This past week, my lovely friend and trainer Bridget (you can find her on Instagram @coconutmomsta) inspired me to go on an almost no carb diet. The purpose behind it was to reset my metabolism and train my body to use fat for energy, rather than just carbs; this diet is also known as the Ketogenic diet.
I’m not one for restricting any food groups, but I figured I would try it out for a week. Some said benefits that come with a Ketogenic diet include more energy, weight-loss, and loss of body fat. Not only is a low-carb diet beneficial for the purpose of ketosis, but it also forces you to lower your intake of sugars, starches, & gluten, which is never a bad thing and is something I always preach for!
I love my carbs, so the thought of going without them made me sad at first, but I love experimenting with different diets to see what works best for my body, so I decided to go ahead with it. I planned out all of my meals on the Sunday before, so it wasn’t difficult at all for me to decide what to eat for each of my meals/snacks. The only carbs I ate throughout the day were half a banana and some blueberries or goji berries in the morning, (since I do need a little bit of fruit in the morning to stay happy!) & of course an unlimited amount of veggies.
Overall, it wasn’t too difficult and I never stayed hungry! I definitely missed having some carbs, like my sweet potatoes for dinner or my whole wheat challah bread on Friday night, BUT I did feel a ton lighter and healthier in many ways. Since I was forced to give up carbs, I replaced them with more greens and veggies which is always a good thing!
Some benefits of my week with hardly any carbs:
- Lighter
- Lost a bit of water weight
- Ate more greens and veggies
- Paid more attention to portion sizes and what I was eating
- Hardly ate out and ate more home-cooked meals
- Had more energy at times
- Got to enjoy more healthy fats (like nut butters and avocado) which I LOVE
- Didn’t crave food (especially sugary and junky food) as much
Some downsides to my week with hardly any carbs:
- Didn’t lose any noticeable weight
- Had brain-fog and felt low on energy at times
- Had to miss out on a lot of my favorite foods 🙁
- Had to spend more time in the kitchen
- Didn’t feel satisfied at times
All in all, a Ketogenic diet isn’t too difficult if you know exactly what you can eat in order to make it exciting, and I would definitely recommend it for a week. I could probably do it for longer, and would even try to do it for two or three weeks in the future; however, it’s not something I would recommend sticking to for the long run. I think a low-carb diet is great, but not a super low carb diet! There are so many awesome carbs out there like sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, tempeh & fruit which contain essential nutrients, minerals & vitamins and have important functions within our body, and I would never suggest giving them up fully! As well, I have always and will always preach for a balanced diet; we NEED some carbs, some protein and some healthy fats to function to our best ability! Life is also way too short to stop eating your favorite foods 🙂
If anyone wants to do this diet with me for a week after Thanksgiving, since I’m sure we’ll all need a little detox, let me know and I can start a support group! Email me at [email protected]
In the mean time, here is a sample of a one day meal plan that I’ve created:
Day One
Breakfast
- Chia Seed Pudding
- Handful of Seeds
- 1 Tbsp Nut Butter
- ½ Sliced Banana & some blueberries
- Cinnamon
Snack
- 2 homemade protein bliss balls
Lunch
- Tons of Greens
- Tomatoes
- Sliced Avocado
- Hardboiled Egg
- Seeds
- Shredded Carrot
- Sliced Beets
- Dressing- olive oil, lemon, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, turmeric
Snack
- Tahini w/ Carrots or Celery Sticks
Dinner
- Grilled or Baked Wild- Caught Salmon
- Zuchinni Pasta
- Steamed Brocolli or Salad
xx
Rachel