Keto and kids? Here’s our take on it…

It’s been quite a long while since I’ve posted, though God knows how many drafts I have going at this point. We are blessed and grateful to be busier than ever with clients, events and restaurants, plus the whole 9 kids thing. Honestly, we are unpleasantly busy – but not unhappy, if that makes sense. Have you ever loved everything you are doing, but just can’t seem to find the time to actually do it all?

My 13 year old daughter is also insanely busy – roller derby, orchestra, violin, softball, musical theater, plus school, but somehow found time to write me a post about her keto journey, which she started this past Fall. My husband and I have been doing keto for years now, and have never pressured any of our kids to follow this lifestyle, though they’re certainly welcome to eat what we eat. Maggie decided to try it out for a month this past Fall after gaining quite a bit of Covid weight, with her pediatrician on board.

It wasn’t until she started keto and wrote this post for me that I realized what the diet was actually doing for her, not just physically but emotionally and mentally. I have always thought my daughter is beautiful, both inside and out, but I don’t think I realized she wasn’t feeling that way herself. I knew she was secretly sneaking food at night and hiding in her room during the first months of Covid, but I don’t think I recognized just how seriously low she was feeling. Reading what she shared was a little hard the first time, because I didn’t realize how bad things were getting for her.

Luckily, her story has a happy “ending.” I can honestly say that keto has transformed her eating habits, confidence and self esteem every bit as much as her physical appearance. Here’s her take on things, maybe the inspiration you need or just interesting to hear about it from a kid’s perspective:

I started the keto diet on August 16, 2021. I decided to try keto so that I would be able to feel more comfortable with myself. A lot of my activities had been canceled, so I had gained weight over quarantine, I had no motivation to do anything, and I sat home eating and laying in bed looking at my phone all day. I didn’t have a speck of confidence in myself. I was always worried about what others thought of me, and I couldn’t make myself talk to new people. I was also being fat shamed and teased about how I wasn’t skinny. I wished I was pretty like some of the other girls in school.

In the first week or two, it was hard. I still had a sweet tooth, and I tried to not cheat as much as I could. I didn’t cheat, and a week later, I stepped on the scale. I had already lost seven pounds! I was motivated to keep going, and I was so excited to be losing weight. Two weeks after I started keto, I had more energy to do things and I had stopped binge eating. After the first few weeks, I would lose two or three pounds a week. I was much more confident in myself, and I was so glad that I had started keto. At first, I was doing keto because of others. My dad and kids at school made me feel that I wasn’t pretty unless I was skinny, but I realized that they were all wrong.

These days, I am on a healthy diet, and my family supports me. I am much happier than I used to be, am back to doing several sports, and have not been in my room as much. I have to admit, the first week or two was definitely hard, but if I can give you any advice it would be to give it a try for a few weeks before you make up your mind. When you get going, you’ll lose your sweet tooth, and won’t really miss eating non-keto food. I have taken two cheat days over the last few months but it was easy to get right back on track the next day. I have now lost thirty-seven pounds, and I plan to keep losing weight. I hope that reading this inspires you to start your own keto story. If I can do it, anyone can!