My Story

I never thought when I started this journey, that I would actually succeed, much less have a story to tell, but I did, and I do.  So this post is about my Keto testimony and how it went for me.  Today is my one-year anniversary from the day I started Keto.  It has been so life-changing.  Today is the day for this story:

In January of 2018, I went for a regularly scheduled check-up with my doctor.  In 2014, I had had a heart attack and had since been diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome (having at least three of five medical conditions: central obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein -- I had all five) so I was under pretty close watch by my general practitioner and my cardiologist.  I was taking approximately 12-14 prescription medications, all of which were being constantly watched, adjusted, changed, etc.  I was basically a healthcare nightmare.  Despite all the medications, my Type II Diabetes was out of control with a blood glucose A1C level of 10.4 (normal is below 5.8).  My weight was constantly creeping upward and had reached a peak of 240 lbs.  I am 5' 3" tall!  That's a lot of weight for my frame, not to mention my poor already-exhausted heart.  So, at that January visit, I agreed that something had to be done.  My doctor gave me pamphlets and set me up with an appointment with the diabetes nutritionist.  I really just wanted to hold out till I was 60, at which point I felt that was a respectable age to die.  But I plodded on.  I took the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet to heart and really put forth an effort.  In March, I discovered that, for all my hard work on the diet and exercise, I had lost less than 5lbs and my blood glucose was 11.0... even higher than before! The doctor now added a weekly injection to my prescription regime.  Fabulous.

Let me back up a moment. For years (decades, actually), I used to pray often that I would be blessed with a miraculous weight loss; that I would just wake up "normal" one day. Of course, what I had in mind was an instantaneous transformation, but then again, God and I don't always have the same plans in mind for me. I continued in this vein for years, believing that if I could just start over with a thinner body, I could keep it that way. Of course, I had no nutritional plan or historical track record to prove that was the case, but that was my thinking anyway. I continued to pray.

Enter Keto.  After my March doctor visit, I was more disheartened than ever before.  I hated the ADA diet, found it difficult and bland, and had a lot of trouble sticking to it.  Then I heard about Keto.  I started reading and following a couple of doctors on YouTube and Facebook (Ken Berry, Dr. Eric Berg, Dr. Jason Fung) and I began to see the science behind what they were saying.  It all made perfect sense!  I honestly believe that God put this information before me to show me what to do about myself.  This was not a fad, not a diet, this was a lifestyle, as vigorous and demanding as veganism and seemed to invoke nearly as much passion.  I decided I had nothing to lose but weight, so what the heck.  Let me say though, I was dead wrong on that last point.  I had much more to lose than just weight.  I had a boatload of bad habits, a defeated attitude, a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, a closet full of drab frumpy clothes, AND a bunch of excess weight.  Turns out the weight was the least significant thing of all.

So I jumped in with both feet.  I went through my house and removed all the sugars, grains, breads, pastas, etc (which left me with very little food in the house).  If you know anything about the Jewish traditions of Passover, you could say I cleaned out the leaven like a Jewish mama before Passover.  There was not a snack to be had, no bread for sandwiches, no chips, no flour, no sugar. All gone.  Then I went online and found some new, simple recipes and went shopping for a whole new set of ingredients.  I started cooking more at home, and baking! That was something I never did.  And I found that, with constant prayer and support from the Lord, I found a whole new passion in my life.  I was creating healthy, delicious food for me and my family and I was liking it!  I was actually coming to love new favorites and before long, those previously bad foods (donuts, pizza, cake, bread, etc.) didn't plague me at all.  They didn't even seem like food in my mind.

And then the real fun began.  I got an app on my phone for tracking my food intake and my daily weight, and I kept a log of my morning blood sugar levels. I'm a bit of a numbers geek so all of this was actually a positive for me.  I started the Keto diet.

Admittedly, at first, my carbohydrate intake was WAY above the recommended carb load (20gr per day).  I was at 350-400 grams of carbs per day before I started, so I cut that back to around 100gr the first week or two, then 50gr, then 30gr, then finally 20gr.  But the weight started coming off right away.  On the first day of my diet -- a Tuesday, I weighed 235lbs and my morning glucose level that morning was 182 (<100 is ideal).  One week later, the following Tuesday, I had lost 6.2 lbs. And by the end of the month, I had lost a full 10lbs.  The next month, I lost another 10lbs. and my morning glucose levels were dropping almost as fast.  I began the diet in March, by May 1, my weight was down 20lbs and my morning glucose levels were averaging around 115!  On June 24, I went below 200lbs for the first time since my son was born in 1991.  So in 3 months, I lost 35lbs and my morning blood sugars were now around the mid-80s (textbook perfect).

In July, I had another appointment scheduled with the GP, and this time I also had an appointment with the cardiologist on the same day.  Since my heart attack in 2014, I've been seeing the cardio doc every 6 months for follow-up.  First, I went to the GP.  He charted my weight as 197.  Almost 40lbs gone since my last visit!  Needless to say, he was shocked.  But the real testimony came when they ran a new A1C blood glucose check.  Remember, my last number was 11, which is so far above normal as to be frightening.  On this day, though, my blood sugar was 6.0, just 2/10ths of a point above the normal range (4.8 - 5.8)!

I told my doctor that God had directed me toward Keto.  He was a bit skeptical and still wanted to credit the loss to "portion control, right? You're controlling your portions?"  I told him that no, I actually ate with abandon, but I controlled my CHOICES.  I still don't know if he's fully on board, but he can't deny my progress.  At this time, he took me off all but one of my diabetes medications -- chiefly, he removed the weekly injection! Yay!  By the end of that visit, I was down by several medications and others had been titrated downward.

On to the cardio doctor!  The cardio doc was so amazed at my progress that he was speechless.  Honestly, before this, this man had only seen me at my worst.  All he knew of me was that I was a basically non-complaint diabetic with a heart condition and an apparent death-wish.  I told him what I had been up to and he literally applauded my efforts (yes, he clapped his hands with glee!) and said that it was obviously working for me.  He crossed the room, gave me a high five and said, "I'll see you in a year.  If your progress continues like this, that might be our last visit."  My heart was healthy!  He removed more of my medications, leaving me with only a few, all of which I was determined to get rid of.  (And without a bunch of lengthy details, I am now completely prescription free!

As of today, one year later, I have lost approximately 85 lbs, 12+ prescription medications, ALL of my larger clothes, and a good number of my bad habits.  Throughout my transition, God continued to bless me with insight, supportive friends, and lots of clothes!  (Just an aside, my husband is a total failure in the kitchen so he's fully dependent on what I cook for meals.  Because of this, he was sort of an "accidental tourist," forced on board on my new weight loss plan. Through simple Keto eating, he also went from 275lbs down to his current 185lbs).  People started giving me clothes right and left.  And I was amazed at the sizes that fit!  I went from a tight 24W (which is equivalent to a 3XL or more) down to a ladies size 12, or basically a Medium.  My husband's jeans went from a 44x30 down to 36x30.  Through this phase, it was awesome!  God kept giving us clothes, more clothes than we'd ever had before.  And we passed on our larger things to others who might need them.  It wasn't just about the clothes, though.  I began to see what God was doing.  The new, smaller, brighter, fashionable garments were building my self-confidence and my self-esteem! God was showing me that to Him, I am beautiful.  My frumpy habits were dissolving and I was emerging as an energetic, bright, intelligent, thinner version of my old self.  But God wasn't done with me yet...

Today, I had my epiphany.  I realized that my crazy prayer had been answered!  Today was that day that I instantaneously woke up "normal". Yes, I know, I weigh exactly the same as I did yesterday, and very little about today will differentiate it from the days surrounding it, except for this: Today, I woke up with the UNDERSTANDING that I am the size I am supposed to be (give or take a few lbs). God answered my prayer AND He did it in HIS way.  He did it in such a way that I now KNOW that I am capable of maintaining this new smaller body because I went through the learning process to get it here.

In summary, today I praise God for answering my prayer and then some (isn't that how He always works?). He helped me find the path to health, led me down it and supported me all the way, and brought me to where I need to be, with the knowledge of how I got here (and that was the bonus I didn't know to ask for). But wait, you say, "If it was God, why did He wait decades?"  I even know the answer to that today... Because that's how long it took for me to be willing to do my part to bring about my miracle.  Today, my BMI is nearly in the "normal range" and I feel fit, healthy, and ready to serve the Lord.  Today, I am alive! Thanks to my God and His gentle hand-holding through my first year of Keto.  God could have done it all for me.  He could have awakened me one morning with 85 lbs missing. But I wouldn't have learned a thing from that, and in time, I would have returned to my former grandure(-ly large shape).

Now that I am close to my goal, I know how I got here and I know how to stay here.  I understand much better the mechanics of this amazing creation called the human body and I understand the relationship between my body and the consumables available to me.  I know what is truly healthy (and it does NOT involve low-fat or bran anything!) and I know that I will never be large like that again.  By making me a part of the miracle instead of just doing it for me, God has given me the knowledge, wisdom, and tools to not have to go down that path again.

So that's what Keto has meant to me and why I am sharing this blog now.  Have a blessed day and let your food be your medicine!

Be sure to subscribe so you know when I post new stuff, and please use the comment section below to ask any questions.

Have a blessed day!