Keto has completely changed the quality of my life.
I had heard of Keto before but as I have Celiac Disease, I wasn’t interested in restricting my diet any more than I already did having to entirely avoid gluten already. I lived a miserable life health-wise and had for many years. I had a body filled with inflammation, digestive issues, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, gall bladder issues, depression, and anxiety. I was exhausted all the time and was sick and in so much pain I basically lived from bed to sofa.
Then one day there was a video on my YouTube recommendation lineup about Keto and inflammation. I had never searched or watched any video about Keto. I believe that God placed it there as an answer to my prayers. I watched it and saw that Keto lowers inflammation in your body. That’s all it took for me. I spent the whole day watching videos about Keto and researching the lifestyle. I called my husband at work and gave him a list of foods to pick up on his way home so I could start the next day. Two days later I had more energy and was able to walk around without a lot of pain. I was amazed!
I talked my husband into trying it so he started three days after I did. We threw everything bad out and restocked with Keto appropriate foods. I love my Keto cookbooks and trying new recipes. It doesn’t feel like you’re on a “diet” because there is so much good food and you don’t have to eat like a bird. I had been on a low carb diet and lost ninety pounds years before but it wasn’t sustainable. Choices were limited and I was hungry all the time. Suffice it to say that the weight came back.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted to exercise. I had done strength training with weights during my previous weight loss and enjoyed it, but I had been so sick, tired and in pain that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do much in the beginning, but I was wrong. Two weeks after starting Keto I started walking to get used to exercising. The first day I was astonished! I was able to walk two miles with some moderate hip pain that improved after my joints warmed up.
For someone who previously could barely make the walk from the car to the front door, this seemed like a miracle! In just a couple of weeks, I was up to almost four miles at a fast pace while at the same time doing upper body exercises with three pound dumbbells. I could barely believe it! After about six weeks of the walking workouts, I began total body workouts with weights. I was able to increase the amount of weight I used quickly. I saw muscle gains fast and I had never felt so strong and energized.
It has been ten months since beginning the Keto lifestyle. I have never felt better in my life and as a bonus, I have lost 50 pounds and went from a size 18 to a 10. It’s amazing how much the body changes even when the scales don’t seem to be moving much. I’ve never seen anything like it. My health has improved rapidly.
My husband has also lost 50 pounds. It was more difficult to get used to for him since his diet had never been restricted before, but he’s doing great and enjoying Keto biscuits for breakfast, Keto cupcakes with lunch, a flavorful, filling dinner, and Keto ice cream for dessert.
Keto is not a “diet”. It is a lifestyle. It’s a wonderful healing, energizing, satisfying way to eat for life.
I thank God for that video on my YouTube recommendations! It was an answer to prayers and Keto has been like a miracle for my life! I will never go back to the SAD (standard American diet) way of eating!
1. What tactics did you employ to help you get to your goal? What did you find helped you get to your goals best?
I have incorporated intermittent fasting and strength training three times a week to help me meet my short term goals. As for long term goals, I just plan to continue in this lifestyle for the rest of my life and let my body become the healthiest it can be at whatever weight that turns out to be.
2. What is the most impactful change you’ve made to your diet and why do you feel it’s been the most important?
Ridding my diet of processed carbohydrates has been the most impactful on my health. It has brought about the healing of my body from the afflictions that we know are associated with insulin resistance and consuming a high carb diet.
3. What is the best single piece of advice you can give to someone that is just starting out?
The best advice I would give a beginner is to start simple with basic ketogenic foods. Then as you study and progress, begin incorporating the great recipes that are available. Don’t overwhelm yourself in beginning.
4. How do you feel your life is now that you’re at your goal?
The lowering of inflammation was amazing. My blood pressure became perfect. My pre-diabetes disappeared. My gall bladder issues disappeared. I was able to stop taking the acid reflux medicine that I had taken for years. Headaches and nausea that I had dealt with for years disappeared. I am able to be happily active all day and sleep well at night. My anxiety and depression improved. It’s almost unbelievable!
5. What do you consider the biggest change in your day-to-day life?
The biggest change in my day to day life is how much energy I have and the ability to be active without being sick or in pain.
6. What did you do to find support throughout your journey?
As far as support, it helps that my husband is living this lifestyle also. I have also found some people on YouTube that encourage and inspire me and I never miss a video.
7. What do you currently do to manage your day-to-day diet?
I use carb manager to help me keep up with what I am eating and my macros.
8. What is your favorite keto recipe from www.ruled.me that’s become a staple?
The recipe that has become a staple in my house is the Thousand Island Dressing. That has always been my favorite dressing and I was happy to find this Keto version.
9. If there is one thing that you could do differently during your journey, what would it be and why?
The thing that I would have done differently during my journey is to not have cheated over the holidays. I learned some things by eating some non Keto foods from my past though. One of them being that my tastebuds have changed. Things I used to love didn’t taste that good anymore. Another is that I can’t stand very sweet foods anymore. The main one being that eating that way makes me feel sick, tired and miserable.
