Emotional regulation is an essential skill for sticking to Keto, or sticking to any goal really.
And for many people, Keto helps with emotional regulation. (It turns out that glucose spikes and crashes aren’t great for staying in a stable mood.)
If I am aware of what signals my body and my emotions are giving me, I can better respond to those queues.
Well, my last post about the Zones of Regulation got me thinking: What would the Fat-Adapted Zones look like?
So, I made this, and I added a “High Carb” section too:
Now this is just my experience. I don’t usually feel all the things in the column at once.
Now that I’ve written it out, I can easily see what course of action is needed.
- If I’m in “blue zone”, I need convenience food. It would be ideal if I planned ahead and have some Keto options handy. I need to give myself time to regenerate.
- If I’m in “green zone”, awesome. This is a good place to be in when I’m planning meals or shopping for food.
- If I’m in “yellow zone” I need to take care of the thing whether it is drink water, get electrolytes/salt, eat food. I might snack while I cook. I probably should save my convenience food, but I might eat some of it anyway.
- If I’m in “red zone” I’m in emergency mode. I need to act now. I may not make good choices in the moment. Self Compassion is needed.
- If I’ve been eating High-Carb, it makes sense why I eat and eat. I am fighting against a very strong survival instinct. I am fighting against neurobiological systems that are trying to keep me alive. When I am fat adapted, I really like that I don’t have to fight against my body.