Did you have any problems with your weight or health before going on keto? 

I started my weight-loss journey at 116 kg (256 lbs.). The body shaming was skyrocketing, as was my clothing size; I was in a negative feedback loop.  

Whenever I felt terrible about my weight, I used food for comfort; I never felt hungry, as I was eating very frequently. I used to binge a lot on carbs, especially after midnight.  

I did try a lot of unsuccessful, poorly maintained weight-loss techniques, and society always told me to exercise heavily and do tons of cardio. It sounded impossible for a morbidly obese person with a very high BMI to do cardio, which made the whole process even more challenging.  

How did you discover keto? 

Then, through word of mouth, I heard about the keto diet. With a simple online search, I found Dr. Berg. His scientific explanations, alongside my background knowledge as a pharmacist, kicked off a new way of losing weight: depending more on the diet and less on heavy exercise, which was unappealing.   

How does an average day of eating/fasting look for you on keto? 

I started by lowering my carb intake, then cutting them off completely, and going from having 5 meals a day to gradually having one single meal after work.  

How has your health improved since you started keto?   

The weight was coming off really quickly. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me! In one year, I managed to lose 32 kg (70 lbs.)! Now, I’m almost at a healthy BMI of 25.6, and my journey hasn’t stopped yet. 

I’m so used to the diet (keto and one meal a day [OMAD]), I’m not even feeling hunger or cravings! I took control of my body, and that’s what made me happy! I managed to get rid of the previous binge-eating habits.  

If you could offer advice to someone starting keto, what would you say? 

Following OMAD is easier than you think, really! Eating only one meal a day means that you can choose whatever food you like in whatever quantity! Because for sure one meal won’t be enough to reach your daily caloric intake. In fact, I was full at 1200 calories, meaning that I was losing a big chunk of my body fat constantly. 

Any other details you want to share?   

I’m also sure that following the keto diet helped me avoid a weight plateau, which most people face during weight-loss journeys. Now, more than before, I’m happy when I go shopping for smaller-size clothes and happy to see my friends now that I like the way I look. I will never, ever give in to binge eating like I used to.