Jen Z.
Jen has an absolutely amazing story about how switching to the ketogenic has impacted her health for the better. – Dr. Perlmutter
My name is Jen, I am 54 years old and for quite a number of years I had been dealing with some very questionable illnesses. I was overweight with no success in getting my weight down, was chronically tired, had trouble concentrating and had developed an autoimmune skin disorder called vitiligo where the skin no longer produces pigment. A couple of years into these problems I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and went through surgery and very aggressive immunotherapy as well as radiation. The treatment for the cancer left me very damaged nerves, damaged skin, no energy at all, arthritis and joint pains so bad I could hardly walk sometimes and the brain power of a pea. I could not remember things that I had known all of my life nor could I concentrate on anything.
With all my research trying to figure out how long this would last I was led to the conclusion that this would be my new normal and I would just have to deal with it. I am an avid horsewoman and this left me feeling that everything I had worked towards was being taken away.
Then one day about 7 months ago a friend shared with me an article about a doctor that was diagnosed with untreatable stage 4 brain cancer. In his quest to fight for his life he discovered the Ketogenic lifestyle. I say lifestyle because it is not a diet to be jumped on and off of but a new way of life. At this point I was searching for a way to regain some of my health and try to avoid any need for cancer treatments so I thought I would give it a try. The cancer version of this new lifestyle is quite extreme but has it been so worth it! The first 2 weeks were pretty rough with food cravings and my body adjusting to change in diet but I could feel changes happening and they felt good. I went cold turkey, all in! About 4 weeks in my body no longer hurt from arthritis pain, joint swelling was gone and my weight was dropping without me doing anything but changing the way I eat. Jumping ahead 7 months now I have been very faithful to the program! Only a handful of times have I put food in my body that does not belong and it was not but a few bites. Does not take much and you know that it was not a smart choice!
Anyways, I feel better now than I have in probably 20 years or longer. My brain function is back better than before, nerves are regenerating that were destroyed by radiation, the skin disorder that I was told would get progressively worse is actually reversing, my energy level is crazy good and I am back training horses again. Best of all I am 3 years cancer-free, my weight is almost what it should be and I feel great. I will be the first to say it was not simple getting started but once you get it figured out (there are lots of food labels to read) it gets easier by the day.
There are many different levels to the Ketogenic lifestyle for different health challenges so go to the website and find out what works best for your challenge. Mine was cancer, the toughest diet-wise, 10 grams or less of carbohydrate a day. I am here to tell you it can be accomplished, you just have to do your homework and get after it!
-Jen Z.