Hi everyone,

My name is Tam, a 30-something young professional living and working out of Silicon Valley, California. I’ve been kind of chubby most of my life, with my weight fluctuating up and down throughout. I was very overweight in middle school and early high school as a 220 pound, 5 foot tall kid. It’s tough being a short, big guy in a popularity scale that rewards appearances, and constantly felt depressed.

In the summer between my sophomore and junior year in high school, tired of being unpopular and of the constant rejection, I buckled down — shed a lot of weight by playing basketball everyday and replacing junk foods with tons of apples. My mom purchased apples in bulk since they were on sale at the time, and we always had them around at home, so they became a staple in my diet that summer. I played basketball for hours, often until dusk with a close friend. By the time I started my junior year, I was a healthy 165 pounds at 5′ 6″ (also my current height) — the lowest weight I had ever been at that height. I looked and felt great!

Since then, it’s been a weight roller coaster. I gained weight when I started my career, lost some weight when I trained for my first half marathon, and then gained it back again. I’ve tried Atkins, juicing, and a few other dieting philosophies, so I’m no stranger to trying things to get a hold on my health.

Recently, with some convincing from my friend Justin, the founder of this site and one of my best buddies, and because of comments regarding my weight from my doctor on a recent visit really hitting home (more on that later), I decided I would try the Keto diet until my cruise next month — 25 days total.

Justin suggested that I keep a diary of my journey. I agreed, since it would help keep myself accountable, but could also help others discover Keto, as I doing am now. There is a lot of information about the Keto diet out there on the web, and even differing philosophies on what food is ok and what is not. I’ll have to keep learning, and also make some personal decisions for my own Keto journey on the way. I hope my writing helps you out in some way as you embark on your own Keto journey.