Update, Post Induction Stall Syndrome (And a day of food)

Hi everyone! Just a quick update on this sunny Friday! I hope you all have had a great week and are looking forward to an even better weekend!

I think I’m officially over the hump! By whatever name you want to call it – the “healing phase” or Post Induction Stall Syndrome (PISS – a better acronym could never have been created), I am here to tell you – IT SUCKS! In my first few weeks of living the Ketogenic lifestyle and strictly following the diet – weight dropped QUICKLY for me. I lost about 12 pounds in the first month. I was elated and expected it to continue falling off at the same rate. I thought, I’ll be in a size 6 by summer! Then, in my 4th and 5th weeks, my weight fluctuated. I’d lose a pound, gain 2; lose 2 pounds, gain 1. And on and on the cycle went, keeping my weight basically at a standstill and it felt ENDLESS. I really started feeling discouraged and even wondering what changes I could and should make to get out of the stall. Egg fast, anyone?

That being said, I am aware that the numbers on a scale should never be my main focus. But, let’s be real here. When you start a new way of life, with weight loss being one of the main goals – it’s near impossible not to get up every morning and look for those little victories. And it can be maddening when you feel like you are doing all of the right things, with little to no results. Even for a short period of time. It’s also hard not to compare ourselves to others who are having faster results.

Fortunately, after doing a little bit of research, I found out that this is the exact time when the biggest changes really start to happen. This time is what a lot of people refer to as the healing stage. Here’s a little graphic I found on social media that for me seems to be pretty accurate.

I do not own the rights to this image and could not find information on its originating source.

It’s so good to know that this time is not even technically a stall. What I’ve found in my research is that early on when beginning the Keto lifestyle, our bodies immediately start dumping retained water. That water apparently can be a little heavier than I realized. I was in ketosis, and I knew that I was, but I was NOT fat adapted yet. This means that my body had not yet figured out how to use fat for fuel. In the 4^th-6th weeks (longer for some), most people become fat adapted and this is when weight loss really picks up

I’m going into my 6^th week now and I feel safe to say, that’s what’s happening to me now. Hooray for fat adaptation! Yesterday morning, I was down a full 2 pounds. (The lowest I’ve been since starting this and also the lowest I’ve been in years) This morning, when I checked again, I’m down another ½ of a pound! A smaller victory but a victory nonetheless!

I’m taking all of this as a sign that I’m on the right track and should keep going as I have, without any real changes. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to do this, without any special products, supplements or paying for any plans. I think it really just comes down to the quality of the food. My grocery shopping bill is cheaper than ever, (junk food costs more than I realized) and we’re all eating great as a family. I’m so pleased with this new way of eating!

Thanks for taking the time to read this update! As soon as I have new information or new results, I’ll check back in and do this again. If any of my opinions change on this diet and lifestyle, I’ll update with that as well. In the meantime, here’s another day of food. (scroll down) We’re still keeping it pretty simple over here at the Jones house but there has not been one complaint, yet!

If you like these “A Day of Food” posts and would like to see more for meal planning ideas, you can find all of those indexed by clicking here.

If you’d like some Recipe ideas, you can see some of our family’s favorites by clicking, HERE.

These are also accessible on the menu above, under Keto Life.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.)

**Super easy make-ahead Chia Pudding with Black Coffee.** I use this recipe: https://www.gnom-gnom.com/overnight-keto-chia-pudding/

**Southwest Salad with leftover seasoned ground beef, Spinach and Romaine Lettuce, Avocado, and Sour Cream,** sprinkled with **Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend** (for lunch)

**Baked Salmon with Steamed Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Butter** (for dinner)

Guess what day it is! (And a day of food)

Just a quick check-in today and a day of food. It’s been a crazy week with the baby girl sick and missing two days of school. Who’s ready for Spring??? I know I am! I’m working on getting together MY recipe for the Cheese-stuffed Meatloaf you see here for dinner. It was surprisingly good with hardly any carbs at all. Keep checking back for that but until then, HAPPY HUMP DAY!

**I do have to tell you that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.

**2 Eggs Over Easy with Sausage** (A pretty regular breakfast for me)

Super Simple **Spinach Salad with Bacon**, a touch of Mayo and Everything Bagel seasoning. *for lunch*
You know by now that I love Trader Joe’s Everything but The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend

**Cheese Stuffed KETO Meatloaf** with some of those yummy Radishes. *for dinner*
Click here for my recipe for the radishes: https://livingthejoneslife.com/2019/02/22/radishes-a-keto-replacement-for-potatoes-recipe/

9 Pounds Down! (and a day of food)

On my 10th day of Keto, my low-carb diet took from me…

9 POUNDS, guys!!

I’m a little late getting around to posting this and I have not weighed since, so it might actually be more. And maybe I should’ve waited until I got to a nice, round number, like say, 10, before I posted at all.

We all also know that pounds aren’t everything. But, I know that NINE pounds ain’t just nothin’ either! (Or just “water”) I started this new way of eating on February 9^th, and I am FLOORED that I’m responding so quickly. So, I’m celebrating now.

That’s me, celebrating. She can jump higher than I can.

So with that being said, Here’s another day of meals. I’d like to be able to post one every day, but that would get boring, fast. I’m going to be honest with you, there’s a lot of broccoli going down over here right now. And we all know what broccoli looks like. It should be said that I could definitely NOT be eating so much broccoli – there are tons of veggie choices on Keto, but I just happen to really like broccoli.

**I do have to tell you that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I would never link a product here that I did not like or use.

3 **Egg** **Omelet with Cheddar Cheese and Spinach**

**Spinach Salad with Bacon, Egg and Mayo** *for lunch*
For flavor and extra crunch, I like to use
Trader Joe’s Everything but The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend (Pack of 2)

**Liver and just-a-few Onions with Bacon and Pan-fried Eggplant** *for dinner*
I know this one isn’t going to be for everybody, but liver is full of important nutrients and while it does have carbs, they were easily worked in to my day’s allotment.

My Keto Journey, The Beginning (and a day of food)

Where should I begin? I guess I better tell you a little more about myself. If you’re following the family blog, you know that I’m the Mom. 😊 But that’s not all I am! I am a wife, sister, friend and daughter. I love to cook, I’m a caregiver by nature and I also love to make art (mostly fiber art) and other crafts (more on that later.) And I definitely want to live a LONG time to continue doing all of these things.

But, I am also overweight. It just crept up on me after having Aidan; before I knew it, I didn’t recognize myself in photos! I should remind you that Aidan is now 6, so I’m not sure how sneaky it was when it “crept up,” but I didn’t notice it, at least not in the way I should have. It’s almost like I woke up one day and really saw myself. No defining moment, just, “Wow, is this really who I am?”

The answer to that is, NO. Or at least it won’t be for long, because as of a little over a week ago, I have totally changed how I am eating.

Before I get too far into telling you about what I’m doing, let me just say that this is not a one-size-fits-all thing and you should definitely not be drastically changing your own diet without speaking to your doctor first. I am in no way an expert (on the Keto way of eating or anything else) and I am definitely NOT a medical professional. This is just MY story and my account of what I am doing. Basically, just do your own research and take everything I’m saying with a grain of salt, and maybe a lime and a shot of tequila, for me, since I’m not having alcohol.

Ok, back to my story! Originally, I thought that the Keto lifestyle would be impossible to maintain. I pictured myself eating nothing but bacon and eggs and butter and I just knew there was NO way I’d be able to do that. (And I definitely didn’t like the sound of butter in my coffee.) Boy, was I wrong! It’s really so much simpler and easy to follow than I thought.

For most people, the Keto diet is all about the macros. The general rule of thumb that I found is to have your daily diet stay under 5% carbs, have 75% fat and 20% protein. In my research in the beginning, I found out that most people recommend counting your carbs (staying under 20 grams net, with some people choosing to stay under 50 grams net). I decided to start out at the high end and stay under 50 grams NET carbs. I did that for one day. Yes, you read that right. ONE day. Quickly, I realized that my all-or-nothing personality meant that I would decide to follow what some people call “strict” Keto – I am now staying under 20 grams TOTAL carbs per day (not net). I am watching my macros via an app on my phone (Google it, there’s a few out there but my favorite is the one that’s geared for FITNESS.) All of this sounds miserable, right? Wrong. I’m actually eating delicious food and I rarely feel hungry. I’m also down 7 pounds ALREADY! I feel better than I have felt in years and I’m actually having fun learning new ways to prepare our food.

If you took the time to read all that, thanks so much, but the short of it is, I am getting healthy. Finally. And it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. As I continue on my Keto journey, I’ll post here with updates, recipes and pictures of what I’m eating. For now, here’s one day of food for me. (Today)

**I do have to tell you that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases