To kick-start our lifestyle change and to understand what we were up against, we downloaded a free app called the “MyFitnessPal” and kept a strict journal of the foods we consumed. We tracked our intakes for a month. The insights were fundamental in understanding our food habits and to charting a path forward.

• We understood that we were consuming close to 3,000 calories/day and 500 grams of total carbs! (Damn you, my favorite Jalapeño bagel!).
• We were eating all the wrong foods! On those busy days, I would grab a quick blueberry muffin for breakfast at work. Little did I know that this **tiny** muffin is close to 400 calories/80 gms of net carbs! 
• We understood we were drinking way too much coffee (+ milk or creamer, + sugar), which was adding to a significant amount of calories.
• We understood that we consumed lots of quick-grab, high-calorie processed foods, that which we assumed were healthy but in reality was not – fig bars, fruits juices, flavored oatmeal, corn flakes.
• We understood that as vegetarians, our diet was predominantly carb-y foods – breads, rice, pasta etc. 
• We understood that we weren’t consuming enough fresh vegetables or fruits. 
• We were not drinking the recommended 8 cups of water. 

Armed (more like, alarmed!) with these unflattering insights (!), we made a few immediate changes – we stopped adding sugar to our coffee routines, decided to do away with pastries/bagels etc. We wanted to pace ourselves so our bodies could slowly get used to the new normal.  

Just around that time, my brother talked about the “Keto” diet. He mentioned that some of his friends had tried the diet for a few months and found it to be effective. We did our research and decided to give it a try to kick start our lifestyle redo.

K & I tried a Vegetarian-Keto diet for a month, and I have to say, it is something else! I have been on many diets before and have never been able to sustain one for a prolonged period of time – I would get hangry (Hungry & Angry!) or run out of things to eat and eventually, give up. The surprising element about a Keto diet is the serious absence of food cravings. I could go for hours without food and not even notice. I did read about this “phenomenon” before starting the diet but it’s a completely different thing to experience it. It is empowering!  

The Keto Diet – Explained

When in a regular/high-carb lifestyle, sugar is your bodies’ primary and preferred energy source. When your glucose levels reduce, even in the slightest, your body signals you – Irritability, fatigue, tiredness, headaches – been there? And when you succumb and have that chocolate éclair donut, the glucose levels get replenished; your irritability/other symptoms get reduced. Sugar is the quick fix your body craves. However, this tango over sugar, raise your blood glucose numbers and subsequently, the insulin level. This leads to a host of metabolic conditions and illnesses. And we don’t want that. 

Central to the Keto diet is to make your body use fat as an energy source, instead of sugar. This involves starving your body of sugar. Once your body understands that glucose is limited and no amount of temper tantrums (called the Keto-flu) would get you to eat that Chocolate éclair donut, it relaxes and shifts to a fat burning. This is when your cravings, irritability/fatigue etc., begin to stop. 

Our Experience

Week 1 

This was the toughest week. As can be expected, doing away with sugar and carbohydrates is quite tough initially. Your body, still in its sugar-burning mode, wants its fix and it will throw its mightiest temper tantrums. Kinda like your PMS on steroids!

I had a mild headache most of the days, and absolutely no energy. I was irritable, cranky and all I could think about was food! 

We experimented on a lot of different recipes, some worked and most didn’t. The discovery was equal parts exciting and frustrating. My sugarless/almond milk coffee tasted blah, and I craved that Panini for lunch. It wasn’t easy. 

I didn’t work out during this week. I didn’t lose much weight, probably a pound or so 

Week 2

This was the toughest week as well. The saving grace was that by week 2, we understood how we reacted to the “Keto Flu” – we expected the mild-headaches and irritability. I was still fighting my cravings. However, my energy level was slightly better that week 1. 

Being a vegetarian in very limiting to the Keto diet, most recipes we stumbled upon had fish or chicken. Except for salads and cheese, there were very variations to what we could consume. We rediscovered soups! We had developed a handful of go-to recipes by then. My sugarless/almond milk coffee still tasted blah (!), I was never a huge sugar aficionado, and yet adjusting to sugarless beverages was tough. 

We started with our 30 minutes of outdoor evening walks this week. By the end of week 2, I had lost 3 pounds. I was excited. 

Week 3 

I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This was an exciting week. By the mid of week 3, neither K nor I experienced the “Keto Flu”. It was substituted by a welcome dose of high energy levels! It’s hard to put it into words – I felt super light, had little to no food cravings, my morning Keto coffee carried me thru until 3 PM – I had to remind myself to have lunch! Really!

We continued our 30 minutes of outdoor evening walk. We cleaned out our entire garage as well!

By the end of week 3, I had lost 5 pounds! K had lost 8 pounds. 

Week 4

This is the Keto-Nirvana people talk about – high-energy, better mental clarity, no hunger or food cravings, even my facial skin felt clearer. Once you have experienced the above, believe me, you wouldn’t want to go back. Getting here was tough, but well worth the pain.

We continued our 30 minutes of outdoor evening walk. By the end of week 4, I had lost 6 pounds; K had lost 10 pounds!

Tips to get through the “Keto-Flu”

• Drink loads of water and herbal teas.
• Restrict Keto coffee to once a day. 
• Nibble on cheese bits, nuts & berries. 
• Take multi-vitamins/supplements. 
• Don’t go on a shopping frenzy and buy those Keto-friendly foods that are available in your grocery store. Changes are your will not need them after the first few weeks. For example, I got the “Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup” to add to my morning coffee. After the first few weeks, I don’t seem to crave sugar anymore and I hardly use it. 
• Be kind to yourself  🙂

Final Take Aways

• I am fully sold on the low carb lifestyle – Once you have experienced the surge of energy that comes with the lifestyle, its difficult to do without.
• I am done with processed, refined sugars, artificial sweetners or high-fructose corn syrup. These have such adverse effects on our health and lead to chronic diseases.  This one month has shown me the it is not only possible to do without, but thrive!
• The Bulletproof coffee is my go-to breakfast food. I love how my sugarless almond milk lattes taste! And surprisingly, I am not enjoying my Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts runs or those sugar-laden coffees anymore. This goes to prove that good habits just need persistence.
• As a vegetarian, I found the Keto diet to be quite restrictive. The diet relies heavily on animal-based food products like chicken, fish or eggs. While it’s not impossible to follow a vegetarian or vegan Keto diet, I don’t think it’s sustainable in the long run.
• Most fresh fruits, legumes and whole grains are not allowed on a Keto diet – this concerned me in terms of nutritional deficiencies.
• Following a high-fat diet is not as fun as it sounds. There is only so much cheese or almonds you can eat!