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Stress

 

Okay, let's bring in some science about keto and stress.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced when the body perceives a stressful situation. It doesn't matter if that stress is a physical threat (somebody chasing you with a sharp knife) or a perceived threat (you’ve left your Christmas shopping to the last minute and cannot find a parking spot).

Cortisol is an important hormone and we cannot live without it.

However, sometimes it is produced in excess for a variety of reasons.

When it is produced in excess, it triggers a cascade of events.

Instead of the body using protein for repair and growth, in a state of excessive cortisol the body converts dietary protein to carbohydrate, which then provides an insulin response (we're trying to avoid too many of these on a ketogenic diet).

The insulin response stops the body from being able to access its own body fat for energy. This can all happen without much of a change in your blood glucose and is how so many people can be getting great blood glucose and ketone readings on a ketogenic diet but not get any traction with losing body fat.

Now most of you probably have the yawns about now and would like me to hurry up and get to the dang coaching tip! And here it is - change your response to stress. The way to do that is to improve the condition of the nervous system by employing stress reduction strategies.

I fully realise I just lost half of you who are thinking, ugh, I take time for myself, I pray, I get a regular massage, etcetera. When I say that we need to employ stress reduction techniques I’m not referring to ANY of those things. I’m referring to a scientifically researched strategy called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. It’s a form of meditation that is just one of the many powerful tools we can use to reduce our cortisol production. There's nothing woo-woo or religious about it. It's very much about learning how to spend some time in the present moment without judgment and without resentment.

There are a LOAD of great resources to help you get the gist of mindfulness (and i'll pop a link to one of them below - no affiliation at all, it's just good). But one important thing i want to point out is that this strategy will only cost you 10 minutes a day.

10 minutes.

We can all manage that no matter how busy we are.

Clients Love Ketogenic Lifestyle Coaching!

Whether part of a limited time group or continuing month-to-month coaching, our coaching clients have great things to say about their coaching experiences!

Coaching is so WORTH it! Katrina was my coach & she gave me the little push I needed to succeed in my journey towards my goals. The support was so helpful in learning about fasting & guiding me through as I did my first fast & several others.

If you add up what you spend on Starbucks or beauty products, you can afford coaching. Think of it as an investment in your health...YOU are worth it! I’d rather pay for coaching than Dr bills & prescription meds.

Gina L.

Ketogenic Lifestyle Coaching has changed my life. This is not something I say lightly. I went from prediabetic, obese, and frustrated from 40 years of failed diets and “I will start on this new diet on Monday” to normal weight, perfect blood glucose, amazing energy, and some bonuses like my allergies are gone, my skin looks 15 years younger, and chronic digestive issues are a thing of the past. More importantly, with the support of my coach I have stopped dieting and started living!

Sharon F.

I have the best coach ever!  Jessyca has helped me in so many ways!  Yesterday was a milestone! 50 pounds lost and the lowest I’ve weighed in seven years! I’m done from a size 1X to a size 10 in six months!  I’m not done with my keto journey yet, but oh the work I have had to put in. This has not been easy! At all! I have had to text Jessyca a zillion times with things that make me want to binge and fall off of the deep end. I’ve had to learn to deal with the reason I had become overweight in the first place and how not to go back to that place again. I've had to fight through feeling like a problem and also feeling 'less than', both feelings that cause me to binge. All of those contributed to who I was before. Our weekly phone calls are the highlight of my week! They deal with the 'why' I got this way and the behaviors that lead me down the path to that person I was. Now, though, I feel like my outside is beginning to match my inside, the person God made me, and that’s an amazing feeling! As for my goal, I’m getting closer to fitting into a dress for my sons wedding! With my understanding, inspirational and amazing coach’s help, I know I can do this! I thank God for Jessyca and for His work through her!  

Aleisha B.

Jessyca is my “Metabolism Whisperer.”  With her help, encouragement and wisdom, I have lost over 60 pounds since March, 2018.   When I started this journey, it was all about losing weight, but let me tell you what I have GAINED through working with her...confidence in myself and my abilities to set and reach measurable goals.  I am able to play with my daughter again.  I can RUN again!  When I started keto, I couldn’t even walk around the block without feeling defeated.  I have gotten rid of depression and anxiety and addressed disordered patterns of eating and thinking that have haunted me since childhood.  I have gotten off of two medications (for high blood pressure and an anti-epileptic that had become toxic to my liver).  Jessyca has helped me weather so many changes in such a short time...selling my house, a cross country move, a career change, supporting a loved one with metastatic cancer, navigation of unhealthy relationships with people and with food.  Jessyca has been an invaluable partner and inspiration to me on this journey.  She holds me accountable.  She helps me identify disordered behaviors and helps me find new ways of looking at things.  I am fitting into clothes and sizes I haven’t worn in 20 years!  When I think about my experience with keto & Jessyca, it’s with profound gratitude, because I really feel as if I gained my LIFE back.  I am a happier person and mother.  Jessyca is knowledgeable, resourceful, empathic and she will be in the trenches with you helping you reach your goals every day.  You will definitely lose with keto, but you will gain so much more than you ever imagined with her coaching.

Rachel J.

I want to give a shout out to my Ketogenic Lifestyle Coach, she has been amazing at helping me continue the journey and meet my goals. Thank you for all of your help and wisdom! Getting a coach to help me has been my favorite choice of self care so far!

Jennifer F.