A Keto Cycle Diet Helped Her Break Through a Weight-Loss Plateau and Lose 134 Pounds
Taking short 'rest' breaks between keto cycles can reset your metabolism for lasting results
You know that euphoric success people can see at the start of a new diet, before it fades and forces us to give up? Consistent dieting is hard. No wonder 76 percent of low-carb dieters quit after just three months. But metabolic health coach Kim Howerton found a way to harness the early magic over and over again to finally crack her weight-loss code in her 40s. Here, how to use her easy keto-cycle method to blast plateaus and see unprecedented results.
Finding a new approach to weight loss
Many of us feel like we were born with a bad metabolism. But Kim had proof when the technician running her metabolic testing told her she had one of the lowest metabolic rates they’d ever seen. Over the years, pounds and problems piled up for Kim: bad knee pain, migraines, prediabetes, high liver enzymes, low thyroid, PCOS, depression. She shares, “I became aware that my weight could kill me.”
Desperate, Kim knew she needed to find a new way to eat that would be sustainable in the long term—not like old strict plans. She heard an expert talk about eating low-carb, so she gave it a try. “Weight started to come off really well,” says Kim, who dropped 40 pounds in the first four months.
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Despite her early success, Kim then hit a plateau. Weight wouldn’t budge. “I felt completely betrayed—I was told keto would fix me. I didn’t know what was going on.”
With research, Kim discovered her initial weight loss had changed her metabolic health. What worked for her at 289 pounds no longer worked for her slimmer self. Since her body had learned to react to food differently, she needed to do the same. She tinkered with her macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat) portions to see what would get the scale moving again. She stuck with low carbs but realized, “I had to bring the fat down and the protein up.”
Kim started following ‘rev’ and ‘rest’ keto cycles
Kim learned that bodybuilders often change their eating cycles based on their goals, whether they’re trying to add weight (bulk), lose weight (cut) or maintain weight. So she began cycling between two eating patterns every three months or so, all while staying physically active. “I realized my body does better in sprints than a marathon.”
Experts call this approach keto cycling or periodization. Kim actively tried to lose weight for three months, then tried to maintain for three months, before repeating the cycle. (This isn’t about dieting and falling off the wagon, she says. It was intentional.)
The switch-ups made things fun, fresh and effective. Kim even enjoyed high-protein chocolate cake. She says, “You should be excited about weight loss and not angry about it.”
What Kim did during her keto cycles
During a weight-loss cycle, Kim cut her fat intake in meals by eating egg whites, “lighter” salad dressings and leaner cuts of meat. During maintenance cycles, she added back more fat and trimmed her meat portions.
It was a subtle, mindful shift that kept her metabolism revving and resting but always moving forward—never going in reverse. As she easily lost weight in steady batches, she found, “This approach changed my life by giving me back control.” She did what many think is impossible: She reset her set point, the amount your body naturally wants to weigh without effort.
Those keto cycles led to life-changing health results
By diet cycling, Kim says, “I pushed the boundaries of what I thought possible for me.” In all, she lost 134 pounds and 22 inches from her waist. Her depression lifted, she needed lower doses of thyroid meds and her PCOS resolved itself. Plus, she is no longer prediabetic—her A1C dropped to a sterling 4.9.
Before low-carb cycling, Kim says, “I only knew weight-loss failure.” But changing the amount of fat and protein she ate every few months brought lasting success. “It’s nice to feel in control of my weight for the first time at midlife.” Now about to turn 50, Kim doesn’t worry about menopausal weight gain. Cycling is the tool that always jump-starts her success. “Life is just getting started!”
Today, Kim coaches other women to personalize their diets with cycles, saying, “Your metabolic health is your health.” She also co-wrote the book Common Sense Labs with low-carb expert Ken D. Berry, MD, to help people advocate for their health. “It’s empowering. I always felt like the victim of my weight. Now I get to decide what I weigh. I’m the captain of my ship!”
What experts say about diet cycles
Several doctors, including Mike Moreno, MD, and Ian K. Smith, MD, recommend this “confuse it to lose it” approach. By giving the body different fuels at different times, you make your metabolism more flexible. That’s the opposite of a condition called metabolic syndrome, which traps us in a vicious weight-gain cycle. Plus, research shows diet cyclers have healthier blood sugar and cholesterol levels and less belly fat.
You can have success switching cycles every few months, weeks or even days. “Just like you have to change your exercise routine, you have to change your eating routine. This is where metabolic ‘confusion’ can really help,” explains Anna Cabeca, DO, author of MenuPause. She says switching up eating approaches the way Kim did has helped “tens of thousands of women lose weight safely and easily.”
Research on long diet cycles is limited, but in one Italian study, obese patients in a controlled hospital setting who repeated three cycles—alternating between an intense keto diet for 10 days, followed by a period of rest for at least 10 days—lost 32 pounds.
How to try keto cycles for yourself
To cycle off weight like Kim, keep your daily carb intake low, around 50 grams. Start with a weight-loss or “rev” month. (Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight and 65 grams of fat daily.) Then switch to a “rest” month (0.8 grams of protein and 100 grams of fat.) Alternate back and forth until you hit your goal, tinkering with your ratios based on your unique needs.
Keto cycle sample meals
Denver egg bake
- REV cycle: Use 1 egg, 2 egg whites, bacon, peppers, onion and a little cheddar cheese
- REST cycle: Use 3 eggs (with yolks) and more cheese
Giant Cobb salad
- REV cycle: Mixed greens, meat and avocado with light dressing
- REST cycle: Add more avocado and Greek yogurt dressing
Steak and veggies
- REV cycle: Choose a lean-cut flank with cauliflower rice and asparagus
- REST cycle: Have a fattier cut of beef cooked in butter
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