197.0 pounds.  There it is.  I stepped on the scale today, and that’s what it said.  It’s been about three years since I seriously documented my health journey here on Explore Ketovore. I’d love to come back with a great success story and tell you that I figured everything out, hit all my goals, and never looked back.

That’s not what happened.  So I’m starting again.  And this time, I’m starting by being completely honest about where I am.

I Never Really Quit Ketovore

The strange thing is, I haven’t completely abandoned the ketovore/carnivore lifestyle.  My wife, Karen, is incredibly disciplined about it. Me? Not so much.  For the most part, we still eat a diet centered around meat, eggs, protein, and low-carb foods. I haven’t gone back to eating cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and pasta every night.

In fact, I’ve developed some pretty good habits over the last few years.  I normally eat only one or two meals a day.  Most days that’s lunch and dinner, usually within about an eight-hour eating window.  I’ve joined a gym and generally work out about three times a week.  I’ve also joined a spin class group. These people are serious. They’re consistent, encouraging, and apparently don’t share my belief that canceling a workout because work got crazy counts as cardio.

I also have a new puppy who has no interest whatsoever in whether I’m tired.  She gets me up and moving.  And perhaps the habit I’m proudest of is that I’ve remained very consistent about walking. I average around 8,000 steps a day, and that’s something I’ve managed to stick with.  Those are wins.  And I’m going to count them.

But Here’s Where I’ve Lost

I cheat. A lot.  That’s probably the simplest explanation.  My biggest problem isn’t that I don’t know what to do.  I know exactly what to do.  I’ve done it before.  My problem is sticking to it when life gets busy.

Client lunches and dinners are difficult for me. School board events and meals are another weakness. Put me in my normal environment and I can eat pretty well. Change the environment, put some free food in front of me, and suddenly Fred has apparently never heard of carbohydrates.

Work is another factor.  I run a business. It’s stressful. There are deadlines, clients, employees, bills, projects, phone calls and a thousand little things competing for attention.  When work gets crazy, taking care of myself is one of the first things I sacrifice.  I’ll cancel spin class.  I’ll make an exception at lunch.  I’ll tell myself I’ll get serious again Monday.  And I’ve discovered something unfortunate about Mondays.  There is another one every seven days.  It’s incredibly easy to keep moving the starting line.

So Today I’m Moving It Back

Not next Monday.  Not January 1.  Not after the next school board dinner.  Today.  August 26, 2026.  Starting weight: 197.0 pounds.  I’m putting it here publicly because I want a starting point.  I’m not proud or ashamed of the number. It’s simply data.  It’s where I am.  And you can’t measure progress without admitting where you started.

This Time Isn’t About Finding Another Diet

That’s probably the biggest difference between this journey and my first one.  I’m not searching for some magical new diet.  I’m not looking for the perfect supplement, secret food, complicated workout program, or revolutionary health hack.  I already believe I know what works for me.  Eat primarily ketovore/carnivore.

Keep my meals inside a reasonable eating window.  Stop cheating all the time.  Go to the gym.  Show up for spin class.  Walk every day.  Sleep.  Repeat.  That’s not particularly exciting.  But maybe that’s the point.

The Goal Is Consistency

Three years ago, I thought a lot about weight loss.  This time I’m thinking more about consistency.  Because I already have pieces of the puzzle working.  I don’t need to go from zero steps to 8,000. I’m already there.  I don’t need to join a gym. I already did.  I don’t need to find people who will exercise with me. I’ve got a whole spin group waiting for me to stop canceling on them.

I don’t need to convince my family to eat differently. Karen could probably teach this stuff.  What I need to change is the guy making the decisions.  Me.

Good Health Starts With a Decision

That’s really what this restart is about.  A decision.  I’m 197 pounds today.  That’s my starting line.  I’m going public with it, and I’m going to document what happens from here—the good weeks, bad weeks, weight loss, setbacks, workouts, meals, victories, and probably a few spectacular failures along the way.

I’m not promising perfection.  I’m promising to get back on the plan when I screw up.  Because after three years, I’ve realized something:  I don’t need another plan.  I need to stick to the one I already know works.  So this is Day One.  Again.  And that’s okay.  197.0 pounds.  

Let’s see where this goes.