I won't lie, the first two weeks of keto were terrible. I had the "low carb flu," and felt super weak like a deflated balloon. And then after that... the fog lifted. My sugar crashes went completely away! I felt like a new human, and was sure I must have diabetes because I felt so good (diabetes has serious long term affects but you can't feel it moment-to-moment the way you can hypoglycemia). A visit to my doctor and blood work confirmed that my blood sugar was in fact perfect and I had accidentally healed the #1 thing that ailed me everyday. I will always be at high risk for diabetes thanks to genetics, but keeping your blood sugar steady is healthy for everyone, and is the best way to ensure it never happens to me again!
2. No more migraines
I was taking Aleve almost daily for migraines, which I always believed to be linked to hypoglycemia. Turns out "heal the blood sugar crashes, heal the migraines" because I've barely had any since I switched!
3. Discovered a gluten allergy/intolerance
During the holidays I cheated on my diet twice. And while I haven't been tested yet, I'm 99% sure I have an allergy or at least an intolerance to gluten. A handful of non-digestive symptoms (sore throat, fatigue, canker sores that won't heal) have been plaguing me off and on for three years. Symptoms appeared within hours of eating flour, and went away with healthy eating. So relieved to have solved this mystery! (My canker sores would get so bad that it felt like a toothache, and the pain would spread up my face.)
4. Lost weight
Healing my health was numero uno, but there has been another unexpected benefit: it changed the appearance of my body. I have not worked out since I changed my diet (something I'm adding back in in 2018), but I lost a lot of weight. A lot of that was a constantly bloated stomach from eating gluten, but some was body fat, too. If you are looking for a weight management diet, keto seems to be a good solution for that as well!
The moral of the story: listen to your body. I never realized how much what we eat is manifested in our daily health! And find out what works specifically for you. My diet definitely may not be the right formula for what your body needs, or be your cup of tea. That's okay. Just please don't try a new diet without the supervision of a doctor. And if something is ailing you, it just might be food-related! You never know!
