Keto—it seems to be everywhere, right? It seems like everyone and their mother has created a social media platform dedicated to this new fad diet. But what the hell is it? If you’re reading this blog post in hopes of researching the science behind keto, or find a meal plan, then you’ve come to the wrong place. However, if you want to read about a personal story about how the Keto diet changed someone’s life then keep reading.

First of all, if you follow me on Instagram then you know I’ve prided myself on eating whatever the hell I want. As much as this can be incredibly empowering, especially for a woman, I can admit that I might have taken that mentality to an extreme. As a food blogger, I am always in search of the best quality food; meaning, you will never catch me in a drive-thru. Because of this, I was under some illusion that I was healthy. Prior to my food blogger journey, I was always considered as the skinniest person in the room. My metabolism was equivalent to a roadrunner on crack! As the years went by I began to experience what everyone experiences at some point- aging. I’m a true millennial, folks; I could not fathom that my body would ever experience the effects of aging especially since I am perpetually “21”. Time went on and certain areas of my body became to grow and widen in ways I have never experienced. Let me make it very clear that although I felt some areas needed improvement, I was overall comfortable with my new body. However, I was not comfortable with the debilitating health concerns that came crashing in all at once. After experiencing extreme drowsiness, lack of sleep, body aches, and bloating for almost a year, I finally took a trip to see my doctor. Needless to say, because of my stubborn ass, it took 3 doctor visits and 4 blood tests for me to finally admit that my health concerns were all connected to my diet. Shortly after, I stumbled into an Instagram rabbit hole, which became an all-day research on Keto.

Essentially, the Keto diet consists of a high percentage of fat and a low percentage of (net) carbs, and protein is in between. Once you stick to this meal plan for a few days, your body will enter a stage of ketosis. Ketosis is where your body has been reprogrammed to burn fat for energy rather than carbs or sugar. Y’all, I lost 8 pounds in one week! I was sleeping throughout the night, I had more energy, and I could finally see my ab muscles again- who knew I still had them?! Not only did Keto put my health back on track, but it also educated me on how much shit I was putting into my body. Food items that I thought were healthy turned out to be sugar laden poison! Plus, I get to eat all the bacon and butter I want- HALLLUJAH!

Keep in mind that I am not a doctor, so this diet might not work for everyone, but it worked for me. My favorite thing about Keto is that I don’t feel deprived. Sure, do I crave bread sometimes? Of course! But because I have retrained my body to crave healthy fats, I feel content with having a bite of bread rather than the whole damn loaf. Moral of the story is this: put your health and happiness first. The Keto diet helped me put my health as a priority, but you must have balance. You know ya girl can’t pass up a taco, occasionally!