Age: 65
Former Athlete to Morbid Obesity
I was formerly athletic and became morbidly obese, peaking at least 365 pounds. I actually don’t know HOW HIGH my final weight went because my scale DIED beneath me one morning. Within half a year of this dietary change (heavy meat ketovore), I was down to 232 pounds and feeling great.
My Food Before Ketovore
My food before Ketovore was primarily ‘rice and something.’ Lots of veggies, peppers, onions, ginger/garlic, and often a few slices of meat, but always half a plate or more of Indian Basmati rice or Japanese ‘sticky’ rice.
If I ate a pound of meat per WEEK, it was unusual. I used Indian spices, and the food smelled and tasted terrific. However, my sweet tooth was strong. SWEET coffee, a “healthy” muffin, or other snack with more sweet coffee at intervals of less than 2 hours.
Poor Endurance and Health Issues
My endurance was very poor: having to refuel at two-hour intervals during the workday, or my energy and concentration would decay badly. Being an engineer, concentration, and endurance are critically important.
My eyes were rapidly decaying (posterior uveitis/”bird shot” Rx = prednisone 60mG/Day) to delay my eventual DIAGNOSED impending blindness!!! Rapidly increasing obesity and blood pressure.
Discovering Keto and Ketovore
My good friend Al suggested that I might consider “Keto” helpful (I was morbidly obese) for him; he took off 20-25 pounds his first month and felt GREAT. I am a “why guy” I need to know WHY something works before I will even consider it valid to test.
I studied all I could find online about the theory of why Low Carb WORKs. Internet and books by Drs. Jason Fung, Ken Berry, I began to understand the HORMONAL response to my high carb, refined sugar, and “vegetable oils” diet. Nina Teichulz was a wealth of information on fake oils and real meat.
Your channel was in there, BUT I can tell you that – at that time- I thought that I would never go full carnivore because I was so conditioned to believe that it was unhealthy. Now, here I am.
Changing Dietary Habits
Initially, my dietary rules were simple: zero sugar, absolutely 20gm of carbohydrates or less per day, and no fake oils. I measured my morning/fasting blood sugars, blood pressure, and more; my wife (a very good nurse) assumed that if this worked, I would eventually need to reduce or eliminate some medications: that was indeed a correct assumption.
We were both VERY concerned about my eventual ‘need’ for insulin injections looming in my future as a T2 diabetic; we both knew that we could not afford it with my greatly reduced retirement income.
I noticed the loss of fat and was amazed to be satisfied. If I became ‘snacky,’ I’d make bacon and eggs or a burger patty, and the problem was solved. I began eating more meat and above-ground veggies in rich butter/heavy cream sauces with caramelized red wine for flavor (Remember the “French paradox”? They eat full-fat everything and are generally slim. 🙂
I was still doing breakfast, so 3 – 4 egg, butter omelets with some chives and garlic, with cheese started the day with coffee. Red meats at meals were rapidly introduced in increasingly larger amounts, 1 – 2 pounds becoming normal.
- Ribeyes = I finally understood what being ‘sated’ at mealtime meant!
- My energy between meals was excellent – no slumps as when I was carb fueled. It was like having a huge fuel tank once I was ‘fat adapted.’ My wife noticed that my energy level was ‘through the roof’: house projects and more were getting done.
- My morning fasting blood sugars dropped from the 200s to below 100 for the first time since I began monitoring them a year earlier.
- Due to light-headedness, I went off Metformin – which required a few tries before I stabilized.
- BP was far too low, 117/70’ish, and I worked with my Doc to get a ‘baby dose’ of Losartan, which I still seem to require. (I’ve been hypertensive since my thirties – high-stress jobs…)
My Terrible Health Before Carnivore & Ketovore
efore my diet change – my diagnosed ‘conditions’ and symptoms were:
- Severe Sleep Apnea
- Dangerously high blood pressure
- Posterior uveitis (“birdshot”), retinal flashes, and bleeding inside my eyes!
- Retina Doc mentions: “Where is ALL this inflammation coming from?”
- CPAP required for sleep
- GERD
- Constant tooth decay and very red and swollen gums. My dentist hated what he saw.
- Constant and increasing 2+ pitting edema on shins
- Fatty liver. Doctor: “Sooo, tell me about your drinking?” and I wondered where THIS came from.
- Slow or no healing – for example, a hole on my shin remained unhealed for many months. Even routine scratches remained for many weeks or more.
- Peripheral neuropathy on the outside three toes on both feet.
- Infections in odd places, wound edges, skin folds. (Glycated body was probably TASTY for pathogens?)
- 6x daily meds – before diet change:
- Losartan 125 mG w
- HCTZ 25?
- T2D
- Metformin 500 mG to increase if needed later – never needed 🙂
- Anti-inflammatory Rx: Tramadol and more as their effectiveness diminished.
- Pain meds PRN for a knee injury.
- Couldn’t slide into some restaurant booths, would have to squeeze behind the car’s driving wheel.
- Very sore joints and chronic body aches (was told that this is “normal” aging)
