Lab Rat/The Mouse that Roared: A story about Keto-adaptation*

Several years ago when I began a Ketogenic Diet, a curious thing happened to me.
The first week, I was gung-ho and prepared for the challenge of keto-adaptation. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult this time. What did happen was, as I ate meat, fat, eggs, dairy, green veggies and no carbohydrates, I noticed a divergence of hunger. I was getting enough calories and nutrients so I was not in starvation mode. Part of me was perfectly satisfied. Another part of me that was not: the carb-craving part. This hungry part I imagined as a little white lab rat, and the interior of my body was like a maze. This undernourished and long-suffering little rodent spent its time methodically sniffing about the labyrinth, checking out this corner or that dead-end for traces of bread, rice, pasta, or potato.
The little white lab rat wandered from place to place inside my body patiently looking for carbs. It was NOT interested in the proteins and fats I was consuming. Not even the cheese. Each and every pathway led to a dead end with no carbs.
The rat was patient for almost 3 weeks, and if I stopped what I was doing during the day, closed my eyes, and looked inside, I could see it there, inside its maze, puttering along, nose all a-quiver. I kept an eye on it, too, because I didn’t want it to get the upper hand and sabotage my keto regime, but for 20 days, it was a well-mannered, engaging little creature.
Then it happened. On day 21, I awoke to find my little white lab rat all transformed. It was no longer self-effacing, apologetic, and patient — it had turned into a raging beast of a rat.

“Feed me!” it hissed.
“I will not feed you”, I told it, “Have some avocado”.
The enraged rat bared its teeth and raised its hackles and cried:
“Feed me!!”
“I will not”, I repeated. “Have a couple of really healthy eggs and some yummy bacon”.
The rampaging rat manifested itself as an almighty belly ache, which I nursed with an ice pack. I kept feeding my body all the keto-friendly foods I could think of. Calorie counting went out the window. I ate everything not nailed down, but the craving would not go away… and
I...Would…NOT…Eat….Carbs.
“Here, have some ketogenic fudge…” See if that works.
No such luck: “FEED ME!!!!”
*****
Three days later, the hunger past, the enraged rat dissipated in my imagination, my belly stopped aching and I was on the other side of Keto-adaptation, with nothing but blue skies ahead.
Years later, whenever I think of those three days, I shudder and, involuntarily begin to murmur the 23rd Psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
*Keto-adaptation is the process by which your body shifts from using glucose for energy to using fat for energy. It is brought about by drastically lowering your carb intake and increasing fat intake. It can be a difficult transition with symptoms affectionately called, “Keto-Flu”
