My journey of learning, loving, and living with a low-carb lifestyle and how it has affected my life medically and physically.

It’s been over 2 years now since I was put into a position of either eating how I was or I end up as a diabetic and on meds for the rest of my life. It was truly a shocker when my blood test came back that my blood sugar was higher than it ever had been.

Let me back up a bit.

my health journey

My father had a heart attack when I was 22 and at that time we learned what high cholesterol was. His doctor suggested that his children be tested to see who may be more susceptible to having high cholesterol. Well, guess what. I was but my brother was not.

So from my early 20’s until my early 60’s, I lived on a low-fat diet and started working out 3 times a week. My numbers were always great and all seemed good.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, I went for my yearly blood work and both my cholesterol and sugar were much higher than normal and my A1C was 10! The A1C was shocking since normal is below 5. My PA suggested that I stop eating sugar and flour and take prick tests for 2 weeks and come back for another set of tests.

I followed those instructions and all my prick tests were around 120 at different points of the day. This isn’t high but 120 after fasting wasn’t good.

Went back for another set of tests and they were down but not where I wanted them to be. My PA suggested staying on a low-carb diet and coming back in a year for blood tests.

Eating low fat all those years meant that I was eating a lot of carbs and over time because of eating bread, pasta, and flour, my body couldn’t deal with it anymore.

That is when I really dug in deep to find out more information on how to live a low-carb lifestyle. I realized that keto was not me and it was easier to just stay away from sugar, flour, pasta, and white potatoes. Basically, all those things I was eating for low fat.

Over the year, I would take a prick test now and again and as time passed, the number was going down. When my fasting number was at 80, it was a good day. The blood glucose monitor I use is called CareTouch and now I just do a test when I think about it.

Not long after that I took my next yearly blood tests and get this. Not only was my blood sugar number normal but my cholesterol also was back to normal. My A1C was 4.5, which was really a great relief. I was so afraid that after eating more fat my cholesterol would shoot up. BUT, I learned that high blood sugar can raise your cholesterol. So for my body, that seemed to be true.

exactly what is a low-carb lifestyle

It’s simply focusing on eating fewer simple carbs at each meal and more protein and healthy fats. It’s that easy! I focus on these:

• high-protein foods like meat, fish, and eggs
• healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil
• vegetables and berries
• fiber-rich foods like chia seeds and flaxseeds

When we eat a heavy diet of carbs, our blood sugar levels will go up and down. Just like a roller coaster. But when you eat low-carb meals, your blood sugar will elevate.

It’s that easy, but you must stick with that to keep your blood sugar levels regulated.

benefits of low-carb

More Energy that stayed level and not ups and downs. I did notice that after being low carb for a couple of weeks, I was really sluggish. That is just your body getting over all the processed food that is full of carbs and salt. I did a lot of research on this and realized my potassium was low because of the lack of salt from processed food and working out so much. So, after my workouts, I started drinking KeyNutrients Electrolytes Powder which almost immediately helped with that sluggish feeling and those draggy afternoons.

Loved my workouts even more. Mainly because my energy was up and I didn’t run out of steam while working out. There are many days that I can go 45 minutes and some I go for 30 minutes. Before I went low carb, I dragged myself to workout and hoped I got a 30-minute workout in.

My skin improved which was an unexpected bonus. Because I stopped eating so many carbs, my skin didn’t feel as dry because I had added more fat back into my diet. I read that eating omega-6 and omega-3 can increase blood flow to your skin, resulting in clearer and plumper skin. For someone my age, that was huge!

Not hungry all the time. Another bonus! When I was eating a lot of carbs, I was really overeating them. Like pizza and brownies. I just couldn’t eat one piece, I had to have several of them. That’s what carbs do to your system. Fewer carbs actually fill you up more.

Less bloated. I have to say this was something I wasn’t expecting. But after a while, my belly felt so much better. I didn’t feel like I was going to explode with gas. IYKYK! A lot of this had to do with eating less salt from all the processed food.

Weight loss and clothes fit much better. Best bonus yet! Even though I haven’t lost that much weight, I did lose inches. My clothes feel so much better on me and I was able to wear those jeans that were way back in the closet. Even my shoes are loose.

Tracking calories is over. I now just look at an item in the store to see how many carbs there are. If it’s over 10, I don’t buy it. It’s so much easier to learn what is low carb than how many calories there are in food. My carb intake is between 20 and 40, but closer to 20 carbs a day.

I stopped craving sugar. I cannot tell you what a blessing this was. Over time, I realized I didn’t want brownies or cookies or half a deep-dish pizza. Do I still eat sugar? Yes, I do, but just on special occasions. Again, moderation is the key.

My low-carb journey is 2 years now and it will be my lifestyle as long as my numbers are showing this plan is working. I don’t like taking meds unless it’s necessary. I don’t want to become diabetic because there are so many really bad side effects from it.

what I eat daily

Breakfast consists of eggs, low-sugar yogurt with keto granola, low-carb cereal with almond unsweetened milk, bacon, and low-carb bread with almond butter or avocado.

Lunch consists of a low-carb tortilla with bacon strips, cheese, mayo, and lettuce, grilled cheese with low-carb bread, salads, or leftovers from the night before.

Dinner consists mainly of meat and veggies or salads. I have made some casseroles and soups that I converted over to low-carb. My favorite recipes are listed in my low-carb recipe section. The cheeseburger in the picture above is made with low-carb buns.

Snacks consist of low-sugar protein drinks, nuts, low-carb snacks, and celery with peanut butter or pimento cheese spread. There are a ton of low-carb snacks out there.

Low carb recipes and who I follow

I get most of my recipes and low-carb ideas online, but there is one gal, Carolyn, who makes low-carb baking look so divine. You can find her recipes at All Day I Dream About Food. How ironic is that title!! She really explains the different flours and sugars to use very well.

I also follow Low Carb with Jennifer. She has many dinner ideas that I have used that the whole family will enjoy.

Many recipes can be modified for low carb. There are substitutions that no one will really know that you did. You can see my low-carb recipes HERE. The Pizza Casserole is so good to serve with a salad and breadsticks for those who aren’t low-carb.

For quick meals and snacks, hands down, KetoSnackz is hard to beat. His Instagram videos are the best.

do I cheat

You bet I do! But, in moderation. I do love me some special coffee drinks on occasion, which are full of sugar and I never pass up a small piece of the birthday cake. If I want ice cream, I will eat a Breyers CarbSmart Ice Cream bar. For me, they have the best taste without that weird sweetener aftertaste and the ice cream is really creamy. I have tried many brands and it’s the best, so far.

As far as brownies and pizza go. I get a small Aldis cauliflower cheese pizza and I will put on my favorite toppings. It reminds me of thin-crust pizza. The edges get so crunchy and good! It isn’t really low carb but it’s lower carb and healthier than flour pizza crusts. Thre are several brownie mixes you can find in the stores today.

When Mr. G and I go out, I usually get a nice salad with chicken since I don’t make myself a salad like that at home. If I’m in a burger mood, I will get a burger with all the fixes but no bun. I will also get salmon out because I don’t like to cook it at home. Stinky!!

Most importantly

The thing I have to remember, that we all need to remember, is to enjoy all food. But, in moderation. For me, eating way too many carbs was literally making my body sick. Even though I was working out 3 times a week and watching my fats, the carbs were making my blood sugar out of control.

Let your body tell you what works.

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