Tomorrow, I start the keto diet.

I do not consider myself a dramatic person.  My temperamental volatility is very low.  And my highly polite nature dictates that I do not make big social waves unless pushed very hard. 

And if there is one thing I have learned about myself, as I crescendo chaos and stress without relief, the apex that follows is this:

When all the world is out of control in you and around you, change everything you can.

So of course, when you hear someone say in a podcast, “It can make you feel better!”, I come home and tell my wife the words she still tells me make her very uneasy:

“I’m thinking about going keto.”

How to get there:

This is not a simple change in my household.  We appreciate our carbohydrates.  We consistently enjoy rice and pasta and other carb delicacies.  I am working on eradicating some of the most enjoyable ones today as I sit and write this.  Because we start tomorrow.  High-fat, low-carb is the immediate future.

My wife commits harder to diets than I do.  She also is leery of fats in general.  So when she said a few days later, “Let’s start on Monday”, I’m sure my jaw was below my belt buckle. 

When we decide in our house to do something new, a flurry of online research immediately goes into it- is there a book, a blog, an app? What can I eat? How many carbs? 50?- no I think 20 grams? Maybe we should figure that out. 

But the more we research, the more we agree this is something we should pursue for a time.  The purported benefits of weight loss, better sleep, increased neuroplasticity, more efficient mitochondrial function, and others are very appealing.  We agree that a physical reset with some focused organization and dedication to purpose may improve how we feel day to day. 

I want to do this for my family.

I also look forward to the rest of my life, from my current age of 35 to the next 80 or 90 years I am planning for.  They need to be quality years, full of health and vitality, and free of debilitating disease.  How can I best accomplish this?

Thus, the dramatic change.

A Greater Focus on Diet.

I have long believed that refined sugar is terrible.  Especially in the high doses that seem to rule the social world around.  Coca-Cola, Starbucks Frappuccino, candy options, ice cream- just some of our family’s favorites.  It is addicting and dangerous, with the health consequences evident walking down any major street in America or looking at the cost of health care per capita.  I enjoy the occasional sugary treat, but I rue the way it makes me feel.  This may be on both a psychological as well as physical level.

The principal and practice in our house is to eat well. 

I appreciate eating for health reasons. My family spent a solid year eating a vegan diet, appreciating the energy and other benefits associated.  We still enjoy some of our best vegan meals regularly, feeling great afterwards.  We gave that up upon moving to Colorado (I bought a smoker).

So now, I sit here, writing and eating chips and salsa- my life’s constant favorite- and discussing pasta and red sauce for dinner with my wife.  I know this is the last day of this for a time.  And that is okay.  It will be a journey of discovery that will have worth beyond what I can see today.

Let’s do this.

We have experimented with intermittent fasting, enjoying the results.  But I have yet to push into that lifestyle in a way that seems to benefit me long term.  The keto diet and ketosis seem like a natural step to incorporating those benefits in a lasting way.  So now we start. 

I hope to create some accountability to myself, my wife, and to the reader.  I will pass along victories, struggles, favorite recipes, and share the world of the keto diet using the web.

Join me as I document my journey into ketosis.

Feel free to comment or reach out at ketolifeincolorado@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!