Consistency and Results

Hi everyone. It has been a while since I've written anything here. Things have been going great. I even went on vacation for 10 days in July and stuck completely to my diet and managed to take all my supplements and medication on schedule. It felt so great to not feel guilty about being on vacation, but also wonderful to take control of my health and reap the rewards. I actually weighed the exact same when I came back, despite incredible amounts of delicious-looking food being available to me. I wasn't even tempted.

I am now down to 193 lb. which is a weight I have not been at since I was in the military in my 20s. I have also been continuing to workout (lifting weights) 3x per week. The downside or upside is that most of my clothes no longer fit. I'm slowly having to replace everything. Fortunately, I work from home so I don't need much.

For those that have asked me and are curious, my diet is a ketogenic diet where I aim to stay below 10 net carbs every day. (total carbohydrates minus fiber = net carbs) For some, that seems impossible but it is not that difficult once you learn which foods to eat and which to avoid. Our home no longer has anything that would stop my ketosis unless I over indulge. My primary snacks are nuts (almonds, macadamias, pecans, and peanuts) but even these must be eaten in moderation because they are calorie dense. I also eat berries such as blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries; however, I can only eat a few of these each day.

Many of you are familiar with all of the non-sugar sweeteners out there. I avoid virtually all of them except for two: pure monk fruit and stevia. People complain that monk fruit is so expensive but if you are basing the price comparison on sweetness it is not. In fact, when compared to cane sugar they are roughly equivalent on price per serving. I bought a small bag back in March and still have at least half of it now (in August) and it gets used almost everyday. It takes so little to sweeten coffee or tea...like a quarter teaspoon.

When I look at the nutrition labels of food marketed as 'keto' it often uses artificial sweeteners including sucralose (Splenda), aspartame, saccharin, and sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, and others). The label will even subtract the sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates on the label. I understand why this is done, but I have chose a different way for myself. I avoid all of these and try to avoid eating sweet things altogether. What I have noticed is that my desire for sweet foods has almost completely disappeared. It didn't happen overnight, but it did happen. Secondly, beyond just eliminating artificial sweeteners, we avoid highly processed food as much as possible. This can get a bit complex as to what constitutes 'highly processed' but the idea is simple: the closer it is to its original form the less processed it is. A chicken nugget is way more processed than a piece of regular chicken thigh. If it comes in a box or bottle, then more often than not it is more highly processed and contains additional ingredients. This is why I often refer to my diet as paleo-keto.

The paleo diet is focused on eating foods as they occur naturally. The word 'paleo' referring to Paleolithic times when prehistoric humans would have eaten food in its more natural form with minimal if any processing. Combining this idea with the ketogenic diet means that we avoid sugar which itself is extremely processed, but also most other carbohydrates. Most of the worst carb sources are highly processed foods like bread, sodas, candy, desserts, baked goods, pasta, pizza, sauces, condiments, and so much more. Now, I recognize that monk fruit extract and stevia are both highly processed. But I believe I've chosen the lesser of evils. It is not perfect but this is a journey.

I also fully recognize that I am in a unique situation with no children at home and only 2 like-minded adults both following the same diet. Not many people have that type of situation, allowing them to eschew virtually all carbs at home and when eating out. We support each other and are in this together...a team. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, and now I hardly even think about my diet...it is just what we do now.

I want to encourage you. Regardless of what your health goals are, that you begin to move toward them. You don't have to do what I do. Decide for yourself what you want, what works best for you, and what truly gets results. Then, begin taking small steps in that direction. You will never regret prioritizing your own health. Better health affects every part of your life positively including your finances. If you are healthier, you will sleep better, have fewer doctor visits, fewer medications, more energy, more focus, better mental health, better relationships, better work performance, and the list goes on.

I wish you the best on your journey.

-Jeremy