I'm part of quite a few keto groups, so I'm half in and half out.

I wish I liked more meat (and wanted to afford it!). My family is lucky if I buy beef maybe once every 2-3 months, just because I can't justify the cost (and it's typically a stew where I can stretch it as much as possible). We do always have bacon and chicken, though, and every vegetable under the sun! I think that's leftover frugality from my ex husband's excessive spending and my subsequent years as a single mom.

My husband smoked 1/2lb of bacon last Sunday. It lasted about 20 hours.

I keep thinking I'll try an egg fast and see how that goes. I can totally justify an egg fast.

I hear you about costs Munchy. prices are frightening out there and still going up.

I only buy the beef on sale. when that 'super sale' comes around then I fill the freezer.

luckily, and most aren't like this probably, my hubby is a hunter. deer. so I have a freezer full of deer burger, sausage and steaks.

this stretches my meat budget so much further. I also tho live on chicken as my second food cause the prices can be so low I can get alot and survive easily on the grocery budget.

smoked 1/2 lb of bacon...20 hours? you have me laughing cause that would be about what it would take here also. this yummy stuff never lasts long LOL

For those trying to give up artificial sweeteners - that was the hardest thing for me to do. I was addicted to Diet soda and AS in my coffee. I gave up all of it several years ago and it was absolute torture. I switched to seltzer and for a while that tasted salty and bitter to me. Coffee without sweetener tasted like battery acid for a full 2 months.

But then one day all the bitterness and yuckiness and misery went away and I was FREE! The slightest bit of sugar or sweetener in my coffee now will have me spitting it out. Diet coke tastes like chemicals to me.

Stick with it and you can change your taste buds. If I could do it anyone can. And the best part of getting rid of AS is that I no longer get pounding migraines. EVER.

Palestrina, thank you for telling your experience ditching AS.

I am down to 1 drop liquid sweetener in my hot tea. ONLY thing I use it in but I can drink 8-12 cups of tea per day easily.

I plan on dropping it lower in a few days. Like 1 drop every other cup. I noticed I am adjusting easily to my 1 drop now. barely taste the sweet in it and that is good for me. soon I will realize I do not even need that drop and just like you said, ONCE I GET ALL fake sweet out of my life, I will feel I did something wonderful for myself.

so far so great.

down to 1 drop sweetener and that is tasting SO sweet now.

since being total sugar free eater ANY sweet is thru the roof.

I will be dropping this 1 drop in a while. sooner than later, I realize now I can do this :) and not be tied to fake sweeteners anymore.

I hope everyone else is doing good on their abstaining!!

Yup. If I also could do it anybody can. And it was also about two months for me before I didn't miss it. I was having dreams about drinking Diet Coke. I can't say headaches have disappeared but my reliable premenstrual headache is GONE! And I can only remember one other headache since I gave up artificial sweeteners (more than a year ago).

Treasa, wow. great results. always better to feel great vs. to eat yourself into some troubles! cool

I'm trying to cut out sugar and AS as well, which has been a long time struggle. I'm also abstaining from all soda and sweets. Once I get past those things, I'm going to attempt to cut out coffee and caffeine as well.

Love Sugar! Of course I have to stay away from that! Carbs I can take or leave, but Buttered Toast does me in!!

Giving up Dairy is HARD!

Interestingly, giving up Meat was easier.

My plan is to be Raw Vegan until the Fall (when I'm looking more good! LOL) and then be a bit more Paleo and eat some Meat.

But Sugar and Grains are out! Dairy? Maybe, Baby! That is my bugaboo!!

I am abstaining from skipping meals, ever. Now that I'm in maintenance I try to eat 3 meals a day regularly. I gave up diet soda last year and have not missed it. I mostly abstain from gluten and I do eat way lower carb that I used to before losing weight. I try to abstain from snacking between meals, knowing I will fill myself up 3x day, though I do occasionally have nuts or fruit. I'm not abstaining from alcohol but I drink way less than before I lost weight, probably average one night a week now, sometimes less. The biggest thing I try to abstain from is eating until I'm stuffed, which I used to do often. It's really hard, this one day at a time thing. Four months of maintenance now and I think it may be a very long time before it takes less attention and energy, if ever, to maintain this new healthy lifestyle.