michaela baker

The amount of pasta, bread and potatoes I’ve had in the last two months is slim to nothing. I’ve had lettuce-wrapped burgers, picked pizza toppings off of the crust and ate way too many burritos sans tortilla.

Since mid-July I’ve tried cutting most carbs out of my diet. I’ve limited my carb intake to under 30 net grams a day in attempting to follow the “Keto” diet. The Keto diet is that of very low carbs and higher in fats and protein. Following the diet propels your body into a state of Ketosis, which essentially burns fat for energy (instead of carbs) therefore helping you lose weight. The Keto diet has a lot of parts and information so I highly recommend researching it if you want to know more.

If I told you I haven’t had a single cheat day I would be lying. It’s been hard and cheat days have been a necessity. Cheating on the Keto diet does restart the process but for the most part I’ve done well. I was very very strict for a month and a half but now I am just trying to lessen my carb intake on a daily basis.

So, why am I torturing myself with low carbs? I am a regular attender at the gym but over the past three years during my fitness journey I started to realize I wasn’t seeing the right change. I could tell I was getting stronger but my body wasn’t changing in the ways I thought it should.

I knew this was because of my diet. I am pretty good about having a balanced meal but my problem was that my default would always be a meal loaded with carbs.

Dining hall didn’t have anything that looked good? Ate pasta.

Potato option? Always on my plate.

Hungry at night? Found myself with a late night snack.

Throughout this journey I was also working on my body positivity. Truthfully, it has always been hard for me to like my body. When I looked in the mirror I never was happy with what I saw. In July I was tired of being so hard on myself so I decided that I needed to make a change.

If you asked me if I could follow a low carb diet a year ago I probably would’ve laughed in your face. Don’t we all love carbs? After research I decided that a low carb diet would be necessary to see the change I wanted, and it worked.

Two months and 12 pounds later, I’ve done it! I am no where near where I want to be but I’ve proven myself wrong. I can do this! I’ve lowered my carbs, continued to work out and overall I feel great.

Many people have made my day when they say they can tell I’ve lost weight. Yes, 12 pounds is not a lot but it is something and to me that something is everything.

My favorite part about this new lifestyle is experimenting with recipes. I love to cook and try new dishes. My favorites I’ve found so far are Egg Roll in a Bowl, Mexican Cauliflower Rice Skillet and a Garlic Chicken and Veggies Sheet Pan. These are all sooooo yummy and pretty easy to make!

My least favorite part about low carbs is it not being the most fast-food friendly lifestyle. If anything you waste food when you eat out. This has been an adjustment especially while traveling. Another con is that I still crave carbs — I don’t think I will ever get past this but I could!

For now I am trying to balance my eating. Anything I cook will be low carb but if I am out and have to eat a higher carb food then I will.

I am not a nutritionist by any means but I thought I would share my lower carb lifestyle with you. For me, I wanted to make a change and I did. I couldn’t be prouder of myself and hope my small success story could inspire someone.

Do you have any low-carb recipes? I would love to hear them. Share them in the comments below!