A New Year, A New Bloom: My 90‑Day Reset
A New Year’s Journey Toward My Final 25 Pounds
There are times in a woman’s life when her body feels like it’s working against her, and others when it finally feels like home again. I’ve lived both. Last winter, when cancer entered my life, my foundation was shaken. In a season filled with fear and uncertainty, the one thing I knew I could control was how I nourished myself. So I turned immediately to a whole‑food, high‑fat way of eating, to support my body in the best way I knew how.
In the 6 months after my diagnosis, I lost 65 pounds. The number still feels surreal, but what is even more meaningful is that I’ve kept it off for another 6 months, which I’ve never been able to do before. I didn’t chase thinness; I chased life. I chased energy. I chased the version of myself with fewer migraines, fewer food cravings, who could run after my kids, who didn’t wake up with random aches and pains.
The ketogenic approach became the tool that helped me rebuild. I followed it nearly all the time, with a few intentional cheat days for sanity and celebration, and it worked.
For the last six months, my body has been holding steady in a plateau. But now I’m ready for the next chapter. I’m ready to finish this weight‑loss journey and step into maintenance with confidence and clarity.
So here it is:
My goal for the first 90 days of 2026 is to lose the final 25 pounds and return to my high school weight.
This is my next chapter.
This is my next bloom.
Why Keto Became Part of My Healing
I’d always known about the keto diet as a weight‑loss strategy and a treatment for pediatric epilepsy, but even before my diagnosis I was digging deeper into its other potential benefits, especially its role in lowering inflammation and influencing cancer‑related metabolic pathways. So when I heard the words no one ever wants to hear, I pivoted immediately. I went straight into a meat‑based ketogenic approach, choosing the one thing I felt I could control in a moment when everything else felt uncertain.
Several studies suggest that ketogenic diets may help reduce inflammation and insulin levels, both of which are connected to cancer biology. Other research looks at how keto may influence tumor metabolism, oxidative stress, and immune responses. A 2025 systematic review even found improvements in fat mass, insulin levels, blood glucose, and inflammatory markers like C‑reactive protein in cancer patients following a ketogenic diet.
To be clear, no diet cures cancer.
But nutrition can support healing.
And for me, keto became a way to feel grounded and empowered when so much felt out of my control.
My doctor agreed and encouraged me to stick with keto most of the time, especially because it helped me lose weight, reduce inflammation, and stabilize my energy. It became a tool I could rely on. Something steady in the middle of a season that was anything but.
The Plateau
Plateaus can feel like failure, even when they’re not. They feel like stagnation, even when your body is quietly recalibrating, healing, strengthening beneath the surface.
For six months, the scale hasn’t budged. Not up, not down. Just… still.
But I’ve learned that stillness is not the enemy. Stillness is information.
It tells me:
My body has adapted.
My metabolism has settled into its new normal.
My routines need a refresh.
My next season requires a different kind of fire.
And so, as the calendar turns, I’m choosing to turn with it.
My 90‑Day Immersion: Full‑Time Keto, Rhythmic Fasting, Whole‑Body Renewal
For the first 90 days of 2026, I’m committing to a clean, consistent ketogenic lifestyle. No cheat days, no “just this once,” no drifting into old habits.
Not because I believe in punishment.
Not because I believe in perfection.
But because I believe in momentum.
I want to give my body a clear signal:
We’re moving again. We’re shifting again. We’re ready for the next transformation.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Strict Keto (No Exceptions)
For these 90 days, I’m keeping things simple and steady. I’ll follow a clean ketogenic approach built around whole, unprocessed foods. Plenty of healthy fats, moderate protein, and very low carbs. Unsweetened tea and coffee will stay in the mix, keeping my routine familiar and easy to maintain.
Instead of counting calories or obsessing over macro ratios, I’ll lean into intuitive eating. I want to pay attention to how my body feels, what actually satisfies me, and the kind of steady energy that comes from eating in a way that supports healing. This is about consistency, clarity, and giving my body the kind of fuel that helps it function at its best.
2. Intermittent Fasting
I’ll be layering in intermittent fasting as well. For me, fasting creates a rhythm that helps my body settle. It supports steadier insulin levels, reduces inflammation, and naturally helps with water retention. It also gives my digestive system the kind of break my post‑cancer body responds to really well. Fasting is known to trigger autophagy, the body’s built‑in process for clearing out older or damaged cells. It feels like another way to support my overall healing and give my body the space it needs to function at its best.
My plan:
A daily fasting window (likely 16:8)
Regular 24‑hour fasts when my body feels ready (probably twice per week)
Hydration, minerals, and electrolytes
3. Gentle Movement
Over the holidays, I slipped out of my usual three times a week gym rhythm, and I can feel the difference. So part of this reset is simply getting back into the habits that support me.
My plan is to return to twice weekly strength training to continue building muscle and stability, and get back to weekly yoga classes to keep my body flexible and my mind grounded.
4. Emotional Honesty
Weight loss is never just physical.
It’s emotional.
It’s spiritual.
It’s deeply personal.
I’ll be journaling, reflecting, and sharing pieces of the journey here — the victories, the frustrations, the cravings, the clarity.
5. Accountability Through This Blog
Every week, I’ll post an update:
What worked
What didn’t
How I felt
What I learned
What shifted
And at the end of the 90 days, I’ll share a before/after reveal. Not as a trophy, but as a testament to resilience.
Why This Matters to Me
Losing the final 25 pounds isn’t about vanity. It’s about improving measurable health metrics. My body will simply function better carrying a little less weight. Technically, I’m no longer overweight, and I’m proud of that. But I also know there’s a version of me that feels lighter, stronger, and more supported from the inside out.
After carrying twins, my midsection stretched in ways I never expected. It’s a badge of honor, but it also means I look heavier than I actually am. The extra skin and softened core are reminders of a pregnancy that changed everything: beautiful, miraculous, and also physically intense. Losing these last 25 pounds won’t erase that story, but it will help me feel more at home in my body again. It will help me rebuild strength where things were stretched, shifted, and rearranged.
But this journey is also emotional. It’s about reclaiming the body that carried me through cancer, motherhood, and survival. It’s about honoring the woman who fought so hard to stay alive and giving her the healthiest foundation possible for the many years ahead.
It’s about stepping into the next period of my life feeling strong, clear, and grounded.
It’s about showing my children what it looks like to rise.
It’s about proving to myself that I can finish what I started.
Ashes & Wildflowers: The Metaphor That Keeps Finding Me
Every time I write for this blog, I return to the same imagery: ashes and wildflowers. Destruction and rebirth. Loss and growth. Fire and bloom.
This journey is no different.
The ashes:
Cancer
Fear
Weight gain
Inflammation
Migraines
Exhaustion
The plateau
The parts of myself I had to let go
The wildflowers:
Healing
Strength
Weight loss
Improved biomarkers
Longevity
Clarity
Discipline
Hope
The next 90 days
Wildflowers don’t bloom because the world is gentle.
They bloom because they are.
And so will I.
What I Expect (and What I Don’t)
I don’t expect the journey to be easy.
I don’t expect the weight to fall off magically.
I don’t expect perfection.
But I do expect:
Progress
Discipline
A renewed sense of purpose
A shift in my metabolism
A reduction in inflammation
A clearer mind
A lighter body
A deeper connection to myself
If You’re Reading This, Thank You
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for walking with me.
Thank you for witnessing this chapter of my healing.
This blog has become more than a creative outlet. It’s become a mirror, a companion, a place where I can lay down the weight of my story and pick up the beauty of it.
And I’m honored to share this next season with you.
The Next 90 Days: A Promise to Myself
So here is my promise to myself.
For the first 90 days of 2026, I’m committing to show up with intention, discipline, and love. I will nourish my body, support my healing, and pursue the final 25 pounds with clarity and commitment.
I’m ready to move past the fear, the fatigue, and the long plateau of the past six months.
Not because I need to be smaller, but because I’m strong enough to finish what I started.
And when the 90 days are complete, I’ll share the transformation, not just in photos, but in the lessons, the shifts, and the quiet strength that comes from choosing to rise again.
This is my wildflower bloom.