Meet Bianca van de Stadt or maybe better know as "Mijnketolifestyle", our first ever OKONO guest with whom we did a live interview for the first time ever. In this interview she shares her personal challenges, journey & information on how she keeps up with her lifestyle. This interview is also available as an IGTV on or instagram page. Enjoy!
Hi Bianca please tell us a little bit about yourself :)
My name is Bianca van de Stadt and I am 47 years old. I'm happily single so I also don't have any children an I live in Zaandam in a house near the water. I work in a notary office 4 days a week and keto is really my lifestyle.
What is your story?
I have struggled with my weight since the age of 21. Lots of yo-yoing and around my 40th it didn't work out anymore. I tried everything, but nothing worked. There had to be something wrong with me, so I went to the doctor. However, there was nothing wrong. I had given up trying to lose weight. I wasn't going to eat mega or anything, but I was growing. At one point I didn't dare step on the scale anymore. Supposedly, I weighed over 110 pounds.
Why did you start your keto journey?
I didn't consciously start it. It was more like "eating with what my brother made". After all, I was visiting my brother abroad and he was already eating keto. I didn't want to be a "burden" so I decided to just eat with him. After 10 days I felt much better in terms of energy and just in general. When I came back home after a month I had lost ten kilos. That all together, the way I felt and the kilos, made me really get into keto. Only then could I take it seriously.
What is so different about the ketogenic lifestyle?
What's different is that I eat more fat and hardly any carbs, whereas before it was the other way around. It's quite a mindset switch as well. Fats are suddenly good and carbohydrates are bad, to put it bluntly. That takes some getting used to. And also I love to eat a lot of fruit but you have to pay attention which ones and that also needs some getting used to.
How do you best start your keto journey, what are things you definitely have to do and what are things you better don't do?
I started the keto in a very simple way. I just kept my own eating pattern and tried to cut out the carbs. So don't get complicated with all kinds of special ingredients or special recipes. Just cut out the carbs and get them exclusively from vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, seeds, cheese, etc. Build it up from there, but I didn't do "special things" for a year and a half or so.
Just try to make the dishes you normally make more keto and keep it simple.
What do you think are the key success factors in making the keto lifestyle or a new lifestyle work?
Absolutely mindset. You have to think in terms of possibilities instead of Restrictions. If you start thinking of all the things you can't do, then you're already 10 - 0 behind. And with keto, there's really a lot of possibilities. A lot of variety. It's really not all eggs and bacon.
What were the biggest challenges you had when starting your keto lifestyle? What were beginner mistakes you made?
In the summer I love to drink my "rosé" and to leave that was very difficult for me. But sometimes I do drink my rosé because I know I can always turn back to my keto lifestyle. You can be flexible in your own lifestyle just don't exaggerate.
I also didn't get rid of my cravings right away. That took a really long time. It wasn't until a year and a half or so later that I found out that I was perpetuating my cravings myself by snacking on low carb snacks with Maltitol. That way I was always giving my body that sugar without it really being sugar, but that does maintain those cravings for more sugar.
But my biggest beginner mistake was looking more at "of which sugar" in food instead of total carbs. Other than that, I'm sure I've made more "mistakes", but I'm very much about finding my own way and seeing what suits me. I hate rules. So do keto rules. I stick to the basics: lots of fat, few carbs and within that I move around. That suits me fine.
Yes we totally agree to being flexible and finding your own way! One of the things you like to do to go back in ketosis is an egg fast right? could you tell us more about an egg fast?
Contrary to what the name implies an egg fast is not all about eggs. During an egg fast you eat a combination of eggs, fat and cheese for a short period of time. Because of this combination you really become saturated and you cut all your carbs. This way, you get into ketosis very quickly and your liver really loves this because of all the ketons that are being made.
It's some kind of detox for your body and really gives you that extra boost.
What are misconceptions or false assumptions that people have about your lifestyle?
That's a long list ...
First of all people think keto only consists of eating meat, eggs and cheese. So only the "fat stuff" people think about. But there is a lot of variety that you can bring in your dishes, just take a look at your recipes.
Another one I hear a lot is that keto is bad for your cholesterol and your health because of all the fats you eat but that simply isn't true. A lot of times it's the carbohydrates that cause this.
There are a lot more but again you shouldn't think in terms of restrictions, but in terms of possibilities. Then the world suddenly looks different. This applies to keto, but also in general.
We people think the opinion of others is important, so what were questions/comments that you got in your environment when you started?
I personally had very few comments from my environment because people quickly saw what keto was doing to me. There were some concerns about me eating so much fat and also that I'm fasting, but they see how well I'm doing on this so they are mostly very interested and understanding.
There was a lot of respect and they really tried to understand how the ketogenic lifestyle works. They are a bit sceptical but they love that it works for me :)
What has changed you since your keto lifestyle? E.g. what crazy things have you done since your new lifestyle?
My biggest change is my weight loss, I lost 50kg and my life changed drastically. I'm the healthiest version of myself at this moment and probably of my life. So i didn't only change on the outside but also on the insideI'm happier and fitter than before.
I hate sports and I'm not sporting now but I notice my physique improved, I'm no longer exhausted when doing little walk or taking the stairs for example.
What does your perfect keto day look like?
On weekdays (4x a week) I do OMADs and I fast all day and eat when I get home. The other days I eat when I feel like it. That's sometimes 3 meals, sometimes fasting, sometimes snacking throughout the day.
From where do you know OKONO?
I first heard of OKONO via Natalie (@the.floor.is.carbs), she shared it on her instagram and I thought let's try this. Since then I'm totally in love with your chocolate and granola!
I love to snack with OKONO products.
Thank you so much for the compliments! And thanks for your time and tips on how to start you keto lifestyle.
