Reversing 18 Years of Obesity in 8 Months with Keto and Intermittent Fasting 

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

In the 6th grade, my weight was 60 kg (132 lbs.), and I was the fattest kid in the class. Fast forward to 2017, and I was still struggling with obesity at the 131 kg (288 lbs.) peak level. It took me 36 months to drop to 115 kg (254 lbs.). I had blood pressure issues as well. 

How did you discover keto? 

One day, I came across videos from Dr. Berg. Thanks to YouTube recommendations, I got to know about intermittent fasting with the keto diet. With excellent guidelines from him, I FINALLY got the answer on why foods are really good for you, what foods prevent you from getting healthy, and why exactly I was suffering from chronic food cravings with fatigue.  

What did your diet look like prior to adopting keto? 

Growing up, like most Asian countries, the staple diet in India, from which I’m from, was heavily reliant on rice and derived recipes. 

I used to heavily snack on wafers, cola bottles, and all kinds of refined oil-fried food. Weekends had bonuses with doubling the amount of either of the above-mentioned varieties.  

How has your health improved since you started keto?   

The first 2 weeks were difficult because of refined carb withdrawal symptoms and the new regime of diet and intermittent fasting. Watching and learning about the science behind it made the adaptation phase very easy. As Dr. Berg recommends, first is to get healthy and losing weight is just the side effect (benefit), and in order toget there, certainly dieting is 85% +15% is exercise.  

I succeeded at it while dropping 30 kg (67 lbs.) within 8 months. My blood pressure is in a normal range, I went from size 4XL to Medium for my outfits, and my waistline went down to 36″ from 42″.  

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

I began with a stable 3 meals a day (no snacking) to 2 meals a day 18:6 fast, eventually worked my way up to a 5:2 week fasting regime with 4 days of 20:4 fasting and 1 day of OMAD. I mostly focused on the diet part because of the lockdown. My mistakes were not adding enough saturated fat to my diet for better longevity during my fasting duration because of old habits and myths.  

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

My advice for the newbies would be: 

1. Accountability: Maintaining a food diary in mobile apps. Focusing on only daily macronutrient intake instead of calorie counting would make a huge difference. 

2. Consistency: Keto. IF. Repeat. The feeling of agitation is allowed; it’s temporary. Always remember fitness is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. 

3. Self-Learning: Knowing and changing mindset is the key to success, and the best source is Dr. Berg’s informative videos. Also, knowing 56 nicknames for hidden sugar would help a lot during grocery shopping. Again, it’s just a look back. If you combine intermittent fasting with the keto diet, then the fear of crashing and burningthat might first come up in the head will never come up. Things get easier with lots of spare time and energy to focus on.  

Any other details you want to share?   

Dr. Berg is truly The Knowledge Doctor, and I’m really grateful for his expertise and kind sharing. I’m looking forward to this new lifestyle, which I never had, all thanks to him.  

 Favorite drinks during fasting: Green tea, acv lemon water, Tulsi green tea 

 Favorite food: Eggs, paratha with ghee, chickpea curry, sauteed cabbage, and green papaya salad with ghee. 

 Splurge-eating days: Sunday and Saturday (chicken biryani).