Don't Fear the Party

Candy Crush!

I have now survived 2 birthday parties, one grownup party and picking up Krispy Kreme Doughnuts without the urge to cheat!

I started my keto diet on Halloween, not the smartest move. I took great pride is saying NO to all that candy dancing around my house. No, little Tootsie Roll. Not giving you a break, Kit Kat. Self-righteous, much? Yes, okay. It was so easy! Right! Until the keto flu kicked my ass.

Then over that. Ha ha! Keto easy! Keto good! But now, I was staring right into the face of Thanksgiving! The one holiday my family takes seriously. We pride ourselves on the number of desserts we have. We serve a salad that is jello and whipped cream. I had to plan an entire meal Just. For. Me! No one I'm related to is down with my weird diet, even if it's working. Every person suggested I just cheat.

Permission to damage yourself.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Overcooked?

Thanksgiving was a challenge for me. I'd only been a few weeks keto and I was terrified that if I slipped up, I'd be rolling in a dirty gutter. I wanted so many things that just weren't going to work for me. I'm still trying to keto-fy some of my favorite recipes. Maybe one day I will get there, but if I don't I can live without them. Living low carb doesn't have to be depriving or limiting. You just have to have the courage to say no to the bad choices and be willing to work hard to make good ones.

My Top 4 Keto Survival Tips

This summer a doctor who couldn't diagnose what was causing my erratic weight gain, fatigue episodes, and hives suggested I try a ketogenic diet. I had no idea what he was talking about. He took out a prescription pad wrote down: ketogenic diet, 70% fat- 25% protein- 5% carbs. My jaw may have hit the floor, when he emphasised over 100 grams of fat. He said it had great results with autoimmune disorders and weight loss. Then he told me it was impossible to follow. Good luck and have a nice day.

Um, Donuts

Doughnuts. In my previous world, doughnuts meant and only meant Krispy Kreme. Donuts are everything else. You are never going to find a low carb/keto/healthified Krispy Kreme replacement. Don't tell me you do or can- just don't! Don't waste your time. That yeasty, airy, diabetic coma inducing goodness is not remakeable. I can be okay with that. I can! The hot-ready-now sign is nothing to me! Nothing!

My one perfect donut!

Just before Thanksgiving, while cruising The Google when I should have been sleeping, I found a donut recipe I had to try. Combine my desire for pumpkin, which I wasn't sure if I could still eat while following a ketogenic diet, and my desire for doughnuts and you get Pumpkin Cardamom Donuts Holes from Ruled.Me. It was near midnight. I ran downstairs and had cracked the eggs before I realized I didn't have any pumpkin. Driving to the store crossed my mind, when I spied a lone sweet potato on the counter. I don't didn't like sweet potatoes. Get off sugar for a few weeks and sweet potato tastes like candy.