'I Switched From Low-Carb To A Strict Keto Diet And Got Over A Weight-Loss Plateau'

From Women's Health

My name is Kate Tselios (@healthiertogether2016), and I'm 30 years old. I'm from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I'm the director of a home health care company that provides in-home care to senior citizens. I felt like my weight was holding me back, so I followed a strict keto diet, did calorie counting, and took cardio drumming classes to lose 128 pounds.

I gained most of my weight over a span of nine to 10 years, from 2007 to 2016. My husband Nick and I started dating in 2006, and at the beginning of our relationship, we both lost our dads to heart attacks. After losing them, we both turned to food without even realizing it. Food was comfort, and the grief called for comfort. Over the next decade, I hid from my grief in food and slowly tried to heal, but also slowly gained weight. At 27 years old, I weighed 337 pounds.

There were a few things that really inspired me to lose weight. I was dealing with high blood pressure (and I also have hypothyroidism), and I knew I was heading towards health issues and a shortened life if I didn't make a change, especially since my dad passed away from a heart attack.

I decided to enter a 30-day weight-loss competition through my job in August 2016.

It was enough to get me on the right track. I proved to myself that I was capable of achieving weight loss, and I felt better, healthier, and more confident with every passing day.

I also really wanted to go skydiving. The weight limit in my area is 230 pounds, so I set a goal for myself to be able to do that. I realized quickly that I was going to miss out on opportunities to do new things in my life or have adventures if I didn't change my weight. There is nothing worse than being told you cannot do something because of your weight.

When I entered the weight-loss challenge at work, I lost about 60 pounds by focusing on eating low carb and calorie counting.

I then hit my first plateau and I got discouraged. I regained about 30 pounds over the following year. In November 2018, I started a keto diet. My good friend Ryan inspired me to try keto. He lost over 100 pounds on the keto diet, and he helped teach and coach me while I was starting the diet myself.

My diet is a strict keto diet. I eat less than 20 grams of net carbs per day. I try to stay as close as possible to 70-percent fat, 25-percent protein, and 5-percent carbohydrate macros every single day.

Here’s what I typically eat in a day.

• Breakfast: Keto toast with butter and a coffee with heavy cream

• Lunch: Cobb salad with ranch dressing

• Snacks: Almonds and cheese cubes

• Dinner: Bacon cheeseburger casserole

• Dessert: Fresh strawberries with sugar-free whipped cream

I did not start exercising right away. I mainly focused on my diet, but once I got adjusted to that, I began walking.

I would walk a mile or two, and I increased it over time. After about five months, I began a cardio drumming class. A friend's mom asked me to attend with her, and I figured it was worth trying something new.

I've been cardio drumming for years now and help lead a cardio drumming class near my house two times a week. It is an hour-long, full-body intense cardio class that focuses on squats, lunges, jumping jacks, and arm strengthening. In between classes during the week I go for walks/runs, do some weight lifting at my home gym, and absolutely love going hiking. Right now I try to work out four times per week.

These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight loss results.

• I found a plan I could stay consistent with. Doing a "diet" or changing the way I ate for a few weeks was not going to get me the results I wanted. Consistency has been everything for me. I have to allow myself enough grace to mess up or let life happen, but at the end of the day, the more consistent I can be, the better my results will be.

• I set small goals along the way. I've tried to tackle smaller goals along the way to achieve a *large* goal in the end. I'm focused on being the best version of myself I can be. One thing I learned in this process is that focusing too much on this idea of motivation does not work for me. Motivation comes and goes—it depends on the day, how you feel, your surroundings, how tired you are...it just doesn't happen all the time! Consistency and dedication do last, and I implement these traits by working to change one small thing at a time so I don't fall off the wagon. When I hit the goal, I reward myself with a non-food related item (new clothes, trying a new activity I'd always wanted to do, taking a weekend getaway, etc.)

• I built a support system to keep me accountable. Whether it be a spouse, amazing girlfriends, coworkers, or even the weight-loss community on Instagram, it's so important to have a support system. My husband Nick is a major supporter and joined me in my keto lifestyle to make it more sustainable. I have several girlfriends that have all pushed me to be the best version of myself. My coworkers help keep me on track with my diet every day and my boss Lauren has cheered me on this entire time! I would also say that my friends I've made on Instagram have been major supporters. Without all of them in my life, it would have made it a lot easier to give up or go back to my old eating habits.

Overall, I have lost 128 pounds, and it has taken me four years.

Thanks to my keto journey and weight loss, I no longer have any blood pressure concerns and I have been able to rely less on medications for hypothyroidism.

The best advice I can give to people who want to lose weight is to do what works for YOU! Just because keto works for me doesn't mean I tell everyone, "You have to do keto!" Do what makes your body feel the best. Do what you know you can stick to. Do something you actually enjoy. Find a workout class or recipes you'll continue to use because if your diet and exercise routine are something you despise, then you won't stay on it.

There's something so exciting about finding freedom and confidence. I’m talking about the freedom to be able to travel anywhere and not worry. The freedom to be adventurous and go kayaking, hiking, climb mountains, ride a rollercoaster or my biggest goal...to go skydiving (which I have now accomplished!). I've found confidence in myself, my choices, my thoughts and beliefs, my body, my appearance...all of it.

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