Not long after, Peter decided to throw out the carbs altogether. And after just three months on the diet, he’d lost 35 pounds (or 16 kilos).
Since then, Peter’s lost a total of 73 pounds (or 33 kilos). To his great surprise, a medical checkup also revealed that he’d completely reversed his fatty liver disease.
When describing his keto experience, Peter says that “It was – and still is – very easy,” an account which may surprise those who haven’t tried the keto diet.
Here, Peter shares his full story, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
I’m a Swede who’s lived and worked in Asia since 1985. I spent two years in Taiwan, eight years in Hong Kong, and 25 in Bangkok, Thailand (where I still live and work).
In 2018, just after Christmas, my two sons (then 22 and 26) teased me about my weight and referred to pictures from when I had previously lived in Hong Kong. Back then, I was playing rugby regularly and was physically fit. They said I should try to get back to the weight that I was then.
Since I never had any health issues due to my weight, I never saw a real problem with it. But when I compared those pictures with what I saw in the mirror, I noticed a huge difference.
When I lived in Hong Kong, I weighed just 194 pounds (or 88 kilos), and by December of 2018, I weighed 260 pounds (or 118 kilos). Without thinking things through, I bet my children that I would lose 22 pounds (or 10 kilos) in three months. I wasn’t sure how to pull this off, but I thought exercise would be the way to go.
And so, on January 1, 2019, I went to buy a cross-trainer and decided to exercise for 30 minutes every day. On my new cross-trainer, there was an iPad holder. And so, I started to look for YouTube videos to watch while I did my workouts.
Before long, I came across expert presentations about the ketogenic diet and thought that I would give it a try. The diet seemed doable, especially since it included foods I really enjoy eating, such as salads, cheese, nuts, meat, and fish.
On my newfound diet, I stopped consuming all sugar, rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes overnight — and have never looked back. I never measured any of my meals; I just excluded certain food types. It was – and still is – very easy.
In the first three months, I lost 35 pounds (or 16 kilos), and since I loved my new lifestyle, I thought to myself, ‘why not just continue?’
After 8 months, I lost 66 pounds (or 30 kilos) and returned to the same weight as when I got married in 1991. Since then, I’ve dropped another 7 pounds (or 3 kilos). These days, my weight fluctuates between 187 to 191 pounds (or 85 to 87 kilos).
Now, I feel great, and when I went for a medical checkup in August of 2019, all of my values were fantastic. My fatty liver disease was gone. Since then, I’ve started intermittent fasting on occasion.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I started to cook recipes from Diet Doctor and am really enjoying the variety of meal options. When people ask me how I managed to lose weight and keep it off, I always refer them to Diet Doctor. I say just look at all the information available on the website and go from there.
When it comes to exercise, I still go on the cross-trainer for 30 minutes at least five days per week.
What I’ve learned — at least from my perspective — is that following a ketogenic lifestyle isn’t difficult; it’s a mindset. Life is now, so let’s enjoy it and make the most out of it in a healthy way.
Keep up the good work, Diet Doctor!
Best, Peter
Congrats on all your success, Peter. I guess you better thank your kids for making the challenge to you! We are thrilled that Diet Doctor helped play a role in your success. Keep up the great work.
Best, / Dr. Bret Scher
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Keto for beginners
How to lose weight
, medical review by Dr. Bret Scher, MD
in Liver disease, Success story 
