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Katherine Martin has lost more than 45 pounds since July 1, 2018.//photo courtesy of Katie VanHorn |
Katherine Martin has tried it all—Herbalife, Weight Watchers, even over-the-counter medication. But nothing proved long lasting. To make matters worse, Martin is an identical twin, and strangers sometimes offered stinging comments when comparing the sisters side by side.
Several years ago, she identified the problem: food addiction.
“Someone finally put words to it,” she says. “It’s not normal to think about food every waking moment, like, ‘Can I have that? I want that,’” she says. “If I was having a bad day, I’d want to eat something, if I was happy I’d want to eat something.”
Putting a name to it was both freeing and daunting, she says. But it also set the stage for a concrete change last year, when she decided to try the Keto diet, a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet whose popularity has climbed over the last several years. Since July 1, 2018, she has lost more than 45 pounds and has almost hit her first significant goal.
“After doing Keto for four months I realized I could sit Indian-style and my legs were actually crossed,” says Martin. “I went to my daughter’s first gymnastics class and jumped in a pit of foam and I realized, ‘I don’t know that 45 pounds ago I could have done that.’”
She says she’s committed to the rigidity of the Keto diet for now, but as she’s gained an understanding of how her body responds to macros like protein, carbs and sugar, she hopes to always practice some form of a low-carb lifestyle. She also exercises six days a week—two days at work and four from home, thanks to a high-intensity cardio DVD.
“I want to be strong,” says Martin, who works full-time and is a wife and mom to a toddler. “As women, we have a tendency to give a lot, thinking we don’t matter as much. But your body and your emotions and your soul are just as important. You can’t give more to others if you’re not filled up yourself.”
