Who’s on first?
Play first fiddle.
Last in, first out.
Of the first order.
Love at first sight.
First and foremost.
The last shall be first.
First thing in the morning.
There’s a first time for everything…
So, JUMP IN FEET FIRST!
Here we go – my very FIRST blog post. First of all – welcome! If you haven’t already taken the time to read my About page, I recommend you do that! It will give you an idea of my passion for this website. If you are new to the low-carb lifestyle, you are about to take the first step to an amazing transformation. I call my own journey a “journey to joy”. My story is one of healing – restoring my wellness both physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
So let’s explore this obvious “first” topic. The very definition of “first” is: from the start; immediately.
First, I’m going to encourage you to START IMMEDIATELY! If you are reading this, I know there is something you want and need to change about your health. There is something deep within your psyche saying “yes, take that first step!”. I highly recommend you listen to that voice. Dig deep and listen. The quote above is my absolute favorite quote that I latched onto from the very beginning of the journey. Those are some very wise words by author, C.S. Lewis. I bet he kept a journal. I might suggest that you grab a journal right now and list out the reasons you NEED to take that first step. And then list out the reasons you WANT to take that first step. I’ll give you a second to grab the journal or some paper. And you might want to grab that first morning cup of coffee, too. Ahhhh. Coffee with heavy whipping cream is the dream. Settle in!
Let me share some of the first reasons that I NEEDED to take my first step. I was morbidly obese. I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I kept my poor husband awake most nights with very loud snoring. I was told that I have “metabolic syndrome” by the hospital weight loss clinic (though they never really explained what that meant – this is a whole ‘nother story I will share someday!). I was having terrible trouble with cysts and was considering surgery to eliminate that pain. During the diagnostic tests for the cysts, it was discovered that I had “fatty liver” in the ultrasound. Fatty liver is also known as NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). If you are walking around with belly fat, you probably have it as well. Here’s some great info on fatty liver disease (I see my Diet Doctor success story is posted with this information, too!) US experts raise red flag over fatty liver disease.
Anyhow, back to my reasons that I needed to change my life. I had joint inflammation – pain in my knees, shoulders, and hips. I had cystic acne. I had daily headaches. I had monthly migraines. I suffered with painful cramps. I was tired all the time and my mood was pretty bad (apologies to my family!). I was outwardly a pleasant, happy-go-lucky person – but my JOY was just not there.
As I began my journey, I learned a lot about my hormones and discovered that I had hyperinsulinemia – some refer to this as insulin resistance. I was a walking time bomb for Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). In fact, I would say that I HAD T2D based on all my metabolic dysfunction. I was just never diagnosed because my HbA1c was never in the danger range. However, if my fasting insulin had ever been checked – whoa boy, I can’t even imagine what the result of that would have been.
So, as you can see, I had plenty of reasons to make some serious changes in my life. At age 49, I finally, finally got the wakeup call I needed with the NAFLD diagnosis and the likelihood that I would need surgery to deal with the cysts. Another kicker was looking at pictures of myself on my 25th anniversary trip with my husband. The pictures, and the fact that I couldn’t do any long hikes with him during our trip to the beautiful Colorado were the kick in the butt that I needed. I scheduled my first appointment with a sleep doctor as soon as I got home. I had that appointment in October 2015 – and that is the appointment that I was weighed at my highest weight ever recorded. It was very deflating, but I had a sense of hope since I was going to be using a C-Pap machine and would sleep better. I had just begun to understand the role that hormones play on your health and I was going to fix my sleep first.
Those are all my first reasons for needing to take that first step. Now I can easily come up with a huge list for the reasons I wanted to take that first step. I have experienced so many firsts since I started this journey. I want to take adventurous outdoor vacations and hike while keeping up with my family. I want to shop in the normal sized clothing section. I want to try on clothes and actually enjoy it. I want to wear my daughter’s clothes now and have two wardrobes (HA! The picture I’m sharing here is of me wearing an outfit from her closet – except the scarf and shoes, those are MY style!). I want to be able to wear high heels occasionally and not die with all the extra added weight. I want to feel confident in my professional life. In my social life. In my Christian walk and witness. I want to be the fun mom and the fun future grandma. But most importantly I wanted to live again. Really live – an active and abundant life.
One of the first things I didn’t even realize I wanted from this journey, but learned very soon, was the reclaiming of my joy. I had no idea how spiritually thirsty I had become while experiencing such poor health. I was in poor health physically, emotionally, and most shockingly to me – spiritually. I say shocking because I have been a Christian my entire life – since I was a young child. I have always been involved in church, bible studies, women’s fellowship ministries – and I enjoyed all that very much. But I always felt there was just something missing. For thirty years the heavy weight of my heavy weight weighed like a ton of bricks on my shoulders and on my spirit. For thirty years, I had tried every possible weight loss program you could imagine, and I just couldn’t understand how none of it was successful. I’m not a cheater, I was always adherent to the plan – and yet, I would never achieve wellness. And I never, ever felt any better. For these reasons and for the reasons that I was feeling so ill with the cysts and pain, I cried out to God to please reveal to me how to improve my health situation. I did not want to have surgery to remove organs. There was just something about that that didn’t sit well with me. I had a very restless heart. And now I know it was for good reason!
First and foremost, I credit everything I have learned and experienced on this “journey to joy” to God, my Father. It is hard to explain in words just how His timing was perfect in every part of this journey. First, He showed me the importance of sleep. Then He convinced me that I should not eat sugar and that quite literally for my metabolism “Sugar Is The Devil”. As I climbed to each crest of my mountain, He revealed to me the next step. When I was ready, He guided me to the summit and the final step that I needed to truly move this mountain once and for all. On January 13, 2017 – I finally had the final tool to reclaim my joy. From this point forward, it was full steam ahead and I have never looked back. This is the day I learned about the low-carb, Ketogenic diet and Intermittent Fasting and for the first time in my life I realized I could have true hope in restoring my wellness. Losing 100 pounds has changed my life completely and has reversed all health problems I have listed above!
I often ask myself, what if I had not taken that first step to improve my sleep? I went to that appointment with the mindset that if I could sleep better then I could function better and then I could work on the diet. It worked. After my sleep stabilized, I took the next step. What if I had not taken that next step to eliminate table sugar and then processed foods? When I ponder those questions, it makes me very emotional. I still can’t believe that I had discipline to stick with each decision I made and never slipped up or went off my “plan”. I call this divine intervention and I thank God every day for giving me the mental and spiritual strength to face my challenges each day through His grace and guidance.
So, as I wrap up my FIRST blog post, I want to share that I have a million ideas of the first thing I want to do with the adventure. I am completely overwhelmed and in awe of all that God is revealing to me. If you are a praying friend – I covet your prayers for guidance and His direction. I’m super excited to see where this takes me FIRST!
Now my fat-burning friends (FBFs), I’m asking you – dig deep – what is that FIRST step that you will take to better health and You have to start somewhere. Write it down. Share with me in the comments below what your first step will be today. And if you have been doing this low-carb lifestyle living for a while and are struggling with something, what will be the first thing you will change today to work through that struggle? And if you’re out there just killin’ it in your low-carb lifestyle – what would be your first bit of advice to give the newcomers and those struggling? I would love to hear your “first” thoughts.
Some final “first” thoughts from me (and I will remind you of this ALL the time):
CHOOSE YOU and
CHOOSE JOY!
(Disclaimer: I am not a health care professional. I am writing about my personal experiences to encourage others to research a low-carb lifestyle. You should always work closely with a health care professional to manage your health. I work with three MDs to manage my health: functional medicine, cardiology, and sleep/pulmonology. They treat my metabolic dysfunctions along with monitoring my important blood markers routinely. Keto or LCHF may not be an appropriate way of eating for your metabolic health or other health needs. Please check with your personal health care professional before making any changes in your diet.)
I’ve created a free resource for you with my favorite five tips for your weight loss success. Grab it here:
5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Health and Wellness Journey
Christine says
It’s a start 😉
Cyndi says
What an inspiring, honest story! I look forward to reading more and sharing your blog!
ketochristine says
Thank you my dear! You will be the first to get an autographed signed copy of the book that’s currently in my brain 🙂
ketochristine says
PS – I just added a page that I think you’ll enjoy. Bible & Beans.
Cyndi says
Love it! I will be waiting patiently for the book 🙂
Katrina Fournier says
Inspiring! I just saw one area that needs to be optimized for mobile. I took a screenshot.
ketochristine says
Pat Maslowsky says
Love this 1st post! And now we can share and inspire! You rock!
All looks good from an editorial standpoint., no personal info shows here
ketochristine says
Thank you so much, Pat! I am so very appreciative of the feedback from my dear friends! <3
Linda Deeks says
What an awesome FIRST blog! I pray that it inspires many, many people to begin this amazing journey. You are the one who inspired me at the beginning of the year and I am still amazed and thankful that God has led me to this lifestyle as well! I love sharing this with people who have noticed my weight loss and energy and have already seen some lives changed!! I will be praying for God’s wisdom in all things! I CHOOSE JOY TOO!!
ketochristine says
Linda, you have been such a faithful friend! I know I can always depend on you to pray for me – and for others that need to learn about this lifestyle! Love and Miss YOU!
Alice says
Christine I love this. I have been in such a stand still as to how to improve my diet and strength. I finally have hope. So thankful you have the desire and ability to share your story and knowledge with us all. Will keep you in my prayers as you move forward with this new challenge.
ketochristine says
Hi Alice! Thank you so much. I’m so happy to hear that you are on your way to eating better. I sure do appreciate the prayers <3
Wendy says
Christine how great that you have started this blog page! I feel your energy and am so inspired by your success!
I’m a newer keto kid having just started this way of eating in the middle of January. Today I hit my 40 lbs loss goal and I have another 40 to go. (I did lose 10 just before starting keto.)
I too love this WOE and how I feel since I started. One of the unexpected blessings was the loss of pain I had in my feet. It was awful and I am on my feet usually 10 hours a day in my job so this is huge!
How awesome to find a fellow believer in Christ blogging her keto journey! Especially today as I woke up feeling like I need to serve more I need to get closer to my God and feel His heart again.
I’m looking forward to following your blog!
Wendy
ketochristine says
Hi Wendy! Thank you so much for your very kind comments. I have such an overwhelming flood of emotions as I embark on this adventure. I feel like we really need something like this in the body of Christ. My heart and passion is for my sisters, especially. With all we juggle – better health will make us more “willing” vessels! Can I get an Amen?
I’m so happy to hear about your feet. That is just AH-mazing, but totally expected 🙂 And HUGE congrats on your HALF-WAY goal. More AH-mazing!
I’m so happy you’re along for the ride! Blessings and JOY! Christine
Carol says
Christine,
Great post and very encouraging. You definitely do have ‘the joy of the Lord’! It is very refreshing to read about your Keto experience with an emphasis on The Lord.
In January I transitioned from a Paleo style diet to Low Carb High Fat and have lost 15 pounds and feel great. God is good.
ketochristine says
Thank you so very much for your kind comments, Carol! I am so blessed to have reclaimed my joy through living a healthy life.
I don’t know a whole lot about Paleo – but I’m very happy to hear that LCHF is working great for you. God is indeed GOOD with His provisions, isn’t He?
Be blessed and Choose Joy!
Christine
Dee says
Happy Mother’s Day! Yesterday I was visiting with some new folks at works about how much junk food and snacks are provided us during our 6 week project. One gentleman was telling me how he and his wife are doing Keto and intermittent fasting and the results they have had. I have never heard of intermittent fasting and am just dabbling in Keto. So had to research this…which brought me to your site. I am enjoying very much. Your success is very motivating and I look forward to reading more. Goals? A small thing::::to sit in an airline seat comfortably!!
ketochristine says
Hi Dee! Thanks for popping in and commenting. Keto is truly a wonderful way to eat to get to that goal for the airplane seat! I’m leaving tomorrow on an international trip and can’t wait to see how much extra belt I have this time! It’s a great goal.
There is much to learn and research and study. I got sucked down so many rabbit holes of research – but it was time well spent. Learn the basics of the science and you will never look back!
Stick around – it’s great to have more friends on the journey!
And as always, Choose Joy!
Christine
Melinda Shaw says
Christine,
Thank you for filling a much needed niche in the keto community. First, it’s a faith based perspective which gives true context to this journey so many of us are taking. Secondly, your joyful personality is a perfect fit to encourage those who have had that same “weight of the weight” drag us down emtionally and spiritually. Thirdly, your combined keto way of living and intermittent fasting protocol was the next step I have been looking for after starting keto Jan 8th this year. I cannot express my gratefulness that God led you to undertake such a project. Perfect timing for me!
Melinda
ketochristine says
Hello, Melinda! It’s so nice to see you here! Thank you so much for your comments. I really have a hard time putting into words how this journey has blessed me spiritually – I am just doing my best here 🙂
I will post more about Intermittent Fasting (IF) when I get home from my Ireland adventure. I would like to share what types of protocols I used, etc.
Good luck as you continue on your Keto journey (although I know you don’t need luck – I’m in Ireland – right?!?). LOL
Choose Joy!
Christine
LoriLea Lott says
Christine,
Thank you and God Bless you. I have just started this Keto journey and have many questions and looking for guidance along the way. I feel I am not going at it correctly so I will check out those articles from Dr. Fung and the Diet Doctor site, and looking forward to reading everything you have written here. I know through Christ I can do all things…. and I too am looking for the Joy to come back into my life. funny thing I would always say the reason I want to get the weight off and get healthy is, I don’t see Lori when I look in the mirror… I think Lori=JOY, I want that fun, happy, joyful person back in my life.
Thank you again for listening to that voice within,
Lori
ketochristine says
Hello Lori!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments! I am so happy that you have discovered the low carb/healthy fats way of life to begin your journey. I am praying for you right now and claiming for you that it will be a journey of JOY! Keep in touch and feel free to use the contact page if you have any specific questions!
Blessings and Joy!
Christine
Lisa says
Hi, Christine!
I “stumbled” onto your website today, I can’t wait to keep reading through your archives.
I believe there are no coincidences in life, only God’s plan, and I’m so happy he brought me to you today. This is exactly the inspiration and motivation I need as I dive into the world of intermittent fasting. I have done keto in the past, but I have never combined it with the fasting. I am so grateful that I will have you to guide me.
ketochristine says
Hi Lisa!
So nice that you “stumbled” on my website, too! Make sure to keep in touch over on ChristineTrimpe.com, too (sign up for the email list there)!
I call these “God-incidences” and 100% believe He had me stumble on the tools He had for me to heal my body, mind, and spirit in His timing, provision, and care!
Welcome to Keto + Fasting. Two wonderful gifts from God.
Blessings,
Christine