This was the photo that moved me to action! Normally, I hide from the camera, but it was my 50th birthday and seven of my lifelong friends surprised me with a road trip.
My story, I’m sure, is no different than yours. I have been on a diet for as long as I can remember, overweight from a young child. As an adult I have lost and gained the same 40 lbs three times over and put it all back on and then some.
Age brings certain revelations, one of which is I no longer need to be a size 2 and fit into a string bikini. However, at size 18-20 and 5’4″ I was dragging myself around. The extra weight was like carrying around a pre-teen on my back all day, every day!
I was in a carb coma, moving from the high of the sugar to the low of needing more and repeating the cycle. I have always said that addiction is addiction and the form just changes from one addict to another. Whether it’s gambling, drugs, smoking or food, it’s all alike. We are looking for something that numbs the daily ups and downs and takes us away for just a little while. The issue with addiction, as we all know, is that once out of the high the problem is still there, so the cycle continues the next day, and on it goes, until we make a choice to get off the roller coaster.
I took a good long look at the picture and realized I was a glass of wine and a family size bag of chips away from becoming a diabetic.
The choice was made to change my ways yet again, but what could I do differently this time that would make it a lifestyle instead of a diet? I started with Google and came upon ruled.me, where I started looking at the before and after pics just like you, and somewhere I thought maybe this might be it.
Well, a year later, 80 lbs, size M (10), blood work all normal range, with a whole lot more energy, here I am.
Here’s what I learned: all your cravings will go away if you stay off the refined carbs. Food will no longer be a drug but a fuel to get you through your day. I now listen to my body and let it lead me. When I’m stressed I know that this feeling will pass and I do not have to graze through my kitchen to cope with it.
Oh, and when you start this program you will have to put aside everything you’ve ever learned from any other program, because eating fat is where it’s at! I wouldn’t have believed that myself and thought that copious amounts of salads had to be eaten and you had to feel hungry to lose weight. That’s what we were taught. Boy, was I wrong! You can take any recipe and make it keto, and ruled.me has so many sweet and savory items you’ll never be bored.
I have been on every diet imaginable for years. I have paid companies to help me so much money that I cringe when I think of it, like thousands of dollars, anyone claiming success if I just eat their way or drink their magic potion or take their magic pills. Keto was yet the latest, greatest thing so I had to try it. It cost me nothing, only time to learn how to eat well, and I have never had this much success on any other program. Best of all, this is something I can do the rest of my life.
Recently I was asked how much longer I was staying on this diet. My answer was “well, I’m not on a diet, this is just how I eat.” Forget the naysayers. This is your life and you’re in control of it and deserve to feel good about yourself. Make the choice and every day will get easier. Take care of you, you’re worth it!
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 used myfitnesspal.com to log my food, work out net carbs, track my weight, do my measurements and exercise. I’m a numbers gal, so I like to see it on a graph and spreadsheet and it motivates me to step up my game. I also love to cook and have made all my old favs into keto recipes. I have never felt deprived or that I’m on a diet. When faced with difficult days I would read other people’s journeys and it would keep me on track.
2. What is the most impactful change you’ve made to your diet and why do you feel it’s been the most important?
Once the sugar cravings were under control I was truly able to listen to my body and what it wanted. Some days I really don’t care about food and eat simply to sustain myself, other days I crave various food. I later found out this is “normal”, it’s how people eat that don’t have behaviour issues with food. It is truly liberating not to be so obsessed with food. It’s just a meal, and in a few hours there will be another one, and every day is not a party.
3. What is the best single piece of advice you can give to someone that is just starting out?
My Mom always says “this too shall pass” about any hardship, and I’ve made it my mantra. Basically, if I can just wait it out for a few minutes the urge will go away. It’s important to go easy on yourself and take small steps, set goals for 5 pound increments so you’re not overwhelmed.
4. How do you feel your life is now that you’re at your goal?
I feel I’m better able to cope with life’s ups and downs. I find more healthy ways to deal without eating my way through the feelings. If I’m in a place where I have to be still, I’ll use deep breathing until I quiet my mind. If I’m able to get up and move I do, a walk, cleaning, or just busy work.
5. What do you consider the biggest change in your day-to-day life?
Definitely my energy level. I no longer drag myself through the day. My daughter says I’m like the energizer bunny, and that’s how I feel!
6. What did you do to find support throughout your journey?
My family are my biggest cheerleaders, and with their support in my journey I am who I am personally, mentally and now physically!
7. What do you currently do to manage your day-to-day diet?
I weigh in every Monday. That way, if something isn’t working I can nip it in the bud before it’s out of control again. I’m never going back, and weighing each week keeps me accountable to myself.
8. What is your favorite keto recipe from www.ruled.me that’s become a staple?
Hands down, pumpkin cream cheese muffins. Yum!
9. If there is one thing that you could do differently during your journey, what would it be and why?
Weight training for toning, which is my next goal. Losing that much weight makes skin sag, and although the scale may change with weight training, I’m hoping my body will tone up with muscle.
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