A Mom of Two Active Toddlers Tries the Keto Diet for Us! Here's Her Diary

I used to be skinny, just a little over a hundred pounds. Then I got pregnant twice in three years, and I found myself having a hard time shedding off the extra weight I gained. After a recent back injury that I got from, well, lifting my active kids who are both heavy for their age, the doctor advised that weight loss could help prevent aggravate my back injury further.  

That’s why I ended up saying 'why not' when I was asked to try the Ketogenic “Keto” Diet by Fit Food Manila. You’ve probably heard about the Keto Diet, and what makes it an attractive prospect – the meals are low in carbohydrates but are high in fat. It makes the body go into ketosis. Here's how WebMD describes the process: "When it doesn't have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. As part of this process, it makes ketones."

Like any diet, Keto has its supporters and critics. I am keeping an open mind obviously because I took the diet! Ryan Serrano, Fit Food Manila’s general manager, however, points out that the key to Keto is making sure that the fat you put in your body is the right kind.

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That’s why trying the diet with a meal delivery service like Fit Food Manila, which has two seasoned chefs and a nutritionist in its team, is a good idea. You learn about the right kind of fat, but you don’t worry about the portioning (or the cooking).

According to Serrano, “Each [Keto] meal has 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. It has no grain, sugar, honey, rice, bread, or pasta. The 5% carbohydrate content are net carbs, meaning they do not include fiber.” 

This is important: The Keto diet is not recommended for pregnant and lactating mothers, underweight individuals, and people with specific medical conditions. Make sure you get a clearance from your doctor first to see if you can do it. 

I got the large size of Fit Food's Keto meals (scroll down to the bottom of the article for price and contact details). I thought it would be nice to give you an “emoticon” diary of my experience. (Click the right arrow on the Instagram photo to find the Keto meals I had.)

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Day 1

• It was a day full of physical activities. I had to sweep and mop the floors of the house today plus it was also playground day. I thought it was a good way to test if I was going to get hungry or not.
• All the meals (except for the snacks) came in microwaveable containers (they look sturdy enough to reuse around the house).

• It doesn’t taste like diet food! The Chinese- style pork tausi spareribs with buttered cabbage was my favorite today. It was a generous serving that I gave some of the food to my kids, and they liked it! I wondered how I’d feel by the end of the week without rice. 

Day 2 

• The food was so delicious and the portions are larger than what I typically would have. It got me wondering whether I would lose weight!
• Okay, I craved for carbs, and I cheated with a sandwich. I was still busy doing household chores and running after the kids.

Day 3

• I did my usual chores at home, but I had to leave the house for a dental appointment. I forgot to bring my Keto snacks!
• I felt weak today, so I cheated by eating a small chocolate bar…after the dental appointment. 

• The emoticon represents the day itself but must mention: The Vegetable Kare Kare on Garlic Buttered Cauli Rice was amazingly good. Yes, it came with bagoong! 

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Day 4 

• Despite the cheating, I am starting to get the hang of having no rice or any carb. 
• I walked for 1.5 hours, and I didn’t get tired or hungry. 
• Confession: The food portions still worried me – they were big! So I haven’t been finishing the meals. I’ve shared them with my husband and the kids. Yikes.  

• I can’t believe this is “diet” food! I mean I just had Thai green Chicken curry with extra coconut milk. 

Day 5-6

• I got so curious if I lost weight despite all the big meals I ate. So I weighed on day 5, and I lost 1 pound! I think that motivated me enough to stop my carb cravings. These two days, I did not cheat even though I had a lot of physical activity today. 

Day 7

• I weighed again, and I now lost a total of 2.5 pounds in seven days! I honestly thought I gained 3 pounds or more because I felt I was eating more the whole week. And to cap off that one-week diet, one of the meals was Garlic Buttered Cauli Rice Tapsilog. It made me so happy that this was diet food. 

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I was glad I got to try it. My experience was so encouraging that — news flash — I decided to continue the diet. Yup, there's the verdict for you. 

Fit Food Manila posts its menu one week in advance on its Instagram and Facebook accounts. First-time clients will have to fill-up an information sheet, which will ask for their delivery address, preferred delivery time, special requests (these may have additional charges), and allergies. Once payment has been made, you’re all set. 

There are 5- and 7-day packages available in Fit Food Manila’s Keto Program. The meals are available in medium or large sizes. The cost per day for three meals and two snacks in large size: P745 plus P50-P80 delivery fee (depends on area). Your food is delivered the night before. 

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