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Why I Keto On…Without Cheating

By Guest Blogger – Dawn from www.LiveBreathEatKeto.com

When I was a kid, my Dad always told me that win or lose, you always show good sportsmanship and you never cheat. I have carried this childhood advice into my adult life and use it every day. Before I started Keto, I ate the typical western diet. My weight was high and my energy was low. I had IBS and severe heartburn and a total lack of motivation. Not that I didn’t have ambition, I just didn’t have the energy to carry through with my aspirations. 

Like a lot of people do on the weekend, I was surfing around looking for something interesting to watch on television when I came across a documentary called Fat Head. Although it is not about Keto per say, it is about a high fat diet experiment and all the lies we have all been told for decades. It opened my eyes and inspired me to do my own research. That movie led me to others like What’s with Wheat, which led me to other movies and books and so on. I started out slowly by cutting out wheat. It made a huge difference in how I felt almost instantaneously. I felt so good that I decided to take it even further.  After more research, I progressed to cutting out sugar and finally most dairy. Until all my research finally led me to Keto. 

First of all, let me just say I am not judging anyone else in any way. I just know what worked for me. I admit it wasn’t easy in the beginning. Then I started to notice changes. After a few weeks, I couldn’t remember the last time I had tummy troubles or severe heartburn. And my clothes were fitting better as well. I felt so good, I decided to start working out, which is something I had always enjoyed but didn’t always have the enthusiasm for. But now I had a new fire in my belly. I started working out several days a week and before I knew it I was gaining real strength and definition. How awesome is that?

So I could eat lots of delicious high fat food and still feel great? This was the lifestyle for me! The hard part at first was that temptation is everywhere. I mean who doesn’t like a nice bagel, cake or french fries. Even typing those words right now doesn’t make me crave them. Basically, because there are plenty of alternatives. You can pretty much make anything you want in a Keto way, even bagels. I admit that going out to eat can be a challenge at times. But it gets easier the more I do it. The best thing to do is scope out the menu before you go and make a plan of action. 

Number two (no pun intended) I remember…..I remember the stomach pain and the unpredictable emergency bathroom trips. I remember not eating before at a big event because I didn’t know if my stomach would get upset. I remember not eating before flying or going to the movies. I remember the horrible heartburn that I had to take medication for and no longer have to. I remembered and I learned from it. I learned it’s just not worth it to me to cheat. I feel better than I have in years. Full of energy, clear headed, and without fear of having a meal. So I made the conscious decision not to cheat. So far it is working great for me. Will I ever cheat? Probably not, but if I do it’s because I am not perfect, I’m human like everyone else. But I am positive if I did, it would only be once because those issues coming back would be a swift reminder as to why Keto is the lifestyle for me. And if you fall off the horse and cheat, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on that horse and start again.

And my final reason for not cheating was that I was in my mid-forties and recently married. And as mushy and sentimental as it sounds, I had waited my whole life to find them and I didn’t want to give up one moment of our time together because I was so unhealthy. Now that I had proven to myself that I could do it, I am doing all the things I put off before. I have started working out daily. I have taken on projects I have thought about for years but never did anything about. I am mentoring others including friends and family. I feel so good that the temptation of a piece of cake just isn’t worth it to me.

I have decided not to cheat on my future with my past. I don’t want to fall back into old habits and that is why I Keto on without cheating. And I say to you, now that you have proven to yourself that you can do this, you have proven you can do anything. So climb that mountain, get that degree, run that marathon, start that business and Be Strong and Keto On!

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About The Guest Blogger:

Dawn lives in the southwest with her wife and two cats. She is a writer, author/blogger of LiveBreathEatKeto.com as well as a jack of all trades. She is passionate about the Keto Lifestyle and helping you become awesome.