I started keto in Oct 2017, did great. Lost about 90 lb (although I flirted with the 100# mark) and stayed there for quite a while, even though I was a bit lax about following the rules. Sigh.
Fast forward to 2020, when the world went to ■■■■■ Lots of things happened. Everything shut down (including my own business), times were tough. And (as I’m sure you know), keto isn’t cheap. So, things got a bit MORE lax. And then, it happened. The hubs caught the 'rona. And gave it to me. He was much sicker than I was (I credit my keto-ish lifestyle for that, honestly), although nearly 2 years later, I still have very little sense of smell or taste. Frustrating to say the least. The only things that “satisfy” me are carbs. Bread. Potatoes. Stuff like that. Because, let’s face it, there’s not a TON of flavor in that kind of stuff, it’s all about texture (and what you put on it). I’ve put back on a decent amount of weight (but not all of it, thank God).
It’s weird… if I eat something sweet, my mouth “knows” it’s sweet, it almost “feels” sweet… but my brain doesn’t. Same for spicy. I get the heat, but no flavor. Salt is good - if there’s enough of it. Vinegar, lemon, dill, sometimes cinnamon - I can usually detect them, although the flavors are muted quite a bit. It’s been a long 20 months.
Fast forward to this week… I was talking to my adult son (who is flirting with carnivore) and explaining keto to him. I told him that it was originally to treat epilepsy. And talked about some other stuff as well, largely brain health… and it got me thinking. I truly feel that my taste/smell dysfunction is brain related, not so much my tastebuds. SO… what if keto can fix it?? What if, by eating the way I know I should be anyway, my brain heals itself?? I really don’t think it’s out of the question. SO…
I started back on keto Monday morning. No prep, no grocery shopping, just dove in. Created some tracking/journaling pages and am keeping good notes. What I eat, how much water, how much exercise, in addition to mood, sleep habits, and anything else I think of. I am determined to give it a minimum of 6 weeks (during which time I really hope to get myself back into ketosis - and feeling good enough to stay there).
So, wish me luck. Who knows, maybe this will result in a whole new benefit of keto.