This week I met with my Cardiologist, the doctor who recommended very low carb to me in the first place. I have seen him several times since I have started this process and he has been very pleased with the weight loss progress and health improvements. This visit was different though. This time when he walked into the room – he jumped back and looked at me and said: “Wow!, you look amazing – do you feel fantastic? – you must feel fantastic!”

I have never seen that kind of reaction from my doctor. He is always pleasant and considerate and wants to do his best for me – but I have never seen him get really excited about anything in the 10 years that I have known him. 

He was genuinely excited and happy to see how much better I am doing. “Yes! I do feel fantastic- I feel better than I have in probably 30 years” I told him. He smiled and laughed and said, “I wish all of my patients would listen to me! – This is great!”

I cannot begin to express how rewarding it is to go to the doctor for follow-ups and have substantial improvements every single time.  It is wonderful to know that people can actually see that I feel better now, that I look healthier on the outside too.  My lab work shows I have improved – but there is something about looking healthier that makes me feel like I am really getting better.  It makes me feel good that other people can see it too.

I get extremely emotional these days thinking about it all.  There were so many years – most of my life where I felt out of control with my physical and mental health.  I had given up hope that anything would change and that I would die fat, sick and miserable at an early age.  So many doctors just kept giving me more medications and suggesting more advanced treatments with no actual hope of ever getting off these meds once I started them. Most of them have horrific side effects which made me feel worse.   “It is what it is” and “let’s try this medication – you have nothing to lose at this point, let’s just see what it will do” – is no way to treat poor health and disease.  

All of that has changed since I cut the carbs and started following a ketogenic diet. I don’t know if there will ever be enough words to fit into this blog that will describe how much better life is for me now. I feel great, I’ve lost more weight than I thought I could, my “deadly” diseases (type 1 diabetes and Lupus) are both in great control, and I am happier – so much happier. 

This week’s doctor visit resulted in the removal of another medication and a reduction in dosage of another.  The improvements just keep coming.  I am hopeful that one day I will be off all of the blood pressure and heart medications – I started with 6 and I am down to 2 and those two are both lower in dosage.  Can’t wait to see where we are in another 3 months.  My total cholesterol is 204 and my cardiologist tells me not to worry – he knows that it is more about the keeping insulin levels low and the inflammation down.  Staying low carb makes that possible.    

The best part of all of this… I can see a future for myself now. A happier, healthier, long term future for myself – and I haven’t felt that before.