Why is Keto So Wildly Popular?
I’ll tell you why.
Because of pages like this one; Keto Transformations on instagram.
On this page we see daily success stories with the perfect accompanying pictures of someone all shlubby and in their underwear and then glowing and healthy several months later.
We LOVE these success stories. I LOVE these success stories. I heart every damn one of them. They show results. They tell an unarguable story. They give us hope.
But why is keto so big RIGHT NOW?
REASON #1 — WE LOVE BREAKING THE STANDARD FOOD PYRAMID
Because the standard food pyramid is clearly f-ing already broken.
It is epic-ly wrong and not working. We have been told to eat a certain way and many of us try it and try it and try it and always fail.It is very obvious to many of us that avoiding fat is NOT working.
It is time to recreate the food pyramid.
The keto food pyramid looks vastly different. The bottom is all healthy fats and antioxident herbs and nutrient dense nuts. The next level is high quality proteins and meats marbled with more healthy fat. The next level up contains the brightest vegetables and naturally low sugar nutrients. (I would post a picture but i could not find a creative commons one to post.) The top has room for a small amount of naturally sweet foods like fruits and treats.
Here’s the thing— the government food pyramid is not real. Its not real science. It is political — not factual. Science has disproved it’s value a zillion times over.
We can see the evidence of our terrible “healthy food pyramid” in our nation’s health. We are a wreck. Yet, the many unhealthy people of our nation do not just eat crap all day long. Many of them really really try to eat right and just cannot make progress in their health outcomes, no matter what they do. The problem is WHAT we have been told to eat is all wrong. And we know that now.
People are looking for answers and keto sets the old system and old pyramid on its ear.
REASON #2 — WE ARE TIRED OF FIGHTING OUR BODIES
Keto appeals because we experience how our body naturally thrives with this protocol. I have NEVER in my life had more ease in choosing the right things and not craving and wishing I could be eating something else.
(Which is not to say that cravings NEVER happen — but — really, very seldom. When I am keto, I am not triggered by other people’s food. I can pretty much ignore a child eating chocolate in my lap right now. Which seems bananas because I can remember days on other “diets” where my husband would eat a piece of candy and I would beg him to make out with me so I could get just a little taste. Yes, I am shameless.)
When I am in ketosis, living and eating is simple. My body feels natural and happy. It just feels good.
It makes sense. A ketogenic diet has been shown to:
a) Stabilize insulin
b) Decrease blood pressure
c) Improve gut health (your gut chills and heals when it is not constantly irritated)
d) Improve brain function (turns out your brain works really well on ketone fuels)
e) Decrease hunger
f) Decrease weight.
All that stuff means — the body is working the way it was designed and I am no longer fighting myself bodily. I am a big fan of that because it FEELS EFFING FANTASTIC. Ya dig?
REASON #3: WE WANT TO BE LIVING THE “AFTER” PICTURE
Which brings me back to where we started this article — everyone loves a good success story — with pictures to prove it.
Boy howdy, do I want to be one of those shining “after” pictures! I want it badly. I find myself believing that IF ONLY I stay keto that the things in my life that have been stuck or unsatisfying will suddenly resolve.
You can see where this is going — right? You can feel the over promise — undeliver that is about to happen, right?
Here’s the truth:
I don’t know if keto is THE RIGHT long term lifestyle for me. I don’t know if it is the right option for anyone. No one does and anyone who tells you otherwise is delusional or lying.
Many (many many) people respond super well to a nutritional ketosis approach. Others do not.
Regardless of whether ketosis is the solution to your dietary questioning — there is still the whole challenge of WHY you are happy/unhappy or stuck/not-stuck.
My weight is not the CAUSE of my challenges. My weight is the symptom of my overall life choices, for many years. My life choices over time caused the problems with weight and metabolism that I am experiencing.
My business is not suddenly going to grow just because I lose weight. I am not suddenly going to be happier more often once my metabolism begins to heal. I like to use that story — to stay motivated and to look toward a shining future — but all of that is a lie.
It is only by making sustainable life style changes that I will see shift occur. I love keto because it feels sustainable.
I want the “after” picture but the “after” picture is only a faint shadow of the real story. The real picture, the real story, happens inside. What I really want is results — not just of my weight, but of my confidence that I can change things in my life and make them stick. Keto helps me do that.
Why is keto so big right now?
Because it makes sense. Because it is giving people results. Because many people feel like they can stay in this lifestyle long term because they don’t feel deprived. Because it works for a lot of people.
Hi, I’m Mary, and I’m doing keto for one whole year.
Clap for this story if you enjoyed it. Your applause helps other people to find this content.
If you’d like to follow my journey with more detail, check out my instagram account for this project. I post lots of pictures and details there. Keep following My Keto Story to see where this journey takes me. I’ll keep you updated with my victories, failures and pictures to prove it.
