On a July day in 2015 then 58 year old Rick found himself in the emergency room with super high blood pressure. He survived, but this was just the early days of paying for years of poor metabolic health. This was also the beginning of the pharmaceutical intervention train as he was put on two blood pressure pills and a statin.
Four years later, while still on drugs for hypertension and but also with climbing HBA1c, Rick was diagnosed with very aggressive prostate cancer. He underwent a radical prostatectomy on his 60th birthday.
While free from cancer, Ricks metabolic health continued to worsen. His A1c reached over 6.5 and his ALT and fasting glucose were elevated. He struggled with gout and developed lactose intolerance. HIs weight was nearing 270, near an all time high.
When Rick met with his primary care physician, (PCP), he was told he needed to take medications to control his high glucose levels . Rick’s family has a history of hypertension and diabetes. Many close to him have suffered from these conditions. He asked the doctor to give him three months to bring the blood glucose under control.
One of One of Rick’s sons has been very successful at gaining control of his body weight over the previous year so Rick followed him in reducing his intake of processed foods. Initially he focused on removing sugar and gluten from his diet. There was no intention of entering into ketosis but over the next few weeks he moved into a very low carb, ketogenic diet. The weight decreased rapidly over the next three months.
Rick met with his PCP every month. He was very impressed with Ricks progress. He had to lower his blood pressure pharmaceutical dosage quickly. The doctor had Rick stop taking all the blood pressure meds, and after a CAC test, he also took him off the statin. His gout was gone and he was no longer lactose intolerant. It was not the primary goal, but over the first 9 months, Rick lost 85 pounds.
Over time, Rick slowly reduced his intake of non-animal products. At first it was justs the veggies, then fruits. The last thing to go was the 100% dark chocolate. He has been nearly 100% carnivore for more than 3 ½ years and very strict keto for months before that. Not only was he able to stop taking various medications, but he prior to this he was lactose intolerant, suffered from joint pain in his knees, suffered from gout .. all of issues resolved.
Rick has been dedicated strength training since 1995. You really can’t outrun or out lift your fork. Stress and sleep habits are other factors that Rick really struggled with over the years, but diet was a major factor in Ricks declining heath for many years.
In those first months on Keto, Rick would eat OMAD or 2MAD. His focus was on higher fat, moderate protein, and very low carb. Over time, as his weight dropped well below his target, he realized that he was getting cold all the time. His metabolism had slowed significantly. Rick now eats 3 to 4 times a day with a focus on protein. He eats mostly bison, beef, lamb some elk and a lot of eggs. He eats the fats that come with his protein. His blood pressure and glucose are in the good range, and he test for cancer twice each year.
Life is so much better when you eat only animal products and drink only water.
