The Keto diet is the best diet I have ever tried. Hands Down. And I can talk about the benefits of keto for days!
There are so many good things about it besides weight loss, that even when I got down to my ideal weight, I (mostly) still stuck with it.
Don’t get me wrong, the weight loss is incredible! (read my story here)
Good-Bye Makeup
Do you know what’s embarrassing? being 30 years old and still having acne. I really thought that would clear up after high school. and it did go down somewhat, I still would always have a slightly splocthy face, and then 3 days before ‘that time of the month for women’ I would get a cluster of hard-to-miss pimples.
So yeah, concealer and foundation was a norm for leaving the house.
But guess what disappeared when I started keto!!!
All of my blemishes! They are gone!
I don’t use foundation or concealer at all any more. I totally still use eye makeup and some bronzer/highlighter stuff to exentuate my amazing cheekbones (thanks again keto). I just don’t have a use for cover up anymore!
I wanted to find a before and after picture of my face, but I never kept pimple-filled pics of myself, so no before and after.
By the way, this is what sparked this blog post in the first place. There was an ‘aspiring vegan’ friend of mine, who posted about how veganism cleared this girl’s acne. Which I’m happy for the girl, but I also wanted others to know that you don’t have to give up meat if you don’t want to, and can still get clear skin!
A Boost of Happiness.
Peace and happiness are really important ‘states of being’ that I like to hang out in.
But life is full of ups and downs, and especially in today’s crazy world, it seems that we all live in a higher state of anxiety and depression.
I am lucky enough to say that I haven’t been touched by depression myself. . . except for about 9 months after my brother-in-law died. (please don’t drink and drive and run people over).
So it was surprising that even I, who have a really stable (some people call it ‘boring’) range of emotions, noticed the upswing in my happiness and peace levels.
it takes about a week of being in keto for me, but then all of a sudden, on the most mundane day, doing utterly tedious things, my self-talk goes crazy with happiness.
“You know what, I sure love my kids, they are so great, my husband is amazing, I love him so much, what a good man. I love my body, i’m so happy with it, I love this world! I love this life! I love. . . ” I just wouldn’t quit!
No one did anything to spark these thoughts. It’s just that my body felt so good, that it just spilled over into my thoughts! And who doesn’t love an extra happiness boost?!
Unending Energy
To enjoy this benefit, it gets a bit tricky.
Because the energy that you burn on keto is literally different than what you normally burn. Normally you burn glucose (sugar) which gives you a FAST energy. But keto switches your body over to fat-burning, which is a slow-steady burn.
The nice thing about this, is that you don’t get crashes in energy. The not-so-great thing, is that you don’t get (or I’ve never experienced it) high energy peaks with keto.
So with sugar sometimes I get this burst of energy where i’m like “i’m going to clean the whole house!” and I get a lot done, till the burst is gone, then i’m physically done.
I don’t get those “I want to clean my house” bursts with keto, but when I do clean my house, I have the energy to clean my entire home.
My two favorite unending energy experiences were:
- 1: Universal Studios.
I love Universal Studios! Harry Potter World is the most magical place on earth! and I’m lucky enough to live within 6 hours of it. (I wish I lived closer)
But the rough things about Universal Studios in Florida, is that you walk DOWN to get to the park, and you walk UP this slight hill/incline to leave.
Well, everyone is so excited jauntily coming down into Universal Studios but they only leave when they hit near-exhaustion, and that walk back UP is a killer! you can just see it in everyone’s faces.
Well, the last time I was there, I was in full-on keto mode till the last day (curse you butter-beer ice cream!)
I was pushing the stroller on UP the incline after a full day, and I was looking around at the haunted faces of everyone leaving, and I noticed I had left the rest of my family behind. And I didn’t feel an inch tired! my feet and legs weren’t even tired! Miraculous!
- 2: Hiking
The other time was hiking up a mountain for 2 hours. I never needed to stop. . . This one was a short story. . . did I mention I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time?
I have heard that keto is AMAZING for marathon runners. But I hate running, (*cough* asthma) so I will never know first-hand if this is true. But hey, if any of you ever try it, let me know, and i’ll feature you in my blog!
Never Hungry
This perk seems far less exciting after my other reasons. But it’s essential in diets and just living life in general.
So much of my poor life has been spent trying to stay within a normal weight, which means being slightly (or incredibly) hungry for a good chunk of my (non-pregnant) adult life.
Keto is so satisfying! With yummy comfort food, that is satisfying and delicious!. . . I just said satisfying twice.
But even once you are into the swing of keto, you never get hungry. it’s amazing.
The power that food holds over us is broken when we do keto. The desire/hunger for food, does not hold us hostage to our cravings. We can be in control and eat good food purposefully, and not just cave when we see tempting food.
There are countless other benefits to doing keto that I won’t go into.
If you’ve been on the fence about keto, I hope listing the benefits of keto helps. Just remember to check with your doctor before changing any diet. There are some serious risks with keto, especially at the beginning and when not done properly (I know this first-hand). But whatever you choose, I wish you success in your health journey!
