Regina did keto instead of bariatric surgery

Regina had always been struggling with different diets to lose weight but nothing ever worked. When she hit her 50’s she suffered declining health and decided that the only way to deal with this was to undergo bariatric surgery. When preparing for surgery she found the Diet Doctor website and tried the keto diet. This is her story:

When I was born, I was a healthy 8 pounds 7½ ounces (3.8 kg). By all accounts a healthy, normal baby. I was very active growing up. I played sports nearly year around. My eating habits weren’t entirely awful. I seem to remember a lot of potatoes, rice and noodles because those food items stretched my parents’ food budget with four children.

My earliest memory of being overweight was probably when I was 9 years old. I remember seeing pictures of myself in my softball uniform and I appeared pudgy. My dad always told me I was beautiful so I never really gave it a great deal of thought until I started middle school. Kids can be cruel and I was not exempt from that during those teen years. I remember dieting to such extremes in the 80’s. Slim Fast was my #1 go-to. One summer between the 9th and 10th grades I recall eating nothing but vegetables and I would walk and walk. It worked, for a little while and then I would just end up putting the weight back on. My entire teenage and adult life has been plagued with constant dieting.

I was eventually blessed with four beautiful children and they have blessed me with five amazing grandchildren. The turning point for me came when I had to have knee surgery, on both knees. I ached so much all the time. I entered my 50’s and the doctor politely asked me if I had a plan for health care. She was trying to let me know my health was declining and if I didn’t change something I would die of a heart attack or diabetes.

My HbA1c numbers were in the pre-diabetic range. I was given a prescription for Metformin. I went home and made an appointment the very next day to go to a bariatric surgery seminar. I saw that as my only way to a healthier lifestyle. I went to the meeting and began working their program so I could meet the requirements for my insurance to cover this drastic surgery. I remember telling my husband I was going to do this. He agreed at that time to do whatever he had to in order to support me so I would not have to have this drastic surgery. He was also type 2 diabetic taking Metformin, blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

I found the dietdoctor.com website and decided to give this a try. I had done Atkins in the past and was intrigued by this particular plan. So, two weeks before I went on my first cruise, my husband and I began keto. I stayed keto on the cruise and every single day since I began. To my surprise, this was so much easier and better than Atkins. In the beginning, I would read every single thing I could get my hands on about this way of living. Some things were not as reliable and I have come to realize the dietdoctor.com website community is the only one I need to maintain this way of living. My most difficult challenge, in the beginning, was finding things to make that my husband would enjoy. HE has been my biggest challenge. I am happy to say I have conquered that obstacle. His taste buds have changed and now he loves the things I make. He was a carbohydrate junky! He was on board with whatever we needed to do in order to keep me off the operating table.

I have been living the ketogenic life now for one week shy of a year. I have gone from a size 26 to a size 16. I weighed 290 lbs (132 kg) the day I began this and am now 224 lbs (102 kg). The ONLY medication I take is for an underactive thyroid. I am actively trying to eat foods to try to remedy that too. Eating the right food (fat) has essentially healed my body, mind, and spirit. I am so much happier. I have so much more energy than I have had in the last 2 decades. My complexion is clearer and my mind is fog-free.

I don’t know that there is really any one thing I can pinpoint to say I wish I had known when I started. What I wish is that I had started this a lot sooner in my life. I look forward to every day and I enjoy creating new foods with the knowledge dietdoctor.com has provided for me. I tell everyone I know about this website and this way of eating and am even starting to put together a cookbook of the foods my husband and I love to share with my friends and family. I want everyone I love to discover this way of life earlier than I did so they can enjoy their lives longer.

Comment

Congratulations Regina, that’s great! Losing excess weight and (presumably) reversing pre-diabetes through a dietary change is likely to be significantly safer than through surgery. In addition, weight-loss surgery requires a lifestyle change anyway, to get the results people want. Hopefully many of the people you tell about this will find it very helpful, and be successful at it too!

Best,
/ Andreas Eenfeldt, MD

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