Hello fellow ketonians! Despite one of the early members of the forum (hence the guinea pig badge!), I haven’t been active since around June last year due various work commitments (been travelling a lot due to a new role).
Today, whilst having a short vacation, I thought I would share with you my journey and some of the challenges I am currently facing - sorry for the long post 
Background: Since I can remember I have always been overweight and being 34 years old being overweight had become part of me - it defined me in everything I did. Up to February 2016 I had never thought about the need to loose weight, and kept reinforcing the ideas that I am just “big boned” / “have a large frame” despite weighing over 120kg (264lbs) with a height of 5’10’’. It worth mentioning that at this point I was diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure), had asthma, had sleep apnea, and had been on anti-depressants for about 8 years.
Going Keto: As part of my job I was travelling monthly to London (that is a 3hr flight from Malta) and although never having issues in February something changed. About 15mins into the flight (still into take off) I suddenly had trouble breathing. Despite being repeatedly told by the flight attendants to sit back I scuffled to get my inhaler. For the next 15mins or so, until the inhaler was having it’s effect, I was truly in a state of panic (unfortunately the attendants were in no way supportive or helpful!). Luckily once the inhaler worked it’s magic I calmed down and my breathing returned to normal.
As soon as I got back to Malta I went to visit my doctor to determine what was wrong. I am not the type to go running to doctors but this time I felt I needed too. The diagnosis however was simple - I needed to loose weight - my body had had enough! I was not exactly happy, I hoped for something simpler - maybe take a pill or something. Being a foodie I was not too keen on going on a “salad eating” diet!
Over the next couple of weeks I kept researching various options on how to lose weight, from intensive exercise to liposuction (I had even went for the consultation at a local clinic and gotten a quote but was told that I had a lot of visceral fat that would not be removed). At this point it seemed everything was going to remain as is. However, in April I came across a post on FB by Carl Franklin regarding 2KetoDudes and Carl’s journey of fighting diabetes. Having had followed Carl’s podcasts since 2002 I knew that Carl was knowledgable and I had a lot of respect for him. Thus, for the next 2 months I followed the podcast tentatively and being a techie myself I also got into the science - and in June I decided to take the plunge.
The Journey: As the weeks rolled by I couldn’t believe how easy this way of eating was and week after week I started loosing weight. By December 2016 I had lost 22kgs (48lbs) and most importantly for me I was still enjoying eating. The fact that I loved meat it made it easier - eating rib-eye steaks covered in butter to my heart’s content - delicious!
Around October 2016 I had also started regular intermittent fasting and on most days I was only eating once and never felt better! Initially I thought Christmas was going to be tough but there were keto substitute recipes for everything! Having said that my carb intake did go up slightly that month due to the various seasonal activities. However one January rolled in I was back on strict keto and doing IF. My weight had only increased by 1kg over the Christmas period - which I lost within a week (most likely water weight).
In February 2017 I then started also doing extended fasts every month - doing 3-5 day fasts. The plan was always to do 5 days fasts but in some months I simply stopped (this is not a punishment after all!)
Throughout 2017 I kept on going, my weight slowly but surely (the fat loss wasn’t as quick as in 2016) was going down. And by November 2017 I had hit my lowest every weight of 75kgs (loosing a total of 48kgs/105lbs). But more importantly at this point: I had reduced my dosage of the blood pressure medication, in June 2017 (a year after Keto) I had stopped my anti-depressants (after gradually reducing the dosage sine December 2016), I was breathing much easier, my sleep apnea was non-existent! My pant size had gone from a 48’’ to a 32’’-34’’!! All this on diet only - I did not do any exercise whatsoever.
Besides the health benefits, there are also some other victories: it is now much easier to buy clothes, I am no longer uncomfortable on planes - and if I get stuck with a middle seat it’s no big deal! I don’t get acne any more and I can now walk long distances without stopping every few minutes!
Today: Since December my weight has been fluctuating between 75kgs and 77kgs. Although I know I need to still loose another 5kgs I am not too fussed as I feel great! I am still doing very low-carb but as my travelling has increased significantly and been eating out much more since November occasionally my carb intake is a bit higher than what I would like. What I also find is that every time I travel my weight increases - most likely due to water retention on flights.
All the above is extremely positive however I am still struggling with one thing (which seems to be extremely bad this month - and what got me to write this post): my self esteem. Despite evidently I am much thinner than I used to be, I still myself as the fat guy that I was before - I still hate looking at myself, hate looking at myself and keep buying clothes that are a size or two too big for me, being afraid that I look stupid in fitted clothes (despite people saying that I do).
I honestly do hope that this is a phase and I can get overcome this issue soon - till then I will keep calm and keto on.
I do hope that by sharing my experience it will motivate and encourage anyone who is considering starting or just started their keto journey. I would especially like to thank @carl and @Richard who have definitely been a great inspiration!
P.S. I will be more than happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.