One Year on a Keto Diet

Like everything else in life, it feels like a long time, yet it feels like a very short time. No matter the relative time, this last year has been life-changing, that is for sure.

Want to catch up on my monthly updates? Start here with Month 1

When putting together all that I wanted to share with you about the last year of my ketogenic diet, I looked back at the diary I started at the beginning, when I still considered it a 90-day experiment. Here is what I wrote about 2.5 weeks in:

“Why did I do this?

So many reasons! I was in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) last year and in addition to the chronic pain in my legs, I’ve also been having a really long list of other symptoms (fatigue, lightheadedness, cognitive impairment, gastroparesis, heartburn, extreme hypoglycemia symptoms, uncontrollable appetite, extremely high CRP (inflammation marker), etc.) that I think are related to a mild brain injury and Post Traumatic Hypopituitarism. So I wanted to see if this WOE could help heal my brain. Also, dementia runs on both sides of my family (one side is dead, other side was just sent to assisted living due to it). Family history of diabetes. Metabolic Syndrome (I currently fit the criteria). Low HDL cholesterol. AND I really wanted to learn all I could about keto because I’m a nutritionist and if it worked as well as everyone says it does, then I can’t wait to take it to my clients. (I’m about 2.5 weeks in and so far I’m feeling FANTASTIC and more and more motivated each day to keep going. Improvements I’ve seen already: pain in my legs is nearly gone, cognition is nearly as good as pre-MVA, gastroparesis gone, heartburn gone, CRP dropped 62%, hypoglycemia symptoms gone, and appetite normalized. I haven’t had my cholesterol numbers checked yet, but I’m sure things are improving there, too.

I’ve never been able to follow any kind of diet plan in the past due to extreme feelings of deprivation and constant hunger. And as far as the middle path, mindful eating, intuitive eating, all that stuff I used to teach to all my clients, well, that is what lead me to all the health problems and 50 pound weight gain over 10 years! However, with keto, although it is very restrictive (still plenty to eat though!), it has been way easier for me to stick to, mostly because of the threat of having to start over with the fat adaptation process. It isn’t that fun to go through and takes some time, and I don’t want to start that all over again. The other reason it has been easier is that my appetite is more normal rather than ravenous because my body is actually getting an efficient fuel source.”

Video Updates

This month I decided to do two videos. One is a montage of all my monthly progress photos so you can really see the body transformation. The second video is a verbal update of all the health improvements plus other things that have happened over the last month.

Full Year of Monthly Progress Pictures

My 12-Month Update

What I share on my video:

• Review of what made me start a keto diet
• Weight loss history
• My intermittent fasting experience
• My visit to Levl Now lab in Seattle, a company creating a new breath ketone meter
• My Top 5 Tips for long-term success on keto
• Details of my Instagram giveaway!

Before and After Keto

Health Improvements:

• Weight: 220 pounds to 161.2 pounds
• Body Fat: 40% to 28.9%
• Waist: 40 inches to 30 inches
• Inflammation dropped (CRP down almost 70%)
• Clean, whiter teeth
• Skin tags on my neck are all gone
• Heat tolerance (now I love the sun and heat! I used to get super sweaty all the time and hated the heat)
• Normal sleep times (All my life, I had been a night owl, naturally staying up until 2 or 3 am. After the accident and my PTHP symptoms, I could not sleep at night at all and often could not sleep until 6 or 7 am. Now I am sleeping by about 11 pm and up around 7 am. My central sleep apnea is much improved as well.)
• No more non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (something I recently realized that I haven’t even mentioned here)
• Normal blood pressure (after the accident, it was high enough I was considering taking medication)
• No more stiff ankles in the morning (pre-accident symptom)
• No more head twitch (something I had not reported here yet, but something else that I remember from pre-accident and pre-keto was a random, uncontrollable head twitch)
• Mental and nervous system function greatly improved (after the accident, I was having issues with words getting jumbled when speaking or typing, along with frequently dropping things)
• No more popping jaw (TMJ)
• Normal digestion (no GERD, no heartburn, no gastroparesis, normal bowel movements, no gas or bloating)
• Lightheadedness nearly gone (post accident symptom)
• Chronic leg pain nearly gone (no edema or swelling, still having some hypersensitivity late at night (allodynia) but not intolerable)
• No more dry elbows
• Very soft skin
• Clear skin
• Plenty of energy for all day (post accident fatigue was debilitating)
• Exercise endurance (I can go hiking for hours without any food)
• And much more than I’m remembering right now!

Come Do Keto with Me!

Let me show you the way. My 90-Day Keto Diet Program teaches you all I’ve learned along the way, plus gives you the tools to make this a long-term health solution.

20 Super Fast and Easy Keto Meal Ideas

Too tired, busy, hot, hungry or lazy to cook a meal? Want something that is fast and easy, but also low-carb and high-fat for your keto diet? Here are 20 super easy, keto-friendly, delicious meal ideas that don’t require you to turn on the stove or oven. Or even the grill. Make extra for dinner or lunch tomorrow and your life gets even easier.

Keto Shrimp Tacos

 

1. Meat and Cheese Board (salami + prosciutto + gouda + sharp cheddar + pickles + olives)
2. Veggie Crudite and Cheese Platter (zucchini + broccoli + cauliflower + cherry tomatoes + assorted cheese slices + ranch dressing)
3. Tuna Salad on Romaine Lettuce (1 can tuna + mayo + mustard)
4. Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps (butter lettuce leaves + canned chicken + mayo + chopped celery + curry powder + sea salt)
5. Chef’s Salad (bag of mixed greens + sliced ham + sliced turkey + cubed cheddar cheese + pre-cooked hard boiled egg + dressing of your choice)
6. Cobb Salad (bag of mixed greens + rotisserie chicken + chopped avocado + crumbled bacon + blue cheese + cherry tomatoes + blue cheese dressing)
7. Slow Cooker Shredded Beef and Salad (put a beef roast in your slow cooking in the morning with a cup of broth and lots of salt. Cook over low heat all day. Before dinner, shred. + bagged salad + dressing)
8. Pulled Pork and Coleslaw (shredded pork from the slow cooker) for coleslaw a bag shredded cabbage + dressing (1 cup mayo + 1 tablespoon vinegar + dash sea salt)
9. Shredded Pork Tacos (shredded pork from slow cooker + lettuce for tortillas + sour cream + cheese + hot sauce)
10. Chicken soft tacos (same as above, but use a rotisserie chicken)
11. Shrimp and Zoodles (frozen shrimp (defrost by running under cool running water for 5-10 minutes) spiralized zucchini + olive oil + sea salt)
12. Shrimp Tacos (defrosted frozen shrimp + pico de gallo + sour cream mixed with lime juice + romaine lettuce for shells)
13. Shrimp Salad (defrosted frozen shrimp + bag butter lettuce + pre-cooked hard boiled eggs + sliced avocado + tomato wedges + dressing of choice)
14. Caprese Salad (sliced tomato + sliced mozzarella + fresh basil + drizzled with lots of olive oil + sea salt)
15. Roast Beef, Blue Cheese, and Arugula Roll-ups (sliced roast beef spread with cream cheese, topped with blue cheese, then with arugula, rolled up and secured with toothpick)
16. BLT Lettuce Boats (romaine lettuce + bacon + tomato + mayo)
17. Turkey and Avocado Roll-ups (sliced turkey spread cream cheese + avocado slices dipped in ranch dressing)
18. Deviled Eggs + Spinach Salad (bagged spinach + dressing of choice)
19. Chicken Caesar Salad (bagged chopped Romaine lettuce + Caesar dressing + rotisserie chicken + shaved Parmesan cheese)
20. Italian Chopped Salad (Finely chopped head of Romaine lettuce + chopped salami + chopped pepperoni + sliced pepperoncini peppers + provolone cheese + Italian dressing

What are your favorite super fast and easy, keto meal ideas?

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11 Months Keto Update, MCT oil experiment, and carb up opinion

I’m trying out a new format this month for my ketogenic diet update – video!

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If you are new to this series, you can catch up on all my monthly updates: Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7, Month 8, Month 9, Month 10

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What do I talk about in my 11 month update?

• My weight
• What I’m eating
• Update on dairy-free: will I continue dairy free?
• Hair regrowth: does hair loss mean keto is bad for my thyroid?
• Ketone blood strips: Have I been doing keto wrong all this time?
• MCT oil vs. coconut oil: which is better in coffee for ketosis?
• Why do some people get hungry after drinking Bulletproof coffee?
• My opinions on carb ups (spoiler alert: don’t do it!)
• Continuing health issues after car accident: leg pain and central apnea

Here is the Keto Talk with Jimmy Moore and Doc Nally, that I reference, where they talk about carb ups being unnecessary for women.

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Are you struggling with your keto diet? Or maybe you’re ready to try it out for the first time? Check out my 90-Day Keto Diet Challenge Program. I give you easy formulas to meet your macros, weekly live webinars with me, menus and shopping lists, plus group support.

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10 Months on a Ketogenic Diet

Ten months means I’m only two months away from being a full year on a ketogenic diet. What will that feel like? And what should I do to celebrate?  Since I was late posting my 9 Month update, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have much to report for my ten month update considering it has only been two weeks since my last update. However, much has happened in the last two weeks.

In case you’re new to my Keto Diet story and my remarkable health transformation, or simply want a refresher, you can catch up here: Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7, Month 8, Month 9, Month 10, Month 11

Improved Mood

Winters in the Pacific Northwest can be brutal, but not in a snow-and-sleet-and-freezing-temps kind of way. (For reference, it is March right now as I write this.) Northwest winters are long, dark days of grey, dreary, drizzly, cool temperatures that can wreak havoc on a person’s mood. Anyone susceptible to depression can be challenged each year when January or February rolls around in the northwest, having just survived another calendar quarter of grey days. My genetics make me one of those people that are susceptible to winter depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Another keto win and unexpected benefit is that this year my mood is the best it has ever been at this time of year. While I still feel that tug of depression, it is simply an awareness of it rather than an all consuming mood of a heavy, inescapable wet blanket. I’ve been very impressed with this relief compared to past years of my life. And while my mood has been remarkably better, I still felt the need to get away to the sun and warmth! I decided to reach out to friends in the Phoenix area and take refuge from the grey drizzle and hopefully find some warmth of the sunshine. I would soon happily find myself in 80 – 90 degree weather. Big smiley face.

Travel to Phoenix

While my trip to Phoenix started out as a simple respite from my northwest winter, it quickly turned into a serendipitous adventure of meeting people that have reduced carbohydrate intake in one way or another to help improve their health. The trip was the perfect balance of deeply rewarding work and relaxation. My relaxation included reunions with high school and college friends (has it really been 24 years?!?), soaking up sun by the pool, and of course an In-N-Out burger (Double Double, Protein Style)! My work included these Keto Chat interviews:

• My first interview was a fun, inspiring, and educational Keto Chat with Dr. Adam Nally of Keto Talk with Jimmy Moore and the Doc. You can read all about it and check out the video, on this blog post, here.
• My second Keto Chat interview was also very fun with hypnotherapist and comedian Jim Kellner.
• And my third Keto Chat interview was with Randy Webb, EMDR therapist and trainer, hypnotherapist, teacher, and trainer.

All these videos will be coming soon, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

I was surprised to find some of my favorite colors in Phoenix.

Hair Regrowth

Significant weight loss is a huge stressor on the body. When the body is under significant stress, it prioritizes growth and regeneration away from fast growing cells, like hair and nails. I mentioned this in previous posts, but I’ll reiterate here, that what I found in looking through literature was that any kind of diet that produces significant weight loss has the potential to cause hair loss, which I experienced during my nearly 60 pound weight loss. My literature review also made me confident that the hair loss would be temporary, and that once my weight stabilized, my hair would grow back. My weight has been stable for the last 4 months. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that I have a surprising amount of about 2 – 3 inches of new hair growth at the crown of my head. It makes for interesting work styling my hair now, but I’m excited to have burgeoning luscious locks of hair.

I received further evidence of my good health when I stopped in at an Aveda salon in Phoenix to grab some dry shampoo that I couldn’t bring on the airplane with me. After hearing my proclamation of my oily hair (always has been that way), the stylist offered me a scalp analysis because she suggested that an oily scalp can actually be a sign of dry skin. I laughed a bit, knowing that my skin was very well moisturized from the inside out from all the fat I eat. But I humored her a bit, mostly because I wanted more proof that my body is healthy. She took a nearly microscopic digital photo of my scalp, which revealed three things: my scalp is very health (not dry), my hair follicles all have 2 hairs each (if there were less than this, it is a sign of balding or thinning), and I also have more baby fine hair growing in between my existing hair. The last part was really exciting because in addition to the 2 – 3 inch growth I can see, I have even more hair starting to grow. It seems I will soon have the thickest hair of my life.

All this hair growth is an exceptionally good sign that my body is in very good health.

My 10 month keto anniversary happened while I was in Phoenix on vacation. I bought this new bikini bottom just for the trip. Are you ready to take the 90 Day Keto Diet Challenge?

Dairy Free Update

About a month ago, I decided to do a dairy-free month for two reasons. One, in support of my son, who decided to see how much more his acne would improve, and two, because I was becoming concerned about the amount of heavy whipping cream I was consuming. It was standard operating procedure in our house to have a large batch of whipped heavy whipping cream on hand to go on coffee. It was quite delicious, but that was part of the problem. It was so delicious that over time, I began wanting more, and more, and more, which is a sign of the addictive part of my brain being triggered. It was time to give it a rest and see how I felt.

We quickly realized that dairy, especially cheese, was a convenience food in our house. Without that quick and easy, grab-and-go food, I began exploring alternatives. I found some dairy-free cream cheese alternatives, but they were too expensive to grab much of our attention. We soon settled on nuts as our new quick and easy snack, but being mindful of portion size when we do. One trick I use to minimize mindless nut snacking is to keep them in the freezer. We will grab only a small handful and then put them back. Keeping them in the freezer keeps them out of sight, plus is a reminder that they need to be eaten only in limited quantities. We’ve also been using more coconut oil and coconut milk.

Now I’ll admit, I haven’t been 100% dairy free (although my son has). When out to eat, I would have cheese on my burger or salad, and occasionally I would get an Americano from Starbucks with heavy cream. But at home, we were 100% dairy free, and that is where I consume most of my meals.

What did I notice after a month of dairy-free? At first, I really, really missed the whipped cream in my coffee! Coffee just wasn’t as exciting any more. It really was something I looked forward to each morning when I woke up, so I had to go through a bit of a mourning period. I tried making coconut whipped cream, but it just wasn’t the same, but I did end up making coconut milk and coconut oil “creamer” for our coffee and it’s a nice compromise (but still not as good as whipped cream!).  I also noticed that I had slightly less body inflammation, as evidenced by my massage therapist being able to work deeper, but that has only come after several weeks.

Some of the delicious keto food I ate while on vacation in Phoenix, AZ. See more on my Instagram.

Weight

For the most part, I haven’t tracked my food intake for at least the last 3 months. I use the simple meal formula that I teach my clients in my 90 Day Challenge Program, and while in the beginning it was important to weigh and track all food, the meal formula quickly teaches you how to do this long-term, so you don’t have to track food forever. My weight has been stable, within about 5 pounds, for the last 4 months. You can see from the graph below that I had a whoosh the end of November/beginning of December, losing 7 pounds in only 1 week. After that, my weight was stable, perhaps even trending upward a bit, for the next month, followed by another small whoosh of 4 pounds over 4 days in early February. This was when I started my 5 X 5 weight lifting program, however I found that it startlingly stimulated my appetite, so I paused the program until I could research the best way to do this. I now understand that this is normal, and that I was not eating enough calories to compensate, which is why my appetite felt out of whack compared to what I was used to. I plan to reinstate my 5 X 5 workouts in the next couple of weeks, when I can more carefully monitor what I’m eating to ensure adequate calories while staying in ketosis.

That last three dots that make a straight line? That was before and after my trip to Phoenix. I was pretty impressed with myself, my body, and keto, that even while on vacation I could eat freely, simply following my appetite and maintain my weight, while eating foods such as an entire bag of macadamia nuts, a fast food double cheeseburger (minus the bun), 1 cup of heavy cream in my coffee, eggs and cheese, quadruple creamy dressing on my salads, 4 strips of bacon plus a 3 egg omelet, several pats of butter on top of my side dish, twice eating 10 chicken wings dipped in lots of blue cheese dressing, and more.

Upcoming One Year Keto Anniversary

What suggestions do you have about how I should celebrate my one year keto diet anniversary? I’m thinking I should do some kind of giveaway…

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Take the 90 Day Keto Challenge

Are you ready to take the keto plunge? You should join my next 90 Day Keto Diet Challenge Program. Everything you need to succeed on a ketogenic diet: weekly live webinars with me, weekly menus and shopping lists, workbook, and private Facebook support group.

Get more info here.

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Keto Chat Episode 6: Amy’s weight loss and pain relief

During episode 6 of Keto Chat, I interviewed Amy about her success on the 90 Day Keto Challenge Program.

Amy started the 90 Day Challenge in hopes of alleviating her plantar fasciitis pain and be able to resume running again. Along with pain relief, she also found that keto is the easiest diet she’s every tried and is really enjoying the program. Check out her great tip, too, for staying keto while eating out.

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8 Months on a Ketogenic Diet

This is an article in a series about my ketogenic diet, which I started May 18, 2015. If you’ve missed the other posts, you can read Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7, Month 9, Month 10, Month 11

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January 18, 2016, marked my 8-month anniversary of starting my ketogenic diet. In some ways it seems like it has not been long at all, but when I reflect on where I was one year ago, it has been a very long time, and in a good way.

One year ago I was bedridden, again, for the second time, after that car accident in early 2014. The symptoms I was experiencing a year ago were even more debilitating than the pain and swelling in my legs that occurred right after the accident (which caused me to be bedridden in early 2014). One year ago, early in 2015, is when my Post Traumatic Hypopituitarism symptoms hit. The symptom list was long, and I’ve gone into a lot of detail in my past posts, but here is a partial list:

• Extreme fatigue
• Constant lightheadedness and dizziness
• Intolerance to light and sound
• Hypoglycemia upon any exertion, which caused memory problems
• Cognitive problems (verbal and written word mix ups, memory issues)
• Severe insomnia
• Insatiable appetite coupled with gastroparesis and GERD

Calm and Peace

Instead of a long list of health problems, now what I mostly notice is a feeling of calm and peace. Plus gratitude. Lots of gratitude. I’m at peace with food. I’m at peace with my body. My mind is calm and happy. I know from past experience that being “on a diet” feels like war. War against food and your body. War against appetite, cravings, and war against the scale. Regret, anger, hatred, and disappointment, too. Very little sense of calm and peace. But this feels nothing like that. I’ve learned how to harness the biological power of my body so that we are in sync. I know when, what, and how to feed my body so that it has a steady supply of what it needs. And in return, I get a steady supply of energy, calm, peace and gratitude. Keto is the ultimate mind-body dietary approach.

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My next 90 Day Keto Challenge online program starts soon

Are you ready to experience keto for yourself? Do you have any of the symptoms I had, like chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, an ever expanding waistline or an insatiable appetite? Might you enjoy eating bacon, butter, and burgers (no buns) while feeling better than you have in a very long time, perhaps ever?

I’m offering an online 90 Day Keto Challenge program that includes everything you need to start and be successful on a nutritional ketogenic diet. I’ll lead you through exactly how I’ve been successful on a keto diet, sharing all my secrets, tips, and tricks to success.

For more info, or to enroll, click here.

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Transformation

“I bet you don’t recognize yourself!” said one of my friends. Actually, I feel more like myself than I have in a long time! When I look in the mirror, I finally see an image that matches what I feel like on the inside. I look like me again!

Over the last couple of months, my weight has been pretty much the same, which is reassuring, because I really haven’t been tracking my food much at all. I’ve just been sticking with the meal formula I’ve come up with and the foods that I know work for keto. I eat when I’m hungry and I stop when I’m satisfied. This is quite reassuring because I’ve had many people come to me saying that this way of eating, that a keto diet, would make me gain more weight, that it would “ruin your metabolism” and so on, which after all my research, I highly doubted. And after experiencing this diet for myself, I’ve found validation in the exact opposite being true.

To track my progress each month, I take progress photos, take basic measurements, and measure my body fat percentage. So even though my weight and waist measurements are the same as last month, I was surprised to see that I’d dropped another 3% of body fat over the last month. That turned out to be a gain of almost 5 pounds lean mass AND a loss of 4 more pounds of fat over the last month! I was pretty amazed. I must have lost inches in other places on my arms, legs, and torso that I’m not measuring. So overall, I’m in the “normal” categories. Normal BMI, normal waist measurement, and normal body fat percentage. It feels good to be normal.

Below is a before photo compared to what I looked like this year for New Year’s Eve. I was able to wear 4 inch heels and dance the night away. None of that would have been possible a year ago. None of that would have been possible without keto.

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Fall Speech Available!

November 7, 2015, I had the honor of speaking at the Toastmasters’ District 2 Fall Conference in Redmond, WA. This was a dream come true for many reasons and I’m excited to share it here with you. You can watch my entire speech online now, for a limited time.

Next Goals

• Focus on increasing nutrient density in my meals
• Add weight training exercises
• Add cardiovascular endurance training to get ready for hiking and backpacking this summer
• Write a post about why I’ve changed my mind about mindful eating and weight loss.
• Write a post about why a Ketogenic Diet is far superior to an HCG Diet or Ideal Protein Diet.
• Continue to develop and expand my online programs on ketogenic nutrition adding an overcoming emotional eating program.

Lingering Health Challenges

While I’ve experienced AMAZING health improvements and body transformation, I am still experiencing a few lingering health problems related to that darned car accident from March 2014. I am having mild lightheaded/dizzy that seems to be linked to central and hypo- apnea. Unlike obstructive apnea (snoring and blocked airways), central apnea is related to the brain not sending the signal to my lungs to breathe. This seems to occur for me in the early morning hours, during the time when I should be getting my deepest, most restful sleep. This has improved gradually after seeing a chiropractor for the last couple of months, but my doctors have stated that central apnea is particularly challenging to treat. Just like with my CRPS and PTHP, I’m not giving up and still searching for a way to give my body the support it needs to reverse this.

In addition to the central apnea, I do occasionally experience randomly dropping items from my left hand. Plus stiffness and very mild pain in the front of my legs upon increased exercise. BUT this is no where near as severe as a year ago! It’s something I notice, but nothing that impairs my function nor keeps me from doing what I want to do. Thank you keto!

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7 Month Update on My Ketogenic Diet

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This is an article in a series about my ketogenic diet, which I started May 18, 2015. If you’ve missed the other posts, you can read Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 8, Month 9, Month 10, Month 11

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Summary of Overall Improvements

In early 2014, I was in a serious car accident and spent nearly three months in bed due to crush injuries to my legs. I started to develop a chronic, progressive, and debilitating pain syndrome in my legs called Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. Additionally, that fall I started showing symptoms of Post Traumatic Hypopituitarism, which included debilitating fatigue and constant dizziness, along with a long list of other debilitating symptoms. When numerous doctors offered no treatment options, I turned to a ketogenic diet, and in a few weeks, my symptoms began to subside. Along the way, I experienced a lot of other unexpected benefits as well. I am hooked on this way of living!

Here is a summary of the health improvements I’ve experienced from “going keto” thus far:

• Pain and swelling gone from my legs, hips, and ankles
• No more heartburn or gastroparesis
• No more migraines
• No more urinary incontinence
• Hypoglycemia symptoms gone
• CRP dropped from 10 to 2.69, 73% improvement!!
• Fasting blood glucose went from 96 to 70
• Triglycerides from 220 to 162 (still room for improvement here)
• Normal appetite
• Lots of energy
• Dizziness/lightheadedness nearly gone
• Soft, radiant skin
• Sense of well being, peace, and happiness
• 56.8 lbs lost (7.2 lbs over the last month)
• Nearly 9 inches off my waist

7 Month Keto Progress

7 Month Keto Progress

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90 Day Keto Challenge

Are you ready to experience keto for yourself? Do you have any of the symptoms I had, like chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, or an ever expanding waistline? Might you enjoy eating bacon, butter, and burgers (no buns) while feeling better than you have in a very long time?

I’m offering an online 90 Day Keto Challenge program that includes everything you need to start and be successful on a nutritional ketogenic diet. I’ll lead you through exactly how I’ve been successful on a keto diet, sharing all my secrets, tips, and tricks to success.

Included in 90 Day Challenge:

• Weekly live webinars
• A comprehensive workbook
• 90 days of easy-to-make menu plans
• Shopping list
• Private, online Facebook support group

For more info, or to enroll, click here.

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What Do I Eat?

This is still the most common question I get! I record all my food on Instagram for this very reason. The other day I was meeting a new acquaintance for coffee and even after telling her that I started using Instagram to document what I was eating, she then asked, “But, what DO you eat?” I had to LOL. It is so much easier for me and for you to just have a look there. So if you’re curious, please follow me there.  Take a look @hypnoticnutrition

Keto Thanksgiving 2015 (dairy-free, too!)

Thanksgiving and Birthday Celebration

Over the last month, two occasions happened in my life that might have thrown some people off plan: Thanksgiving and my birthday. And certainly in my past, these would have been occasions for me to overeat and overindulge. The whole time I’ve been keto, I have stuck to plan and stuck to 20 grams or less of carbs per day. This month was no exception! And to enhance the challenge of staying keto for these special occasions, my son and I had decided to do a dairy-free month for November. (He made it the whole month, I made it some of the way).

For Thanksgiving, I was at home with my son and his girlfriend and we planned a full keto feast, since my son is keto, too. I made turkey legs confit (cooked in fat) bacon grease, mashed cauliflower, bacon fat gravy, ultimate keto buns, olive oil roasted broccoli and mushrooms, plus keto pumpkin and chocolate cream pie.  Everything was dairy-free, low carb, sugar free, grain free, gluten free, AND it was all delicious, too. I had not made anything with psyllium up to this point, so I was very curious how the ultimate keto buns would turn out. I was also curious how eating them would make me feel, since I’ve only made a keto bread one other time. And I found that the texture, while very bread-like, was not very appealing to me. I ate a couple of mini buns, but had no desire to eat any more. In fact, I had to put them in the freezer (where they still are) to avoid mold because they were not being eaten fast enough. (My son did enjoy them quite a lot, however, and ate a few too many, as evidenced by his multiple trips to the bathroom the next day!)

Like many people, I had a second Thanksgiving to attend on another day. I didn’t sweat staying keto on this one either, since I took leftover cauliflower and a stick of Kerrygold butter and block of cheese. And it turned out that a distant relative at my second Thanksgiving was keto as well! It was really exciting to “talk shop” with someone at this family event, and it was awe inspiring to hear his story of how it has transformed his life by eliminating the chronic pain he’d had in his back.

The weekend before Thanksgiving I gathered with friends to celebrate my 45th birthday. It was a full day event at our new local McMenamins brewery-hotel-movie theater-etc. compound. In the past, I was a huge microbrew fan, but since going keto, I have had almost no desire to have beer. The mere thought of consuming it makes me feel bloated and foggy, which makes it very easy to not even be tempted. I found food menu items that worked, both for dinner and breakfast the next morning. Really, it was a lot of fun and a piece of cake. OK, actually no cake for this birthday! In fact, it wasn’t until someone asked me about cake on Facebook the next day that I even thought about missing cake for my birthday. I entertained the idea of making a keto-friendly birthday cake for myself the next day, however it just seemed like a lot of work for something that I really wouldn’t enjoy all that much. My tastes have changed tremendously over the last 7 months. I don’t crave sweet things, don’t crave bread, either. Cake did not appeal to me at all.

It feels great to be steadfast in this keto lifestyle that I can navigate any celebratory challenge. There has not been a restaurant or party I’ve attended yet where there wasn’t something I could eat and enjoy. And I can always grab a block of Kerrygold butter and cheese along the way to take along, when in doubt.

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Keto Success Stories: Beka

It’s really easy to find ketogenic diet weight loss success stories online. What gets me even more excited, though, are success stories about amazing health transformations. Like, stories where people were really sick, disabled, bedridden. Like, you know, people who have seen countless doctors, but no one can offer any hope of recovery. A story like mine (which you can catch up on here: Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6)

Last week, in my keto Facebook group, I asked members what things in their past, pre-keto, that they were happy to have in the past. One of the members, Beka, had a lot to share. And her health transformation is one of those success stories that gets me really excited about keto.

Beka’s health had deteriorated to the point that she often needed a wheelchair to get around.

Here is what Beka shared about her life before adopting a ketogenic diet:

Symptoms pre-keto: constant pain, digestive issues, extreme fatigue, hypoglycemic crashes, high blood pressure, high inflammation, constant lightheadedness, digestive issues, heartburn, migraines, and seizures. Also, emotional sensitivity, insane ringing in the ears, inability to focus/pay attention, and memory loss. I experienced such extreme weight fluctuations during the course of a day due to inflammation/swelling that I had 6 different sizes in my closet at once, and had to change multiple times a day to adjust for swelling. I was really depressed because despite going to multiple specialists, the docs couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. 

I was so sick at one point that I could hardly get out of bed. I stopped eating. Used a wheelchair when I was up and could barely remember my own name let alone anything else. I would wake up in the morning hearing my kids and didn’t know who’s kids they were until later in the day when a bit of my memory caught up with me. People just don’t get it but I’m never going back to that as long as I can do anything to help it.

This is all now in Beka’s past. She is alive and thriving, thanks to finding keto. Eating a low carb, high fat diet “cured” Beka. She now has her health back, and like she said, she’s never going back to her old way of eating.

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Are you ready to experience this kind of health transformation? I’m launching a 90 Day Keto Challenge in January 2016. It includes weekly webinars, keto meal plans and shopping list, a workbook, and private online support group. For more info, click here.

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Keto Diet Success Stories: Sheena

After the amazing health transformation I experienced by “going keto,” or adopting a very low carb, high fat diet, I’ve had many others reaching out to me to share their stories of healing.

(You can read my story in my monthly updates here: Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6)

Sheena is a 30-something wife, mom of two, and a personal trainer that lives in the Seattle area.

After using a low carb, high fat diet to reclaim her health, Sheena can now get back to doing the things she loves, like spending time with family and hiking.

Here is Sheena’s health transformation story:

For the past 12 years or so, I have struggled off and on (and ultimately daily) with severe, debilitating, chronic migraines and autoimmune joint and muscle pain. Additionally, as years passed, the number of food allergies and intolerances began to multiply to the point where I was literally afraid to eat anything and developed a severe eating disorder. I went from dietitian to dietitian who insisted all of the food intolerances were just a part of the eating disorder, leaving me discouraged and still feeling extremely unwell. My health became worse and worse, when according to all of the health practitioners, it should have been getting better. I knew all along that there was something else entirely going on, but I just needed someone to believe in me, to help me with what actually was going on, not what they wanted to treat. After working through the eating disorder issues with a dual certified nutritionist and therapist (who believed in me) for about a year, she suggested a ketogenic diet to help manage the pain that many traditional doctors had not been able to relieve.

At first, I just kind of shrugged it off, but sick of living in a daily hell of just trying to exist with the least amount of pain possible, I finally decided, what the hell! I want to live, not just exist.  And so, with the encouragement of my nutritionist and Naturopathic Doctor, I began my new journey with this “high fat diet.” To my surprise, it didn’t take more than a few days to see astounding results. The very first day I began to find relief from the digestive discomfort. Within a few days, my energy began to increase, body pain decreased and my migraines started having a start and end point (rather than permanently being a part of my existence). A few days turned into a few weeks, which turned into months. Suddenly I realized I wasn’t sick all of the time. I was enjoying life. Sure, I still had some bad days, but there was time between them, ever growing. Not only had my energy increased, but hope and happiness found their way into my heart again. Looking back a year later, I can clearly see my autoimmune issues, body pain, cold intolerance, digestive problems, anxiety, depression and fear around food have been completely eliminated. I have had a significant reduction in migraines, nausea, fatigue and mental fogginess. My weight has stabilized and been maintained. I have been able to exercise consistently enough to gain strength and stamina. And I have gotten off  almost all pharmaceuticals for all of the above. And with my health turning around so significantly, I have been able to start working again, which gives me a sense of purpose again and brings me joy.  LIFE IS GOOD.

Here is Sheena’s coconut oil challenge from October, 2015.

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Are you ready to experience this kind of health transformation? I’m launching a 90 Day Keto Challenge in January 2016. It includes weekly webinars, meal plans and shopping list, a workbook, and private online support group. For more info, click here.

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How has a ketogenic diet improved your health?

Share in the comments below!

Lowest Carb Caesar Dressing with Garlic Coconut Oil

I’m launching a 90 Day Keto Challenge in January 2016. Would you like to join me? It includes weekly webinars, meal plans and shopping list, a workbook, and private online support group. For more info, click here.

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I’ve been playing around with Nature’s Way’s new flavored liquid coconut oils and created this Caesar dressing from their garlic flavored one. Typically, Caesar dressing calls for up to 6 cloves of garlic, which is a lot of carbs. By using this garlic flavored oil, you can avoid all the carbs while still getting that super garlicky flavor. Don’t let the anchovy paste scare you. It is used as the salty, umami component, so it should not taste fishy, only delicious.

Baby Greens, Lowest Carb Caesar Dressing, and Sardines

Nature’s Way Always Liquid Coconut Premium Oil Savory Garlic flavor

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
• 1/2 cup Nature’s Way Savory Garlic Liquid Coconut Oil

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise and anchovy paste. While continuing to whisk, add the coconut oil in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated.

Yield: 3/4 cup, about 6 servings (2 tablespoons each)

Macronutrient information (per 2 tablespoons): 197 calories, 0.3 g carbs, 23 g fat, 0.5 g protein,