To start, I have never been comfortable in sharing my weight loss journey. I have always felt that my weight loss goal is nothing compared to most of the people struggling with weight.
I always thought that I do not have any authority to whinge about my weight but then I’ve read something that weight loss is not a ‘numbers game’, that it is not about how much you lost but the process how you lost it.
Now I realised that sharing your story (whether it was successful or not!) can somehow motivate other people to think about their health- then it’s all worth it.
Let’s talk about my background…
I am a 46 year old Asian lady with two teenage kids. So there! Just by the word ‘Asian’, you can tell that I love rice! A meal without rice is never a meal! Plus the fact that I love Italian food, it makes starting a low carb diet quite an impossible feat.
I am petite, always had been. I am just around 5 ft tall and I have always stayed between 50-52 kilos which I was quite happy about because I never aimed to be the skinny type anyway.
When I hit the big 4-0, I noticed that things started to change including my skin, hair and the most obvious one is that I am putting on weight!
I have always been working out. I don’t love it but I do feel good after doing a good workout which is probably the reason why I had stuck it out.
One thing that I’ve noticed is that even if I am working out – sweating it all out – I am not losing weight like I used to and the thing with petite people is that if even if you put on just 3 kilos, it will look like you have eaten the entire buffet plus the salad station! It is that obvious.
The start of my Keto Diet
Having seen my friend’s post about her weight loss journey, I decided to try Keto. It was a lot of research. Reading a lot of articles about the benefits and the drawbacks. I guess I was emotionally prepping myself because not eating carbs is no joke!
I have watched a lot of YouTube videos about it. I was taking it all in – Dr Eric Berg and Dr Jason Fung were the two experts that I have watched again and again. It does help when you hear it everyday.
Effects of Ketogenic Diet
The first week when I started Keto, I felt irritable and miserable. I am missing bread and rice and I was telling myself that maybe I can just do calorie restriction rather than cutting off carb completely. I was doubting myself if I can really do it.
Then headache started. On my fifth day, I was exhausted and can’t even think straight. Having read about the symptoms of Keto flu, I kept telling myself that it is working.
I stayed away from restaurants and coffee shops because the spirit is weak! I go to work and go straight home after.
Meal Prep helps in my Keto Diet Journey
One thing that helped me the most is meal prepping. I found time to prep meals on weekends and it was my personal choice to eat one kind of meal every lunch for a week, and the same thing for dinner. I am definitely a creature of habit!
My favourites will include salmon with butter and herb, omelette with cheese, steak with salad (tons of salad!). After a week, the cravings were all gone and I am okay.
Weight Loss on Keto
When I started on Keto Diet, I weighed around 57kilos. On my first week, I have lost 1 kg and I was thinking this maybe due to water loss and on the second week I lost around 0.5 kg.
Seeing figures go down, it motivates you more to continue on. I was so happy with the weight that I am losing that I started thinking to do Ketogenic Diet together with Intermittent Fasting.
I wanted to lose more and I am not planning to stop. I was really pumped!
Intermittent Fasting
I did not find it hard to do intermittent fasting. I started with the 16:8 method and found that it suits my lifestyle. I start work at around 7:30 in the morning and I usually have black coffee and I do not go hungry after that.
My second cup of joe will be at 10:00 and I usually have my third cup at 1:00 PM. I know having 3 cups of coffee is not ideal but I just can’t help it! I can hear some of you saying ‘it’s bad for your adrenals’ — which I am completely aware of.
I have my lunch at 3:00 PM usually with salmon and a big portion of green salad. When I go home, I eat my dinner and I am done by 7:00 PM. This Intermittent Fasting schedule worked out for me so well that I do not crave anything and that I don’t even go hungry in the morning.
I have done this again and again and again for a month and when I weighed myself, I lost about 3 kilos already. I made it a habit that I weigh myself every Monday morning and kept a record of it.
On the second month I was down to 52 kilos. I felt really good about it except for the times when your friends will ask you out for a drink in the pub! That was a struggle!
Why I stopped Keto
Having had good results, you would ask why I stopped it…
After almost 3 months of doing it and feeling good about my weight loss, there was a day while I was working when I felt really ill. I felt tightness in my chest and I was having palpitations. Oh it scared me!
I was rushed to A&E and had some tests done and guess what? I had deranged electrolytes!
I know that I should have been paying attention to my electrolytes while on Keto and IF. I knew that by heart but somehow failed to recognise that my electrolytes had just gone berserk!
After that experience, I started eating fruits and all the food that I think will replenish my electrolytes. That kicked me out of Ketosis!
Is Keto Diet sustainable?
This question will depend on who’s going to answer. Keto coupled with Intermittent fasting is a very effective tool in weight loss but it needs to be consistent and this will entail a lifestyle change.
Am I ready to not eat rice and bread forever? Probably not! That is why for me, I think Keto is not sustainable. This is my personal opinion and this might change, who knows?
What I can say is that Keto did work for me and I was able to do it for a period of time.
Will I do it again? Maybe 😉
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