Have you noticed that your abdomen is softer and your hips have some extra tissue around them?
You have extra fat on your arms and back? Your face is fuller than it used to be?
What is going on?
As you age, hormones make it harder to lose weight than it did in your 20’s and 30’s.
I personally lost 20 pounds on Keto in my 40’s.
The weight stays off if you stay away from big portions of starches and fried foods.
It is as simple as that!
That is what I have done and it works wonders.
Most people think you need a magic pill or a magic remedy to follow to lose weight. With some simple guidelines and rules you can have weight loss success.
Keto is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb.
This combination puts your body in ketosis, the process of burning fat while your body is not getting carbohydrates as a source of energy. Your body will burn fat to give you energy.
I did Keto for 4 months and then decided to get off Keto to see what happened. I wanted to enjoy cake and cookies for the holidays. Guess what, I got softer within a few weeks. My abdomen distended with sugar and bread. This was not a good feeling at all.
It was then I realized that I have the hormone type that when I eat moderate carbs, my abdomen would distend.
I am my own case study so here it what I have learned for weight loss on Keto.
Tips for Keto weight loss success:
- Decide if Keto interests you
- Keto recipes are widely available
- Try these foods to start with
- Keto takes about three weeks to adjust to
- Only buy the protein and keto friendly veggies you plan to eat in a week
- Unsweet peanut butter is keto friendly
- Eggs and bacon are on the diet
- Meats are on the diet
- Blueberries and raspberries are keto friendly
- Cauliflower is similar to rice in texture when finely chopped
- Mashed cauliflower is similar to mashed potatoes
- Roasted cabbage is a perfect alternative to noodles
- Zucchini noodles is a perfect alternative to pasta and noodles
- Spaghetti squash is a perfect alternative to spaghetti pasta
- Shrimp is on the diet
- I did not count macros and still lost weight
- You can count macros if you wish
- Try bullet proof Keto coffee
- Avocado is on the diet
- Shredded cheese and cream cheese is on the diet
- Heavy whipping cream will be your new best friend
- Powdered peanut butter can be added to plain cottage cheese for a protein snack
Carb cycling worked for a while but I saw more results with Keto. Limit carbs during carb cycling. A few bites of potatoes, one slice of bread, or one tortilla on carb day kept the weight off. On the next day, you would follow the Keto diet with low carbs and no starches or potatoes.
Add intermittent fasting so you save room for the heavier meal of the day. Eat more protein than carbs on your low carb day.
Some people eat breakfast and lunch and skip dinner as their intermittent fasting. I always skipped breakfast, and ate lunch and dinner.
For a dessert alternative, drink coffee with a splash of heavy whipping cream. Try English black tea with a splash of heavy whipping cream for a coffee alternative. Brew some Thai tea and add a splash of cream for another dessert tea idea.
For a sugar craving, drink a glass of water followed by a handfuls of berries.
Leave that sweet note of flavor to linger and the craving goes away. This was the #1 tip that helped me not grab a brownie or cookie. Who has brownies and cookies in their house anyway? Hee, hee.
Drink more water than you think. You will have intense thirst in the first few weeks. Speak with your doctor about how much water you should have on a daily basis.
If you get the chills from the “keto flu”, drink water to stay hydrated. The chills went away for me when I ate my next meal. Try some almonds or protein and see what helps with your chills. Bone broth can add to your fluid intake and is nutritious.
Eat a snack if you get the chills and body aches and that should help with your chills.
You lose weight just by eating less carbs and no starchy foods.
You can lose 3-5 pounds a week when you follow the diet. I lost 3 pounds in the first week and my husband lost 6 pounds. After 3 months, my husband had lost 30 pounds and I had lost 17 pounds. Add daily walking and you become a weight loss machine. After losing 10 pounds I was able to walk up the stairs without huffing and puffing!
You can eat all the meat you want.
You need fat for the Keto diet and protein. It is a carnivore diet so you can eat meat with all meals as your protein. Eat eggs for breakfast with avocado and your favorite seasoning. Eat chicken and avocado for a change for breakfast. The fat will come from avocado, butter, and coconut oil you use in recipes.
Add psyllium husk powder and MCT oils to your daily foods.
Psyllium husk is powdered psyllium husk seed and is fiber that you need so you do not get constipated. You can sprinkle it on a keto friendly snack or cottage cheese. It can be found in most supermarkets or online.
MCT’s oil can be found in a bottle and added to your daily coffee. MCT stands for medium-chain triglyceride. It is found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil according to Healthline.com.
You become less hungry once ketosis kicks in.
You start to eat less and feel satiated after the first month. You stay full and do not crave carbs or sugar like you used to. This is very helpful in weight loss and keeps caloric intake down. Trust the process, it gets better every week you eat less carbs. If you are having a hard time with the diet, do not worry and try again the next day.
You do not have to make two meals for your family.
When planning your meals, put some protein aside for your portion. Add broccolli, cabbage, cauliflower, or a salad as your side dish. Make the rest of the meal like your family needs or likes. Xanthum gum is wonderful to add to a sauce or broth to thicken up sauce. This replaces cornstarch in your diet. It is easily found in the baking aisle at your local grocery store.
Shop for low carb pasta sauce and spaghetti sauce.
One favorite pasta sauce is Rao’s marinara sauce. It is popular as it is low carb. Buy Rao’s sauce and use it for your whole family’s pasta dish and use cooked spaghetti squash as your pasta alternative or shredded zucchini as your pasta alternative. Look for no sugar added tomato sauce and add your own seasonings for a cost friendly alternative.
I drank coffee after dinner with a splash of heavy whipping cream as my dessert.
Drinking coffee after dinner helped calm my need for something sweet after dinner. It was my dessert. Whisk in some powdered peanut butter to hot coffee for some extra protein and a brown sugar replacement, like Swerve Brown Sugar replacement. It is sweet like sugar and adds all the sweetness you need. Try thai tea with a splash of heavy whipping cream or unsweet nut milk for dessert. No wine needed!
Speak with your doctor if Keto is right for you.
Your doctor can advise you on your weight loss journey. Your cholesterol can raise with the fat on keto so your doctor can check lab work before you start your diet. Ask your doctor if keto or another diet is best for you. Work with your doctor to achieve your weight loss goal whatever diet and exercise plan you choose.
Keto snacks to buy.
Don’t waste your money on prepackaged keto snacks. Buy or make these instead.
- Cut up bell pepper with cream cheese smear-sprinkle seasoning on top
- Sliced provolone, sliced gouda, sliced mozzarella, sliced cheddar cheese
- Uncured salami slices-no sugar added
- Uncured pepperoni-no sugar added
- Cooked sausage-no sugar added
- Uncured salami wrapped around cheese
- Cheese slices baked in oven to make oven baked cheese crackers
- Cucumber slices
- Pickled cucumber slices
- Pickled onion, pickled radish, sardines
- Olives
- Spanish olives
- Canned tuna with seasoning on top
- Cut up celery with cream cheese or peanut butter-no sugar added
- Cut up celery with almond butter
- Tomatoes and diced cucumber
- Pico de gallo
- Salsa with pork rinds
- Pork rinds
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Avocado
- Pickles
This is a great start for snack ideas. These are budget friendly food items and can be found just about anywhere. The list above is what I ate to lose weight fast.
See, you have to go to the store to buy your food and snacks anyway. You just have to change your mindset to think that you are working towards a goal.
Keto does not have to be forever!
Keto does work and does help you lose weight.
You can lose weight!
You can always get off Keto when you are ready and reach your goal.
Work towards your goal everyday!
If you get off track, try again the next day.
You can always get back in ketosis after a few days to a week with the effort.
My skin improved on Keto!
My facial skin redness improved on Keto with no change in my skin routine. I noticed that I used to break out on my abdomen and that stopped while on Keto.
When I took a break from Keto, my skin would break out again on my abdomen, back of thighs, and my face. It makes me think that the refined sugar was making me break out.
I also feel so much better eating low carb and my A1-C is normal. That is a great benefit of this diet is it can keep your A1-C down with no medications needed.
Energy improves once you stop eating large amounts of carbohydrates in a day.
Do you get sluggish after eating a loaded baked potato?
Do you get sleepy after eating a tater tot casserole?
Do you get sleepy after eating at the work pot luck?
I always felt sluggish after eating some pastries and eating at the work potluck.
Do this instead, eat a small portion of one carb. For example, have some queso with a small amount of chips. Or add the queso on the side and add some veggies and a protein. Save room for a small amount of the broccoli rice casserole(just a small amount). This will help you not feel deprived and you can get a taste.
Load up on the salad, veggies, protein, and sugar free options first. Then add a little of one carb on your plate. Bring a keto friendly dish to share and that is your main option for your meal. This gets easier as you progress on Keto.
Start Keto again the day after your work potluck and get back on track. Avoid cakes, pies, cookies, and other desserts until you have reached your goal. Bring Keto desserts for you and go get a coffee or tea with heavy whipping cream instead.
You will have so much more energy and mental clarity once you are fully on Keto!
I was surprised but it is true what everyone says that you have so much more energy once you lose weight. YOU WILL too and it is a joy to experience.
Energy improves and you sleep so much better.
I found that I am more productive now. I can get more done in a day and now write this blog. I would have been mentally exhausted if I was not on Keto now.
Choose the diet you need and that is right for you.
Try vegan, the Whole 30 Diet, or the South Beach Diet if Keto does not interest you.
It is only challenging the first 3-4 weeks. Once you get over the 3-4 week bridge, it is smooth sliding down the hill. It gets easier every day.
I hope you enjoyed these tips for the Keto Diet in your 40’s.
Happy “Keto Weight Loss”!