I started the KETO way of life on September 10, 2018. I made the mental switch rather easily and never had sugar cravings or withdrawal issues. (Sugar has been my drug of choice for years.) From September through December 23 I lost 42 pounds! My joints, especially my knees and ankles, stopped hurting and walking became easier. I joined a volleyball league and have been having a wonderful time. Typically I kept my carbs under 20 net grams per day.
Christmas week I decided I'd not be so strict and allow myself some holiday treats and not be as limited on the types of food I consumed. Christmas Eve we had dinner at my in-laws. I did allow myself to have some mashed potatoes and a roll, and for dessert I had a small piece of pecan pie. Within about 5 minutes of eating the pie I had a really bad headache and chalked it up to a sugar rush.
Christmas morning I fixed our traditional eggnog French toast with warm cherry pie filling on top. We had dinner with my family. This is where the biggest eating train wreck came from. Other than the turkey, every single dish was nothing but carbs (potatoes, macaroni, dressing, sweet potato casserole, corn pudding, rolls)...and the desserts were MUCH better and more abundant.
The day after Christmas I packed up all the left over cookies, candy, cakes and food gifts and put them in the freezer. I was nauseated most of the day, and the nausea continued for a couple days. I've found that sugar really doesn't agree with me much anymore. My joints started to hurt again and my ankles were poofy again.
I didn't check my weight from Christmas Eve through New Year Day. I also didn't go back to strict KETO because I knew we'd have a NYE get together at church, a family dinner on New Year's Day and my husband's birthday is January 2 and I wanted to enjoy his birthday cake with him. Probably not my best move, but that's what I did.
I read something online this week that said "It's not about what you eat from Christmas to New Year's, it's about what you eat from New Year's to Christmas." I think that's a pretty accurate statement and I don't begrudge myself having enjoyed holiday foods.
So here we are, January 7 and I weighed this morning and I'm at exactly the 40 pound lost mark. Yep, I'm up 2 pounds. My fingers are really swollen this morning, and I need to add more fiber to my diet (ahem)...so those two issues combined could be the cause of the 2 pound gain, or it could just be that hey, I ate stuff I shouldn't and gained a bit. Either way, there will be a difference on the scale next week.
What's working for me? Skinny Syrup and Skinny Foam for my coffee is working. These come in all kinds of delicious flavors, have no carbs and make coffee a tasty treat. I also add MCT oil to my coffee, and the syrup helps me ignore the oily feeling in my mouth. You can order the syrup online, but you can also find it at stores like Tuesday Morning, Ross and TJMaxx if you have any of those in your area.
This week my goal is to get to the gym at least twice and drink a LOT more water.
How did your weight loss week go? What's working for you?
I gained 3lbs over the holidays (We too have a birthday thrown in there and I still have one more to come). But I did get out hiking 4 days last week and just got back from an hour and half hike today so I find upping my exercise (even though I loathe exercise) is one thing that works for me.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to add exercise into my mix!
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