For us ketonians who spend a lot of time online, keto content creators can be super helpful to follow. They can provide a sense of community, particularly for those who don’t have a lot of in-person support on their keto journey.
Today, we wanted to feature one incredible keto content creator: Scott from the channel Platte River Keto. In our interview with him, we discussed his recommendations for new keto-ers, what brought him to keto, and more.
Do you want to introduce yourself?
I’m Scott Odle. I am 43 years old. I have been married to my amazing wife, Liz for 20 years. I have two awesome kids: Brandon (who is about to graduate from high school) and Emily (who just finished her freshman year of high school).
I am a tax accountant by day. In my free time, I love to get outdoors and hike or hunt. I am a HUGE Nebraska sports fan, especially college football. I’ve been keto for almost three years.
Can you share with us an overview of your health journey and what initially led you to explore the keto diet?
I have been overweight to morbidly obese most of my life starting in puberty. Throughout high school, I was a bigger kid, but I was active in sports, particularly football, so my weight didn’t hinder me too much.
I served a two-year mission for my church after high school, and I lived in Ukraine during that time. I did a LOT of walking and I actually got down to an almost healthy weight.
After I got home from that mission, I went to college at BYU and met my amazing wife.
As many people do, I put on some pounds after I got married. While most people might put on 10-15 lb., I put on 75 lb. I put on even more weight as we had our kids. By the time our daughter was born, I was over 400 lb. About 15 years ago, I lost quite a bit of weight and got down to about 260 lb. with a standard “diet” of restricting my calories and exercising A LOT—only to gain all the weight back, plus another 75 lb.
In March of 2021, I decided that I wanted to try to “get healthy,” and I started posting about it on Facebook. A friend saw what I was trying to do and private messaged me. He said he was doing something he thought could help me.
I initially blew him off, but a few months later—after a vacation to Florida where I literally couldn’t get up and down from the sand at the beach—I decided that I would try anything. I messaged him back. It turned out that he followed the carnivore diet. That didn’t end up being sustainable for me long term, so I landed on keto.
What were some of the challenges or health concerns you were facing before starting keto, and how did you discover that keto might be a solution?
Thankfully I didn’t have any major health concerns. It was mostly that I could barely go from the couch to the fridge, any further than that and I was out of breath.
I did have a LOT of lower back pain that made it hard to walk for any length of time. I realized that I was starting to let life pass me by. Even simple things like going to the store with my wife were becoming a challenge, and it was getting very difficult to support my kids in their activities.
How has the keto diet impacted your overall health and wellness since you began this journey?
Keto has quite literally changed my life. I went from having to have my wife tie my boots to go hunting and barely being able to walk around the block, to being able to go on several mile hikes. I walk daily. I enjoy getting outdoors and hunting along with my son.
I am able to LIVE my life. I have the energy and mental clarity to do the things that I want to do. I also have a confidence that I have NEVER had in my adult life.
In the keto community, there’s a lot of discussion about “non-scale victories.” Are there any that were especially significant for you?
There were several milestones. Some probably seem small to others, but they were huge for me. Being able to tie my own shoes again. Being able to fit into a booth at a restaurant. That one was huge for me. I used to have so much anxiety when we would go out to eat.
I actually remember when my grandma passed away, my siblings and I went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse, and I couldn’t fit into the booth. I was so embarrassed, I left and ate fast food by myself. That was in 2020.
Another milestone for me was being able to fit in an airplane seat and not needing a seatbelt extender. I used to have so much anxiety when I traveled. I am also now able to get out and DO things when I go on vacation.
In the 3 years leading up to my starting my keto journey, my vacations were becoming more and more about just staying in my room. Now I get out and hike and see all of the outdoor sites there are to see. I walk on the beach, swim in the ocean, etc.
I also recover so much more quickly when I have a long day, where I’m working outside or have a tough workout, etc. Just the other day I had a very challenging workout, I walked my dogs, I worked in the yard, and I got ANOTHER walk in with my daughter. By the end of the day I had almost 20,000 steps.
Three years ago, I would have been out of commission for two or three days after. The next day I was a little bit sore, but that was it. I felt great. It is SUCH a difference.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting the keto diet based on your own experience?
First, PLEASE get some electrolytes. SALTT is a great option and they really help when you’re getting started.
Also, I would wait until you’ve been doing keto for a few months before you try any “look alike meals” like chicken crust pizza or meat lasagna, etc. If you just had a carb-heavy pizza last week, a keto pizza isn’t going to live up to your expectations. But after you’ve been keto for a few months, eating meat and low carb veggies, your taste buds will start to change, and that chicken crust pizza will be pretty amazing.
In your opinion, what are the key benefits of the keto diet compared to other dietary approaches you might have tried in the past?
This is the first “diet” (and I do put diet in quotes because I don’t consider it a diet, I consider it a lifestyle) where I didn’t feel like I was using all of my willpower to stick to it. Most every other diet is some form of a starvation diet, where you greatly limit your calories. It’s the first diet that I feel like I can stick to for the rest of my life.
Every other diet I have tried, after a few weeks I was constantly thinking about my next meal and either dreading the food if it wasn’t very good or craving some “forbidden” food. I’m not saying that I never have cravings on keto but they are so less often.
Have there been any surprising or unexpected challenges you’ve encountered during your keto journey?
One unexpected outcome was how quickly I felt better when I started the keto lifestyle. I started out at 475 lb., and I could hardly walk around the block because my back hurt so bad. I had always assumed that my back hurt because I was so overweight.
While that was part of it of course, my back pain was mostly due to the inflammation that I had because of my diet. Within a couple of weeks of adopting keto, my back pain was reduced by 80%. I could walk a mile or more without feeling like I had to stop multiple times. That was definitely NOT just weight loss as I was probably still 450 lb. at the time.
What role has Keto Chow played in your health journey?
Keto Chow is one of the only “keto products” I utilize. I am so glad that I found it. Especially during tax season when I am working long hours and often don’t feel like cooking, it is so nice to know that I have a shake that I can make in just a few minutes. I have a meal where I know that the ingredients are good, and I am getting the nutrition I need.
It also takes care of my occasional sweet craving without making me continue to crave. I have tried many, many “meal” shakes over the years, and Keto Chow is far and away the best shake I have ever had.
What made you decide to start making content about keto?
Honestly the number one reason I started making keto content is because keto content was such a big part of the beginning of my keto journey. When I first started, I binge watched 2-3 years of Dr. Berry’s videos. I found 2 Krazy Ketos and found community.
Those creators are also how I found Keto Chow. I felt like I needed to share my story and experiences because there was someone out there just like me who could benefit from my story and experiences. I often feel that my videos and posts are as much for me as they are for anyone else, but I hope that they also inspire others.
Out of curiosity, why the name Platte River Keto?
I live in North Platte, Nebraska, so I thought it would be a good way to pay homage to where I’m from. It is interesting though, when you first start something like this, you have no idea if it is just going to be your wife and your mom watching your videos. So it is hard to think long term.
I often wonder if I picked a good name or not as most people have probably never heard of the Platte River but at the end of the day, it’s ME.
You’re a busy person with a stressful job. How do you find that affects your keto journey?
It is definitely difficult and when I finally figure it all out, I’ll let you know…lol 🙂 The truth is that I definitely struggle during my stressful time of year, which is January 1 to April 15. I am an emotional eater, so I often turn to food for comfort during that time.
The good news is that it has been almost all keto food in the past 3 years. The bad news is that I have put on a few pounds during that season as you CAN overeat keto foods, especially treats and snacks. I will say Keto Chow has been a definite help to me as I always have one ready in my fridge at work during tax season just in case I need it.
How has being a parent affected your journey?
My kids were a big part of why I started this journey. I was 40 years old and barely able to walk from the car into the school to see my kids in a band performance or a play. I was getting to the point that I couldn’t fit into a seat and I saw a vision of my future where I wouldn’t be able to go to their performances or spend time in nature with them.
I want to be around for my kids and hopefully someday my grandkids, not as a permanent resident of my recliner but as an active part of their lives.
And finally, what is a favorite keto food or recipes that you wish more people knew about?!
My wife’s chocolate peppermint cookies are amazing. She was SO excited when Keto Chow came out with the peppermint flavor as it has always been a holiday favorite of hers.
Thank you so much, Scott!
Follow Platte River Keto on YouTube or Instagram.
