#50 Nicole Smith – Drops 10 Sizes with Keto

MEET NICOLE:

SHOW NOTES

ABOUT NICOLE:

• I have been struggling with my weight and just feeling out of control for quite some time
• I have tried and failed on different diets, a year ago, which is why I switch over to a Ketogenic lifestyle
• I have lost 35 pounds on Keto and 15 through intermittent fasting
• Since then, I have found that traveling with doing low carb and Keto is a lot more doable as well as affordable than I think a lot people believe
• That’s really kind of the voice that I am hoping to share with people that I have contact with through the community so far
• Keto came first
• Then, I realized without even necessarily trying to do it, that I was intermittent fasting
• So Keto was something I originally did the wrong way
• I had a wedding that I was in and one of my co-workers, at that time, was eating a steak with a lot of butter on it.  I asked what’s he eating and he said he had to get me Keto because I was telling him about the wedding that was coming up
• Originally I did it the wrong way because I looked at it as a short term fix and that is so not the right reason to do it, but it worked
• I dropped 15 lbs and I put it back on after the wedding
• In doing the Keto the right way and living it as a lifestyle now, after stalling about 6 months in into Keto, I then started looking out what I was normally eating
• And when I was snacking, and that’s when I started being more deliberate and putting more thought into when I was going to stop eating, and open up that intermittent fasting window
• The easiest is I’ll do an 18-6
• Normally I try not to eat after about 6:30 and have my first meal around 1:30
• I prefer to go over rather than under
• Honestly the hardest thing for me is that I just love really good coffee
• For me personally, the intermittent fasting that seems to work the best is as long as it doesn’t have calories, I seem to be okay
• I was doing Keto originally for a quick fix
• I have done a lot of yo-yo dieting over the years because I have always been heavier, but I have always been an athlete
• And so, you put the two together, you get into this very weird struggle of feeling strong, but not looking strong
• I wanted to look the way I’ve felt
• I did Keto the wrong way because I needed to drop additional weight and I had reached a plateau on weight watchers
• And it got to a point where it was psychologically damaging
• And I was doing it out of financial obligation
• So I quit weight watchers, took a break, and I probably pigged out a couple weeks in resentment
• I looked at Keto as a diet more than a lifestyle
• Looking back on my journey over these years, that to me was one of the biggest differences because I was thinking about it just in a short term
• The first is, I did a complete overhaul and everyone in my house was asking what was going on
• I had never done that before to the extent that I changed the environment in the kitchen
• I made myself more aware of the triggers and the habits that I was not mindful about
• And that was something I had not done before
• The second part was that, I removed everything that was a trigger for me environmentally
• It was not about not having self control, it was simply because I did not see the benefit to having those things around anymore
• I have my husband, our dog, and a one and half cats because I have another cat that is on the way
• We’re foster parents as well. A lot of time, I have 1 to 2 kids in my home
• My husband has done Keto off and on
• What’s interesting is that, I socialize Keto in the wrong way
• I almost evangelized it like a religion
• My husband was not Keto originally, and about 6 months into it, I went home one day and he was eating steak with butter
• Because he was gaining weight. He was eating my Keto recipes, but still also having carbs at work

KETO ON A BUDGET

• At first, I was evangelizing and being very proud about being Keto, kind of rubbing it in people’s face where it’s like, I get to eat bacon and I just lost 2 lbs
• And it seems like it was frequently brought up that it seems really expensive
• What I found to actually be an interesting revelation, is that because I eat less, not only in quantity but also in frequency, I spent less money 
• What I also like to do is I use a lot of rebate apps, like ebates app and ibotta
• These are mobile apps that you can get cash for buying things based on sending a one answer demographic information to that brand
• I use ibotta a lot
• One of the biggest things that led me to needing a change, was that I felt really out of control
• And I was seriously going to the vending machine at work sometimes 2 to 3 times a day
• That’s in addition to my lunch, plus my sugary latte
• That’s probably $10 a day that I was spending 3 to 4 times a week
• With Keto, because I stay fuller longer, I don’t buy snacks or eat them frequently
• Before, I could eat a non-fat yogurt and I would get done with that and I’ll say what’s next
• There was one time that I was eating at 3:00 in the afternoon and I knew that I had a 5:00 dinner, and I just did not care, and I felt so guilty that I almost canceled
• I was so hard on myself because I knew what I was doing and I could not control it
• If you are not in control of your health, then who is going to be?
• I do track my macros, and what I found is I need to do that because I underestimate what I am eating quite a bit
• I’d like to lose my last 10 lbs to get to my real goal weight
• I am aiming for 1300 calories, sometimes 1400, but I don’t obsessed over it like I used to
• I am still enjoying the journey and I am not as stressed out being over on net carbs
• I think part of that is because I have been fat adapted for such a long time now, that my body responds back and gets into ketosis quicker
• I track net carbs
• The reason I do that, is because I eat a lot of stuff with artificial sweeteners
• I just go with the net because it gives me a little bit more of flexibility and still getting the results

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FOODS WITH KETO

• Steak and butter
• Bacon
• I create this cinnamon maple glaze, with the bacon cooked in the oven
• And then, I’ll drizzle some of the glaze over it
• It’s sweet and savory
• And I am a big fun of food

TOUGH SPOTS

• First, I did Keto for the wrong reasons
• And I was evangelizing Keto to everyone I knew trying to convert them like a missionary from the 1700’s
• And where I went wrong with that was I was not sympathetic to the people around me, and I was almost coming across as being self-righteous
• Partly because I was kind of picked on at work by some of my co-workers because of what I ate
• People started not inviting me to things because of that
• I had to pull back a little bit and apologize to some people
• Being an athlete, I’d like to have my blood work done every 3 to 6 months to see where my cortisol levels are
• I really like to do weightlifting
• I grew up playing softball
• Last year I was doing a couple of triathlons
• I recently got my instructor certification for body pump
• And that’s really what got me into weightlifting
• Now, I teach weightlifting 1 to 2 nights a weeks and it is awesome to see people that I can relate  to and help
• I love deadlifts
• I only do 70 lbs because I want to fatigue my muscle
• When I lived in LA I got into silk yoga, and that thing pushed me into reformer Pilates
• I recently injured my left shoulder because I was not paying attention to proper form
• And because my shoulders are developed now from all weightlifting, I was not conscious on how it was pulling my posture forward

ADVICE

• I think it is about keeping it simple
• Find what you like eating and have 2 to 3 recipes that you can make
• Have something that you can take to a group setting

HEALTH BENEFITS

• Mentally, I am a lot more present
• Emotionally, I am in a much better place
• All of my vitals have improved, seems like my body is metabolizing the nutrition a lot better
• I also increased my muscle mass by 6% or 8%
• I have reduced my running time

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU

• This year, I am focusing on traveling to more cities and really cataloging more restaurants for Keto
• Trying to partner with more companies that reflect what my lifestyle is now and sharing some of my products
• I am also doing some partnerships with companies that are more in the athletic space
• It’s not about the money, it’s more about showing people, from really overweight, sad and out of control, to in control of your health, fitness and future

FAVORITE QUOTES

• “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”

FAVORITE BOOK

• You Are a Badass

WHAT ARE YOU MOST GRATEFUL FOR

• My health

FAVORITE MOVIE

• Step Brothers

GUILTY PLEASURE

• Really long bubble bath with a glass of wine

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT

• Some place I have never been

HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?

• Instagram: travelingketocat
• Ibotta: vuiisyc
• Website: travelingketocat.com
• Popsugarfitness contributor

 YOU CAN ALSO REACH NICOLE AT: travelingketocat@gmail.com

 Previous episode of Be Well, Be Keto with Tara Shimer

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