What Happened When I Stopped Eating Carbs for 7 Days

6 Comments

I’ve been lurking in Keto Facebook groups for a year or two now, but finally took the plunge into low carb eating! The Keto diet is strange. It works by cutting out carbs and having your body run on fats. You maintain a low carb/high fat diet, and your body does the work.

No milk or bananas allowed, but bacon and cheese are perfectly acceptable. I know it sounds crazy (John still isn’t convinced), but I’ve seen it work for hundreds of people! Surprisingly, people also claim to see drops in their LDL cholesterol, as well as positive changes in diabetic conditions.

What drew me to this Keto/low carb way of eating, was the ability to not have to workout, but still lose considerable weight. I’m lazy. I have the hardest time finding the motivation to go to the gym. While I wouldn’t mind going for a run around the neighborhood, I have no desire to do so in the freeze temperatures we’ve had lately.

Being able to lose weight by eating a cheese burger with no bun? Game on!

What Happened When I Stopped Eating Carbs

Lost Weight

First and foremost, I was ecstatic to lose 7 pounds in the first week! I’m about two weeks in now, and the number continues to drop! Eating this way is HARD (as I imagine most diets can be) but seeing the pounds slide off, keeps me motivated!

I literally eat eggs, bacon, and cheese for breakfast in the morning, while losing weight! On Friday night’s we’ve been having pizza crust made out of CHEESE and egg with more cheese on top! It’s actually good!

Pizza crust before baking

More Energy

I’ve suddenly found a burst of energy I never knew I had. Even after staying up until 11pm, I can wake up before the sun, to get the girls ready for school without dragging my feet. I actually get stuff done during the day and am not exhausted by sundown.

More Water

Carbs are in everything! Even celery is surprisingly high in carbs. Not high, high. But high for a damn stick that tastes like grass+water! Most juices and even milk are off limits on a low carb diet. To keep things easy, I’ve been sticking to water with a drop of lemon. I’ve swapped out my iced coffees for chai tea with a splash of heavy cream. I can’t drink black coffee, so I don’t even go there.

Portion Control

I’ve been using My Fitness Pal to track my carb, fat, and protein intake along with calorie goal daily. Sticking to the suggested serving for whatever it is I’m eating makes it easiest to calculate and track. The app also shows me how many calories I have left for the day.

Holy cow! I realized I was eating WAY too much before. I’ll admit, there are some nights that I go to bed without my stomach feeling completely satisfied. It’s gotten better though! I’ve noticed myself getting fuller faster, which certainly isn’t a bad thing!

Take Aways

It’s been tough, but seemingly worth it. After two weeks, I’d say I have a better idea of what I can or can’t eat, but still the MFP app is essential.

Beer doesn’t work with this diet, but bourbon is ok. Thank God, for Kentucky! LOL

It’s kind of expensive. I’ve spent a shit-ton on bacon, eggs, and cheese lately. We’ll go through an 18-pack of eggs in a day and a half. The low carb flours and sugars and significantly more expensive than regular white flour and sugar.

Will I eat this way forever? NO! I miss cake and we actually are planning to start a more balanced diet with some meal prep. We’ll be putting together our first set of meals on Sunday, then using the Superbowl to pig out before we start eating right on Monday.