Episode 10 of Fast Keto: How I Lost 120+ lbs with Simple Keto Featuring Best Selling Author Suzanne Ryan @KetoKarma
Click below to listen to episode 10 of Fast Keto!
Join Vanessa the Ketogenic Girl for this inspiring episode as she speaks with Best Selling author and keto Youtuber Suzanne Ryan, also known as Keto Karma! Suzanne lost over 120 lbs following a simple approach to a ketogenic diet. She just released a brand new book entitled Simply Keto and on this episode we discuss how she lost over 120 pounds keeping keto as simple as possible, how she follows keto and makes it work as a mom of a 5 year old daughter and wife to her husband, being a Youtuber and how she overcame food addiction to live an incredibly fulfilling life now sharing her journey to help others do the same!
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Show Notes
Timestamps
- Getting to know the author of Simply Keto, Suzanne Ryan. [00:07:11]
- Suzanne's obstacles when she first started following a ketogenic diet. [00:09:59]
- Exploring the results Suzanne got in the beginning. [00:11:41]
- Unpacking the mechanisms behind the change and the commitment to the change and what is it that keeps people going when change is so hard for so many of us. [00:13:07]
- How did our guest started and what kind of method did she follow? [00:14:21]
- Suzanne's approach to ketogenic lifestyle and how it differs from other approaches. [00:16:48]
- Did Suzanne initially create a caloric deficit? [00:18:51]
- Of all the different things that you tried over the years, what do you think is the one thing that really worked for you? [00:21:24]
- What does an average day of intuitive eating look like? [00:26:58]
- Tips for moms to make ketogenic lifestyle work. [00:29:32]
- What were the psychological shifts that our guest made in order to get away from food addiction? [00:40:51]
- What was something that she found helped to work through the emotions instead of turning to food as a way to mask those feelings? [00:43:05]
- If someone new is coming to keto, what are the top three or four tips that Suzanne would give them? [00:47:05]
- The best purchase she has ever made for keto. [00:48:47]
- What would you put on a billboard for people to see who might be struggling with their health or weight gain? [00:49:46]
- Suzanne describes her book Simply Keto. [00:50:59]
- Her top three favorite recipes from the book. [00:51:57]
- What are some exciting projects or things that she's working on? [00:52:53]
People Mentioned
- Suzanne Ryan https://ketokarma.com/about/
- Brené Brown https://brenebrown.com
Selected Links from the Episode
- Keto Essentials: 150 Ketogenic Recipes to Revitalize, Heal, and Shed Weight by Vanessa Spina. https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Essentials-Ketogenic-Recipes-Revitalize/dp/1628602643
- Subscribe on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/ph/podcast/fast-keto-with-ketogenic-girl/id1344681226?mt=2 or your favorite podcast app.
- Fast Keto with Ketogenic Girl website http://fastketo.libsyn.com/website
- Ketogenic Girl website https://www.ketogenicgirl.com
- Ketogenic Girl on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRbb6xK4GpWtUIc9wxknKTw
- Ketogenic Girl on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Theketogenicgirl/
- Ketogenic Girl on Twitter https://twitter.com/search?q=ketogenic%20girl&src=typd&lang=en
- Ketogenic Girl on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ketogenicgirl/?hl=en
- Suzanne Ryan on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ketokarma/
- Suzanne Ryan on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ketokarma/
- Suzanne Ryan on Twitter https://twitter.com/ketokarma?lang=en
- Suzanne Ryan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZwYmKzjd38pHanRwbpy_A
- Simply Keto on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Keto-Practical-Approach-Low-Carb/dp/1628602635
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Phinney and Volek https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708
Transcript
Vanessa: [00:00:00] Hey guys! Welcome to Fast Keto. I'm your host, Ketogenic Girl.
[00:00:20] Hey Guys! Welcome to Fast Keto. This episode is brought to you by Ketogenic Girl. If you haven't picked up a copy of my brand-new cookbook, Keto Essentials, head to Amazon today it actually is 31% off! It's on sale right now. It is everything that you need to know from a beginner to being advanced keto, about getting the optimal results out of your ketogenic lifestyle. It explains everything about why keto works, how to test, how to interpret results, and lots and lots of keto hacks to get you result quicker. It also has 150 of my most favorite decadent, rich, delicious keto recipes that are so nourishing and are so much fun to cook. Some of my favorite recipes like my keto Pad Thai, Fettuccine Alfredo. Some of my favorite desserts like keto cookie dough. There are so many delicious treats and ways that you can make keto work for you. A lot of easy to find ingredients. I don't put a lot of hard to find ingredients in the recipes and everything. You can find at most supermarkets. I do a lot of traveling and I'm able to make these recipes just with basic ingredients from the store. So, lots of delicious tasty recipes. It's on sale, 31% off. Head to Amazon and look up Keto Essentials and get the cookbook. Leave me a review. I would love love love to hear what you think. And also, tag me if you post any photos of the recipes. It's my favorite thing to see - your creations based on my recipes. So, that's Keto Essentials on Amazon.
Vanessa: [00:01:58] Hey Guys welcome to this episode of Fast Keto. I am absolutely overjoyed to have Suzanne Ryan joining us today. She is someone that I feel privileged to call a friend. Her and I got to connect through this whole incredible journey of being book authors with Victory Belt. I was able to meet her for the first time in San Francisco during my book tour, and then we did a joint book tour together, book signing in Seattle in February. We just had an instant connection and chemistry and obviously a lot in common being book authors in the keto space. But I really really admire Suzanne. I think she is an incredible woman. She has inspired so many people on her keto journey.
[00:02:40] If you don't know about her. She has been on a ketogenic diet since about January of 2015. She lost over 120 pounds altogether from following keto. She had failed at a lot of different methods of losing weight, different diets that she had tried over the years, and keto really completely changed her life. She started sharing her journey and encouraging others with tips and recipes and sharing her story through her YouTube channel under KetoKarma. She also was sharing and continues to share through her Instagram as well.
[00:03:15] She just released a book called Simply Keto which you may know of. It's a fantastic cookbook filled with some super delicious keto recipes. They are really really yummy and nutritious and mouthwatering. Like her Tuscan Chicken that we talked about a little bit in the interview. I think that you'll really enjoy tuning into this episode as we talk about so many different aspects of keto. Everything from being a mom and following a ketogenic diet and having young children. What are some of her best tips for getting over food addiction? What is it that made keto really work for her? What is it about it that really sustain that weight loss for her when she had tried so many different diets?
[00:03:55] So, we talk about everything about keto - getting started on it, how to follow it, what maximizes weight loss, and also the mindset shift that needs to happen in order to do keto successfully. I think that you'll really get so much out of this episode. It's absolutely packed with great tips. You'll have to also check out Suzanne's book Simply Keto on Amazon. It's been one of the top performing books in the keto space so be sure to check that out as well. I hope that you enjoy this conversation with Suzanne and I.
Disclaimer:
A few disclaimers. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice as I am not a qualified healthcare provider. The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only. Ketogenic Girl is not qualified to provide medical advice. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guest or contributors to this podcast.
Prior to beginning a ketogenic diet, you should undergo a full health screening with your physician to confirm that a keto diet is suitable for you and to rule out any conditions or contraindications that may pose risks or that are incompatible with a ketogenic diet. A keto diet may or may not be appropriate for you if you have any kind of health condition whether known to you or unknown, so you must consult your physician to find this out. Anyone under the age of 18 should consult with their physician and their parents or legal guardian.
Vanessa: [00:05:17] Hey Suzanne! It's so good to get to catch up with you a little bit.
Suzanne: [00:05:21] Hey, thanks so much for having me on.
Vanessa: [00:05:22] What's life been like for you since I saw you? I guess the last time was February 5th. I remember the exact date because we had our joint book signing in Seattle.
Suzanne: [00:05:31] Yeah.
Vanessa: [00:05:32] What have you been up to since then?
Suzanne: [00:05:34] So, basically, I just went back home getting back in the swing of things. Olivia is five, my daughter. She keeps me super busy. So, yeah. I just got back to the normal like doing laundry, catching up, organizing things, and then just keeping up with like the b log, and you know Instagram and all the different social channels to connect with everybody now that I'm back home.
Vanessa: [00:05:56] How are you feeling about how the book tour, and everything went?
Suzanne: [00:06:00] I think it went great. I was definitely nervous about it. Public speaking has never been something that I really loved. I actually changed my major in college to avoid it. So, it's kind of comical that I'm like "Okay. Now, I'm going to be doing public speaking like night after night." But it was really great because I think along this journey, I've really had to just face different fears. And then, once I get to the other side of it I'm like "Okay. That really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." It was so awesome to meet so many people and hear so many people stories. It's such a wonderful experience to be able to meet people in person.
Vanessa: [00:06:37] Yeah. I was telling people that it was the most thrilling, and exhausting, terrifying, and like incredible experience ever. Like you feel like a rock star but you're so tired. But like it's so scary but it's just so amazing. Like hugging all these people night after night and like it's such a mix of emotions but overall like "What an experience?" It was so cool that we got to share one of them together doing the last one.
Suzanne: [00:07:04] Yeah, that was really awesome. We definitely have to do that. Let's go around.
Vanessa: [00:07:08] That would be so fun.
Suzanne: [00:07:10] Yeah.
Vanessa: [00:07:11] So, for anyone who may not be familiar with you because maybe they're new to the keto space, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Suzanne: [00:07:19] Sure. My name is Suzanne. I have basically struggled with my weight for the majority of my life. Mostly starting around like middle school. That's actually when I started and stopped my first diet. I had just basically battled my way all my life. Each time I would try something. I really couldn't stick to it very long or I would do it for a little bit and have a little bit of success and then cave and then regaining the weight and then some. I just kind of had this constant like diet of the week thing going on where I was always looking for something else to fix me or to fix the issue. At my highest I actually got up to a little over 300 pounds. I just really got to the point where I really felt like I wasn't living my life and I was sitting on the sidelines. I wasn't able to really participate in things. I just didn't even have the energy or desire to really do very much.
[00:08:13] After my daughter was born and then I had some other things happen in my personal life I was just like "You know what? I'm so tired of taking my life for granted. It's time for me to get healthy and really commit seriously to something." But at the same time, I was really scared because I was like "Well, I've already tried everything, and I can't stick to anything." I really just didn't feel sure of myself about really being able to make the change.
[00:08:38] One day I was actually on [unclear 00:08:39] and I found that somebody was… Like posted a transformation picture of their weight loss with the ketogenic diet. I actually hadn't ever heard of keto before, so I started researching it. I'm like "Okay. This is awesome." There's no sales involved. It seems totally doable. It works on the food addiction side of it. Like cravings that you normally have when you eat like a high sugar high carb diet. I was like "All right. This is something that I'm going to try. The last thing that I haven't tried. Let's see how it goes."
[00:09:12] After I did some research, I started. I actually started and stopped this as well. I think that's when I really started realizing that on top of having a new lifestyle I needed to really invest in the mindset needed to make a lifestyle change sustainable. I think what happened at that time was my really good friend's son passed away and he was only two years old. Just seeing him have his life taken away I just was like "Okay. I am not going to take my life for granted anymore. It's time for me to really get serious. I have this healthy body besides what I've done to it. It's go time. I'm not wasting another day." And so, I restarted keto again in like mid-January 2015.
Vanessa: [00:09:59] Sorry, what made you stop when you were doing it?
Suzanne: [00:10:02] I think it was just like this typical thing of like stopping eating the foods that not only did I like but I was just used to. Like quick, cheap, convenient foods - just everything boxed and ordered out. It's just like all the stuff that was kind of like what I grew up on. So, I think it was just like breaking the ties with that. I was just so used to when I would go out I would get burger and fries, or I would get… Almost everything that I would order had carbs. So, I think it was just like that initial thing of really committing to change the way I was eating. I think in order to really do that successfully long term you have to work on the mindset as to why you're doing it so that instead of it looking like a punishment it's actually like an investment into your life and your health.
Vanessa: [00:10:47] So you found giving up just some of those foods -- like you said you grew up with those convenience foods that was kind of the biggest obstacle for you when you first got into it?
Suzanne: [00:10:56] Yeah. I think because these foods just make you crave them. It's just like I wanted those food so bad. I definitely had food addiction. Hands down, I was thinking about food and craving food all the time before I started keto. Once I kind of knew that keto would really help unlock that and really make the cravings go away, then I really just kind of decided "Okay. I need to just invest in the process." I know I'm going to have two or three weeks of a little bit more struggle on getting adapted of maybe craving these things, but I just need to break through it. It's just a detox from sugar. But once I got pass it I was like "Oh my gosh, I'm never going back." I feel amazing. I have all this energy. I'm losing weight. I'm like "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
Vanessa: [00:11:41] When you first started, were you getting a lot of those results at the beginning or was it not as much?
Suzanne: [00:11:47] Yeah. Maybe it was. Honestly in the first year was like really study down which was interesting because a lot of times other things that I had tried like it was like up, down, up, down. But in the first month I lost 21 pounds. Then, by the end of the first year I had lost exactly like 100 pounds.
Vanessa: [00:12:02] It's amazing. It was just really steady and consistent but then you still were kind of like I'm getting these great results, but like habits were creeping back in or…?
Suzanne: [00:12:11] Well, honestly like with just switching over, I think the best thing that I did this time is that instead of changing way too many things at once which in the past I would like sign up for a gym, change a new diet plan, I would make all these commitments of things that I was going to do. And then it was so overwhelming because I was changing so much at once that I would just kind of give up. So, with this my very initial start was stopping drinking soda because before the soda was pretty much like the main thing that I drink. And then after I had mastered that then I moved on to like full-pledged keto. I didn't go to the gym. I didn’t work out or anything the first year just because I wanted to focus on getting my eating habits under control. So, breaking things off into smaller chunks and really just mastering those things and making them really a part of my life instead of like a temporary fad was like the best thing that I did because then everything that I did was not just a temporary thing, but it was a lifestyle change.
Vanessa: [00:13:07] Right. I'm so interested in just kind of unpacking the mechanisms behind the change and the commitment to the change and what is it that keeps people going when change is so hard for so many of us. For me, doing keto was doing the exact opposite of everything I had ever done before. It's such a shift to do the opposite of everything you've been living with for so many years. It's normal to maybe hit an obstacle as you're doing all these new things like you said because it's overwhelming when your doing too much as opposed to just focusing on aspect at a time. I really like that.
Suzanne: [00:13:41] Yeah. I think it's just breaking it down to more sizable chunks. For me, I was like "Okay. I have 120 pounds to lose and that seems awfully intimidating but if I just like break it down to one pound at a time and like one day at a time and just going through it and just breaking it down a little bit, it didn't seem so huge." And then next thing you know when you've adapted these just livable lifestyle changes that you've specifically done that you can stick to them then it's like you're better off for the long term because you don't have anything… If you're going to change something that you're not going to stick to its only going to yield temporary results. So, it's like having those changes really be something that was long term was really the key.
Vanessa: [00:14:21] Did you start out by measuring things, and tracking things, following sort of a certain amount of carbs per day and protein? How did you get started and what kind of method did you follow?
Suzanne: [00:14:32] Yeah. For me, what I did was the first year of the entire first year I tracked my macros. I didn't track my blood ketones or glucose at first because again that was just something that like… I knew I want to eventually, but I didn't want the stress of like obsessing over any numbers or anything so the only thing that I did at first was I did track all of my calories and food the very first year.
[00:14:57] The reason that I did that was because I really had no foundation of nutrition. I grew up with mosly--. Just like my dad was like a single dad and he really didn't know how to cook. We just didn't… Nutrition wasn't something we talked about. I literally had to do this tracking so that I could actually find out what was in foods. Like I literally could not tell you what were starchy vegetables and what weren’t. Or like how many--. I just had no idea. To me it was like it's pizza. Like pizza for dinner, ice cream for dessert, soda along with it. Like that was… So, really for me that was kind of school for me, figuring out what nutrition was odd specific foods.
[00:15:37] Also, what's really good for me because I definitely had an issue with overeating before so I kind of really needed that a little bit of guidance as to what is a normal portion size? What should I be eating? It's kind of a… It was a great learning experience. I knew that tracking wasn't going to be something that I was going to do forever because it gets really old after a while for me. I know some people really like being able to track or maybe that works for them but for me I was like "All right. This is a learning experience. There's something that I want to get out of this. And then I want to have this be a more just natural day to day thing."
[00:16:13] So, that's exactly what I did. I tracked for a year. I think about six months in, I started tracking my blood ketones and glucose. And then I was kind of playing around with different macros to see how things were affecting me and kind of started geeking out into it and researching it more. Then I was really interested and intrigued. So yeah, but you know my whole thing is like keeping it simple, keeping it livable, not obsessing about things, and just having it be really fluid, like really peaceful and easy to stick to.
Vanessa: [00:16:48] Absolutely. I really think that. One of the things I love so much about your approach is how healthy it is not just in the foods that you eat but mentally very very healthy. I've learned that from spending time with you. You have such a great way of approaching it that is just about feeling good in your body and not worrying too much and not obsessing too much about numbers and things and just making it kind of a focus on loving yourself and intuitive eating. I just really love your approach and I love your message. That's one of the reasons I really wanted to have you on the show because you have so much to share with people about that.
[00:17:24] I thought it was really cool when we did our signing together because you focus so much on that message. I was focusing more a little bit on biologically, physiologically, what's happening in the body and why keto works because that's what helped me - was understanding why. So, then when I go back to say thinking about something that I used to do for like… I was really addicted to sweeteners. Like the natural ones. When I would be tempted to have some then I would remember the reason why it interferes with my progress. Just knowing the reason all of a sudden was like "Oh, yeah. No. I remember now. That's why I'm not doing it." We talked about how we had such a cool complimentary approach to things.
Suzanne: [00:18:03] Yeah, that was so awesome.
Vanessa: [00:18:05] Yeah. I really love how, like I said healthy your approach is to all of this and how you've made it such a natural amazing thing. It's really cool when you test your ketones and blood sugar but absolutely isn't necessary for people, right. So, I think that if it's something that you want to do and learn more about how your body reacts to things, do it. But you are getting great results even without testing.
Suzanne: [00:18:28] Yeah, definitely. And I always say that. It's just kind of one of those things where like don't let it deter you. If you're not interested in testing, you'll know by how you feel, how your energy level is, how your appetite is, how your clothes are fitting. You really don't need to. It's just I was so intrigued. I'm like "This is so amazing. I want to know everything about it." But, yeah. I think there's definitely a level of involvement that each person will find their own desire for.
Vanessa: [00:18:51] Absolutely. Were you also creating like a caloric deficit in that? I'm just interested in how different people approach weight loss because you've been so incredibly successful with your weight loss.
Suzanne: [00:19:04] Yeah. Definitely during that first year when I was tracking, I did 20% caloric deficit and stuck to that. And then after the first year, now it's just intuitively eating off of like pretty much what I learned. I think again, I think that was just something that was really important for me. And maybe, now looking at it, maybe I wouldn't even have had to do as much as 20% for like a caloric intake just because as you know when you switch to keto your appetite stabilizes. You're not constantly craving food. I think pretty naturally even for people who don't want to track, you'll find that you're not as hungry as you were before and that your appetite really is satisfied, and you still have a lot of energy to do things. But really, I think the main thing for me out of that first year was just tracking and getting that foundation of what was in the foods I was eating.
Vanessa: [00:19:53] Right. And like you said there's something called appetite correction, which naturally happens where you become so in tune with your body and listening to it that your body is so satisfied from getting so many real nutrients in real food that suddenly you notice what actual hunger is versus manufactured appetite or those kinds of things and you really tune into that which is so cool.
Suzanne: [00:20:16] Yeah. For sure.
Vanessa: [00:20:18] Now what does keto do for you now? Now that you've had so much success with gaining so much health, what's your mindset with it now?
Suzanne: [00:20:28] You know I think it's just helped me really be able to fully live and enjoy my life to the fullest. I think before I always say I was like living on the sidelines of my life. There's so many things that I struggled with, and you know I definitely am very like open and honest about the fact that there still struggles. Losing weight just doesn't fix everything like I thought that it would. I definitely had a lot of years of having low self-esteem and anxiety and things like that and stuff that I still continue to work on and try to improve but definitely like keto has just really given me a very - I always say that it's like a peaceful state. I have a better relationship with food. My anxiety levels are a lot better than they used to be. My energy level has increased. I just feel so good and so healthy. It's just nice to really be able to feel like I'm eating in a way that supports optimal health for my body.
Vanessa: [00:21:24] Right. And why is it do you think at the end of the day that of all the different things that you tried over the years that this is the one thing that really worked for you?
Suzanne: [00:21:33] I think the main thing really is just the food addiction aspect of it. I think staying away from sugar and carbohydrates that keep you in that constant craving cycle.
Vanessa: [00:21:43] Yes.
Suzanne: [00:21:44] I was literally hungry and thinking about food all the time. Now, I still enjoy food and making different recipes and stuff, but it doesn't rule my life anymore. It's just kind of like "Yeah. That was a good. Move on. Let's do other stuff." Before I was like "All right, what are we doing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?" I'm literally with… If we would order any food before I started keto I would open up that to-go boxes or whatever delivery boxes to see which box had like the most food in it so that that was mine. I was so obsessed with food. So, to be able to just kind of like have it be this is something that's going to like nourish my body, give me some energy, and it tastes good, and I don't have the lag afterwards or the sugar crash. Good to go. Let's go to the park or let's go do these other things. It's just so nice.
Vanessa: [00:22:28] Yeah. It definitely brings in this whole dimension of freedom around food. It's such a deadly combination when you think about it - when you're eating foods like you said that perpetuate those addictive cycles because they make your blood sugar rise and then crash which then makes you focus and think about food so that you can bring your blood sugar back up. I mean that's a physiological thing that's happening. It's not because you're personally obsessed with food or whatever. It's because you are in a body that craving and telling you you need to have carbs or sugar to bring your blood sugar back up because you crash so low. It's really physiological and you combine that with not giving the body essential amino acids and essential fatty acids that it needs and it's in this nutrient deprived state you know you're… No matter what you do you're going to be thinking about food. Your body is going to make you think about food. You know that combination. And then to go from that to having stable blood sugar because you're not eating those high sugars like you said and also nourishing your body so well that your body finally goes "Ah, thank you."
Suzanne: [00:23:29] I know.
Vanessa: [00:23:30] I am satisfied. I am good. And like you said, you can go to the park and move on with life and not be obsessing about it which so many of us have experienced that feeling and how un-freeing it is.
Suzanne: [00:23:42] And you know I just really felt trapped in my body. I was so uncomfortable. My late twenties, like getting out of bed with my joints popping. I was just miserable. I just felt like my body was like "Okay. This is the road you're going down." And to really be able to hop out of bed now and run around… A lot of people say, "Isn't it a sacrifice having to not eat these foods?" And I'm like "No. Let me tell you what the sacrifice is. The sacrifice is being in my late twenties and not being able to move my body." That's sacrificing something. That's sacrificing my life. In this new lifestyle, this is me investing in my health and taking care of myself and really unlocking my best potential.
Vanessa: [00:24:27] I love that. I love that. I can see how you have that mindset of "I enjoy food but it's fuel." I remember we went to dinner after the book signing and just the way you order like that beautiful Halibut and you were just enjoying healthy food. And then you know there was so much more to life going on. Life is so much bigger just outside of what we were having for dinner or whatever. Whereas I know there was a point when things might have been very different for both of us if we were going to be there at a different time in our lives. It's just really really cool.
Suzanne: [00:25:00] We still literally plan our vacations around eating places. And I'm like "What?" It's just insane how food focus we were before. My gosh! Like we literally planned our vacations around food.
Vanessa: [00:25:15] I love Jim Gaffigan says like holidays are basically just opportunities to eat in different places.
Suzanne: [00:25:22] I know, right.
Vanessa: [00:25:25] But yeah, there can be a lot more to holidays than that. I think he was specifically referring to a trip he just did to Disneyland which can revolve around that a lot.
Suzanne: [00:25:34] Yeah.
Vanessa: [00:25:35] Hey guys, just taking a really quick break to talk about the 28-day Ketogenic Girl Challenge. If you're interested in doing a ketogenic diet for yourself, it's a great place to start. I teach you everything about how to follow a keto diet to get yourself into nutritional ketosis. It includes 28 days of meal plans. It comes with weekly shopping lists, how to interpret results, how to test yourself, a complete guide to getting started on keto.
If you've been keto for a while and you're just not getting the results that you want to in terms of your health or fat loss or you are brand new to keto, the 28 day challenge is a great option because it also comes with my free coaching and support in our members Facebook group and you can post any questions that you have about the meal plans, about keto, and I am there supporting you. We have an amazing community in our group. I like to call it the happiest place on Earth because everybody in there is so excited about following keto, about having found something that really works well for them. Everyone in there is just so kind, caring, generous, and supportive. It's a really fun place to be and hang out. If you like more info on it, you can find it at ketogenicgirl.com. It's the 28-day Ketogenic Girl Challenge. Now, back to our interview.
Vanessa: [00:26:58] I'm curious, just before we move on a little bit from actual food… But so many people I'm sure want to know. What does an average day of intuitive eating look like for you?
Suzanne: [00:27:07] So, generally I'm not a huge breakfast person. What I'll do is if I don't feel like eating breakfast, sometimes I'll do coffee with either heavy cream or almond milk or some type of alternative. And then I'll do maybe some like MCT oil if I just want a little bit of extra fat, little energy boost. But if I do eat breakfast in the morning, normally very simple and easy because mornings are super busy here. I have my five-year-old getting up, getting her dressed, getting her ready for school, you know getting my husband ready. They are second kids, right. Sometimes I'll just steal scrambled eggs and some avocado. I just keep things very easy in that sense.
[00:27:48] For lunch I do a lot of like bun less sandwiches whether that be a bun less burger or like by bun less anything - chicken sandwich with avocado and bacon. And then I normally try to add green cruciferous vegetables or salad every meal. That's kind of something that I would have on the side. And then for dinner, it's generally like chicken, steak, some kind of protein, and then a side like--.
Vanessa: [00:28:13] I know you love fish.
Suzanne: [00:28:14] Yeah, I do. I do. Yeah, I do a lot of fish. It's funny though. I usually order out fish because my husband does not eat fish. He doesn't like the smell of it when you cook in the house. I usually only have that when I go out.
Vanessa: [00:28:26] Even in San Francisco?
Suzanne: [00:28:28] I know. I know.
Vanessa: [00:28:29] I mean the most fresh seafood there.
Suzanne: [00:28:31] Before living in San Francisco we lived in Florida, so we had tons of like fresh seafood there too. He just can't stand like even the smell of it. When I'm cooking at home, normally I don't really cook it. But every once in a while, I sneak it in there and then do some air freshener in the house before he gets home. But yeah, I mean usually just like that with some kind of a side. We'll do mashed cauliflower, or we'll do asparagus, or brussels sprouts. I love brussels sprouts. I just keep it very easy. It just kind of makes it nice.
[00:29:00] My daughter mostly eats the same thing that we do but sometimes has a little bit like higher carb side. Having somebody in the house that is not fully keto is actually pretty easy to do. I think a lot of people are like "Well, aren't you making multiple meals?" I'm like "No. Absolutely not." Maybe I'll make one other side and it's really easy to do even with company coming over. We basically eat the same thing because like who doesn't normally eat like a protein and a vegetable? And then, the only difference is maybe they'll add a different side. It's very easy to do with company or with people in the house who are not keto.
Vanessa: [00:29:32] That's what I was going to ask you is, you know so many of the women that you and I both get to interact with all the time are moms. I think their biggest question or struggle is how do I make this work with the family. I know that you make it work, so what are some tips that you have maybe for moms out there?
Suzanne: [00:29:48] Honestly, I would just say like I just try to make it to where it's really simple. I mean with Olivia, if we make chicken or steak she eats that. Then she eats like a little bit of a vegetable. If she wants something like sweet potato or something that's like a little bit higher in carbs, I just make like a single portion size of that for her. Again, if we have company, and if they ask for -- like a normally what I'll say is "Hey, as you know we eat keto. Is there any side alternative that you'd like since you're not…?" I try to be accommodating. If someone says, "Oh yeah, I would like to have potato or something like that." Then I'll make that for them. But really, it's only adding on like one side alternative which doesn't take any time at all. But nine times out of ten I find that most people are like "Oh my God I love the food that you make. I can't believe that this is so good and healthy." Even at different parties we'll have food out and the keto stuff is always gone even sometimes before the traditional foods.
[00:30:45] So yeah, I mean my suggestion is keep it simple. I challenge Olivia. It sometimes can be really difficult with kids because they can be really picky eaters. I mean if you go to restaurants, the kids' menu seriously makes me want to cry because we have to start teaching our kids about what are healthy choices. The kids' menus are like chicken tenders and fries, corn dogs and fries, grilled cheese and fries. Why is these the only options that you have for kids?
[00:31:09] A lot of times even with eating out we'll order off of the adult menu or just share food with her. I find that just like exposing your kids to different foods. Saying "Hey, let's try this." Because sometimes if it's green they're like "Oh, I don't want it." So, I'll say "Okay listen, I want you to take one bite and you can try it. Then if you don't like it it's okay but I want you to at least try it." And we'll do that multiple times. Maybe sometimes she'll say like "No, I don't like it." But then sometimes I'm like really surprised because she'll try it the first time and not like it and the second time and she'll be like "Oh, okay. I like it." and then ask for it. So, it's like sometimes I think it's just offering multiple times for your kids to just try things.
Vanessa: [00:31:48] What was that thing in school where…?
Suzanne: [00:31:50] Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, at her school they had a day where they were talking about food which was great. They were just talking to the kids about what items are healthy and what's not healthy. And so, they had all these different things from like candy to bread to vegetables and fruit. When I came in - the teachers all know that I'm keto - and so I mean teacher was like "So, we did the food sorting today. Olivia was the only one in the class that put bread in the not healthy pile." I was like "That's so funny."
Vanessa: [00:32:23] Proud momma moment.
Suzanne: [00:32:24] I know. I was like "Yes girl!" I think it's kind of cool that way. I let her be okay and I let her. I don't have her obsess about food because I don't want her to be in the opposite. I have friends especially in California whose parents were very very health focused and so they didn't have any other foods that I grew up with - all these fruit roll ups and gushers. Oh my gosh, I ate the worse non-nutritious food. I was like the most popular kid at the table when it came to lunch time because like everyone wanted to trade with what was in my lunch box.
[00:32:56] But I have a friend, a dear friend of mine whose mom was really health focused, never let her have like anything outside of what she thought was healthy. What she ended up doing was my friend was like sneaking food, hiding food, buying food out, eating it and then like stuffing the wrappers so her mom didn't see. I know that it can go too far on the other side so what I try to do with Olivia is give her the foundation, give her some healthy options, and let her choose between those healthy options.
[00:33:22] And then also let her be a kid and every once in a while enjoy things. For her birthday party, I'm not going to be like "Oh, you can't have the cake with the rest of your friends." I try to just say "If this something that you want to have on occasion, that's okay but we don't use food to mask our emotions. We don't use food as like a reward system." There's just different things that I try to instill in her so that she can have a better and healthier relationship with food than I did.
Vanessa: [00:33:47] I love that. I think it's just really healthy way of looking at it because you want to provide those healthy options but then at the same time if you just get too crazy about it then it's going to be challenging and you might actually cause the opposite effect which we talked about that can happen too if there's too much restriction. Like you said it can go the other way so.
Suzanne: [00:34:08] Yeah. Yeah. I just want her to have kind of like an introduction. And then I'm hoping as she becomes an adult and makes choices, she's better informed to decide like "Okay. Well, I know that this is something that maybe I should have every once in a while." Or maybe she'll end up being keto. I mean we'll see what she decides but at least she has the foundation which is definitely something that I didn't have, and I felt like it would have been really important for me to have.
Vanessa: [00:34:33] Is your husband, I think we're talking about this before that he had done keto in the past. Does he do it with you now?
Suzanne: [00:34:38] Yeah. He didn't start keto with me at first. Then about when I was a couple of weeks into it, then he was like "Wow! You are serious about this. You're doing great." I was talking about it nonstop, so I think he is probably like "Okay. Okay." And then he did really well on it. Lost quite a bit of weight. And then his mom was actually diagnosed with terminal cancer. I think a lot of times in life when some emotional things happen we can kind of revert back to our own ways, and that's something that I think we have to fight for not falling back into.
[00:35:13] It's not something that you just learn and then you just move on. It's like a constant thing that you have to work on. Unfortunately, he kind of end up falling back into some of that old like comfort foods. It's a little bit difficult for him because he works at a software company and they literally shove energy drinks, high carb foods down their workers throats and have them like coding. I mean they just had tons of treats and desserts. They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner served in the place. I think he was just not really at a good place like mentally and struggling with a lot and kind of fell back. But thankfully, he's been doing really well and he's back to keto. He kind of realized that he had a bit of a setback. He's ready to kind of tackle it again.
[00:35:57] I just try to let him figure that timing out on his own because I know for me when I was 300 pounds, all my family members were like "You need to do something about your weight." You can't really have somebody else tell you when you're ready. You have to kind of come to that place on your own. Knowing that, I never really pressure him. I just try to be supportive and say "Hey, how about we do this?" or "Let's do this together." I try to just be really supportive but at the same time to let him come to it on his own.
Vanessa: [00:36:26] I love that. I'm the same with Pete because he still has quite a bit of sugar addiction personally. I'll say things like "I'm making burger tonight. Do you want a bun, or do you want salad?" So, there's like two options. Then, he'll look at me and be like "I'll do salad." Even though he might really want the bun, you know make it with a bun but salad instead of fries. So, he's making those choices himself and he knows that I don't care. He knows I'll be stoked if he chooses the salad or gets the carbs, but you know my dad lost 30 pounds and gained so much health just from going off potatoes and orange juice. Those little things make such a big difference. It doesn't have to be perfectly keto all the time in order to get tons of great health benefits. It's a really good approach too with your family.
[00:37:17] I was really excited today because right before this my dad started sending me these pictures. He's like "Your mom is making your egg muffins from your book." And I was like "Get out of here." I almost fell out of my chair. He sent me pictures. I had to see like actual proof that I posted in Instagram today but it was amazing because my dad's really been leaning into it but I know from my mom she didn't grow up with anything close to keto and change is really hard you know when you've been doing something for a long time. Especially my mom looks great. She's in great shape physically.
[00:37:51] Sometimes when you don't have that direct motivator like I for myself I had food addiction. I was carrying extra weight because of it. I didn't feel good in my body. I had all these motivators. She feels fine. Like my husband, he feels great. He looks slim. What's the motivation you know? So, I think it's a lot harder to make those changes when you don't have some kind of pressing reason or anything. So, when people do make this change like my mom… It's the first recipe that she's made from my cookbook. I was so excited about it. I had to share it because it's so good for people to know I was never pushing it on anyone. Never…
Suzanne: [00:38:27] Right. Even your parents.
Vanessa: [00:38:28] Exactly. I was just saying "Look. This is what I'm doing." I think for my mom it's been her seeing more and more of the research and studies and news articles that have been coming out with a more balanced view that keto is not so extreme, and all this stuff is really actually quite a balanced healthy diet so that stuff really really helps. It's so exciting when your family members get on board.
Suzanne: [00:38:50] Totally. I can so relate to that because--. I think I might have told you about growing up my dad and my brother were like the two main people that we lived with. I saw my mom every other weekend kind of thing but mostly I grew up with my dad and my brother. They ate the same junk and sugar and soda and stuff that I ate that both of them were thin and I was like only one in the house gaining weight every day almost. So, it was really frustrating for me because it's like how am I eating the same foods as everyone but I'm gaining so much weight and like my brother was like thin and popular. I'm like "What the heck?" And so. He was always like lovingly talk to me about… because I know he was worried about me. I mean specially when I was pre-entering 15 pounds. I think everyone was worried about me because you just don't want to see your love one start putting their health at risk. I was really uncomfortable.
[00:39:42] My whole life he's been like the thin one and kind of had everything dialed in. And then I started keto, lost 100 pounds in a year. I got to lose like 120 pounds total and was healthy. And then, when he hit his 30s, he started gaining some weight because he was still like drinking the soda and doing all that stuff. His metabolism is slowing down, and the weight was kind of starting to creep up. I'll never forget he called me one day and he's like "So, can we can we talk about keto?" I'm like "Yes!" I have never thought ever in my life that my brother would be calling me to talk to me about how to lose weight and be healthy. I'm like "This is so great." So, my brother and his wife are now keto. My brother lost like almost 30 pounds. He's like "This is so awesome. It's so easy." And like it's so nice when your family really does. It's like the light goes on and they're like "Oh, I get what you're doing. I get why you're so passionate about this."
Vanessa: [00:40:37] Yes. It's infectious. And then you get excited too because you know all the disease prevention aspects too where you're like I want everyone I love to live as long as possible and not deal with any disease. That's super exciting too.
[00:40:51] I want to get back to food addiction. We talked a little bit about that. I definitely had candy addiction, sugar addiction most of my life, and refined flour products and stuff. I want to talk a bit about part of the equation like you said is eliminating those foods, so you break the physiological cycle but what for you was the psychological shift that you made in order to help you get away from food addiction?
Suzanne: [00:41:17] Yes. I think the psychological shift is something that really I like to talk a lot about now. I think when I started I didn't realize how important it was and then more and more as I let go into it I realize how huge it is because I always say like the most perfect plan in the world isn't perfect at all if you don't have the mindset to stay on track and to really do what you've set out to do.
[00:41:40] I think really taking the time to work through different emotional issues that I was going through, why I was over eating, why I had dependency on food, why a turn to food to deal with different emotions from happiness the sadness to stress, really breaking those down and then working on really seeing the changes I was making as an investment in my life and my health instead of a punishment. That was a huge shift because before it was always like here's this diet. I hate that I'm doing it. I don't really want to do it, but I want to lose weight. I was never really fully in it because I was always feeling like I was in the middle sacrificing something that I didn't really want to do.
[00:42:18] So, really looking at keto as I'm doing this because I want to be healthy. I want to live longer. I want to lose weight. I want to take care of myself. I deserve to be happy and to be healthy. That shift is so important. I think it's something that we all need to talk about more. And you know it's hard because these are hard things to talk about. Like a lot of my friends are like "Gosh, I never knew you were struggling so bad. I never knew that you were so sad." when I share about how/what things I was going through at the time. People are like "You always had like a smile in your face. We had no idea." I think that it's just I really try to encourage people to talk about things even if it's just people like online like Instagram is really great for that. Just sharing how you're feeling, really opening up, and working through those emotions is just so important.
Vanessa: [00:43:05] It is. What was something that you found helped to work through the emotions instead of turning to food as a way to mask those feelings?
Suzanne: [00:43:13] I think part of it was probably just like working through it. When I was feeling really sad about something or going through something, I was actually like talk about it. Make a post. Make a YouTube video. Something where I was just putting it out there of what I was going through and really processing it instead of covering it up. I feel like food was my cover up. I would be stress about something and I would go eat food and just like enjoy the experience of eating instead of thinking about what I was going through. Now, I've learned new ways of dealing with stress and things like that to where I'm "Okay. I'm really worried about something. Okay. Instead of going and eating which is not going to fix anything and then is just going to make me feel bad afterwards, let's come up with a plan." All right. Well, what do I need to do to like make the situation better or to feel less stressed? Or like what can I put into place where this won't happen again? How can I fix the situation? And then having it like an action plan to things that were going on was so much better because I actually fixed the thing that I was worrying about and was better prepared to deal with it and learned that food was actually not really helping anything at all to begin with.
[00:44:16] So, I think it's just learning new ways to manage that because unfortunately with our society, we use food for so many things. It's around every celebration. It's like "You did really good." I remember actually in school, so this just goes so far back. In school, if we read a certain amount of books we got a pizza. Like that was our reward. It was like a pizza. I remember like with Pizza Hut, we would get like little personal pan pizzas like five bucks or something so it's like making it to where food is not a reward or a comfort. That's a work in progress. Sometimes you're stressed, and you find yourself reaching for a peanut butter jar. It's like hold on. Am I actually really hungry? So, it's definitely a work in progress but I think just being aware of it is like the first step.
Vanessa: [00:44:57] Absolutely. I love how you said that you work through a lot of those feelings doing some of your videos because you shared a lot of yourself online with doing that. When we were in Seattle, we were talking about how you loved Brené Brown and how she talks a lot about vulnerability. To be able to do all those videos and share a lot of the posts that you've shared that have really resonated people takes courage to be that vulnerable but then you're able to inspire other people to do that too but I didn't think about it as a way of kind of being therapy for you to work through feelings too.
Suzanne: [00:45:28] For sure. Yeah, I love Brené Brown. She's amazing. I think being vulnerable is something that especially related to your weight is something that's really difficult because there's a lot of shame associated with it. I just remember. I mean I wouldn't even tell my friends. As we'd go shopping they're like "Oh, what size of pants are you looking for?" because they would be trying to help me. I would not say my pant size because I was so embarrassed.
[00:45:51] There is just so many things that I was like so mortified about. I didn't end up like really verbalizing a lot of things that I was going through because I just felt really alone in it. But then the more that I really realized that being vulnerable and really talking about those things was like not only important for me in processing it but so important for so many other people to connect and know that they aren't alone because unfortunately with social media it can be like a bit of a highlight reel where it's like "Look at me. Look at this. Look at my car. Look at my health. Look at my perfect wife. Look at my this and that." where I think really where social media is the most powerful and the most life changing is when we are just ourselves and we talk about the ups and the downs. And the downs are just as important as the ups and talking about the struggles and the things that we're going through.
[00:46:36] Knowing that, like it's okay to have struggles because you can get through them and to be able to just see that life isn't perfect and there's going to be things that we face and challenges that we have that we're not alone and that things really do get better if you work at them. So, I think that that's such an important aspect of really any kind of lifestyle change even if you are not keto. I just think working on that and being open and vulnerable and really like processing the things that you're going through is just so important.
Vanessa: [00:47:05] That's really really powerful. If someone new is coming to keto, what are maybe top three or four tips that you would give them?
Suzanne: [00:47:16] So, I think the number one thing that I always say is like keep it simple and don't overcomplicate it. I think it's really important to do the research and find out exactly what is keto? Why are you eating this way? Give yourself a foundation. I think that's a really important investment so that you know why you're doing this and what your goals are. But then I think it's really important that we don't really make it to where it's a painful process. I've seen some people just really overcomplicate everything or they want every little thing spelled out or they're like making it harder than it has to be.
[00:47:52] Keep things simple. Take things a day at a time. Break things down into smaller chunks. And then the ultimate thing for me is just don't ever give up. Like if you have a day that you have like a setback, it doesn't mean that the rest of the day is ruined or that the rest of the week is ruined, and you can just go you know. Because that's what I used to do. I would be like if I had like a bad breakfast, I'd be like "Well, I kind of ruined the whole day so like lunch and dinner is kind of a pass." And then tomorrow like…
[00:48:16] So, I would say for people like if you have like something for dinner that maybe wasn't on plan or like you had something and he slipped up, immediately the next meal just hops right back on. Don't give yourself up like "Okay. Well then, I'll start next week. I literally put off really sticking to things for years because I was like "Well, wait until Monday because I want to enjoy the weekend." You have to just kind of commit and start now. And so, keep it simple. Never give up. And get yourself the foundation of why you're eating the way you are.
Vanessa: [00:48:47] Those are really really great tips. What is the best purchase you've ever made for keto?
Suzanne: [00:48:53] I would say… I mean one of my favorite things that I just initially read was The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Phinney and Volek. I think that probably just gave me a really great foundation. I think that book kind of helped me really look into a different opinion of having high fat diet. I feel like that was really the thing that really made me challenge what I was taught. Even I went to school for ultrasound and we had like a brief intro of nutrition. I think it was just I needed something to kind of really show me that eating high fat wasn't going to make me have a heart attack. Like it gave me enough where I was "Oh wait, there's actually some legitimate science and research that shows that this is… I've been fearing fat for no reason." So, that was really a great thing for me to really allow myself to feel comfortable and confident in the lifestyle change.
Vanessa: [00:49:46] Absolutely. Now, what would you put on a billboard for people to see who might be struggling with their health or weight gain?
Suzanne: [00:48:53] As corny as it might sound, I think one of the things that I always kind of go back to is like change is possible.
Vanessa: [00:50:00] I love that.
Suzanne: [00:50:01] Because like, yeah. Because I think the thinking for me is with every diet that I tried and failed, constantly gaining weight every year I had really lost hope. So, I think just really knowing that people around you maybe are struggling with the same things or had felt hopeless and to know that like you really can change and you really can make differences in your life that lead you down like a healthier road, I think it's just good to restore faith in people that no matter how many times you tried and failed you really can change your life.
Vanessa: [00:50:31] It's not corny. I think it's really powerful. It's awesome. It's such a good message. I really love that. Tell us about your book Simply Keto. It has been just a runaway success. I absolutely loved seeing how incredibly well it's just been absolutely flying off the shelves so congratulations on all the hard work, I know, that goes into writing a book.
Suzanne: [00:50:56] Thank you.
Vanessa: [00:50:59] But I just been so impressed with how well it's been doing. Yeah, tell us a little bit about it for someone who might not be familiar with the book.
Suzanne: [00:51:07] My biggest goal in writing the book was really to do exactly what the title says. It's to like really simplify things down for people. Basically, it starts off with my story talking about my struggles with weight, talking about different things that I went through in my life and then finding keto and then how things started changing after that, and kind of walks through my entire weight loss journey. And then after that, I talked about what keto is, how to start it, how to test for it, like how to simplify it, how to how to make it livable with like a bunch of just questions that I get a lot from the blog or from email. So, I just kind of answered everything that I most commonly hear to walk people through what are those and how to be successful. And then there's over a hundred recipes. In the back of… just easy family friendly not complicated simple recipes in the back.
Vanessa: [00:51:57] What are your top three favorite recipes from the book?
Suzanne: [00:52:00] So, for breakfast I would say my favorite is cream cheese pancakes that Olivia and I make almost every weekend. Those are definitely like a favorite pancake. It used to be one of my favorite foods. They always made me sick afterwards and I still ate them. I don't know why I did that. When I make them keto friendly, they don't make me sick and they taste delicious. It's great that you can modify and have different recipes of foods that you enjoy just changing the simple ingredients to make it so much better and healthier. I definitely like the pancakes. The chili is definitely one of my favorites that I make a lot.
Vanessa: [00:52:33] Oh yum.
Suzanne: [00:52:34] Yeah. And then the Tuscan chicken is probably my favorite to make when we have company that has like goat cheese and lemon butter wine sauce on top. So, that's definitely one of my favorites as well.
Vanessa: [00:52:46] That sounds amazing. I have to make all those. It sounds so incredible.
Suzanne: [00:52:51] We need to live closer, so we can like make dinner at each other's house.
Vanessa: [00:52:53] I know. That would be so much fun. Like keto meetup dinners and stuff. That would be awesome. It sounds so fun. You've been doing so many exciting things. It's been such an incredible year for you but what are some exciting projects or things that you're working on?
Suzanne: [00:53:08] I just have like a lot of things in the works. I'm trying to… I have a blog where I'm really trying to put more information on there that's helpful for people. We're doing lots of more recipes, you know just easy simple things like that. And then, we've actually… We keep kicking around. My husband and I keep kicking around like doing a podcast as well just to talk also from like the guy's perspective, and as a couple what things are like.
Vanessa: [00:53:32] That would be cool.
Suzanne: [00:53:34] Yeah. So, like we have a lot of things kind of in the works. There's some secret stuff coming up too, but you know everything is just going... Yeah, I know. So, yeah. I mean everything is just going really good and I just feel really thankful to be able to be in the space to help people. Especially, it's so nice for it to be something that… like I totally understand the struggle. I can relate so much to the people who are going through things. I'm sure you totally can feel that. It's just so nice to be able to get back to something that we struggle with on our own and that we totally understand.
Vanessa: [00:54:07] I totally do. I remember one of the first posts that I saw. I remember Jimmy Moore had done a post about meeting up with you and I hadn't known him for meeting him in person. And then, I think you did this post. I was like looking through your feed. This is like maybe a year or two ago and you just talked about so candidly like how uncomfortable you've been to this like really uncomfortable phase in your life and now you're out of it. I completely related to it. I think that's why you have such an incredible response from people. You're so candid about your journey and your feelings. It's just been so helpful to so many people. I know that people can gain so much from following you and from all that you do to share your journeys. So, thank you for all that you do for the community. You're so responsive to people, so kind, so loving. People can really feel that from you, so it's been a privilege to get to know you and get to know you more and everything. So, I'm excited for all these projects, secrets, and other things coming from you. People can find all your stuff at Keto Karma mostly?
Suzanne: [00:55:14] Yeah. So, my blog is ketokarma.com. And then on every other social media, it's just @ketokarma. Facebook, Instagram. And then YouTube, my YouTube channel is under Keto Karma as well. So, I kept it the same across the board to make it easy.
Vanessa: [00:55:30] Yeah, that's great. Well, thank you so much for being here with me today and being here with all of us. It was super fun to chat with you about your story and everything you've been up to you in the past little while. You shared so much great information for people, so thank you.
Suzanne: [00:55:43] Thank you so much.
Vanessa: [00:55:44] Thank you guys so much for tuning in to today's episode. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. I always have such an amazing time whenever Suzanne and I get to connect. She is such an inspiring woman and I kind of want to be her when I grow up. I don't know about you, but she just has such an incredibly healthy approach to life, to living, to being a mom, to enjoying a keto lifestyle, and to health. I really just love every time that I get to learn things from her because she is truly inspiring and amazing. So, if you don't follow her already be sure to follow her on Instagram under Keto Karma. I think probably on Facebook as well. Be sure to check out her book Simply Keto.
[00:56:24] I want to just let you guys know all about the 20-day challenge. If you'd like more information on getting started with keto and you would like to have my free support and coaching check out the 28-day Ketogenic Girl Challenge. It is all at ketogenicgirl.com. Be sure to send me any messages over Facebook. If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to answer any about the challenge. It's a great note following basis to start off with. Try keto out for yourself and then make tweaks depending on how the program is working for you but it's a great place to start with a really supportive community around you. You can check out more information about it at ketogenicgirl.com.
[00:57:06] If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a rating, a review. I would absolutely love to read it. I hope that you guys have a fat filled week. I'm looking forward to joining yo