Chris Hunt's Story

Chris Hunt was the typical dad: he was “in shape” in his 20s, got married and had two children, and as life went on, he gained more weight than he liked.

“I tried and failed to lose weight with traditional diets over the years,” he said. “About five years ago, I transitioned into more of a desk job and immediately added 25 pounds (11 kg) to an already ever-expanding frame.”

The “straw that broke the camel’s back,” that prompted Hunt to assess his weight, came in March 2018. He was play-fighting with his son and herniated three disks in his neck-- the repercussions of which he still deals with today.

“I was also diagnosed with a form of spinal stenosis,” he recounted. “My doctor simply prescribed differing medications (for some reason even including an antidepressant) and told me I would just have to live with it.”

Now Hunt was dealing with sleep apnea, acid reflux, borderline high blood pressure, and general aches and pains. He also admits to adding an underlying fear: that he’d lose the respect of his children for being the “old fat guy.”

“Having a teenage son that plays high school football and a pre-teen daughter that is a level 8 competitive gymnast, I always had a nagging worry that, at some point, if I didn’t get a handle on my situation, I would somehow lose their respect in some way,” said Hunt. “Having a severely out-of-shape father is not an ideal situation for athletic children.”

Then he discovered keto and a lightbulb went on. He started doing research and found Dr. Berg’s videos, devouring any information he could find about the keto lifestyle, fasting, and limiting carbs.

“The more I learned, the more it all came together and made sense,” said Hunt. “Everything that I thought I knew about ‘healthy’ food was wrong. Fat isn’t what makes you fat. Carbs and high Fat Storing Hormone make you fat. I felt like I had been lied to all of my life about food.”

His wife, Nicole, and children, Alex and Sarah, were “incredible” in supporting Hunt through his journey.

“They understood how important this was to me and never once complained about the change in cooking and food around the house,” he said. “My wife took part in this low-carb way of eating and my son Alex joined me as my weight-training partner and embraced a lower-carb lifestyle. He has lost about 25 pounds (11 kg) as well and has drastically changed his look!”

It was difficult, at first, for Hunt to give up the snacks he was used to. But he admits it was a small price to pay for all the benefits he’s seen from the change. Otherwise, it was easy for him to implement keto and intermittent fasting. It was the “little successes” like seeing the scale go down, even slightly, that helped him to stay motivated.

“I am truly a different person than I was when I began,” he said. “Different body, different attitude, different outlook, everything. I feel better and look better than at any time over the last 15 years.”

Since starting keto, Hunt estimates he’s lost at least 50 pounds (23 kg), with his lean body mass showing significant improvement. His pain and inflammation has decreased, he no longer experiences random aches and pains, his acid reflux is gone, and he’s no longer taking any medication.

And he no longer worries that he’ll lose the respect of his children. “The best part is that my son no longer calls me the ‘fat old man.’ Now I’m the ‘muscley old dude.’ I'm good with that!”

Favorite Way to Exercise: “Weight training!” said Hunt. “Building the muscles back up that I had lost over the years to the ‘Dad Bod.’”

Favorite Keto Recipe: Seasoned chicken breast covered with alfredo sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan, oven-baked to a golden brown.