How I Lost 80 lbs On The Keto Diet (And Why I Quit)

For those who have followed my blog for a while (even back when it was under a different name), you may remember reading how I lost 60 lbs on the keto diet. In it, I feature before and after photos of my keto diet weight loss at that time.

Today, I am happy to report that I am down to 190 lbs, putting me at more than an 80 lbs weight loss overall. I have hovered between 189 and 195 lbs for quite a while now (over 8 months). But, the important thing is that I have kept the weight off and I am determined to eventually hit my ultimate goal weight.

In my previous post, I set a new goal of reaching 195 lbs and firmly taking myself out of the “obese” category. I am happy to say that I have reached my goal. Being 5'9 at 190 lbs, I am officially in the “overweight” category.

In this post, I will talk about my journey, my struggles, why I quit keto, and how I maintain my weight (and plan to lose more).

My Keto Weightloss Journey in a Nutshell

After four kids and various physical ailments in my life, I struggled with my weight. Over the years, my weight slowly crept up.

At a routine doctor's visit in early 2015, I was mortified to learn that I had reached my highest weight ever: 275 lbs. At a height of 5'9, this meant that my BMI was 40.6, putting me just over the edge into the morbidly obese range.

In the spring of 2015, a friend introduced me to the keto diet. I had never heard of it before, but my friend had already lost a considerable amount of weight on it, so I was intrigued.

At the time, I had been losing weight slowly but steadily with the Weight Watchers diet. I was about 256 lbs when I started keto.

My weight loss on the keto diet was rather dramatic in the beginning. Within the first month, I had dropped more than 10 lbs. And I lost another 10 lbs in my second month on keto. I've been told that much of the initial weight loss on keto is water weight.

Related Article: Learn How To Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours

Frustrations and Setbacks

I reached several plateaus during my keto weight loss journey. During the fall of 2016, I went back and forth between 210 and 220 lbs for several months. I believe stress was a major factor.

In February of 2017, I began focusing on my weight loss again. The weight came off slowly, which was frustrating, but I was finally down to 209 as of March 9, 2017.

I was determined, and finally hit my goal of being under 200 lbs on May 4, 2017.

Here's a chart that outlines my keto weight loss over the past 4 years:

Here's a chart the outlines my keto weight loss over the past 4 years. (The chart looks like a steady weight loss, but it was NOT. Notice the lengths of time are not even, though I did try my best to make an accurate representation.)

Why I Quit Keto

As of May 2018, I am no longer eating the keto diet. It was a tough decision because I owe it to the keto diet for getting me as far as it has in my weight loss. However, it was time to move on because it was starting to cultivate some very bad habits for me.

The main reason I quit is that it had led me to a constant restrict/binge cycle that I couldn't break. Being someone with a history of what I believe to be disordered eating, I recognized that this wasn't good. I realized that because my carbs were so restrictive, whenever I would have something over my “limit” I would consider it cheating, which mentally led to a binge. And if you know anything about keto, cheating means that it can take days to get back into ketosis.

I started to do a lot of research about eating a more “normal” diet, and I've settled on a balanced diet that includes whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, and healthy fats while maintaining a calorie count conducive to weight loss. I was terrified of gaining weight at first, but I am happy to have maintained my current weight and even begin to see a tip down on the scale.

Even if this ends up being my maintenance weight (I've yo-yo'd in the same weight range for nearly a year), I'm happy with that. I no longer feel deprived. In fact, when I eat a balanced diet rich in satiating foods, I haven't even been experiencing intense cravings!

For instance, I've been eating oats with fruit and yogurt for breakfast, whole-grain pitas with meat and cheese for lunch, plates full of veggies and fruit or nuts for snacks, and meat or beans and quinoa, brown rice, or potatoes for supper. The best part is that I can indulge or eat alongside my friends and family without it leading to a full-blown binge.

I definitely still root for and support those who are doing keto, especially those who were inspired by my own story.

Follow My Weight Loss Journey

I am at my lowest weight since having my first child almost 13 years ago. But why stop? I hope to someday hit my new goal of 170 lbs, which would land me right at a “normal” BMI.

I have been documenting my weight loss on my Instagram account since I started the keto diet in August of 2016. Follow me on IG to stay updated on my progress, as well as great tips and recipes from the Nerdy Millennial blog.

Read More About the Keto Diet:

Nerdy Millennial Keto Diet Recipes:

Find more keto recipes/tips here on the blog or on my keto Pinterest board.

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Are you on the keto diet? I'd love to follow your own weight loss journey! Share with me in the comments on your Instagram account, or tell me about your own keto weight loss story.