We are back with another amazing interview of someone living a Keto lifestyle!
In today’s interview I would like to present Anna, during her journey, she shares how she avoided getting a gastric sleeve and shares how she has lost over 60 kg / 130 pounds.
So, we can definitely learn a lot from her journey and experience.
See more photos on Anna’s Instagram Link at end of interview
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Im 28 years old and I just graduated my Diploma of Nursing, so am currently working as an EEN (Endorsed Enrolled Nurse), while hoping to start my bachelor of nursing to become an RN later this year.
What moment or event started your weight loss journey?
I’ll start by saying I started gaining weight when I was about 17 years old, but I reached my highest weight of 124.5kg at 22 years old. Over the years I was aware of various ways my weight impacted my health but for so many reasons told myself it was ok.
I had high blood pressure and a faster than normal heart rate as well as IBS. I also had severe anxiety/depression, insomnia and ptsd. I struggled to get myself up off the couch and got puffed out easily and I thought, this isn’t how it should be at 26 years old.
I reached a point where I desperately wanted to lose weight but felt like nothing worked. I’d tried low fat diets, I tried shake diets and detox diets, I saw dieticians and followed their plans and still nothing budged. While I knew exercise isn’t the be all and end all, it’s always been important to me and I couldn’t exercise due to an old ankle injury, made worse by the chronic weight on my ankle joint.
I started looking into gastric sleeve surgery in 2017 as I was fed up and had seen so many people say it saved them.
That year I underwent an ankle reconstruction, my surgeon warned me that the surgery would fix my ankle, however the chronic weight could cause it to become damaged again and I told him I was already making changes and was going to start exercising as soon as my ankle was stable.
How did you discover the Keto lifestyle and how has it affected you?
When I told a friend I was looking at the gastric sleeve she told me to try keto first, she said just try it for 2 weeks and sent me the diet doctor free 2 week plan. I agreed and really thought what’s another 2 weeks wasted on something that will make me feel awful and not work, so that I can look forward towards the sleeve?
In just 2 weeks I’d already started losing weight and already had more energy and I loved the food on the meal plan. So i committed to another 2 weeks, and another, and another. Until it just became my normal. My energy went up as the weeks went on and my sleep improved until I no longer required sleeping medication. I started exercising in small amounts at first and what started as yoga once a week and short walks has become training in the gym 3 times a week plus daily stretching and going for walks/runs on my non gym days when I have the time. I don’t exercise because I have to to lose weight, I do it for my mental state and for my physical fitness and because I love it.
I’ve lost 61 kg / 134 pounds, and am maintaining my weight now, but since losing my blood pressure and heart rate have normalised and I no longer have IBS symptoms. My anxiety, depression and ptsd no longer dictate how I live my daily life as my mood has improved as well as my sleep and my ability to regulate my emotions. Im off psychiatric medication for the first time in 14 years.
I’ve lost 61kg, a whole person, but I feel like I gained a person, because I got myself back.
What is your favorite Keto recipe / food?
I honestly could eat eggs all the time. I tried an egg fast once and someone warned me I’d never want to eat eggs again but I was still just as obsessed with them.
My favourite meal right now is a lamb salad I threw together and just loved?
Its shredded lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, feta, sliced lamb steak drizzled with chipotle mayonnaise!
If someone wanted to get into the Keto lifestyle what advice would you give them?
Seek supports to make sure you are doing it right. It’s still so important you get the nutritional needs met, it’s not just about eating cheese and bacon every day haha.
Done correctly and getting the nutrients from a range of foods there’s no reason this lifestyle isn’t 100% healthy and amazing to live by. There’s so much info online or there’s access to ‘start up’ programs like diet doctor or christine cronau or metro dietetics or the low carb clinic (Melbourne) if someone doesn’t feel able to manage it on their own to begin with and need that added guidance. Use your resources and supports to get the most out of it .
What are your top 3 benefits you find living a ketogenic lifestyle?
- Increased energy.
- Food I love, I never get bored of all the recipes out there.
- Feeling physically healthier – I don’t know how to word that any other way! My body feeling stronger, calmer, less stressed, less bloated, less under pressure.
What are the best ways for people to connect with you?
