This is the third in a series of posts in which I will be reviewing my
experience and insights after following a very low-carb lifestyle for more
than a year.
Quick update: Since my previous post on the importance of preparation in setting yourself up for success on a
ketogenic diet was published 2.5 weeks ago, I was surprised to discover that I have
lost another pound. So, my total weight loss since May 25, 2019 is now 58
pounds.
Choose a Start Date
I was highly motivated to begin my new keto lifestyle, thanks to
a medical scare that forced me to face the serious health risks of being
both postmenopausal and obese, and of continuing to consume added sugar and
highly processed foods. I understood the urgency of getting down to a healthy weight, and I was
anxious to start lowering my risk for developing cancer, heart disease,
diabetes or another serious illness as soon as possible. It was hard to resist
the urge to just get started on keto as best I could, and figure things out as
I went along.
At the same time, I knew how difficult it was going to be to overcome my food
addictions, particularly to sugar and baked goods; cut out all grains, rice,
and beans; and severely restrict my consumption of roasted carrots, parsnips,
beets, white or sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables, which had been a
staple of our weekly menus for years.
So, as impatient as I was to "get the show on the road," I understood the
importance of preparing myself mentally, emotionally, and environmentally
before committing myself fully to the radical changes that would be
required—especially at the beginning, when my starch and sugar cravings would
still be at their strongest.
Last but not least, I understood my need for a clear framework and road map to
help me stay on track and make consistent progress toward any type of goal.
So, ultimately, I made the wise decision to choose a start date a few weeks
out, so I could have the time to prepare myself properly and give myself the
best chance of success.
When choosing the date for starting your own keto diet, I encourage you to
consider your own fears and challenges, decide how best to prepare yourself to
overcome them, and pick a start date that leaves you enough time to complete
the preparations that will help set you up for success.
Decide Whom to Tell, and When
The ketogenic approach to eating is widely misunderstood, remains
controversial, and tends to provoke strong responses, whether positive or
negative, whenever the topic arises. I knew that switching to this radically
different approach to eating was going to be hard enough without the added
stress of dealing with unsolicited, well-meaning, but unwanted opinions,
advice, or criticism about my decision to follow a ketogenic diet.
I chose to keep that decision private for as long as possible.When I started,
no one except my husband (and my surgeon) would know. Once I became
fat-adapted and overcame my cravings for high-carb foods, I would tell a
handful of other people if, and when, they needed to know, e.g., telling my
brother shortly before we flew across the country to stay with him for a
week-long visit.
Down the road, when I was noticeably slimmer and people began to ask about how
I achieved my weight loss, I would need to decide what, and how much, I wanted
to share about my new approach to eating. But I would have at least a month or
two to make that decision.
Unless you live alone, the other people who live with you—your spouse,
partner, children, roommates, etc.—will likely be affected by your decision to
radically limit your food choices and, obviously, will need to be told.
If you tend to be very social, you may prefer to tell your friends, family
members, and co-workers up front about starting keto diet and ask them to
cheer you on and help you through the rough patches.
The important thing is to take a little time to think about and decide on a
communication approach that will suit your individual needs and preferences.
Solicit Support From Family and Friends
To achieve my health and weight loss goals, I knew I would need help from my
nearest and dearest. What I couldn't be sure of was how my family, friends, and
colleagues would react to my decision to adopt a moderately strict ketogenic
lifestyle, especially given how anti-keto I used to be before I became better
educated about this way of eating.
Fortunately, when I gradually shared my news with more people, as situations
arose when they would need to know, they were surprisingly supportive,
especially after I explained the medical necessity for me to lose my excess
weight safely but also expeditiously. Here's the approach that worked for me.
Think about the people whose support, or lack of it, could potentially
bolster, or threaten, your commitment and progress the most, especially
during the first few months,
when you will be battling your cravings for sugar, baked goods, chips, candy,
pizza, etc. before your taste buds adjust to enjoying and, perhaps, even
preferring healthy, keto-friendly foods. In my case, my husband would be my
entire support system (other than online groups) during most of that crucial
initial transition period. But since we also would be spending vacation weeks
with my brother and, later, my husband’s parents, as well as joining my sister
and brother-in-law for dinner from time to time, and going out to lunch or
dinner with friends, when the time came, I would also need to enlist their
support—or, at least, understanding—about my dietary restrictions.
Think about what types of support you might want to request from each of the
people in your inner circle, and be as specific as you can about the actions
they could agree to that would help you the most.
For example, if you have a friend with whom you go out often for brunch, and
your favorite restaurant serves a brunch buffet featuring pancakes, waffles,
French toast, bagels, and other tempting, off-limits foods you would find hard
to resist, you might choose to ask whether they would be willing to change up
your routine and meet for lunch instead, and suggest trying a different
restaurant (one whose menu you’ve already vetted first so you know it includes
a variety of keto-friendly options). If you need to tell someone that you’re
following a ketogenic approach to eating and anticipate a negative response,
you could try to explain up front that you have done extensive due diligence,
educated yourself about the potential risks as well as benefits of this way of
eating, and spoken with your doctor before choosing this path, and that it
would mean a lot to you if they would accept your decision without challenge
or criticism and, if they can, support your efforts to lose weight and improve
your health.
Consider Ways to Get Your Needs Met and Their Impact On Other People
Deciding to adopt a keto approach to eating also means accepting
responsibility for making sure you have access to the types of foods you need
to keep your commitment to yourself. At the same time, to quote Oliver Wendell
Holmes, “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."
So, throughout this journey, I’ve tried to think about ways to minimize the
impact of my limited food choices on other people who had no say in my
decision.
As an example, six months after I started keto, by which time I had lost 50
pounds and my entire family knew about my ketogenic diet, my sister and
brother-in-law invited us to their house for Christmas dinner. She asked me to
help her understand my dietary restrictions so she could tailor the menu
accordingly. After thanking her for her thoughtfulness, I asked what she would
make if my diet weren’t a consideration. I was able to suggest fairly minor
changes that would make most of those dishes keto-friendly, such as serving
the salad dressing on the side, making a marinade for the pork that didn't
contain any fruit juice, ketchup, barbecue sauce, sugar, honey, or molasses,
and replacing one of the two high-carb side dishes with grilled, roasted, or
sautéed asparagus or broccoli with butter and herbs. I told her I would bring
my own keto-friendly salad dressing and dessert. When she expressed her
reluctance to serve foods she knew I loved but would no longer eat, I
explained that it was important to me that my decision to severely restrict my
own food choices had the least possible impact on what everyone else was
eating, and that it would give me pleasure to see my nearest and dearest
savoring one of her decadent desserts while I enjoyed my keto-friendly sweet
treat. The dinner was delicious, and a wonderful and festive time was had by
all. A win-win!
Unless you live alone, minimizing the day-to-day impact of your dietary
restrictions on the people you live under the same roof with can be
significantly harder. Our household consists of just my husband and me, and
when I was considering the keto diet as an option, I discussed the idea with
him at length, and he said he would be willing to help me in any way he could
in my efforts to get down to a healthy weight. I told him about the challenges
and potential obstacles that concerned me the most, and we worked together to
come up with solutions that would work for both of us. For example, I
worried that having baked goods, chips, and other addictive foods in the house
would be an unnecessary temptation, and we agreed that he would try to keep
and eat those foods mostly at his office or outside the house without me. We
also designated the lowest drawer of our refrigerator and the cabinets above
the fridge as food storage “for John’s eyes only,” and he agreed to consume
those foods out of my sight for as long as necessary, until I could see
them—and especially, watch someone else eating them—without craving them.
I’m blessed to have a very loving and supportive spouse, who was as invested
in my success as I was. Many other people may have additional challenges, such
as an unsupportive partner or having the primary responsibility for feeding
the entire household, especially if it includes picky eaters, young children,
or other people with different dietary restrictions. So, if you’re considering
starting a ketogenic diet, it’s important to give some thought to what is and
isn’t likely to be doable within the limitations of your individual situation,
and to develop an actionable plan for how to get your own food needs met.
It’s worth explaining to your family members how important it is to you to
lose weight, give up sugar, lower your risk for developing a serious disease,
or whatever other goals you have for starting keto, and ask the rest of the
family participate in brainstorming ideas with you on what they can, and are
willing, to do to help you succeed, including agreeing to changes in how their
own food needs have been met until now. You might be able to negotiate making
meal preparation a shared responsibility, for example.
Be prepared for the possibility, or even the likelihood, that some or all of
the other members of your household may be unwilling to inconvenience
themselves or adapt to changes in the status quo to support your weight
loss efforts. By the same token, they also might surprise you with willingness
to help you achieve a goal that matters to you so much. your goals. Either
way, accepting full responsibility for your own food choices will be the most
important determinant of your long-term success.
Explore Online Keto and Low Carb Diet Support Communities
Since I had decided not to tell anyone about my lifestyle change who didn’t
need to know, at least at the beginning, I checked out various keto support
groups on Facebook. During the next few months, I joined eight or 10 of them,
most for only a short time, and eventually winnowed those down to a handful
that I still participate in roughly a year later, even after having met and
surpassed both my original and "stretch" goals for losing weight. Searching
for "keto group" on Facebook will return a dizzying number of choices. I
recommend looking at the ones that have been around for a while and have
successfully grown their membership, which is one indication that a lot of
people have found the community to be valuable.
If you’re active on Facebook and are considering joining one of the many keto
groups and communities, I suggest you start by thinking about which types of
support would be most helpful to you. Are you most interested in:
-
Learning more about this way of eating to help you decide whether to try
it?
-
Asking for and offering encouragement and help and celebrating success
milestones?
-
Being with other people who are just starting out, or with a mix of
newbies and people who have been following a ketogenic diet for a
while?
- Getting meal planning or recipe ideas?
Being clear about what you hope to get by participating in one or more
Facebook groups will make it easier to find ones that might meet your needs.
Reading the rules or membership guidelines as well as the "About blurb for a
group you’re considering can provide helpful insight into its culture as well
as its focus. Plan to try out at least a few different groups, and don’t
hesitate to leave any that turn out not to be a good fit for your needs.
Tip: Don’t assume that, just because a Facebook group is sponsored by a brand
or other business, it will be less helpful and more self-serving than peer-run
groups. When I began my keto journey 14 months ago, it really bothered me that
the groups I found most helpful, informative, positive, engaging, and
worthwhile were created or sponsored by companies and entrepreneurs whose
primary business was to produce, sell, and/or promote keto-related products or
services. My perspective has changed significantly since then.
I am grateful that the people and brands behind many of my favorite
keto-related cookbooks, websites, blogs, and products have chosen to invest
financial and other resources to build, grow, and nurture a vibrant community
of people sharing a common interest, create a continuous flow of new,
informative, fun, and helpful content and activities, and provide
knowledgeable, active, and helpful admins and moderators to vet posts, ensure
compliance with the community guidelines, respond to questions and comments in
a timely manner, and troubleshoot customer service issues. For example, Maya
Krampf, the author of one of my go-to cookbooks,
The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook: 100 Simple Low Carb Recipes, 10
Ingredients or Less, and whose
Wholesome Yum website is
chock-full of helpful information and reference resources, as well as great
recipes and keto-friendly products she has developed (including her Besti line
of sweeteners), sponsors two terrific and very active Facebook groups.
Cleaning Out the Refrigerator, Freezer, Pantry, and Other Food
Stashes
I systematically went through our kitchen cabinets, shelves,
refrigerator/freezer, and pantry, the huge chest freezer in our garage, and
anywhere else where there might be a snack, pack of gum, cough drops, hard
candies, a chocolate bar, crackers, dried fruit, etc., including the pockets
of my coats and jackets, my handbags, my bedside chest of drawers, the bottom
drawer of my desk, and even the glove compartments and center consoles of both
our cars. Then, my husband and I decided what should be done with each of
those items to make sure they would be out of both my sight and my reach
before my keto start date.
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part Two by Margaret Schindel
Posts About My Keto Diet Journey
My First Year on The Keto Diet
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part One
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part Two
Low Carb Muffins & Cupcakes: Treats to Enjoy on a Keto Diet
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Yogurt Granola Chip Pudding Recipe
Good Dee’s Keto Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix Review
Hamama Microgreens Growing Kit Review & Success Tips
My Favorite Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilt Accessories
Keto Cheddar Cheese Biscuits With Chives Recipe
The Ultimate Keto Hot Chocolate Recipe
The Best Low Carb Keto Gift Ideas: Keto Gift Guide
The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffins
Wholesome Yum Keto Bread Mix and Yeast Bread Recipe
The Good Chocolate 100% Organic No Sugar Dark Chocolate Review
The Best Advice to Maintain Your Keto Diet Weight Loss
My New Irresistibly Delicious Keto Cheese Crackers Recipe
Luscious Low Carb Keto Triple Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
Snack Better With The Best Healthy Keto Cookie Dough Bites
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Pizza Recipe
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe
Comparing the Best Keto-Friendly Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads - No Added
Sugars
The Best Low Carb Keto Sandwich and Burger Buns Mix
The Best Keto Pizza Crust Mix With 0 Net Carbs
An Unusual, Delicious Strawberry Chocolate Tea With 0 Calories
Delicious Sugar-Free Keto Cookies That OREO Fans Will Love
Healthy Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cereal Treats
Recipe
Easy, Decadent, High Protein, Sugar-Free Rocky Road Cottage Cheese Ice
Cream
The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Sausage and Ricotta Calzones
How to Make Refreshing Vanilla Italian Soda (With or Without Cream)
Reviews of the Keto Diet by Barbara C. (aka Brite-Ideas)
My Personal Keto Testimonial
How I Stayed Committed to the Ketogenic Way of Eating
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