Adam ‘struggled to keep weight off’ until he tried keto

Despite being very active for most of his life, Adam, 46, from Missouri, just couldn’t get his weight under control.

Over time, he also developed high blood pressure and symptoms of type 2 diabetes and started feeling that he was addicted to food.

Fortunately, Adam was introduced to a different way of eating when he watched a friend turn his life around thanks to the keto diet. And so, in April 2020, Adam took the plunge and started eating the same way.

Since then, Adam has gotten some fantastic results. Keep reading to learn about all the amazing health benefits he’s experienced, why he no longer thinks exercising and counting calories is the way to go, and his top tips for keto beginners.

Adam’s story has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Adam’s keto journey

Hello!

My name is Adam and I live in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

I discovered keto through a friend a few years back. He was very sick. At the time, he weighed 460 pounds (209 kilos). This motivated him to change his life with keto, and he dropped down to 160 pounds (73 kilos).

For most of my life, I’ve struggled to keep weight off, even when I was very physically active and involved in sports.

Before starting a keto diet, I was a complete foodie and loved to cook and eat, especially food from different countries. My diet was very high in refined carbs and sugar, and I even seemed to be addicted to eating!

I started keto in April of 2020. At the time, my weight was 288 pounds (131 kilos). I had been diagnosed with stage 2 hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, and I’d started to notice symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

In addition to all this, I had difficulties breathing while sleeping. In fact, it was so bad that I was banished to the couch because my snoring was so loud that my wife couldn’t sleep. I was miserable!

Within two weeks of starting keto, my symptoms of diabetes completely disappeared. I no longer had to get up three to four times a night to go to the bathroom. What’s more, after just one month, my blood pressure fell back into normal ranges.

And of course, the weight began falling off as did the water retention. My skin improved greatly and I got a healthy glow.

These days, in Sep. 2020, I’ve lost 68 pounds (31 kilos) and feel great! I have about 35 pounds (16 kilos) to go to reach my goal weight of 190 pounds (86 kilos), which is a great weight for me as I have a larger frame.

On most days, I include intermittent fasting, but if I’m particularly hungry I skip it. Typically, I fast for 15 to 18 hours and then eat either one or two keto meals between 2 and 8 pm.

On holidays, I allow myself to go off keto and have a treat meal. But I get right back on the next day, and my body handles this very well.

On one or two occasions, I’ve “carbed out” with a bowl of cereal. I don’t beat myself up for it and just make sure to fast for about 20 hours to get my blood sugar and insulin stabilized again before going right back to keto.

While exercise is great for your body composition, I can’t say that I’ve exercised much on my keto journey (unless walking the dog and doing yard work counts). However, I don’t find exercise to be necessary for weight loss. Losing weight is more about hormones and insulin than how many calories you’re taking in or expending.

Just like I said earlier, I’ve exercised intensely throughout my life, and still, I wasn’t able to lose the weight before starting a keto lifestyle. So for me, it’s all about what I’m eating.

Here are my top three tips for anyone who’s starting keto:

1. Be patient. Too many people want results overnight. This is a lifestyle change and you have to really want and be ready to accept this new way of life.
2. Be easy on yourself. If you fall or cheat, get right back up. It’s not the end of the world and you haven’t ‘blown it’. The human body has an amazing ability to recover. Remember, it’s the everyday abuse of food that causes problems, not the occasional mess up.
3. Enjoy the journey. Have fun with keto. Mix things up and make it interesting. There are so many recipes online. Cook simple or fancy keto meals – it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it.

Comment

Thanks for sharing your journey with us Adam. I really appreciate your three tips. Stay patient, go easy on yourself, and enjoy the journey. Remembering these three tips will make this a true lifestyle change and not a “diet.” Keep up the great work!
Best,
/ Dr. Bret Scher

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