The End of Hunger

I've always been hungry. Even as a kid,  I could always eat. After starting at the hospital it went from being a little hungry all the time to starving constantly. After doing Keto for about a week, I'm no longer hungry.  Yesterday I skipped lunch. I'm not sure if that's ever happened before.
The other benefit? I'm actually under on "recommended" calories. To be under in calories and not hungry is just awesome. I'm not really counting calories, but it was nice to see. 

First Week of Keto

I must say, after doing (and sucking at) Paleo for barely a month, the Keto diet is liberating, to say the least. It's also sent my digestive system through one hell of a loop. I've gone from constipated to exploding in the course of a few hours. Sometimes I have more energy than ever before, sometimes the simplest actions leave me exhausted. Its been rough. There's such a thing as the Keto Flu - which is a horrible sneaky bastard. Anyway, the worst of it has passed. I've actually lost quite a bit of weight - more than I ever did with paleo, or with just exercise and counting calories. Plus this way of eating is liberating: sour cream, cheese, heavy whipping cream, oh my! This feeling if being liberated, instead of feeling restricted; it feels sustainable. That all brings me to this point:

I can't wait to get back to the gym! I've got my diet under control and in check. I'm losing weight, while exercising less than ever before. My previous job required pushing 300-900 pounds, lifting up to 80 pounds regularly throughout my shift, and walking up to 25 miles in a day (while pushing the weight). Needless to say, it was physical, but I didn't really lose weight. I put on about 10 pounds over the course of six months. It wasn't all muscle, unfortunately.
The point is, I can't believe I'm losing weight being unemployed and relatively sedentary drinking whipping cream as a snack. Although I've been weighing myself, I'm not really counting it until tomorrow. Tentatively, I've lost up to 6 pounds. Probably water weight, but I'm curious to see the measurements tomorrow!
Tuesday I will be getting a CT scan to check out my hernia. I could be cleared to go to the gym as early as July...or I could end up needing surgery and then who knows when I'll be able to get back.

Why Paleo Didn't Work for Me

A lot of people that are big into weight lifting and fitness swear by paleo. For those who don't know, paleo is a way of eating that emphasizes, more or less, the way our ancestors ate during the Paleolithic era. I know it sounds crazy, but the more you read into it the more logic you can see behind it. To summarize, no grain, no beans or legumes, no dairy. Everything else is fair game. I can live without peanut butter, bread, noodles and even beans. You know what I can't live without?

I tried paleo. I really gave it a go. I missed cheese way too much. Oh, and butter. Vegetables sautéed in olive oil do not compare to those sautéed in butter. I did lose weight and it eliminated my intestinal issues, but it wasn't a lifestyle I could see myself committing to.
For those of you stronger willed than me, I do highly recommend checking out paleo! Want to learn more? Nerd Fitness has a wonderful explanation as well as an awesome free eBook. Check out the whole website while you're at it. Its full of fantastic resources and great motivation.