Photo story
Quick stats
Name:
Kevin W.
Age:
38
Starting Weight:
345 lbs.
Current Weight:
235 lbs.
Weight Loss:
110 lbs. (49 kg)
Approach:
Keto + Intermittent Fasting (OMAD)
Did you have any problems with your weight or health before going on keto?
My name is Kevin, and I’m 38 years old. I’m from Chicago, and my story really started in 2006. I was 21 years old, 5′ 9”, and about 175 lbs. A bit overweight, but I was cut. I had abs and very muscular arms and biceps before I became a bus operator, which is a very sedentary job. Over the years, I began to gain weight rapidly from eating poorly and not really being concerned about my health.
In 2016, I weighed 295 but was diagnosed with sleep apnea after falling asleep behind the wheel of a bus I was operating. Thank God I didn’t kill anyone. My doctor told me I could reverse it if I lost weight, which I did. I lost 70 lbs. in two months by going to the gym, working out for two hours of my four-hour lunch break, five days a week, while drinking only a protein shake for lunch, and eating a low-carb meal for dinner. I went down to 225 lbs., and I felt awesome.
Years went by, and I slowly regained weight due to the pandemic and just not really paying attention to my weight again. In 2021, my sleep apnea returned, so I missed six months from my job trying to get it under control. When I visited my doctor, I was shocked. I weighed a whopping 345 lbs. and was told I was prediabetic, but I could reverse it once again if I dropped the weight. So, I set a goal for myself to get my weight down to 225, since that was my lowest weight previously.
How did you discover keto?
This time, I wanted to do it differently due to my schedule changing at work. I didn’t have the same four-hour lunch break to work out at the gym five days a week anymore. I was working an extreme amount of overtime, working 12-15 hours per day. So, I looked up alternative ways to lose weight without intense exercise.
That’s when I came across Dr. Berg’s YouTube channel and discovered keto and intermittent fasting. I was skeptical because I really thought you had to work out in a gym to lose weight, but the videos completely changed my mind. I started the keto diet on October 6th, 2021, and I am forever grateful.
How has your health improved since you started keto?
I lost 50 lbs. in the first two months by doing strictly keto and one meal a day (OMAD); I went from 345 to 295 lbs. Then I mixed in some 72-hour water-only fasts for Thanksgiving & Christmas, and by the end of 2021, I was down to 275.
How does an average day of eating/fasting look for you on keto?
At the beginning of 2022, I suffered a wrist injury and missed two months from work, so I fell off the wagon for a couple of months and gained 10 lbs. But I picked up right where I left off after my injury healed and began doing keto and rolling 72s, where I would fast for 72 hours, then have a keto meal on one day before jumping into another 72-hour water-only fast. I did this for about three months and got my weight down to 235 right around the year mark since I started my journey and only a short 10 lbs. from my goal weight of 225.
Does exercise play a role in your success on keto? If so, how?
The only time I did exercise was at the end of my journey, I walked on my at-home treadmill for 30 mins per day for two weeks to prepare myself for the 15k Hot Chocolate Run.
Any other details you want to share?
I am in the best health I have ever been in my entire adult life. I completed the 15k Run on November 5th, and I couldn’t have done it without your videos. Thank you so much! I have set a new goal of 200 lbs., hopefully I get there by the end of the year.
If you could offer advice to someone starting keto, what would you say?
If I could only offer three pieces of advice to someone starting keto:
1. Sleep is your friend. Try to get plenty of rest. I love the fact that every time I got a good night’s sleep and am on the keto diet, the next morning when I weigh myself, I have always dropped a few pounds
2. Time: Remember, it took years to damage your body by eating all types of junk, so it’s going to take time for you to repair your body and lose the weight that you desire. Time heals everything
3. Water: Try to drink as much water as possible during your journey. I drank 120 ounces of water per day. This allowed me to control my cravings. Whenever I felt hungry, I just drank more water.
Additional photos:
