One Month Down, but My Lifetime to Go

I've hit the 1-month mark since starting back on the keto journey! Wish I hadn't taken the 2-month hiatus, but I did and lesson learned from it! But, I'm super excited to say that in that 1 month I have lost 7 1/2 pounds and 4 inches total from my chest/waist/hips!!

Now, if you're on this journey to lose weight fast, well, I'd say take another journey. Some people drop pounds quickly, but most stories I hear, my own included, take a little longer. Remember back, in the beginning, I said "We get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy?" (Thanks Dr. Berg for my mantra!) I love knowing that my body is healing. My gut health is better! I was taking Nexium every day! No more! My liver is healing. I no longer have that right side pain. I have more energy and I just overall feel better.

This week I get my labs done for my yearly physical. My numbers are never bad. My blood pressure is great. My cholesterol is good, not great. My A1C has been borderline 6 for the past 2 years. I'm not going to lie though, I'm a little concerned. Why you ask? Well...after the first few weeks on keto, numbers can get a little skewed. It's that healing thing. The body is purging and detoxing and trying to learn to operate as it was designed to do. So, meanwhile, cholesterol readings may be high as the body is beginning to break off plaque and it's more prominent in the bloodstream. I'm eager to see if my 2 months off make everything like starting over. I'll know soon enough!

The last time we visited I had just returned from a mini-vacay and we talked about ketoing on vacation. Since then, I went to a youth camp for a week! Now, how in the world do you keto at youth camp?? Pizza. Hamburgers. Moes!!! The list goes on and on. But, I didn't go into the week blind. I know what they feed kids at camp. So to do this correctly I have 3 words for you:

1. Preparation
2. Preparation
3. Preparation

Seriously! Prepare! I went with peanut butter, pork rinds, BPC ingredients, nuts, cheese, celery. And I went with determination. I hung out in a hospitality suite that had a table full of chips, M&M's, brownies, cookies, fruit, bagels. But by sheer determination I did not take even a single M&M!!

So, how did I fare that week? Well, I lost 1/2 a pound and 1/2 an inch. Was I disappointed? Yup! Did I sulk? Maybe a little. I don't know why that's what happened, but I speculate I did not eat enough veggies and overall, probably did not eat enough. But, that's ok, because guess what? I stayed on it! When I was back home, it wasn't hard to get back to it. I never left it! By the end of that week, I was down 2 more pounds and 1 inch!

I really pray you are getting the point of all this. It isn't a diet. It isn't something you can hop off and on at will. It is a lifestyle. A determination that you are going to stick to it simply because you want to live a longer, healthier life. I'm 54 years old now and I know I have my best years ahead of me. So I choose health over a donut!! And you can too...

Keto on.....