I’ve gained 5 lbs and I’m proud of myself…

Ok.. so that title might be a little misleading and probably grammatically incorrect. There are two statements in that sentence and yes, both are true.. and yes, they are related to a singular topic… but I am not proud of myself that I gained 5 lbs.

I gained 5 lbs. Period.

I am proud of myself. Period.

I gained 5 lbs because for the last 20-25 days or so, I have not been following my keto plan. I got spooked and jumped off the keto band wagon as fast as I could.. More on that in a bit.

I am proud of myself for being honest. I am admitting the 5lb weight gain instead of pretending that I am flawless on my recovery journey by only sharing the victories. In the past, when I felt defeated, I would shut down, avoid and hide.

I am proud of myself because I can finally see this mistake as just that.. A MISTAKE! It is not a failure.. I AM NOT a failure. I made a mistake in my keto and intermittent fasting plan. I learned from it. I made a decision to change my plan and now I am moving on.

Hair Loss and Keto

While following Keto is pretty straightforward and basic : reduce carbs, increase fats, track your macros (well, that was how I defined it).. I learned that there is no one-size-fits-all keto plan for everyone. I lost 48 lbs in about 3 months, but I also noticed that I was shedding hair badly. I had heard that this could be a potential side effect, but I didn’t think it would happen to me.

It did.

And I freaked the f#$! out!! I dropped keto like a hot potato!

And then I started emotionally eating again. Ugh!!

Immediately I felt so crappy physically (pun intended) that I decided to look into what was going on, because I liked my keto and intermittent fasting plan.

Turns out, shocked my body with my low daily calorie intake. Hair shedding/loss can happen anytime a body goes thru a big, and usually hormonal, change. I lost a lot weight pretty quickly (48 lbs in 3 months) … that was a big change! Also, I wasn’t supplying my body with enough protein, and I wasn’t replacing all the vital minerals and nutrients my body was flushing out everyday while my body was adapting.

Also, had I stuck with the program, I more than likely would have seen that this is just a temporary issue and that as my body regulated itself, I might see a decrease the hair shedding. As I get back on track, if I notice it continuing after some time, I will seek further advice with medical professionals.

So, here is what I’m doing differently this time around..

• increase my calorie count just a bit and adjust as needed

• create a more nutritionally sound keto plan, which includes more leafy greens. I can’t just eat Chaffles anymore!

• increase my protein

• take magnesium, zinc and cod liver oil supplements to ensure I’m getting enough micronutrients, especially in the beginning as my body adapts

• stay calm and keto on!

💜 Carrie