by Cindy McKee

My weight-loss story goes back three decades to the birth of my first child.

For 32 years, I tried to lose the baby fat using various weight-loss plans and supplements.

I rode the roller coaster of weight gain and loss. As soon as I stopped dieting, the pounds would come back with a vengeance.

When I retired, I had two health-related goals: to be slim and fit. I planned to prepare healthy meals and to exercise more. By “watching what I ate,” I maintained a loss of ten pounds over the next four years.

Then I joined a gym and worked out faithfully for the first couple of years. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay motivated, and now I only go to the gym when the mood strikes me.

 

 

Even though I tried to live a ‘natural health’ lifestyle, I regained the ten pounds I’d lost. Then my bloodwork showed glucose levels creeping close to the pre-diabetic level.

Now that got my attention! I knew I wasn’t eating healthy, but I couldn’t stop the cravings. There were so many triggers to eat, eat, eat.

After reading Diane’s story, “Breaking (Up with) Bread: Why I Go Against the Grain” in The Pulse section of the Charleston Gazette, I read the book Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog.* The book made complete sense to me.  And it allowed eating tasty foods including BACON! I started eating the Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF) way. 

I was no diet angel, but I cut out most processed foods and bread, reduced sugars and started cooking real food. Gasp!

That was really a big change.  Uncured bacon and pasture-raised organic eggs became my staple meal when nothing else was appealing … or took too much effort to prepare.

The scale started dropping slowly but surely.

I recorded my weight daily on a Post-it note on my bathroom mirror. This habit made the difference for me.

I could see each day whether I was staying on track and adjust my eating accordingly.

After watching some health videos about fasting on Netflix and Amazon Prime, I decided to add Intermittent Fasting (IF) to my LCHF eating.

Intermittent Fasting, in a nutshell, means eating ALL your food during a set window of time each day.

For example, you could eat from noon to 7 PM and then not eat (fast) until noon the next day. This gives your liver a rest and allows time for it to do its job properly without being constantly flooded with food. This, in turn, promotes healing and weight loss. Google “Benefits of Intermittent Fasting”, and you’ll be amazed by the evidence-based health benefits.

I held off my breakfast until early afternoon. Then I ate my fill of LCHF foods and completely stopping eating by 6 p.m..

Soon I evolved into a 22-23 hour fast with a 1-2 hour feeding window which equates to One Meal A Day (OMAD). Who would have dreamed that I could do that!!!

I tracked my eating window using an app called VORA. VORA gave me the willpower to turn down snacks before and after my eating window. This was a challenge that I could meet.

By eating LCHF, my cravings stopped. By delaying eating, food tastes so much better and is more satisfying.  The pounds dropped off quickly, and I didn’t feel deprived.

When I reached what I always thought was my goal weight, I decided to lose five more pounds. That was so easy that I decided to lose five more. In a few months’ time, I lost 25 pounds without special foods, pills, or potions.

I turned 60 in June, and I now weigh what I did in my 20s. I never dreamed I’d ever wear size 4/6 pants after many years of wearing size 10/12 pants. It’s pure joy!

My energy levels have increased, and my self-confidence has sky-rocketed.  

Instead of working out at the gym, I prefer gardening, hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities with my family, friends, and faithful dog, Vito.

Healthwise, my glucose level is back in normal ranges. My BMI went from 26 in the Overweight category to 22 in the Healthy category. I feel better than ever, and that’s what really counts.

LCHF in combination with IF is the only ‘diet’ that has worked long-term for me.

It has been a lifestyle change that I will continue. I still fast daily but not quite as strictly. If I gain a pound or two, I know exactly what to do. My trusty Post-it note lets me know when I need to tighten up the eating schedule.

Please give LCHF/IF a try. It doesn’t cost a thing and will save you a lot of money on food and, most likely, on doctor’s bills. However, there are some costs involved because you will need to buy a whole new wardrobe. It’s so worth it though!

Diane’s posts have some great advice and references to help you be successful. In addition, there are supportive Facebook groups. If you don’t understand something or you’re struggling, just ask and you will get tons of encouragement and great advice from people who have been right where you are now. The transformations pictured on the Facebook groups are so motivating. I suggest Intermittent Fasting for Women (or Men), Delay, Don’t Deny: Intermittent Fasting Support, and The Dr. Jason Fung Fan Club – Fasting Support. 

Give LCHF and/or fasting a try. You won’t regret it!

Today’s guest blogger is Cindy McKee: Wife, mother, nana, and former Postal Service worker turned dog sports aficionado now living the good life in Cross Lanes, WV! And, she happens to be a reader of my lifestyle column:)

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FREE STUFF: Just for the heck of it, I’m going to give you bonus content on this topic. If you’d like a list of my favorite low-carb-high-fat snack items, shoot me an email here and I’ll get it out to you quick like a bunny. This will help make your toe-dip into the LCHF-IF experience a positive one!