It just wasn't working out. He promised me he would change, but he never did. I wanted a plan and a firm commitment for change and he would just sit there, staring at me with that same stupid number. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
One morning I LOST it. I got on the scale and once again... no change. Not sure if it was PMS or what, but I had HAD IT! I would have thrown him out the back door, over the cliff, but that thing was expensive... the practical side of me could not justify it... plus there would be the cleanup, as I am sure my neighbor down below wouldn't be too happy to see scale carnage in her back yard.
So I decided he needed a good time out... he needs to understand that I have feelings! It's not fair that he can just show me the same old number, over and over again and expect me to be happy about it? He's not even making an effort!
The truth is, weighing myself everyday was a habit... and it could make or break my day. I was tired of letting that damn thing determine how I felt about myself. So after I put him away in the storage room... waaaaaay at the back, behind the Halloween decorations (so I cannot even look at him when I go there to get something else) I decided to make a new plan. A new keto plan.
As many of you have experienced, weight loss is not always constant on keto and if you have been doing it for a while, there can be periods of plateaus. Let me tell you, when I get to maintenance I will ROCK the crap out of it!
But when you are trying to 'lose' excess fat, sometimes you have to mix things up. Every person is different and you have to experiment. No two people are the same... we all have different metabolisms, health issues, hormone issues, etc...
Some things I have learned about myself are: I am VERY carb sensitive and insulin resistant. So if I 'veer off' (which hey, we are all human and we all do it... no shame in that) for me it takes foreeeeeeeever to get back to where I was before. I also realize that even natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit, raise my insulin levels (I have a blood ketone meter and a blood glucose meter). I got really honest about my 'lazy keto' lifestyle too. I LOVE lazy keto (not to be confused with 'dirty keto'... lazy keto is HEALTHY KETO, just not always tracking macros), but for me, lazy keto works best when I am intermittent fasting, as it's really hard to even get my macros in when I am 16:8 or OMAD (OMAD is the hardest to get them all in), so as long as I watch my carbs and meet my protein, I'm good (because fat is where it's at all the time during my eating window).
So what have I done differently in the last 7 days?
- Monday - Friday I am taking turns between 16:8 and OMAD days. Zero calories during my fasting window... not even my beloved fatty coffee (every single 'black coffee' sip I think... 'oh, don't even TRY to pretend you are fatty coffee because you AREN'T)!!! Weekends is just regular keto, which feels like such a treat! [Please note: intermittent fasting works best after you have been doing keto for 4-6 weeks, after your body is fat adapted].
* I start each day with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar + 1 tbsp psyllium fiber + 8 oz water
- I workout fasted.
- Though I am mostly 'lazy keto' at heart, I make sure I meet my protein macros as I have an underactive thyroid and this is imperative. Before I was diagnosed I was losing hair and had very low energy. Meeting my protein macros everyday has really made a HUGE difference in bringing my thyroid levels up.
- I break my fast with one of my Intentionally Bare Bone Broth Protein Powder drinks. Many keto experts advocate having bone broth (the broth) and/or bone broth protein powder to break any fasting and I highly agree. My skin, hair and nails are glowing and strong and the 20g's of protein really help me meet my protein target.
So... have I lost weight? I honestly cannot say, as Scale and I are no longer on speaking terms. I have specific clothing that I use as my guide and all of them are looser after only one week with this new routine. My energy is through the roof! My workouts are strong and I am even doing *cough*cardio (which I hate) but I have more energy to do it. I can see the difference in my face and legs this week, thinning out a bit. I am sleeping very well, and I only had one day that I was hungry and didn't think I would make it, so I popped 4 of my Intentionally Bare Organic MCT Oil Capsules and within 15 minutes I was totally fine. I allow myself fat in my fasting window if I need it to get to my eating window time.
Keto is all about finding out what works for YOU… and sometimes that means mixing it up a bit and seeing how your body reacts. Don’t be scared to think outside the box, because you might be surprised how well you do when you try something new.
I would love to hear what works for you. Did you break up with your scale? Do you do lazy keto, or do you meticulously track your macros? How do you do keto? Come share your successes and challenges with me and my Intentionally Bare Facebook Group! We would love to hear more from you!
You got this!
Leta ~ Intentionally Bare
❗ Health information given here is based on public research and is not meant to take the place of your doctor's advice. Always do your own research before trying something new.
