Trying Keto - My Experience of the Keto Diet

I've heard the term ketosis and the keto diet, but I've heard about a lot of diets. Let's just start by saying that I've pretty much tried them all out to see what works best for me. I've found that moderation is the key to keeping my body in shape, but I still like to try new things and switch up my routines. 

The honest reason I decided to try keto was because I heard Vinny from the Jersey Shore talking about it. On their new season Jersey Shore Family Vacation, is body is lean and looks awesome so I thought why not? But there are some rules to be followed. 

Rule #1:You can't eat any traditional carbs which means, breads, pasta, rice, fruit, and beans. 

I immediately thought okay so this is like the paleo diet, which I've tried and didn't struggle so much with. But you are basically cutting out a large food group out of your diet, and I'm not crazy about cutting anything out completely. 

Rule #2: You can have healthy fats and dairy. 

I already have my fair share of healthy fats in my diet, but dairy is something I have tried to cut out completely. My blood type is O positive which makes it harder for my body to break down dairy. Since it's harder for my body to break down dairy, I have switched to vegan cheese, coconut milk yogurt and almond milk for anything thing else. 

These two rules I found to be fairly easy to follow since I pretty much already follow them. I knew cutting carbs out entirely would be a bit of a struggle, since the last time I did I recall feeling very low on energy. Which brings me to the con of keto diet, the keto flu. I did my fair share of research before trying out this diet. What I found is that some people feel like they have the "keto flu" the first week or two in starting this diet. It's basically your bodies way of getting used to this new nutrition guide which can result in headaches, low in energy, even worse symptoms like body aches or colds. Disclaimer: I do not mean to scare you and I didn't have these symptoms but it's good to know all the facts first. 

To prepare for this new diet I knew I'd have to prep for the week to avoid any binge eating. I sometimes work anywhere from 8-15 hour work days so it's easy to head to the drive thru instead of going home to cook. Sunday I prepared a few things. 

Chicken tortilla soup
Ground chicken stuffed peppers
Egg quiche 
Spaghetti squash with shrimp 
Teriyaki steak with vegetables

All of these items were packed with nutrients, proteins and vegetables. I tried to keep any dairy to a minimum by eating vegan cheese. I also tried to keep my salt intake to a minimum because it's easy to increase that with certain seasonings. 

My results? Well, I thought it was fairly easy. I didn't crave any type of carb until Sunday afternoon when my boyfriend brought pizza home. I had meal prepped all my food for the week so I didn't have to think about buying lunch without carbs in it. I had food prepared so I didn't have to make ramen out of pure laziness. Once my week was up I felt great. As in noticing any difference in my body, it is hard to say since I also began my period the second day of my keto diet which means extra bloating. As for energy, I felt the same as if I was eating carbs. 

So my recommendation? Try it out! Why not? There are so many people out there looking for the right fit when it comes to their diets. For some people following specific programs or meal plans is what works for them. For others, their bodies respond better to not eating certain food types like dairy, sugar, salt or carbs. I am not a huge fan of cutting something out completely, and I like that the keto diet you can eat about 20-50g of carbs a day so you are not quitting cold turkey! Comment your experience below!