Under $2,000 in Three Years
November 2019 — 17,000 members, and nobody seeing the videos
Facebook stopped showing them
On November 1st I went live with my plants in frame and a dog I was babysitting at my feet, and the first thing out of my mouth was about Facebook. I couldn't get my videos out to many people anymore without paying to publish them. Facebook decides who sees a video mostly by reactions, so if nobody reacts, nobody new sees it (live EYKF8787).
I've always hated engagement baiting, and I said so on that video. But I'll be honest about the other half too. Later in the same live I admitted part of the problem was me. There weren't enough regular videos. I didn't have a schedule for topics. I wasn't putting posts out at regular times that people could count on. Some of it was my fault (live EYKF8787).
That's a business lesson I'd give any client, and I hadn't been taking it myself. You can't blame the algorithm for an audience you stopped showing up for.
Cash negative
Then I said the money part out loud. Lifetime, KetoDick was cash negative. I'd made less than two grand from it in total, in close to three years. Meanwhile I'd paid to have graphics made, spent hours editing my own videos, and taken time away from girlfriends to have them help me set up cameras and lights. And every hour I spent on this was an hour I could have been paid for something else. My paid work was usually things like helping local companies with their social media, and that was never as rewarding as this. But this didn't pay (live EYKF8787).
I'm not telling you that so you feel sorry for me. I'm telling you because a lot of the keto internet is selling you something, and I wanted it on the record what doing it mostly for free actually looked like.
A group that didn't need me
Here's the part that felt good and weird at the same time. The group was at about 17,000 people. And a lot of the people who'd been there longest didn't really need me anymore. One member was over 100 pounds down. Others were in maintenance, or getting close to their goals. They were still checking in and using the group for support, because weight loss is a lifelong thing. But my job with them was mostly done (live EYKF8787).
That's a little of why I'd felt less pulled to show up. I wanted to be there for the new people who needed help now. Success, it turns out, can look like your audience leaving you behind.
Priorities first, and quit hating yourself
I ended that live on the thing I care about most. Too many people in the group failed, and that's their word, not mine. Not because they didn't know better. Not because they lacked drive or were lazy. They failed because their own health and needs weren't very high on their list (live EYKF8787).
So the first thing I make every coaching client do is write down their priorities. I told the story of a client, no names, with teenagers going through teenage stuff, parents getting older, and a marriage that needed some talking. I asked: would you rather be down 10 pounds with none of that better, or gain 10 pounds and make real progress with your family? They picked time with their family (live EYKF8787).
I also said where I was coming from. My grandparents had passed, my parents were healthy and not yet 70, I was single with no kids, and I owned my home. That's a lot of privilege, and it makes it easy for me to put weight loss in my top three. If I want to pick up a boxing class, I just go. When I cook low carb, no kids are asking for mac and cheese. So before you call yourself a failure, ask whether weight loss even makes your top three or five. If it doesn't, that's probably why you're not losing the way you want. Maybe low carb, instead of strict keto, gives you room to breathe (live EYKF8787).
And the last thing I said: at the very least, get rid of the self-loathing. It doesn't help. It's easier to take care of somebody you don't hate. So don't hate yourself (live EYKF8787).
What I'd tell you now
I'd still say both things: write your priorities down, and drop the self-hatred. The research supports the "low carb instead of keto" option too. In the DIETFITS trial, 609 adults on a healthy low-fat or healthy low-carb diet for 12 months lost about the same (−5.3 kg vs −6.0 kg, not significantly different) (Gardner et al., 2018). The ADA's 2025 standards call several eating patterns acceptable when they fit the person (ADA, 2025). Pick the one you can live with. See the DIETFITS study explained, keto vs low carb and why most diets fail. If the self-hatred is tied up with food, or you've had an eating disorder, bring in a therapist or your doctor before you tighten up any diet (eating-disorder history).
Earlier: Am I Still KetoDick If I Eat Mashed Potatoes? · Later: Reboot Me