Editor's Note: Dr. Anna Cabeca, the author of "The Hormone Fix," recently spoke with Success Stories about her weight-loss success. For more in-depth information, reporter Nedra Rhone recently featured Cabeca in Sunday Living: https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/the-great-balancing-act/nfAsx62M9s064LTjWPDhQN/
SUCCESS STORY / Dr. Anna Cabeca, 52: From 240 pounds to 155 pounds
Former weight: 240 pounds
Current weight: 155 pounds
Pounds lost: 85 pounds
Height: 5 feet 8 inches
Age: 52 years
How long she's kept it off: She started in 2014, lost her weight the first year and has maintained for five years.
Personal life: "I am an obstetrician-gynecologist. I did my residency at Emory University School of Medicine and delivered tons of babies at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital," said Cabeca, who is triple board-certified in gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She retired her clinic in 2016. "I am a single mom raising my 11-year-old. I have four girls aged 11, 20, 23 and 30, and I live in St. Simons Island." Cabeca is the author of "The Hormone Fix" (https://book.thehormonefix.com). Her website is: DrAnnaCabeca.com (https://drannacabeca.com)
Turning point: "When I was 38, that's when we lost our son, God bless him. I went into menopause instantaneously. I was told I would never have another baby. I reversed menopause and had a baby at 41. Menopause hit again at age 48. Then 5, 10, 20 pounds come on and you're not doing anything different. … As I started gaining weight, I was going keto — I called it going keto crazy. … I started checking my urine pH. I was so acidic and I was eating healthy keto, but that was not healthy for brain health or hormones. I started thinking, what If I get alkaline and then do keto and maintain the two? As progesterone and estrogen decline, our body has difficulty using glucose for fuel. … We get foggy at the office, we get irritable, we get angry." Through healing herself, she developed the keto-green™ or keto-alkaline® program.
Diet plan: "She begins the day with her own keto-alkaline® protein shake blended with greens and avocado. She eats keto-green meals only and nothing after 7 p.m. "Any one of us will create insulin resistance because we're snacking all the time," Cabeca said.
Exercise routine: She walks daily. "I do more intense exercising three to five times per week," Cabeca said. "I enjoy yoga and boxing."
Biggest Challenge: "I am a stress eater, it's staying balanced," Cabeca said. "I have to pour into myself. I've got to chill before I do the next thing. Before I react instead of respond … we have to stop and take a break. We must pour into ourselves before we can pour out to others."
How life has changed: "I published a best-selling book, 'The Hormone Fix.' I had the clarity to do that and make good decisions for my business," Cabeca said. "… Getting healthy, getting clear, getting keto-green helped me to magnetize the healthiest relationships I've ever had in my life and with my four girls."
Share Your Success: Each week, Success Stories focuses on an individual’s unique weight loss journey. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does not endorse any specific weight loss program but includes names and links for the benefit of readers who want further information. Have you lost weight successfully with a healthy lifestyle change? If you would like to share your story with our readers, please include your email address, phone number, and before and after photos (by mail or JPEG), and contact us at: Success Stories, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA, 30346-1301; or email Michelle C. Brooks, ajcsuccessstories@gmail.com.
