How did I get here?

I grew up in the 80's eating Pop Tart's and Frosted Flakes for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Wonder bread for lunch, and frozen fish sticks and instant mashed potatoes for dinner. I'd go to the mall with friends and eat giant soft pretzels and lemonade while we walked and talked. I lived on Hostess fruit pies and Twinkies. I started getting belly aches in 7th grade, especially after eating pizza or spaghetti. I remember going with my mom and brother to a health fair where they did a quick finger stick cholesterol test and was told my cholesterol was high. I developed gestational diabetes during my first pregnancy, and after that my mother's endocrinologist told me I was at risk of becoming diabetic as I aged. My mom was a type 1 diabetic diagnosed when she was 13. I developed gestational diabetes with my other two pregnancies. My first baby weighed 8 lb 6 oz, my second baby was born prematurely and weighed 2 lb 6 oz, and my third baby weighed 9 lb 12 oz. Big babies are common when born to diabetic mother's. About 15 years ago, I decided to try an experiment and go gluten free to see if it helped with my belly aches and bloating. It did! I felt so much better not eating wheat, but instead I found gluten free substitutes for all my favorite foods. I ate gluten free pasta, gluten free oatmeal, gluten free bread, I baked lots of gluten free treats, and I gained about 20 pounds in a relatively short amount of time. Seven years ago, I was at work (I work as a hospital based physical therapist) when I felt my heart start racing. This had been happening to me since my early 20's, and I had in fact been evaluated by a cardiologist who told me I had a mitral valve prolapse. He told me it was safe to exercise, and I must not get dehydrated, or the symptoms would get worse. So off and on for years I have felt my heart race, and I didn't think too much about it. Except, it didn't stop racing, and after 20 minutes my coworkers put me in a wheelchair and pushed my down to the Emergency Room. My heart was beating 188 beats per minute. I was given medication to slow it down, and it took over 1 week for my heart rate to get back to normal. That event started me on to the path of advocating for my own health and wellness! I was actually excited to see a cardiologist, I was eager to see my lab values for blood glucose and cholesterol. I was convinced everything would be in a normal range as I had been eating gluten free for several years. What a shock to discover that I was pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. The doctor wanted to put me on a statin drug immediately. I told him I'd like to try diet and exercise first. He told me to eat a diabetic diet: oatmeal and toast for breakfast, some rice or potato with lunch and dinner. That just sounded crazy to me. That's what got me into the trouble I was currently in. My cousin and brother had recently started eating a Keto Diet and suggested I try it out. I thought they were crazy. That much fat would definitely give me a heart attack! I did some research and decided to give it a try, I was going to get more blood tests in 3 months. Well, the first 3 months were definitely an experiment. I ate lots of bacon and butter, sausages and butter, cheese and butter. My A1c came down a little and I lost about 20 pounds without trying. My cholesterol was still high according to the cardiologist and he was still pushing statin drugs. I started changing up what I was eating, more meat and vegetables, less butter and bacon. I kept researching the keto diet and I found Maria and Craig Emmerich. They taught me the science behind nutritional ketosis. I learned that eating meat, saturated fats and low carb veggies would keep me full and satisfied while reducing my insulin resistance and healing my body. I learned that carbohydrates are not essential for health and that my body could use my stored fat for energy. I used to wake up every morning shaky and nauseated and I would have to force myself to eat something immediately or I would be sick. I now know that I was having a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episode and my body needed