I’m guessing that those of you following my keto journey thought I’d fallen off the face of the planet — or fallen off the wagon at the very least. Admittedly, I have been struggling, but I’m not out of the fight.
Today marks 41 weeks since recommitting to a low-carb keto way of eating. The last two months or so have been a struggle, and I did it to myself. I know that. By sharing my experiences though, I’m hoping that I can help others or at least encourage folks.
At the end of April, I was preparing foods to take to a workshop in Tennessee. I made cinnamon rolls and homemade caramels. Neither of these items had been an issue for me previously in my keto journey, but this time, things were different. I managed to stay clear of the cinnamon rolls, but I ate a few caramels over the week of the workshop. Then, those caramels allowed me to justify other foods, and before I knew it, I was eating off plan at least once a week.
What made things worse was the fact that I was losing weight. I was so close to the 240 mark that I could taste it, so it was easy for me to allow myself to be less strict. I ate pizza, fried ice cream, nachos, and a few sandwiches with bread. For some, it might not sound like that big of a deal, but for me, it became a real problem. Over the last two weeks, I found myself having trouble making it through the day without eating at least one food that was off plan.
So this morning, I got back on the scale. In two weeks, I had gained over seven pounds, and I was dancing dangerously close to the 250 mark again. I haven’t been in the 250s since March, and because it is so hard for me to make the scale move down, I had a stern talk with myself.
This seems to be a pattern for me. When I get to the point where I’ve lost 40 to 50 pounds, I hit a plateau and I get discouraged. Then I start tweaking things and I usually start to make bad choices. It always starts out as, “Just this once. I’ve lost 45 pounds and my blood work is amazing, so…” In the end though, it never goes well. And since I’m bound and determined for this to be the last time that I lose this weight, I have to get a handle on things posthaste.
For me, I guess it’s more of a psychological game than anything else. It’s a matter of setting boundaries and not going past them. I know what to do with my food; I just have to wrap my head around making those choices for the rest of my life. I can do this. I will do this. What I do matters!