Has it been four years (and a month) since I started going low-carb?
Prior to that, I–who had been in double-digit size clothing since my teen years–had tried many things to get rid of the excess blubber. Skipping meals. Eating only vegetables for dinner. Lots of exercise. Slim Fast. “Weight loss teas.” Even Hydroxycut before it got pulled off the shelves. Nothing worked. And while I’ve heard of low-carb eating since the 2000s, I originally scoffed at the idea. I knew I was addicted to starches, but little did I know that “healthy” foods like potatoes, rice, and low-fat crackers were making me gain weight.
I originally tried keto out back in January 2022 to do what some others had vowed for their New Year’s resolution: to lose weight. To my surprise, cutting out refined carbs and sugar ended up working for me. By the end of 2022, I had worn a size two. A size two! I had not been in single-digit sizes in all of my adulthood. And I did all this without the assistance of drugs (Ozempic who?!) or surgery or even skipping meals. Sheeit, I was eating a lot more fat than usual, the only exercise I did (outside of my physical job) was walking and yoga, and the pounds kept coming off. 😭
I’ve since gained some weight, but I’m still maintaining and still in single-digit sizes (4-6 petite). I’m more low-carb than keto these days. Still, no cheat meals and I refuse to fall off the wagon. I can eat a bit of a baguette or regular chocolate, but just a bit. And the big (pardon the expression) reason why you’ll no longer see me devour Dunkin donuts or brown rice nowadays is simply because I don’t want to go back to what I was pre-low-carb. My eating habits were bad, I felt lousy, and, of course, I looked out-of-shape. My weight had been a long-time struggle of mine, and I occasionally cringe when I see throwback pics of me from, say, five, six years ago. It’s why I intend to stay the course and keep on celebrating these “keto-versaries” for as long as I can. 💪🏼
PS: YMMV with going low-carb. Refined carbs/sugars just happen to be my culprit, and I wish I knew this years ago.
Lex Writes On 