Hi, I’m Rob! I’ve been Keto for over three years. This site is here to provide you with a wealth of resources for all things Keto. Let’s get started by telling you about my journey (so far)…
My journey
Back in July 2017, I hit my heaviest weight at almost 300lbs (296lbs / 134.3kg). I was only 26 years old and was starting to feel the weight of a lifetime of bad diet decisions. For instance, my knees were aching from just walking up the hills in Bristol. I was also getting so out of breath walking up the stairs at work, that I would take the elevator (it was only two floors) instead.
I had long made the switch from shoes with laces to slip ons. Little changes like that meant that I was still functioning pretty well and just ignored my health.
It wasn’t until I had to buy a new suit for a relatives wedding that I started to realise how big I had gotten. Most of the usual shops didn’t have my size in stock (52″ chest / 42″ waist) so I had to buy it online. It only got worse when I saw the wedding pictures a few weeks later… There was a rather unflattering side profile pic of me where I had no neck and the suit I had only purchased a few weeks prior was already too tight.
That was the last straw and I resolved to get in better shape. I went online and google late into the evening. After many hours searching for diets I decided on Keto.
Deciding on the Keto diet
The fact that I could still eat fatty foods was the deciding factor. Now don’t get me wrong I’ve always loved sugary foods. However, I’ve always had trouble with portion control. I would never have just one chocolate digestive, instead, I would eat the whole pack in one sitting. This went for most other sweets, my current Krispy Kreme record for most doughnuts eaten in one sitting is 16.
Cutting out all sugar was going to be a challenge but it seemed like a good as time as any to do it as that was where most of my calories was coming from. So I quit cold turkey…
Starting Keto
I started Keto right at the end of July 2017. I went online and worked out a simple meal plan. My goal (macros) was to stick to under 20g of net carbs and eat less than 1,700 calories per day. I used MyFitnessPal to track my intake and have continued to record my intake every day since then (current streak at over 1,275 days continuously logged).
My day to day meal plan generally consisted of the same food items (see below). However, the dinner portion tended to vary quite a lot as I use to meal prep a week ahead. That way everything would be portioned out correctly and help stop me from unnecessary snacking!
A typical day
Wake up and weigh myself. I choose to weigh myself every morning to try and keep on track. Of course, there were days where I put on a few lbs and others where the number didn’t budge for days. However, over time there was a downward trajectory.
Morning
- Bulletproof Coffee – 126 calories, 0 carbs
Lunch
- Low Carb Tortilla – 123 calories, 4g carbs
- Medium Egg – 67 calories, 1g carb
- Two rashers of bacon – 117 calories, 0 carbs
- Mushrooms (100g) – 8 calories, 0 carbs
- Squirt of Sugar-free ketchup – 0 calories
Dinner
- Lemon Herb Chicken – 159 calories, 0 carbs
- Cheesy Cauliflower Mash – 160 calories, 4 carbs
- Braised Red Cabbage – 18 calories, 2 carbs
- Sprouts with Bacon – 135 calories, 3 carbs
- Garlic and Chive Sour Cream – 60 calories, 1 carb
Snacks
- Cocoa Nibs
- Almonds / Pecans / Walnuts
Total carbs around 15g plus snacks.
From time to time I would mix up the lunch and dinner menu but the breakfast would remain the same. Even now I either skip breakfast or just have bulletproof coffee if I’m doing some exercise.
Results
I stuck to these macros for the better part of two years and on September 15, 2019, I weighed in at 76.0kg (167lbs).
Total weight loss of around 58kg (128lbs)!
According to my scales I was down to 17.3% body fat and a BMI of 22.2.
During this period I did not do any exercise and only averaged about 7,000 steps a day. Reflecting on this I could have probably achieved this goal a lot quicker if I had incorporated exercise but you’ve got to live and learn!
What am I doing now?
Going forward, I’ll keep updating this section with what I’m doing.
Dec 2019
Since achieving my goal I’ve increased my calorie intake to around 2,100 calories a day and have started doing C25K and incorporating some resistance training to recomp my body.
With being as large as I was I do have some loose skin but it’s not too noticeable. Admittedly, that was one thing I worried about and even put me off losing weight in the past. However, I’d much rather have a bit of loose skin than carrying all that fat around! Hopefully increasing my muscle mass will fill in some of the space.
August 2020
It’s been an odd year with the pandemic and everything. Things I wanted to do have been put on hold but you got to deal with the hand you are dealt (or something like that).
Gyms are closed and social interactions are at a safe distance. Is that a bad thing? I can no longer tell…
As I mentioned previously, I started C25K, with great pleasure I finished that around March. It was difficult and I seriously struggled with some of the days. However, I’ve continued to run and have now completed two 20km runs in the past couple of months (June/July). Looking back, it’s crazy to think I can do that now.
Additionally, I started resistance training at the same time. I started with a dumbbell HIIT workout I found on YouTube and did that 3 times a week from January till mid-April. In the beginning, I felt like I was coughing a lung out but towards the end, the exercises were easy and felt like I needed to up the complexity.
Starting from the 13 April (till now), I started a new workout regime where I would target a specific body part every day for 5 days a week. As the gyms were closed, I worked out at home and used a set of dumbbells. The rough plan is below with a mixture of yoga and core exercises chucked in for good measure.
- Monday – Arms
- Tuesday – Chest
- Wednesday – Shoulders
- Thursday – Back
- Friday – Legs and Glutes
In April/May, I also completed a 30 day of Yoga challenge which I enjoyed immensely but since then I’ve only done Yoga occasionally normally to wind down after a workout session.
Weight-wise, I’ve put on a few kilograms and am hovering around the 80-83kg mark. I don’t weigh myself as often as I used to and now do it every fortnight or so. I have no idea how much of that is muscle or fat but I feel stronger, faster, leaner so I must be doing something right.
June 2021
With the third lockdown pretty much over and the easing of restrictions, I’ve been enjoying going outside and doing “normal” things again!
Keto-wise, I now follow a lazy keto lifestyle, this is where I don’t religiously track my carb intake but try and aim to keep it under 40-50g of carbs per day. I don’t need to lose any more weight, so my calorie intake has increased to around 2,100 calories depending on my exercise for the day.
Have a question or want to share your journey? Feel free to fill out the form here.