'After Struggling To Lose Weight, I Celebrated My Two-Year Keto Anniversary—And I've Lost 70 Pounds'

From Women's Health

My name is Zondria Arquisola (@z_theketorealtor), and I am 30 years old. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I am a real estate professional in southern California. After dealing with pregnancy weight gain and from medication, I was ready to feel confident and healthy again and started keto and 16:8 intermittent fasting. Now? I feel better than ever.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I gained over 50 pounds. Being a first-time mom was a wonderful experience, but also very stressful. I went back to work six weeks after giving birth and developed postpartum depression. My doctor prescribed medication that helped to alleviate my mental symptoms, but it also caused me to gain another 20 pounds on top of the baby weight I never lost.

After giving birth to my second child a few years later, it became harder and harder for me to lose weight. I went to visit my doctor and was told I was now considered morbidly obese based on my BMI. I had hit my heaviest weight of 230 pounds. She suggested I start working out, so I joined a gym and worked out four days a week. But the scale never moved. I was super frustrated.

My turning point came in July 2018, when I attended a family barbecue and we all took photos together. The next day when I saw the photos, I became immediately discouraged. It finally hit me that I had let myself go and I really needed a change. For so many years I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I would always wear baggy clothes and never felt truly confident because of my weight.

My mom had mentioned the keto diet before, and how it helped a few of her coworkers lose weight. I did more research and decided to take a leap of faith. I was so desperate for a change, and I knew I was truly ready to make a lifestyle change.

I began eating keto and doing intermittent fasting on July 9, 2018.

A lot of people thought I was crazy starting the fasting right away while also diving into keto, but I was so determined. I started off with the 16:8 fasting method, where you don’t eat for 16 hours, and then you have an eight-hour window to eat.

I also cut out sugar from my diet right away, which was my biggest challenge. I was so used to eating cookies, cake, and dessert every single day of my life. So I found keto substitution recipes for a lot of my favorite desserts. I started baking keto cheesecakes and cookies every week to help my body get used to such a big change.

What I really enjoy about the keto diet is that I am full a lot longer. In my first month on keto, I lost 20 pounds. I was so excited to finally see results. I stayed consistent, and I lost a total of 50 pounds the first six months. After six months on my weight loss journey, I started the OMAD (or "one meal a day") diet, and I have been enjoying that. (It's important to point out that OMAD is a highly restrictive form of fasting, and it may not be right for everyone—it's just what works for me. Definitely talk to a health care provider or nutritionist before trying it out yourself.)

Here’s what I eat in a day now.

• Breakfast: I start every morning with my Bulletproof coffee. This keeps me full until noon time, when I eat lunch. Bulletproof coffee consists of coffee, butter, and MCT oil. I personally like to mix sugar-free vanilla syrup and heavy cream into mine for a little flavor.

• Lunch: Since lunch is my big meal for the day, I like to eat a very full meal. I usually pair chicken and a high-fat meat like a sausage, along with a vegetable. I love collard greens, so I meal prep a pot every Monday and pair it with a different type of meat every day.

• Snacks: I usually will eat a keto protein bar as a snack, or my favorite keto gummy bears. If I am having a chocolate craving, I love to eat keto peanut butter cups. I also love to snack on peanuts, hard-boiled eggs, and a few slices of turkey meat.

I haven’t worked out at all during this weight loss journey. I lost all of my weight through my eating plan (the keto diet and intermittent fasting alone). But I want to begin at-home workouts with a trainer soon because I know exercise is healthy for me!

I recently celebrated my two-year keto anniversary, and I am happy to say I am officially down 70 pounds from my starting weight.

These three mental changes have also made a huge impact on my overall weight loss.

• Change one: I found my Why. I can’t stress this enough. You have to always remember why you want to lose weight. There will be times when you want to give up because it's too hard. You can never forget how bad you want it and that you can do whatever it takes to get there.

• Change two: I had a strong support system. There were plenty of times where I wanted to give up and just eat a dozen donuts. But my husband helped me to stay on track and keep my focus. He even agreed to not keep certain foods in the house in order not to tempt me. He has been very helpful and supportive.

• Change three: I celebrated the small wins. I would even get super excited if my clothes started fitting a bit looser, even if I didn't lose any weight. Some weeks I didn’t lose any pounds at all, but I was still super proud of my dedication.

The biggest challenge with losing weight was changing my mindset. It all began with my thoughts. I pretty much accepted my life as a woman who was medically obese, until one thought changed my life: I deserve to be happy and healthy.

To be completely honest, it's not easy. But losing weight has given me so much more confidence, and I feel like I'm living a dream life.

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