Okay, so like 15 quick things. First, I am slightly perplexed as to how to start my blogs but I think I had a pretty awesome idea. I am going to begin by giving a quick quotes of the day/week depending on the last blog etc etc.
*Quotes of YESTERDAY*
"Great Grandor's glove." For those that are a fan of Final Space. Absolutely hilarious and fantastic all over. I suggest you check it out on Netflix if you have the time.
"Zoom zoom zoom" Speaking to my dogs, in a backwards way I was trying to calm them down.... You also had to hear the tone, it makes a massive difference.
"Mmmmm ... Butter" I will explain this in greater detail down below. As it becomes part of the reason why I made this post in the first place.
Secondly, I do not choose to write for anyone but myself. My intention is to explain the circumstances of my life, why I thought a certain way, how that situation effected my mental being, what I got out of it and why it was important to me. It is my hope that through a portion of my experience, it may offer some advice or encouragement if you find yourself in a similar situation. I want to connect to people and with people. If you don't find value in my words that's okay too, because I write to help myself understand what a certain situation meant to me.
So let's get into this!
It's been a bit since my last blog, and seemingly nothing had been going on in my life. Yesterday, a whole other story. There was a lot that went on, and I am so excited to share a portion of what I learned.
If you are new to my blog, or don't know all that much about me I have been doing the keto diet now for almost 3 weeks. I looked online, I did a whole bunch of research into what foods are really good, and how to approach eating and living this way. I found some great references for a complete keto diet!!! I was super excited, making my 2 meals a day with some light snacking in between. It has helped create consistency in my life, and not only that but I am forced to act with a lot of discipline to avoid sugar and carbs. Especially when you see that donut that is just calling out to you, begging to be eaten... Anyways, I haven't gone out to acquire any of the testing strips or ways of determining if my body had hit ketosis or not. So I had no idea if I was on the right path or exactly how things were going to improve or change with this diet. Because of how my shift rotates at work, I very rarely run into my coworkers and often times it can be months before I see certain people depending on how my shift aligns that week or month. I was fortunate enough to run into a buddy of mine who actually years ago was the first person to even introduce this idea of a keto diet to me. So I got excited, and we started chatting about the diet and what needs to happen. As I began explaining the foods I was eating and the quantities he looked at me and said "This is a problem, you will never achieve ketosis if you don't change."
Slap to the face! What??? But Ive done all this research, taken the time to find a meal plan that works in my lifestyle. But I'm missing the mark? As we continued to discuss he offered me some very valuable references on YouTube to get more information. So I will begin to scour through at some point today. The thing that shocked me, and shook me to the core is this idea. We may have the tools, the right implements and the mindset. But without the proper information of what we are actually doing, our results can end up far from what we intended.
In this example, I had the right food, I was preparing it a way I enjoyed, I was hitting all my markers for a "keto" diet. Except for one small thing. My portion control. When you achieve ketosis it's because the main source for fuel in your body shifts from glucose (the energy used from breaking down sugar and carbs) to ketones (burning fat). The issue is you need to make sure you remove the carbs so that the only fuel source to burn becomes the ketones. Now the issue with my meal plan, the right food, the right time, the WRONG amounts!!!! I had way too much protein and not even close to enough fat. Instead of using glucose for fuel, I have shifted my body to use protein. Better? I'm not sure, but it wasn't my intended goal. It's not what I'm after. If I never would have bumped into my friend yesterday, I would have continued on, ignorant to the fact that I was not properly balancing my diet to actually engage my body into ketosis. I would have spent months thinking "Did I do it? Have I achieved ketosis yet?" All the while, missing the mark and not even knowing. The way I was eating was a Paleo diet, while not bad it's not what I am looking for because you will never begin to burn ketones using protein as your fuel source. One of the biggest pieces of advice I got, "get a food tracker app". Count your tablespoons and measure out amounts of coconut oil, measure the weight of your veggies and protein. You need accurate precise information to ensure you hit a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of fat : protein. I picked up a food tracker app and last night for the first time I got my ratios correct and actually began my first step into ketosis. The thing is between the Paleo diet and Keto diet, the ingredients are the same. But cooking in the pan, looks completely different.
That "sauce" you see... Yeah that's straight butter and coconut oil. When I was eating my dinner I actually wound up getting 3 small spoonfuls of just butter. That may sounds gross but cooking in some onion and mushrooms with a bit of chicken seared from the pan... It was some of the tastiest bites I have had in a long time. I did manage to add a tiny piece of mushroom to the butter on the fourth bite haha.
Anyways, the whole point of all of this comes back to our lifestyle and how we choose to look at things. We can approach and sit and learn. We can see the tools and understand them. But it takes precise understanding to actually end up where you want to go. Many times I have felt flustered and overwhelmed. Flailing around like I'm drowning, trying to desperately understand where I am at in life and just who I am. I've found pieces of me. Each day I am tested and overcome some trial or another. Whether it's a small test of patience or a giant opportunity. It's taking each moment and utilizing it effectively to better ourselves.
How can I begin to do this?
Let me tell you some ways I have let focus into my life. Perhaps you could try one of these options if you feel it may add benefit to your life. When I drive my car, I turn my radio off and I say out loud "Today I am enough. I want to focus on being calm, quiet, confident and patient. Strength births character, character births integrity, integrity births stability, stability births confidence, confidence births peace." That is how I begin, and then depending on the day, what I have experienced what's going on, how my mood is or how my heart is feeling I may add more time and speak to myself in other ways. Or I may say that's enough and turn the music back on. It's just a few minutes or sometimes it can turn into hours of silence. It depends on the day and what I need in that moment.
It has also been suggested by a friend that I create a medpack of sorts to handle crisis and stress in my life. So one thing I am constantly trying to remind myself is "Approach this situation with patience." No matter what happens when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I think to myself "Approach with patience." That thought triggers me to take action, by allowing time for myself. How can I take time for myself? I take a long slow 3-4 second inhale, and slowly exhale. This pattern has had a lot of success for me, because it's a thought and action pattern which becomes habit when pressed into action repeatedly. Because I have an action that can follow the thought pattern, there is something I can physically do to change my state. Which interrupts the rise of frustration and helps to bring calm quiet back to my mind. I can think more clearly and approach the situation with a level head. Depending on the situation and what's going on, I may take a step further and then ask "Is this honest?" If you take a look inside all that you are, and can say "I have done my best" then leave it at that. It's all you can do, and if you allow yourself to get bent out of shape you can regret it. I know I have regretted many moments where I allowed my emotion to rule instead of approaching the situation with patience, but now I cant go back and change how I acted. I have to move forward and improve for next time. Take the history we have and learn from it, to grow and explore more of who we are.
I'm also very excited today, because for the first time in my adult life I have some time to myself. I dropped my wife off at the airport this morning, she is heading to see her boyfriend and his two children for the first time. She will be gone for at least a month, and during that time I have my entire house to myself. I have a lot of projects and necessary grounds keeping tasks to attend, but I am going to plan out my month using my calendar. I am going to structure my life around the things I am interested in, and set timelines to accomplish certain tasks. I have a massive opportunity to really step into who I am. I feel so free and ready to jump into this, I'm actually writing this while nude. Because no one is here except me and my animals, and I enjoy being naked in my own home. I'm going to do my utmost to make sure this is a productive month and I don't allow procrastination to take hold of me. I'm hoping that I can achieve all I set before myself, but I plan to keep a bit of a log of my journey. I feel optimistic that at the end of this month I will be much closer to the person I desire to be. That I know I am.
Anyways, this has been a massive ramble and a lot to go over. Hopefully you enjoyed yourself, and found a useful bit of information you can attempt to apply in your life.
I hope everyone has a fantastic day!! Remember to smile 😁
