Happy KetoVersary to me! 36M- SW:189, GW: 155, CW: 149

One year ago today I was doing some grocery shopping and looking at bacon on sale and thought, why not, let's give keto a try. At this time I had been lurking here for a month or two and I was inspired by the success of so many people so I thought I'd share my own story.

I had a mandatory physical check-up about a year before that and my doc had said I was at risk for developing metabolic syndrome. This was based on my abdominal fat, blood pressure was around 130/85 and my slightly elevated triglycerides. My A1C was never in the pre-diabetic range so I wasn't seriously concerned but I thought I would make an effort to lose some weight at that time. Doc suggested an anti-inflammatory diet. I tried that for about 6 months and never made much success, always hovering around 189. I thought at that time that if I wanted to ever lose weight I would have to do cardio everyday.

My wife has had polycystic ovarian syndrome and she continually laments not starting keto earlier in her life. At the time when she first started keto I didn't really understand how you could lose weight by eating fat! A year ago neither of us were really making an effort to lose weight but we both would discuss keto and when the time was right how we would try to eat better.

For my whole adult life (prior to keto) I've been overweight. Husky. I always had the notion in my head that in order to stay at a 'healthier' weight I would have to focus more on exercise rather than diet. I felt like I ate healthy. Fruits, veggies, lean meats and fish. At some point following r/keto or r/ketoscience someone posted a study on weight loss with diet vs exercise. I'm not sure what the exact paper I saw over a year ago was but this might have been it. This was a revelation to me. Dieting...works? Huh.

Prior to trying to the anti-inflammatory diet suggested by my doc I had never really committed to a diet. I would instead just try to make smart decisions day-by-day. Like many people I viewed food as a reward. I feel bad or I worked hard today or I deserve a treat. Quoting one of my favorite movies: Ravenous: "Eat to live, don't live to eat." -Benjamin Franklin.

At the beginning I tracked everything on cronometer, everyday, until I got a better sense for my calorie intake. After the first month or so I've been doing more lazy keto. The goal weight I set for myself was the middle of the 'normal' BMI range.

I past my goal weight about 6 months ago.

At the beginning I was very anxious about eating out and having to make requests/substitutions but I've gotten used to it now and it's not a big deal. I've been cooking a lot more at home and I've always enjoyed cooking and experimenting.

I'm still not really used to how I look. I went from a 38 waist and now 34 is too large. I had this really nice pair of pants I couldn't fit into and now they're way too big. I'm still adjusting to what clothes fit me and being cold all the time.

Thank you so much for this supportive community and for helping me change my life.