Hello from Houston, TX

(Chad Hester) #1

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Chad and I’m from the Houston Texas area. I’ve done Keto on and off for many years. By “done” Keto, I mean I used it as a diet to lose weight. I’ve always followed it really well, but I was doing it for mostly the wrong reason. I just wanted that quick fix and every time I went off of it, I gained all the weight back and sometimes more. Three months ago, I changed my way of thinking and Keto is now and always will be my way of life. The problem is, when I eat carbs, I am hungry ALL the time and ALWAYS craving crap that is sure to put the weight on, and it does. When I’m eating Keto foods, I’m rarely ever hungry. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat just so I can hit my calories and macros.

I combine Keto and IF for success. I’ve never really been a big AM eater. I do just fine on energy until about 11:30AM, which is when I have lunch. I then don’t eat dinner until around 5:30PM. This formula seems to work really well for me. I’m rarely ever hungry and my energy levels are fine once I am passed Keto flu.If it works, don’t fix it, right?

For exercise, I kind of have a weird routine. I don’t have much time to work out at home with long hours and a family, so this is what I do, which is working very well for me at this time. At work, at the top of every hour, I do a short circuit of either squats/dips/abs or claves/pushups/abs. I alternate the circuits by the day, doing one circuit all day one day and the other the next. At the bottom of every hour, I do two laps around the office building which is around 400 steps. At lunch, I walk our huge parking lot for 3 laps which is 1.5 miles. By the time I go home I have over 10,000 steps on my Fitbit and by the time I go to bed, I usually have 12,000 to 15,000. It’s a pretty unconventional routine, but it seems to be working well for me. I’m feeling more fit and looking more “tone”. I’m using the time I have the best I can and making the best of it.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and tell a little about how I do things. I look forward to getting to know you all and sharing information.

(Chad Hester) #2

I feel so welcome. :confused:

#3

Welcome Chad!! :smile: Sometimes threads get lost, especially if you post during a high volume period. But you’re still welcome! Sounds like you’re doing awesome already, which is probably why people reading through didn’t feel the need to add anything. No need to fix what ain’t broke, right? LOL

(Chad Hester) #4

LOL…I guess you’re right on that one. Just want to get to know some fellow Ketoers.

#5

I enjoy seeing people’s progress updates (assuming others do as well), so you could keep updating this thread as you go. I’ve found participating in already active threads to be a great way to interact with and get to know fellow forum members too. It’s way too easy to spend hours here! :smile:

(Chad Hester) #6

Thanks for the info. I’ve lost 23 Lbs in the last 3 months. Progress is going well and I will keep updating this thread moving forward.

#7

I do love your hourly workout schedule. Great way to build in a workout throughout a busy day. Gives me some ideas… I’m early enough on this keto journey to still be dealing with some fatigue so full workouts have been tough, but I could probably manage it in smaller chunks.

(Chad Hester) #8

Thank you. I could make excuses and not do anything, but I figured out a way to whip my schedule and myself into shape. By the time I go home, I definitely feel spent.

(Charlotte) #9

Hi! I just joined as well. Like you, I did keto in the past for short periods of time (as well as a whole host of other diets) but never stuck with it long-term. I’ve been overweight since I was probably 9 or 10 years old, but was more chubby than actually fat, and other than that quite healthy, until I hit my 30s, at which point the weight started piling on and the serious health problems began to creep in. I’m 40 now, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and when I started with keto again back at the beginning of March, I was about 110 pounds over a reasonable, healthy weight. I’ve lost 22 pounds so far, and have been not only sticking with keto but integrating it into my life as holistically as possible–the difference not just in my weight but in my mood, mental clarity, motivation, energy, sleep, etc is not something I can ignore. I feel more genuinely in touch with my body than I ever recall feeling before, and I’ve reframed my thinking so that eating this way no longer feels like I’m disciplining and denying myself, but rather like I’m actually giving my body the care and respect it deserves for the first time in many years. I find that the mental reframing is at least as helpful as the actual nutritional and behavior changes.

At this point the thing I really need to push myself to do is exercise. Not gonna lie, I absolutely hate most forms of exercise other than yoga, which I do regularly, so at least there’s that. I’ve started by building more incidental exercise into my day–intentionally walking and standing more where possible during day-to-day tasks (I have a sit/stand desk at work, which helps), walking to the corner store rather than driving, etc, but actually doing more intensive exercise is something I have some annoying mental blocks around. An added difficulty is that I have knee and lower back issues that flare up pretty frequently, as well as plantar fasciitis, so it can be hard to find exercise that isn’t actively painful or injury-inducing. I’m actually seriously considering water aerobics–I’d likely be the youngest person in the class by like 25 years, but it would be pretty injury-safe, and I could justify buying myself one of those old-fashioned swim caps with the rubber flowers all over it, so there’s that. I do like your ideas of building smaller bursts of exercise into your day–it’s been so nice outside here in Maine lately, so I might just start taking more purposeful walks on my lunch break. One thing I really need to do is research how to build muscle in a way that won’t agitate pre-existing injuries–I was working with a personal trainer a few years back who had me doing kettle bells and the like, and I ended up rupturing a disc in my lower back and requiring surgery, and I’ve been pretty gun-shy about it ever since.

Anyhow! Now I’m just kind of rambling. But welcome, and thank you for sharing what’s been working for you, and I look forward to chatting more as we both integrate ourselves into this community. :slightly_smiling_face:

(Chad Hester) #10

Thanks for the welcome and welcome yourself. :slight_smile:

Congrats on your progress so far. I’m 45 myself and I’ve had a small spare tire since my senior year in high school. The highest I got up to was 245 Lbs and I felt horrible. For the last few years I’ve been hovering around 215 to 220. I tried several diets as well and just couldn’t get passed the 215 mark. Well, I take that back, I did get below it at one point, I hit 200 but I was basically starving myself and felt like total crap all the time. So I decided to get back on Keto and STAY on it and in the last 3 months I went from 217 to 194. I feel amazing and looking better every day. I haven’t weighed this low since high school. It’s taken me 25+ years but I’m finally going to have a flat stomach. Not there yet but working my way there.

As for your exercise dilemma, have you talked to your doctor about it? He/she could probably help you tailor something to fit around your injuries. Just a thought. :slight_smile:

(Marta Loftfield) #11

Hi @cfh1973! Welcome. Sounds like you have a good plan to achieve your goals. Glad you are here.

(Charlotte) #12

Talking to my doctor about an exercise regimen is a really good idea. I’m meeting with her next month, so I will definitely do that. Sometimes the most obvious solutions are the ones we don’t think of ourselves–I have so many other annoying health issues I always have to discuss with her that I don’t think to ask about that.

I feel amazing too–because I’m so overweight (I’m 5’10" and still have about 100 pounds to lose before I’m at a healthy weight), the physical changes aren’t all that visually obvious just yet–you have to lose quite a bit before most people notice if you’re more than 100 lbs overweight, but I’m noticing the changes, especially in how my clothes fit, and that’s what matters most to me. Something really just clicked for me with keto this time around, and I’m positive I’m going to see this through and keep it up as a permanent lifestyle. The place I’m in now with it reminds me very much of the place I was in 11 years ago when I finally managed to quit smoking for good, after trying and failing to do so for years. The fact that keto allows lots of incredibly delicious food is also a plus–as much as I used to love sugar, I’ve always loved fat more, and losing weight while eating chicken wings for dinner 4-5 nights a week and cobb salads with bleu cheese dressing for lunch most days is hardly a hardship.

It’s awesome that keto is working so well for you too–it sounds like you’ve made amazing progress, and that you’re really committed, which is of course key. Are your friends and family supportive? I’ve struggled a bit with that–I’m a bit burnt out on trying to convince folks that yes, it is safe for me, a 275 pound diabetic, to eat a bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg on top (and no bun, of course). That’s the main reason I’m looking forward to my weight loss getting to the point of being noticeable by others–at this point because most people don’t notice a change in my appearance, many will assume I’m ignoring my health issues with my food choices, which is annoying. I’m hoping that participating in this community will help fill in some of the gaps in support I’m experiencing in my life.

(Chad Hester) #13

Don’t try to please or appeal to others. You should be doing this for yourself and yourself only. When people start noticing, that is just an added bonus. You are your worst critic and when you look in the mirror and see changes, put on old clothes you haven’t worn in years and/or see a downward movement on the scale, those are your true moments of accomplishment and should make you very happy. As for trying to convince people of the benefits of this diet, I quit trying a long time ago. This world is so programmed to carbs because of media, it’s ridiculous. Just do it for yourself and if anyone says anything about eating unhealthy, just smile and tell them it’s your body and your business.

(Justin Hamilton (Hamenopi)) #14

Greetings from League City.
I’d love to have more ketoriffic workout friends if you’re on my side of town.

(Cristian Lopez) #15

HI CHAD, Coming too you from your neighbor “The Woodlands” TX !!!

I want to introduce myself as probably the only keto “kid athlete” in the Houston area.