3 Reasons to Stick to Your Keto Diet (When You Don't Feel Like It)
/Do you usually love how you look and feel when you follow a keto diet? You have more energy, you’re losing weight, and you have zero cravings for a glazed donut with your sugar-free vanilla cold brew. Life is good.
Then suddenly you have a rough day (and who doesn’t in this era of covid) and you eat a stuffed crust pepperoni pizza with the family instead of the almost as good crustless pizza. One slip-up can lead to days, or weeks, or even months of when you just don't feel like eating low-carb?
If you’ve fallen off the keto wagon, welcome to the club.
Dieting is hard.
And life is even harder.
Little things can lead to straying from your keto diet.
Sometimes your keto apathy starts when you see (and smell!) the amazing artificial butter and bready aroma of the Auntie Anne's pretzel kiosk at the airport. You think "I'm on vacation now, it's ok."
Maybe you're super busy at work and don't have the energy to cook healthy keto meals when you get home.
Or maybe your neighbor invites everyone on the street to a Covid-friendly ice cream social like mine did last weekend.
Sometimes big things like illness or depression lead to falling off the keto wagon.
Maybe you're caring for an aging parent, or dealing with depression and, at the moment, just don't care about the food choices you make.
I struggle with depression, particularly during the winter, and often think "this Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich won't make any difference," or "maybe this share-size bag of Peanut M&M's will make me feel better."
Hint: candy and fried chicken will never make you feel better in the long run.
RELATED: When I’m having a hard time getting back on track with my keto eating I will do a simple 5 Day Cleanse and Reset. It is a delicious way to press my keto “reset button.”
Having 3 (or more) clear reasons why you follow a keto diet will help you stay on track when you don’t feel like eating low-carb.
I totally understand how hard it is to stick to a ketogenic diet because I've experienced the "keto blahs" many times.
One technique to help me get back on the low-carb path is to have strong reasons why I should continue on keto.
My 3 top reasons for following a keto diet:
A keto diet stops my sugar and carb cravings which lead to out-of-control binge eating.
A keto diet eases my joint pain and allows me to be more active and take fewer anti-inflammatories. (I also complain a lot less).
A keto diet keeps my blood sugar in a normal range and my doctor won't lecture me about the dangers of pre-diabetes.
RELATED: The collage in bone broth also helps quite a bit with creaky and achy joints. I’ve written about my love of bone broth and how it can help improve your health.
Make your own Top 3 Reasons Why You Stick to a Keto Diet list.
I titled this blog post "3 Reasons to Stick to Your Keto Diet When You Don't Feel Like It" so you may feel duped to read my 3 reasons because they don’t connect with you.
Maybe you love eating keto because it helps you fit into your skinny jeans.
Or maybe you were able to go off your blood pressure medicine when you used keto to lose 50 pounds.
Your 3 reasons will be different from mine.
The reasons why you choose to follow a keto diet are infinitely more important than mine because they reflect your life and your health.
That's why it's important for you to make your own top 3 reasons list.
Do it right now while you're thinking about why you started (or why you continue) to eat low-carb.
Making your own list, and reviewing it often, will help you avoid the trap of "this (insert-your-favorite-high carb-food) doesn't really matter.”
Save your list in a notes app on your phone.
I encourage you to make your own Top 3 Reasons Why I Eat Keto (even when I don't feel like it) list and save it in a notes app. If you're really struggling, make it your screen saver like I did. My screen saver is in the image below.
Review your list daily (or before every meal).
It's important to have your keto "why" in the forefront of your mind, so look at your list at least once a day. I like to look at my list before meals, when I'm meal-planning, or when I'm craving Tostitos with the canned bean dip that looks like cat food but tastes so amazing.
Since it’s my screen saver I actually see it many times a day so my reasons are very apparent and there’s no way I can “forget” why I chose a keto lifestyle.
Don't just read through your list quickly. Take the time to FEEL each of your reasons.
One of the reasons why I follow a keto diet is because it reduces my joint pain. I don't think about achy knees and hands when I'm rocking my low-carb diet.
But as soon as the processed carbs and sugar creep in, I find myself making excuses to keep my butt firmly planted on the couch. I avoid stairs at all costs (which sucks when you live in a two-story house). I don’t want to take the dog on long walks. I pop Motrin like it's candy. I complain about my knees so much I annoy myself (and my family).
Really "feeling" my reason makes it easier for me to say no to the loaded cheesy fries appetizer on date night.
Remembering how much my achy knees hurt makes me less likely to grab a handful of my husband's popcorn when he's watching football or the sport du jour.
When you look at your “reasons to stick to my keto diet” list, do the same. Feel the discomfort when you remember your “before.”
Recall how uncomfortable you felt when you were overweight. How you struggled to tie your shoes. Or the painful memory of disappointing your kids who wanted to go to the pool but you weren’t willing to put on a swimsuit.
RELATED: “Sticking to your keto diet” usually involves more than motivation and willpower. If I’m struggling I like to make it SUPER SIMPLE. I use eMeals for 5 minute keto meal planning. You can click to read my review of eMeals and see some of the easy keto recipes I’ve made.
16 Reasons people follow a keto diet.
Do you need a little help creating your own Top 3 Reasons Why I Stick to a Keto Diet list? Here are common reasons people choose to follow a ketogenic diet.
A keto diet may help you:
Lose weight (and keep it off).
Keep your blood sugar in a healthy range.
Avoid sugar and carb cravings.
Reduce your risk of certain cancers.
Reduce PCOS symptoms.
Protect your brain function.
Flatten your belly (more weight is lost from the belly region than with other diets).
Improve your cholesterol (HDL may increase, and LDL may decrease)
Reverse pre-diabetes.
Lower blood pressure.
Reduce your appetite so you're not constantly snacking.
Improve your immune system.
Lower inflammation in your body.
Have stable energy levels during the day, instead of the dreaded sugar rush, then crash.
Reduce brain fog.
Enjoy eating delicious, nutritious foods like avocado, steak, low-carb veggies, and cheese.
Maybe you identify with some of these reasons, or maybe you have your own unique reasons why you eat low carb.
Now it’s your turn. Open a notes app and create your personal “why I stick to a keto diet” list. Review it often, especially before meals or when faced with temptation. Use the list as motivation to eat healthy low-carb meals.
But when you do slip-up or choose to ignore your health goals, have compassion toward yourself. Learn from the experience and move forward.
Wishing you good health and happy keto eating!
—The Keto Minimalist
