Keto diets are all the rage this year. At least they were back in December when I was shopping for a new diet. I needed to lose weight and get healthier, but that’s not why I went with Keto. I was looking for a clearly defined diet that would guide my menu planning and snacking. I was looking for a long term lifestyle change. Keto has very clear boundaries, and it’s list of allowable foods is fairly long. I love meat and seafood, so it was a good fit. I also liked how it virtually eliminated all dietary sugar.

I’ve done two rounds of intensive Keto. The first was from late December 2018 - end of February 2019. I’ve just completed my second round, four solid months of strict Keto. During both rounds, I set my daily goal at 20 net carbs. In total, I’ve done Keto for six out of the past nine months.

It’s not an easy diet, that’s for sure. The first two or three weeks are challenging and there are plenty of bumps along the way. Now that I’m in deep, I have no problem saying no to sweets and treats. I don’t really crave them.

Here are my stats from this round:

• 120 Days
• 31 lbs lost
• 89% of days I was under my net carbs goal
• I was 26% under my net carbs goal for the entire period
• I averaged 7 grams of dietary sugar per day

Now that I’m through the intensive period, I’m backing off a bit. I’ve set my daily limit at 50 net carbs and am still trying to lose another 10 lbs. Overall, I feel great. For the first time in five years, my BMI is back in the normal/healthy range, as opposed to overweight.

I don’t mind taking a bit more time on these last few pounds to my goal. I’m going to continue daily weigh-ins to monitor my progress and watch for any back-sliding.