It’s been more than a year for me of keto and fasting! How did it go? Am I continuing on?
While it’s a little tough being on a strict diet for the long-term, I have benefited from keto and fasting in many ways – my daily energy levels are up, and my migraine frequency and severity is down greatly. An unexpected outcome for me was finally getting rid of my adult acne (which I have had since I was 13!) I am no longer overweight, and a few body scans over the last year helped me tweak the diet (increasing my protein intake) to allow for some body recomposition to happen (meaning, I decreased my fat mass while increasing my muscle mass!) I rarely get sick these days!
Here I am now, don’t I just look fantastic?!
Do I still get migraines and headaches? Yes, unfortunately, but not daily anymore, and they more predictably occur after I have a long, taxing day. If I am very headachy for a few days, a 36 hour fast takes care of the symptoms for 1-2 weeks.
Here’s the thing: keto and fasting aren’t a cure all, but have vastly improved my productivity and overall quality of life. I am in it for the long haul. I suspect the longer I stick with it, the more my symptoms will slowly fade over time. I recently saw a good metaphor about chronic illness on Twitter – that each and every day, I only have so many spoons I can use on daily activities, and when I burn through them, I pay for it with a headache. Keto and fasting have definitely given me more more daily spoons.
In my twenties, I burned the candle on both ends. I was under enormous amounts of stress working a sedentary office job, then I would go home and make art for hours. I was unhappy, sleep deprived, and stressed and my migraines and headaches increased and increased and then became chronic and intractable. I went to graduate school, where I continued to overload myself. Then, I graduated and took on a 40-hour a week job with a startup, commuting to work 2 hours every day, and working on my art business after work and on the weekends. I was exhausted, out of shape and constantly getting sick.
Finally, I just had to throw in the towel. I quit my job in 2018 to focus on my art business, and, to focus on my self-care. The first year I quit my job, I thought just the very act of no longer working 60 hour weeks would be enough to reduce my chronic pain. When it wasn’t enough, I realized the importance of doing more than just working less.
Over time, I have had to accept that there is only so much I can accomplish in a day, and that is okay. My body will not tolerate more, as it reminds me daily. There is something to be said for relaxing and taking the slow route. It’s an important lesson I have had to learn in my thirties, to truly prioritize what is most important to me, and make the most of the days I am feeling well. I feel as though a tortoise – I won’t give up and I will not back down. I edge forward a little every day to win the race of what I want to accomplish in my life at the pace my body will allow for; thanks to keto and fasting, I am now getting a little bit more done each day.
