Getting Real with Tammy Torres

I started on my Keto journey about three months ago. I always ate semi-healthy until the days I felt like poop, then literally sabotaged myself with food that would move my insides i.e. carbs and grease. With no gall bladder, I needed something slippery inside my blood stream to get stuff moving. I was on a roller coaster for many years…. Eat healthy, then bad, up and down with carbs, sugar, and grease. It was the only way I could clean myself out, so I thought. I loved protein. It was always my go-to food when hungry. Cheese sticks, jerky, etc., then sugar and carbs, never figuring out what made me so tired and left me feeling like crap all the time. I had a hysterectomy 10+ years ago, so I knew it wasn’t that time of the month every day. My kids were all grown (although still annoying me sometimes). Work was work (day in, day out).

My stress was normally high and no one had died lately…so what was it?

I had my annual blood draw from the doctor that month, and it went very similar as always. He said yep, your triglycerides are 500+. (average is 150 and under), we can’t even read your LDL, your HDL is lower, and you need to exercise….Blah x 3; I have heard this all before, even doing placebo testing for my Triglycerides when I was in my 20s. Maybe I could have done this if my weight was under 150, but it wasn’t… Maybe 25 years ago and 50 pounds lighter? This was no surprise to me. It ran in my genes and was a great excuse. I was on medication, but it wasn’t helping, obviously. I didn’t exercise like I used to, and was pretty lazy, honestly. An average day of steps was 2-6 thousand. I was an avid tennis player from age 14-24, then stopped to have kids and deal with injuries.

Something was different this time.

I couldn’t figure out the combination of what I call my triangle…Triglycerides vs IBS Constipation vs no Gall Bladder. I had always focused on one or the other but not all three together. The days of feeling horrible continued. My fat just kept getting fatter. My weight kept climbing. I thought my insides were going to explode…

Come to find out, I was literally full of poo.

My IBS vs Triglycerides vs No Gall Bladder where having a hay day with my intestines. My doctor’s appointment continued with him saying, “You can either deal with stroke, heart attack or diabetes … or try Keto.”

I was like, What? Now I go from a triangle to a square… Triglycerides vs IBS Constipation vs no Gall Bladder vs Keto. I was feeling very picked on and bummed out. What was wrong with me??? Why was I struggling so hard to figure this out? I am college educated, parented 3 kids under the age of two, and survived twins, children with developmental delays, two divorces, sick parents with cancer, and motherhood… but I couldn’t figure out myself…probably because moms are always last on the list.

Well, all these diagnosis ran in my family – the high cholesterol, stroke, heart attacks, and diabetes…. My mom had stents replaced in 2015, my aunt died in June 2017 after living with a stroke for 9 years. I worked in health care and saw many of my clients struggling to just live day to day. I really didn’t have a choice, and I said no thank you!

I was done with the roller coaster. I had to figure out my sh*t!

My Keto food list was a page long, but when I added in all the other things my insides didn’t like, the page became a column – a very short, dismal list of foods I could eat. But I was ready to sacrifice for my health and literally my life.

The end of October, 2017, I got really sick. My stomach looked like I was 7 months pregnant. My belly hurt so bad, I asked my boyfriend to take me to the urgent care. I was eating well! Meat, green veggies, dairy, fats – and all the other stuff under 20 carbs. I lost weight, waking up with a smile on my face and not tired. FYI…It takes you three days just to get into Ketosis with no sugar, no starch, and less than 20 CARBS a day…that is right, you read it! 20 carbs a day…Do you know how hard that is? Have you looked at the carbs in today’s food? It is not a pleasant site.

Well, I was in Ketosis because I had what they call “Ketosis Breath,” where your breathe smells like acetone or a**, depending on who notices, but my body wasn’t moving stuff because of my IBS.

They x-rayed my stomach and guess what? Full of poop, top to bottom. Did you know you can carry 5-10 pounds of poop in your intestines at one time? That is ludicrous!

They gave me some solution to help, but come to find out, it was sugar water…Hell, I could have done that on my own with carbs and grease. Obviously that PA did not read my record to know I was eating the Keto Diet because I was out of Ketosis within a couple days feeling very defeated. All my hard work and struggles had been wasted. I was mad! If the doctors don’t pay attention, why should I?

The Keto Diet is something you have to be able to do long term.

You can’t go in and out of it. You eat no sugar, no starch and less than 20 CARBS a day…that is right, you read it! 20 Carbs a day…(just had to state that again in case you did not pay attention the first time I wrote it).

Rather than give up, though, this shot me straight into pay attention mode and f*ck the doctors. Keto is great for me! It may not be for everyone. I do wake up feeling better and no naps in the afternoon, but it is a challenge. Do you know how hard it is to start eating again looking forward to a dessert of Hunt’s jello with cool whip topping and the only chip you can eat is a pork skin? Well, you are about to find out.

Every person’s medical situation is unique. Please consult with your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.