Thread by @siobhan_huggins

I have new followers. Let's discuss my prior health history, shall we?
What a fun adventure.
From a young age I was interested in gymnastics, swimming, climbing trees, and reading. I was active, and for the most part happy. Here's me in my early years.

The first time I noticed I was gaining stomach fat was when I was 10 years old. Around this same time, I started to get what I would later realize were symptoms of chronic depression. I felt uncomfortable in leotards and swimsuits and dropped out of gymnastics and swimming.

My diary entries from 10-11 were filled with self loathing, comments about needing to eat less, being hungry, and calling myself fat. By 15 the depression was fullblown, I was withdrawn, and refused to let ppl take candid pics of me and requested they not share them if they did.

I didn't want to be seen. I refused to participate in PE because I was ashamed of how I looked when I moved. I took up running in private. I was constantly angry... But I did want to be healthy. At this point I went vegetarian for a year (14-15) although I didn't lose weight.

Age 18: 240 lbs. I lived with my sister to help out with my niece, and went to the doctor for a checkup. I was hypertensive. My total cholesterol was over 300! And it definitely wasn't because I was a LMHR. My HDL was 33. The doctor berated me, and I cried after the appointment.

My dad had had a heart attack when I was only 8 years old, and although he survived it instilled in me a fear of my own body. Like it was something that would kill me for my gluttony. I exercised more, and calorie restricted. I started with 1200 calories. The hunger was immense.

Along with the hunger, I experienced mood swings, irritability, and low energy. Most of my conversations with friends was filled with self deprecating humor. I argued with my bf a lot about how he should find someone better. I stayed fat, hypertensive, and depressed.

Early 2016, I started restricting more. I made sure to opt for low fat, low calorie food. I asked my mom the minimum amount of calories needed to avoid starvation. Finally I was 220 pounds! I went in cycles to make the hunger easier to deal with. But...

My depression was worse than ever. I'd go thru cycles of withdrawing from socialization completely, and went days without saying a word. Questions of "how are you" were intolerable because they reminded me how terrible and trapped I felt. Another bout of dieting and restriction.

I told this to my mom, and she mentioned something she had been looking into for herself, called keto. She handed me a magazine article on it, and I was skeptical. But my mom is one of the smartest people I know - so I agree to look into it. On August 12th I decided to try it.

I told myself I'd do it for two months. No cheating, extremely strict. My mom encouraged me not to calorie restrict and to eat when I was hungry. We did it together. We followed a meal plan, we researched, we read, and.... were not hungry. We lost weight. We kept going.

One month later, I found the 2ketodudes podcast while searching for something to listen to at work. They had an errata section at the beginning and I appreciated their willingness to be wrong. Another month later, I was down 20lbs. My two month trial was up.

I had never lost weight this effortlessly before. I had to continue. If this was the only thing that worked, I'd do it. No other option.
I didn't find it difficult to give up carbs. I never really enjoyed them anyway. I ate them to soothe the hunger and compulsion to eat.

Another month passes. Weight continues to drop. I am standing in a parking lot examining what I am feeling. It is foreign. It took a moment but I realized I was content for the first time since I was a child. My depression had finally eased and I did not hate myself or my life.

In July '17 I did something I never would have been able to before. I volunteered to help at a large event: ketofest 2017. My mom went with me, my health companion. It was hard work. I was blissfully happy. My mom commented to another staff member it was like I was a new person.

At ketofest I met many friends in the ketosphere I'd spoken to online, including Dave (my current lipid-y colleague) and Amber (my sister in carnivory). Too many others to name - all of them supported me, encouraged me to grow, and geeked out with me.

The more I researched the less zealous I got - I didn't care if other people did keto, or carnivore, I just wanted people to experience what I had - an escape from the depression and pain and shame. I discovered metabolic syndrome was complex, but I did know one thing for certain

I hope everyone else has the same blissful opportunity to find good health, and a community to help them achieve it - it is life changing. I'm no longer obese, depressed, hypertensive, nor hungry. My joints/back don't hurt. My relationship with bf is calm.
I love my life.
End