That's the buzzword in diet nowadays - "Keto". And I've been part of this journey for the last 14 weeks. You must be wondering I drop in here out of nowhere and then begin with the rambling on Keto! Well, it is an important journey for us (S & I) and I wanted to pen my thoughts here so that I can come back to it in future and comprehend when need arrives!
It all began on 9th October for me and maybe a few months ago for S, he has been pestering for a while to embark on this blissfulness that is keto (read - sarcasm!). He has been interested in it and has been reading up on it as well after seeing his friend’s journey on this platform. To be honest, I was quite apprehensive because, you know, who lives without carbs? I love my rotis & idlis and don’t even get me started on the daals. I could never imagine a life without them. So I waited & waited and finally gave in. Thus began this journey.
In order to understand the Keto or the LCHF (Low Carbs High Fat) diet, one has to understand what ketosis is all about. Ketosis is a metabolic state of the body wherein it derives energy using the fats that you intake (there is little/no carbs to convert into energy). Basically your body turns into a fat-burning machine! Usually keto enthusiasts will tell you not to bother about weight loss and concentrate more on inch loss, now that’s a whole other chapter to discuss and I don’t want this post to go technical about it.
And does it work? Oh yes it does. I have lost about 11 kgs in 14 weeks and can see surprising changes in just 3 months!
In the beginning when I actually started this diet it was more about experimenting with limited food that we, as vegetarians, could consume and believe me, it was challenging. I was surprised to know the amount of carbs a simple onion or a carrot contained! I knew potatoes were bad but other vegetables were increasingly shocking for me to understand. I have to limit my carbs to about 20 or below 20gms! Took me a while to comprehend but once I got the hang of it, there was no stopping. I put on my chef’s hat and got busy in the kitchen, some experiments are pictured below!
Growing up we are advised that fat is bad for you but after being in keto I am just appalled how much damage carbs do to you! It’s shocking. However believe me when I say it’s amazing to see your body react so beautifully without carbs! I won’t deny that I miss my regular food since it’s natural - you are brought up eating that food, it will pinch you somewhere. After all I am human and it doesn’t help that no place in Bangalore provides keto food on demand, it’s frustrating especially when you don’t want to enter your kitchen. However big a chef you can be, there will be a time when you want to chuck your hat and gobble up some food made by someone else!
If I have to consolidate this whole journey in one word then it has to be - "satisfaction". Yes I think that’s what I would call it! Because health-wise, nothing has been satisfactory in the past the way being in ketosis has been! Not only has keto helped me physically, but I believe I have become a lot more calmer mentally. The only tough part of ketosis is that if you exceed your limit of carbs, the body will throw you out of ketosis and it usually takes about a week to be back into it. Keto can be very unforgiving if you cheat!
Unfortunately due to the holiday season as well as a travel that was planned, I had to give it up for about 10 days which surprisingly wasn’t all that bad. I expected a good amount of weight gain but then, thankfully, it was negligible. Keto stayed good which helped me end 2017 on a high!
Now that we are in 2018 and settling in, I am back into Ketosis and I have to say that I missed it. I don’t crave for carbs anymore!
It all began on 9th October for me and maybe a few months ago for S, he has been pestering for a while to embark on this blissfulness that is keto (read - sarcasm!). He has been interested in it and has been reading up on it as well after seeing his friend’s journey on this platform. To be honest, I was quite apprehensive because, you know, who lives without carbs? I love my rotis & idlis and don’t even get me started on the daals. I could never imagine a life without them. So I waited & waited and finally gave in. Thus began this journey.
In order to understand the Keto or the LCHF (Low Carbs High Fat) diet, one has to understand what ketosis is all about. Ketosis is a metabolic state of the body wherein it derives energy using the fats that you intake (there is little/no carbs to convert into energy). Basically your body turns into a fat-burning machine! Usually keto enthusiasts will tell you not to bother about weight loss and concentrate more on inch loss, now that’s a whole other chapter to discuss and I don’t want this post to go technical about it.
And does it work? Oh yes it does. I have lost about 11 kgs in 14 weeks and can see surprising changes in just 3 months!
In the beginning when I actually started this diet it was more about experimenting with limited food that we, as vegetarians, could consume and believe me, it was challenging. I was surprised to know the amount of carbs a simple onion or a carrot contained! I knew potatoes were bad but other vegetables were increasingly shocking for me to understand. I have to limit my carbs to about 20 or below 20gms! Took me a while to comprehend but once I got the hang of it, there was no stopping. I put on my chef’s hat and got busy in the kitchen, some experiments are pictured below!
Growing up we are advised that fat is bad for you but after being in keto I am just appalled how much damage carbs do to you! It’s shocking. However believe me when I say it’s amazing to see your body react so beautifully without carbs! I won’t deny that I miss my regular food since it’s natural - you are brought up eating that food, it will pinch you somewhere. After all I am human and it doesn’t help that no place in Bangalore provides keto food on demand, it’s frustrating especially when you don’t want to enter your kitchen. However big a chef you can be, there will be a time when you want to chuck your hat and gobble up some food made by someone else!
If I have to consolidate this whole journey in one word then it has to be - "satisfaction". Yes I think that’s what I would call it! Because health-wise, nothing has been satisfactory in the past the way being in ketosis has been! Not only has keto helped me physically, but I believe I have become a lot more calmer mentally. The only tough part of ketosis is that if you exceed your limit of carbs, the body will throw you out of ketosis and it usually takes about a week to be back into it. Keto can be very unforgiving if you cheat!
Unfortunately due to the holiday season as well as a travel that was planned, I had to give it up for about 10 days which surprisingly wasn’t all that bad. I expected a good amount of weight gain but then, thankfully, it was negligible. Keto stayed good which helped me end 2017 on a high!
Now that we are in 2018 and settling in, I am back into Ketosis and I have to say that I missed it. I don’t crave for carbs anymore!
