I was always overweight growing up. My family was extremely poor, so we ate lots of carbs: toast with cinnamon sugar, buttered spaghetti noodles, and so on. When we had extra money, we’d go to a local restaurant, Hometown Buffet, and binge.
By the time I graduated high school, I was nearly 200 pounds. I felt uncomfortable in my prom dress. I tried every fad diet out there (even the cabbage soup diet, where you literally only eat cabbage soup), but everything failed. At best, I’d lose some weight initially then gain it all back.
I reached my heaviest weight after having my twins in 2014: 320 pounds (I was 360 pounds when I gave birth). That’s when I started following a low-carb diet on and off, without any luck. I felt heavy and uncomfortable, and I knew I needed to change.
I felt self-conscious and trapped in my body. That’s when I came across the keto diet.
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Every “after” picture will some day be a “before”. Don’t let your future goals keep you from celebrating and embracing exactly who you are today ♥️ . . . #weightlossjourney #weightlosstransformation #progresspic #progressnotperfection #weightlossmotivation #weightlossinspiration #weightlossstory #weightlosssupport #weightlossgoals #ketotransformation #ketodiet #ketogenicdiet #ketoresults #beforeandafterweightloss #weightlossbeforeandafter #weightlossjournal #weightlossdiary #ketoaf #newyearsresolution #fatloss #weightlosssuccess #extremeweightloss #naturalweightloss #fattofit #obesetobeast #fitmom #twinmom #keto #weightloss
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I stumbled across the keto diet in 2016. I was suspicious at first, because it felt like a fad diet, but I soon found out that a low-carb, high-fat keto diet was sustainable for me. I didn’t miss carbs that much, and I found that I enjoyed focusing on meat, cheese, and other keto-friendly foods.
When I first started the keto diet, I was following what’s called a “dirty” keto diet, which meant I was still eating fast food three or more meals a day: just burgers without the buns, and no fries. Sure, it wasn’t the healthiest option, but it started my transition into ketosis, which actually helped change my outlook on cooking at home.
At first, I continued to eat fast food because it seemed like too much of a chore to start cooking my own meals at first, but as I got into ketosis, I started to actually want to cook at home. My energy levels were rising and I wasn’t living for my next cheat meal. I was living my life without depriving myself.
My first year on keto was a huge learning curve.
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✨Motivation Monday- Over the years I often said I wished I was a certain weight. That magic number changed over time but it always hung over my head…it was the ultimate prize and always just out of reach. But, when I really thought about why I wanted to lose weight and what my goals were…I realized they had so little to do with some random number on my bathroom scale. I said I wanted to be my goal weight but what I really meant was… I want to feel confident and strong. I want to enjoy a day with my girls without being self conscious of what others are thinking of me. I want to finally believe my husband when he says I’m beautiful. I want to celebrate my life. I want to love myself. Those desires shouldn’t be held hostage by any goal. Something that holds that much power over my happiness is not a goal… it is a prison. Aim your sites higher and let your goals be made up of your hopes and dreams…. Instead of being held prisoner by some made up idea of what a perfect body weighs ♥️ . . . #weightlossjourney #weightlossgoals #weightlosssuccess #ketotransformation #weightlossmotivation #weightlossinspiration #ketomotivation #selflove #selflovejourney #plussize #weightlossblogger #weightlossaccount #weightlosshelp #weightlossgoals #weightlossbeforeandafter #weightlossprogress #beforeandafterweightloss #losingweight #diet #ketodiet #keto #transformation #weightlossstory #weightlosssupport #weightlossdiary #weightlosscommunity #ketogenicdiet #fatfueled #weightlosstips #bodypositive
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In just a few months, I lost 30 pounds. I felt so much better and proud of myself, but then the holidays rolled around and I found myself back to my old habits, celebrating with food and eating out often.
I tried to keep in my mind that this was a bump in the road and that it didn’t mean my journey was over. I was one good choice away from being back on track, so my New Year’s resolution for 2017 was, again, to lose weight.
This time, I wrote down why I wanted to lose weight: to love myself and feel good about my life. It didn’t have anything to do with fitting into a cute dress or what the scale said. I started to speak to myself in a gentler tone, and showed myself more empathy in my dieting.
I decided to recommit to my keto diet—but a “lazy” version. That meant not tracking everything and letting myself keep a less-strict keto diet (so, I’d have pork rinds or keto-friendly fast food occasionally still).
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🏜An Arizona sunset and Chipotle… Can’t think of a better ending for the first page of this book… I love you already 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣9️⃣🎉 . . . #keto #dirtyketo #chipotle #lazyketo #ketoaf #ketodiet #ketogenic #ketosis #newyear #arizonasunset #lowcarb
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Overall, I try to keep my net carbs under 20 grams. I aim to eat lots of fat and not overdo it on the protein, but I don’t count my calories—I just eat intuitively. Here’s what a typical day of eating looks like for me:
The keto diet gave me more energy to work out.
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#transformationtuesday “You have to love yourself because no amount of love from others is sufficient to fill the yearning that your soul requires from you” Dodinsky . Build this new body for you and only for you. Because you’re going to work so hard! You’re not just going to hit your goals, you’re going to crush them. The number on the scale will drop lower than you’ve ever imagined. You will feel beautiful, happy… even sexy. Not just in your clothes- but in your own body. Your skin will glow with self confidence. You will get stronger everyday. You will hold your head high and wear your pride like a shiny badge of honor. But, if it isn’t for you, if it’s for them – so they like you, so they want to be your friend, so ex boyfriends and girlfriends are filled with regret- you will eventually fall. When they don’t acknowledge your success… your beauty… your strength…they will own everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. And then… you’ve given your power away- because the foundation you built this beautiful new home on was cemented in something you have no control over. So don’t ever do it for them. Do it for you… build your dreams on a foundation of self-love… because you are worthy… and your own approval is more than enough♥️ . . . #weightlossjourney #selflove #progressnotperfection #weightlosstransformation #ketotransformation #ketodiet #ketogenic #ketoaf #fatfueled #fatadapted #beforeandafterweightloss #transformationtuesday #bodytransformation #beforeandafter #progresspic #fitmom #weightloss #losingweight #weightlossgoals #weightlossdiary #weightlosssupport #weightlosssuccess #diet #obesetobeast #fat2fit #transformation
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When I first started, I had a ton of anxiety because going to the gym had never worked for me in the past. I’m a mom and my family comes first, so I had to make my workout routine life-proof. Instead, I worked out at home, committing to 15 minutes four days a week on an exercise bike I bought. Now, it’s a consistent habit.
I also love to hike in the mountains. When I was 200 pounds in September 2017, I only made it a quarter of the way up a 2.5 mile trail and had to go back to car. Now, I hike that entire mountain trail two to three times a week (in a 28-minute round-trip hike).
I’ve lost 143 pounds so far, and while I still track my weight loss, I’m in more of a maintenance phase. I’m experimenting more with foods to eat on the keto diet, and I’ve started using dumbbells and adding in a little more weight training. I want to explore more, to hike some more mountains, maybe even out of the country.
Yes, losing weight has made it easier to exercise and run around with my kids, but even more, it’s allowed me to feel more comfortable with my body, and that’s made this whole journey worth it.
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