Keto people are crazy...

... That's what I always thought. Then I tried it.

In March I was getting... hangry... I had been in a calorie deficit for a while and was holding tight to those last 10 lbs or so. So after some research, I decided I would do keto for 30 days. I had read Maria Emmerich's book before and been unimpressed, tbh. She said that I couldn't eat bread and that I needed to bathe in the rivers (she swims in the mornings) and I wan't about it. This time when I read her book, Keto. It clicked. And like, why not? I could try it and if it doesn't work then it was a failed experiment. No big deal.

7 months later, still Keto. Maybe it's more Primal? Paleo? Carnivore. I'm not great with the distinctions and definitions. I do what works for me when practical, it changes and adapts.

Some days I discover new things. Like on the first frosty morning when I discovered MY KNEES DON'T HURT ANYMORE. I thought it was a fluke, because the weather has been warmer, but alas, as the person whose knees have bothered them since they were a literal child, this is wild. The inflammation. Gone. My knees used to have this weird fluid (it's called synovial fluid Krystal) that I could feel on the medial side (you know medial but not synovial???). I could massage it. I could tell when it was inflamed because it was like a warm pocket on the inside of the joint. A Hot Pocket of pain. Sorry, it's what came to mind. Pain pocket? IDK.

Oh that's right, this started with me being hangry. Yes, I'm less hangry. I've been able to work on my metabolic flexibility and can do things like fast (which is pretty cool from an autophagy perspective and from a road trip perspective). I'm sleeping better. (Which could be due to the dark showers... you should subscribe to my newsletter to hear more about that).

From a mindfulness perspective, it's fascinating. It's changed my view on so many things. Reading ingredients is... tedious. There's really no way around it. It's not a fun habit, but an important one. Sometimes old faithfuls become... cheaters. One of my staple recipes (and it has been for years) is a skillet dish with cabbage, onions and sausage. I can do it in the crock pot and fancy it up or throw it in the cast iron and have dinner ready in under half an hour. Simple, easy to remember. I was at the store, picked up my standby Kroger brand (yes, I'm airing them on this), and flipped over the package. Only to realize it's processed with HFCS, which then made me realize that ALL OF THE DINNER SAUSAGES had HFCS. I finally found a breakfast sausage that was processed with cane sugar further down the ingredient list, threw my hands in the air and said 'good enough' (Probably out loud, I was being that person talking to themselves in the meat department).I usually order meat from a regenerative farm soooo I guess I need to add sausage to that shopping list moving forward.

The more research I do into Ketogenic diets, the more intrigued I've become, its good for epilepsy, stroke, diabetes... the list goes on and on. For myself, n=1 is the most important study; how you feel about yourself, how your health improves and how your daily living changes. It's like joining a cult, or a sorority; from the outside looking in you don't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it. So maybe it's time, you join the cult.

Or at least, you can join me Virtual Thursdays at 1:00 PM Eastern for mini flow classes! You can book here!

Aldi Snacks for the win!