Jessica Oliverson from Arizona embarked on her keto journey in February 2017. After years of suffering from chronic back pain, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and anxiety, she realized that something had to change. Since beginning the ketogenic diet, she’s lost significant weight, enjoyed relief from chronic pain and anxiety, and considers it the best health decision she’s ever made.
After Diagnosis, the Path to Health
For years, Jessica struggled with severe back pain from herniated discs and pinched nerves. In 2013, she was diagnosed with Spondylosis. Before keto, this condition left her bed-ridden several times a year. After keto, however, she’s had a pinched nerve in her back only twice, and it took only two days for her to get back on her feet again.
“Even then, I was not down and in bed for those two days,” she says, “It was manageable.”
Along with the Spondylosis diagnosis, Jessica suffered from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and was on the brink of pre-diabetes.
“I knew I was overweight, but that wasn’t the reason I started keto,” Jessica says, “Learning how unhealthy I was making my body and the threat of possibly becoming diabetic was what made me take the leap. I have three children and I want to be around as long as possible for them.”
Jessica also attributes the ketogenic diet for her ability to go off anxiety medication. After a couple of weeks of keto, she started to feel cognitively clearer and more energetic. After three months, she noticed her anxiety and depression levels were significantly lower.
“I’ve been able to stop taking my anxiety medication and manage it all with keto and therapy,” she says.
The Biggest Challenges
After performing hours of research and deciding to take the leap, Jessica had two major challenges to face.
“The first two weeks of keto were really hard for me,” She says, “I had a complete meltdown because all I could think about was sugar. I just wanted something sweet. Then one of my keto groups suggested trying a sweet fat bomb to get past the craving. That did the trick, it got me past that meltdown.”
But cutting sugar was just the beginning.
“My biggest challenge was learning to listen to my body. ‘Am I really hungry or am I stressed out and wanting to eat my feelings?’ ‘Am I full?’ ‘When have I eaten enough?’” She continues, “Keto teaches you how to do that.”
Jessica’s Advice for Those Considering Keto
“Do your own unbiased research before automatically judging keto,” she says, “You can find so many good things out there about this lifestyle. Doctors are starting to actually prescribe it to their patients to cure many health concerns.”
She suggests joining online support groups like So Nourished and Tasteaholics that act as helpful resources, and that it helps to surround yourself with supportive people.
“Pay attention to your ingredients and not just your macros,” she says, “Sugar is sugar is sugar, so it doesn’t matter which name they’re using or if the product only has 2 grams of carbs.”
Jessica believes that the ketogenic diet is a lifetime commitment to your health. She urges people to perform their own research and to never give up.
“There are days that are hard. There are days you will want to quit. Take photos of yourself in the beginning. Take measurements. The scale will not always move, but those inches will. Find your keto fam and stick with them.”
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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