Today we’d love to share with you another keto success story from Nicole Smith. Nicole has lost over 40 pounds on keto and gone from size 14 to a size 6!
In this article you will learn Nicole’s story and her tips how she does keto personally.
If you’re new to keto, feel free to read our keto guide for beginners here and sample meal plan here to learn more.
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 Nicole’s amazing story:
Please tell us your story:
Growing up as the heaviest girl in my class and playing sports while being overweight lead me to near desperation in finding ways to lose weight. My weight has always been a yo-yo, just like so many who struggle with the emotional challenges of overeating.
When helping the cafeteria in 10th grade, I binged on French fries and tried throwing them up, but couldn’t because I knew it wasn’t the right way. At 23, I tried eating 900 calories a day, lasting a week before binging on taco bell.
I’ve always been active and athletic but never was taught how to properly fuel my body and how much of something was too much.
In 2009, while running my first and only marathon, I had several people cheer me on to say “Keep going, so happy to see someone your size out here!” and “Wow, YOU ran a marathon?!” – both a clue and a motivator to rethink my own health and also show others healthy comes in many sizes.
In 2010, after learning about portion control & food journaling from Weight Watchers, I dropped my first 15 pounds from my heaviest weight of 215.
At that size, I felt upset after every softball game, missing balls hit towards me, or not running to a base fast enough. I finally committed to becoming the healthier, happier athlete I knew I could be on May 17, 2017, through Keto due to its sustainability for my lifestyle and goals.
No longer was the 3 pm snack and coffee! I immediately was freed from the carb cravings, and the binge eating. I was back in control of my health, my fitness, and my goal to show everyone what a size 14 at the time could do on a bench press, on a bike, or on a softball mound.
I’ve since dropped another 40 pounds going from a size 14 to a size 6. What I’ve lost in inches I’ve gained in supportive friends through the online communities which have been a HUGE component of my success.
How has your life changed since going keto?
For the first time in my life, I feel like I am not a puppet to food. I think about recipes that excite me, but don’t obsess over a cinnamon roll I saw on TV now. I have become more aware how people cope with feelings through food and have had to own up to myself when I’ve done the same. The coolest part is seeing my husband, my friends, and some of my followers ask me for advice. I did this for me, but now I want to share my story with others!
What did you personally do in your first 10 days of keto?
Told myself in the mirror every morning that I would succeed. Planned my meals every night, and eased off my normal workouts to give my body time to purge all those nasty carbs.
Do you count and track macros strictly?
80 percent strict – I’ve learned through too many weigh-in surprises as to how much I underestimate what I’m eating when I don’t track.
Do you exercise?
Co-ed softball twice a week, and I don’t drink. No injury is worth two cans of beer. Three days are body pump, three days are high-intensity circuits or spinning, and Sundays is always Yoga because it’s my active rest day.
I love working out now that I can move easier. Some nights I will put on on a keto podcast and go for a two-hour walk by myself, helps purge the day instead of drinking wine.
Have you ever encountered a plateau? If so, how did you get over it?
YES! Month four and five, I stalled out and even gained a pound even though I was tracking and weighing daily. I went back to my food journal to see what could be causing it. I cut fake sweeteners even though I wasn’t using a lot of them.
Initially, out of frustration, I first stopped weighing myself every day during this plateau. I examined my supplements, increased my sleep, set reminders on my smartwatch for increased water intake, and started reading to learn how common stalls actually were.
I had to get over the frustration of feeling like it’s not fair I was doing everything right and not seeing the result. Turns out I was dropping inches even while my weight stayed the same.
What is your WHY (your drive/motivation) to keep on track and stay focused?
My drive for transforming my health started out with me wanting to look like an athlete because I feel like an athlete. I want to show others how strong can be sexy at a size 10 or size 4, straight figure or pear-shaped.
Living in Los Angeles, I feel like I mostly saw one size of woman around me, which surprised me given how diverse and large the city is.
I’ve enjoyed the backhanded compliments because it tells me I surprise people. I remember taking my first flying trapeze class and they grilled me on my weight due to the restrictions.
I stay focused now because I feel accountable to the people I’ve shared my story with, helped, or given advice to. If I am going to talk the talk, gotta walk the walk. Also, the pictures around my closet of Oprah (my muse) hold me oddly accountable. I’m trying OPRAH!
What are your favorite ingredients to prepare keto meals?
Cream cheese because I can make it sweet or savory, bacon, cauliflower, avocado, and nut butter.
What are your favorite keto meals/recipes?
I make a lot of boiled eggs, sliced cheeses, smoked meats, and seasoned grass-fed ground beef or sausage. I prefer sausage because it’s more flavorful. To me, all of these are like a little black dress that can be dressed up or down with additional sauces, items, or incorporated into other recipes.
Is there any book or resources that you would recommend to our readers?
I immediately fell in love with my instant pot. It’s worth the investment simply due to how much flavor it can infuse into something in a fraction of the time that a regular crock pot would take.
I resisted buying one of those ground meat choppers because I don’t like extra tools, but considering how frequently ground beef/pork is cooked, I quickly realized I was a fool for resisting.
Any online community is better than feeling alone or isolated in your home, so just find a few places to feel comforted/with like-minded people!
In one or two sentences, why do you think you are successful in this keto way of eating?
Seeing and feeling the results, seeing and feeling my online friends. I’ve gone too far to now give up on bacon!
Finally, What advice would you give someone who is just starting out on keto?
Find and learn three recipes that whenever needed can easily be made. It’s really easy to feel like a new way of life or eating means tons of new recipes, and that doesn’t have to be the case with keto.
A recipe that takes less than 15 minutes, a recipe that could be taken to a party or event where you would otherwise cave, and a “worth the effort” recipe if you really want to treat yourself. I usually double or triple these recipes if I am taking the time.
Last, don’t micromanage calories eaten the first 1-2 weeks. Add that in after learning how to keto. When in doubt, keep it simple, and ask for help!
We’d like to thank Nicole for sharing with us her story. You can follow Nicole on Instagram at @travelingketocat for more inspiration and tips from her!
