About Fasting Friends

As long as I can remember, my identity was fat. I didn’t know anything different. I was a chubby boy and reached morbid obesity (now termed Class 3 obesity) by puberty. As I got older and bigger, the remarks, teasing, and bullying increased. Not just from kids at school but friends, family, and total strangers. In the 60s and 70s, I was an oddity of sorts, obese when it was relatively unusual. No matter what, I was always the biggest person in the room and turned heads and attracted unwanted attention everywhere I went.

I ignored it the best I could, but by the time I was in my mid-20s, it was catching up to me, emotionally and physically. I found temporary success through Overeaters Anonymous and lost over 100 pounds, but I regained it all and then some. By my late 30s, I reached 424 pounds and underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and lost 75 pounds before side effects required additional surgeries. Most of that weight came back too.

I tried various diets and eating strategies, which, like for most people, worked temporarily, but I couldn’t stick to it long-term, and the weight always came back. Every Monday morning was going to be a fresh start, but it rarely was. Depression had often been an issue for me, but now it seemed like a constant. Meanwhile, I lived my life, building a career, marrying, being a father, divorcing, coping, and putting on appearances.

I began dealing with the progressive package deal of metabolic disease for so many people with obesity: Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and sleep apnea. I was on multiple medications, including antidepressants, but nothing was getting better.

By the time my daughter was in high school, she was obese herself and was trying a real food approach, eschewing processed food and cooking from scratch. She was getting results. I tried to follow her lead but was not a vegetable eater. I experimented with various approaches like Paleo and Whole 30 and began getting results myself. I was feeling better but I was still hungry a lot and kept going off plan. I was still diabetic. I realized that even though I was eating more real food, much of it was still high in carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, I had to find everything out myself. My healthcare providers never offered suggestions to improve my health other than eating less, moving more, and taking additional prescriptions. I immersed myself in books, websites, online forums and support groups. I started hearing about keto and carnivore diets. This is also when I learned about insulin resistance from a book titled “The Obesity Code” by Dr. Jason Fung. This changed my life. I read the book in one day and literally cried. It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t weakness or willpower, it was my deranged metabolism overpowering my attempts to lose weight. For someone like me who ate a lot of carbs, even “healthy” carbs, my insulin levels were always high. This is a problem because it’s difficult for the body to access fat cells for energy when insulin levels are high, explaining why when on a reduced-calorie diet, the fat just didn’t come off very well and I was often hungry and never satisfied.

To reverse my insulin resistance, I learned that I needed to do two things. Stop eating foods that cause big insulin releases and minimize the number of insulin releases by increasing the amount of time between meals. Carnivore became my way of eating, essentially anything from the animal kingdom, but my mainstays were eggs and beef. By ignoring calories and concentrating on reducing carbs, my hunger and desire to eat decreased dramatically. I felt more satisfied by eating protein and fat and little to no carbs. The number on the scale started to move down, and I felt so much better. Even though I was still over 200 pounds overweight, it didn’t matter as much as it used to.

I was losing weight and feeling great, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I found the answer I’d been searching for. Feeling satisfied after I ate meant that I could go longer between meals, which led to intermittent and extended fasting. Fasting worked like magic for me. Within 3 months, I was off of 9 medications. Within a year, sleep apnea was gone, and I had a normal HbA1C (a measure to diagnose Type 2 Diabetes). My mood was greatly improved, the brain fog and depression lifted. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was what ketosis felt like!

In 2016, I joined a Facebook group based on The Obesity Code to learn more and exchange support with other folks. I found myself deeply engaged in this group and soon became an administrator. Dr. Fung and Megan Ramos, his researcher, noticed my work and recruited me to help build The Obesity Code Network. Later, I became a Health Educator for Intensive Dietary Management, and then The Fasting Method. During those 8 years, I’ve reached thousands of people through the forums, support groups, webinars, and coaching. I retired from my regular employment to devote myself full-time to coaching, and became a board-certified Health and Wellness Coach. I feel I bring a unique perspective, because I have walked the walk that I talk about with unusual and lasting success.

I reached my weight loss goal, having lost 251 pounds from my highest weight. My waist went from 58 to 34 inches. I am a normal-size man for the first time in my life, although sometimes my brain forgets that. Even after learning about my metabolic health success, I encountered skepticism and pushback. Thankfully, over the past ten years, I’ve met a growing number of clinicians who understand that food is the root cause of so much suffering.

I know that the combination of carbohydrate restriction and fasting is a winning combination for metabolic health. This is the foundation of my work, as well as sharing and encouraging new systems, mindset shifts, and habit reframing. Metabolic health is my passion, and I am committed to sharing my experience, knowledge, and skills to help people improve their lives.

Whenever I tried to describe what I went through, people would say, “OMG, you went through so much!” And I would always wonder, “Did I?” There is something about my past that feels incredibly remote, almost like another lifetime. Perhaps I am dealing with past trauma by detaching myself from it.

However, as I revisited my history during a recent Story Tellers’ workshop, the memories began to surface. My health journey has been so multifaceted that it is challenging to find a single area of focus for an eight-to-ten-minute story. Depending on the setting, my story could resonate with different audiences - those dealing with gynecological issues, cancer diagnoses, type 2 diabetes, or mental health struggles. Yet, the central theme remains metabolic healing. The words that Emily mentioned during the workshop stayed with me: “You truly embody the fundamental nature of metabolic healing.”

Then, there was the dimly lit bedroom. I kept coming back to that room. Some days, I was forced into bed rest; other days, I stayed there simply because I couldn’t bring myself to get up. There were also times I was isolated from my family, forbidden from being near anyone because my body was emitting dangerous levels of radiation.

It began with a partial hysterectomy due to adenomyosis, which required eight weeks of bed rest due to complications. Just as I felt I was getting back on my feet, I was diagnosed with metastatic thyroid cancer during the COVID-19 lockdown. The situation was urgent; I went to the hospital for surgery alone, as no visitors were permitted. Then came the radiation treatment. I swallowed a highly radioactive pill - potent enough to break a Geiger counter - and had to lock myself in the bedroom to keep my children safe. I wasn’t allowed to hug or even touch them for a month because my bodily secretions were radioactive.

But it wasn’t the illnesses or the major surgeries that broke me. It was the uncertainty. Would this string of health crises ever end? Would I ever be healthy again? Would I ever have the energy to do more than the bare minimum as a mother for my children? Would I even live long enough to see them grow into adults?

I’m not sure exactly when the depression and anxiety began. I have always been an anxious person - I still am, though I manage it well now. A low-grade depression had been present since my children were born, coinciding with a feeling that I was losing my identity. But I assumed this was common for new mothers, so I persevered. I pushed through.

These illnesses were the final straw. I felt like I was losing one organ after another, fearing what would be next. I hadn’t yet reached five years of remission, and the fear that the cancer would return and knock me down again was constant. I was losing my willpower spiritually and existentially. I fell into a deep cycle of depression and anxiety, truly believing I wouldn’t survive another ten years. I managed to keep my children alive and survived those endless dark times thanks to my loving family, but my memories are blurred. Perhaps that is why it all feels like a dream or a different life.

Then came the final blow: In December 2022, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I often tell people I was more frightened by the word “diabetes” than “metastatic thyroid cancer.” People find that fascinating, as most would expect the opposite.

Intuitively, I knew this could be a death sentence if I didn’t act - a “slow-burn” death. While people could live for decades with diabetes, it often means a slow loss of independence and health. As a healthcare professional, I knew the eventual complications: blindness, amputation, kidney failure, dialysis, and cardiovascular risks. At the time, I was already experiencing slight neuropathy and blurred vision. What was the point of living to eighty if I lost the freedom to be healthy and independent?

Something woke up inside me. I had the strength for one more fight. That night, I decided to try “something,” though I didn’t know what it was yet. I had tried various calorie-restriction diets and exercise programs in the past, only to see them fail after a brief moment of success.

Then, I found a video explaining the keto diet and intermittent fasting. I thought, “What do I have to lose?” Miraculous things happened over the next three months. I reversed everything: the diabetes, fatty liver, GERD, inflammation, and sleep apnea. Even a benign tumor in my colon disappeared. I lost over 75 pounds in the following six months. But what I didn’t notice immediately was that the sadness and anxiety had lifted. I no longer feared I would die within ten years or miss seeing my children grow. The dread of spending my final years in a nursing home, moving from one treatment to the next, was gone. My energy was through the roof, and people were noticing the change.

While navigating my health challenges, I embarked on a spiritual journey, primarily trying to understand why these things were happening to me. After I healed myself in just a few months, I felt angry. Why had I never heard about this before? Why did no one in my standard medical care - not once - mention keto or intermittent fasting? Why do we only treat symptoms, rather than the root cause? But once that anger passed, I began to feel a sense of gratitude. I am here now, stronger and healthier than ever, because of what I went through. Now, I can share my story to help others. Even if just one person listens and feels hopeful, then all my previous suffering was worth it.

I continue to speak out about keto and fasting because I want people to know these options exist. Standard medical care simply doesn’t discuss them enough. In fact, I’ve “converted” several doctors along the way. They told me they had never seen a patient reverse diabetes so quickly - and maintain it. Now, some of them recommend low-carb diets and fasting to their other patients. This is why I keep sharing my story.

I am not suggesting you ignore medical advice; there is a time and a place for standard care. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here today without modern medicine. However, I want to remind you to be your own advocate. If something feels wrong, don’t settle. Ask questions, do your own research, and consider different perspectives. Don’t be afraid to try another path if your current one isn’t working. Just keep an open mind.

Keto and fasting are still not mainstream, and there are plenty of naysayers. But I think that is why our community is so tight-knit. Volunteering for the Metabolic Collective and creating Metabolic Health Stories platform was a turning point for me; it was the first time I met like-minded people who truly “got it.” Sharing these healing experiences creates an incredible bond.

We share our stories to show others that they can turn their lives around, too. You can live a happy, energetic, and fulfilled life without chronic pain, illness, depression, or anxiety. For the first time, I am hopeful, because I have a feeling that I can live a healthy, independent life for as long as I live.

This is Dynjandi Falls in the West Fjords of Iceland, a place I was determined to return to for a very specific reason. I first visited in August 2022, when my health was at its lowest point. I didn’t know better then. I was so exhausted driving our campervan through Iceland - covering over 3,000 kilometers in 10 days - that I often felt like I was falling asleep behind the wheel. I’d eat candy to try to stay awake, only to suffer a sugar crash, then repeat the cycle.

When I reached the beautiful Dynjandi Falls, I attempted to climb to the top, but I just couldn’t manage it; I had to give up and stop halfway. That moment stayed with me, so I added it to my bucket list. I promised myself that I would get healthier and return to climb to the top.

Ever since my health turned around in 2023, I kept thinking about going back. And I finally returned in July 2026. It was rainy with thick fog in the West Fjords, and I wasn’t sure if the weather would cooperate. But when we parked the car, the rain stopped and the fog cleared. The sun even peeked out briefly, as if it was telling me that Dynjandi was waiting for my return. I climbed to the top without needing a single break to catch my breath - it was that easy.

Now, I feel free from the shadow of that dark bedroom from my past, where I once spent countless days consumed by fear and anxiety over where I would be in ten years.