Alma Discovered Keto and Lost 68 Pounds After Years of Failed Diets 

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

I had been overweight most of my adult life. I tried several diets and programs, but never succeeded. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an inflammatory disease, in 1995, and for many years, I was prescribed corticoids, which made me heavier, and I just couldn’t lose weight even if I “ate right” and exercised. 

I am a singer and songwriter, and I hated how I looked in the videos that my friends took of me while I was singing. I hated the way I looked; I hated the way I dressed, and I had no confidence at all. I “tried to hide,” but when I was on stage, I didn’t care. I had a very different image of myself in my mind while I was singing, but I felt really miserable.  

About two years ago, I started having knee problems. I was 227 lbs. (I’m 5.3 ft. tall). My doctor said I had to lose weight to help my knees. After that, I stopped taking corticoids and steroids, looking for an alternative way to handle my condition.  

How did you discover keto? 

A friend of mine recommended watching Dr. Berg’s videos. The first one I watched was the webinar “How to fix the adrenal body type.” I couldn’t stop laughing since EVERYTHING he said described ME!  

For the first time in my life, I felt I had found exactly what was wrong with me and, best of all, how to fix it! I watched some more videos and started the program very enthusiastically. I was amazed at how fast I could tell it was working. I could tell I was losing weight without weighing, but about a couple of weeks into the program, I felt so, so tired and “sick.” I was feeling so bad that I went back to eating the way I used to. After watching more of Dr. Berg’s videos, I found out I had “keto flu,” and this was because I was not taking enough electrolytes.  

I didn’t want to fail again, so I studied Dr. Berg’s videos for about a month, taking notes of everything I felt I needed to know to do it right, and in late March 2018, I started again. This time, I was putting in tp practice all the vital aspects of the program (apple cider vinegar, electrolytes, and the 7 cups of leafy greens).  

How has your health improved since you started keto? 

My starting weight on 03/20/18 was 227 lbs. My current weight, 7 months later, is 159 lbs. I would like to get to 143 lbs. 

I never watch the scale (I weigh every two months or so), I just trust the process and enjoy the journey. I feel happy, energetic, LIVING! 

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

I started being creative in the kitchen. I love bacon, avocado, cheese, butter, heavy cream, and pork rinds, so I did not miss the carbs too much, which I was addicted to. I tried many of Dr. Berg’s and Karen’s recipes and was delighted with the keto pizza, brownies, pancakes, and cheese muffins. I learned how to bread things using pork rinds, almond flour, and sesame seeds. Now I bread whatever comes my way; chicken, meat, veggies, and I love it! I also learned how to make homemade mayo and use it with organic tomato paste, a little vinegar, and some xylitol. It makes a great thousand islands dressing for my breaded treats. 

 I really enjoy my new way of life. Living in Mexico makes it not too easy to find all the ingredients I need for my meals, so I had to invest some time looking for what was available in every grocery store, reading labels, comparing prices, and so on. Now I know where to find them. I don’t mind going to 4 different places to get my supplies; everything I consume is 100% organic/grass-fed.  

My daily routine is: At 2 pm, I drink, then I fix my first meal (eggs with nutritional yeast and bacon or veggies and half avocado), coffee or green tea with collagen. 6 pm ACV drink then fix dinner: chicken, meat or fish, or keto pizza with salad (lettuce, celery, mushrooms, green pepper, olives, etc. just as a side dish) or sautéed veggies with butter and cheese AND ALWAYS a green shake: 7 cups of leafy greens (beet tops, kale, chard), 2 sticks of celery, a piece of ginger, the juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp. of chia seed and 1 tsp. of pink salt. I also take 1 tsp. of magnesium citrate in warm water before bed. Sometimes, if I crave bread or something sweet, I’llmake a keto pancake and top it with keto Nutella (almond butter mixed with sugar-free cocoa and xylitol) and chopped pecans. 

Any other details you want to share?   

One of the funny things that happened to me was the first time after my weight loss that I went shopping for clothes. I went to the department store I usually go to and automatically headed to the plus-size department. When I realized it, I stopped and looked around the store, and got overwhelmed to see the number of things I could choose from. That day I was going to try a size 36, maybe 34 pair of pants (I was a 40/42 before). I ended up getting a size 32, and I just couldn’tbelieve it! It was great. I haven’t started working out yet because I haven’t handled my knee problem, but I have no saggy skin (even though I am 56 years old). What I do have to work on is getting back the muscles in my legs and booty (gone with the weight).  

I love to go shopping now, the bad thing is I don’t have enough money to buy everything I like, but I enjoy my new clothes and look.  

I still want to lose 15 lbs. more, but really, I’m in no hurry; I’m sure I’ll get there, no problem. I have been following Dr. Berg’s recommendation. I understand I mistreated my body for so long that it is not going to happen overnight, so I try to get 6,000 mg of potassium every day.  

I really want to thank Dr. Berg for giving my life back to me. I really appreciate all the hard work he puts into studying and making that knowledge available to us. Dr. Berg: YOU ARE AN ANGEL!