Why I Began the Ketogenic Diet

In February of 2017 I began the Ketogenic Diet - a journey that has changed my life.

Out of frustration with my health and weight, I once again embarked on yet another diet. Little did I know that this diet would quickly turn into a new way of eating, it would lead me to research and study the science behind it, and I would spend hours listening to podcasts about it.

This is how and why I began the Ketogenic diet.

I am not a doctor, none of the information on any of these pages pertaining to the Ketogenic Diet/Way of Eating should be considered medical advice and should not replace the care of your personal physician I am simply eager to share the information I have learned while on my own journey to health. Before you embark on this journey, please consult with your physician.

You've probably heard of it - it's all the latest craze.

The thing is, I'm not a band-wagon sort of gal. In fact, I tend to run from bandwagons and hype. When I started the Ketogenic Diet, I didn't know it was a fad, I was just looking for something to help me.

And it did.After my first son was born in 2010, I was the heaviest I'd ever been: clocking in at about 200 pounds.

Having discovered only a year earlier that I had adrenal fatigue, I was horribly fatigued, depressed, and disappointed in my weight gain.

Less than two years later, we welcomed our 2nd son.

While I'd lost some weight in the first trimester, and kept a very close watch on what I ate, I was still heavier than I wanted to be.

Though I tried many things to lose, weight, nothing helped very much; after an initial loss, I'd gain back all I'd lost - and I was discouraged.

In 2015, I had my gall bladder removed. Prior to the operation I was in horrible pain and was afraid to eat anything - because the pain that came with an attack was horrible.

But the pain didn't stop even after the operation!

One night, after writhing on the couch in pain for about 9 hours....followed by a 4-day migraine, I was desperate enough to try anything!

By that time, I was back up to over 180 lbs, having migraines for 4-5 days at a time every other week, battling skin eruptions...just to name a few of the many health issues I was facing at the time.

The next morning, while doing some housework, I put on my headphones, found a BBC documentary on LCHF (one of the few diets I hadn't yet tried)....this is the one I listened to:

By the time the documentary was over, I was sitting at my computer feverishly doing research on how to get started.

By the end of the week, I'd began the Ketogenic Diet, a more strict form of LCHF - a decision that completely changed how I look at food.

Up to that time, I'd tried a few low carb diets, but I could never wrap my mind around eliminating sugar from my diet.

That, to me, seemed impossible.

But only a few weeks later I realized that my stomach pains were gone, as well as my migraines. A couple of months later my skin eruptions had disappeared and my skin was like brand new.

Over time I realized that I felt so much better!

My head was clearer, my emotions were more stable, and I began to tick off so many health issues that had reversed themselves that I decided I'd never look back.

I've never willingly stuck to any diet I've tried (and I've tried so many of them that I can't even remember all the diets I've tried!).

Below is some information I've found, books I've read, and podcasts I've followed.

I would like to preface this list of resources by saying that many of the authors and speakers are not Christians, or are Christians with a more liberal world view.

Many of them believe, and refer to, the theory of evolution.

As with much of the health information out there, it is necessary to spit out some bones. However, their belief in evolution in no way taints the positive results of this way of eating.

Why I believe that the Ketogenic Diet is healthy

Quite honestly, the standard dietary guidelines most doctors, dieticians, nutritionists, and health experts promote is what has lead to most modern diseases.

Heavy on carbs and low in fat.

But that is not how our ancestors ate...even 100 years ago the standard diet was heavy in fat and low in carbs. In fact, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers knew that to lose weight one needed to cut back on the bread and potatoes.

And many would argue that Jesus ate bread, he didn't eat the kind of bread we eat today.

Grains in the Bible times were not heavily modified and soaked in pesticides like they are today. They also were not heavily processed to the point of having no nutritional value as they are today.

Even "whole grains" foods are not truly whole grains.

While many on the Ketogenic diet eat loads of bacon and stevia-laced deserts, I tend to eat a more clean diet with lots of salads and one-ingredient foods.