How Stephanie lost a whopping 150 pounds!

Stephanie had been obese most of her life. After suffering from a DVT (Deep vein thrombosis) in her right calf, she knew something drastic had to be done. It didn’t take long until she found a keto diet. This is what happened:

Hello Diet Doctor!

I have had great success with health by following a ketogenic diet, coupled with both intermittent and extended fasting over the past year. In addition to eating healthy keto and fasting, I’ve also incorporated fitness into my life since day one, whether it was simply swimming, yoga, or lifting weights, it has been part of my story.

I began at the tail end of September 2017, weighing 327.4 (149 kg) pounds, almost 40 years old, in pain, sick, and on a number of prescription medications. My health was in poor condition, both physically and mentally. About six months prior to starting, I had nearly died after suffering a DVT (Deep vein thrombosis) in my right calf and subsequently having severe bilateral pulmonary embolisms. The severity of my health was far beyond the scope of simply being morbidly obese.

I essentially woke up one day and somehow everything clicked, and I was ready. My children were ages 1 and 3, and I wasn’t going to be here for them. I was in pain, could barely walk or breathe, had such severe mobility issues, I couldn’t even get my own socks or shoes on my right leg without assistance (and those socks are knee-high compression socks at that)! No doctor, specialist or diagnostic test was able to determine why I had the lost mobility, but on account of being on a blood thinner, I was medically unable to take over the counter or prescription strength anti-inflammatory pills, so SOMETHING had to change.

I knew in my heart it had to be the food. Having been diagnosed as celiac disease in 2012, I was well versed at the positive impact of ruling out even some, if not all grains, on inflammation, so I decided to return to the celiac diagnosis stage of eating. Within a week, I landed in the world of keto – totally by accident – and have never (nor will ever) looked back.

Fasting is not a new concept for me as I used to fast on occasion, even as a teenager, in a religious context, so adding both intermittent and extended fasting to my life seemed almost seamless. I came by it so naturally, and comfortably, you’d think I was meant to live this lifestyle all along!

I have worked very hard over the year at determining what my food preferences are, how to cook, how to understand macro and micronutrients, and their roles in my health, and how to eliminate foods that I’ve identified to be triggers for me. I keep it rather simple and cyclical with my meals – a lot of things like veggie bakes and meat, salads with a protein, chili, and good old faithful bacon, eggs & avocado.

As stated, I began at the end of September 2017 at 327.4 lbs (149 kg), and celebrated a one-year milestone by having lost 150 lbs (68 kg), landing me at 178.2 lbs (80 kg) on September 29, 2018! I have celebrated numerous non-scale victories as well, including major things like regaining ALL mobility, and then some, eliminating six of seven prescription drugs (all that remains, for now, is a blood thinner), lowering my blood pressure back to normal, and have healed my lifetime of stomach/bowel disease.

I am happier, healthier, and feeling younger at age 40 than when I was an obese teenager. I am now training to become a certified Aqua Fit instructor at my gym, and will never go back to eating the way I used to. Keto + Fasting + Fitness is my life now!

Stephanie McGarrigle

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Wow, what a journey! Thank you for sharing your story with us, Stephanie. And a big congratulations on your success!

Check out Stephanie’s Facebook, where she shares her life.

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PS

Do you have a success story you want to share on this blog? Send it (photos appreciated) to inger@dietdoctor.com, and please let me know if it’s OK to publish your photo and name or if you’d rather remain anonymous.

It would also be greatly appreciated if you shared what you eat in a typical day, whether you fast etc.