Did you have any problems with your weight or health before going on keto? 

I was always a guy who maintained a healthy weight. However, over the two decades following college, I continued to gain weight, and soon my weight began rising steadily toward the 300-pound mark.  

I tried Atkins. I lost weight with that diet, but soon I would lose the battle with hunger and habit and would gain the weight back quite quickly.   

While I wasn’t diabetic—yet—I now know that my blood sugars were on a fast track to diabetes. My family physician mostly recommended a diet of whole grains and lean meats.    

I have a family history of obesity and other health problems. As I approached the age of fifty, I began to think there wasn’t much I could do about it, especially given the way the metabolism slows. I knew I couldn’t go through Atkins again. It made me feel weak and tired, and it seemed like the weight was just sitting there waiting to leap back onto my body.  

I developed a long list of medical problems because of my obesity, including blood pressure issues, fat-storing hormone resistance, metabolic syndrome, severe sleepiness after eating, joint pain, skin, heartburn, eyelid inflammation, and gout.  

How did you discover keto?  

In my desperation for answers to these many health issues and how to achieve lasting weight loss, I did a YouTube search for how to lose weight and keep it off, and, suddenly, I found Dr. Berg and these wonderful bite-sized videos. I could learn from them at my own pace, in chunks. Because the videos were short, simple, and easy to understand, I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt convinced.  

Dr. Berg’s influence has been so profound and essential for my weight loss journey. His bite-sized daily content was part of my strategy to focus on a lifestyle process instead of a weight goal. Dr. Berg’s mantra, “get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy,” resonated with me.   

Dr. Berg’s teachings, combined with his book, helped me to understand:  

I came to rely on Dr. Berg’s advice every day, and he also helped me to understand that I was not alone in my struggles, that many people were going through the same thing in his group.  

I also believed Dr. Berg when he said the cravings for sweets and snacking would go away.  He was right! The fact that my life is now free from constantly thinking about food and that I can go many hours or even days without being hungry, as I have become fat-adapted, is one of the greatest unforeseen benefits of this ketogenic way of eating.   

How has your health improved since you started keto?   

Since January, when I began really following Dr. Berg’s advice, I’ve lost 80 pounds. That’s 80 pounds in six months. Not bad for a man of 50!  

I’m grateful that Dr. Berg puts a fresh message out every day, and his books are helpful to increase my knowledge as well. Now, seven months into my journey, I’mhelping other people in my social circle and turning them on to Dr. Berg’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.  

The ketogenic diet is challenging for, at most, the first few weeks—but Dr. Berg said the cravings and desire to snack would subside, and he was right!  

Keto is a very comfortable lifestyle for me.  I find I no longer crave something sweet, and the keto/intermittent fasting (IF) way of eating brings plenty of satiety.   

My health has improved in virtually every aspect of my life. Just look at the long list of health problems associated with the keto/IF program.   

There are many benefits, other than the obvious, that I feel so much better.  

If you could offer advice to someone starting keto, what would you say? 

I would say to someone ready to try this new lifestyle and way of eating to go into it without a weight loss goal. Yes, you read that right.  No goal in pounds lost.  Rather, I would suggest committing to 60, 90, or 120 days in following Dr. Berg’s advice to get healthy, and the weight will come off.   

After your initial time commitment, you can reassess, but you won’t want to go back to that unhealthy way of eating with the Standard American Diet.   

What’s more, go to Dr. Berg’s YouTube channel and Facebook group page daily for guidance and to know that you are not alone in your journey.   It’s a process to be followed…so follow the process and reap the benefits your body has been waiting for.  

I want to encourage everyone to read and listen to Dr. Berg as much as possible. Through his short, easy-to-understand videos on how to do everything from intermittent fasting to getting into ketosis, to getting all the minerals and vitamins you need to stay feeling energetic and avoiding any side effects.  

In just two to three short weeks, you’ll feel your body. Again, I lost 80 pounds in just 6 mere months, just focusing on Dr. Berg’s most important mission—to get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy.