Please tell us your story: Who you are, where are you from? Why did you start Keto? In other words, what’s the story?
Hello! My name is Alexander King and I am from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The reason for starting Keto is something I am still figuring out myself. Ever since I was a kid, I was overweight and I never liked seeing myself in the mirror. My life centered around unhealthy habits that continued throughout time. I lacked the resiliency to change my life and I never had the energy to love myself. As I got older in my young adult years, depression kicked in and really brought me down to a dark place. My mood became oppressed and I lost all motivation for my future. Suddenly, last year I had a girlfriend while I was over 200 lbs. We had a great time together, but it ended fairly quickly. This moment gave me a reminder that I should treat myself better and stop accusing myself of all the hardships I faced. During the time I was with this person, my mother was six months into this new diet. I was blinded by all the misery I put myself in that I finally noticed how great my mother looked. I asked her after my relationship split, “What are you doing Ma? You look great!” She said, “I’m doing Keto.”
What did you personally do in your first 10 days of keto?
At this time, I was 214 lbs on February 1st, 2019. Once my mother introduced me to the low-carb fascination, I thought why not. I am already upset with ending a relationship so why not do try a new challenge to keep my mind focused on something else? As for my first 10 days of doing keto, my mother coached me into drinking bulletproof coffee every morning, taking daily vitamins, eating all the meats I wanted and experimented with new snacks for the late nights. I ate low-carb tortillas with all the cheeses I wanted, and I had dark chocolate every night before I went to bed.
Do you count and track macros strictly?
Once I started understanding the rhythm of keto, I tracked my macros of having less than 25 carbs a day. The longer I stayed in keto, the more excited I was to see results. In the first two weeks of keto, I lost 10 pounds of water weight and I already noticed the difference. My face looked sharper one morning and that led me to keep going. I always made sure my macros were under 25 grams of carbs and consumed a lot of fat. This plan extended for four months and counting!
How has your life changed since going keto?
My life has changed drastically for the better. I am more confident in myself not just physically, but mentally as well. My mind feels so much more clearer and my ability to function has grew exponentially. I don’t feel as gross anymore putting clothes on or sleeping on my side where my belly collapses downward. The bones I am feeling where I never felt before is a huge wake-up call that this is what I needed to do!
Have you ever encountered a plateau? If so, how did you get over it?
Ever since starting keto, I have not experienced one moment of plateauing. I can confidently say that I lost a pound or two every week because I weighed myself every Sunday morning. I honestly have been surprised by how consistent I have become to lose almost 40 lbs in 4 months! However, I am not done yet with my ultimate goal. The goal is to reach 160 and I believe giving myself another month and a half will make me earn it.
What is your WHY (your drive/motivation) to keep on track and stay focused?
One of the biggest motivations is finally be considered on the “normal weight” scale of my body mass index. There is something about being considered normal that makes me feel so much more accepting of who I am. I have always been in the overweight to obese scale and so the chance I have to reach normal weight would be life-changing. Another motivation is to have a greater feeling of loving myself. I have always heard whenever I was depressed a couple of years ago, “you need to learn to love yourself before you can love others.” That is why I am on keto, to love myself. All the recipes my mother tried have been making this diet feel less of a chore and more of an experiment.
What is your favorite Keto recipe?
My favorite recipe would have to be the zucchini soup my mother makes. She cuts zucchini into tiny pieces and applies a soup flavor along with shredded cheese. The zucchini is then cooked and evolved into a soft bite of goodness. It is the best alternative of having soup to eat. Eating all these different kinds of foods, such as soup zucchini, low-carb pancakes, and strawberries with sour cream makes keto not feel like a diet at all.
Finally, What advice would you give someone who is just starting out on keto?
If there was someone like me a couple years back and wanted to change their life, I would keto can be the answer you need. If you wish to not go through all the hard work into dieting, but still want to put the effort into losing weight, keto remains the best choice. It should be clear that dieting can feel like a burden for some, but I can safely say that for keto, it is not the same case. I hope with my story I can move someone into making that commitment and following through their goals. Keto will be the best decision you’ve made for yourself, guaranteed.