I am not a scientist or nutrition expert; I’m just relaying what worked for me when doing the keto diet, writes Shauna Convery.
Not all people are the same and what works for me may not work for someone else. That being said, I also incorporated exercise into my lifestyle too. So, everything I say in this article is just my understanding of keto!
Basically, the keto diet is cutting out carbs, sugar, gluten and basically everything that isn’t good for you. Like any other traditional way of losing weight, you need to get a healthy diet before you will see any results.
In 2019, I lost a total of 8 stone (I put one back on over Christmas because of my self-mandated ‘seafood’ diet.) I also had a broken leg for 5 months, so there really is no excuse for not being able to at least give this diet a go.
People keep asking how I did it. I mainly just reply saying it really wasn’t that hard, I’m not being modest, there were times I wanted to perform the “Heist of the Century” and break into the Tayto and Cadbury distribution centres, but generally, it was quite doable.
See the beautiful secret about the keto diet is that it makes you feel amazing! About two weeks after starting, the feeling of being able to physically smell the sugar on the doughnuts that have yet to be delivered to the local store, you begin to get this burst of energy and your appetite goes bye-bye.
If the Keto diet is something you want to try, then I suggest you get a gym membership, not even for the workout, but to help burn some of the excess energy you will have.
I did all this on 2 meals per day mind you. Intermittent fasting is another very important aspect of Keto. It’s basically just eating less frequently, so your body needs less and less to run on hence making your body burn fat instead of energy. This seems to be the part that scares most people, but it is 100% doable even if you work long hours.
Think of it this way the shorter you can get the intervals between your meals and the longer you can make the time that you’re not eating then the longer your body will be burning fat for.
Start on three meals a day and then cut it to two, you’ll be running on your own body fat in no time and I guarantee the weight will literally fall off you.
Get your credit card warmed up because you will have to buy new clothes before you know it! (Or fire up the sewing machine into top gear and take in the seams if you’re on a budget)
To simplify it, leafy greens, Irish meat, milk, berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries) and healthy unsaturated fats (cheese, mayonnaise, avocadoes, coconut and olive oil) are your best friend.
If you imagine your plate like a pie chart, then 50% of your plate should be green, 40% should be protein (meat) and the rest should be healthy fats.
My favourite meal is:
A chicken and ham salad:
- 400g of lettuce;
- 1 large chicken breast
- 3 slices of ham;
- 2 boiled eggs;
- 75g mozzarella cheese;
- 1 large tomato;
- 2 heaped tbs of full-fat mayonnaise;
- 1 pinch of pink Himalayan salt and a splash of vinegar.
Now, this is a huge meal, but I am only eating one meal a day. Why? Because I’m not hungry and it’s all I need. The less frequently you eat, the bigger your portions. (You need to get your nutrients in)
I think I have covered the basics of the Keto diet. You want to burn body fat instead of energy, so you need to kick your body into ketosis, and you do that by eating lots of protein, healthy fats and no carbs.
With any diet you need to be committed to it before you try it, but the results come so quickly it nearly becomes hard to stop, it’s like a competition with yourself! Research is key. Do a lot of research before you start it really helps, how are you supposed to follow a diet if you don’t understand it?
Macros (The amount of carbs. protein, fat and calories that you need to be consuming per day) you need to calculate them for yourself because it’s specific to each person. Dr. Berg on YouTube is my Jesus and his videos are my bible!
So, my top 5 secrets to Keto are:
- Research it and DO NOT pay for Keto plans on websites;
- Throw out or donate all carbs from your house (you don’t need them where you’re going);
- Treat yourself once a week. (It’ll make you work harder the following week);
- Drink sparkling water. Mix it with barley summer fruits/ orange cordial to help the taste);
- Bulk up on your leafy greens (It’ll fill you up).
If you can get someone to do it with you then you’ve bought yourself a one-way ticket to successville. If I can do it, then you can too.
I’m more than happy to help anyone who needs advice to get started.
Information
You can email – [email protected] – add me on Snapchat (@shaunaneary), Instagram or see my blog.
