Today we had the pleasure to talk to Kimberly Powell and her amazing keto success story. She has lost over 121lbs and 10 pant sizes thanks to her mindset, dedication, hard work and consistency! What an incredible achievement!
In this article, you will learn Kimberley’s story and how she was able to achieve her goal, especially her mental strength and how she dealt with many plateaus along the way.
If you’re new to the keto diet and wondering how it works, feel free to check this keto guide for beginners here and sample meal plans here to learn more about keto.
If you have a success story to share with our community, please get in touch and let us know about it. We’d love to read your story!
Without further ado, here is Kimberley’s story:
Please tell us your story:
On September 12, 2016, I made the decision to go keto, I was 300lbs. Initially, I began searching for Atkins type recipes because I had some success with low carb in the past. The more I researched the more I kept hearing about keto. It just made sense to me. I started strong and lost 17lbs the first month and 10lbs the following month. I was strict and counted every macro and calorie. When the holidays hit I completely fell off track.
By the time January 2017 came I was ready to rededicate myself. I thought a lot about trying a different diet or even getting weight loss surgery. Instead, I had an aha moment and realized that my goal wasn’t only to lose weight. I wanted to love my body and fuel it in healthy ways.
Keto made me feel better than anything else I’ve ever done, so I made a great choice to stick with it. However, this time I was going to fit it into my lifestyle instead of the other way around.
I stopped counting calories and macros. It was too much to add to my life as a busy twin mom. I also decided to only create sustainable habits that made me genuinely happy. In the beginning, it was hard. But the more healthy choices I made, the harder the poor choices were to make. I keep my calories in check by only eating when I’m hungry and stopping when I’m satisfied instead of full.
As of December 2017, I am down 121lbs and 10 pant sizes. I can play with my children and enjoy activities with my husband because I have almost completely overcome my severe anxiety. I’ve started hiking and have completely fallen in love with it.
At the start of my keto journey, I would have claimed simply having a smaller body would be the best feeling in the world, I would have been wrong. The best feeling in the world is conquering my own demons and overcoming disordered eating to prove to myself how strong I am. Keto has truly helped me to take back my life.
How has your life changed since going keto?
My life has changed in so many ways since going keto. My self-esteem has increased, my health has flourished and my mental stability has dramatically benefited. The severe mood swings I felt when I was over-consuming carbs and sugar were ruining my life. I had little patience and was overwhelmed with negativity. It took every bit of effort I had to smile on the outside while I was full of poison on the inside. My family constantly felt the wrath of my binges. At first, I thought it was just a result of my size.
Being 300lbs takes a lot out of you. Then, as I began allowing “cheat” meals and days and weekends… I realized my irrational behavior was a direct result of carbs and sugar in my body. One day at a time I am becoming an active, healthy and happy member of my family, and I have keto to thank for it.
What did you personally do in your first 10 days of keto?
In my first 10 days of keto, I was very careful not to slip up at all. I did my research and knew that my body was essentially withdrawing from carbs and sugar, just like a drug addict. Giving in to those cravings would only prolong the process. I also found some fun recipes and tried to really enjoy this new way of eating. I wanted it to be about loving my body and enjoying my life, not about restricting and punishing myself.
Do you count and track macros strictly?
In the beginning, I did. It helped me to understand how the food choices I made impacted my macro goals. But, I burned out and crashed within a couple of months. When I reassessed what worked for me and what didn’t, I realized that macro tracking and calorie counting were not sustainable habits for me. That is my favorite thing about keto- if it isn’t fitting into your life you can adjust it. Occasionally I reassess my macro and calorie needs to correlate with my goals. I choose foods from the proper groups exactly like they taught us in health class… only I use a keto food pyramid instead.
Do you exercise? If yes, what’s your workout routine like?
When I started keto I was overcome with anxiety. I tried going to the gym but it always ended with a panic attack and a promise to myself to go back at a different time of day, when nobody was there. After losing to 60lbs with keto alone my body began running more efficiently and I found that I wanted to burn more energy. I still do not go to the gym. Instead, I ride a tension bike four times a week for 15 minutes, while I rock out to music that makes me feel strong! I also do 150 crunches every day. I’ve recently started hiking and I absolutely love it! I never thought I would enjoy exercise or be able to keep up with my husband going up the mountain.
Have you ever encountered a plateau? If so, how did you get over it?
I have encountered a couple of plateaus with keto. In the beginning, I became so frustrated each time the scale stalled, even for a couple of days, because you get so used to it rapidly changing. Slow progress always ended with me bingeing on sugar and carbs, which then ended with the magic number on the scale going up. Finally, I asked myself, “If I never lost another pound… would I go back to any other way of eating?” The answer was no. Losing weight is only one of the many happy side effects of keto.
Now, when I stall, I make sure I’m drinking enough water, double check my macros and ensure I’m not overeating. Sometimes I even go back to tracking for a couple of days. Typically that rectifies whatever caused the stall. If the scale still doesn’t want to budge, I give my body the time to do whatever it needs without allowing my mind to bully it. I know keto is the best way of eating for my body.
What is your WHY (your drive/motivation) to keep on track and stay focused? (or why didn’t you give up?)
I have not given up because my goal is not weight loss. My goal is to nourish my body with foods that make it feel good and to move it in ways that make me happy. I want to show my body the love it has always deserved but has never received. Keto makes it easy for me to do that. I don’t have to obsess over food and I don’t have to deprive myself. When you’re not counting down the minutes until your next “cheat” it leaves so much extra time to really live your life. I never want to be a bystander in my own life again.
What are your favorite ingredients to prepare keto meals?
My favorite keto ingredients are eggs, coconut oil, avocados, bacon and cauliflower rice.
What are your favorite keto meals/recipes?
I have tried meal prepping and found it doesn’t work well for me. I do not do intermittent fasting, but I also don’t eat when I’m not actually hungry. Having meals prepared causes me to eat simply because the clock tells me it’s time. Instead, I buy groceries that I can mix and match conveniently. I have my base foods which include eggs, salad, cauliflower rice and low carb tortillas.
I buy different fatty proteins like bacon, ground beef and sausage to pair with them, and fresh veggies to lighten it up. My favorite keto meals are taco salads, egg roll in a bowl and Mexican chili.
Is there any book or resources that you would recommend to our readers?
I read several different independent articles online that gave me a lot of the “Why?” behind keto. Once I was happy with my research I used ruled.me to calculate my macros and caloric needs. I also downloaded MyFitnessPal to track throughout the day.
In one or two sentences, why do you think you are successful in this keto way of eating?
With keto, I only build sustainable habits that I can accomplish every day without fail. When something fits so easily into your life and makes you feel full of happiness and energy and inner peace… I can’t ever see a reason to quit.
Finally, What advice would you give someone who is just starting out on keto?
Be gentle with yourself. Changing your mindset and your lifestyle is challenging, but you can do it. Sure you will miss carbs and sugar to some degree. But, think about the diets you’ve tried in the past. How many times were you chewing on a limp piece of lettuce wishing it was a big juicy steak covered in garlic butter? Maintaining your body and your health is always going to mean there are some things you can only have in moderation. Give it a chance to work before dismissing it as a fad diet. This is the way your body was meant to be fueled.
We’d like to thank Kimberley again for sharing her story and tips with our community! You can follow Kimberley on Instagram at @loving_lessofme_more for more mindset tips and inspiration from her.
