'After Having A Baby, I Lost 55 Lbs. By Combining Keto, Intermittent Fasting, And HIIT Workouts'

From Women's Health

My name is Perris LaNay Scott (@perrislanay), I'm 36 years old, and I live in Nebraska. I work for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, am in the Air National Guard, and am a certified personal trainer and online coach. I finally got consistent with my diet (following a combo the keto diet and intermittent fasting) and started walking more and lifting weights to lose 55 pounds in 10 months.

I was a little heavy prior to getting pregnant and having my baby in 2018. Prior to that, my weight went up and down for the past 10 years or so. Staying consistent was always my issue.

My weight also made it hard to walk, run or even just stand for too long. As I gained weight, my lower back and sciatic pain intensified, and I’d previously been through physical therapy years prior to help with this. At my heaviest, I was 230 pounds at 34.

I had a couple of things motivating me to lose weight once and for all.

First, I absolutely hated looking in the mirror, taking pictures, and being naked. I just wasn’t used to all the extra weight. I felt depressed and out of touch with who I was.

Additionally, in the Air Force, they give you about a year after you have a baby to get ready for the physical training test again. I knew I didn’t want to fail that test because it can greatly impact your career. So I finally started training once my baby was about six months old.

I decided to go back to the keto diet and intermittent fasting (IF). They worked for me prior to becoming pregnant.

I love keto food, and I felt like intermittent fasting was a game changer for me. IF gave me back control over what I was eating, when, and how much. And the keto diet was just a way for me to manage what types of food to eat.

Here’s what I eat in a day:

• Breakfast: Chaffle sandwich with one egg, cheese, sausage, and sliced avocado.

• Lunch: Meat and veggie bowl with cauliflower rice, ground beef or chicken breast, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

• Snacks: Handful of nuts or turkey meat rolled up with cream cheese and bacon.

• Dinner: Pork chop coated in pork rind crumbs with sautéed Brussels sprouts and bacon.

• Dessert: My mom’s homemade keto pecan shortbread cookies or Halo Top ice cream.

I started exercising once I made up my mind that I wanted to lose weight.

But I was very slow in getting started. I first started with walking with my coworker over our lunch hour. Then, I started going to the gym a couple times a week, which eventually increased to five days a week.

I had previous training experience, so getting active wasn’t new, but honestly I was embarrassed. It felt as if everyone in the gym knew I used to be fit. A few times I cried in the parking lot before going into the gym, but I knew I couldn’t quit.

Now I typically work out four to five times a week.

I strength train two to three days a week, and I do HIIT workouts the other two days.

I see the benefit to just getting in an extra two or three walks a week. Walking is good for my mental health, so I like to do that. I grew up running track and was fit throughout my military career, but that was nothing compared to how fit I am now. I also really want to get more into calisthenics as my next fitness challenge.

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

• Motivation got me started, but dedication got me to the finish line. The main difference between the two is the action. Motivation is fleeting. It will get you off the couch, or get you to sign up for the bootcamp class, but dedication will keep you going. Dedication will get you to class even when you don’t feel like going. This is what kept me showing up at the gym at 4 a.m. with a 6-month-old who barely slept through the night.

• I figured out that accountability is imperative, but beating yourself up is not. If you set out to fast for 16 hours, and you only make it to 14, acknowledge that you were short two hours and move on. Figure out what you can do better the next time. Beating yourself down highlights the setback instead of the steps forward. I am pretty hard on myself, but changes started happening once I realized that setbacks were part of the process of getting ahead. There is no straight line to success.

• I connected my physical journey with my spiritual one. I submitted my journey to God. I had been trying on my own, but until I prayed to God about what I needed, nothing changed.

Overall, I have lost 55 pounds in 10 months.

My weight loss journey is not finished yet. I have new goals now, and I love always having something ahead. I am more confident as a result of my weight loss and following the Lord’s lead with regard to starting my health business. I had wanted to do that for years, but I was stuck in fear.

An unexpected positive of the struggles I went through is that I am more sensitive to what a lot of women are dealing with emotionally when it comes to losing weight. My life is busier now, but so much better.

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