About the author: Maggie Brown is a Certified Health Coach & Integrative Nutritionist.
My Journey
I did a thing and I can explain…
I have spent the last almost 3 years in ketosis. I faithfully live a heavy primal lifestyle that leans in on high protein, high fat and a daily net carb count often lower than 25g. And I’ve enjoyed every minute.
I feel zero deprivation in a keto baseline and I have a hand on the control dial of my body weight. I’ve worked hard for that and I appreciate it daily. I also actively enjoy the cognitive boost I get from ketones as well as burning fat for energy… often my own. I now have a natural tendency toward intermittent fasting every day, unless of course it doesn’t feel right that day. In which case, I just don’t.
I feel like I’ve locked down homeostasis and it feels natural and easy.
I’m happy.
My Non-negotiables
Also worth mentioning, I do not drink alcohol. I don’t eat grains. I don’t eat fruit. And I do not consume sugar. Period.
It may not be a surprise that I exercise pretty regularly. My workouts rotate between spin class, barre class, stretching and heavy weight lifting.
I sprint.
I plié.
I deadlift.
I work on my splits.
Again, I’m happy.
Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting Experiments
If you know me outside of this blog, you know that I love running experiments on myself. I love to try things I’ve never done before. It’s how I learned that I really like fasting and that a ketogenic diet is a good one for me. It’s how I learned that the carnivore diet makes me crave arugula… deeply. Just like how I know being a vegetarian made me feel good but slowly gained weight.
I spent one pregnancy totally vegan and one totally not. I can also tell you that I love the mediterranean diet and the anti-inflammation diet but not as much as I love putting them together in one. Oh and I know for sure that I get real bored real quick on the elimination diet.
My Latest Experiment
So when I started feeling nutritionally restless I decided it was time to take my metabolism on a ride again. And just in time for a week-long trip to Hawaii.
I decided to roll out a sort of pseudo-carb cycling week of metabolic confusion. I figured “what would my body do if I just threw all caution to the wind?” It’s been almost 3 years of the same baseline. What would happen?
So when I arrived in Oahu, I intentionally dove right off my own wagon and spent almost 7 straight days swimming in the thick of everything I’ve been avoiding for the last 3 years.
Carbs.
Sugar.
Gluten.
You name it.
It’s like I gave myself my own personal ‘yes day’.
I didn’t just have coffee in the morning, I had a coffee milkshake.
Yes, you read that right.
I ate fried sushi, glutenous pizza and coconut-macadamia nut ice cream from Lappert’s. I said ‘yes’ to dessert almost every night. And when I went to the luau, I hit the buffet line twice. That final flight home.. I ate both my and my husband’s cookies before we landed.
The only rules I didn’t break were alcohol and soda. Those couldn’t be any less interesting to me. So they stayed a hard pass.
As for my regular exercise routine, I replaced the intensity with easy breezy yoga classes. I did the kind of yoga I sipped my coffee through. The only thing impressive about my yoga practice was how comfortable I was with barely practicing in a room full of people who were all-in. My “this is where I’m at today” mentality was strong.
Results: Here’s What I Know
I’m happy to report, when that landing gear finally hit the runway in SFO, it was “game over” and I was right back on my own wagon. I was over it and I was ready.
It was definitely a week for the books. In fact, I haven’t stopped thinking about it and what I learned about myself now. I had a few solid realizations. A few things were notably different. And I definitely ended up surprised.
Here’s what I know now: It took me a long time to finally quit sugar. It had been the greater part of 3 years since having it, save for a day or two at Disneyland. I was worried I would get sucked right back into an addiction. I worried I would be bloated, inflamed and gain weight.
But here’s what actually happened: My bones hurt. My joints were achy. I felt like a rusty tin man and I needed oil badly. What traces of arthritis I have from genetics and injuries, made themselves known for the first time.
BUT, I wasn’t bloated and I didn’t gain weight.
Ok.. on to gluten. Again, it’s been almost 3 years since having gluten aside from a couple times at Disneyland, I thought I wouldn’t notice much. I thought maybe some inflammation would kick up if I kept at it for a few days.
But actually…I felt like absolute garbage and I’ll never do it again. That pizza sat in my stomach like a doughy brick that I had no idea how to process. Nothing moved. And 18 hours later, it was still there. Gross.
As for rice in my sushi and oatmeal for breakfast, I thought I’d feel bloated and sluggish. But you know what, I didn’t. In fact, I realize now that I really do love and miss oatmeal and am going to budget for it in my carb count once in a while. Same for sushi. We’re friends and I’m ok with that.
Lastly…
“Dear Fruit, I owe you an apology. I made you out as the bad guy when you were just over there being beautiful, juicy and delicious. You stayed true to your nature, your colors and your style. You are cultured and I appreciate you. We may not be getting back together, but I do look forward to hooking up once in a while.”
How It’s Going
So here I am, 5 days back on my own wagon and there have definitely been a few changes I love.
First of all, I feel complete. I crave nothing and I miss nothing. My gut is happy and I find I only even think about eating when I’m hungry, which is well after 2-3pm. And when I am hungry, all I want is light vegetables and heavy protein. My sweet tooth is gone.
Most importantly, my bones no longer ache. I feel great.
And I surprisingly weigh less than I did before I left.
Now before anyone tries this thinking it's the latest diet for weight loss, I assure you it is not. This metabolic adventure couldn’t have been possible without 3 years of ketosis, a healthy amount of metabolic flexibility, stone cold sobriety and intentional structure. I literally planned this adventure a few weeks ahead. I decided how long I would do it for and decided when it would be over. And then I stuck to it.
I now have more appreciation for the healthy baseline I spent years working towards, paired with my expertise as a nutritionist. I was never that worried that something would break. I was mostly curious about what I would experience.
But what I think has been super valuable for me is being reminded about the ways maybe my mind could have been more open (again, I’m sorry fruit). Learning that sushi and I do get along was nice. Accepting that oatmeal and I really do love each other was fun.
But really, I loved learning that it's important to mix things up, embrace confusion, and earn the careless fun once in a while because it's quite likely you may find yourself surprised at how well it goes and what you learn.
About Maggie Brown: Maggie Brown, a Certified Health Coach and Integrative Nutritionist, holds certifications from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and the Primal Health Coach Institute. With a BA in Communications and a background as a yoga studio owner, Maggie is also an accomplished athlete. Her journey into integrative nutrition began with the physical changes from pregnancy and sports, leading her to discover the importance of primal basics in lifestyle, mindset, and nutrition. Dedicated to helping others, Maggie has worked with hundreds of clients to achieve happy, healthy, and vibrant lives.
Comments