My Ketogenic Lifestyle Journey (Part 2): Transitioning and Committing

I did keto primarily for the health benefits over the weight-loss, so I didn’t have the mindset of committing to it only until I “see results.” I was willing to give the ketogenic “diet” a shot as a true lifestyle change, and not just a short-program to get a “summer body.” I entered the gates of a high-fat low-carb lifestyle with all abandon of my sugar and carb consumption. I dove right in without setting a due date when I'd stop keto and go back to eating rice and breads. I was already feeling unwell in my body. I knew what I ate was a big factor that contributed to it, and I needed to do something about it.

Of course adjusting to anything new, whether it be new surroundings, a new job, or in my case, a new lifestyle, is guaranteed to have challenges. From feeding my body sugar and carbs my entire life, switching to a high-fat low-carb lifestyle was tough.





C H A L L E N G E S // D I F F I C U L T I E S

• Keto Flu: This is the phase where I was experiencing headache, fatigue, and diarrhea just to name a few symptoms. This is completely normal and part of the process of getting keto-adapted. I must say, this is one the biggest challenges I had to power through as I transitioned and adjusted to the keto lifestyle.
• Weighing everything I ate and logging it on My Fitness Pal: I bought a food scale and literally had to force myself to weigh everything I ate and cooked. On top of that, I had to make sure I logged everything on My Fitness Pal app—and I mean everything. At first this felt like a tedious task, but eventually I got used to it until it became second-nature to me. In all honesty, I used to think people who did this was just way too obsessed with their diet, but I realized that though others may be doing this as a means of restriction for weight-loss, my reasons are quite far from it. I needed to make sure I hit my macros daily (70% fat - 25% protein -5% carbs) and measuring everything was the only way to do it. 
• Finding low carb and sugar-free options: Whenever I find recipes for mouth-watering keto dishes, I always get surprised seeing low carb tortillas or stevia-sweetened chocolates in the ingredients list. Unfortunately, we don’t have similar choices here in the Philippines. The only common options we have are between full-fat and low-fat which sucks. I think this is part of the food industry's programming for us to keep vilifying fat and keep picking low-fat food products, which by the way, are loaded with sugar. (READ THE LABELS!!!) *sigh* The only way for me to enjoy really good food (even sugar-free desserts!) while staying within my allowed net carbs for the day is to make everything from scratch.
• Ditching food events: Around 3 months into strict keto, there was one instance when Danah and I were invited to a food crawl. When we got there, I told myself maybe 1 bite of the carbo or sugary dish they served wouldn’t hurt. WRONG! The following day I couldn’t get out of bed due a tummy ache and a fever, and I knew it was my body’s reaction to the mac and cheese nachos (I KNOW RIGHT, CARB OVERLOAD) plus the breaded chicken wings I ate from the event. Apparently, my body has become intolerant to glucose, hence feeling sick when fed it. Lesson learned—there is no point for me in joining a food crawl event because I'm there to taste what they serve, not pick whatever is just keto-friendly. Unless I get invited to a restaurant that serves meats and salads that are keto-friendly and have the freedom to write it from that angle, then I’d rather not go and look like an annoying picky eater.
• Watching people eat sugar and carbs: The world didn’t care if I was on the brink of an emotional breakdown due to the adjustment period of quitting sugar and carbs, and watching them enjoy a slice of Sbarro deep dish pizza or a Krispy Kreme doughnut made things worse! I had to remind myself the reasons why I eliminated sugar and carbs from my life, and it made me hold on to doing keto. I had to keep telling myself that what I'm doing is not a form of deprivation or torture (like how a lot of people view it) because I am actually gaining health benefits from it, far more than the shallow reason of merely losing weight. Eating high-fat and low-carb is healing my body and pushing me closer towards the path of total wellness.
• Getting used to taking coconut oil: In order to hit my fat macros, there were days when I had to take coconut oil by the tablespoons—sometimes I needed a lot that I just poured it in a shot glass. It’s just gross to actually drink coconut oil, but hey, I needed to hit my macros for keto to work.
• Explaining keto to folks on the traditional high-carb diet: Whenever I turned down rice, breads, and pastas but ask for a plate of steak with extra butter on it, I got weird looks from friends and family. “No sugar and carbs but all that fat?!” was a common thing to hear. Of course, I had to patiently explain the main lessons I’ve learned from Fed Up and That Sugar Film. I also reminded myself that I didn't need to convince anyone to believe me. I know what I was getting myself into and I had to accept that not everyone will understand right away, specially with how the mainstream media shoves down the "balanced diet + overexercising" formula of health down our throats.
• Putting my foot down when friends and family offer sugar and carbs: I get it, when you’re eating something really delicious, you want others to experience the same pleasure in your tastebuds. This is always the case when I’m out with my mom—she orders dessert, takes a bite, lights up with excitement and hurriedly offers me a bite. I say no, she says "you can always start tomorrow!" LOL. I must admit, there were times when I’d give in to my mom and other people to be polite (also when it’s a friend’s mom who cooked the dish!), but I only end up hating myself because I’d get a massive migraine or stomach issue after a few minutes. This day, I’ve learned to just politely say no with conviction and explain that I’m intolerant to all kinds of sugar and processed carbs. 
• Not exercising as often as I thought I should: I learned from my wellness coach, Chad Davis, that exercising isn't really the main key to wellness. He even says it's overrated! The main factors to wellness are what you eat, getting sunshine, getting enough sleep and other principles that I am not allowed to disclose anymore. (You'll have to contact Chad to know the other secrets to wellness that he taught me! 😁) I was shocked at first, because I've always thought that a healthy diet must always be hand in hand with regular workout, but according to him, this isn't necessarily always the case. My research also backed up what Chad told me. Overdoing your workout could even be harmful to your body, as rest is essential for the muscles to grow and for the exercise to take effect. I used to think that 3 times a week is the MINIMUM, but I later on learned that working out (preferably high intensity interval training) only twice a week AT MOST is recommended when you're on the keto diet. NOTE: I am not saying this should be the case for everyone. The frequency of your workout and the type of workout you do also depends on the macros you consume. I'm just talking strictly about my what is recommended for my body according to my research and my coach.
• Learned to drink whiskey: For the record, I rarely drink anymore. But when I do, my choice of drink is whiskey. On the rocks, with a splash of water. It's one of the keto-approved liquors that's 0 carb and 0 sugar (among vodka, gin, and tequila) that doesn't make me act like a fool or give me a terrible headache unlike vodka or tequila. (Besides, graduate na ako sa vodka and tequila days ko. LOL!) There are certain wines and beers that are acceptable and low-carb, but I didn't want to worry about counting and including my drinks in my allowed net carbs per day.

S T U M B L I N G  B L O C K S 

I started doing strict keto around August 2016, and I really surprised myself after going 4-months strong with no sugar and no carbs. I didn't cheat, not even once! I never thought I'd be able to last that long, and I was beginning to feel invincible. At this point, I'm unstoppable! I thought to myself. However, pride does come before the fall. LOL. When Christmas came, I started justifying that it's a reason to celebrate ~with sugar and carbs~, so why not indulge a little. Our family spent Christmas eve at The Manor Hotel in Baguio, and what truly called out to me during our buffet dinner was the puto bumbong station. I kept passing by it and smelling it, and at some point, I just gave in. I got myself 2 pieces of that rich, purple, kakanin goodness, topped with loads of butter, shaved coconut meat, and a little sprinkle of muscovado sugar. DAMN. It felt good in my mouth. I was in kakanin heaven, and because I haven't learned from my past mistakes, I told myself a little bit of giving in wouldn't do me any harm.




The next day, I had a terrible migraine with matching stomach constipation. I knew it's from that sinful puto bumbong. However, I didn't let my tastebuds stop ruling over me after that. I convinced myself cheating once a month is okay, and a headache is not all that bad when you've enjoyed sweets or carby goodies in exchange for it. So come 2017, I became more lenient to the "occasional" indulgences. I loved Family Mart's soft serve, and I made it my PMS treat. Told myself I'd only allow it once a month when it's that time of the month, but lo and behold, I was on an ice cream run every two weeks not long after. Soon enough, it became every week. I got so hooked that I'd Uber from my place to the nearest Family Mart just to get a fix. LOL. I was starting to lose control. There were also times when I'd be so emotional on my PMS that I wouldn't even think about the aftermath—I'd just dial the hotline for Jollibee or KFC or Shakey's and order myself chicken and fries and/or a thin crust pizza. (DAMN YOU, FAST FOOOOOOOOOOD!) Since I'd crossed over to consuming fast food again, I told myself I might as well have a giga serving of Potato Corner's sour cream and spicy barbecue fries at some point too.

Stumbling once and justifying my cheating just snowballed into consuming all the things I wasn't supposed to. Tsk.

I never really completely let go of the keto warrior in me to the point of eating carbs and sugar everyday. Since I was intolerant, I suffered terrible consequences. Every time I ate fast food, I had indigestion to the point of vomiting to feel better. If I didn't puke it out, I'd get fever. It was terrible. I had intense migraines, stomach issues, and mood swings. I knew at this point that letting myself have cheat meals (even if it's just once in a while) meant increasing my cravings for more sugary and carbo food. I just couldn't control it and I had to stop as soon as possible.




I also had to accept that I'm really the "go hard or go home" type of person. Either I'm all in or I'm not. I knew in my heart and mind that it was time to get back on the keto train and quit looking back. Besides, it's not like the keto life is restrictive. It's truly all about perspective. It dawned on me that living high-fat and low-carb is not a sad and limiting life. I just had to exert effort and stop being lazy in making and preparing my own food. If I really wanted desserts or "bread", there were a lot of keto-friendly alternatives. It's as simple as that—although it's not always easy. This lifestyle made me become responsible to woman up and be a better and more creative cook, and just stop eating what isn't good for me and whine about getting sick afterwards.

Last month (June 2017), I dusted myself off, got out of the cheating cycle, and started again. I prayed for God to strengthen me too, as I really wanted to take this high-fat low-carb lifestyle seriously. There were a few minor slips in the beginning after I recommitted, but I can truthfully say that today, I am strong in the midst of temptations. I no longer feel jealous and antsy whenever someone eats sugary treats in front of me. I can even hang out inside Krispy Kreme and have a staring contest with all the doughnuts! LOL. I rewatched my favorite documentary, Fed Up, to reiterate why I am doing this.





I've learned so much in my season of cheating. I've learned that I need to get rid of my "minsan lang naman" mentality because really, gaano ba kadalas ang minsan? LOL! But seriously. This is just not helpful for me, specially as someone with an addictive personality. The cheating only becomes a trigger to want more. From cheating once a month to going on binges once or twice a week, I'd rather not be triggered and give a flat out N to the O every time there are sugary and carbo temptations.

As I keep pressing on in this journey, it's starting to become engrained in my head that saying "pass" to sugar and carbs doesn't mean I'm missing out on anything. It doesn't mean I'm kawawa or on the losing side of a gastronomical treat when all my friends and family are eating a decadent chocolate cake and I'm not.

Saying no actually means gaining something, and to me, it's health, wellness, energy, and productivity. 

I love the keto life, and I pray everyday that I never slip back to my old ways!

May God help me and sustain me! WOOHOOO!