Now I have to start this with a disclaimer, in no way am I suggesting to do Keto; however, understand many people wonder what it is and therefore, thought I’d share my experience doing it! I’m not a nutritionist, a health expert or even a gym instructor/PT; however, have spent many years looking at different diets and fitness programmes, so like to think I’ve picked up a little bit of knowledge! So, here goes my experience with Keto!
What Is Keto?
In basic terms, Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet. If you’re doing hardcore Keto, you’d have less than 20g of carbs per day, alternatively, a normal Keto diet would be 50g of carbs per day (this may differ, so don’t @ me if what you’ve read is slightly different!). Many people who suffer from certain health conditions are told to try the Keto diet; however, many without a health condition also try Keto.
How Does It Work?
So, the whole premise of Keto is that your body goes into ketosis, studies have shown that our bodies burn carbs first. By going into ketosis, your body turns to burn fat (or ketones), as there are no carbs to burn.
I’m an avid watcher of vlogs and one of my favourites is Sarah Ashcroft, who also did Keto for 30 days. It’s a good video if you’re interested in keto!
What Did I Eat?
I experimented with a lot of food when I did keto! I found it hard at first to find meals which would fill me up, but I’ve found a love for more than just filling it up with carbs!
The meals I had included:
- Creamy mushrooms and chicken (mushrooms and green beans cooked in double cream and parmesan)
- Steak, bacon, and halloumi with cheesy mushrooms (my classic cheesy mushrooms; cook mushrooms with light Philadelphia and grated cheese)
- Lo-dough pizza
- Bun-less burgers (homemade beef burgers topped with cheese, bacon and bbq sauce)
- Cauliflower rice with salmon (I’d rate the cauliflower rice about 6/10)
What Were My Results?
I feel like Keto is a bit of a quick fix, I did it before Glastonbury as I spent a lot of time enjoying food just before, and needed something which I could do for a few weeks to see some quick results. As someone who is well into fitness, this is an awful way to do things I know; however, that Glasto bod was calling!
I did see results as carbs make you retain water, which is why you appear more bloated. Alongside this I do count calories, I was sticking to or just below the macros that I had worked out, which again could have been the reason I was seeing results.
Would I Recommend?
I wouldn’t recommend doing Keto all the time. I LOVE carbs, give me all the pasta, bread and potatoes, however, I do feel like at times I’ll just bulk my meals out with carbs to up the calories. When I was doing Keto I experimented a lot more with my meals, discovering some lovely low carb meals!
If you’re stuck in a rut with your meals, I’d recommend doing it just to learn there is more to food than carbs! I’ve read a lot about macros to go alongside fitness, as they say, 80% of your body is down to diet and 20% down to fitness. I struggle with the diet as I LOVE food (pretty sure everybody I know; whether it’s a friend, work colleague, family member, or even a stranger). On the days that I lift weights, I have high carb days and on the days I either rest or just do cardio, I have lower carbs.
Hopefully, I’ve helped to educate you a little on Keto. I’m by no means an expert but have picked up a lot of knowledge over the years as I’ve done a lot of diets! This is my experience with Keto, if you’ve tried it, what are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments?
