My journey

The Ketogenic Diet – My Story
I started the “Keto Diet” as a way to try and get my Type2 Blood Sugar Levels under control before my health deteriorated any further.
I had been diagnosed as Type2 diabetic in 1999. As the years progressed, my health deteriorated and weight gained. At one point I was 355 pounds, I wore 46” pants and 4XL shirts. By 2015 I was taking daily 3 pills and insulin injections, yet my blood sugars were still over 200 every day and the complications were beginning to compound.
I suffered from depression (which I took medication for), high blood pressure (which I took medication for) and high cholesterol (which I took medication for). I had tried numerous diets and exercise routines over the years to try and control my weight and diabetes, yet nothing seemed to work or work long-term anyway. I was eating exactly the way Doctors and the American Diabetes Association recommended, yet my conditions continued to get worse. Calorie restriction diets left me hungry all the time and the entire trial and errors of trying to get things under control was making me depressed and feeling hopeless.
One night I was searching the web for stories on controlling diabetes; and I kept coming up with results showing the Ketogenic Diet… Hmmm, I’ve tried everything else, I had nothing to lose, so why not? I asked my doctor about it and his basic response was it’s just a fad and the results couldn’t be sustained. I told him I was going to do it anyway. He took a complete workup to get my base results and away I went.
At first I was doing what is often referred to as: Dirty Keto. Pretty much just avoiding carbs an sugars as much as possible, but I was doing it to get my Type2 under control, not even thinking about weight loss. I noticed results in blood sugars the 3rd day of doing Keto! The longer I was on it, the better the results got. About a month into I noticed that my pants were getting loose… Currently I’ve been doing Keto for about 2.5 years… the results???
1. I’ve lost 134 pounds.
2. My pants have gone from 46” waist to 32”
3. My shirts have gone from 4XL to Large
4. As of September 1st, I no longer take any meds at all! Not for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, nor depression.
5. I’ve found a new passion, and that is helping others achieve similar results and get their health under control!
My last visit to my doctor he said he has been amazed at the progress and even asked a second doctor to come into the room to speak with me and verify the results! I don’t believe Doctors are corrupt, but I do now believe they have been taught and trained by a dysfunctional and corrupt medical system that is not interested in our health, but merely takin gas much money as they can from people.
So, I’ve put this list together of some of the most influential and informative videos on the subject that I can find and have been sources of information and inspiration for myself. If you’re serious about getting your health under control, and would like help and motivation along the way please reach out and I will help!
As a side-note… probably 80% of my weight loss results have been accomplished strictly through diet with little-to-no exercise at all… I have an office job, I’m a couch potato by nature and I am not one of those people that enjoy sweating and working out. I’m hoping to change that all very soon, but my progress has proven to me that you can NEVER out-exercise a bad diet! My only regret with “going Keto” is that I didn’t photograph the results and take pictures of myself as I went. This was mainly because I started this only to control my diabetes, I never thought I would lose this much weight! The amazing thing… I’m still losing weight! My weight loss has not been fast, it’s really been averaging between 1 and 2 pounds per week, but that is well within what the medical communities consider a healthy weight-loss.
I also recommend using the MyFitnessPal app. Use it religiously! I track EVERYTHING I eat even after having been doing this a couple of years. It’s too easy to eat something and then forget about it later. The app keeps track of your foods and macros. I aim for 1650 calories a day; 70% from healthy fats, 20% from healthy proteins and 5% percent from carbs. That usually put my carb at about 20g a day.
This is just the beginning, a “primer” if you will to get you started on an amazing journey to better health and weight loss.
When some people first start the Keto Diet, they will experience what is called the Keto Flu. This is a natural process of your body converting from burning sugar and carbs to burning fat for fuel. I have not personally experienced this but those who have told me taking magnesium and vitamin D supplements have helped them.
Some other things I do is add Pink Himalayan Salt and Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother) to my water, just a pinch of salt and a table spoon or two of the ACV. This will help digestion and may be part of the reason I never did experience the Keto Flu.
- Shawn Hoefer