Ezinne Discovered Keto After Years of Obesity and Lost 103 Pounds 

How did you discover keto? 

My name is Ezinne, I’m 30 years old, and I live in the USA. I heard about the keto diet for the first time in 2014 from a friend when I was complaining about being overweight. I tried to do it for a couple of weeks, but I couldn’t sustain it as I didn’t really comprehend how keto worked. Also, being an African made it more difficult (or so I thought at the time) because I couldn’t bring myself to stop eating the foods I was used to, and these foods were extremely high in carbs and sugar.  

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

Before keto, I was obese, had blood pressure issues, joint issues, probably from being overweight, and couldn’t climb up a flight of stairs without panting.  

I remember looking at a report from my doctor, which said obese, and then I was encouraged to set a date with a nutritionist. I told my doctor I was planning on doing keto, but he dismissed the idea. I asked him why, but he didn’t come up with any reason that sounded like my health was in danger, and so I ignored him, and that was the best decision of my life. 

I remember coming across Dr. Berg’s videos and recipes. He talked a lot about substitutions, the food looked amazing, and I saw that I could have pizza…. just what I needed. Oh, and that bread that uses arrowroot flour…amazing. I had never heard about arrowroot prior. So, I binge-watched a lot of his videos.  

When I tried out intermittent fasting before keto, I really didn’t understand exactly how it was more than just weight loss. Dr. Berg gave me very detailed explanations on this topic. I enjoyed his explanations so much that I decided to take his Keto and Intermittent Fasting Coach course to better help people. I knew that if I could explain to people in the way he explained, it would be a step closer to the world having better knowledge. 

What did your diet look like prior to adopting keto? 

I had a very, very bad eating pattern. I ate multiple times a day, even when I wasn’t hungry. I just knew that my mouth had to be stuffed and moving. I would eat breakfast, snack multiple times, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, and all these consisted of high carbs and sugar. My late-night routine was the worst. I would have dinner at probably 9 pm, and then go across the street for some junk food. This usually was a burger, fries, soda, and I always needed some chocolate or candy to end the night. This was my daily life, and I couldn’t help it.  

I had a friend who lived this kind of life as well, but she never gained any weight, so we both encouraged each other to go at it. I had tried keto over 3 times in the past, but failed woefully because I was trying to do keto in a way that didn’t suit me. I excluded everything that I was used to as food, and would only succeed for a couple of weeks, and then get bored.  

How has your health improved since you started keto?   

Since starting keto, I lost a total of 103 lbs. in about one year. I started keto at 260 lbs. in January 2020, and by February 2020, I had gone down to 157 lbs. I still can’t believe I did that to this day. Now my health is amazing, no joint pain, and my blood pressure is normal, thanks to intermittent fasting. For the first time in many years, I feel alive.  

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

Mostly, I do one meal a day (OMAD) and sometimes 2 meals a day. I notice that on days when I eat 3 meals, I’m usually more sluggish and achieve less. Also, I focus a lot on intermittent fasting because I eat a lot of African foods, which have been “keto-ized” intuitively a lot of times. Fasting helps me not overdo the carbs and stay in check.  

The internet became my friend, but I had to be careful because there was a lot of misinformation out there. I followed many keto and intermittent fasting videos and tried out various recipes. The best part of this journey was that I was able to include my African foods, just with the perfect substitutes. 

Does exercise play a role in your success on keto? If so, how? 

I didn’t actively go to the gym or include structured workout plans, but I do have an active lifestyle. I’m always on my feet and moving for at least 8 hours daily.  

Any other details you want to share?   

Mistakes I made on keto were thinking that keto was a limited lifestyle. Thinking I couldn’t enjoy treats, thinking I had to eat the same thing every day, thinking I had to cancel a full day because I ate something I shouldn’t, most of all, thinking keto wasn’t forgiving. I say forgiving because I had been on a couple of different plans that cancel your progress for falling off track, and require you to start over from day 1. So, when I ate something wrong on keto, I would just cancel the day and all my progress and mess up my results by just continuing to eat the wrong things.  

Remember, keto is not just a diet; it’s a lifestyle, and if you want to get the best results, include intermittent fasting. Most of all, understand how keto and intermittent fasting work before you get into it. This will help you make better decisions and help you stay on track. 

Check out Dr. Berg’s videos to really get that insight, he explains in terms that don’t make you crack your brain to understand. I wish everyone good luck.