I AM FAT: Keto Intro

This is seriously one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

I am fat.

That is something I have been trying to hide (as best I can) throughout my entire life. I’m also tall (5’11”-ish) and have always been athletic. The combination of those things made me feel rather like an ogre. I’ve had low self-esteem throughout my life. I tried to get onboard in this age of body acceptance and I think others absolutely should embrace all they are! I just felt like a fraud when I tried applying that loving outlook to myself. Then I went and had kids. Don’t get me wrong, I fucking LOVE my boys, but I got bigger and bigger with each one and never seemed to be able to lose much in between. Granted there wasn’t a whole lot of effort put in either. Fast forward to summer 2017. My husband and I took our 3 sons (then 9, 7, and 1) up to Oregon to visit family and watch the solar eclipse. On that trip, we took the older boys for some mild whitewater rafting. The company that ran it also has a professional photographer that catches the biggest rapids you go through and gets some amazing shots.

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See? Gorgeous, right??

Well, there was another shot that he got of me when we pulled up on shore for a bit. I was taking pics of the boys and my husband and didn’t even notice him. This picture… it triggered something in me. I realized that this was it. This was the point I do not want to go past. I don’t want to look like this in pictures anymore. I want to actually be IN more pictures with my family because I always avoid them as much as possible. And I was done. I don’t want to be ashamed to be seen anymore.

Here is that picture. (I’m having an anxiety attack posting this…)

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So, that was it. I was done.

I broke down a bit to my mom. She asked me about bariatric surgery and I didn’t want to go that route without legitimately attempting to lose weight on my own. So, I said, “Give me 6 months. Let me see what I can do.” That’s when I did some searching. On my friends list. I have a friend I’ve never met on the other side of the country that has lost a bunch of weight over the last few years so I asked her about it. She’d been doing “Zero Carb” (ZC) where you cut out basically all carbohydrates from your diet. I’ve watched her progress and she is definitely an inspiration! I also reached out to another friend, this one only 1/2-way across the country, who frequently posts about the “Keto” way of eating. He lost a lot of weight and got healthy. Those are things I really wanted to do, too! Another inspiration!

Both ZC and Keto diets limit carbs and put your body into “ketosis.” Ketosis occurs when the body is deprived of carbohydrates and sugars and is forced to turn to fat (ketones) for energy. Researchers and doctors that are proponents of ketosis argue that this is how our ancestors ate before agriculture took hold and how our body works most efficiently. So, with this nascent knowledge, I decided this is what was going to work for me. I went to dietdoctor.com, a site that comes highly recommended, and learned about the hows and the whys and what to do to get started.

That was the end of September, 2017.

I didn’t have a scale at that point so the closest I can get to my starting weight was the last time I was weighed at the doctor’s September 12, 2017. That was 272 pounds. The most I’ve ever weighed. So, I cleared out any foods not for my kids that may be a trigger for me – and, yes, I do mean I ate it – then loaded up my fridge with meats, cheeses, heavy whipping cream, full fat dairy products with no sugar, avocados, berries, and low carb vegetables. I haven’t been perfect by any means and I fell off the wagon at Thanksgiving and over the holidays, but I’ve found it fairly easy to get back on it and keep going. That has been key for me because I’m quick to give up on all the things. And, like they say, any diet works if you stick to it. Now, almost 4 months later, I’ve lost 50 pounds and more than 23.5” inches overall (I started measuring after I had already lost the first 20 pounds). I made my ultimate goal 175 lbs which is on the upper end of “healthy” for my height. That means I have approximately 45 pounds left to go!

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I’d love for you to join me on this journey and maybe give it a shot for yourself.* Or maybe just support me…? Because I’m gonna need it!

🖤, Heather

*I am not a dietitian or doctor, just sharing my experience.

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Original Article Location: https://www.themominars.com/health/iamfat