Looking for a friend

(April Siokos) #1

Hi there :wave:

My name is April and I live in Brisbane, QLD Australia :australia:

I’ve been in Brisbane for 2 years and I work as chef. I lived in Toowoomba beforehand.
When living in Toowoomba, I was keto for 2 years and lost 30kg. Since moving to Brisbane, with the change of job, routine and more food choices :sweat_smile: I’ve gained all 30kg back.

The main reason I’m posting this is because I’m looking for a friend/s to help me get back on track and stay on track.
I haven’t really made friends outside of work and that has honestly made my anxiety worse on top of gaining my weight back.
Making friends has always been a little hard for me and my anxiety doesn’t help.

I had a little breakdown this morning from this on top of being in loads of pain from eating carbs last night :sweat_smile: I know, stupid thing to do.

Hoping to hear from someone :relieved: ,
April:purple_heart:

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #2

Try messaging some of the folks in this thread:
https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/calling-all-brisbane-australia-ketonians/2867

I am no longer in Australia but folks in that thread live there or near by, the Community forum is where you can set up a meatup as we call them, to meet others near you who enjoy our WOE.

Good luck, I’m sure you will meet some friends quickly, that was one of my fav things about AU when I moved there. I easily made friends there.

(Jane) #3

Are you looking for real-life friends, online friends or both?

If online keto friends I suggest starting a thread in the accountability section. The threads there are a combination of accountability and chatting. I love the chatting part as you get to know people on a personal level.

And then post on other’s accountability threads so we get to know you better also :smiley:

(UsedToBeT2D) #4

You have lots of friends here to encourage you.

#5

Hi April, you are in the right place. Agree with others that starting an accountability thread is really helpful. For me, it’s like journaling and it is helpful to look back and see patterns in my thinking and experience and so forth. It helps me to understand where I am making progress. Comments, replies and interaction from other members are a bonus. It is a nice to have a friendly and familiar place to return to on the web a few times a week, especially if anxiety is getting in the way of real-life socialising.

On the subject of mental health, I notice you are a chef and I wondered if you are aware of the broader conversations happening about the mental health crisis in the hospitality sector eg. https://www.hospovoice.org.au/news/mental-health-in-hospitality/ I know when I was working split shifts in restaurants it was almost impossible to stay in touch with my non-hospitality friends due to working weird hours, feeling I needed to drink and party to unwind after a high-adrenaline night shift etc. I don’t know if this is a factor for you personally or if it makes you feel any better - or what the solution is - but you are definitely not alone.

Support groups and 12 step meetings are one option to consider, they are certainly not for everyone, but they got me through a couple phases of my life where I was feeling desperately lonely, and gave me a structured sense of community and the relief of knowing I could have some honest conversations with people who would listen and care.

Good luck and keep posting. Eating well and exercising can be an important source of self-esteem and good mental health, though it’s not always an easy solution.

(April Siokos) #6

Thank-you everyone for your responses :grin:

I’m looking for friends both in the forum and in person.

I’ll check out the forums you mentioned :grin:

#7

Hi April, welcome to the forums - I look forward to reading your Accountability thread if you start one. :wave: