My Journey with Keto – Finding Myself

Food has been an accurate representation of me it feels like for my whole life. I celebrate with food. I use food when I am stressed. When I am sad I eat. When I am happy, I eat some more. I love food. And I hate food. I have issues with food. Therefore I am out of control. I can’t do this to my family, my body, my self anymore! And so my JOURNEY begins.

Struggling

At 50 years old, I topped the scale at 220 pounds. I couldn’t believe it. I was unhappy with myself. So unhappy that I ate even more to try and make myself happy. I was struggling. I was depressed.

It was a hard year for me. I lost my home of 23 years to a devastating flood. My dad was dying. My children had married and moved out or went away to college. Jason and I were empty nesters. Everything that I loved, my dad, my home, my children were all slipping away. All reasons for me to allow my bingeing life style to take hold.

Bingeing

I didn’t know what a binge eater was. When my doctor diagnosed me, I thought she was crazy. I disagreed with her. A binge eater? I wasn’t hiding it – I thought. I ate when I wanted to, which was all the time, and didn’t care if anyone saw me. But, maybe I did eat a little more when no one was around. That was because no one was around, not because I was hiding it, right? (10 Signs of Emotional Eating.)

Even though I disagreed with my doctor about my eating disorder, I knew that I needed to lose weight. She told me at that same visit that I was obese, borderline morbid obese. I let her know that no one has ever said that to me before. I was shocked that she did. Denial. – She was right. I was bingeing. I was out of control and my health was paying for it. Read my post Bingeing – The Struggle is Real here.

Starving

Back on the yo-yo diet, I worked HARD to control my eating. I was literally starving myself. I even passed out at a public event and went to the hospital by ambulance. Dehydrated. What was I doing to myself? This could not be the answer.

I lost 20 pounds in 2 1/2 years. During that time, we lost my dad. And I lost what little unhealthy control I had. I began to binge. My weight began to come back.

Keto Journey!

In April 2018 something clicked. No more gaining. I could barely fit into my jeans. Unhappy again. This crazy new KETO way of eating looked too good to be true. There were tons of pictures of people dropping weight and fast. Something had to be done. I had to try.

I began following some Keto dieters on Instagram and tried to eat what they were eating. It was hard though, because everyone was saying that the Keto journey is different for everyone. Find your own macros. Intermittent fast. Do this. Don’t do that. I was scouring YouTube channels and social media for information. I searched for recipes on Pinterest. In the end I just kind of winged it. Even with all of my confusion – it was working! I was doing something right.

Month after month, the weight was coming off. As the pounds were dropping, I realized that being in control of what I was putting into my body made me happy. Being in control of my way of eating made me feel good inside. Therefore, I kept going. In just 8 months on Keto I lost 60 pounds (80 pounds total – WOW!!). My bingeing is under control. I no longer feel that I am starving or dieting. I have a new view of eating. It is a lifestyle that I choose for myself. A lifestyle that is easy and sustainable. I feel amazing. My energy level is way up. I am strong.

Somewhere Along the Way I Found Myself

Something else happened along the way. I found myself. I have learned that I am a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, grandma, and friend when I put my health and happiness higher up there on my list of important things. Taking care of myself allows me to take better care of others. I am truly the best me that I can be. I am enjoying growing ‘old’ on this journey. These are the good old days! ~Susie Pea

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Find my recipe on Banana Walnut Egg Loaf here. And Keto Cake & Cake Pops here.

Hey friends! With so much information out there flying around about the KETO way of eating, I wanted to help make it easier by offering you my Free Keto Menu Week 1. This will show you what I eat in a typical week for Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner and include snack ideas. Keto Menu Week 2. Keto Menu Week 3. Keto Diet Don’ts. Happy keto-ing!

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”