What were you struggling with before making this change? 

July 2023, I was a very diabetic, 336 lbs. (24 stone/153 kg), 5 feet 8 inches, 55-year-old man with a BMI of 51. I had accepted that I would probably not make it to old age. However, I was shocked into action by two fellow diabetic friends of the same age getting seriously ill within two weeks of each other; one lost part of a foot through an amputation, and the other nearly died from sepsis after two 10+ hour operations on leg aneurysms. When the second friend told me that everyone in the vascular treatment hospital ward he was in was having amputations apart from him, that terrified me, as I knew that I could not cope with the fear of a long, slow demise with bits being cut off of me. 

At that time, my health was very poor, as I could not walk 100 meters without getting out of breath; stairs were extremely difficult, I was always suffering from hot flushes, and I had not slept more than 2-3 hours solid for about a year. I had slept poorly for most of the previous 5 years since being diagnosed with diabetes. I also had to give up playing tennis for the previous 2 years, as I was no longer sufficiently mobile to compete. 

How long did it take to notice results? 

I decided I needed to research why people become morbidly obese and why they become diabetic. Everything pointed to excessive carbohydrate consumption and carbohydrate addiction, and it was Dr. Berg’s videos that started me on the path to understanding this.  

I started my strict clean keto journey on 31st July 2023, and within 2 weeks I noticed major changes, especially sleeping through the night like a baby for the first time in ages. Also, my massively swollen feet that barely fit in shoes, now starting to look more normal. At the end of 16 months, I had halved my weight to 166 lbs. (76 kg/11stone) and BMI of 26, and was trim and the fittest I had been in over 12 years. 

I did this all by keeping carbs ultra-low (10-20 g net), intermittent fasting every day, never eating before 1-2 pm, and then adding weekly prolonged fasting after the third month. My prolonged fasting regimen was to have a 44- to 48-hour fast at the start of every week, but to then step up to a 3- to 5-day fast once a month, in place of the 44- to 48-hour fast. I stick to the same regimen today, 3 years later, and remain very healthy.  

I followed the advice I learned from Dr. Berg pretty rigidly and was convinced this was the right path due to seeing results so quickly, with the weight loss consistent and almost a straight line for the first 9 months. And I did this all without visiting a gym. After about 3 months, I was able to resume playing tennis once a week, and I was able to progress to playing 3 times per week within a year, as I naturally became fit as I lost weight. 

Share 5-7 results or changes you’ve noticed. 

What challenges did you face when starting? 

The challenge was the motivation to start. 6 months before starting keto, when my weight hit 24 stone/336 lbs., that scared me and motivated me to give up alcohol, although I only drank occasionally. I just felt that was a quick win to reduce some health risks immediately. I tried a low-calorie diet, but that quickly failed. Once I saw Dr. Berg’s videos and researched keto in depth, I found it easy to start keto, as I was motivated by my two diabetic friends becoming seriously ill within 2 weeks of each other.  

From day 1, I experienced no hunger/keto flu and found the keto lifestyle easy. This may have been because I was still eating a little fruit, having not appreciated the carb content of that. I put this right about two weeks after starting, but it is possible that this meant that my progression into full clean keto was gradual enough to avoid any such problems. 

How did you overcome them? 

The challenges were overcome simply because I found the lifestyle very easy; I loved eating a high-fat diet with lots of meat and green vegetables/salad and saw results so quickly. 

What does your routine look like now? 

I have maintained the same routine and will do so forever. No food Sunday night through to Tuesday afternoon/evening every week and normally a 5-day fast at the start of every month. On other days, I always fast until 1 or 2 pm and then have my second and final meal around 8 pm. Some days I just have the evening meal (OMAD).  

As I am now very fit and healthy, I play tennis three times per week, but I now want to add weight training. 

Share 5-7 ways this change has impacted your daily life. 

What advice would you give someone starting in this area? 

20 work colleagues have been inspired by seeing my journey to either do full keto or reduce their carb intake, as I advised them to watch Dr. Berg’s keto intro video. I also advised them to go deeper into the science, both through Dr. Berg’s many other videos and by reading books. I believe that once you understand that this is all about insulin management and protecting the mitochondria, it is easier to be clear as to why this lifestyle works, not only for weight management, but also for the healthiest possible lifestyle. 

I published a viral LinkedIn post in December 2024, which was seen by over 0.25 million people, with many commenting and reaching out to me for help. I put together a one-page advice sheet for tese people to go through my journey with web links to videos by Dr. Berg and others, as well as links to various science books. 

Any other details you want to share? 

While I lead a busy life and have no aspirations to become a health influencer, I am keen to get as much of my story as possible out in the hope that it can continue to inspire others that morbid obesity and diabetes are not a one-way street towards a demise managed through medications.  

I am also keen to speak to senior politicians to encourage them to consider this approach instead of the long-failed “move more, eat less” dogma.