Im back readers! Been busy with work and I finally have time now. haha..
So, after our Siargao trip last year (Nov 27, 2018), I decided to go on strict diet for three (3) major reasons. 1.) I was diagnosed with PCOS and one of the things that can help me recover is through losing weight. I didn't want to take pills or any med. I just didn't believe it will work. 2.) Hospitals became my second home for the past year due to my Gastro reflux, migraine and vertigo(plus my regular monitoring of my cholesterol). Blood tests became a weekly norm for me. hahaha.. 3.) Upon seeing my beach photos, I hated myself for being so fat. My body structure has always been mejo "voluptuous" (ahem).. okay cge, curvy pero not fat. So it's quite depressing to see that my clothes do not fit me anymore. Hindi na q pwede sa free size laging L-XL levels na. But dont get me wrong. I dont mean to body shame. It's just that mejo disappointed aq sa body q that time mostly because madami aq sakit.
I dont exercise. That's one of the things I hate doing. I tried boxing and going to the gym before but once I stop, I gain more weight. Until now, I still don't exercise. hahaha.. I have been reading and watching articles and Youtube videos about Keto diet thingy and decided to give it a try. I have always been in love with meat and seafood. I also like eating veges so I told myself, I dont think this is going to be that hard. Even before, I'm used to not eating rice din naman. But the main problem I had at that time is avoiding chocolates. But since dark chocolates are allowed (at least 70%), I decided to give it a try.
**Please note that I am not a doctor or a medical practitioner. Whatever I write in this blog is just my own experience and opinion. Please do your own research too if this diet will work for you.
I'm sharing some tips and tricks on how I managed to lose weight using Keto/low carb diet.
1. I researched a lot about Keto Diet, the pros and cons, what to avoid and which food options are only allowed. I learned that there are multiple cases where keto diet worked to fight PCOS and high cholesterol. Learning how a diet works is very important. You don't just do it for the sake of doing it. It can be deadly if not done properly. Consult a doctor as well. My OB adviced me to try Keto diet which is why I gave it a go. You should too! :)
2. Monitor your macros. I used @myfitnesspal app to monitor all the foods that I eat. My weight at that time was 63 kgs standing 5' ft tall. Doing my BMI computation, I needed to reach 50 kgs as the normal weight for my height. I needed to consume 1200 calories per day (60-75% of calories from fat (or even more), 15-30% of calories from protein, and. 5-10% of calories from carbs). I limited my carb in take to only 30 grams per day. It is very important to monitor your macros when starting keto so that it will be easier to know if you're already reaching ketosis. Remember, even green vegetables have carbs too.
3. Know which foods to avoid and are high carb. Rice, pasta, noodles, bread, pizza, etc are not allowed. So be ready to sacrifice a bit. But don't fret. You can also make your own if you know what to substitute. For example, you can make a pizza out of cauliflower and mozarella cheese. Or make bread using Almond or coconut flour. For noodles, you can use shirataki noodles or zucchini pasta. The options are limitless. Just be creative and patient enough to look for better alternatives.
4. Learn to prepare your own food as much as possible. Before doing this diet, I didn't know how to cook. I only ate instant noodles and canned goods on a daily basis. I was living a very unhealthy lifestyle though I don't smoke nor drink alcohol. But when I decided to do it, I prepared my foods everyday for breakfast and dinner. My budget for grocery doubled or even tripled the amount. It may be expensive at first but at that time, I was investing on my ingredients. If you don't have the luxury of time, there are also keto/low carb deliveries available in the market. Just search on FB and IG and you will surely find one.
5. Invest on spices (I have a collection of @mccormick spices (this is not a paid ad.haha)! It made my cooking easier. Even if I copy recipes online, I make my own take on it by mixing the spices according to my taste. I also invested on Japanese mayo, kikoman soy sauce (please know that soy and tofu are not allowed in keto. So any low carb alternative will do), high fat/salted butter, stevia, almond flour, sriracha, etc..
6. Say Cheese!!!! I also invested on almost all kinds of cheese. My fridge never runs out of cheddar, mozarella, parmesan, feta, ricotta and cream cheese. I just love how it makes all my recipes super yummy!!!
7. For those asking, how I survived eating out while doing keto. Well, I selected restaurants and the foods that I can eat. DISCIPLINE is the KEY! Even if there's a yummy dessert or pasta in the table, do your best not to eat it! YES! My go-to restos are Korean Restaurants simply because they serve both meat and a lot of veges so it's always a perfect choice.
8. If you're a coffee lover, always bring your own coffee and stevia (Naturals, Equal Gold, Splenda Gold). Please avoid 3-in-1 coffees at all cost. Also bring butter, MCT oil , voila, you'll have your own "Bullet proof coffee". You can also request for it from selected coffee shops. Starbucks, Coffee bean and Tim Hortons serve low carb coffee but you have to specify the recipe. Just search online, there's a lot. For me, I always bring with me coffee, butter and stevia.
9. There are only selected brands that are Keto friendly. For example, 100% salted butter from Magnolia, Arla and emborg are Keto approved but Dairy creme is not because it is made of margarine. For milk, only almond milk is allowed and Kirkland and Silk are the brands to remember. For Stevia, Green Stevia, splenda and equal doesn't necessarily mean are qualified for Keto. Choose brands like Naturals Stevia, Splenda Gold or Equal Gold instead (Avoid anything with Maltodextrin). Yes, it can be a little tricky but you'll get used to it.
10. Always check the nutrition facts. This is very important and can be used as basis when monitoring your macros. Wag tamad! Promise practice makes perfect! Masasanay ka din!
11. I don't drink alcohol but I have friends who love alcohols. If you are on keto diet, avoid beers/wines at all cost because those are high in carbohydrates. Instead, drink vodka but in moderation. :)
12. For snacks, always bring nuts with you like almonds, macadamian and even peanuts. Chicharon are your best friend but always drink water after because it's too salty.
13. Make your own desserts. I've always had a sweet tooth and chocolates are my guilty pleasures. I bought a lot of Godiva chocolates at Duty Free (at least 70% cocoa) and made my own ice cream, brownies, cake, cookies, etc). Put low carb peanut butter to make reese's version. Just be creative and still eat them in moderation. I ate 1 piece of brownie or 1 small bite of chocolate. I just wanted to taste them so I can satisfy my craving. Do not starve your self. If you're craving, just try to taste them but just a little bit.
14. Buy avocado! Summer is the perfect season for avocado. They are perfect as appetizers, main dish or even desserts! You'll be surprise what you can do with avocadoes- salads, ice cream, avocado boats.. etc..
15. Weigh once a week at most. Keto diet is a process and it is not automatic. It may take at least week and even months to see the results. So don't weigh everyday. There comes a time that your weight will stop moving but your body structure changes. It happened to me too on my second month. But I didn't stop there until I reached my target weight on my 3rd month. Just be patient and trust the process.
16. Ketosis can make you sick. Yes, this diet is not easy I tell you that. The way it works is that instead of carbs being the source of energy, we use fat. After our body burns the minimal amount of carbs we take, it will start burning fat thus, you lose weight. Within the first 3-5 days, your body will start feeling sick. I experienced a massive headache, as in parang vertigo levels. Nakakahilo as in and hindi na q makafocus kasi sobrang sakit ng ulo q. Yun pala ngsstart na mag-enter sa ketosis yung body q. How I treated it is through drinking lots of water and G-active (Type of gatorade) because you're gonna need electrolytes and G-active is a good source of electrolytes.
12. Speaking of electrolytes, drink plenty of water and G-active. Since keto diet requires eating more fat, you need water to eliminate the amount of salt you intake. If you eat too much meat with less water, it might damage your liver. Again, read more about it. This is just my plain and unprofessional understanding on this matter. Some also take supplements which I never did.
13. You will experience massive hair fall. I still experience this now and is still my current problem which I don't know how to treat. My doctor advised me to take 5000 mcg of Biotin a day which can be bought in any Healthy options branch. Some people take 10,000 mcg but the result is that it grows hair in various areas of the body. Ayaw q naman tubuan ng mustache kababae kong tao. hahaha.. So anyway, I also put aloe vera and Virgin Coconut oil every night and use Moringa shampoo and conditioner.
14. Be a member of Keto Living Philippines. This FB group helped me a lot throughout my journey. Members post a lot of helpful tips and articles. They were also able to answer my questions back when I was starting \Keto. Having a support group just makes the process easier knowing that there are people who are doing the same thing and are there and willing to guide you all the way even if you don't personally know them.
Just to share, on my fourth month, I stopped doing keto because I couldn't bear the headache whenever I eat something high carb like potato. But I switched to low carb diet which is somehow a similar diet but I eat some carbs like potatoes, sweet potatoes, chips and banana. To date, I lost 15 kilos in total. From 63 kgs, I am now 48 kgs and I plan on maintaining an average weight of around 48-52 kgs.
These are just some, if not all, of my tips that I can share with you throught my Keto Journey. I hope these tips I shared with you will somehow help with your Keto Journey. I plan on posting my recipes soon (if I have more time.hehe..)Wait for it! For now, just feel free to view my recipes through my IG account and FB page.
xoxo,
Krish
So, after our Siargao trip last year (Nov 27, 2018), I decided to go on strict diet for three (3) major reasons. 1.) I was diagnosed with PCOS and one of the things that can help me recover is through losing weight. I didn't want to take pills or any med. I just didn't believe it will work. 2.) Hospitals became my second home for the past year due to my Gastro reflux, migraine and vertigo(plus my regular monitoring of my cholesterol). Blood tests became a weekly norm for me. hahaha.. 3.) Upon seeing my beach photos, I hated myself for being so fat. My body structure has always been mejo "voluptuous" (ahem).. okay cge, curvy pero not fat. So it's quite depressing to see that my clothes do not fit me anymore. Hindi na q pwede sa free size laging L-XL levels na. But dont get me wrong. I dont mean to body shame. It's just that mejo disappointed aq sa body q that time mostly because madami aq sakit.
I dont exercise. That's one of the things I hate doing. I tried boxing and going to the gym before but once I stop, I gain more weight. Until now, I still don't exercise. hahaha.. I have been reading and watching articles and Youtube videos about Keto diet thingy and decided to give it a try. I have always been in love with meat and seafood. I also like eating veges so I told myself, I dont think this is going to be that hard. Even before, I'm used to not eating rice din naman. But the main problem I had at that time is avoiding chocolates. But since dark chocolates are allowed (at least 70%), I decided to give it a try.
**Please note that I am not a doctor or a medical practitioner. Whatever I write in this blog is just my own experience and opinion. Please do your own research too if this diet will work for you.
I'm sharing some tips and tricks on how I managed to lose weight using Keto/low carb diet.
1. I researched a lot about Keto Diet, the pros and cons, what to avoid and which food options are only allowed. I learned that there are multiple cases where keto diet worked to fight PCOS and high cholesterol. Learning how a diet works is very important. You don't just do it for the sake of doing it. It can be deadly if not done properly. Consult a doctor as well. My OB adviced me to try Keto diet which is why I gave it a go. You should too! :)
2. Monitor your macros. I used @myfitnesspal app to monitor all the foods that I eat. My weight at that time was 63 kgs standing 5' ft tall. Doing my BMI computation, I needed to reach 50 kgs as the normal weight for my height. I needed to consume 1200 calories per day (60-75% of calories from fat (or even more), 15-30% of calories from protein, and. 5-10% of calories from carbs). I limited my carb in take to only 30 grams per day. It is very important to monitor your macros when starting keto so that it will be easier to know if you're already reaching ketosis. Remember, even green vegetables have carbs too.
3. Know which foods to avoid and are high carb. Rice, pasta, noodles, bread, pizza, etc are not allowed. So be ready to sacrifice a bit. But don't fret. You can also make your own if you know what to substitute. For example, you can make a pizza out of cauliflower and mozarella cheese. Or make bread using Almond or coconut flour. For noodles, you can use shirataki noodles or zucchini pasta. The options are limitless. Just be creative and patient enough to look for better alternatives.
4. Learn to prepare your own food as much as possible. Before doing this diet, I didn't know how to cook. I only ate instant noodles and canned goods on a daily basis. I was living a very unhealthy lifestyle though I don't smoke nor drink alcohol. But when I decided to do it, I prepared my foods everyday for breakfast and dinner. My budget for grocery doubled or even tripled the amount. It may be expensive at first but at that time, I was investing on my ingredients. If you don't have the luxury of time, there are also keto/low carb deliveries available in the market. Just search on FB and IG and you will surely find one.
5. Invest on spices (I have a collection of @mccormick spices (this is not a paid ad.haha)! It made my cooking easier. Even if I copy recipes online, I make my own take on it by mixing the spices according to my taste. I also invested on Japanese mayo, kikoman soy sauce (please know that soy and tofu are not allowed in keto. So any low carb alternative will do), high fat/salted butter, stevia, almond flour, sriracha, etc..
6. Say Cheese!!!! I also invested on almost all kinds of cheese. My fridge never runs out of cheddar, mozarella, parmesan, feta, ricotta and cream cheese. I just love how it makes all my recipes super yummy!!!
7. For those asking, how I survived eating out while doing keto. Well, I selected restaurants and the foods that I can eat. DISCIPLINE is the KEY! Even if there's a yummy dessert or pasta in the table, do your best not to eat it! YES! My go-to restos are Korean Restaurants simply because they serve both meat and a lot of veges so it's always a perfect choice.
8. If you're a coffee lover, always bring your own coffee and stevia (Naturals, Equal Gold, Splenda Gold). Please avoid 3-in-1 coffees at all cost. Also bring butter, MCT oil , voila, you'll have your own "Bullet proof coffee". You can also request for it from selected coffee shops. Starbucks, Coffee bean and Tim Hortons serve low carb coffee but you have to specify the recipe. Just search online, there's a lot. For me, I always bring with me coffee, butter and stevia.
9. There are only selected brands that are Keto friendly. For example, 100% salted butter from Magnolia, Arla and emborg are Keto approved but Dairy creme is not because it is made of margarine. For milk, only almond milk is allowed and Kirkland and Silk are the brands to remember. For Stevia, Green Stevia, splenda and equal doesn't necessarily mean are qualified for Keto. Choose brands like Naturals Stevia, Splenda Gold or Equal Gold instead (Avoid anything with Maltodextrin). Yes, it can be a little tricky but you'll get used to it.
10. Always check the nutrition facts. This is very important and can be used as basis when monitoring your macros. Wag tamad! Promise practice makes perfect! Masasanay ka din!
11. I don't drink alcohol but I have friends who love alcohols. If you are on keto diet, avoid beers/wines at all cost because those are high in carbohydrates. Instead, drink vodka but in moderation. :)
12. For snacks, always bring nuts with you like almonds, macadamian and even peanuts. Chicharon are your best friend but always drink water after because it's too salty.
13. Make your own desserts. I've always had a sweet tooth and chocolates are my guilty pleasures. I bought a lot of Godiva chocolates at Duty Free (at least 70% cocoa) and made my own ice cream, brownies, cake, cookies, etc). Put low carb peanut butter to make reese's version. Just be creative and still eat them in moderation. I ate 1 piece of brownie or 1 small bite of chocolate. I just wanted to taste them so I can satisfy my craving. Do not starve your self. If you're craving, just try to taste them but just a little bit.
14. Buy avocado! Summer is the perfect season for avocado. They are perfect as appetizers, main dish or even desserts! You'll be surprise what you can do with avocadoes- salads, ice cream, avocado boats.. etc..
15. Weigh once a week at most. Keto diet is a process and it is not automatic. It may take at least week and even months to see the results. So don't weigh everyday. There comes a time that your weight will stop moving but your body structure changes. It happened to me too on my second month. But I didn't stop there until I reached my target weight on my 3rd month. Just be patient and trust the process.
16. Ketosis can make you sick. Yes, this diet is not easy I tell you that. The way it works is that instead of carbs being the source of energy, we use fat. After our body burns the minimal amount of carbs we take, it will start burning fat thus, you lose weight. Within the first 3-5 days, your body will start feeling sick. I experienced a massive headache, as in parang vertigo levels. Nakakahilo as in and hindi na q makafocus kasi sobrang sakit ng ulo q. Yun pala ngsstart na mag-enter sa ketosis yung body q. How I treated it is through drinking lots of water and G-active (Type of gatorade) because you're gonna need electrolytes and G-active is a good source of electrolytes.
12. Speaking of electrolytes, drink plenty of water and G-active. Since keto diet requires eating more fat, you need water to eliminate the amount of salt you intake. If you eat too much meat with less water, it might damage your liver. Again, read more about it. This is just my plain and unprofessional understanding on this matter. Some also take supplements which I never did.
13. You will experience massive hair fall. I still experience this now and is still my current problem which I don't know how to treat. My doctor advised me to take 5000 mcg of Biotin a day which can be bought in any Healthy options branch. Some people take 10,000 mcg but the result is that it grows hair in various areas of the body. Ayaw q naman tubuan ng mustache kababae kong tao. hahaha.. So anyway, I also put aloe vera and Virgin Coconut oil every night and use Moringa shampoo and conditioner.
14. Be a member of Keto Living Philippines. This FB group helped me a lot throughout my journey. Members post a lot of helpful tips and articles. They were also able to answer my questions back when I was starting \Keto. Having a support group just makes the process easier knowing that there are people who are doing the same thing and are there and willing to guide you all the way even if you don't personally know them.
Just to share, on my fourth month, I stopped doing keto because I couldn't bear the headache whenever I eat something high carb like potato. But I switched to low carb diet which is somehow a similar diet but I eat some carbs like potatoes, sweet potatoes, chips and banana. To date, I lost 15 kilos in total. From 63 kgs, I am now 48 kgs and I plan on maintaining an average weight of around 48-52 kgs.
These are just some, if not all, of my tips that I can share with you throught my Keto Journey. I hope these tips I shared with you will somehow help with your Keto Journey. I plan on posting my recipes soon (if I have more time.hehe..)Wait for it! For now, just feel free to view my recipes through my IG account and FB page.
xoxo,
Krish
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