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Name:
Kate L.
Starting Weight:
252 lbs.
Current Weight:
197 lbs.
Weight Loss:
55 lbs.
Approach:
Keto + Intermittent Fasting
Life before keto:
When Kate Litchfield was 21, she gave birth to her second child. She couldn’t lose the excess weight from the pregnancy, no matter what she tried. When she heard about food allergies and realized that many of her symptoms seemed related to dairy and gluten intolerance, she adjusted her diet to deal with these potential allergies and finally began to take pounds off.
“I do not actually know my starting weight or clothes size as I could not face the scales or clothes shopping once a UK size 18 no longer fit me,” she said. “My solution was to obtain large pieces of material and create wrap-around skirts from them. By the time I got on the scales, I was 18 stone (252 pounds or 114 kg).”
She wanted to lose more weight, but Litchfield found it difficult to focus on her own health goals because her son became very ill. It was looking into solutions for him that she came across keto and low-carb diets. It was as much as she could do for herself to start with a low-carb lifestyle.
“I lost 3 stone (42 pounds or 19kg) going low-carb,” she said. “This was great and I could wear size 14 clothes. It’s not where I wanted to be, but I was going forward.” Then she turned 40 and experienced pre-menopausal symptoms that caused her to gain a lot of the weight back. “I was devastated but had to accept the situation. Pre-menopause weight gain– you just have to put up with it.”
After her son’s condition improved enough that she could focus on herself again, Litchfield attended an autoimmune summit. “As I knew celiac disease was an autoimmune disease, I thought I would listen to it,”she said. “I was amazed by what I learned, and I decided, ‘Enough of low-carb.’ Keto and IF could be my way forward.”
Discovering keto:
In doing more research, Litchfield came across Dr. Berg, who changed the way she looked at weight loss: she realized that health comes first.
“I watched more and more of Dr. Berg’s videos, learning about different body types and the impact of my hormones,” she said. “From all the stress that I had been through over so many years, I realized my adrenal glands were burnt out, and my cortisol levels were through the roof.”
It was then that Litchfield implemented everything she learned from Dr. Berg, from gall bladder supplements to probiotics.
She has started doing HIIT programs on YouTube, and she now eats one meal a day. “My family thought I’d gone mad,” she said. “Now I just get on with it and ignore them. I want to be well. I am sick of being sick. If I do this on my own, that is fine.”
Before keto, she had pain throughout her body and constant digestive issues. “But tiredness was the worst,” she said. “I could not stay awake at any time of the day. If I sat down, I would go to sleep, and I could not keep myself awake no matter what I tried.”
Challenges:
For Litchfield, the hardest part has been the weight plateaus. She often feels discouraged when comparing herself to others. “I’m pleased for them,” she said, “but it makes me look at my journey and think, ‘why can’t I lose weight that fast?’ But then I think, ‘No, health first, weight second, there must be more healing going on for me.’ I was sick in so many ways it was never going to be a quick journey.”
Health improvements:
It took Litchfield nearly a year, but with keto and Dr. Berg’s tips, she now weighs 14.1 stone (197 pounds or 90 kg) with a goal of reaching 12 stone (168 pounds or 76 kg). “I can see that I can reach my goal,” she said. “It is not impossible.”
Determined to succeed, she is committed to keto. “I wish I had found out about this 20 years ago so that I would not have gotten into the mess that I was in.”
Advice for someone starting keto:
“Life happens,” she advises. “It is not a straight road, but stay focused, take the bumps, and carry on.”
Favorite way to exercise:
HIIT.
Favorite keto recipe:
“I have started baking keto rolls, bread, and cakes,” said Litchfield. “I use them as a treat and only make them a couple of times a month. This works well for me.”
Additional photos:
