Low-Carb Weight Loss Made Keener Leaner

Yes, that is the SAME person--Kelley has dropped 83 pounds on low-carb!

After I shared the incredible nearly 100-pound low-carb weight loss success story of Shayne Sherbert last week, it dawned on me just how incredibly powerful these testimonies of women who have done very well on livin' la vida low-carb can be to the ladies struggling with their weight who visit my blog. While many of you have told me how much my 180-pound low-carb weight loss story has given you the motivation and desire to lose weight, there is the thought that I only did so well on it because I'm a man (the old adage goes that men supposedly lose weight better on low-carb than women--I don't buy into that necessarily, but that's the common belief).

Well if Shayne's story wasn't enough to convince you that the girls can lose weight just as well as the guys do on the low-carb lifestyle, then allow me to introduce you to another female low-carb success story--Kelley Keener from Linden, Virginia.

She's that beautiful woman you see at the top of this blog post. Yes, that is her picture on both the left and the right. HARD TO BELIEVE, ISN'T IT?! To date, Kelley has lost a total of 83 pounds thanks to livin' la vida low-carb! WOO HOO!!! Go Kelley!

And, like most of us former obese people, Kelley gradually allowed her weight to go up and up and up until she tipped the scales at a whopping 220 pounds on her 5'2" frame. As a petite woman who described herself as a skinny, active teenager, this was quite depressing for her. Reality has a funny way of telling us the cold hard truth, though, doesn't it?

But, it was those poor eating habits Kelley developed eating fast food so much in her youth (she even worked at McDonalds in high school) that quickly caught up with her as she grew older. The problem got even worse when she got married to her devoted husband and those frequent quick trips to Burger King, McDonalds and Taco Bell began to add up as Kelley kept getting bigger and bigger.

"The extra pounds started coming on," she said. "I quickly went from a size 5/6 to a 10/12. But I wasn’t ready to commit to changing it."

Therein lies the problem that Kelley and most people who are overweight or obese seem to have in common. We just don't see the sense of urgency about our weight when we are in the midst of an out-of-control weight gain. Sure, we knew we needed to lose a few pounds, but we always rationalized to ourselves that we were not THAT bad off. That's the biggest lie anyone can tell themselves when they need to lose weight. Unfortunately for Kelley, the weight gain had only just begun.

She got pregnant with her first child and gained 80 pounds that never went away. Then when her second child was born, she picked up another 20 pounds until the scale read a very disappointing 220 pounds! WHOA NELLY! Kelley must have been thinking to herself, "how in the world did I EVER get this big?!" She vividly recalls what it was like weighing this much.

"I had a lot of physical problems related to my weight," she exclaimed. "My knees and feet hurt all the time and I also had trouble breathing. I was only 28 and I was scared I would die from a heart attack because of my weight. I did not want to leave my 2 little boys without a mom."

While she had not previously been ready to commit to change, now Kelley knew she "had to do something" before it was too late. But so many diets had failed her in the past and she really didn't know which foods she should and shouldn't eat. Her loving mom (who is one my most faithful readers at this blog, by the way!) started giving Kelley "every diet book ever printed" (can I get a witness?! LOL!) to help her make the best decision about how to shed those pounds that had begun to weigh on her physically and emotionally. Her mom said to try a variety of different plans until she found what worked, so that's exactly what Kelley did--one right after another after another.

Watching her fat grams...YUCK!...FAILED!

Cutting down on her calories...TOO HUNGRY!...FAILED!

Eating small plates of food...YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!...FAILED!

Was there any hope at all for Kelley to EVER lose weight?! That's when her mom (God bless her soul!) suggested to Kelley that she try the low-carb approach as a means for losing weight. As a diehard sugarholic who gladly stuffed anything and everything in her mouth that was made with gobs and gobs of sugar, Kelley never seemed to eat enough sugar to become satisfied. So she would always eat more and more to try to satisfy the bottomless cravings she was experiencing.

Kelley's first reaction to the thought of going on a low-carb diet: ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!

"How could I live without sugar? After all, it is what I based my life on," Kelley recalled. "I would start out each morning with cookies, Little Debbie snack cakes, whatever was in the house and from there I would move on to Snickers bars, ice cream, and more!"

All of those sugary, high-processed foods Kelley was eating began taking their toll on her body until she would become so lethargic she could barely move. Why oh why am I stuck in this living Hell?! Am I REALLY "destined to be fat my whole life?" These thoughts that crossed Kelley's mind at the time are exactly what most of us who have struggled with our weight for any length of time can certainly relate to.

It was the turning point in Kelley's mind that got her focused.

Her newfound commitment to the low-carb lifestyle was just about her last resort, but Kelley was heavily inspired by one of the most famous low-carb personalities over the past few years -- GEORGE STELLA! She started eating "Stella Style" (again, thanks to the gentle prodding from her mom who is a BIG FAN of George Stella!) and began eating healthier than she had in her entire life by consuming meats, cheeses, good fats, fresh veggies and a little bit of low-sugar fruits.

What about her sugar addiction?

"I left the sugar behind! It was hard," Kelley recalled. "I was mad that I couldn’t eat what everyone else was eating. It just wasn’t fair. But then I changed my attitude and quit hating the 'skinny' people."

That is a difficult obstacle to overcome because you feel like you are being anti-social when you don't eat those high-carb, high-sugar foods served during social functions. But learning to say "no" was a HUGE leap forward for Kelley to become the eventual success she was destined to be.

Not surprisingly, Kelley began losing a whole lot of weight on the low-carb lifestyle and noticed it "became easier and easier until it became a way of life." Gee, imagine that! :D

"I began to make better and better food choices," Kelley noticed. "In the beginning I would go to McDonalds and order a burger without the bun. Now I do without when faced with the fast food choice and just wait until I get home to make something healthier. It has become automatic for me to choose healthy food now!"

While Kelley hit the predictable weight loss stalls that come with ANY plan you go on, she pressed forward until she cut her dress size in HALF--from a size 20 to a sexy size 10! WOWsers!!!

She noticed other changes began happening with her body as well:

The daily migraine headaches she experienced--GONE!

Foot and knee pain--GONE!

Breathing issues--GONE AT LAST!

Lack of energy--NOW SHE'S LOADED WITH IT!

Today, Kelley is the model citizen for fitness by running on the treadmill at her local Curves, where she has been working out throughout her weight loss experience. She wants others who are trying to lose weight to know that "exercise is the key" if you plan on experiencing the maximum potential with shedding the pounds and the fat. Incidentally, Curves recently hired Kelley to help inspire others to lose weight and get into shape. I can't think of anyone MORE qualified than Kelley!

"I am happier now than I have been in years," an ecstatic Kelly revealed. "I have found my true self again. The real me was buried under all those pounds of fat for years. My husband and I are so much happier, too. He even calls me 'Skinny' now! I will never go back to being fat again."

Kelley, from one low-carb weight loss success to another let me be the first to tell you how proud I am of what you have been able to accomplish by overcoming some significant obstacles in your life to get to where you are today. Your story reminds me so much of my own that I feel a certain connection to you that will never leave me for as long as I live. I'm sure many of my readers feel exactly the same and have had their commitment to low-carb living revitalized by your story.

CONGRATULATIONS to you for proving to yourself and to the world that livin' la vida low-carb is STILL changing lives in 2006. You are a living example of what this unbelievable lifestyle change is all about and I am so happy for the new you that has been created because of it! Never lose sight of this incredible gift you have been given and don't ever forget where you have been so you will never go back there again.

With a momma who loves and supports you as much as yours does, I am confident that will NOT be a problem. :) YOU GO GIRL!!!

Do you have an amazing low-carb weight loss success story and would like to have it featured at my blog? Send me an e-mail at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and tell me about it. Include before and after pictures and a little bit about your experience. You could join Shayne and Kelley by having your story featured RIGHT HERE in the very near future!

8-23-06: Well, I think Kelley liked the review I wrote about her low-carb weight loss success story. :)

Dear Jimmy,

Thank you so much for featuring my story on your blog, I tried to leave a comment at your blog, but I was unsuccessful. I enjoy Stella Style very much, there is a lot of support there, they are great people! I don't spend a lot of time on the web anymore, busy working at Curves!!

I am so excited to be able to help other with their weight issues. Sometimes I feel I am a part of a secret society, our society, the Low Carb Society!!!!! Most people freak when they hear low-carb, I know I did!!! But, if they would just give it a shot, an honest, stick to it shot, they would see that it WORKS!!!! And here's the kicker, its not torture, you get real food that actually tastes good, who new!!

Well I will keep preaching the Low Carb good news and I know you will too, along with many other "believers"!!!

God Bless you, Jimmy, Thanks again!

Kelley Keener