In past posts I’ve written about how Dom and I were on a primal diet. We’ve been primal for a little more than a year, and we kicked it up a notch by becoming keto-adapted in 2014. Making a switch from primal to a ketogenic diet is very easy, since it just involves maintaining a very low carb meal plan. We were already grain free, and for the most part, starch free, but January 1st began our ketogenic lifestyle.
In the series of photos above, the top right is my before photo. Dom snapped that photo of me last fall before we started on our keto journey. We are still eating a primal diet, but eat very little fruit (if any), moderate protein (about 35 grams per day), high fat, lots of veggies and salads, and great dressings. We have never looked back and I feel even better than I did when we were just primal. Granted, I had a LOT of healing to do over the last year, and I believe that the healing had to happen before I could begin to lose weight.
I no longer weigh myself like I used to. Instead I go by how my body feels and how many dress sizes I’ve dropped. When I first started in January, I was in a size 2x and now I’m currently in a size 16. I don’t expect to stay there very long though. My 16’s are getting loose and I’m already thinking of going back to the thrift shop for more clothes. I went to the thrift shop a few weeks ago and spent about $50 and brought home a great number of treasured items. Topping that list was a 50% alpaca and 50% merino wool Bill Blass coat that I got on sale for $3.00, linen clothing by Banana Republic, 100% wool sweaters, and so many other gorgeous high end clothing…in my new size. I walked out that day with about 10 bags of clothes. It was a great day!
The other thing that has changed about me is my hair. I have wild woman hair, and I’m learning to embrace it. On most days I keep my hair tightly pulled back with a rubber band and/or headband, but recently I let my wild hair down and Dom loved it, wanting me to go out to the movies with him that way. I was mortified. Seriously, my nutty hair has a mind of its own, but I worked through my own discomfort and he enjoyed having a wild woman at his side.
Opening up and sharing photos of myself is another thing that I decided to do as well. I’m usually the person behind the camera, but being that we will open for business in the next few months officially, it would be good for others to at least know what I look like, right?
It all started on Facebook when I posted a photo of my crazy hair recently. I thought everyone would laugh as hard as I did, but everyone
seemed to love my nutty hair. I had purchased a few products for curly hair since my hair was just a frizzled mess.
I put the product in my hair at night, pinned it back out of my face, and in the morning…POOF! I was really mortified and hysterical laughing all at the same time. I took the photo and sent it to Dom at work.
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Well, that started the conversation about letting my hair stay wild.
So here I am, Farmer Jane, growing wild and free…
If you need me, I’ll be in the garden or greenhouse.
You were very pretty then and very pretty now. Read your blog daily and want to give Dom a medal of some kind. Don’t work him to death.
Hi fellow New Mexican,
We shifted his schedule for sure because he’s far too valuable to work to death. š
Thanks for reading!
I love it and think you look great! My daughter and I have wild woman hair too, though we very rarely let it out. I think it’d be too much for the world to handle š Someday though and sometimes we do just let it all go crazy.
Hi Kim,
My hair has changed so much over the years. It used to be very straight, then after having children it started getting wavy, then I lost it to alopecia and was bald for a while, then it came back in different places white. Needless to say, it has been a tumultuous relationship. It took some squirming to get there and even a nightmarish dream, but I think I’ve come to peace with it.
It’s so funny how I didn’t think it was really ‘me’ but I guess it is, and now I look in the mirror most days and start to laugh. I like that I can laugh at myself. š
Oh your hair is wonderful! I have wild woman curls too and was just recently on vacation in Louisiana visiting my sister. The humidity out there gave me more frizz, but man were my curls voluminous and beautiful! The dry weather here in Utah leaves me more limp and lifeless. Since I’m assuming New Mexico is similar to our dry weather here I’d suggest adding a light oil of some kind after you shower and letting it air dry in. It helps a ton with the frizzyness. I personally have been “no poo” for the past two months and have never looked back. Currently I am making my own shampoo from a mixture of castile soap, olive oil, honey, coconut milk and a few drops of whatever essential oil I’m feeling that week. The oil I use after showering is argan oil. I really like the Morrocan oil brand but it is SO expensive that I’m experimenting with grapeseed oil and other oil blends. Anyway, sorry for soliciting, just thought I’d share my experience of learning to love my wild curls and find easy solutions for keeping them somewhat tamed. š
Hi Meagan,
I have the same problem as you with lifeless flat hair. I had no idea my hair could even be more defined until I started using a few hair products. John Frieda Frizz-Ease which I put on at night after a shower, and then in the morning when my hair is dried and out of control curly, I use their hair serum. If I take a shower in the morning and blow dry my hair, it only has a wave to it. Then the frizz kicks in and I just look like a hot mess. I’d rather look like a hot mess now with lots of curls, but I do enjoy some lifeless days too. That sounds funny right?
I’ve tried coconut oil, and other natural oils in my hair, but none really create that definition that the Frieda hair serum does. It’s light and non-greasy. I’ve found that most oils weighed my hair down and then it looked like I hadn’t showered in a month. š