Everyone's dream is to lose weight quickly without needing to eat carrots for a week straight or go on a juice cleanse. That's why it's a literal blessing that the keto diet exists. You get to eat seemingly unhealthy, keto-friendly foods while you're actually on your jolly way to shedding off a couple pounds per week.
What It Is
Without getting too sciency, let me briefly explain how it works: Because it’s a low carb and sugar diet, you replace carbs with fat which puts your body in a metabolic state known as ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes extremely successful at burning fat for energy. So practically you eat fatty foods while omitting carbs and sugar. Doesn’t sound too difficult, right? Wrong. I started out this diet thinking it would be pretty easy, cutting out things like bread, pasta, and incorporating keto-friendly foods like eggs, avocado, protein and cheese. I soon learned that a lot more things have carbs and sugar in them. No bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, potatoes, yogurt, rice, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit, juice, soda, and many more foods that the diet prohibits. Don’t let this discourage you because I promise it works miracles.
What To Eat
Obstacle #1 was finding keto-friendly things to eat and snacks to keep in my dorm room. Even before the keto diet, I always kept cheese sticks in my room. Cheese in general is an amazing thing to keep in your dorm fridge, but it’s great for keto because it contains no carbs and is very high in fat. Another smart thing to keep in your fridge while on the diet is protein. Whether its turkey, chicken or ham, it’s all keto-friendly because of the high protein. If you’re feeling fancy, prosciutto and smoked salmon are also great items to keep the fridge stocked with protein. Peanut butter is also a solid source of protein for the diet and easy to store in the dorm, but be careful to not buy any that contains added sugar. I also like to keep things like celery and avocados in my room. To make it tastes like I’m not just eating a raw celery stick, I always raid the dressing section at Whole Foods. They have a plethora of interesting salad dressings like buffalo ranch and green goddess which are high in fat that I love dipping celery into. Because fruit is chockfull of sugar, you can’t eat it on keto. It sucks. But after your second or third week, it’s okay to eat berries in moderation. As I’ve explained, sugar is a complete no no, but have no fear because Atkins diet snacks are a literal live saver when you’re craving something sweet. Luckily CVS and other drug stores are always stocked with Atkins diet snacks. I’m a huge fan of the Atkins peanut butter cups and I swear they taste the same as Reese's. They also have an Atkins version of peanut M&M’s that are also unbelievable. Atkins is great to rely on not only because their snacks are bomb, but because they pretty much have the same concept of weight loss as keto. If you just partied too hard and are in desperate need of some food, In-N-Out is the perfect place for you. Get a double-double protein style and end up completely satisfied.
What To Drink
With drinks, unfortunately you really can’t really go crazy. Water is a must and if you’re a La Croix addict like I am, stock up on these in your dorm because they're completely sugar free. If you’re craving something like Starbucks, the iced green tea is my go-to, but make sure you get it unsweetened. If you’re a coffee person, lattes (without sugar of course) and cold brew with your choice of milk or cream is also an awesome way to satisfy your Starbucks cravings.
Results
It almost seems too good to be true, but I literally dropped four pounds in my first week. I overall just felt better, and I was extremely content on how it was working. I did it for exactly two months, and in total I lost about 14 pounds. It's a solid amount of weight lost in a pretty short amount of time, but if you absolutely commit to a strict diet and just trust the science of it, it will totally work for you.
Final Thoughts
Do it. You'll regret it if you don't when it's bikini season. It's pretty hard at the beginning, but stick with it and you'll see results faster than you think. It's hard to do in a dorm room, but there are enough resources out there that can give you helpful tips and tricks. Losing weight in college can be hard sometimes, but the keto diet makes it possible to quickly shed some lb's.