Fat Cells Hate This Secret Trick!

 One of the inevitable pitfalls of discussing Keto with people, and one I sometimes fall back into without thinking, is referring to it as the Keto 'diet.'  

I try to refer to it as a lifestyle, because there's so much more to it and because of the negative connotations of the word diet.  When you say the word, the first thing that comes to mind is starving yourself, and that is quite simply not the case at all.   The preconception of a diet is that one has to eat tiny portions of only certain foods, and then workout until collapsing while exhausted and hungry.

I agree that working out is an important aspect of overall health, and it certainly doesn't hurt to add some to your routine, but I would would argue that real strenuous workouts can come later, being progressively added as you become more able to do them. Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and absolutely nothing I say should be construed as advice, simply opinion based on experience.  I'm only going to talk about what worked for me.

In my case, I started out at 325 pounds, and exercise consisted of getting off the couch and walking to the car.  Just the thought of doing anything more exerting than that caused me to be flush with the sensation of exhaustion and dread.  It was a vicious cycle because to preserve what little energy I had, I did less and less.  

So how did I get to be where I am now?   Did I starve myself? Did I workout until I dropped?  If you've been paying attention so far, you know the answer to those questions is no.  Eating keto is definitely an adaptation, I won't try to hide that, nor run from it. It's not that I had to do without, with a few minor exceptions. In actuality I could eat pretty much anything I wanted, the difference being I had to find new and creative ways to do it.  That meant trying new foods, and new ways of preparing old favorites with different ingredients.  In my case, portion sizes were not the enemy, and to be honest I didn't even watch my calorie intake.  I focused on net carbs.  I set an arbitrary goal of 20 net carbs per day, based on research that I had done indicating that 20-50 is generally considered to be the optimal zone to maintain ketosis.  As long as I stayed at 20 or below per day, I considered it a win.

I didn't hit the gym, I didn't lift weights.  My exercise routine consisted of normal daily activities. All the while, I was able to eat pizza, cake, sandwiches, french fries, ice cream, candy, candy bars, even cheesecake and chocolate mousse.  I tried to maintain a reasonable portion size, but that was based pretty strictly on the calculation of net carb intake.  In short, if I planned my meals properly, I could indulge quite a bit.

Once I hit my goal weight, I began to add progressively longer and more frequent hikes, averaging about 5 miles a day when possible due to time and weather.  I began to vary my hiking locations based on terrain and tried to have some days be more moderate and some days put myself through hell with steep and prolonged inclines.  Finally a funny thing happened.  It got easier.  The hellish hikes stopped making me feel like my lungs were going to burst from my chest.  My overall heart rate began to drop, even under heavy exertion.

A few years ago, even setting foot outside in 70 degree weather was enough to make me sweat.  Exerting myself under summer heat usually made me sweaty enough that I had to change clothes frequently. Today, I can hike for five miles in 90+ degree heat and maybe work up a small sweat, but nothing anywhere approaching the tsunamis I used to endure.  Summer heat in North Carolina is no joke, and while I may not always enjoy being broiled, my body can definitely handle it far more efficiently now.  

As a hedge against the heat and humidity, and also against the frequent and unexpected torrential rains we get here, I also purchased a stationary bike.  (On sale for 99 dollars no less!) For those days when time or weather are a concern, I now have a fantastic option to get the same workout in about half the time all while staying out of the elements. There is something to be said for enjoying the scenery though, but it's nice to be able to switch it up.

I mix in some resistance band training at home as well, and that, as they say is that.  No gym memberships needed.  Again, this is MY personal experience.  Some people obviously may do better at a gym or training studio with instruction and support.  My only goal here is to demonstrate that I was able to live the keto lifestyle for approaching three years, losing about 180 pounds, keep it off, and get far more physically fit.  

I'm not done yet either.  While I'm much happier with my overall fitness now, there's still work to be done, but the bulk of it, the hard work of shedding over half of myself, is now in the past and has been for some time.  I realize I didn't really divulge any world shattering secrets but I just wanted to touch on some misconceptions about keto and some of the possibilities.  I plan to get a little more into a deep dive in a future post.  If you're still here, thank you and I appreciate you!