And now for a happy story, as I feel like we need more of them after what’s happened this past week.

There’s a big story behind the two pairs of jeans in the header pic. Emphasis on “big.”

It was the day after Christmas, 2021. I looked at naked myself in the mirror right before my morning shower and made the same face whenever I get an unexpected bill. I had some nice Christmas presents that year, but an in-shape figure was not one of them. Simply put, my ass was out of shape. Before that realization, I grudgingly accepted my out-of-shape ass, and if I ever felt the least bit self-conscious over it, I’d eat a little less and exercise more. After all, those were the ways to weight loss, right? But despite cutting back on the bacon & chips and running a little more on my workout days and having my fruit and potatoes, I saw no damn results. I stayed around the same size and weight, and that day after Christmas, something in me actually wanted change. I didn’t seek out to make a heavily cliched New Year’s resolution that day, but it happened.

Then I wondered: how the hell am I gonna make that change?

Right after that wake-up call, I researched all sorts of diets that could help me out. The one that intrigued me the most was the Keto/Low-Carb lifestyle. Back in the 2000s when I first heard of a low-carb diet (then known as the Atkins diet), I balked at the idea of giving up my starches to shed the pounds. No way was I gonna let Dr. Atkins take away my potatoes and crackers. As I read more on the keto way of eating, I found out that it was those same potatoes and crackers that were fattening me up thanks to their high carb/sugar count, which I found unusual considering that I always thought I was eating healthy. Who knew so-called healthy foods were also doing damage? Or so I read.

I can’t say how and why I chose a lifestyle sans refined carbs and sugar, although maybe it had to do with two things. One: I tried almost every other diet/weight loss product out there and nothing worked. I lived through the days of “slimming tea” and Hydroxycut, so I should know. And two: having had weight struggles since childhood, at that point in my life, I’d try almost anything to shed the adipose. If giving up former faves like whole wheat bread, whole grain crackers, and bananas was the way to a new figure, then so be it.

Knowing that it was going to be a bumpy transition from high-carb to low-carb considering my eating habits, I chose to ease into it instead of quitting carbs cold turkey. I’ll admit, my heart ached when I had to say goodbye to my precious chips & crackers (one of my former addictions), apples & bananas (yep, I can’t have too much of them anymore), falafel patties, and croissants from Costco. But as the days went on, I started noticing some changes. Clothes started to feel a touch looser. My energy levels increased, as did my need to use the bathroom. I read that water weight was the first to go upon starting a low-carb/keto lifestyle, and while I also heard about that “keto flu”, I was lucky to not have experienced that (thank you, ketoade). By the end of the month, I had dropped a pant size. It was just one size but I was stoked.

Naturally, with every diet, there were challenges. The big one was how to track my daily carb count. CarbManager became my bestie during this journey. It was a chore to track every single food I ate at first (I have to watch what I eat and now I have to log it all in to make sure I don’t eat so many carbs every day?!), but I got the hang of it, and now I’d feel weird if I skipped logging a meal.

Hershey’s who? Lily’s is now my jam.

Then there were the temptations. When February 2022 arrived, so did all those sweet Valentine’s Day candies and desserts I used to indulge in. If I wasn’t an avid baker, that month would’ve ruined me. Instead, I learned how to make fat bombs and sugar-free brownies, and was introduced to Lily’s, a brand that makes sugar-free chocolate treats. See’s Candies no longer tempted me. When I took some short road trips last spring and summer, I briefly fretted over what can I eat while on the road. Then I learned how to make low-carb pizza crust and corn dogs and brought them with me. Bunless options at burger places like In-N-Out and Jack-In-The-Box were quick saviors. To this day, I’m also glad for the many low-carb alternatives on the market to replace the starches I used to enjoy: Mission low-carb tortilla wraps, the keto bread loaves sold at Costco, Catalina Crunch cereal, Highkey cookies, Quest chips, etc. Paired with some good fatty meats and cheeses, and it made my transition to low-carb quite easy. By the start of March, I was down another pant size. By summer 2022, I was half the size I was when I started the diet.

******

The bottom pair of jeans in the header pic was the pair of jeans I wore before I went low-carb at the start of 2022. I won’t say what size they are, but it’s in the double digits. The top pair of jeans is what I currently wear. (Quick shoutout to my local ACS Thrift Store for pricing those Hudson flares for dirt cheap.) They are a size 2. I still have those old jeans to remind me of how far I’ve come in my low-carb journey (which I will say has not ended), and as one form of motivation.
My other form of motivation is purely mental. Remembering how I felt about my looks just over a year ago, after all the exercising I’ve done. Remembering all those struggles over the years when fitting into some clothes. Remembering all the taunts I faced as a pudgy child and teen. Knowing that I can now wear certain clothes that old me wouldn’t be able to fit in two years ago. Knowing that I’m now a size fucking TWO, considering I don’t recall the last time I wore a single-digit size. Knowing that I got all this energy, and to have it as I near 40…it’s like having a second shot of youth. (Hell, I’m a lot more active now than I was 20 years ago.) Knowing that I can now fast 13+ hours between dinner and breakfast and still not feel hungry (the fat & protein I eat helps with satiety). Knowing that this low-carb thing actually did work (for me, anyway–YMMV). Knowing that if I were to slip up and cheat a little, it could cost me. (I’ve read plenty of accounts where others gained back their weight after having a few carb-heavy cheat meals, only for it to snowball and get out of hand. I will not fall into that trap!) And knowing that I achieved my new figure naturally, without any surgery, quick-fix, “miracle pill”, or medical quackery. What’s this Ozempic thing some people are speaking of?

If you’re wondering about progress pics, I have them, but I’m still not yet ready to show myself here (or in any of my social media feeds) yet. Just trust me bro on my word.

Downsides? There were a few. Dealing with some loose skin (particularly in my stomach area–boooooo!), spending more on new clothes because I keep on “shrinking”, my “girls” (aka my chest) not looking as, um, full as they used to…But they’re all small prices to pay. The loose skin will tighten over time. Thrift stores exist so I don’t have to spend so much on new clothes. And I can always wear a padded bra to look like I got some oomph again.

I went low-carb in the beginning of 2022. It took me a while to finish up this post, so technically, it’s been a year and three weeks. But the sentiment stays the same: Happy Ketoversary to me! I may just celebrate by having an M&M or two.