In August, I got what my doctor called “the last thing.” My lab work was a disaster, and if my A1C got high I would be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I went home that night and knew I had to make a change.
My wife’s friend had lost a lot of weight so we asked her how she did it. He introduced us to Cato. I was skeptical, but my wife and I both committed to keto for 60 days. We started in October. When I went back to the doctor in January of the following year, my triglycerides and A1C were back in the normal range for the first time.
Keto makes it very easy. The constant cravings for food are gone, and I have better mental clarity and more energy.
Ruled.me played an important role in our journey. gave Sample meal plans And the huge recipe archive took a lot of guesswork when we had no idea why we were doing it. We made every mistake imaginable. It’s not the end of the world… you learn from your mistake and carry that new wisdom with you.
We have both struggled with our weight almost all of our lives. Jennifer had gastric bypass surgery about 15 years ago. He lost a lot of weight at first, but it all continued to gain, because we didn’t change our eating habits. It doesn’t help that she owns a boutique bakery, where she bakes desserts and wedding cakes on a daily basis. In February (4 months after starting) she was invited to LA to participate in a baking competition (Netflix’s Sugar Rush).
She had received other TV offers before, but had always turned them down because she couldn’t bear the thought of flying across the country in a 330-pound airplane. There’s a lot of shame and embarrassment in not fitting into the seat, or having to buy another seat just to fly, not to mention that the camera supposedly adds an extra “10 pounds.”
But the weight loss also brought a new sense of confidence, so she happily traveled to LA. She finished second in the competition, but just traveling and being in front of the cameras was a huge win for both of us.
Although I help out at the bakery when needed, I have a full-time job in IT at a healthcare facility. It’s a task that can get pretty boring if you let it go. Now I like to walk around campus after lunch, and I’ve been known to join conference calls on my cell phone so I can walk around and take a few steps forward while taking care of business. I always try to find small ways to add more activity to my desk job.
My wife and I have both lost 120 pounds each since starting 2 years ago. We feel so much better physically and mentally, and now we have more confidence to do things we never thought we could do again…flying on airplanes, going on fun trips, hiking. , ziplining… a whole new world has opened up to us!
1. What tactics did you use to help you reach your goal? What helped you best achieve your goals?
When we started, we eliminated all carbohydrate-rich foods from the house. We gave it all to neighbors or the local food bank. It made it almost impossible to fall back into our old habits. Initially we were getting a lot of conflicting information online. Rule me Getting started guide and sample meal plans We made a lot of assumptions about what we should do.
2. What is the most impactful change you have made to your diet and why do you feel it is the most important?
With limiting carbs and the benefits that bring (no cravings, better mental clarity, no blood sugar spikes) we’ve found that we now focus more on the quality of food, not the quantity. . Now we eat real food, not fillers, like rice and bread.
3. What is the best advice you can give to someone just starting out?
Use Ruled.me as a guide and follow it strictly. Get yourself into the habit of looking at all food labels, many foods are loaded with carbohydrates (like a nighttime cold medicine). Make a commitment to yourself that you will be on your best behavior for 6 weeks. You’ll feel so much better that you won’t go back.
Also, as you lose weight, consider shopping at thrift stores, buying a whole set of new clothes every few months can get expensive fast!
4. How do you feel your life is now that you are on your goal?
Well, we’re both still a little way from our goal, but we’re still working on it. I don’t think we’ll ever go back to a standard carb-based diet. We love eating keto. Also, we went to Universal in Orlando before we started our trip and were so embarrassed we couldn’t fit in several rides.
We went back in December and rode all these rides, just because we could. It was very exciting! Losing weight has given us the confidence to get out more, do more, and feel better, both physically and emotionally. Losing weight has really allowed our personalities to grow and shine. We are no longer trapped in a fat bubble.
5. What do you consider the biggest change in your daily life?
We no longer plan our activities around food. At first, our days revolved around which restaurant we would go to and then what we would do next. Now, food isn’t even on the radar. Most weekends we are out all day, running errands, walking, thrift shopping. It will be midday when we realize we haven’t eaten all day. Then we’ll finally go around the house and make a salad.
6. What did you do to get help throughout your journey?
Having each other for accountability and support was key, but we also partnered with our family physician to make sure he was on board. He was a little skeptical at first, but as our labs improved and the weight dropped, he became convinced.
In addition, we relied on Facebook and Reddit groups to ask questions and get support from others going through the same thing. We still hang out there on occasion and enjoy helping others start their keto journey.
7. What do you currently do to manage your daily diet?
We spend some time on Sunday evenings meal planning and meal prep. We’ll usually fry up a big batch of ground turkey or make a big batch of vegan keto porridge to last the week. We both use a tracking app to monitor our food intake and macros throughout the day.
8. What is your favorite keto recipe from www.ruled.me that has become a staple?
This may be the most difficult question! We love the Beef Shawarma Bowl, and the Chili Lime Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I eat vegan keto porridge almost every weekday morning.
9. If you could do one thing differently during your trip, what would it be and why?
Let’s start it soon! We almost didn’t start Keto because we didn’t fully understand it, and didn’t understand all the concepts. We spent a good month researching and printing recipes and we still didn’t seem ready.
When we found the Ruled.me Getting Started Guide, we said “let’s do it”. Also, we make sure we focus more on hydration and electrolytes. This would have saved us a few light spells in the beginning.
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