Erin Lost 51 Lbs and Gained A Happier Life

Keto Diet Success Stories > Health & Fitness

I haven’t ever compiled my story before so I apologize if it seems a little all over the place. I don’t know how big I was to start. I stayed away from scales and cameras. I had to search high and low to make my before and afters because I never liked having my picture taken. I was ashamed. When I finally weighed in I was 236, and now I am 185! That is a 51 pound loss!! It has almost been a year and I know a lot of others have lost more in less time but I am proud of my loss and the life I have gained through this journey. It has been a mental journey not just a physical one.

Let’s start: I was in a relationship with someone for 8 years. I was unhappy but loyal. I felt guilt over wanting to leave because I was raised that you work on your relationship and don’t give up. We weren’t married but I still felt that commitment towards him. He wasn’t supportive of anything I did, and he was very verbally abusive. I gained the bulk of my weight while I was in the relationship with him. My depression and anxiety would often force me to turn to food. I would sometimes get praise from him when I cooked and it was rare I would hear nice things from him so I cooked a lot.

On bad days a big bowl of mac and cheese would comfort me, often it was a few times a day. Pasta was my vice. Our relationship was so damaged that I would often even question if he really loved me until one night he asked if we could have an open relationship. I realized then that he was not trying to work at our relationship so why should I? I needed to finally stand up for myself. I was scared to leave but I did. I told him it was over, walked outside our apartment and took a breath. I felt almost weightless, even though I was the biggest I have ever been in my life.

I was scared and it had been a decade since I was on my own. I will never forget that night because it was the night I started fighting for me. My family had no idea what turmoil I was going through, or even how he treated me. I faked being happy, my smiles were not real and no one knew. It’s no wonder I felt so isolated and depressed, however that changed the day I left. I started to eat better, and smile more (mental happiness definitely helps!) and finally gained the courage to step on the scale. 236!

I was so shocked. I knew I had even lost some weight so I was even bigger than that while I was in the relationship. I knew I needed to do something different to reel in different results from diets I’ve done in the past. My sister had great results from Atkins and low carb. So I asked her to help me get started.

I started two days before Thanksgiving 2014. What was I thinking?! This means no mashed potatoes, no pasta, did I mention I was a vegetarian for most my life. I survived though! I went through Thanksgiving while I was in induction! I basically cooked a separate meal for my sister and I with recipes from ruled.me.  Once I got through one of my favorite, carb-loaded, holidays then I knew that the rest of the year would be easy! It’s almost been a year and it wasn’t a cake walk. There are temptations at every turn begging me to go back to pasta, potatoes, and all the terribly delicious foods that used to comfort me in my deep depression. (What a terrible catch 22-I eat because I’m depressed then get depressed because I ate so much and gained weight so then I eat more to ‘help’ my depression.)

With the help of simple recipes that I can substitute (thank the lord for cauliflower) on your site and getting me through the hardest day of the year I was able to turn my life around. After the break up I moved to a new town, started my new life, and although it was the most stressful time in my life I don’t regret it one bit! I would go through a lot worse to be on the road I am on today! I plan to lose at least another 30 pounds and to stay on keto. I love the food, I love the way I feel, and slowly I am getting my confidence back. I know that the hurtful things my ex used to say to me aren’t true and my family has really been there for me through this whole ordeal but when you are depressed, overweight, and disgusted with yourself and then someone says something you are already thinking about yourself you tend to believe it.

My journey started with my breakup up but I was able to continue it because of your recipes and the knowledge that living keto doesn’t have to be hard, or dull. I can have delicious meals that fill me up and are easy to cook! If you hadn’t made Thanksgiving a success for me I probably would have given up, don’t stop making delicious food, ever!

Erin Keto Success Story

What is your favorite recipe from Ruled.me?
Keto mushroom wild rice pilaf.

What is your favorite ingredient to use when making ketogenic recipes?
Cauliflower! It’s so versatile!!

What is/was your motivation to keep on track?
To lose weight so that I could feel more like myself again, I didn’t recognize the person I had become and needed (not wanted) to change

Did you ever encounter a stall? If so, how did you get over it?
It took me a lot longer to lose weight than others so I kind of felt like my whole process was a stall. I just went day by day because I knew that it took me years to get to this point so it was going to take years to get to my goal. I took my diet day by day and understood time passes whether I am dieting or not, before I would know it a year would pass so if time was going to pass anyway I might as well try my hardest to do my best and have it work in my favor!

How did you hear about keto, and why did you start?
My sister has done low carb for years to help her lose weight, I am the kind of person that researches something I’m interested in, my research lead me deeper into keto.

In what aspects have your life changed since going keto?
Every aspect! Less vertigo, Less depression, weight loss, better skin and hair, stronger longer nails that grow faster, more energy, better sleep, new hobbies and interests, more confidence in myself, so many NSV that make me smile it’s hard to write them all! Things like being able to go on hikes for hours at a time, climbing trees and rocks, wrapping a towel completely around me, wearing clothes I actually like not wearing them just because they fit me, feeling more comfortable in my own skin, not being afraid to try new activities because I’m scared of what others will think or how I’ll look!

What piece of advice would you offer to people that are just starting out on keto?
Stick with it, understand how it works and research recipes. And food prep is huge, especially packing snacks when you are going out! The more prepared you are for your hunger the less likely you will be to give up or cheat!

What did you personally do in your first 2 weeks of keto? (i.e. Drink broth, go for a walk, throw food out, etc.)
I stuck to a strict diet, I went by induction rules, and I believed that trying something new would yield new results. I made sure I was prepared 24/7 and acted as if anywhere I went wouldn’t have food for me to eat so I always had Keto friendly snacks on hand. I researched for recipes that were exciting and would get me excited to stick to this diet!