Introduction to the Keto Lifestyle
My name is Joanna Wilcox and I am from Woodstock, Ontario. I work full time as a Marketing Manager and outside of work, I enjoy family life with my husband Steve and our two children Taylor (aged 7) and Carter (age 4).
In December 2016, I found myself at my own personal rock bottom. I was uncomfortably overweight. At 5’7” I weighed myself and I was 203 lbs. My size 14 pants were getting snug and I was over it. Over feeling tired, having back pain, and feeling unattractive.
Only two months prior I had sought out help for emotional eating. I wanted to make sure that I dealt with the root cause of my weight gain – stuffing my face when I was upset, or lonely, or bored. The counsellor I met with told me to stop eating carbs. Not information I found overly helpful for emotional eating but it did trigger me to look into low carb diets, the ketogenic diet in particular.
While doing my research I came across a before and after photo. The photo was of a girl who lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks. If she could do it, why couldn’t I? On Thursday December 1st , I recorded a video of myself in my bathroom in a sports bra and black workout pants. Awkward with selfie videos, I decided that if I was going to change then I needed to put it all out there. As embarrassed as I was, I knew I was capable of committing. I uploaded the video to an Instagram account I created called @ketoincanada.
On the account I shared my weight loss journey daily from the foods I was eating, struggles, victories and of course, weight loss. Sharing my journey and supporting others following the ketogenic diet became a part of my day to day life. A wonderful community formed around me and almost 500 days later I continue to share my ketogenic lifestyle with others. I lost 60 pounds in one year and am now on a fitness journey while continuing to follow a ketogenic diet.
Over the next year I look forward to sharing more about the ketogenic diet and my experience with you.
Joanna Wilcox is Canadian Health and Fitness Influencer from Woodstock, Ontario.
