'I Couldn't Buckle My Seatbelt On The Plane To My Honeymoon—So I Tried Keto And Lost 102 Lbs.'

From Women's Health

My name is Danni Woessner (@ketowithdanni). I am 27, living in Massachusetts. For the past year I have been a stay-at-home mom but I recently went back to work as a behavior therapist. An embarrassing travel experience opened my eyes to the fact that I was nearly 400 pounds, so I experimented with various diets until I found (and fell in love with) keto.

I have been overweight since childhood—and I remember being made very aware of just how overweight I was at a very young age. I was active in high school as a swimmer but never really got my weight under control despite doing so much physical activity.

After high school, I lost a significant amount in a very unhealthy way but quickly regained it (and then some) after I had my first child several years ago. That's when my weight issues got really out of control.

I was a yo-yo dieter for years. I remember doing Atkins in 2015, after giving birth, and losing 60 pounds. But I slowly ate my way back up to almost 400 pounds. I suffered from binge eating and often hid how much food I was actually consuming throughout the day.

Three McDoubles for a quick snack? Sure. That was an average Tuesday for me. Vegetables were not a part of my diet and exercise felt impossible. I couldn’t walk for more then a few minutes without being winded. I felt like food made me my worst self.

My turning point came in June 2018, when I left for my honeymoon in Miami.

I was so excited for the trip. I knew I had been gaining weight but I was still going to enjoy my vacation. That was until I got on the plane and the seatbelt no longer fit. The belt had been snug for years for me, but I could still sit (albeit uncomfortably) without a seatbelt extender.

Asking for an extender crushed me. I had to find someone willing to change seats, because in the emergency aisle you can’t wear a seatbelt extender. Having the whole plane stare at the overweight girl trying to make herself fit through the aisle was gut wrenching.

We enjoyed our honeymoon, but I was lazy on the trip. I didn’t want to do much and moving was tough for me. And when I saw photos from our trip? It finally dawned on me on how big I was.

It still took some trial and error after the trip before I found the eating regimen that worked for me. But that same year, I got hooked on the keto diet.

I tried Beachbody and lasted about 10 days. I looked into WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) but only lasted a few days.

So, I started following a lot of people on Instagram that had similar stories and experiences to mine who had successfully lost a lot of weight on this so-called keto diet thing. I was intrigued. That's not to say those other diets didn't have great success stories too, but I personally felt like I really connected to the keto stories I read.

At the end of July 2018, I took the plunge and started eating keto. It was hard to navigate at first as I learned how to count and track my macros and how to measure how much fat, overall calories, and carbs to take in each day.

But eventually I got the hang of it and have been successful ever since. My biggest success tool has been tracking my food intake and macros, as it has made me aware of what I’m putting in my body and prevents me from overeating. I’ve also started adding in intermittent fasting.

Here’s what I typically eat in a day:

• Breakfast: Sometimes I do intermittent fasting and don’t eat breakfast, but usually I eat some form of eggs in the morning.

• Lunch: Usually leftovers. Otherwise, I might have egg salad, a regular salad, or a sandwich with deli meat.

• Snacks: Cheese, pepperoni, lunch meat, and pickles are my go-tos.

• Dinner: Protein and a veggie. I tend to have steak or chicken, and usually green beans or Brussels sprouts with bacon.

• Dessert: Keto-friendly peanut butter cookies or Enlightened ice cream and whipped cream.

In the beginning of my weight-loss journey, I didn’t work out. I currently still do not have a solid workout routine. But when I was losing the bulk of my weight, I was kickboxing a few days a week.

I have lost 102 pounds since July 2018, so in just about 17 months.

Everyone's weight-loss journey will go differently. You have to trust the process. The scale is not always your friend, and that’s ok. Those three numbers are just numbers. If you’re putting in the work, it will work. It didn’t take one day to gain the weight, and it will take longer than one to lose it.

For me, once I figured out the basics of keto, it was so much easier than I could have ever imagined. It helps that there are so many keto-friendly recipes that are just incredible. Though sometimes I do indulge in non-keto foods, I don’t feel compelled to that often because it is so easy to make anything keto-friendly...and *just* as delicious as non-keto versions, I swear.

I want other women to know that you can change. You are not stuck at your current weight. If you are unhappy and just fed up, do it! Do your research, come up with a plan, and start. You can completely change your life whenever you're ready.

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