I had tried low-fat, I had tried Atkins, slim fast, weight watchers, even the South Beach diet, every fad diet you can think of, to varying degrees of success. Not one took the weight off and kept it off. I heard about Keto, and it was so counterintuitive to everything I’d ever been taught. Cheese? Sour cream?? Ranch dressing?!? There was no way it could work.
Fat makes you fat right? WRONG!!!! So wrong! I lost 73lbs and haven’t stopped yet. I no longer have knee issues, I can run for the first time in my life, and I am the most healthy I have ever been! It isn’t a fad diet, it is my way of life. I can go out to eat, and it doesn’t break the bank. I get to eat the most amazing food, and with all the different substitutions and recipes out there, I never feel like I’m sacrificing.
I tell everyone I can that they should try Keto at least once in their life, and see how different they look and feel!
1. What tactics did you employ to help you get to your goal? What did you find helped you get to your goals best?
Logging EVERYTHING. I think it’s important in the beginning to obsessively log everything into a journal, or MyFitnessPal, because you truly don’t realize how everything can add up. Once I was more aware of just how many calories/carbs I was ACTUALLY taking in, I was able to dial it all in for the results.
2. What is the most impactful change you’ve made to your diet and why do you feel it’s been the most important?
The most impactful thing for me was the relationship I have with food. I think it is such a mental thing, and that is the hardest part. I had such an unhealthy relationship with food. I would use food to cope with emotional problems, and then regret everything Id eaten. Realizing how food fuels my body, my workouts, and realizing how AMAZING my body can feel when I eat Keto, I never want to go back. If you can power through and just get into Ketosis, you feel so amazing, and I think that was a real turning point for me.
3. What is the best single piece of advice you can give to someone that is just starting out?
SALT! WATER! MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENT! Keto is a lifestyle. You can cheat on holidays, and your birthday, and when life happens. But ultimately, this is the way you will have to (and will want to) eat indefinitely. Embrace it, and you’ll keep the weight off forever.
4. How do you feel your life is now that you’re at your goal?
I don’t know if I will ever feel like I am “at my goal”, but I love my life now. I love feeling strong, I love that I never feel hungry or deprived, and so many doors have opened for me that just weren’t even on my radar before. I don’t just walk, I run. When people have fitness questions, they look to me! Even just a few years ago I would never have believed I’d be where I am now.
5. What do you consider the biggest change in your day-to-day life?
I don’t just fit into clothes, I actually like the way they look. Before, every shopping trip ended in a meltdown. I would spend hours scouring racks and realize I was the problem. Being able to just go to a store and pick something up is a luxury many people take for granted.
6. What did you do to find support throughout your journey?
So many people in the beginning would tell me “Just a bite, one won’t kill you. You’re eating all that butter?? I thought you were on a diet”. It wasn’t until I started really losing weight that people became supportive, so I turned to the Ketogenic Living forum, and other similar groups. It helps to have a group of people cheering you on, especially when the people in your life don’t quite get it.
7. What do you currently do to manage your day-to-day diet?
I work in a restaurant, surrounded by the most amazing food. Every day it is a struggle to stay on track. The mantra I always use is “a failure to plan is a plan for failure”. If I plan my food and my macros for the day or week, it is so much easier to stay on track and focus.
8. What is your favorite keto recipe from www.ruled.me that’s become a staple?
I love the mug cakes. It is the perfect size for just me, and it makes me feel like I’m indulging without the guilt, plus, no messy cleanup!
9. If there is one thing that you could do differently during your journey, what would it be and why?
If I could go back to the beginning, I would eat twice the fat! At first, I was so careful with my fat, because we’re all told from a young age that fat makes you fat! Once you cut the carbs, however, the calories have to come from somewhere. The only thing I would change would be to load up on fat those first few weeks, and I think I would have adapted much more quickly.
It has been such an amazing journey for me. When I first started hearing about Keto, your site popped up, I donated some cash and downloaded the 14-day guide, and absolutely poured over the website. I cannot even bring to words what an invaluable resource Ruled.me is. From the step by step guides to the recipes and comment boards, it truly was the only reason I was able to have the success I did. Thank you so much for all you do!
