#104 Jojo Brown – Commitment to Weight Loss

ABOUT JOJO

• I am originally from London, England which is where I grew up
• I was a very heavy kid and it probably came from a combination of things – from living in a dysfunctional household and my mom who loved to feed me with all the crappy food that there was
• My parent separated when I was 15 years old and my mom was left to raise my brother and me, and she did the best that she could
• Food was my best friend and I totally used and abused it
• That went on for many years and more “bad foods” that I ate, the more the pounds crept on to my very short 5-foot body
• Fast forward to my teenage years and 20’s, I continued to stay slim because I was losing what they call, baby fat
• I gained 10 lbs. on my honeymoon and started getting my weight back again because the food addiction did not go away
• I gained 87 Lbs. when I got pregnant with my firstborn and he weighed a healthy 12 lbs. at birth
• I donated to every single diet in the industry there was
• Three years later, I had my second child and gained almost 50 Lbs. with her which was so hard to lose and it was a struggle for many years
• When my mother-in-law passed away, I watched my children grieved and cried so much that I decided that this not the way I want to live my life anymore because they need me to live
• I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea and I just hit rock bottom
• So, I decided to go the most invasive way to losing weight and that was gastric bypass
• It was the last hope I had of ever losing weight and hopefully keeping it off
• In the first year, I lost 110 Lbs. and got down to 120 Lbs.
• I literally changed my mindset, exercise a bit which is mostly walking
• My way of eating was fat-free and sugar-free because that’s what I was taught, but I felt great and losing weight
• It wasn’t about 15 months ago that I was starting to gain weight and felt bloated
• Little did I know, it was about the grain, hidden sugar, fat-free and then, I came upon Keto 15 months ago
• I was having Splenda or equal or whatever you call it on my coffee every day because I need that sweetness
• Now, I drink my coffee without anything. No more sweeteners
• With my food addiction, I compare myself to a recovering alcoholic and an alcoholic cannot have a sip that’s going to trigger them
• So, I can’t have sugar because that’s going to put me on the edge
• I never used an excuse for any celebration
  
• After a while, I saw myself to be more confident
• I was able to do the more things that I could never do before
• I don’t like the gym
• Walking is really my thing, I do yoga, barre class which I love
• I forget to use weights and I’ve yet to go down and use them
• My husband who is fine now had a mild heart attack and had some surgeries
• I’ve been through so much, but I never used food to dull the pain

• I have been pescatarian since 2007
• Even though I am eating the keto way, I don’t know if I am keto in the sense of the word because I don’t eat meat
• Since my surgery, I’ve been really a creature of habit and it sounds boring, but I do tend to eat the same foods every day prior to keto
• Now, I do eat the same keto foods every day, but I am not bored
• I was tracking my macros in the beginning, but I am just eating the same kind of foods every day, I don’t feel like I need to
• I am definitely under 20g of carbs

ADVICE

• Be patient
• Be prepared to give up the food that is not agreeing with you
• Do not listen to other people who do not understand keto

HEALTH BENEFITS

• I really feel more energetic
• I wasn’t lacking so much before keto, but I feel more energetic even I lack sleep
• I feel good and I feel more confident because I am taking care of myself
• People told me that I have so much willpower, but I prefer the word commitment
• If you want something so bad, you will go for it

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