From Heavy Drinking to Better Health: Jon’s Inspiring Journey
Jon’s journey to better health on the carnivore diet and recovery from alcohol addiction is truly inspiring!
The Struggle with Health Issues and Alcoholism
While serving in the U.S. Navy, Jon suffered from uncomfortable acne on his arms and began to drink heavily. This continued after he was discharged, and his health began to decline quickly. “My weight went from 220 pounds to 285 pounds within three or four months, and I had severe pain in my nipples. I was sent in for ultrasounds and all kinds of tests. The doctors believe that the rapid weight gain messed with my hormones and was causing the pain.”
Jon spent the next ten years drinking heavily. “I had become a full-blown alcoholic drinking 12 beers a night,” he shares. After finding a new job in aviation, Jon curbed his drinking a bit, but in addition, still suffered from severe anxiety, depression and hypertension. “My mental stability was very tenuous–I thought I could snap at any moment. I was just really angry for no reason, and my blood pressure started to climb.”
Desperate for Answers: Discovering the Ketogenic and Carnivore Diet
Jon’s doctor put him on 3 blood pressure medications, but they didn’t seem to be working. He developed edema, which is painful swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body’s tissues. “They put me on a statin and none of my symptoms improved, but they kept increasing my dose.”
A major turning point for Jon was when his mother tragically passed away in 2015 from congestive heart failure and Type 2 diabetes. “My mother’s passing really woke me up. I started to listen to Vinnie Tortorich’s podcast and heard about the ketogenic diet from friends at work.”
Desperate for answers, Jon knew he had to take back his health and began searching for more information on how a low-carb diet could potentially help improve his various health conditions, especially since medication had not been effective thus far.
A Major Turning Point: How Jon Took Back His Health
Although he lost around 85 pounds on a ketogenic diet which included lots of salads and limited protein, Jon says, “On keto, my digestion was terrible. The salads were ripping my guts apart.” In August of 2018, Jon decided to “go carnivore”, and reports, “my digestion was absolutely flawless! The skin on my arms finally cleared up, and I haven’t had a drink in almost 3 years since following a keto/carnivore diet.”
Combating Alcoholism: How the Keto/Carnivore Lifestyle Helped Jon
In terms of combating alcoholism, Jon believes that, “Quitting sugar made this so much easier. Back when I was drinking, I would just try to go for a week without it and believed I could quit, but then I’d always start drinking again. Since I’ve been living the keto/carnivore lifestyle I haven’t had any issues with alcohol whatsoever. I don’t crave it, and I don’t think about it. I believe that the carnivore and ketogenic lifestyle truly saved my life.”
A Life-Changing Transformation: Jon is Now Medication-Free
Jon is also pleased to share that he is completely off of all his medications, and has been for the last two-and-a-half years. “I hope that my story will reach out and touch someone and save someone else’s life.” (We believe it will!)
