Mommy, is Santa Real?

 Keto-Jenni Rae-Tion

Get to know me and my journey!

Down 71 lbs on Keto/Low Carb Living

KETOVERSARY: January 7, 2019

If you're reading this, chances are you are new to KETO and probably have a million questions. Maybe you've done some research. Maybe you have a friend who had success with this "diet". I'm guessing you are overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. 

I want to be clear that I am not a medical professional and I haven no formal nutritional education. I have read, watched, listened and immersed myself in all things keto since January 2019, met my goal of losing 71 lbs, began running, adjusted what I've learned to fit my needs, pivoted when I needed to and solidly positioned myself to live this (very sustainable) lifestyle for the rest of my days. I share the good the bad and the ugly, I share my struggles and am VERY honest about my mental/emotional health and how it has shaped my journey. My hope is that by sharing my journey, I can inspire and lead others to better health and more fulfilling lives because each and every one of us deserve that. 

Background 

I am 45 years old, married 22 years, mother of two very active teens. I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Supply Chain Management  spent the early days of my career working for Tier One Automotive Suppliers in Purchasing Management. Upon the birth of my son I became a stay at home mom, 2.5 years later my daughter was born. I stayed home until the kids were in middle school and I began a position with Clinique Cosmetics as a Special Events Make Up Artist, the position was a lot of fun and I spent 3 years with the company. In 2018 I took a position as and Advisor for an Insurance agency- became licensed in Home, Auto, Health and Life Insurance. I work part-time and enjoy the heck out of my job!

Disordered Eating Trigger Warning

I was a thin child, very thin teen bordering on too thin. I would go to extremes to keep my weight down including drinking straight vinegar, chewing ice, starving myself for days at a time, skipping meals. Eventually I was so thin I was in an unhealthy BMI range and a dear friend of mine had an "intervention" with me. She told me she was concerned and for some reason it resonated. I began trying to eat normally again but gave up red meat and fat- take a guess what happened! I started an upward poundage climb that took me through my remaining high school years, college and the early years of my marriage until I had gained a total of 96 lbs by age 25. 

Safe Again!

It was around age 27 that I was introduced to a local weight loss company called Medical Weight Loss Clinic. It was a very strict, very expensive monitored program with frequent visits to the clinic, blood draws, urine test, EXPENSIVE supplements and was highly restrictive. The number one focus was restricting fat and calories with obnoxious "rules" that were very hard to fit into a normal lifestyle. I exercised religiously and lost a lot of weight quickly and then got pregnant... after my son was born I got back on the MWLC wagon and lost weight again eventually hitting my goal! Along comes baby #2 in 2006. From that point until 2019 I yo-yo'ed up and down 70 pounds. I have been as large as a size 18 and as small as a size 2 but the majority of my adulthood I've been overweight and probably averaged a size 14. 

How I Came to Know Keto

In December of 2018 a childhood friend and her hubby had a lot of success on the Keto Diet. We went to dinner and she told me all about it and the way they did it. In all honesty I was intrigued but didn't think it would work for me. They were on the extremely clean side of the spectrum and what she described to me didn't feel like it would fit into my budget or lifestyle. All organic, grass fed, sciencey names for things that were unfamiliar, bulletproof coffee, etc. They kept their TOTAL carbs to 10 per day. Then I started following folks on the Keto Side of Instagram. I learned about dirty keto, lazy keto, intermittent fasting, carnivore, egg fasts, extended fasts, the choices were endless and I decided I would do my own version of keto. I knew that low carb would be better than high carb and felt confident in giving it a try. My IG handle was even "My KINDA Keto Journey" because I was going to do it my way. And that's exactly what I did. Almost one year to the day later I met my goal and if you want to know how.... check out my post on "How I Did It" filled with suggestions and tips on how you can get started working toward your goals! 

IF I CAN DO THIS - YOU CAN TOO!