So, this is what 45 pounds looks like— and a whole lot of sweating, running, lifting and low-carbing. (More on that in a minute.) And yeah, that actually IS me on the left– (pretend like I’m not wearing that hideous doo-rag or the spare tire around my mid-section.) Here’s the thing… when I took that “before” pic and then gasped when I saw how far I’d gotten off track with my diet and exercise, I NEVER IMAGINED I would publicly share it. It was something to bury deep in my cell phone as a reminder to not hit a late night drive thru and to say no to that third glass of wine.
But as I started my journey to get in shape high school skinny, it became the motivating factor for my lifestyle changes. Lifestyle, indeed. People ask me all the time when they see my food porn on Facebookand Instagram, “But do you really EAT all of that stuff?”
In a word, NO.
But I eat a lot of it. JP still requests chicken fried steak and scalloped potatoes and crazy chef chick that I am, sometimes I make separate meals for us. For me, that means, no breading and no starches. In fact, I cut out all the processed crap from my life. That translates to no sugar, nothing from a box, no pasta, rice, flour, anything with wheat or gluten, and all bread. And all french fries.
So, you ask, “Then what the hell DO you eat??”
I chow down on lots of low carb delish– bacon, any and all cuts of meat, cheese, dairy and veggies. It’s a ketogenic style of eating. Just don’t call it a diet, because that is a 4 letter word that is very, very bad. I will never go hungry on a DIET again. FYI, I have an entire section on this blog devoted to low carb/ketogenic meals!
Here’s how it works
When carbohydrate containing foods are digested, they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in the body. The more carbohydrates we eat, the more glucose is made. As diabetics know, high blood sugar is toxic to the body. Eating more fats and protein and less carbs causes our internal biochemical pathways to switch to using our stored fat for fuel instead of burning sugar.
So basically, when you’re eating a ketogenic diet, your body is burning FAT for fuel. For me, that resulted in putting on a teeny tiny bikini for the first time in 10 years. I’m really freaking proud of what I accomplished. And, more than that, I feel fabulous– with more energy and more confidence than I’ve ever had in my entire life.
Want to know more? I’m going to be introducing personalized ketogenic meal plans on my site soon, so you too can find the kind of success I’ve experienced. It will seriously, change your life.
Add in a bad ass workout like Orange Theory Fitness (and NO, I’m not a paid spokesperson for them) and everything that’s been leaned out by the ketogenic style of eating will get toned and tightened…I also do mat work from the Tracy Anderson Method and pop into a few Zumba classes each month.
Here are my stats: I’m 5’11 and started out at 190 pounds with 34% body fat. Today I am a lean 145-148 pounds and dropped to 18% body fat.
Here’s the reveal!
0
0
0
We knew you before the 45 lb. loss . We still love and thing of you often as a thin Sarah. Good luck in all of your ventures. We have fond memories of all the Parker’s. Manny & Tobie.
Parker, You look FANTASTIC. Congrats on your journey to get there. You are truly a role model for others. I am so inspired by your story.
Thanks so much, Conrad!
Love it!!! 18% body fat is quite an accomplishment!
Whoohoo! Lean mean, low carb machine! ( :
Congrats Parker! You are beautiful inside and out regardless but that is truly an accomplishment!!! XO
Thank you my love!! I miss you!
A-mazing! I’m so proud of you. Great segment for Orange, too.
Thanks, babe!! Love you!
Hi! I just stumbled on your page when I was looking into Orange Theory Fitness and keto. I have been on keto for 1.5 yars (on and off) and am looking into joining OTF. I’ve gotten to a point where I am skinny fat and need to tighten everything up!
How long did it take you to lose your weight? OTF is expensive so I’m trying to push towards my goal and then go to a more $ conservative work out. Would love to talk to you to hear from your experience on keto with OTF!
Hey Erin!
I lost most of my weight doing a low-carb/ketogenic diet. The OTF experience was awesome though, and helped me really push through to the next level of “tightening and firming.” It is expensive, though…I actually have gone back to my less expensive YMCA membership to maintain.
Hi! I do Orange Theory (3-4x per week for the last month) and mostly Paleo and I gained one lb and no loss! 🙁 Do you have any advice? Also. are your meal plans available?
Hi Evangeline-
You are probably building muscle, which is a good thing! I had already lost the majority of the weight I needed to lose by eating a Low Carb/High Fat Ketogenic style of eating. Look it up online– there are a ton of resources. It’s really important you supplement healthy fats (avocado, cheese, nuts) for the carbs you’re cutting, so your body has fat for fuel. I don’t offer meal plans, but may in the future! I have an entire low carb section on this site, so check out some of those recipes! Be patient with yourself, though– give OTF a solid 3 months to see some results! I felt stronger everywhere and my muscle tone really showed up after 6 weeks. xxoo
I want to congratulate you on your weight loss journey! You look incredible and I am hoping to go back to looking like that one day again. I played sports my entire life and was always fit but once I started college drinking became very common and bad food habits. I gained weight which mainly went to my hips and stomach and some on my legs. I am hoping to go back to the way I looked before college. I just joined OTF last week and I LOVE it. The workouts are great and I leave there very sweaty and exhausted.
I wanted to know how long until you saw results from OTF while also being on a low carb diet? I am going back on a low carb diet and am praying to lose some pounds in 6 weeks before I go on vacation. Again, all my fat is on my hits and stomach and I need the best advice to get rid of that. I hate weighing myself knowing that number fluctuates up and down but I do have muscle so that could be why the number is showing as high too I need the BEST advice on this low carb diet and any tips or recommendations you may have.
Thank you so much.