Celebrating New Beginnings -- Report on My Transition to Keto Diet

About a week ago I began to transition into a keto diet.

My purpose was to decrease inflammation that leads to the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm as I use the computer mouse.

It got to where I would need to stop in about 20 to 30 minutes to massage my hand. And then it was painful to go back to surfing the web.

Also, I have had stiffness in my neck and shoulders for a long time that I hope too will decrease as the inflammation decreases. 

As I researched keto diet I noticed testimonies of more energy and greater mental clarity. I want both of those. 

So far this transition has involved much online research and buying books by Dr. Berg https://www.drberg.com/ He offers hundreds of Youtube videos about keto diet https://www.youtube.com/user/drericberg123  and nearly 3 million subscribers. 

Along this path, I discovered that most of what I had been eating was not the best for my overall health.

Dr. Berg taught what happens when I ate what I was eating and why changing not only what I ate but when I ate will be helpful.

He advocates intermediate fasting. That means not eating any breakfast but waiting as long as possible to start eating.

Previously I would eat as soon as I woke up and I would eat many small snacks all day and all night. I would eat a little when I woke in the night to go to the bathroom. That was not the wisest path according to his understanding of how the human body works.

I am not here to convince you to use the keto diet. 

What you eat is your choice. And know that all choices have consequences. And stated differently; what you sow is what you reap.

This is a report on my new adventure. 

Note that I have committed to do my best to follow the keto guidelines of Dr. Berg for 90 days. Then after September 25, 2019, I will evaluate my experiences and results. I will continue or make changes at that time. 

During the first few days, it was very painful as my body adjusted. 

Internally I could tell that this was a profound shift. 

While the sensations were unpleasant my body was assuring me this a good way to go. 

I probably would have had fewer symptoms if I had more gradually transitioned what I ate and when I ate. But that phase is behind me. 

There were short moments of lightheadedness and overall weakness.

There were short moments when I felt like I did when I got drunk in college as an unbeliever. 

These went away in less than a minute when I just sat or stood still. Those symptoms have not returned. 

Also during that time my thoughts and feelings went on short roller coaster trips. But that has not repeated not since then.

Yesterday I went to Walmart to shop for groceries for the first time since transitioning to the keto diet. I was armed with a list of what to buy based on inputs from Dr. Berg and many others online. 

It was strange to walk past the items I had previously bought. 

It was a learning experience to find the things on my list that I had never bought before. I did not know where they were in the store. Then when I got to that section there were so many options to consider. Previously I could shop for groceries half asleep because I bought the exact same things every time. 

I had never bought cabbage for myself before, but I did yesterday.

I had never bought butter for myself before, but I did yesterday.

I had never bought cream cheese for myself before, but I did yesterday. And I found that I really like just a spoonful of plain cream cheese.

Dr. Berg strongly advocates lots of salads. Others online are not as keen on salads. So I bought a few bags of prepared salads. I had bought these before but half the time they would spoil before I completed the contents. And this time I found that there was far more chewing with my full dentures than I had remembered. So salads might not be a big part of my future eating. 

Also, I had placed an order with Vitacost https://www.vitacost.com/

Vitacost is like a huge online health food store with nutritional supplements and healthy foods.

The many guidelines point to uses of all kinds of oils. So for the first time, I bought coconut oil from Vitacost.

Also, I bought turkey jerky, olives and bone broth from them as well as other things on the recommended lists.

Eggs are strongly advocated for the keto diet. So last week I asked and was given a dozen duck eggs. The owner of this apartment complex has 3 ducks here on a remote corner of the property. The maintenance man gave me the eggs. I scrambled some and hard-boiled others. If this provision continues then I will explore other ways to cook eggs.

I talked with a neighbor that has relatives who sometimes bring to him an abundance of catfish. He said he will give me some of his surpluses. So cooking fish that will be another part of this overall adventure.

In order to stay true to my intentions and minimize my temptations to go backward, I have purged my pantry and fridge. I have set aside items that are prohibited on the lists to give others when the container was not opened. I threw out the items where the container was opened.

WOW, that was a giant step forward in my commitment to this adventure.

At some level, this feels like relocating to a foreign country. If I had moved to Japan, Mexico, or Iceland then that would be a radical lifestyle shift.

For another image, it is like I have started to remodel my kitchen. The old has been removed and I have begun to gradually replace with the new. This will become my hub for taking care of my body.

For much of my life, I treated my body like a donkey that was here only to carry around my head. I knew the theory that there was an important connection between my physical health and my mental health. I took some steps to care for my body. But lately, that has become a higher priority.

CONTEXT

There is always a wider and deeper context to such a major transition.

When my hand was hurting I researched options. I found that there are compression gloves to support the hand and wrist. That was in my Save for Later list on Amazon for weeks. But a lifetime of depending on such aids was not appealing.

I used the massage and acupressure methods but those did not last long.

There are all kinds of creams and pills for joint pain. If this was a recovery from an injury then that would be appealing. But I do not want to buy such products for the rest of my life.

I have always sought to take the best possible care of my body. When I learned the science of what I had been doing to my body was not optimal then making improvements was the next right step.

During Lent for the last 2 years, I have fasted from the intake of news and commentary. Both of those 40 day seasons were peaceful and informative. I had greater peace of mind. I recognized that I was giving away my attention to matters of national and international affairs that I could never change. This taught me to focus on what I could change.

What I can change is how I use my time and money. I can change what I eat and when I eat.

I have an overabundance of research and plans for an online enterprise to serve international college students starting this fall. But I have been leaning too much on caffeine during this season of preparations. As the next chapter of my life unfolds I need to have my eating habits and pantry in good order. Then I hope there will be a steady stream of energy to persevere through the various challenges that are bound to present themselves.

This is why I feel motivated to plunge into this keto transition for this 90-day adventure. For me, it is like getting my body in shape for a series of marathons as I launch and lead an online membership community.

PRAYER

Basically, I have been moving ahead one day at a time.

This adventure has been unfolding in ways I could never have predicted.

Thankfully there are those like you who have been praying for me during this transition and long before now.

I request the continuation of your very best prayers. This seems like a smooth report, But without help from God, I know that I would have quit long ago.

Today I understand the basics of the guidelines. There is much more to learn but those are just details that might prove useful later.

Ultimately every person is unique. The foods that work well and poorly in their bodies vary. So what is ahead for me is much trial and error. I am willing to experiment with what I eat and when I eat. May God grant me wisdom and discernment as I find my way along this path.

After weeks and months of experimenting, I want to come to some smart conclusions.

I desire to gracefully establish healthy habits about eating.

I want to learn more about cooking in ways that will best support my keto diet.

As the online enterprise to serve international college student unfolds I want to have a reasonably well-stocked pantry and fridge with foods that I know are best for me. Then most of the experimenting will have been completed and my eating will support my main priority.

I have been plunging ahead. I have been spending money in new ways. I have not been cautious about how the new purchases will impact my needs to pay my regular monthly bills. Pray for all my financial needs to be met during this transition.

BASICS
What I mentioned to people that I was transitioning to keto diet they said that they had heard of it but did not understand it. I cannot give a super brief summary here.

I have watched dozens of short videos about the keto diet. One of the big advantages of being retired is that I have lots of time to research. 

Here are links to the 2 best introduction videos.
Out of the 2500 videos on the keto diet by Dr. Berg here are his 2 introductory ones.

Dr. Berg's Healthy Keto Basics: Start Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMZfyEy_jpI

Dr. Berg's Healthy Keto Basics: Step 2 What to eat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBqpaAKtnXE

It is not my intention to persuade you to use the keto diet. I share these links so that you will have a general understanding of the subject. It might come up on the media or in conversations.

Out of the many blog posts that I read about the keto diet the attached  PDF by Dr. Berg was the simplest summary. You can get an overview of what he and others recommend. 

Just maybe you will modify what you eat based on this and maybe not. But at least you will be informed. 

CONCLUSION
It has been very helpful for me to process all these thoughts and feelings by putting them into words that I shared with you and others. Some people process by talking and I process by writing.

THANKS for being there to read this.

THANKS again for all your prayers.


Shalom
John