I am Sue, I have a condition called Lipoedema also known as painful fat syndrome. We are very pear shaped ladies who struggle to lose fat from our bodies. Our fat becomes inflamed and it is very difficult to loose, it is an adipose tissue disorder and there is no cure.  For more information about Lipoedema go to www.lipoedema.uk or for more information on my journey go to www.Butternutbabe.co.uk

I was on a forum for ladies like me last year when it was suggested that as ketogenic eating reduces inflammation it would be a good idea to try it. I had already spent the whole of the year to that point  doing the recommended RAD diet without much success. I was a size 24/26, I had just come back from holiday and squashed myself in an plane seat and was very uncomfortable. now its 11 months later and i am a size 18 and weigh 4.5 stone less. Its not been difficult, I have eaten some lovely food and I feel so much better than I did a year ago, not just because I am smaller and can move easier, but I feel I have more energy and purpose, more positive.A lot of my pain has diminished also which is a big selling point to me.

I was introduced to the ketogenic diet in a strict format as it is thought that if you have an underlying condition it is best tackled head on  without distractions and actually I believe its easier to be strict. Its a bit like a lie, you have to remember so much more information when you lie and if you tell the truth there can only be one version, keto is the same if you keep it simple you can’t get confused with which sweetener you can or can’t have, which alcohol has the fewest calories etc so I don’t use sweetener and have very little alcohol.Well it seams a shame to refuse champagne!

I have accepted that carbs have a bad effect on my body causing my fat storage to be inflamed and painful, so I now view ketogenic eating in the same way that an alcoholic view alcohol, or a gambler views gambling, you know what is bad for you and what is  best avoided. With the view that this is my life and I am not going to carry scales everywhere I go I don’t count anything anymore, I listen to my body, eat when I am hungry and make wise choices without worrying if I have had the right grams for the day. I eat real food, cooked from scratch and stop eating when I am full, I cook in butter ,coconut or olive oil and use oil to dress my salads. I aim to eat 2 portions of protein a day that are  about the size of the palm of my hand/ a pack of playing cards/ a chicken breast and assume that meat is 25% protein That will give me about 50-60g of protein, which is plenty for me. I try to eat mainly green carbs and don’t worry about how much as I am not a big fan of the green stuff and so its unlikly I can eat too much, I do follow the rule of eating veg above ,rather than below the ground and so I do eat cauliflower as that is good for ladies with estrogen issues like lipoedema. I also eat a fair bit of cheese and dairy . my go to snack is pecan nuts.

The best visual of the best and worst carb choices can be found on the diet dr website. I have a facebook page strictly keto uk and instagram I am  ketosuechef