Written by Pauline

The Lincoln meet-up on 17th & 18th September was a great example of what being a member of Keto Fitness Club is all about; living in the now and getting an opportunity to top up on the 3 Keto Fitness Club key principles of Mindset, Motivation & Macros!  

Our mindset was enhanced by spending time with like-minded people with a shared lifestyle choice, being in nature, taking exercise, easily sharing conversation as if we’d known each other for years and having fun! As one of the participants summed up – I feel like I have made long-term friendships that I would never have anticipated possible just by joining Keto Fitness Club.

That led to heaps of motivation – not only to do the Park Run but encouraged some of the group to do more exercise at home, participate in more of what is offered to members on the Zooms and join more local meet-ups. 

And finally, the macros – something we all have in common – the love of talking about and eating great food! And there was plenty!

Jackie and Julie were staying overnight - to be in Lincoln bright and early for the Park-Run. Pauline invited them for a guided tour to explore the beautiful city of Lincoln & Sue joined too. The plans soon morphed from meeting for the Park Run followed by breakfast to include sight-seeing, eating out and evening entertainment!!  

Friday afternoon was spent mainly exploring the wonderful Up-Hill area of Lincoln and its historic Bailgate area – with the fabulous Cathedral & Castle. A great photo opportunity soon presented – the imp statues from the Lincoln Imp Trail were displayed in the grounds of the Castle before they get auctioned off for Charity. 

A definite on the to-do list was a visit to Imperial Teas on the aptly named Steep Hill!  Everyone left with goodies – some may have flexed their credit card muscles a bit too!  

Then time for food – having seen pics of other members enjoying the fabulous menu we booked The Botanist. The Pork Scratchings & Hanging Kebabs did not disappoint!

Back to the sleepy Lincolnshire village of Dunston, Pauline had prepared puddings to enjoy and give sustenance ready for a short walk to a comedy night in her local village hall. By chance, Suzanne was there too!  

Slightly nervous that the only places available were at the front, the group hesitantly sat down. Jackie informed the Compere that we were celebrating Keto – but to our surprise and delight he was well educated in what Keto was about! The evening was fabulous – as Sue said, ‘I haven’t laughed that much for ages!’ Saturday was the Park-Run at Doddington Hall – it was an early start & Pauline, Sue and Jackie were joined by more Keto Fitness Club members (sadly Julie was poorly so had to leave). Suzanne and Carole from Lincoln. Nicola (who madly was taking part in a marathon Equinox Event at Belvoir Castle). Helen from Nottingham and Sarah from Gainsborough. Some ran but most walked – again a great opportunity to spend time together. 

After the Park Run Nicola had to dash back to Equinox but the others enjoyed a delicious keto-friendly breakfast in the lovely café at Doddington Hall. We then moved to a picnic bench for more chatting, coffee, water (and cakes!). Time flew by!

There is so much to be gained from the local meet ups, so if you can, take the opportunity to join one. One of our group heart-warmingly commented ‘the meet ups are a definite positive step in forming true friendships and keeping focussed on the lifestyle. I can honestly say without Keto Fitness Club and all our members I just know I wouldn’t be feeling the true happiness I am feeling right now - I am truly grateful and proud to be a part of Keto Fitness Club’.

Keto Fitness Club just keeps on giving!

Julie: "For me, I would like to say that the meet-up felt very relaxed from start to finish and like we already knew each other. We all shared a common goal in our lifestyle choices so that also contributed to a shared love of the day. Conversation was natural with no uncomfortable silences. From my perspective, I believe out tour guide (you) was excellent and shared lots of interesting detail about the city that I was not aware of. The planned variety from the day into the evening was brilliant with always something to look forward too. I feel like I have made long term friendships that I would have never anticipated possible just by joining Keto Fitness Club. I live alone and have had a relatively quiet lifestyle outside of my daughter and grandchildren. I believe it has given me friendships and opportunities in my own right to spend time with like-minded people"

Jackie: "What am I supposed to say when I’m at home on a day off just sat down to write this and to eat a very juicy Tomahawk steak … booked to go to the Keto Fitness Club Xmas party and took delivery of an indoor smart bike so that I can fit exercise more easily into a daily routine as I have a busy work schedule. I’m feeling the happiest I’ve felt in a long time .. definitely a lot to do with the Lincoln meet up a few days ago, met up with 3 awesome people that made the time in Lincoln a very pleasant time … that’s all I really need to say … This is what I’ll say though … I had an absolute fantastic time .. very well organised .. in absolute awe of Pauline for the person she is and everything she did to make it a truly enjoyable time from start to finish … Sue is an absolute credit to Keto Fitness Club , very down to earth and very easy to be around."

"Accommodation was the best ever in Pauline’s village at a beautiful pub , the trip into Lincoln was very expensive for me as soon as we entered Imperial Tea Company !! Had a lovely meal out then back to Pauline’s where 3 of us were truly spoilt with delicious puddings. then on to a comedy night at the village hall .. Then one or two (maybe more 😳) relaxed nightcaps with Julie back at the pub and accommodation. talking with the local people. I can honestly say it was a truly enjoyable relaxed time. Most of all it was the 3 people that I was with that made it a great time .. all amazing, very welcoming down to earth and non-judgemental people."

"It’s only myself that has got me where I am today .. as it was my choice to start out on a low carb lifestyle after being on every manufactured “diet “out there and putting on so much weight because they didn’t work for long .. Once I started on a low carb diet, researching for myself and then going on to find Keto Fitness Club on YouTube did I realise the Keto lifestyle is what I need to do …  I joined the members group very soon after watching Mark and Ella’s videos. I may not be very active in Zooms or on Facebook for a couple of reasons …However, I am always catching up when I can and I can honestly say without Keto Fitness Club and all our members I just know I wouldn’t   be feeling the true happiness I am feeling right now because I couldn’t have got this far with the Keto lifestyle and all the huge benefits, we have from living it without being part of an amazing group. I am truly grateful and proud to be a part of Keto Fitness Club. All the meet ups that are starting to happen within Keto Fitness Club is definitely a positive step in my experience to forming true friendships and keeping focused on the Keto lifestyle."

Written by Stuart

On a damp and misty morning, four intrepid explorers set out in deepest Northamptonshire on a quest for glory. Or more accurately, four Keto Fitness Club-ers set out on the Salcey Forest Park Run volunteering as tail walkers.  You may have heard of the Park Run and decided you weren’t a runner so haven’t got involved, but did you know they let you walk too? From their inception back in 2004, the Park Runs have welcomed thousands of people up and down the country, and this Saturday the Salcey Forest Park Run welcomed some Keto Fitness Club-ers for the first time. Even if you can’t run, you can still get involved. The tail walker role means you get to walk along, at the back, picking up the signs, bunting and any stray runners who have got lost. It’s a super important role, because it is the way they ensure no one is left behind. It was fun to walk along and chat about Keto, and forests, and why we don’t want to run, as well as a great opportunity to meet local Keto Fitness Club-ers. After an hour walk through the lovely Salcey Forest we arrived back at the café for a well needed drink. Fortunately, by the time we got to the café, the sun had made an appearance and the rest of the morning was spent swapping keto recipes, and discussing the relative merits of lupin flour, arrowroot and tiffin. It’s amazing the things you find interesting once you start out on this journey, and at least we weren’t boring our friends with our stories of Ninja cooking classes.

Huge thanks to Alison Mead who arranged this little meet up and to all those who came along. I’m sure it won’t be the last time we meet up locally. If you are in the Northampton area and want to spend a couple of hours talking with other Keto Fitness Club-ers, or just need an excuse to get away from the muggles in your family, watch out for more events.

Written by Eira Hammond

When Tracy put the shout out for people to join her for a coffee in Cardiff, I think the intention was for those that lived locally to meet up as I know there are a few Keto Fitness Club members in the Cardiff area but not too many around where she lives in the ‘Valleys’.  Little did she expect such a great response from people who lived further away!

I decided to go along as I’d missed meeting people in person, and when I heard some of the others that were attending it was a no brainer to get a hotel booked and join in the fun.  So I arrived on the Friday evening having taken the day off work, and driven from Lincoln.  As soon as I walked into the hotel reception, I met Tracy who had a lovely cwtch (hug) ready for me.  Then soon after met up with Helen and Steve from Nottingham, John and Nikki from the Midlands, Karen and Dave from Essex and Lee (Mr Cwtch Tracy and Ethan of course) from the Welsh Valley’s and Jen joined us too for the day on Saturday.

It’s hard to believe that it was over a month ago now, as the memories of meeting people at the fun packed busy weekend are still very vivid, especially when I browse through all the photos I took!  Covid restrictions were slightly different in Wales from what we were used to in England, but that didn’t hamper our fun at all, and we made sure we all stayed safe and within the rules.

Friday evening began the moment we arrived with a few drinks in the hotel bar (flavour drops made an appearance out of Karen’s bag as a good Keto sugar free mixer option!), and then we all travelled to the centre of Cardiff and enjoyed a fabulous ‘meaty’ experience at Viva Brazil, where the servers carved as much meat as we could manage…. Although we all had a great fill, I think some (John especially!) got more than their money’s worth; sausages were enjoyed by all, but especially by Tracy and I! We ended up back at the hotel and the conversation flowed for a bit longer while we all enjoyed each other’s company.

On Saturday, we walked the short distance from the Hotel to the Bay area, and some of us took a ride on the big wheel, which was fun, leaving the rest looking like ants they were so far down!

Tracy had arranged for us to have a boat trip across the Bay, we had some great views looking back across the Bay to Cardiff and the beautiful ‘Red Building’ that my grandad worked in back in the early 1900’s (although it wasn’t very red back when I used to visit in the 1960-70’s with the black smoke changing its colour completely!)

After the boat trip we had a great walk along the Barrage back to the Bay area, it was lovely to get to know everyone a bit better and enjoy the social element of meeting people which we’ve not been able to do in person for such a long time.

I am so grateful that I not only found the Keto Fitness Club Public Group, but that I took the plunge and soon after joining the member’s group I became a life member.  Keto is definitely a lifestyle choice for me now, and I will never go back to the bad food choices I have been making for 30+ years.  Through this group I have learnt a lot about a Keto life, the harmful effects certain foods have on my body, but equally important, I have met lifelong friends who continue to support my Keto life in so many ways.  Having the opportunity to meet up in Cardiff was the perfect way to celebrate over a year of being in this group and only being able to meet over Zoom.  (Although I still love Zoom and am forever grateful for the fun (Keto Café’s, Quizzes and Bingo), education (AOB’s and other Keto Fitness Club member sessions), Mindfulness (Ian’s weekly Monday Zoom), fitness (regular Keto Fitness Club exercise classes which I don’t do often enough) and friendship (all of the above!))

Thanks to everyone that came along to Cardiff and made the weekend really special. I also wanted to give a massive thank you to Tracy for her impeccable organisation, friendship, and support to not only me, but to all that attended.  We really appreciate all that you do!  If anyone else has the chance to attend one of the Members meet up’s, I’d recommend it!

Mark here, I asked in one of our group zooms recently 'Why did you join Keto Fitness Club?' and this was Nicola's response...

I had no idea what I let myself in for. I joined because I did a KICK session to speak to a real person about Keto & I got a free month in the group.

What I discovered is a fantastic collection of real people who live in the real world who face the same struggles as I face.

I love the fitness aspect, that is a real focus in my life  and something that resonates with me. Fitness and doing exercise is such an important part of keeping me, mentally, on an even keel. I even enjoy the Sunday double session!!!

I feel like I fit in here. I am frugal and don’t like wasting money, I love a yellow label, I freeze everything, I don't believe in ‘use by dates’, I love exercise. I love a few hours pottering about the kitchen on zoom with Michele, and a lot of these values are shared with the other members of the group.

Everyone here  is so supportive, no ‘why don’t you search’, no ‘you can’t have that’, there are lots of people who are keen to share knowledge, who seek out information to back up with science. I love that everything is science based and have enjoyed learning more about the science.

I love the mindset aspect, especially as it is, for me, the one thing missing from every other ‘failed’ attempt of living a healthy lifestyle. I feel I’ve always been lucky as I love my body, even at my heaviest at 15 stone. It’s amazing and does so much for me. I’ve grown 2 boys and fed them, ran marathons, I’ve always felt the body is a verb, a doing word. The sessions with Ian McGill both in the members group and private sessions have had such an epic impact on my life that I can’t even begin to put it into words. 

I love the social aspect, the group sessions, the cook alongs, exercise sessions and I wonder why more people don't take part.

I worry that as the world opens up, that the way I am able to interact with Keto Fitness Club will change, and not necessarily in a good way.

Nicola

'I run for cake' one of Nicola's mantras :) 

I've noticed a lot of people asking if exercise is essential to lose weight.. it's not.. obviously it is beneficial BUT if you are not capable of this (like me) please don't lose hope

I’m not particularly mobile (I have MS, behçet's, EDS and am recovering from a massive brain haemorrhage. 

I do physio daily and a small amount of Pilates as part of my routine and have now lost over 12 stone.

As Michele Cooper  says... 'trust the process'

Keto will not solve all of your problems BUT it might help some of them.

I have gone from a size 20/22 to a size 4/6 and significantly reduced my pain levels.

I knew deep down that my weight had spiraled out of control, however I was not ready to face facts. I would squeeze my body into clothes that were too small, refusing to buy new clothes in a size 20.  I was miserable, lonely, feeling hopeless and really sad inside.  

You see, I’d spent my entire adult life ranging from a size 14 to 24, I've tried everything to lose weight, but it's never worked properly, the weights returned, it's been really hard and pushed me emotionally to dark places. 

Finding Keto and Keto Fitness Club (KFC) has changed my life, I am no longer spiraling, I am growing in mind and body, I am stronger, fitter, healthier, I am in control, I feel like me for the first time in as long as I can remember.

I stumbled into Keto by accident, initially I was very sceptical. , In the first lockdown of Covid I was literally baking for England.  We couldn't go out, or see friends and going shopping was a luxury.  In my head me baking was looking after my family!.  We had just celebrated VE day in May 2020with an afternoon tea on our front lawn with our neighbours. It was lovely, but when my neighbours posted a picture I was horrified, it made me realise I was out of control.  How had that happened?  Why was I in denial? I cried; my husband Andy knew I was ready to try something new.

For months, he had been hinting, watching TV shows, even watching YouTube programs about keto athletes (He’s a triathlete) He bravely, (risking his life), suggested we started Keto on the 1st June 2020.  To his surprise, I agreed, albeit unconvinced and thinking we would put even more weight on.  But I was desperate, so  I started my own research; in a few clicks I had found several Facebook groups, luckily KFC was one I found straight away and I soon ditched the other groups.   I grabbed a pad and pen and wrote a meal plan and shopping list, I cleared the cupboards of all the things we wouldn't be eating, sent some to food bank and the rest to the neighbours. 

My head was spinning, everything I had been taught about food was turned on its head, I now questioned the whole food and health industries!

After week one, I was hooked, I loved the food, I loved the freedom, I loved that every mouthful felt like a treat, it didn't feel like a diet at all.  In the first week I lost 4kg.  I had decided to use kg to try to avoid becoming obsessed with pounds, which has worked.  Hubby bought new scales that analyse everything, so I concentrated on turning my orange and red zoned statistics into the green. 

The weight has continued  falling off, I've had some weeks of standstill, frustration of the odd gain but I always know it's when I've stopped weighing carbs and not tracking anything.  We've found sticking to Keto pretty easy, I love cooking, I love food, I can adapt most things and with the free recipe file on KFC, I was flying. 

I've shouted about KFC and Keto from the roof tops, if I can do this, honestly anyone can, they just need help to find Keto.  Friends and strangers who after seeing my weight loss and chatting have joined,  are now on their way to their own happy place.  I feel very proud of this community we are all part of.  

To date I've lost 4stone and 11lbs and I'm now in a size 12, I never thought I would say that.......... I do need to go clothes shopping though! 

Currently I'm where I want to be, in a healthy weight range, I feel confident that with KFC by my side I will just continue to live as I am, we have no desire to go back to our old ways and we don't miss anything, we've almost lived a year in Keto now.  

Andy never had any weight to lose, however he is leaner, his body shape has changed massively, he can now race fat adapted and he's really looking forward to his 70.3 mile Half Outlaw Triathlon race coming up very soon. 

I credit my success to each and every member of the KFC family, especially Mark and Ella for starting and running the group, I've celebrated my successes, shared my running journey from couch to 5k, to running a 10k and my return to swimming.  

I've shared recipes, products, ideas, loads of things, including, some may say, far too many pictures of me after a run!  All the love, support, food samples (thank you Pauline Moore) and advice I have received from you all has boosted my confidence, kept me focused, helped me to grow, to learn and to succeed.  It’s all given me the confidence to know I can do this and that this is my way of living that suits my body, to stay healthy, happy, fit, well and not in pain.  

Thank you everyone, I feel privileged to be part of this fantastic club. 

The journey for me and my husband has been such a fantastic one. We went into the first lockdown last year and severely hit the biscuits, after a few months of pure indulgence we decided that we really needed to do something about our eating habits. 

A friend of mine had lost 6 stone recently, so I asked her what she had done and she said Keto. She was amazing and pointed me to a few Facebook groups and some information, after a bit of research we decided to go for it, so in July we set off. 

We weighed ourselves, took measurements and pictures and most importantly planned our meals. We kept our Keto really simple, we are most definitely not clean keto, we downloaded a food tracker app (we use My Fitness Pal) and started logging and weighing out our foods. The only macro we paid attention to in detail was the carbs, making sure we were under 20g per day. The only other thing we kept an eye on was our calories, we got a digital set of scales that told us various things including our BMR, we used this to let us know our calorie limit per day, we made sure we were under this to ensure we were in a calorie deficit and the weight started to come off. 

The first 2 weeks were amazing and we were shocked, then we found out this was just water weight and we hadn't even started, then we hit the wall and the weight loss stopped for around a month. We stuck with it and did a bit more research and again discovered this was normal whilst our bodies were changing. Then woo hoo week 7 appeared and whoosh off the weight came again. 

We've been consistently losing weight ever since (with the odd tiny blip here and there). Christmas was HARD! We had 5 days off and totally stuffed our faces with everything and anything. After that January was the hardest month we've ever experienced, it took us the entire month to get back on track, to stop craving sweet things, to stop having hissy fits over the smallest things and to get our motivation back. In complete hindsight my advice would be - don't do it to yourself. At the time it was incredible and a really enjoyable 5 days but that following month was terrible and how I didn't end up causing serious injury to someone with my mood swings I will never know

I can however report that from July to now April in 9 months I have lost 6 & 1/2 stone and my husband 5 & 1/2 stone. We are now experiencing the pain of selling/disposing of our old clothes and having to buy everything new. I've discovered dresses, I can fit in long boots, I have more energy, my knees don't hurt anymore when exercising, my stamina has improved, I sleep better and although my mind still doesn't know I've lost the weight, it makes it a nice surprise when I pass a shop window or a mirror and see the new me. I still have another stone to go but am looking forward to reaching my goal.

The reason why most people struggle or fail on their journey to better health, better fitness and weight-loss is because their thinking gets in the way.

Meet Isabel...an inspiration to us all!

Grab a coffee before u sit down and read...you might be a wee while

Guess what. Yes I ate goodies and put a few pounds on over the 2wk festivities.

My pain is not half as bad as it used to be. If I’m honest the pain I have now is inflicted by Mark Brereton on the low impact exercise sessions. How cruel is he

Well where to begin, after looking at pictures of myself from last hogmany I decided enough was enough.

I have gradually put weight on since I 17 years of age going from size 12 to size 24. My weight fluctuated along the years up and down with yo yo dieting from 10 stone up until my heaviest around 21 stone each one lasting few weeks and making me feel unwell.

I was always an active person however this never helped due to good that was eating. This lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. I enjoyed healthy food but I also now realise that between the healthy meals I was having family sized bags crisps and chocolate and lots of other snacks. Food was there for me during my happy times, sad times and boredom.

Then I found keto in July 2020 and boy has it changed my attitude to food and my health for the better. I was recommended keto fitness club Facebook page by one of my work colleagues and I am super grateful for that recommendation. On finding this group I have looked at food in a whole new way and re educated myself on nutrition. I love all the inventive people on site that come up with all nutritious and beautiful recipes that they all kindly share with us and that we are all there to help and support each other through good and bad days in out journey.

Also, for all lovely cook books which have made my passion for cooking develop and improve. From starting keto in July 2020 I have lost 5 stone and clothes size 24 to 16 which I never thought would be possible alongside intermittent fasting. I get to wake up daily and eat nutritious and tasty food. I now feel like I can continue on and reach my goal with my new lifestyle.

For anyone starting out there will be ups and down but that's OK pick yourself up and continue tomorrow x

So after my writing my starting point to Keto this is my part 2 of my Keto journey.

I began to get scared with the chest pains I was having and new I was on a path to destruction. I know this maybe controversial to some and again the blog is purely my thoughts and feelings but I do believe that food can be an addiction. Not only addictive but food can also become our comfort blanket. If I was bored I would eat. If I knew there was crisps or chocolate in I would have to eat it. I would think nothing of eating 6 bags of crisps and 4 or 5 chocolate bars on a night. My life was purely based on food. Again at my heaviest I was 30 stone and knew my life expectancy wasn’t looking good.

I saw Keto on Facebook and thought it was just another fad diet and that it was about me joining a club getting weighed each week and losing 1 or 2 pound. Luckily for me a YouTube video came up for Keto Fitness Club and it was about where to shop and what to buy for Keto diet. This got my attention and I then proceeded to watch more from Keto Fitness Club.

The thing that occurred to me was they weren’t pushing signing up and paying weekly for classes. There were free meal plans and recipes on here. This was the start of a new lifestyle and I didn’t even know it yet. I decided I was going to give this a try. I looked at some recipes and off I went to Aldi to get my shopping list. The thing I didn’t understand was the fact I was buying full fat things and food I like. I did my first week on Keto and loved it. I was a bit unsure on certain things and again the Keto Fitness Club had advertised a KICK meeting. This is where you can go and Mark Brereton the founder of Keto Fitness Club does a Zoom meeting and explains about Keto.

I used the club on Facebook to ask any questions or concerns I had and the help and motivation was amazing. After my first week I had a fantastic weight loss and this boosted my efforts. I carried on into week 2 and again a great weight loss. I felt more energetic and so good overall.

Week 3 I decided to join the gym. My gym session was a shock as to my poor level of fitness I could only do 5 minutes of slow walking on the tread mill and could hardly breathe. I tried to go on the rowing machine but I was too fat to put my feet in the holders and also reach the handle I had to put my feet at the side. Again I was out of breath in minutes. I kept going 5 days a week and pushed myself each time.

I joined the members part of Keto Fitness Club and joined in with several different zoom meeting they have. I can honestly say they are like a family, non-judgemental, helpful and encouraging. This is one thing that has motivated me. I also have a 1:1 meeting with Mark and this was fantastic he took time to get to know me and my journey and goals.

I got to week 4 and the difference was unbelievable. I was over 1 stone down in weight but the health benefits were beginning to show. I went for a diabetic check and my blood sugars were down dramatically. I was taken off the canaglflozin and my thyroid tablets were reduced. I no longer needed tena man incontinence pads. This change alone was worth the effort. I carried on with the gym and had now started to push myself and was on the treadmill with a slight incline pushing myself hard. I was doing the weight training as well and spending about an hour each morning trying to improve each time.

Week 6 of my Keto diet and I realised I will not call it a diet anymore as diets for me are about weight loss and for me this is so much more it’s now my Keto lifestyle. I started to test my blood and have never had a high reading. I have so much energy. My resting heart rate has gone from 86 to 72. My fitness is so much better I don’t get out of breath like I used to do daily tasks. I no longer need Viagra (the missus has also felt the benefits of Keto!). The progress in the gym is fantastic and I have set myself long term fitness goals. I can honestly say Keto and Keto Fitness Club is a big contributing factor in saving my life. I know that’s a bold statement but without it I do not think I would have had long left. I do have to have a massive shout or for my wife Diane who has supported me and also done Keto with me, without her I do not know if I would be still doing it.

I’m now at week 9 of my journey and I now weight 24 stone 7 pound. I can now put my own socks and shoes on and feel so much better. I have gone from a 6 or 7xl to a 4xl tee shirt. from size 60 waist to 52 waist. My knees are so much better and very little pain in them now. I have another diabetic review coming up soon and I will post the results in here. I am doing this blog not for praise or recognition but to be honest and hopefully inspire others who face the same or similar issues that I have or I’m still facing. I have a long journey ahead of me but I’m focused and determine. I have my friends my family and my Keto Fitness Club family behind me!