For most of his life, Cory accepted acid reflux as a part of who he was. By his mid-20s, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) wasn’t just an annoyance; it was an every-day battle that was beginning to cast a long shadow over his future.
Cory wasn’t satisfied with the “band-aid” solutions offered by modern medicine. He was on daily medication, and doctors were already discussing surgery and invasive interventions. But Cory had a nagging question: “What is 20 or 30 years going to look like… with all that erosion of my esophagus?” He knew there had to be more to health than just suppressing symptoms.
The Plateau and the Final Shift
Cory began his journey with the standard “healthy” advice, reading Wheat Belly and eliminating grains. This gave him immediate relief, proving that food was the key. He then adopted a strict ketogenic diet for years, which improved his condition but left him at a frustrating plateau.
“I was making the amount of meat I ate a little bit less,” he says, “and I was kind of loading up on the salads.” The result was constant bloating, gas, and an inescapable sense of “GI distress.” He looked healthy—a former college lacrosse player who trained consistently—but he felt “heavy” and perpetually exhausted.
In 2019, Cory decided to take the final step. He cut the “healthy” salads and committed to eating only meat and eggs.
Waking Up Before the Alarm
The results were instant and undeniable. The bloating that had been his constant companion for years disappeared on day two. His sleep, which he thought was “fine,” was transformed. Within a couple of weeks, he stopped dragging himself out of bed. “I just started waking up before my alarm… 20 minutes before, an hour before.”
For five and a half years, the GERD that once threatened surgery has been 100% resolved. Cory has lost and sustained a 45-pound weight loss, a feat he attributes not to hours in the gym, but to having his “diet 100% buttoned up.”
He’s even discovered some unexpected victories, like a profound “sun tolerance” that allows him to enjoy hours at the beach without burning, and a mental resiliency that keeps him level-headed through the challenges of raising two young children.
“You literally make a change in your diet that’s affecting all these other things… I just have an overall improvement in my quality of life from every metric that I can look at.”
