When I look at the pictures of myself taken 6 months ago and now, I see two completely different people.
The gap between them is 77 pounds and this is impressive. I am 5 feet 9.3 inches (176cm) tall and my weight 6 months ago was 320 pounds (145kg). In the process I went from size 5XL to size XL in just 6 months. Unbelievable.
For much of my life, I had been athletic. In my early 30s, due to my company’s growth, I had to spend more time on business trips, was always busy and had no time to eat proper and healthy food. My life became more sedentary; I was working in the office until late and traveling by car and plane often. Obviously this caused a significant amount of weight gain.

One of my best friends, a second father for me, Claus Olsen told me once about Ketogenic Diet/Lifestyle and he shared his results with me. I could not believe that I could lose weight and get in shape again after many failed attempts, but I trust him a lot and I decided to give a try. I set a goal for myself which certainly had to be achieved. I decided to lose weight and make my life much better. That’s how my 6-month journey started.
A keto or ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet, which helps you burn fat more effectively. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat from your body is burned for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.
You will easily notice that you are in ketosis, because there are some sings of it such as weight loss, increased focus, loss of food craving, short-term fatigue. You may not experience all of them, but some will surely appear.
In my life I tried so many classic diets, but you cannot be on a diet all the time and as soon as you stop it for a while, you start gaining weight again. Keto took my attention, it was for me not a diet but more like a lifestyle.
Following the keto regime was not hard for me. All I had to do was reduce carbs, processed food and alcohol consuming. Day by day I was gaining energy and after a week I lost the feeling of constant hunger: That was the biggest victory for me! During every diet I tried before, I had to control myself, with keto I didn’t feel constant hunger and it comes naturally.
Typical Breakfast:
· Eggs, avocado, hard cheese, salmon, nuts, black coffee without milk and sugar (if I had no dinner on the previous day)
· 3 nuts, one piece of hard cheese, black coffee without milk and sugar (if I had dinner on the previous day)
Typical Lunch:
· Salmon steak or any white fish with prawns, broccoli and grilled veggies or salad



Typical Dinner:
· Chicken or steak with arugula salad and grilled vegetables
2 times a week I skip dinner or breakfast. Fasting for 14-16 hours helps organs regenerate and you gain a lot of power. If I skipped breakfast I would have a late brunch and an early dinner, so this will allow my organism to regenerate during the fasting. If I skipped the dinner, I would have an early full breakfast and early lunch.

Snacks:
· Dark Swiss chocolate (90% cocoa) and Greek nuts are good as a snack any time of the day.
Drinks:
· Wherever I am I always choose healthy, low-carb and organic food of the best quality. I avoid drinking soda and juice; I do prefer only water with lemon and ice.
· I may have only one glass of red wine (usually a fine Italian, Argentinian or French wine) with my steak or one champagne glass with my fish on the weekends or special occasions, but not so often.

· Regarding cocktails, I can get a Negroni while smoking a cigar at a very hot summer nights several times a year.
· Being a scotch whiskey lover I can let myself have a glass of it on a special occasion along with smoking a fine bespoke Dominican Cigar.

Desserts:
I don’t really like sweets, but can have a piece of cake or any dessert for my Birthday, Christmas Eve, New Year Eve or any very special occasion.
I didn’t do any weight loss exercises at first, but was trying to walk more every day. After 4 months I became more physically active and now I do stretching exercises, push-ups, running, bodysurfing, cycling or swimming - everything depends on which continent I am at the moment. If not, I try to walk 5-10 kilometers a day. All of these help me get rid of extra weight even faster.
This accomplishment once again proved that nothing is impossible if you have a strong determination. I didn’t even think of giving up, all I wanted and still do is becoming better and better every day. When one goal is achieved, set another one. My next target is improving spirituality and shaping my body.
I decided to write this article because I want to inspire and motivate people who have weight issues and who want to start living healthier life! It is never too late to change your habits and learn a new thing. Start now! Today is always better than Tomorrow. This is what worked well for me and I wish you every success if you intend to try this lifestyle too. Just believe in yourself and you can do anything.
I am happy to share my achievements with you, but please remember that you should do your research and/or consult with a doctor before starting any diet.

Alessandro Rocco Pietrocola is an entrepreneur based in London and operating mainly in Europe, Asia and Oceania with main focus on UK, Baltic Countries, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Middle East and New Zealand as area of interest! He uses to dedicate part of his life to inspire others and help them achieve the most out of their life. Since he was 20, he had successfully founded and managed several companies operating in the field of management consulting.