This is a four-part look at everything that led to my current keto journey and plan.
It has been quite a long one and I missed a whole lot of clues along the way.
When I think back, I can see where I actually used language that should have clued me in. I just could not connect the dots.
Eventually, the road led to prediabetes and extreme insulin resistance.
My Keto Journey
Background/Overview
Childhood
It’s not like my taste buds didn’t like the taste of sweets. But, even as a child, I would rarely have a snack of milk and cookies, or a big slice of cake. I would actually say the words “I need some real food first.” Meat and vegetables, or at least a sandwich. Eating dessert first never felt right in my body.
I was a tomboy rail of a child and stayed that way for a really long time.
Late Teens, Early 20s
I could eat anything and everything and I was very athletic.
I actually dropped all of my “serious” community college classes and instead went to school three days a week for track & field, volleyball and racquetball! Those early ultra physical years help me to stay lean.
Later, I started a temporary job where I had to catch an early bus and I had plenty of time to spare before work. I would walk to McDonald’s and get the Big Breakfast. Back then it was 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pancakes with (not real) syrup, a sausage patty, hash browns and orange juice, and coffee or tea. Five days a week, for almost a whole year.
And I still stayed skinny.
Then I got a job at the post office, working second shift. Good money, especially since I was living back at home and had few expenses. My friends and I ate, drank, smoked and partied. Constantly. For two years.
I left the post office and signed up for military service. But I was on the delayed entry program, meaning that I had several months before I had to report. No sense in getting a job if I was going to be leaving soon. Party time 2.0!
As my swearing in date got closer, my weight went up. Just a couple of pounds, but a little too close to the military weight limit to be comfortable. I didn’t want to be rejected.
I had heard of this diet where you eat eggs and bacon slices in equal numbers. Three eggs, three pieces of bacon. For the other meals, you would eat salad and meat. I later realized that this was a version of a low carb diet.
I lost the extra pounds really fast. The clues just kept on coming.
Military
Basic training went well. I was back to being physical and still really thin. During training school, I partied a lot and still ate junk. Only not at work. I was a dietary technician/cook and I worked in the hospital dining hall!
While I didn’t gain any weight, I noticed my energy waning a little each year. In the Air Force, there wasn’t as much emphasis on physical activity as there was in the other branches. Every year we had an assessment and, unless you were overweight according to their charts, that was it until the next year.
Still, I stayed skinny, but I didn’t feel great. And I experienced my first memorable bouts of depression.
Post-Military
After discharge came a period of upheaval. I was relocating roughly every two years. I was mostly low energy and all over the place, physically and mentally. I at least had an inkling that I should improve my diet. But I was pretty broke and lived on spaghetti because it was so cheap.
After my rental in Connecticut was broken into twice in three days, I moved back home to Ohio.
During this period, the low fat craze came in existence. All we heard was “fat makes you fat.” Like most other people, I bought into it, hook, line and sinker. I remember us mocking my mother for putting butter in the green beans. All that horrible fat.
I started eating low fat everything. It took a few more years for the bottom to fall out, but I was headed for disaster.
Click the links below to continue reading about my keto journey:
