iDEAL

This week we interviewed Lynn Olsen, or the person behind @ketodutchie, an Instagram page with over 5K followers and loads of Keto tips and delicious recipes to support the dutch Keto community in their journey. She shares the changes and challenges in this LCHF diet and her weapon to kill those damn cravings (Hint: it's chocolate...)

Hi Lynn, thanks for this interview. We love to see all these initiatives to support the upcoming Keto community in Europe, and especially in the Netherlands.

But tell us, how did you find out Keto? How's your journey so far?

When I was younger I could eat whatever I wanted and never gain weight. When I moved out my parent's house I didn't even know how to cook and I just ate snickers for breakfast lunch and dinner and not gain at all! But 2 years ago I just started gaining weight without any cause. But I was used to eating everything I wanted so when I finally saw that I was gaining weight I already weigh 93 kg and I am 1.83m so that's way too much.

That's when the dieting journey started. I started with Cambridge diet but the recipes were so difficult that after losing 5-6 kilos I just gained them back again. And after that, I started 'Power Slim' and that's also a diet that's low-carb but with this diet, you don't have to cook at all. And that was easy but I guess too easy for me. I was done eating packaged food and I gained all the weight back. And again I weigh 93 kg. After a bit of researching on the internet, I saw this Keto stuff. And I thought, hmmm maybe this is something for me. I wanted to learn how to cook and be healthy so I started to buy some books and that was the beginning of ketodutchie!

I am 10 kilos away from my goal weight and that is; 68 kilo. I am healthier and I feel healthier. And I really looked forward to some cheat days with Christmas but you know what? I am not going to do that ever again. The only thing that I liked was that I didn't have to think about food as much. But I feel so much better when I am on Keto. I have more energy and I don't have stomach aches anymore!

That's awesome, we hear a lot from people about the end of stomach aches, and the energy boost, of course... ;) But what else has changed for you since you started this diet?

I can cook! Haha, I know this sounds weird but my parents never taught me how to cook and that made me very insecure in the kitchen but now I can do whatever I want and I feel secure in the kitchen and even lowers my stress level when I get home from work!

And I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and ever since I started to cut out rice, pasta and bread I am free of that. As I said, I cheated on Christmas and after that, I had stomach aches for 2 days so you can imagine that it's not worth the cheat ;) I just feel better, I have more energy and I look healthier. And of course, I lost weight. And even though that was the main goal I think that that the other benefits are even more important.

And we got blessed with all your awesome recipes as well thanks to that. Win-win situation for everyone! Out of curiosity, what type of Keto do you follow and how do you get your fuel?

I follow the 20 - 50 gram one. That means I only eat 20 till 50 gram net carbs a day. And I try to eat around 120 grams of fat a day. I always put everything in an App so I know what I eat. But right now I am searching for a nice balance because I started training with a personal training since November and I think I need to eat a little bit more veggies and protein because I wanna gain more muscles. But I am trying ;)

What is your favourite recipe for special occasions like holidays, or birthdays? That one you can’t miss out.

The Christmas holidays have passed but for any holiday; Easter, birthdays, parties whatever! I think my favourite recipe is everything that has to do with bread.
I think the bread recipe from Delish is a great one. I think Keto bread recipes are the best because that's where people tend to make the mistake. So make sure that you find your favourite Keto bread recipe so that you won't mess up!

And some people think they have to miss on bread by going low-carb... in the end, you don't have to miss anything. But only if we have time and energy to get hands-on in the kitchen!

But besides the good stuff... Are there any challenges that you face or have faced on Keto? And how did you deal with it?

I think preparing and sometimes NOT eating is the biggest challenge for me. If you don't eat carbs you don't get as hungry and my biggest enemy is not being hungry.

Because when you are not eating you are not going to lose weight I think every person who has been on a diet knows that is a fact.

But with KETO I feel full so soon that I even have days that I forget to eat. So that's a challenge. And sometimes I am just sick and tired of prepping food all the time! I just wanna drive to a gas station on the way to meetings and buy something that's wrapped something I can eat without smelling of sausage (bifi worst ;)

But that's where Keto Cacao is my saviour. Even last night when I was gaming (yes I am a nerd) I was craving for something and I just grabbed the Keto Cacao coconut bar and the craving was gone!

Yassss! We're glad to be here to save the day! But don't worry about not being hungry all the time. You can lose weight by eating only when you are hungry.

To wrap up, what’s the biggest message you would like to share with people interested in the Keto lifestyle?

All I can say that I have much more energy. And I think that's the best thing that's happened to me since I am eating Keto.
If you wanna feel healthier and have more energy and lose weight, I think this is the best diet! But you have to experience it! And trust me, it's not as hard as you think!

And besides a solution to all craving problems, what do you think of Keto Cacao and what's your favourite flavor?

I love it! A week ago I didn't wanna make breakfast but I had to eat something before I was going to get killed by my personal trainer ;)

So I decided to eat half a Keto Cacao bar and I was energized and I had the best work out!

I don't have a favourite flavor. It think there is a flavour for every mood or craving ;)

Thank you so much, Lynn for sharing your story.

And remember:

If you want to share your own journey from carbs to fat with our community, follow us on Instagram and tell your story using #highfatstory or comment below!

Other blogs you might like:

Lynn Olsen from @ketodutchie