One year ago today, I decided it was time to take my life back and make some pretty drastic changes. I’ve always known that I’ve been overweight, but I never really knew what to do about it. It was just a fact of life. Everything you read talks about eating less and exercising more, and there are new fad diets advertised every other day claiming to be the latest and greatest way to lose weight. Let me tell you, I tried all of these things, and more. Over the years, I had tried numerous things: Advocare, meal replacement shakes, eating gluten free, eating less, exercising more. While all of these things led to positive outcomes in one way or another, I never kept the weight off. Talk about defeating.

Last winter, a couple of things stuck with me. The first was that a couple of friends had started the keto diet and were having amazing results! I listened to what they were doing, and it didn’t seem too terribly difficult to follow and maintain. Plus, they were eating real food while losing weight! Isn’t that what everyone wants to be able to do? The second thing that stuck with me was a program called Code Red. A friend of mine had a Facebook friend that had been following this program and had lost an huge amount of weight in a relatively short amount of time. So, I decided to look into what it was all about. Pretty much the same day I looked into this program, I ordered the book, and finished it within 48 hours of it being delivered. Now, I like to read, but to get through a book about weight loss of all things, that quickly, was impressive. The book was fascinating. Not only does it completely destroy all the things you think you know about nutrition and weight loss, but it keeps things very simple at the same time. There’s a list of rules to follow, and a list of foods that are acceptable to eat. That’s it. Essentially, Code Red is a bit like keto where the focus is on real foods that are high fat, low carb and low sugar, but a bit different. I’ve outlined some of the rules below:

• Drink 1 gallon of water per day
• Don’t eat past 6:30pm
• Sleep at least 7-8 hours per night
• Eat a veggie with every meal
• No snacking
• Weigh yourself every day

Between keto and Code Red, I figured that no matter how hard it might be, it was worth a shot because nothing else had worked. I had finally reached a point where I was determined to make a lifestyle change. I knew I needed to do it for myself and no one else. The weekend before jumping in, I cleaned out my kitchen of all food that didn’t meet the rules of Code Red. As you can imagine, I was left with almost nothing! I didn’t think I ate that poorly before, but all of these things I had believed to be ‘more healthy’ such as gluten free breads and crackers were just as bad as the regular things, if not worse in some cases. I also had been eating a lot of fruits that were high in natural sugar. So, with all of these things in my house, I was never going to lose the weight. Since that day, February 19, 2018, I’ve never looked back.

Now, I don’t want to make this sound like the past year has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done. This change was not only a massive lifestyle change, but it was also a huge change with my mindset. I had to challenge everything I thought I knew, and trust in a new process. Sure, following the food list has been way easier than I anticipated. The foods I eat are real, satisfying, and quite delicious! I haven’t once felt deprived, although there are still some cravings every now and again. One struggle has come with watching the scale go up and down daily. I am completely on board with weighing daily as it gives you an idea of what works and doesn’t work with your body, but it can be so frustrating to watch the number on the scale fluctuate constantly, even when you’re following the program 100%. For me, it’s been a constant guessing game of what my body prefers, and let me tell you, my body is picky! Not even just picky, it downright revolts some days. I can tell you that I gain the day after eating tomato based products. I also gain if I eat too much dairy, or eat too late in the day. Hell, sometimes I swear I gain the day after I even look at something not approved like baked goods or popcorn. I can also tell you that my body really likes if I eat my meals earlier in the day, so these days, I am usually done eating for the day by about 4pm. It also really likes simple, lighter meals as compared to a hearty meal of meat and veggies. Another struggle has been with people’s perceptions of what I’m doing. In no way has anyone around me been unsupportive of me losing weight; I want to make that very clear. But since keto goes against the norm, people challenge keto and whether or not it’s healthy and sustainable. While I can understand some of the concerns, which is more concerning: eating a lot of processed foods with extremely high amounts of carbs and sugars while being overweight, or eating real foods with high fat, low carbs and low sugar while losing weight? Personally, I’d choose the latter any day, and I plan to continue this way of eating for the rest of my life. After all, this is a lifestyle change, and not just a diet.

To this day, I am so proud to say that I’ve lost 65 pounds! All of this has been 100% due to the foods I am eating, and is unrelated to the amount of exercise I do. In fact, it’s possible to lose weight without exercise at all! Now, I’m not discrediting exercise as a healthy part of life, but I am here to say it does not impact your weight loss as much as we’ve been lead to believe. You simply will never out run the carbs and sugar you eat. If you had told me this was possible over a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, I’m proof that losing weight isn’t impossible. In fact, it’s extremely possible no matter who you are. You just have to make the commitment and stick with it.

If you want more details about keto, Code Red, or have questions about my lifestyle, I am more than happy to discuss it with you more, just send me a message! Not only has this been the best decision I’ve ever made, it’s also been a life saving change as well!