Get to know her!
- 5 ft 7 in height
- Female
- 31 years old
- Keto-ing for 25 months
- Started at 526 lbs
- Lost 150 lbs so far
- Wants to hit 175 lbs
- Prefers a “Meat Lover” diet
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I have an office job in Litigation Support. My (average weight) husband has been incredibly supportive of keto, while not following it himself. He does most of the cooking. I’m also heavily into cat rescue and fostering cats for adoption. When I’m not running around like a madwoman, I play video games and binge on Netflix.
Habits & Mindset
What motivated you to try keto?
A couple of my friends had great success with keto. I resisted low carb for a long time because I wasn’t ready to give them up. I had Lap-Band surgery in 2008. I lost at most 80 lbs over two years and then gained it all back plus another 80 lbs. I have a lot of regrets there because my WLS practice actually recommended a low-carb diet (not as strict as keto) but I just didn’t want to follow it back then. But in 2015, I remember sitting on our bed one day at my highest weight, feeling disgusting and sore, my legs and feet bloated. I told my husband I think I want to try keto – I had to do SOMETHING, because continuing to gain weight was no longer an option.
How often do you cheat on keto?
Right now, I have one scheduled cheat day/weekend per month. We get a Japanese snack subscription box so when that arrives, that is my cheat time. It’s something I really enjoy. Knowing I can have it and then get back on keto keeps me focused instead of throwing it all away because I can’t have something I love. I’ve done that so many times in the past. But I also cheat on special occasions as needed. I’m not hardcore enough to be picky in some social situations. At this point, I have my eye on my goal and it’s easy to pick up keto the next day.
How do you get (back) into ketosis?
After cheat days, which cause a lot of water weight gain, sometimes I’ll do egg fasts. Otherwise, I just eat very low carb for a few days (minimal veggies).
Do you track your weight/ketones/blood glucose/macros or anything else?
I weigh myself every day and use an app called Happy Scale. I like seeing trends and it also provides handy graphs over different periods of time. I don’t track my macros religiously. I mentally keep a ROUGH track of calories and carbs in my head during the day but don’t worry about fat and protein. When I stall, I go back to tracking in MyFitnessPal for a few days to see where my issues are (usually too many calories). I use urine ketone sticks here and there when I have doubts if something is affecting me negatively. I know the caveats that goes along with using the ketone sticks.
How supportive were your friends & family when you started?
My husband and some of my friends have been amazing. Because I’m deeply into animal rescue, some of my vegan friends have dropped book recommendations, trying to get me to stop eating meat.
Has your weight loss ever stalled?
I’ve had three significant stalls. All three were due to excessive calories. After the first, I switched to 16⁄8 IF (Intermittent Fasting), skipping breakfast. The second was due to eating too much mayo! Those calories add up fast. After the third, I switched to one meal a day, which is what I’m following now and it’s working well.
What other benefits have you noticed?
While I still get hungry, it’s manageable. I used to get sharp, unignorable hunger, but now I just move on with my day. I need less sleep. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people that get the clear mind and tons of energy on keto. I also really wish I was one of those people who never get hungry and ‘forget’ to eat.
Did you encounter any obstacles to pursuing keto?
Eating out is frustrating for me. You pay a lot of money and can’t eat half of the food you pay for. I also miss a lot of foods but not nearly as many as I did when I started. I no longer crave savory carbs at all. Sweets, however, are still a sore spot for me.
Have you had any side effects to keto?
Horrible, terrible, awful leg cramps at night, which I recently figured out were due to dehydration. These are now under control.
Food & Fun
What’s your typical day of eating look like?
I have a Monster Ultra Zero in the morning and make sure to drink a full 32oz of water before I leave work. I then have a large dinner – usually meat with veggies. I have an Instagram account with all of my meals.
What’s your favorite home-cooked keto meal?
This is a tough one. My favorite right now is sausage gravy over broccoli – 1 lb of breakfast sausage (the kind that comes in a roll), 8 oz cream cheese, and heavy cream to a desired consistency.
What’s your favorite restaurant meal?
Buffalo Wild Wings! Parmesan garlic traditional wings. I also LOVE Texas de Brazil but it’s so expensive.
What’s your biggest non-keto temptation?
Japanese cornets, cookies, and other sweet snacks.
Anything else you’d like your readers to know?
Don’t get discouraged by other people’s fast losses. It’s hard for me to see men my size losing weight SO fast. Just keep going.
