Life Before Keto

So it was 2012 Mother's Day. Baby #3 was late and she was so low I could barely walk. I'd been in bed the vast majority of this pregnancy and at this point if I wanted to wash my hair I needed help. I was also really grateful that our shower, at the time, had a place to sit as I couldn't stand for the duration of a shower. 
Before this I was a healthy runner with an athletic buid and weekly mileage that would leave me prepared for most races I wanted to participate in. In this pregnancy I would be left with an extra 50lbs post partum. I was baffled as I was eating my normal amount and I couldn't conceive how I gained this much. Taking courage in myself, knowing I've helped other people lose weight and get healthier, I could lose it too. I drew up a plan and got to work. Great right?! No. In a year I lost 0lbs. I felt like I was going crazy. I had severe joint pain, muscle pain, and I'd lost most of my strength. Simple tasks became very difficult like standing up from a chair, bending down to pick something up, basic squat was near impossible, and carpal tunnel so bad I had very limited motion in my hands.
In addition to all of this I experienced insomnia, depression, stomachaches, impaired digestion, severe bloating......
Really, I could go on and on. I was trying to eat veg but the fiber hurt my insides. I did green juices and that caused me to bloat like crazy. I was, effectively, afraid to eat, and exhausted from no sleep. Being pregnant 3x in 3yrs didn't help and I felt like I was in shambles. I'd heard of keto here and there, and honestly, it sounded like fad diet. I knew I wanted to go back to coaching and training and I did not want my testimony to be a fad. However, one particular day I was so depressed and angry because I just didn't know what to do I told myself no more carbs. In 3 days I slept through the night for the first time in several years. At that point I was a believer.