Hi, Everyone! Lifetime dieter, here. 8 months on Keto and <3 it!

Hey, guys!  Hello!  I'm new to these forums, but have been doing Keto for about 8 months.  I really love it and have seen great results in not only weight loss, but in how I feel.

I'm 59 years old and went on my first diet at age 12.  My parents didn't pressure me, but I was not happy with my size.  I started by counting calories.  I lost the 10-15 pounds that I needed to lose (I've always been tall) and was very happy with that.  Unfortunately, everyone here probably knows the rest of the story.  This set me up for a lifetime of dieting.  I was a professional athlete (professional polo player and horse trainer) and have always fought about 50-60 pounds of weight.  Just by the amount of exercise that I got in my 20s and 30s, I kept my weight under 200 (5'11"/ 190lbs was my usual) and even, at one point got down below 20% body fat (weight: 175).  However, once I quit training horses, and started to enter perimenopause, all hope was lost.  I've been fighting to stay under 230 for the past 5 years or so.  Over my lifetime, I've done all manner of diets:   counting calories, high protein/ low fat, no sugar/ no starch, Diet Center, Weight Watchers, Eat Right 4 Your Type.  They all worked, to some extent.  I've lost the same 60 pounds over and over again.  Of course, the problem is that I could never keep it off.  I was just always hungry and could never find a way to maintain whatever weight I got to.

I had given up sugar years ago due to it affecting my heartrate during menopause.  I had also cut way back on my starches.  However, I was still eating some starch and, moreover, I ate vast quantities of veggie and, to a bit of a lesser extent, fruit.  I was still always hungry, and never satisfied.  I felt hopeless and was just decided to accept that I could no longer fight the weight.  Of course, this affected my exercise as well.  Vicious cycle.

Last Spring I found myself back up on the scale again and this time I was having back issues, knee issue and my bloodwork looked ominous.  My Dr. wanted to put me onto statins, which I did not want to do.  I was getting some PT for my back, when that Dr said, "Hey, look, you're not really that big.  Just do KETO for 6 months, and you'll lose the weight.  

I had done some Adkins when it was popular, but it just never really stuck with me.  This is probably because I didn't really understand what I was doing and how to do it.  Also, it was at the height of the "low fat" craze and I bought into that.  I realized, this time,  that I did not know what Keto really was, so I decided to find out and to try it.

My very first step for Keto was downloading Carb Manager and starting to track my food according to the parameters that were given me through that app.  HOLY CRAP IT WAS HARD!!!  The only thing that I had never done was to eat high fat/ med protein/ low carb.  I just couldn't figure out how to get all of the fat in.  It was disgusting.  It was difficult.  I had trained myself over decades to limit the amount of fat I would eat (I was never able to eat as "low fat" as recommended), and to fill that void with protein first and veggies second.  I also have a bunch of foods that were "off limits".  No dairy.  Dairy was bad, bad, bad.  This was always sad for me because I love dairy, especially cheese.  The other off limits foods were pork (from Eat Right 4 Your Type) , nuts (too high caloried) and a few weird ones like avacados (again, ER4YT).

The good thing is that I never bought into the demonization of animal fats.  I always used good quality, organic butter and ghee as my first choice for fats.  That helped a lot.

I just decided to stick to the plan.   If I hadn't gotten enough fat in my 7 pm, I'd make a fat bomb (usually almond butter, ghee, turmeric and stevia) and would gag it down.  Whatever I had to do, I did it.  I also took back up intermittent fasting, which I really like as it makes me feel energetic in the mornings.  I just did it.  I decided to keep my carbs to under 20g and preferable under 15.  I weighed all of my food.  I did not deviate.  I didn't do "dirty Keto" by making sweets and such with keto compliant flours.  I just ate whole food and thought to myself, "eat fat, eat fat, eat fat".  And I started to lose weight.

I did get a case of the Keto flu, but I was prepared for it and it did not last long, nor did it get me off track.  I started to figure out how to incorporate fat into my diet throughout the day, so I no longer need to eat fat bombs.  I continued to lose weight, and perhaps even more importantly, I started to feel up to exercising and I started to exercise daily.  And I LOVE THE FOOD!  I absolutely love the food eating Keto.  I put dairy right back into my diet, and there is never a day when I don't relish eating cheese again.  I never loved eating veggies or fruit that much when I was growing up and now I don't have to eat tons of salads and fruit.  I adore pork rinds (especially UTZ brand) and they are a perfect substitute for me for crackers, chips and bread.  I feel like I eat amazing food every single day.

It has now been about 8 months.  I have lost exactly 32 pounds.  The first 20 came off very quickly, but the rate of loss has slowed considerably.  That is totally normal and I have no issues with that whatsoever.  I did not gain all this weight in 1 year.  I don't expect my body to lose it all in one year either.  When it comes off, it comes off.  

I am at 202 lbs.  My ultimate goal is 175.  For the first time since I entered perimenopause 10 years ago, I know that I'll reach my goal.  More importantly, I feel great.  I have absolutely no energy lulls during the day.  None.  I'm never hungry and, for the first time in my life since going on my first diet, my body has started to talk to me again.  It now tells me when I am full.  It now feels satiated.  If I ever do feel hungry, I know that I am truly hungry and ready for a meal, not just perpetually hungry from depriving my body of the fat that it needs.  I have the energy and desire to work out and get fit and my aches and pains have halved, if not more.  

I'm a huge believer in Keto.  I realize that it might not be for everyone and I certainly don't want to proselytize  about it, but I'm still learning and I'm happy to share any knowledge that I have with whomever might want it.