Dwayne suffered from poor health his whole life. As a child he got sick often and had very poor lungs. His health was in such a bad state that he came close to death twice before the age of two. And when he started taking medication to treat his inflammation, he also started gaining weight rapidly.
At 15 he started having issues with blood sugar, and they were so severe that he occasionally lost consciousness. By the time he turned 22 he was close to 300 pounds (136 kg) with even more health issues.
Back then, he went to the doctor who gave him a piece of paper and explained: "If you follow this diet, you'll lose weight and have no more problems with blood sugar." The doctor elaborated that the diet, which was completely free of sugar and starch, was popular in the '30s and '40s for soldiers with weight issues.
The diet worked like magic! Dwayne immediately started losing weight and his blood sugar became stable. He maintained his weight effortlessly for a few years, until he abandoned the diet after suffering an accident and going through a divorce. His weight climbed; he went back on the diet in '97 and lost it all again. Then life got in the way once more, and he lost the motivation to stick with low carb.
How Dwayne found keto
Over the years Dwayne added many more health issues to his list. In 2016 he suffered a heart attack. His labs came back showing that his HbA1c was 8.0. His desperation reached an all-time high two years later, when he felt that he might drop dead any minute if he didn't do something about his poor health.
"Have you heard about keto? Look it up and you'll be OK," the doctor responded.
In October 2018 he went to his doctor for an appointment and told him about his health struggles. "Have you heard about keto? Look it up and you'll be OK," the doctor responded.Right afterwards Dwayne went to McDonald's and had what he knew would be his last junk-food meal in a long time. He looked up keto and quickly found Diet Doctor. He thought, "I've seen this before. I can do this!"
The next day he threw out all the carbs and, "Ate simply, ate enough, and started losing weight from day one."
Today Dwayne is 160 pounds (73 kg) lighter, he's off all blood pressure medications, and his blood sugar has normalized. The depression that he'd struggled with off and on for years is completely gone. He's feeling better than ever! His doctor even told him that his blood values were better than ever!
Dwayne's keto lifestyle
Dwayne eats very basic meals like low-carb chili, hamburger patties with different seasonings, and tuna fish with boiled eggs, dill pickles, and mustard. Although he ate three keto meals per day when he started, he soon realized that he wasn't hungry in the morning. Now he eats two meals per day within a 4-hour window and does alternate-day fasting.
Dwayne hasn't been able to go to the gym regularly due to a back injury. But that hasn't hindered his weight loss.
Dwayne doesn't think that exercising is necessary for losing weight. Throughout his keto journey he hasn't been able to go to the gym regularly due to a back injury. But that hasn't hindered his weight loss.Dwayne's top tips for starting keto
- Go cold turkey. Dwayne recommends immediately cutting out everything sweet-tasting when starting keto. For instance, he used to drink lots of Diet Pepsi, but kicked the habit on the day he started. That's why, he believes, he quickly overcame his cravings. If you cut things out gradually instead, cravings often linger.
- Count total carbs. Dwayne calls 20 grams or less of total carbs "prescription-strength keto", and it's a good place to start. Some people are so sensitive that their weight loss may slow down just by eating a few too many carbs like fiber and sugar alcohols. If you count total carbs, you lower the risk of ingesting excessive carbs that may slow down or inhibit weight loss.
- Keep a journal. Dwayne wishes that he'd kept a journal from day one, and he always tells this to other people. It's great for tracking improvements, and it's very encouraging to be able to go back and see all the positive changes that have taken place.
You can follow Dwayne's journey on his Facebook page.
Comment
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Dwayne. Congrats on you amazing journey. Your story emphasizes how it may take a few tries for us to find the path that sticks for good. They key is to keep trying! I am honored that Diet Doctor played a role in you regaining your health. Keep up the great work!
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