Woman sheds 65 pounds on the keto diet (after failing on all other diets)

At the depths of desperation over an ever-climbing weight, in spite of various attempt to get it under control, April’s physician recommended a keto diet and intermittent fasting to her. And the results have been fantastic! In about half a year, she has lost 65 pounds (29 kg) and over 50 inches (127 cm).

Here she shares her journey and some very encouraging words for anyone who wants to do the same thing:

Growing up, I was very athletic/active; there wasn’t a sport I didn’t play (except water polo, because I didn’t have the opportunity. Oh, and hockey, because me on skates ain’t pretty). However, when I became a teenager, it seemed my appetite for sweets increased exponentially. It was the beginning of my becoming a closet eater. I got very good at sneaking cookies/sweets, and I learned to put the cookie jar lid back EXACTLY as I found it. I also learned to take a few at a time so my parents wouldn’t notice any missing.

Hiding my food addiction became an art form. During my senior year of high school is when the weight really started to become a problem. By the time I married my first husband, I was obese (I looked eight months pregnant in our wedding pictures). That marriage ended in divorce, and I continued to gain weight. By the time I met my husband Jason in 2006, medically, I was considered morbidly obese.

Over the years, I had tried every diet, fad or otherwise, known to man. Remember Phen Fen? Yep! Tried that, too! Thankfully, God protected me, and I stopped taking it after one month. Atkins, cabbage soup diet, Weight Watchers, low-fat/high-carb, no sugar, Daniel Fast, South Beach… you name it, I had tried it. Unfortunately, I never stuck with anything for long.

Fast forward November 1, 2017. While at work I started having chest pains. At this point, I was 292 pounds (132 kg). I tend to gain weight everywhere (seriously, even my feet were fat), so even though I’m 5’4” (163 cm) tall, I didn’t look like I weighed that much (plus, I have a lot of muscle). But, I sure felt it. I was in pain all the time, I never had energy, and for the life of me, I COULD NOT stop eating! I blamed myself constantly, because doctors have always told me, “If you’ll just burn more calories than you take in”, “If you’ll exercise more and eat less”, “If you’ll cut out sugar and fat”, etc. They were doctors who knew what they were talking about, so the problem HAD to lie with me. Right?

That day in November, I told my manager how I was feeling, and she immediately took me to the ER. I was so embarrassed, because here I was, 42 years old and 292 pounds (132 kg) with chest pains. Have you ever felt like you just KNEW what people were thinking? As nurses and doctors came in to talk to and examine me, I felt very insecure. All the “advice” past doctors had given me came flooding back. I just knew they were thinking all those things, because I was thinking it about myself. I was there most of the day, and thankfully, they didn’t find anything. But I did; I found my breaking point.

The next morning, I sat in my car in the parking lot of my office crying out to God. My exact words were, “Lord, either You get me some help or let me come home.” I. WAS. DONE. I was so frustrated, defeated, depressed and tired of being sick and tired. As soon as that prayer left my lips, I was reminded of the name of a doctor recommended to me several months prior as my doctor retired. I had looked at her bio then, but I didn’t have a reason to go. Well, as soon as her name popped into my head, I went in and looked her up. This time, I saw something I hadn’t seen the last time: she specializes in obesity medicine. WHAT?! How had I missed that? Again, immediately, I knew: I wasn’t ready all those months ago, and God knew it. That day, I was. FINALLY!

They got me in the next day, and through tears, all the frustration, fear, anger, depression, desperation and defeat came flooding out. I told her my story, and she said the words that would save my life: “I’d like you to try low carb/high fat with intermittent fasting”. Immediately, Atkins came to my mind. I asked her if that’s what this was, and she said it was similar. She told me to eat between 20-50 carbs/day, and I remember thinking that would be difficult. How could I stay below 50? Ironically, I found it difficult to even GET to 50, which is how I ended up doing keto. She went on to explain more about it, and my next question was, “Can I do this for the rest of my life?” If I couldn’t, I didn’t want any part of it. I was tired of quick fixes, trying and failing and starting and stopping. It’s exhausting when you’re a human Yo-Yo!

She assured me, not only could I do this for the rest of my life, I SHOULD. She and her husband were on it and had been successful. Her best friend was on it and after about a year lost 100 pounds (45 kg). Once I picked my jaw up off the floor and could talk again, I told her I was in. One of the BEST weapons she gave me that day was the Diet Doctor website. I dove headfirst into the information like I would a swimming pool full of ice cream. Each time I’ve gotten stuck or weight loss has slowed or stopped, I’ve come back to this wonderful website and figured out where I went wrong; I still learn each time I look on here. I didn’t sign up as a member right away, but it didn’t take me long. It is the best money I’ve spent in a very long time. And, for what they offer, the price is SO minimal!! Say it with me, “No brainer!”

Anyhoo, November 5th, 2017 was day one for me. As of today (5/4/18), I am on day 180, and I’ve lost 65 pounds (29 kg) and over 50 inches – 127 cm (as of my last weighing/measuring two weeks ago). I experienced my first major plateau that lasted almost a month. My weight wasn’t going up, but it wasn’t going down, either. At least I knew I wasn’t doing something wrong! So, I went to dietdoctor.com and started to read. I was doing everything right, and this is common. I decided to go back to the basics: back to what I did when I first started keto. I’m paying more attention to serving sizes, and I’m only eating when my stomach growls. I’m not at my goal weight, YET, but praise God, I’m well on my way (or should I say, “weigh” *giggles*)!

I want to encourage anyone thinking about trying this way of life or anyone who find themselves in a plateau. Don’t give up! People say all the time, “If I can do it, so can you,” and I’m here to tell you, that rings so true for me! The Lord has been such a help to me in this journey, and without His help, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.

To Dr. Eenfeldt and all the wonderful people who make dietdoctor.com possible, THANK YOU! I hope to someday get to see Dr. Eenfeldt in person and give him a HUGE hug. Through your knowledge and your website, you have given so many of us some very precious gifts: you have given us hope. You have given us freedom. You have given us health.

For that, I am eternally grateful.

Blessings,
April

Comment

Thank you for sharing April, and an especially-big thank you for your words of encouragement! You are an inspiration :-)

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