Hi everyone,
Been lurking here a long time and decided to take the plunge and post my results. Since early adulthood (18) I have been struggling immensely with my mental health. The onset of these issues (anxiety/depression) caused a drastic downturn in my physical health. I've always been thin, so the weight gain/lack of energy/general feeling of bloatedness and hunger were completely foreign to me. I felt like absolute garbage and hated myself.
As a pre-med student I'd been reading about ketogenic diets and my curiosity was piqued. After browsing /r/keto for awhile, I decided to go through with it. In my reading I've come across, keto diet was originally crafted to aid patients with epilepsy. I notice in my neuroscience studies that epilepsy and mental health issues such as bipolar, depression, anxiety, have a considerable overlap in neurotransmitter deficiencies. I really want to model my research around this and hope to see more information about it in the future.
For me personally, I've found that while on keto I am markedly more energetic (as opposed to so depressed I can't function for a full work day), I have far less frequent bouts of anxiety (and they are much more easily controlled), and I feel much more mentally "on," most days. Disclaimer: keto is not a cure-all. My mental and physical transformation required seeing a therapist, starting an SSRI, aggressively combatting my mental health issues, and chipping away. It was not a climb, it has been a marathon and a fight every day. What I AM saying is that starting keto, and maintaining it, not only gave me the self esteem of actually "following through" with something, but also a routine good for my mental health, and the physical energy, strength, and confidence to finally make the push to get my life in order. To even fathom going out in the sun and enjoying a beautiful day was impossible 6 months ago. Now, I look forward to my weekends and swim season.
I am very happy to be keto, and cannot stop telling people the wonders of cutting sugar/carbs as both an aspiring medical professional, and a woman whom this has personally worked for. Yes, there are days I have cravings. Yes, there are days I "cheat." But, when I get the urge to relapse, I think of how far I have come, not just physically, but emotionally. And I never want to lose that progress. I just want to keep getting better.
My next step will be working out more and building muscle mass. I want to start another fear hurdle for me: weight-lifting. I know that this isn't exactly a huge looking transformation compared to all the other amazing progress albums and stories I've seen, but to me, this is everything. I'm really happy to be here.
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