What did your diet look like prior to adopting keto? 

I was always overweight, even as a child. I grew up poor. We tended to eat a lot of refined carbs and sugar, as well as sugary sauces, such as barbecue sauce. Lots of carbs with our proteins. 

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

Even at 10, I was overweight, but by 18 years old, I weighed about 239 pounds. I was a chronic dieter, too. I was into starvation. I was also bulimic and believed that diet pills were the solution to weight loss. I was convinced.  

Then it went up to prescription diet pills. I realize now these were only hurting, not helping me; that they probably caused stress that spiked cortisol and caused more weight gain. Not weight loss. You’re basically starving yourself on diet pills. And living off stress and diet pills. They also wreck your metabolism and just exacerbate the whole yo-yo dieting trend, which causes even more weight gain. 

As I was growing up, I only lost weight through unhealthy methods—losing weight with diet pills or purging, and I was repeatedly gaining and losing weight. It was very unhealthy. 

After the birth of my son, at 5’ 4”, I ballooned up to 239 pounds—the highest I’ve ever been. And I needed that weight off my body. 

As time went on, I developed a long list of health problems because of being overweight. I developed ADHD, thyroid issues, depression, restless leg syndrome, migraines, acid reflux, and inflammation—all conditions I know now can be related to high carb and sugar consumption. 

How did you discover keto? 

I first started experimenting with keto and intermittent fasting (IF) in 2016. Then I discovered something called Primal Blueprint. From there, I discovered Dr. Berg, and I moved from just dabbling in keto/IF into full-fledged keto. 

Once I discovered Dr. Berg, it only took me three weeks to get into ketosis. 

How has your health improved since you started keto?  

Recently, I weighed around 210 pounds, and now I’m at 157 pounds. I feel absolutely fantastic. Amazingly, I was able to lose all that within about a year and a half. I can eat well and never feel hungry, and the weight stays off. I am so amazed that I finally got to lose weight and feel so full and satisfied. 

Today, I don’t have restless legs, my depression has improved, and I feel better than I ever have.