The Diet That Changed My Body And Mind
Since starting Eight three years ago, I’ve been on a personal health journey. Good sleep was just one of the many lifestyle changes I adopted to live a healthier and more energetic life. In the past year, I’ve been testing many other lifestyle changes and trying to measure their impact on my productivity and energy levels. This is one of the changes I valued from most.
A little over four months ago, I started a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. As an Italian who loves pasta and pizza, this diet seemed like a daunting task. But science convinced me to try it anyway, with numerous research showing how a keto diet can extend health span (how healthy you are) as well as life span (how long you live). For me, this diet wasn’t about weight loss. It was about improving my well-being, digestion and energy. Even though weight loss is a common side effect, it’s not the primary goal of going keto.
Ketogenic Diet 101
Keto refers to small alternative fuel particles called ketones that the body produces when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply. Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs. The reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic, highly efficient fat burning state called “ketosis.” The fastest way to get to ketosis is by fasting. I combine my keto diet with intermittent fasting, but more on that in a later post. Keto works because your body will start to burn fat instead of carbohydrates and sugar for energy. On a ketogenic diet, your body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat, which is why you’re allowed to eat lots of salmon, beef, bacon,cheese, avocado, and nuts. Fat is the best source of fuel because it’s sustainable (no crashes) and enhances mental and physical performance.
Benefits
Scientists claim there are many interesting benefits of ketogenic dieting including increased cognition, mental clarity, and focus. A few years ago researchers published a study showing enhanced memory in adults with mild cognitive impairment while on a keto diet. I feel my new diet has seriously elevated my well-being, focus, and overall energy during the day.
Typical Meal Plan
Here’s a sample meal plan of all my favorite keto-friendly foods. There are many more, but this is what I am eating the most. Try it for a week and see how you feel.
Other ingredients to incorporate: coconut oil, sunflower and chia seeds, cashews, butter, whole milk, almond butter. I usually snack on nuts during the day to avoid feeling hungry and fruit in the morning or afternoon for a snack.
Results
I started the keto diet on August 14th, 2017 and felt immediate results. Within a week, I had more energy during the day, more focus in the late afternoon, and my cravings for carbs already diminished. When you eat a lot of carbs, insulin levels spike and then come crashing down, which causes a sense of fatigue. On the keto diet, I reduced my carbohydrate intake to no more than 10% thus lowering my insulin levels. As a result, daytime tiredness disappears and energy increases. In particular after lunch I always feel great, and no longer get that afternoon slump. I physically feel lighter and digest foods quicker and smoother, especially in the evening, which is when I used to have a lot of carbs. Feeling better during the day makes me feel better at night, too. The keto diet hasn’t impacted my sleep, however some people experience insomnia when first switching to a low-carb diet. I noticed this for the first weeks, but now I don’t have this problem anymore. This is because a sudden change in carb intake can disrupt insulin levels thereby causing sleeplessness. To let the body adapt naturally, it is recommended to reduce carbs by 20 to 30 grams daily until the goal can be achieved.
In terms of physical results, I used the Fitbit Aria scale and the Fitbit app to track my progress.
I lost over 15 pounds in three months going from 169 pounds to 152 pounds.
My body fat decreased from 18.3% to 13.8% which puts me at the ideal body fat percentage of a professional athlete.
Cheat Days
When explaining this diet to my friends, people typically ask me two things: do you drink alcohol and how often do you eat pasta or pizza? I do enjoy treating myself so I usually have one drink on a Friday night and maybe another on Saturday. I had the same amount of alcohol even before starting the keto diet so I did not change any habit here. I still intake carbs from time to time, I just try to keep that below 10% of my total food for the day. This helps me because I can still taste anything I like, I just limit the amount. I’ll probably have one Italian meal per month because pasta is in my blood — I can never let go of that completely. However, I do notice that when I cheat, I feel more sluggish. This is why I try my best to stick to the diet.
Like any diet, eating keto takes discipline. It may seem difficult during the first week, but once your body gets used to it, following the diet will seem second nature. That said, it might not be realistic for everyone to follow a strict ketogenic diet. In that case, you could try to follow the 80/20 rule. Eat 80% keto and 20% normal. As with all diets, it’s important to not restrict yourself completely. Being happy on a diet is imperative for maintaining that diet long-term.
Summary
- A low-carb, high-fat keto diet is improving my mental and physical performance, sharpening my focus, increasing my energy levels, and improving my digestion.
- Even if losing weight was not a goal, I lost 15 pounds in 3 months going from 18% to 13% fat.
- In order for this diet to be more sustainable, I still eat dairy, I have a drink or two over the weekend, and I still eat some carbs (<10% of the total daily intake). I “cheat” from time to time, but I’m still cognizant of what I’m consuming.
- Eating keto requires self-discipline, but to me it is way more manageable than other diets I tried in the past. The benefits so far have been so substantial that I do not want to go back to the old food habits.
