Covid has been a devastating virus, as we all know, for almost a year now. Covid for many has meant loss, illness, financial pains, depression, serious change in lifestyle and weight gain! Statistics do ' show there was also an increase in alcohol consumption. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction reports that 1 in 5 people say their consumption increased by 20%. (CCSA.CA ) This was a strong case for my own weight gain and fall off my keto wagon. Many colleagues and friends I speak with, have added a few extra pounds over this crazy time. We call it the Covid bulge! 

 There is positive news on the horizon, we are on the verge of this nightmare being sort of over. Now is the time to get back to basics and loose those extra lbs! Starting January 1st, I made the commitment to go back to my Keto lifestyle, I’ve lowered, almost ceased alcohol and I cut out coffee. 2 weeks into it and I am feeling great. Down 7lbs, feeling more calm, relaxed and grounded than I have been in a very long time. Even with the stresses of work, Covid and isolation it feels good. The key will be staying strong! We are resilient!  So if the Covid bulge happened to you, be resilient and strong. 

Say yes to making the decision today that will change the course you are on.  

 

 

 

Everyone knows it is NOT easy to change your lifestyle. I say lifestyle, as I do not want to refer to what I do as a change in diet. With not only eating healthier, more nutritiously but also a ketogenic “diet” or way, I am a new person. Going Keto, has not only been the easiest transition I have ever made but the right one for me to finally loose those unwanted pounds.

I honestly got tired of saying to myself over and over again, “I gotta loose weight!” I was exhausted with trying on clothing that was tight and didn’t fit the way it should. I was done with it. Ask your self, do you listen to your inner “self”? Are you tired of arguing and debating with those voices if you should eat that, and then feeling guilty when you make a bad food choice? Stop listening to those voices! Start to say to yourself, “I can do this!”, “I am success and can be with this too!”
I have had to turn down donuts, freshly baked sourdough, incredible pasta dishes and there is no question it was very hard to do. The benefit in the end has been, I fit into my clothing better and had to purchase new smaller sizes, and overall feel like I have more energy.

What I eat in a day? Three to four days a week I fast in the morning, with a Bullet Proof Coffee.

I am premenopausal... there I said it! In a very short time I am going to hit the BIG 5-0! I have already started with the occasional hot flash and spotty cycles. It's annoying to say the least. 
Recently I came across an article on the website, PrettySustainableMillenial. This being said, I am far from a Millenial! However, this article talked about Seed Cycling. This is something that has been known to work for all hormone imbalances. Seeds are a great tool you can use for not only fertility, but also menopausal hormones. By using this 2 cycle rotation you can help raise your estrogen levels when its most needed, then for the second half of the month, produce more progesterone. All with the change of seeds. 

Starting at the beginning of your cycle pumpkin seeds and flax seeds are estrogen boosters. Then on Day 15 switching to sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and evening primrose oil can aid with progesterone boosting. As the website suggests, you can add this to smoothies, salads, yogurt or even energy balls. If you get creative, you can make your own seed crackers as well! PrettySustainableMillenial suggests 1 Tbsp of each seed daily, ground fresh. 

I am going to give this a try and start. I will let you know how this works! It can never hurt to eat some great seeds on a regular basis. 

My fave is mushroom pizza, but you can add virtually anything your creativity can think of. Other combinations I have done: Brussels sprouts and gorgonzola with walnuts, straight pepperoni, vegetarian and olive, feta, spinach and artichoke. It’s limitless.
I usually add a salad to it for a nice balance. This evening we did a kale salad.