So, I started Keto about three years ago because the ketogenic diet was a treatment option for my child’s epilepsy. I wanted to find out more and when I started looking at the numbers, I realized that Keto could be an efective option for me to control my Type 2 Diabetes. Back in the early stages of medicine, the ketogenic diet was the only way to control Diabetes, no matter the type, based on the body’s innate ability to burn fat instead of sugar and bypass the pancreas and insulin usage. Well, this diet wasn’t very appealing because of the severe dietary restriction needed to achieve ketosis led most of the people using it to be inpatient at the hospital under close medical supervision due to the stress on the kidneys. Fast forward to today, the current popularity of the Keto diet is a far cry from what the first doctors to put their patients on the ketogenic diet experienced.

Most people on today’s Keto diet keep their carbohydrate levels low enough to reach ketosis, but not so low as to experience the problems experienced by those first pioneers to the diet. It’s a balancing act, and one that takes more attention to detail than the standard American diet. I’ve found that it is achievable with the proper mindset and careful monitoring of food.

These are the resources I’ve found through my years that were so helpful in my journey. They are:

• The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, MD
• The Metabolism Reset Diet by Alan Christianson, NMD
• Simply Keto and Beyond Simply Keto by Susanne Ryan

Now for a personal note. My breaking point was my weight. At my heaviest, I tipped the scales at nearly 400 pounds. Whew. That’s a lot of emotion in that statement. As of today, I am down to 330. Keto is not a quick fix for me, but in upcoming messages I will let you know what it took for me to lose the weight. You lose a lot of water weight on Keto. If you start, you must hydrate with water spiked with pink salt for essential minerals. The only vitamins I add are a daily multi, potassium and magnesium. Hydration is not a joke, you must drink lots of water to keep from getting muscle cramps and otheer dehydration issues. Plus you will have to get rid of those artificial sweeteners. They elicit the same insulin response that sugar does and since insulin is a fat storage hormone you will not see weight loss happening.

Sending my love and blessings. Chat with you next time, and leave questions for me and I will answer them in my next post!

-Charlene