So, I had an interesting experience when my husband and I decided to just eat “normal” for the week we were packing up and moving to a new house. A little background:
I have been keto on and off for over a year. I am type 2 diabetic, 250 lbs and have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I struggle to maintain my keto lifestyle because of a food addiction and it is difficult to stay true for more than a month, but I tend to get right back on the bandwagon after a day or so.
Back to the point of this post. My husband and I moved recently and we both decided for convenience that we would eat a “normal” diet for this period of time. It was also the last week of school and as I am a teacher, that meant end of the year parties, cupcakes, soda and staff lunches. Moving and packing meant that we chowed down on fast food. I should have known better. Here is a list of all of the byproducts of my “normal” diet.
- Migraines: I had forgotten that before Keto, I had 1-2 migraines a month. I had 2 in one week… while moving… and wrapping up student grades for the school year.
- Lower brain function: It took me much longer to finish my grading for the end of the year and it made making decisions about moving much more difficult.
- Cystic Acne: Yup. Lots of it. Gross.
- Cravings, Cravings, Cravings: I wanted ALL OF THE FOOD all of the time. It was awful. My husband even noticed how food didn’t fill him up like it normally did.
- Swelling: My wedding ring didn’t fit anymore, my shoes and pants were tight. Ugh.
- Lack of energy and motivation: I just didn’t want to get up and do anything anymore. I was soooooo tired.
- Grumpy: I became Mrs. Grumpy Pants all week long, snapping at friend and foe alike with equal ferocity.
- Eye Twitched: My old stress indicator appeared with a vengeance, my left eye twitched constantly.
- I didn’t ovulate: This may not seem big to anyone else, but for me, this was huge. I’ve been trying to get pregnant for the last 4 years and I FINALLY started ovulating while eating keto. And then with my “normal diet” I didn’t. GRRRRRRR.
- Depression Symptoms: Since I miscarried this past December, I have struggled with depression which has led me to seek help and start meditating, etc. My “Normal food” week brought feelings of depression incredibly deep, just like I saw after I lost my baby.
- I gained 9 lbs. True some of this is water weight, but not all of it.
- Oh, and I almost forgot… my Blood Glucose levels skyrocketed.
I learned a few incredibly valuable lessons. The key lesson that I brought away was to be grateful for the blessings that I have seen since embarking on my keto journey. I was mainly looking at my blood glucose monitor and the scale for affirmations that I was on the right track. I had forgotten about all of the other amazing benefits of getting rid of the carbs. Thanks @carl and @richard for the amazing help you have given me on my personal health journey.
Keep Calm and Keto On
