Real life weight loss: This mom credits the keto diet for losing 88lbs in seven months

Mum-of-two Jessica has transformed her body, going from 245lbs and wearing a size XL to 167lbs and a size small.  

Jessica credits the Keto diet with getting into shape, but says the biggest change to herself isn’t her clothes size but what’s happened on the inside. Before Jessica had her two sons, she admits to eating a lot of takeout and just in general not really thinking about her diet.

 She recalls eating fast food with her husband on a near daily basis. They’d eat multiple cheeseburgers and burritos in one sitting then get ice cream most nights.  And then when Sam’s first son was born he was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, (CDH) and had to have surgery, staying in the ICU for over two months. 

Watch Jessica's dramatic weight loss journey here:

The family faced more heartache when he had to undergo more surgery six months later. It was when her second son was also born with CDH and needed the same surgery, that Jessica hit her heaviest weight. 

Realising it was now or never, Jessica decided to turn her life around and started following a Keto diet. Alongside home workouts, she credits the Keto online community and support system as being the breakthrough in her body transformation. Going through old clothes that she used to struggle to fit into or do up, Jessica can see just how far she has come.

What is the ketogenic diet?

"When I started keto, I could feel the weight coming off almost instantly. Within seven months I was down 80lbs." 

The ketogenic or keto diet is a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. By limiting the amount of carbs you consume, the ketogenic diet attempts to place your body in a state of "ketosis". When the body has no more carbohydrates to burn for fuel, it will use the body's fat stores to create "ketones", which it can burn for fuel instead. The aim is to have your body chewing through your existing fat stores, helping you to lose weight. 

The keto diet is an effective weight loss tool, usable alongside low-carb, high-protein supplements like the best protein powder for weight loss. A high-fat diet is plentiful in healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, found in the best fish oil supplements, meat, fish, olive oil and other healthy fat sources. 

However, restrictive diets can be dangerous. A Harvard University study found "while low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets both resulted in weight loss of about 10 pounds at six months, most of the lost weight was regained within one year", as diets which cut out food groups can lead to yo-yoing. 

The onus is on all of us to find a healthy, sensible diet that still allows you to indulge on occasion and promotes steady, sustainable weight loss.