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| photo from March 2018 |
I debated for some time about whether or not I wanted to discuss this on my blog or on youtube because for me, my weight loss journey is incredibly personal. Weight has contributed to my self esteem issues since I was 13 years old, before I ever had anything to worry about. But, I really like the accountability that sharing this provides and I know I find these types of progress blogs especially helpful when trying to motivate myself to continue.
If you're new to the idea of the keto diet, its basically eating a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS have seen success with this diet due to insulin resistance improvement. I'm going to continue with this series kind of assuming my readers already are familiar with keto and PCOS so if you're interested in learning more about this I encourage you to read the articles I've listed below.
My husband and I started our keto journey on July 30th with two different goals in mind - mine was to lose weight and battle PCOS his was to simply to eat healthier as he is already on the low low end of BMI for his height and weight. So while its nice to make healthy choices with someone, our approaches are obviously very different when it comes to calories and protein.
As I type this, I have been eating a low carb diet for about 10 days. After the first five-ish days, I'll admit I was foolishly discouraged. I didn't feel like anything was life changing. The scale was fluctuating
a lot and I wasn't even completely sure I was in ketosis. I hadn't suffered the infamous "keto flu" as many do during their first week of starting the diet and I was just overall skeptical. I ended up ordering some ketosis strips off of amazon despite hearing that I wouldn't need them because it would be obvious that I was in ketosis.
It wasn't obvious. (I'll link any products I mention below). I've only tested with them twice so far, and the first time was even with diluted urine. My strips were
dark. So I'm definitely in ketosis. This was the first little push that I needed. It meant that I was doing it right, my macros (although I'm still tinkering with these) were okay, and I was getting somewhere. It was kind of a big deal.
Fast forward to today, I do a midweek weigh in (I really only want to be weighing once a week) and the scale shows a number I'm very pleased with. My
starting weight was 205.2, the number on the
scale today was 199. While this is only 6 lbs and it is likely just water weight, I have had the biggest problem breaking that 200 lb threshold since I gained all this weight. (Until PCOS started acting up, I weighed 150 for years and years).
Skipping ahead just a little more (
tmi warning) to tonight - I'm weepy, angry and emotionally all over the place which is not the norm for me lately. I go to the bathroom and low and behold there is pink on the toilet paper. Aunt Flow has arrived. My last normal period was in November of 2017. I had spotting for two days in June (
six months later!?) and then was back to nothing. So while it may sound weird to be excited about something like this, its a huge deal. It means keto is working, my body is healing, my blood sugar is stabilizing, and I might, just might, be able to actually start charting ovulation and restarting my TTC journey.
I know its early and progress will slow down, but I'm very excited about my results thus far and I know things can only improve from here. I'm wrapping up this post but will do a one month check in post in a few weeks with another weigh in and measurements so please visit again if you'd like to follow my journey.
My Stats:
Starting Weight: 205.2 lbs
Current Weight: 199.0
Goal Weight: 140.0
Starting Measurements:
Bust: 37.5 in
Waist: 42.5
Hips: 44
Arms: 14
Thigh: 28
Calf: 16
Products I'm Using This Month:
Carb Manager app -
Ketosis Strips -
Nurse Hatty - Ketone Strips 150ct.
Protein shake for breakfast -
Advantage Shakes, Cafe Caramel 4 x 11 oz
Affiliate links. I never recommend anything I don't believe in.
Sources:
1. The effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet on pcos. NCIB.
link.
