Sherri Shepherd just shared more details about why she decided to start living the keto (and sugar-free) lifestyle-and exactly how its helped her weight-loss goals and overall health.

Sherri, 51, posted a photo on Instagram Thursday with her son Jeffrey, crediting him with being the reason for her transformation. "Jeffrey is my world and the reason I am close to 300 days of #sugarfree living," she wrote.

Her turning point came when Jeffrey saw Sherri eating a candy bar and asked, "Mommy if you die who's going to be my bodyguard?"According to Sherri, that was the push she needed to "commit to [her] health and to not [live] in a fog."

As of right now, Sherri's closing in on 300 days of living sugar-free-and while she's dropped 30 pounds on the diet (down from 189 pounds to 159 pounds), she's also raving about the other health benefits she's seen-and they're pretty damn big.

Sherri was actually diagnosed in 2007 with type 2 diabetes, according to U.S. News and World Report-the chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, however, Sherri says her A1c numbers-a test that measures your blood sugar levels-are "down to a pre-diabetic state."

Sherri also credits her sugar-free lifestyle with giving her more energy, as well as reducing her headaches, eczema, and dark under-eye circles. She's noticed she has more patience with her son, too: "I can laugh and not be irritated at Jeffrey's silliness," she wrote.

In another Instagram post, Sherri shared more about her keto diet journey, too, thanking two of her keto mentors. "Two women who helped me do #ketogenic the safe & healthy way [are] @keto365transformation & @blackketogirl."

Still, despite Sherri's success, her sugar-free journey has definitely not been easy. "Every day I think about sugar," she wrote. "But I really want my life. I want to see my son graduate...I want to see him walk down the aisle...I want to see my grandkids...I want to live!"

Clearly, Sherri's on the sugar-free keto journey for good reasons-and it's definitely showing.