Heath Lost 70 Pounds and Improved His Health with Keto  

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

My name is Heath Mahaffey, and I live up in the PNW in Washington State. I have a chronic autoimmune disorder and have been on a high dose of thyroid medication for 12 years now.  

I tried for many years to lose weight by lowering my calorie intake, even as low as 1200 calories. I logged everything I ate and used cardio to run as often as I could. My endocrinologist didn’t believe me when I showed her my food log; she said I should be losing weight. I looked at her and told her that’s exactly what I thought, but she had no answer for me. 

I just accepted that each year I would probably add more weight and have a new normal weight. I was up to 230 pounds at 5’6”.  

How did you discover keto? 

All of this changed one day when my wife told me about a guy she had seen online talking about keto and intermittent fasting (IF). That was when I began watching Dr. Berg’s videos. I hadn’t tried anything like it before, so I figured I didn’t have anything to lose.  

How does an average day of eating/fasting look for you on keto? 

I began to log my food intake on a popular app and plan my meals out with my net carbs below 20 grams. I felt terrible for the first few days and began consuming more electrolytes to try to get rid of the keto flu. I was watching every video I could find of Dr. Berg’s and began to get the hang of it.  

I started with 16:8 and eventually began fasting for most of the day and even had some 48-hour fasts. It was very uncomfortable for the first few weeks, but the scale was moving like never before.  

How has your health improved since you started keto?   

The scale kept moving week after week, and that kept me motivated. I started this journey on the 1st of Feb 2019, and by September, I had lost 70 lbs.  

Does exercise play a role in your success on keto? If so, how? 

I started using cardio and then added weight training in October of 2019. Fast forward to today, and I have completely changed my body! I use fasting both because I feel better when I exercise and lift weights while fasted, but also because I can more easily manage my food intake using a shorter window. I’ve been able to completely recompose my body now.  

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

The only thing I would tell others is to make sure you are getting enough protein while losing weight, so that you can try to keep as much muscle as possible. I could have probably benefited from starting to lift weights earlier in the diet, but it’s not anything I haven’t been able to fix now. 

Any other details you want to share?   

Not only did Dr. Berg help me attain my dream physique, but he probably saved my life. I was insulin-resistant, had metabolic syndrome, and was carrying a huge amount of dangerous visceral fat. I continue to hear so many people preach about calories in, calories out, but it’s so much more complicated than that.  

Thank you, Dr. Berg, for spreading your knowledge about keto and intermittent fasting!