Liv McAlpine's Story

Growing up, Liv was very active and never had any problems with her weight. But around the age of 17, she developed a binge eating disorder that took over her life for nearly 5 years. After the loss of her best friend, she realized that mentally she was not in a good place and was turning to food, especially junk food, for every emotion she was feeling. She would yo-yo diet, and enter workout challenges where she would lose 10-15 pounds, only to go back to her old ways and gain the weight back again when it was over.

“It sounds horrible,” she said, “but I was young, uneducated about health, and dealing with heavy mental health issues, so I forgive that girl.”

Fast forward to May 2019: Liv decided to open up to her friends and family about her eating disorder. She was unhappy, unsatisfied with life, and knew she wanted to make some big changes for her future.  She told them so. She also told them she wanted to follow a ketogenic diet.

After hearing about how “dangerous” the ketogenic diet is, she decided to look into it for herself. “I had watched Dr. Berg’s videos for over a year and knew so much about the ketogenic diet and now that I was starting to get a handle on my eating disorder, I knew I could stick to it.”

And she did. Within 8 weeks of starting keto and intermittent fasting, she had lost 22 pounds. “I felt so full all the time and had a clear mind. The urge to binge at night disappeared. It was only at times where I felt stressed with school that I thought about binging but that's when my support system came in to help.” Liv found a fantastic support system in her family, her friends, and her “keto-buddy” sister.

“During all of this, I was also working full-time and taking seven university courses and I don’t think it's any coincidence that in that semester when I started and stuck with keto, I had the best marks I've ever had throughout my university experience.”

She added: “I can't even explain how much my mental clarity shifted. I had so much energy all the time; I would wake up at 4 a.m. for my 5:30 a.m. shifts no problem, I wouldn’t eat until my lunch break at 11 a.m. and then when I was done at 2:00 I would work out right away. I would go home and be able to stay up until 8 or 9 doing schoolwork and never [feel] tired. Of course, this took a lot of discipline but the difference I felt fueling my body with fats was out of this world. I’ve never felt better!”

To date, Liv has lost 45 pounds with keto and intermittent fasting. Her ultimate goal is to reach 140 pounds, which she hopes to reach by summer. (We totally know you will, Liv!)

What encouraged you to not give up?

 The more I fasted and the more I was in keto, the better I began to feel and the mental clarity and overall stability I felt was enough to keep me going. Losing weight and looking better was a real motivator but nothing feels better than when your mind is happy and settled. 

What would you like to say to someone reading your success story?

To someone reading my success story, I would like to say this: You can do it! You seriously have the power to change your life. Trust the process of ketosis and watch how drastically your life will change. Listen to your body and just give keto a fair chance. I can almost promise that if you do it correctly, you will feel AMAZING. I believe in you and there is a community of people that believe in you, just take a chance on yourself. You’re never too young or too old to take your health seriously. You really owe it to yourself!

What is your favorite way to exercise?

I love lifting weights. I joined a Crossfit-style workout challenge in the summer and fell in love with the workouts. Definitely my go-to every day when I have access to a gym.

What is your favorite keto recipe?

This is a tricky question for me because I find my meals are boring. After all, I eat the same thing almost every day, but I am obsessed with peanut butter and love keto peanut butter cookies. The recipe is so simple! 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261181/4-ingredient-keto-peanut-butter-cookies/

Follow Liv’s journey: @ketovibecanada