Inga Sveistre's Story

Six months after giving birth to her second son, Inga Sveistre started to feel unwell. She was sad all the time, prone to stress, and incredibly exhausted. At first, her doctor said it might be post-natal depression but Sveistre decided against medication for that since she was still breastfeeding.

After a few more months, her condition hadn’t changed. “I went to the doctor again but this time I couldn’t hold my tears from falling,” she said. “I was feeling so depressed, so exhausted, I didn’t want to do anything and everything was annoying me.”

Right away, Sveistre underwent some blood tests that confirmed her doctor’s suspicions. She was dealing with hyperthyroidism caused by Hashimoto’s—an autoimmune disease in which your body produces antibodies that destroy your thyroid gland. It seemed that she was depressed, gaining weight, and extremely fatigued as a result of the missing hormones that her thyroid should have been producing.

Sveistre began taking thyroid drugs but she still wasn’t feeling well. “I was still gaining weight and all I wanted to do was sleep,” she said. It was then that she turned to the internet to find outexactly what hypothyroidism was, what Hashimoto’s meant, and how she could help herself.

In her search, Sveistre came across Dr. Berg’s videos on YouTube and watched every one related to the thyroid. That’s when keto caught her eye. “I started to dig deeper and decided to give [keto] a go and dived in,” she said. “I really wanted to feel well again, not feel exhausted, have energy, and lose weight, of course!”

After just two weeks, Sviestre noticed she was feeling much better. She wasn’t craving carbs, she had become less bloated, and her mood had improved immensely. “The best thing is that you’re eating delicious meals,” she said. “I don’t feel like anything was hard for me in this journey so far.”

Remembering how broken and depressed she was helps her stay determined to change that and stick to it. She reports not having any cravings and that she feels “awesome.” She wouldn’t do anything differently, even if she had the chance.

“The Facebook group that Dr. Berg created really helps to stay motivated,” Sveistre said, when asked what keeps her going. “And of course, my own victories day by day, month by month!”

Despite her hypothyroidism, Sveistre managed to lose 31 pounds (14 kg) in four months with keto and the help from Dr. Berg. “It’s fantastic and unbelievable!” she exclaims. “For anybody out there who is struggling with weight and having health problems, just persist and try this way of eating. I can bet you won’t regret it!”

Favorite Way to Exercise: Walking with her kids or running after them.

Favorite Keto Recipe: “I couldn’t name one favorite, plenty of them are awesome!” Sveistre says. “I like brussel sprouts pan-fried in butter and topped with pancetta.”

Out of all the advice, strategies, and tips—what was the single best thing you learned that helped you the most?“Eat as little as you can eat and still feel comfortable.”