Keto helped me face my demons, acknowledge them and helps me to succeed in this WOE!

[April_Harkness]

In another post I address my issues under the mental health sub. How is this an NSV? I just recently watched this- https://youtu.be/IdjGold_RsM

And I think on a few people here at work who have tried Keto and haven’t stuck with it or regained weight after stopping. That used to be me too. I actually tried keto two previous times and failed.

What is the difference?

I realized what I had was an addiction. It wasn’t just weight loss. I had to tackle that demon. I had to admit I had a problem. When I did that… when I started to get to the root of it (and yes being on Zyprexa did cause additional weight gain but I hadn’t been addressing the WHY’s I was on it!) I succeeded and stuck with keto. I started to find other coping mechanisms when stress,sadness, depression, bad memories of the past, etc reared it’s ugly head. Did keto cure all of that and take away life’s struggles? No.

But starting on this path made me see that I was using carbs as my “heroin”. Binging on my carbs was my alcohol to deal with problems.

Now I face these emotional turmoils head on. Accept it or fight it. But I will not turn to binging anymore. I have tools I can use to cope with life’s stressors. It’s not just reducing one’s carbs . It’s me realizing they were drugs and I could not ignore my problems.

this to me is an NSV.

[Momof5]

Yes, April. That is the crux of it all; many of us were addicted to carbs, sugars, processed foods, and it is an addiction that Keto can solve. Overcoming it is indeed a victory.

[Anjellica]

Great going April! I was totally addicted to food and was way over 300lbs at my highest, yo yo dieting etc etc. Only keto has helped me mentally and physically so I identify with your post.
Congratulations on your new nsv and here’s to your ongoing success with keto.

[Chezza]

Totally recognise myself in this and empathise. It’s so much easier now I’ve accepted that sugar is addictive poison to me x

[April_Harkness]

I recently faced a “demon” yesterday…

So I went out with my boyfriend to an All you can eat Steak House called Iron Age Korean Steakhouse. As a former binger, I was a bit scared. A few years ago I went to an All you can eat restuarant (Old Country Buffet) I ate fried chicken, mac and cheese, stuffing, nachos, etc. then ate all the desserts available, cookies, cakes, ice cream and never felt full. I then went home and ate 2 cartons of oreos. The next morning, I was extremely bloated and I didn’t stop there and decided to heck with it and kept going for days. Eating, running 5 miles, eating running 5 miles, eating, biking 10 miles. Eating until I vomited.

Fast forward a few years later I went to an all you can eat buffet at a casino. This time I restricted myself. I would eat a salad, one main course and have two desserts! Surely this would satisfy me and I wouldn’t fall into the binge cycle with this game plan. Nope. As soon as that first piece of bread pudding hit my lips, it was game over. I did restrict but then went home and bought a whole cake and ATE THAT too.

About two years ago I went to an all you can eat brazilian steakhouse after a kettlebell competition . Surely with all this meat I would be ok and stuffed? But I wasn’t carnivore or even low carb. I had a different mindset. I ate the bread basket, I ate the meat, I drank two martinis, wine and ate dessert. I arrived home and ate 6 doughnuts for breakfast. Soon I was no longer at the weight I competed at.

So I arrived at the Iron Age Korean steak house with trepidation. But here’s the thing. Yes, I can PUT Away a hell of a lot of meat. But that satiating signal came on that said, “OK. STOP!” Did i eat alot? Yes. But did that signal come on that said, “You are full. No way you can eat anymore steak.” Yes. No dessert menu was given to me and even if it had been I would NOT have ordered. I woke up stil feeling a bit full from last night (very different than how I did when I ate carbs.) I was 1 lb up…but heck , I ate about 3-4 lbs of meat so that was a given. Even better was that I was STILL lean. absolutely no bloat. Having that bloat in the past (even though people would tell me it was just water weight) would discourage me and send me into a spiral. Today I carry on as usual. First time going to an all you can eat place and actually feeling GREAT the day after. Carnivore and Keto on!

[Momof5]

I love that little video you made too, April. You should be so proud of yourself. I am proud of you! You have overcome so much, and you look fantastic, and you are a really sweet lady. I am so happy for you that your employers have recognized all of your achievements and are giving you this opportunity to help others with this new venture.

[April_Harkness]

My boyfriend loves me. We met at the bar for a date. We do not drink, so the bar is the barbell! He just celebrated his sober anniversary on Sept 1st. Here is to more sober anniversaries getting healthy and happy sans alcohol! My lovely boyfriend bought me two books and currently reading Never Binge Again, which resonates with me. One line in the book is " Never is easier than sometimes". For me, moderation never worked. It was not restriction that made me binge. It was moderating. Each person has what works. For me, carnivore keto and intermittent fasting works as well as putting certain foods in the never category. . Usually i do omad but have been inserting a few twomad days. Yesterday was a twomad. First meal was a burger sandwich with cheesy egg and ham in the middle with a side of bratwurst sausage. Not pictured were chicarrones( pork rinds). 2nd meal was the crustless pizza from Lou Malnati’s topped with anchovies. Great for keto! Sausage crust

another victory! Going out to eat, navigating the outside world is still a bit scary. But I was able too go eat at this Chicago mainstay, where I could eat a keto approved pizza. Now this isn’t an everyday thing. But a once in a great while. I do find I still have to preplan my outings to a dining establishment and I also bring my own appetizers. What’s not pictured above are my tin of sardines I ate along with my pizza. This keeps me on the straight and narrow (I usually always have a tin with me, just in case. Prevents me from digging in the bread basket or having breaded wings, etc.) No binge behavior afterwards. Although this is low carb, (2 net carbs per slice.) The cheese satiety signal hits me later than if I just ate meat. Quicker than carbs, but again, slower than meat . So even low carb, I must be careful to not overdue it. And with preventive measures in place I was!

[Countdown2020]

Hi April,
I’ve been lurking on your threads, and just wanted to tell you that I’m really inspired by your self-knowledge. Reading about how you navigate your own life keeps me accountable in mine.
And your quad development is amazing. Just sayin’…