't bring myself to get a bigger size. I was disgusted with myself, embarrassed of my body, I was out of breath going up the stairs and realized if I ever needed to run, I would be in trouble.

I started working out doing mostly cardio. Got up to an hour on the elliptical and that was great but still no real impact on the scale. It wasn't going up but not really down either.

Eventually (after a binge eating that had me feeling sick) I knew this was it. I needed to get serious. I had heard about Keto but had no clue what it was so I Googled it, got some books and dove in. This was February 2019.

I lost about 20 lbs through Keto diet alone. And I was doing Lazy Keto. This means I read nutrition labels and bought products low in net carbs (total carbs - fiber and sugar alcohols). I didn't really count anything. I just stuck to protein, full fat dairy, non-starchy veggies and low carb substitutes of things like bread, cookies, ice-cream, candy... It was really pretty easy.

I did this for the rest of 2019 without exercising. But I seemed stuck at -20 lbs. So for the new year I decided now that my eating was a pretty established habit I would add in exercise. I found a startup gym doing smaller group classes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and did these 5 nights a week. By March 2020 I had lost another 10-ish lbs.

Then the world shut down, including my gym. I tried doing virtual workouts at home, but struggled. I was stressing out with trying to work from home, take care of my family and help my kids with virtual learning.

I fell off the wagon hard.

My gym reopened late May/early June and at least I started working out again but I struggled getting my diet back on track.

I regained 14 lbs. My lazy keto became just plain lazy.

I think it was October that I finally made a effort that took. I was still doing lazy Keto.

In December/January I got a postcard from my husband's company regarding a program to help with weight-loss which would be totally free for employees and their spouses so with nothing to lose, I signed up.

I had to go through some medical reviews (blood tests, family history, consultation...) before I was cleared to start. There was also a lot of homework to learn about how your body processes sugar and uses food for fuel, how the program works, what to eat, all the resources they offer...

If anyone wants information on Virta Health, please let me know. I am happy to chat. Keep in mind, I am not a professional and you should always consult with a Doctor before beginning any dietary changes.

I learned my weight-loss stall was that I was eating too many carbs. All those substitutes may actually have a bigger impact on your blood glucose levels than you think. Virta is a clean Keto diet. This means you eat mostly unprocessed foods. Think perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the center aisles.

Also, I came to realize the true star of a keto diet is the veggies. I now eat 6 servings of non-starchy vegetables a day. One serving equals:

• 1/2 c cooked
• 1 c raw
• 2 c leafy greens (salad leaves)

Non-starchy veggies are basically anything but corn, potatoes, beans. And carrots are also high in carbs so those are a no.

Then I can have up to 12 oz of protein. Really any protein like eggs, chicken, beef, pork, cheese, fish, nuts, tofu...

Use full fat dairy and healthy fats like:

• butter
• olive oil
• avocado oil
• coconut oil
• heavy cream
• cream cheese
• sour cream

I also have to drink at least a 2 liter of water a day and get in extra electrolytes (sodium).

I just completed my first month on Virta and still getting to the gym 5 days a week (most of the time) and this morning I was at 212.6.

I'd like to reach 140-145. I will be thrilled to hit 175 by the end of this year.

Hope this helped answer some of the questions. Please feel free to ask more. It is hard to capture it all in a quick brain dump. Here was a little progress update video I did and hadn't shared this longer version yet, so here goes: