Weigh to go Keto

  Well here I am once again putting words to paper.  In the past I’ve always done this with bright eyes to the future and big aspirations.  I don’t know the amount of times I’ve done this or the amount of times I’ve daydreamed about it.  Since I was a young kid I’ve always struggled with weight. Even with having, what I remember to be, an active lifestyle. I always seemed to be the chunky kid. I had those cute puffy cheeks that my grandmother and all the ladies at church loved to pinch. Back then I never really thought anything of it. I was your typical boy, riding my bike all over the neighborhood, playing football and basketball until there wasn't enough daylight to see the ball, or playing in the local creek skipping rocks and sloshing about.  On top of that I was very active in riding horses, and believe it or not, there is a lot of labor in doing so. Although at that age, I'm sure my father took care of the hard stuff and I was still required to participate as much as I could for the privilege - which included feeding and working around the barn.

 

  I can remember shopping for school clothes when I was young and my mom buying jeans in the “husky” size. Husky...hmmm, I guess that’s a kind way of putting “fat” for children. LOL…. At that time, I never really thought too much about it because I was an active kid.  Of course I ate the typical things a kid would eat, if given the choice: Dorito’s, donuts, fried chicken, candy, and pizza.... Oh man, PIZZA!  When I was a kid, pizza was probably my favorite food. Well I should preface that with CARDO’S pizza, was my favorite thing!  I suppose not much has changed as I’ve gotten older. I still love a Cardo’s pie. I have very fond memories of getting Cardos and even in later life it has been a social gathering place for my family and me. My sister and I spent many an afternoon laughing and talking while enjoying a slice (or ten) and maybe now that’s part of the draw for me since she’s gone.

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  As I grew up I got really used to being the big guy. I was the heavy friend, cousin, son, acquaintance...you get the picture. Most of the time I didn’t think too much about it. It was life and I got good at telling myself it was fine.  I used humor as a rather effective defensive tool and it worked quite well.  I was never that shy of a person but when it came to self-confidence, I didn’t have any.  Sometimes I wish I could go back to high school and start it over again.  There are so many things I would do different I can’t even fathom them all here.

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  Anyway, as I got into my teen years the weight kept creeping up. At this time my activity levels were not what they used to be so the bad eating habits, for sure, did not help me.  To be honest, I couldn’t even tell you what I weighed in high school.  I had no interest in stepping on the scale and no reason to, that I can think of. As I matured into adulthood and began my working lifestyle, my weight slowly kept creeping upward. The daily struggles of life, job layoffs, losing family and what was probably some deep-seated depression were taking their toll.  By the time I was in my mid-twenties, my weight had ballooned to over 400 pounds.

 

  July 12, 2005 - A day which forever changed my life and that of my entire family.  My brother-in-law, a man that had been one of my closest friends, was tragically killed in an electrical accident at work.  He left behind my sister and three children who looked up to him for so much.  The months after his passing were extremely tough. How do you respond to a five-year-old asking if their daddy can visit them from heaven?  My nieces and nephew started looking to me as the male figure in their life and I spent a lot of time being with them.  It was at this time that I started thinking about my own health and longevity, so I could be around for them, and at more than 400 pounds, it was a grim outlook. 

 

  August 12, 2006, I sat at a memorial golf outing reminiscing at the times we had all had with my brother-in-law,  JP. There were many tears and laughs to be had, but staring at the kids and my sister, I knew I needed and wanted to change myself, so I could enjoy life with them for a long time.  I wanted to be around to see my nieces and nephew graduate high school, college, become adults, and walk down the aisle with the love of their lives. As I left the golf course I just had this overwhelming feeling within me that I needed to take action for my own well-being and that of my family. The next day I went to the local gym and signed up for a three-month membership. I started reading through loads of fitness magazines like Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Men’s Health, and Muscle Development, among others. I got online and researched food facts, diet programs, and supplements. The amount of knowledge that I put together was quite impressive, and to be honest, I rather enjoyed doing it.

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  Cutting the bad out of my diet was the first course of action and with that meant many of the foods I loved would have to go. The hardest of those was regular soda and pizza. Over the course of the next few months I spent most my time focusing on keeping a solid gym schedule, following a very low carb diet, and being positive that the results would outweigh the pain. Doing this allowed me to close out 2006 by losing roughly 50 pounds.

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  The next year and a half was a blur at this point. I spent many days and nights in the gym working hard and had actually found an extended family within those walls. Leatha, the owner of the gym, was promoting my success to many members and potential members. That helped me to stay motivated and I was really getting to the point that I just loved going and pushing myself each day. I was spending about 4-5 days a week working out. This allowed me to split my routine up and train specific body parts on different days. By the time Summer of 2008 had rolled around, I was down 158 pounds and felt amazing! My progress had slowed a lot at this point, so in September that year I decided to take a month off to kind of recharge my batteries.

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  November 8, 2008, this was the day that my life had another wonderful change. I met the beautiful young lady that accompanies me on these pages and I fell madly in love. I started spending the majority of my time with her. These were some of the most wonderful days in my life. I had never felt so happy and had someone who showed me that much love and attention. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was meant to spend my life with this woman. Spending so much time together was amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but some things had to be compromised and those things were my workouts. Despite this, my weight held firmly throughout this time without any major gains.

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  January 26, 2009, my life was about to take a hit. With the economic downturn in full swing, I was laid off at my job. I had worked for the same company for about four years and was making plans to try to move up within the company. I enjoyed my job, the people I worked with and the company I was working for. This is what I would consider the point that lead to my demise. I began to become depressed, which lead to me slipping into old habits. Over the next few years with a few job changes and other trials and tribulations of life, my weight worked its way up. I remember hitting 320 pounds and thinking, “Oh my God, what have I done?” For some reason this did little to slap some sense into me and I continued to plug along with all my bad habits.

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  During the next few years we experienced some heart breaking situations within my family. First, my sister, a person who I was very close with, was diagnosed with cancer. Watching her fight this battle and the slow torture she endured was very difficult on our entire family. Also within the same time frame, I lost my best friend, Adam, in a tragic accident at work. When my sister lost her battle with cancer and went to join her soulmate in heaven, it was a very difficult time for me. Depression helped me turn to food for comfort - And boy did I ever!

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  By September of 2017 life had thoroughly kicked my ass! I was at the heaviest I had ever been, tipping the scale at 430 pounds. I had sleep apnea, which required me to wear a breathing mask to sleep. Without this device, I simply couldn’t breathe and even laying down for a few minutes caused me great discomfort. Walking for more than a short period made my back hurt like crazy, my feet were always aching, and I generally felt awful. I even had a spell of chest pains that lead me to go to the urgent care. Luckily for me, it was nothing, but still a scary moment that weighed heavily on my mind. I didn't want to go out anywhere in public, I avoided family functions because I was so unhappy with myself. I was sure people were judging me and many times little kids, who I didn't even know, had made comments about my size.  I was to the point that weight loss surgery was starting to be my next move, as I was tired of the yo-yo dieting that seemed to land me right back where I started. I had mentioned surgery to my doctor and was making plans to go to a seminar to learn more about it.

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  At the end of September, we were taking a vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC and I was looking for a good book to read while gone. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is get up in the mornings, grab a cup of coffee and sit on the balcony of the condo and listen to the ocean while reading. I started looking through Amazon and found one called, “The Obesity Code,” written by Dr. Jason Fung. The synopsis really struck a cord with me so I picked it.  Each morning while on vacation I would get my cup of coffee, go onto the balcony with my iPad and read this book. To say it was life changing would not be without merit. Many of the ideas written in those pages really hit home. The things I had done to lose weight back in 2006 through 2008 were much of the ideals I was reading. Ketogenic huh? It was like a light bulb moment. That is what I was doing back then! Except it wasn’t named keto. It was just extreme low carb.

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  I made a promise to myself, and to my wife. “When we get back home from vacation, I’m starting this Ketogenic lifestyle and intermittent fasting thing”. So, on October 5, 2017 I hit it cold turkey. The first few days were okay. I didn’t feel bad and was genuinely okay with eating meat and salads most nights. It was around day ten that I started to feel a little yucky, but I had read about the dreaded “keto flu,” so I knew that increasing my salt and electrolyte intake would do wonders. I breezed through the first month and lost a total of 31 pounds. I was amazed! I felt better already in 30 days than I had in the last eight years.

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  This year has been a whirlwind. I’ve learned so much about this lifestyle and I’ve tried to help others along the way. I’m almost at the one-year mark and I’m currently sitting at 109 pounds lost. I feel amazing. I have a ton of energy and I am working hard to learn as much as I can about this lifestyle so that I can more proficiently and confidently help others achieve success.

 

  I type this as I listen to the waves of the ocean crash just two blocks from where the revelation hit me one year ago! I can’t wait to see what another year brings for me and those I can help to change their lives for the better.

Thank you so much for reading as I’ve rambled on for more than 1,900 words, it is a story that I have wanted to share in hopes of changing someone else’s life!

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** Note 3/26/19: This was written in late September. I am now 1 1/2 years in, however, my weight is still hovering around that 110 pound mark. I've continued to lose some inches and I feel great but the weight loss has slowed. I'm not discouraged though! I know this lifestyle has lifelong benefits beyond just weight management. With fasting and Keto, I have freed myself from food dependencies and have lots of energy. I recently started back into the gym and have been lifting weights and doing cardio. My love for working out has been reignited and I look forward to seeing my fitness journey continue. 

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Keep Calm and Keto On!