Little Struggle

Today I struggled. The past two mornings I have woken up feeling hungover and it's hard to get in my groove. Yesterday I skipped morning cardio because it was unseasonably warm so I knew I wanted to take a walk to the beach after work. During my workday yesterday I was absolutely craving a piece of gum. I always chew sugar-free so it's not too crazy but the sweetener in sugar-free gum (Xylitol) isn't one of the approved sweeteners on my current plan. When I looked it up, it seems to not raise insulin so I had the gum and it felt like such a treat! Then my husband came home with a Diet Coke for me shortly before my lunch. Ugh, it has been one of my favorite drinks since the 80's but aspartame actually effects your gut which can raise insulin. It looks like some keto plans allow it as an occasional treat. I had it because I can't imagine one drink to throw me off course. It gave me a little energy boost so when my day was over I did actually take that walk to the beach. It was worth the effort.

Today I felt so over-tired all day. My arthritic knee has really been swollen and irritated from the extra use lately. I decided to take the day off and listen to my body. I did walk the dog at a brisk pace for two 20 minute sessions this morning and evening but no purposeful exercise. I could barely keep myself awake today. It isn't uncommon when Aunt Flo's due but I did wonder if this could be the keto flu people talk about. I am waiting for all that energy everyone says they get from keto. I definitely started this at a bad time of the month. I hit that point where I was craving salty, fatty chips or even just the simplicity of eating whatever I feel like. I'm sure that's hormones. What I'm eating tastes good and thankfully today was the first time I felt a little bummed about it. Tomorrow I will weigh myself again and hopefully that will reinvigorate me. I am not giving up on this, my kidneys probably can't take many more months or years of being obese. Basically this is somewhat like dirty keto where all that matters to me is that I keep my carbs under 50 grams per day. I am tracking everything I eat on my Fitbit app just to see where my carbs are at, so I know my calories as well. I'm getting roughly 1,200-1,300 calories per day and anywhere from 35-45 grams of carbs on average. I might see how to get more calories without a lot of carbs. I'm definitely hungry often. I have been forgetting my afternoon snack. Anyway, I'm planning to stick with this for 4 weeks and then I will slowly work up to 75-100 grams of carbs per day. I know a lot of it is about being creative and sticking to my guns. In the meantime I am going to scout out gum sweetened with stevia, monkfruit or erythritol. if anyone knows a good brand please let me know in the comments!