What’s #FEARLESS?
The hardest part of starting anything new, whether it be a new diet, a new career, or a new lifestyle, is actually just building up the motivation to START. When Nike said “Just do it“, they made it sound easier than it actually is. I know from experience that starting the Keto Diet is no walk in the park. And looking back, I know I couldn’t have done it without the amazing support system of friends, family, and other people on the same Keto journey around me, motivating me to just. keep. going.
Our mission at Fearless Keto is to empower anybody looking to make a change through guidance, information, and genuine support, the same type of support that I was so lucky to receive when I started this health & wellness journey. 45 pounds ago, I was a different person, not just physically, but also mentally. At this point, I can say that none of that would have happened without the support system around me that encouraged me to just start, to be #fearless.
👑 Lauren Paley 👑
My Story
Hey guys! I’m Lauren, and I’ve lost 45 pounds so far on the Keto Diet! I’m a singer/songwriter, part-time model, and full-time Keto enthusiast. I attended The Boston Conservatory for Musical Theatre, earning a BFA that came with a plethora of insecurity, both body and mind. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with food, starting from a young age and having a dietitian as a mother, food was an important part of our lives. Mom fed me the best and healthiest foods, always serving me vegetables with every meal and making sure that I tried new things and had an adventurous palette. While she was successful, I also craved the junk food that my friends had in their lunch boxes. I loved going to their houses and eating all the sugary treats that we didn’t have at my home. It became an addiction and hiding food from my mother became my speciality. I’d overindulge when I wasn’t home to make up for the fact that I was discouraged from eating junk at home. This continued throughout my life, and while I knew how to eat healthfully, my defiant nature and sugar addiction led me to make poor diet choices—and it showed.
My difficult relationship with food only intensified at college where being in the spotlight went hand in hand with being thin. In my senior year, the head of our department told our class that we should plan on losing one pound per week so we could look presentable enough for our final senior show case in front of casting agents in NYC. Being rebellious, I scoffed at that remark and took it as an opportunity to go against the grain. I began eating a ton of junk food in an effort to feel control over MY body. No one owned me. And while I don’t agree with the advice my teacher gave our class, I definitely did not agree with how I treated my body that year. I was overweight, unhappy, and had lower confidence than ever before. It wasn’t until I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and barely recognized myself, that I knew I had to make a change. I was so addicted to sugar, and in an effort to take back my life, I knew I had to cut out that toxicity.
The ketogenic diet was something I had read about in the past, but with my undying love for carbs, I didn’t know if it was something I could do. I was frightened by the word “diet”, and I knew that was something I didn’t want. A diet is temporary and I wanted a lifestyle change. With lots of love, motivation, and reinforcement from my amazing mother, I began to embark on my new low carb journey. The pounds starting falling off. I loved how unrestricted I felt because I could still eat so many foods I loved, and recreate my favorite recipes with low carb ingredients. I didn’t even miss bread or sugar because I just loved how I felt. It’s true when they say ‘nothing tastes as good as healthy feels’. Within the first couple months, I had lost more than 30 pounds. I had never looked better in my life. I even signed my first modeling contract. Who knew?! When that weight came off, I felt like my life had just begun. Forty-five pounds later, I’m a completely new person, both physically and mentally. That is why I am here today. I know how scary making a change is, but I can attest to how rewarding it is. Everyone deserves to feel strong, beautiful, and fearless.
My Mother, Mary
Lauren here! I can confidently say that without my mom’s guidance and support, I would have never discovered the ketogenic diet, nor would have been able to maintain it and make it part of my lifestyle. So naturally, I wanted her to be involved in Fearless Keto as well to help others like me!
A few words from Mom/Mary now 👑
Hi everybody! I’m Mary Henderson Paley, MS, RDN, CDE, LD/N – and I’m also Lauren’s mother! I am a Registered Dietitian living in Dallas, Texas. I completed my Dietetic Internship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and my Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Over my 30 year career, I have held specialized certifications as a Certified Nutrition Support Dietitian (CNSD), and have been a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) since 2004. During my career I have worked as both a clinical dietitian at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a community health dietitian at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. I have also held the position of Chief Clinical Dietitian/Clinical Nutrition Manager at two major hospitals in South Florida and have worked as the lead research dietitian for several major pharmaceutical companies while serving as a certified diabetes educator for the largest endocrinology practice in South Florida. More recently, my focus is on health and wellness and the benefits of ketogenic diets for both obesity and diabetes management.
Speaking from my own personal experience as a dietitian and having worked in a number of institutional settings for a cumulative 30+ years, I have interacted with tens of thousands of patients and clients with various health disorders, the vast majority within the triad of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Throughout that time, I reluctantly educated patients on standardized diets dictated by various medical associations, including my own professional organization. I intuitively knew that many of these recommendations were invalid or obsolete and I prefaced my advice with views based on my own observations and on valuable feedback from my patients and clients. Decades later, recent research has finally helped to vindicate my unconventional viewpoints on nutrition and its role in health.
I am taking this opportunity to share my years of practical experience, encourage those who are interested in the ketogenic diet, and to learn from the community of women of all ages and backgrounds who also bring their own knowledge and experience to this platform.
👑 Mary Paley 👑