'How I Lost Over 80 Pounds And Finally Stopped Emotional Eating With Keto And The 16:8 Diet'

Allie Burk as told to Emily Shiffer
Photo credit: Allie Burk
Photo credit: Allie Burk

From Women's Health

My name is Allie Burk. I’m almost 30 and from the Cincinnati area. I work as a teacher.

I struggled with my weight since 4th grade. I can distinctly remember the first time I noticed that I was overweight: An adult at my school called me "big girl"and it truly hit me to the core.

I would hide candy wrappers and food from my family. I also began to emotionally eat and would use food as a crutch to make me feel happy when I was sad and give me something to do when I was bored. As I got older, I couldn't help but feel discouraged by the fact that I wasn't the same size as my friends were.

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“Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” George Herbert

A post shared by Allie B. (@alliedoesketo) on Aug 27, 2019 at 4:08pm PDT

In middle school and high school, I played soccer all the time, which helped me get in shape a bit. But I was still eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. After high school and into college, I stopped playing soccer and gained, well, more than just the Freshman 15.

I tried all kinds of diets. But I would lose a few pounds only to gain them all back and more as soon as I got tired of tracking or tired of eating the same foods. I continued gaining until I ended up at 245 pounds. That's where I stopped weighing myself; I couldn't bear to see my weight any higher.

My turning point

In 2017, I saw pictures from a friend's wedding and felt hurt and ashamed of the way I looked. I was also experiencing some health issues that I thought might be related to my weight and overall unhealthy lifestyle.

So I started my health journey that December, and I began solely by working out and getting into cardio. Months later, in May 2018, I felt ready to overhaul my diet. I first tried to follow a point system, where I assigned point values to food and had an allotted number of points to eat within per day. I ended up eating whatever I wanted as long as it fit my points, not thinking about nutritional value, which ultimately led to me bingeing. I decided to try the keto diet instead and I haven't looked back since.

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Happy #motivationmonday y’all!! This picture on the left is what did me in and really pushed me to start my healthy journey. I was at a childhood friend’s wedding and when they posted their wedding pictures, this was one of them, and to say that I went through a wide range emotions is an understatement. I couldn’t believe this was me because I didn’t see it, until I saw it, if that makes sense. Sometimes we get so “comfortable” being uncomfortable that we don’t see how hurt we are. We don’t see the pain and embarrassment we have inside because of the way we feel and look. We become numb and it’s not okay. We deserve to feel amazing in our skin and our clothing! We deserve happiness and health! Y’all, I can’t stress this enough. We have to take care of ourselves. We deserve that for our lives. It’s not selfish to take care of ourselves and put ourselves first sometimes. We’ve got this y’all! We are worthy!

A post shared by Allie B. (@alliedoesketo) on Aug 12, 2019 at 5:56pm PDT



The keto diet gives me energy, I don't feel bloated or uncomfortable after I eat, and I don't feel deprived or starving. With keto, I eat real, whole foods that make me feel good. About five months into my journey, I also started to do 16:8 intermittent fasting (which is when you eat all of your meals within an 8-hour period each day, like between noon and 8 p.m, for instance).

I have lost over 80 pounds since starting my weight-loss journey in 2017. Before I changed my life, I was pre-diabetic and struggled with binge eating and emotional eating. But keto has helped me gain back some control in those areas. I’ve learned that my journey is my own, though, and what works for me may not work for everyone. And on the flip side, I now know that I don't have to follow exactly what everyone else has done—I have to lean in to what works for me.

What I eat in a day now

  • Breakfast: Bacon and cheese omelette with half an avocado

  • Lunch: Lettuce wraps, salads, or dinner leftovers

  • Snacks: String cheese, cucumber slices, nuts, nut butter, or berries

  • Dinner: Salmon cooked in coconut oil with some type of green, topped with ghee

  • Dessert: ChocZero chocolate

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#throwbackthursday to my tight XXL stretchy pants. This picture on the left was taken at a concert and I wore what I did because I couldn’t fit into any cute, stylish clothes. I had stopped weighing myself because I reached 245 and couldn’t bear to see the scale any higher. I remember feeling devastated and embarrassed. I tried to hide behind Santa and any and everyone else I could when taking pictures. My husband is actually standing on the other side but my thought process was that if I kneel down, my body will be hidden better and the angle of the camera will not make me look as big. Y’all, I was in such a dark internal spot in my life. I know what this feels like. Don’t let another day go by where you don’t put yourself and your health first. I was on a fast track to all kinds of things that would effect my long term life. You are so incredibly worth it. You don’t have to lose weight to be happy and losing weight isn’t everything but I know how horrible I felt before and I know now, how good it feels to have my food addiction under control and to be able to do things without pain, embarrassment or fear. You are so worth it. You are so valuable. You can do it!

A post shared by Allie B. (@alliedoesketo) on Aug 1, 2019 at 8:03am PDT

How I sweat

I started running and working out at a gym when I begin my weight-loss journey, and I still love working out this way. I often watch documentaries to help the time pass. I really love food-focused documentaries.

My longest cardio session to date was when I got so absorbed in The Magic Pill documentary; I was so intrigued by the power of food and what it could and couldn't do for my body. (That was when I went home and started researching keto and how it could help my health and weight loss!)

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It’s been 440 days since I said enough was enough and decided to start taking care of myself. For far too long I let my food addiction control me and let my emotions dictate when I was going to eat. It hasn’t always been easy and I haven’t always been on point with my eating but I promise you this journey has been worth it. If you’re having a rougher day, remember why you started and that you are worth it. You are worthy of feeling comfortable in your skin and you are worthy of being healthy. You are worthy of every sacrifice your family might have to make while you’re learning new recipes and learning a new way of eating. You are worthy of making healthy choices, even though you may get comments or facial expressions. You are worth it and you can do it! Pant size: 18/20–>10/12 Shirt size: XL—>M Shoe size: 11–>9 1/2 Weight: 245+lbs—>170ish lbs

A post shared by Allie B. (@alliedoesketo) on Jul 30, 2019 at 7:38am PDT

My top three tips for success

1. Be consistent. When I am consistent and repeat the habits and behaviors that are working for me, I see results. When I bounce around and don't keep up with what's making me feel good and strong and successful at any given point, I can feel it. Don't fix what isn't broken.

2. Keep it simple. You don't have to make complicated recipes with crazy ingredients to see results. Try your best to consume real, whole foods that make you feel good.

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Hi, I’m Allie! All my life I’ve struggled with emotional eating. I would reward myself with food, eat when I was sad, angry, happy bored; any emotion would trigger a food binge. I depended on food for everything and would plan my days around it. Food became something I could turn to because it made me feel good, temporarily. I was addicted to it. In elementary school, I went through many periods of being overweight and in turn it affected my self esteem and began a series of insecurities. I would hide candy wrappers in my room and would hide my eating from my parents. In middle school and high school, I was playing soccer competitively so I stayed in relatively good shape because I was constantly working out, even though I was still eating whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted. I used to buy nerds ropes before every soccer game and have at least one before every game. When it came time to go to college, I had to stop playing soccer because I hurt my knee. I was on my own so I could buy whatever I wanted. I continued my binge eating and continued eating all the processed foods and eventually ended up reaching my highest weight of 245 pounds. This created so many other problems. I became insecure in all aspects of my life, I hated the way I looked, and I was absolutely miserable. I would try different crash diets and fail every single time. This lasted for almost 10 years. In those 10 years, I lost almost 40 pounds, before my wedding in 2015, and then gained all of it back plus more. I was back at 245 in December 2017 and hit a breaking point. I decided I was going to try and start working out again so I did. I lost 20 pounds but was still eating whatever I wanted. During my workouts, I would watch documentaries and one day I stumbled upon the Magic Pill. I was so intrigued by the health benefits that food could have on the body and I began my research on the ketogenic diet, which I began on May 7, 2018. I’ve gone from 245 pounds to around 170 pounds, a pants size 18/20 to a 10/12, and a shirt size from XXL to M. I’ve gained myself back and I’m so thankful. Tell me about you. How long have you been on your journey? Do you have any tips for beginners?

A post shared by Allie B. (@alliedoesketo) on Jul 16, 2019 at 5:29am PDT


3. Find what works for you. People have sooo many opinions about what you should and shouldn't do to lose weight, or what you should and shouldn't eat. Honestly, none of those opinions matter except for your own and that of any MDs, therapists, or dietitians that you trust and who believe in you. Do what works well for your lifestyle and for your mental health. Your health journey isn't going to be a quick fix, and you have to figure out what the habits are that you can sustain. It will take time, but you are worth it.

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