Chris Mogensen's story

As an academic, college professor Chris Mogensen felt like he needed to understand why things work the way they do. So when he found Dr. Berg’s YouTube channel, it became indispensable to his health journey. After four years of trial and error, Mogensen began keto and intermittent fasting in July 2017 and has lost almost 200 pounds since then. “It took a few tries, but this time, the lifestyle is here to stay!” he says, proudly.

For him the crisis point came a couple of years ago. He was tipping the scales at 410 pounds when Mogensen tried the paleo diet with some success. But after a heart attack, the weight came right back. He needed a new approach. He realized that he was in denial about his weight. He realized he had terrible eating habits, was constantly exhausted mentally and physically, and had genuine medical issues. All these gave him the push to find something that would truly work.

Today he has a better understanding of what he’s doing (and more importantly, why). He has a better relationship with food, walks daily, and has an 18:6 intermittent fasting schedule. Feeling ten years younger and better than ever, he says his clothes fit and he isn’t ashamed to have his photo taken.

Mogensen began documenting his experience on social media and on his blog, and that gave him a larger support system than just family and friends—who were also supportive. But he realized that external encouragement alone couldn’t prevent him from giving up. Creating a better frame of mind and building his own willpower was the key to his success.

“I came up with many external reasons -- for instance, being able to see my daughters grow up,” said Mogensen. “But I learned the valuable lesson that in order to cultivate the strength to truly undertake the journey, I needed to want to lose the weight for myself.”

Mogensen has learned a lot from watching Dr. Berg’s videos daily. Berg’s short, to-the-point style and solid advice made him an instant subscriber. Especially due to Berg’s information on intermittent fasting, Mogensen now has a firm understanding of processes like autophagy and gluconeogenesis that completely changed the way he looks at food consumption.

Mogensen’s biggest hurdle was taking the emotion out of eating. He had to nix deeply ingrained habits. Concepts like “finishing everything on the plate” or feeling like “dessert is deserved” had to be adjusted. Now that he’s seeing real results, he only wishes he had started sooner.

“I truly believe anyone can do what I have done. Research, understand what you need to know, and then apply it,” he advises. “Take it one step at a time and slowly progress toward your goals. If you slip, don't beat yourself up...you can and will recover...just keep moving forward.”

Favorite Way to Exercise: Mogensen does a brisk 4-plus MPH walk every morning.

Favorite Keto Recipe: “I am a huge fan of curries, and I follow a channel on YouTube called Headbanger's Kitchen,” says Mogensen. “Sahil, the host, has a large number of Indian curry recipes that are entirely keto. I've made many of them and enjoy them all!”