Cristina Hamilton's story

Cristina Hamilton’s 12-year-old daughter once asked how old she thought she’d live to be. Hamilton told her 100 and decided she’d better get started to make that happen.

Hamilton has struggled to overcome bulimia and depression. For 40 years she used her eating disorder to control her weight, gaining and losing the same 50 pounds over and over. After trying every diet she’d ever heard of and being in and out of therapy, she eventually felt herself giving up. Hamilton gained a lot of weight and acquired diabetes, telling herself she didn’t care. But of course she did.

She went on living her life depressed, slow, and in pain. She hardly went anywhere. She avoided social situations, not wanting to be seen. “For years on end I have woken up every morning hopeful that I would conquer food, and every night I’d go to bed a failure,” said Hamilton. “I still could not slay the dragon.”

It was after spending two weeks with her mom that a lightbulb went on for Hamilton. In her early eighties, Hamilton’s mom was still sharp and full of life, took daily walks, was thin and mobile and not on any medication. Hamilton started to take notice of her mom’s habits. What was her mother doing differently?

She saw that her mom would make a pot of espresso and drink it slowly throughout the morning. Then she’d prepare a veggie-filled meal at around 2 pm with a bit of lean protein, olive oil, and some cheese. After another bit of coffee, she’d walk through the neighborhood. She had a glass of wine on Sundays. That was it.

“I realized that she had always eaten like this, as did all the women in my Italian family,” explained Hamilton. “I looked up the benefits and dangers of eating one meal a day. And wow. It was a thing!”

Since January 2018, Hamilton has been doing intermittent fasting with keto and although she doesn’t use a scale, she estimates losing 50 pounds — with excellent blood work, too. Dr. Berg’s videos were her power source. She said there’s nothing hard about losing weight using his methods.

Dr. Berg urges people to put their health in order before worrying about weight and Hamilton admitted that was always her problem. On keto she skipped cheat days (as per Dr. Berg’s advice) and really did her best to remove all forms of stress.

Now, Hamiton wakes up every day a little lighter, a little clearer, and little healthier. She goes to bed feeling like a success, not a failure. And that means so much more than losing the weight. Does she want to go back to the way things were before? Hell no!

“If I could reassure someone who may be struggling I’d say… I know you. I know how miserable you are. I know what you’re thinking,” says Hamilton. “I was as hopeless a case as anyone. This is doable!”

Favorite Way to Exercise: Walking

Favorite Keto Recipe: Hamilton doesn’t really make recipes. Instead, she likes to keep it simple, eating simple foods—and that works for her.