2 Year "Ketoversary"

Long Post...
This is not KETO propaganda- if carbs work for you, eat carbs. If you are vegan, well...?? Good?? Do what works for you, just sharing how i got a new lease on life.

Backstory: When I was 13 years old (now 33), i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Weighing in @ 235# at 13, the doctors thought I had adolescent type 2, but a c-peptide/insulin antibodies/GAD tests later, it was clear type 1. I continued to struggle through weight problems through high school and entered college around 275#. I always had decent "control of my diabetes- no DKA, A1C habitually between 7.5-8.5%. When i graduated college I married my wife and weighed in at 300# at 23 years old. Over the next 8 years I would tack on another 95# to hit a max of 395# at 31- during that time I was able to lose 60# and gain it all back then some. I did meal replacement, I did strict calorie count, I did 2 a day work outs, I did paleo, I did Atkins, you name it and I tried it. When I turned 30, my endocrinologist started talking to me about bariatric surgery- we had serious discussions of me being dead before 40... I knew I was not mature enough nor did I want the surgery. As you learn to "control" your diabetes, you learn how to maintain an A1C by increasing insulin blindly. By the time I was at 395# I required ~500 units per day (U-500) to keep my A1C around 7.5-8% (FYI, this is a sh!t ton).

1/27/17 I went against conventional wisdom and everything i had learned after having diabetes nearly 20 years and started Keto (seven years before a high school friend of mine told me to try it- of course I warned her how dangerous the diet was and warned her she was killing herself).
This post is long enough, so I won't take you through the whole keto journey, I will give you a current update.
Today I weigh 258#- 137# loss over 2 years; waist went from 64" to 42"; Neck 23" to 17"; Units of insulin per day went down to 55 units; A1C from 7.9% 1/17 to 5.8% 7/18; Triglycerides (with Fenofibrate) 177 to 46; HDL 31 to 58. Off triglyceride meds/cholesterol meds/BP meds. Used to have microalbumin in my urine at a concerning amount (kidney disease) and fatty liver disase- both were taken off the diagnosis list after 1st 6 months. Lost the first 110# in 1 year without exercise. Started lifting and crossfit March of last year.

I was metabolically broken. The month before Keto I did a 1500 calorie diet for 26 days and gained 2#! Water weight, blahblahblah, whatever, at 395# i should have lost 13ish lbs and gained weight. When your metabolism is broken Cals IN/Cals Out does not matter. Now, calories do matter, that is not what i am trying to say- I want people to realize if they are hormonally imbalanced, then weight loss is going to be frustrating.

I have 50-60# to go and want to lose that over another 1-2 years. Please if you need help or have questions reach out. I know OleWar has a helluva keto thread going on. I know a lot of people that post on this board are in tip top shape, I am hoping someone with struggles finds this post.

Upvote/downvote, I don't care. Just wanted to share my story.