Kevin L.

Get to know him!

6 ft 3 in height
Male24 years old
Keto-ing for 11 months Started at 325 lbs Lost 120 lbs so far
Wants to hit 200 lbs Prefers a "Meat Lover" diet

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Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am an engineer and work for the Navy. So can’t talk more about that, but it keeps me busy and has been perfect for my keto lifestyle. I have always suffered from a lack of hobbies, but when not working or sleeping, I try to stay busy with side projects, going to the gym and watching tv/playing video games. I kinda locked myself away to do keto - I needed a change so I made drastic social changes (I needed to stop drinking - I maintained college habits for too long past graduation, so I needed to make major social changes). Video games have helped a ton. I am still ‘social’ with my buds, but I removed the social pressures. Not an ideal move, but it’s what I needed to do.

What motivated you to try keto?

Three things I guess - 1) I bought a new car so I wanted to save money. For this reason I decided to stop drinking. I cut a ton of weight, so I started looking online for the next step. 2) While online, I saw a video on an autopsy of a fat lady. It scared me. Getting big is something normal, especially here in the US. It’s an all-too-common phenomenon. It was life changing to see what fat does to your body on the inside - it is everywhere and is a nasty yellow color…gross. 3) Saw a really great inspirational post on r/keto about a woman who made great progress on this diet. I read about it and I really like the science of it. I am an engineer, so I like when things make sense and I can explain it. I started the day I saw that post. The diet just made sense.

How often do you cheat on keto?

In the beginning, I did it religiously. I didn’t have cravings. Now, probably every 2 weeks. I can justify it. I am trying to get my social life back, so the end justify the means. I had one weekend that I intentionally broke. I plateaued at 225 for weeks! It was my 100 lb mark and it killed me that my progress had seemed to stop. I bought a ton of junk food to get my mind straight. It was gross. At that moment, keto became more of a lifestyle than a diet. Since then, I stopped worrying about the ups and downs and worry more about the journey. I travel a decent bit for work, and while travelling I break keto and stay off it the whole time. I use to be good, but I want to go out with the guys and get a beer after work. It’s great for the career so I can justify it easily. Plus, I just work out the entire week when I get back.

How do you get (back) into ketosis?

I shouldn’t do it, but I fast. Typically, after cheating for a day, I don’t want to eat so it works out great. I also increase gym days that week.

Do you track your weight/ketones/blood glucose/macros or anything else?

I just use Stupid Simple Keto. It’s a rad app that has really improved in the last year. It tracks my weight loss, macros & calories and has a great interface and display. It is also great for shopping - has a database of food with macros. Really helps when shopping for fresh veggies.

How supportive were your friends & family when you started?

Honestly, I locked myself away when I started. A weird move, but it really helped me. However, I do have a friend who’s basically a brother to me, who really helped me. His mom (my second mom) is also the greatest. Everytime she saw me, she was just so supportive - gave me hugs and really lifted my spirits. Those were some of my favorite moments of seeing her. I also have a coworker who continually tells me how proud he is of me. He’s like my mentor, one of the truly great people in this world. He really supported me. We are open about everything and he really helped me through the times. I didn’t have a ton of support, but quality-wise the support I had was TOP NOTCH.

Has your weight loss ever stalled?

The 225 lb mark was hell for me. Honestly, my pee strips weren’t working. I guess I left the lid open, so I never got that positive feedback on the diet, so I stalled for weeks. This caused me a lot of frustration to the point that I took a weekend to go full fat Kevin again. I spent $60 on JUNK and pigged out. It was nasty, I just felt terrible. That taught me that this was a lifestyle, not a diet. Don’t stress the results. Stress the process - it works.

What other benefits have you noticed?

I sleep so well now. That is my main thing. I actually gained time in the day which let me work on side projects more. I use to go to bed everyday at 8 and felt terrible the next morning. Now I go to bed at midnight and I feel the same - I should try to get more sleep, but nah…

Did you encounter any obstacles to pursuing keto?

Not really. I use to keto on travel, it wasn’t that bad. Lots of Jimmy John’s and Kroger salad bars (mmm). I don’t do it now, but I think keto is a fluid lifestyle diet that can be managed fairly easily in my life.

Have you had any side effects to keto?

I had the keto flu once. I’m super lucky about that - it sucked. Other than that, it hasn’t been bad. I will say, if I got keto flu everytime I cheat, I would never cheat. My motivation to not cheat is that it takes 3 days away from progress, which, to me, has been enough. If my body fought me everytime, I think I would die. Lots of respect to those who manage it.

What’s your favorite home-cooked keto meal?

I don’t cook fancy. Just stick to basics and meal prep it. I really like hitting a milestone and making a steak and steamed cauliflower. That’s my #1 meal, but mostly because what it represents.

What’s your favorite restaurant meal?

I don’t like eating out. But when I do, I go to one of two restraunts. A cool wing joint that has old bay baked wings. So good! I like those with ranch. Yum. The other is Jimmy John’s for an unwhich. Those are solid. Filled with a bunch of goodies.

What’s your biggest non-keto temptation?

Freaking milkshakes are the death of me now. That is my one and only craving AND IT WAS NEVER A THING BEFORE KETO….SO WEIRD! The thought of a milkshake is what makes me cheat.

Anything else you’d like your readers to know?

Make keto a lifestyle. It works. Just support yourself and the process and you will see the results. Good luck all. Best wishes.