Here we go!

  First I want to say that I am just a Mom who is looking to feel and be healthy and to lose some weight. I am not a health professional, nor am I a writer. I don't expect to get any followers, but to use this as a kind of diary as I walk through this adventure. So, if you are offended by grammatical and punctuation errors, run on sentences and just poor writing in general, you may want to click your back button lol. If you are interested in an honest look at the trials and errors of figuring this all out, feel free to pop in from time to time :)

 So, I've played with low carb off and on and have had some success. A couple of months ago I started to research ketogenic diets and was floored by the number of Dr. peer reviewed studies that show the health benefits of a diet high in fat and low in carbs. I have been so ingrained by the "low Fat" mantra, that I actually almost feared fat. I would seek out every low fat product, ate a lot of baked chicken breast, tried to skim every bit of excess fat off of my food etc. Yet still I gained weight every year. Not a ton of weight, just slightly above a healthy BMI, but still gaining a few every year.

 I was mad at myself for blindly believing the  saturated fat actually caused heart disease (according to a lot of studies, it does not, it actually lowers triglycerides and raises your good cholesterol)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/ 

 Anyway, I started keto a few weeks before the holidays which was good because I didn't gain any weight and lost a few pounds. I did take about a week off, so I've been consistently eating low carb, high fat, moderate protein for about 10 days. I feel great, lots of energy and not feeling deprived.

 I'm adding intermittent fasting this week, starting today. Basically, I'll be skipping breakfast and not eating after 8:00. Here's an interesting article on this
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/06/28/intermittent-fasting-health-benefits.aspx

 Well, that's the plan! I'm excited and know this is something I can do for the long run. Feel free to comment, ask questions or offer suggestions.