Keto Diet Weight Loss: “I Lost 150 Pounds in a Year Without Stepping Foot in a Gym”

Kay (@ketokalamazoo), a medical researcher and Instagram influencer, had struggled with her weight and chronic health issues for years. Despite taking action by consistently working out and following a fitness trainer-recommended diet, she became increasingly frustrated when her weight continued to rise. The moment the number on her scale passed 400 pounds, she knew things had to change, so she turned to the keto diet and hasn’t looked back since!

Keep reading to learn more about Kay’s inspiring story of how she lost weight and gained health, along with her top tips to help you lose weight naturally without intensive workout plans, medications, or surgeries.

Kay’s Keto Success Story

Kay had felt stuck struggling with her weight and rheumatoid arthritis for years. Aware that her weight was making her symptoms worse, she decided to start the keto diet.

At first it was smooth sailing. Eating a low carb, high fat diet helped Kay drop over 40 pounds.

This initial success motivated her to step up her weight loss efforts, so she began an intense weight training and cardio routine, pushing herself hard by working out 6 days a week.

But her progress came to a grinding halt when Kay’s trusted fitness trainer discouraged her from the keto diet and instead insisted she joined a “Biggest Loser Challenge” at her gym.

Unfortunately, the high-carb diet that Challenge participants were encouraged to adopt had the opposite effect, and her weight ballooned an astounding 120 pounds in just a year.

"In May 2018 I was at 402 pounds and I was shocked,” says Kay. “Hitting over 400 was a huge blow."

After hitting an all-time high weight despite following a strict diet plan and working out religiously, Kay knew something was off.

She realized that the problem was a combination of the high-carb diet her trainer had recommended as well as her rigorous exercise routine. Having previously experienced impressive fat-burning results with the ketogenic diet without the need to exercise, she decided to turn to this high fat, low carb diet once more.

Once in ketosis, it was like a light switch had flipped. Kay immediately noticed that she was not only losing weight, but she also experienced a decrease in symptoms of her rheumatoid arthritis.

Through the keto diet, Kay has not only lost a staggering 150 pounds in the past year, but she’s also learned how important it is to take care of her body, how to feel more beautiful in her own skin no matter what weight she’s at, and her energy levels have improved significantly. All this without stepping foot in a gym.

Kay is still following the keto diet and continuing to lose weight, but these days, she treats it as a way of life more than a weight loss diet.

“I just want to feel good. I want to feel healthy. For a long time, I was bigger than I wanted to be, and I felt bad physically and mentally. Keto was really life-changing.”

Image courtesy of Kay of @ketokalamazoo

Kay’s 7 Simple Tips for Losing Weight with the Keto Diet

As a result of her own transformation, Kay has become incredibly passionate about inspiring others to take action and lose weight the healthy way. She shares her journey on Instagram under the handle @ketokalamazoo to a devoted following of 13,000 people, regularly posting original keto recipes, motivational posts, and keeping it real with her weight loss own ups and downs.

Kay shares some of her best tips for those who are ready to take the plunge and shed weight for good:

1. Success with Keto Is Easier Than You Think

“I’m hoping that my story shows that there is an alternative method to losing weight and it’s not hard. You don’t have to go to the gym. You don’t have to even have to restrict yourself from eating. There are so many wonderful options out there these days for this [weight loss] lifestyle.”

Kay wants people to know that it’s not necessary to take extreme measures like surgeries and pills to lose weight. “My brother and my mother had weight loss surgery and it didn’t work. They gained all the weight right back. But there are easier ways to lose weight that last [like the ketogenic diet].”

2. Healthy Fats are Key to Weight Loss on Keto

Kay’s daily keto diet is made up of meats, cheese, eggs, and other healthy fats.

When asked about her preferred fat, C8 MCT oil was the clear winner. “If I’m going to have a fat in my diet, I want it to be the best fat with the biggest kapow.”

When it comes to healthy fat, C8 MCT oil is commonly recognized as the most keto-friendly oil thanks to its impressive ability to increase ketone production in the bloodstream. “To me, C8 [MCT oil] is better than coconut oil, olive oil, and butter.”

Learn more!

3. Don’t Eat When You’re Not Hungry

If you find yourself not wanting to eat for long stretches of time while doing keto, don’t be alarmed. One of the greatest benefits of following a high-fat diet like keto is how satiating it is. Many keto dieters stay full for hours, including Kay.

“[While on keto] I tend to go long periods of time without eating. Since I’m not a morning eater, fasting happened to me organically. One day I did a 36 hour fast on a whim!”

4. Switch up Your Diet Occasionally

While Kay focuses on healthy, clean foods, her approach to keto is all about balance. “I eat a lot of whole foods and I do intermittent fasting now and then.”

But she’s also not afraid to be lenient with her diet every now and then. “I think when people think of whole foods, they think of boring food choices and incredibly healthy diets like Whole 30. While I think Whole 30 is a great thing, it’s not necessary.”

Kay goes on to say “[Eating keto is] really all about balance in the long term. I try to balance between putting really good products in my body like Natural Force Bone Broth and C8 MCT Oil, but from time to time I also enjoy parts of my diet that aren’t terribly strict.”

Image courtesy of Kay of @ketokalamazoo

5. Keep Your Go-To Keto Products on Hand

According to Kay, having clean fat sources on hand makes keeping it keto all the more convenient and easy to follow.

Organic bone broth protein, C8 MCT oil, and collagen peptides are three of her favorite keto staples for “giving your body good fats [and nutrients] that it needs.”

Regarding collagen, Kay says “anyone that has to lose between 75 pounds or more definitely should get started on a collagen regimen… If you’re looking at the possibility of loose skin, it’s something you should start doing now.”

6. Don’t Give Up After a Mistake

Mistakes are a part of the journey and Kay has had her own moments of feeling discouraged along the way. But she didn’t let one bad moment keep from moving on.

“If you fall off your diet, immediately start right back. Don’t stop. Keep going. Keep getting back on the horse.”

7. Be Patient the First Month

Kay understands that getting started on keto may sound daunting, but the ability to shed off the excess fat, improve cognitive functions, and enhance overall physical health make it worth considering.

“Will it be the easiest thing giving up sugar and carbs? Definitely not. But after the first month, your body starts preferring meat instead of sweets and carbs. It gets a lot easier.”

(For a beginner's guide to the keto diet, check out this article)

Image courtesy of Kay of @ketokalamazoo

Healthy Weight Loss Starts Here

Kay's biggest piece of advice is that you're worth it. Says Kay, “You have one life. Just taking a month or two to give it to yourself to try keto. Everyone owes themselves that. Would you rather be on diet pills for the rest of your life or would you rather eat delicious foods for the rest of your life?”

UP NEXT: Keto Lifestyle 101: The Ketogenic Diet for Beginners

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