John Guy's Story

In 2014 John Guy was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, prescribed metformin, and  told to lose weight.

He tried a few different tactics before eventually finding keto.

At first, Guy limited his food intake to 600 calories per day. It turned out to be a terrible idea, in combination with his medication. “I lost my vision!” he said. “I freaked out and started eating more. My vision came back in about four days.”

Once he understood that not eating enough was a poor choice, Guy tried again: he cut back on his caloric intake but in a healthier way. That and 15 minutes of daily intense cardio made him 30 pounds (14 kg) lighter.

So he stuck to the same routine until he was down to 254 pounds (115 kg) —a solid improvement from his initial 312-pound (142 kg) size. But eventually, he reverted to his “old ways” and found himself at 264 pounds (120 kg) in August of 2018.

By that time, however, the problem wasn’t just the weight. His yearly physical showed that his fasting blood sugar was 262 with an A1C of 9.3 and triglycerides at 412. “My doctor advised me that something had to be done,” said Guy. “I asked her to give me three months to get it fixed because she wanted to put me on Fat Storing Hormone [and] I did not want that.”

It was then that he decided to cut out carbs. He had heard of keto but didn’t know much about it. He initially just cut out the carbs and processed junk foods, while prepping for his upcoming elk hunting trip by walking three miles a day with a weighted backpack. He lost 20 pounds (9 kg) during his trip. When a friend noticed he’d been taking apple cider vinegar , he showed Guy Dr. Berg’s videos. “I’ve been addicted to his videos ever since,” said Guy.

Today he reports feeling like his teenage self—with almost unlimited energy. “I hated taking all the medication and feeling tired all the time,” he said. “Everything I have learned from [Dr. Berg] happened. It’s crazy how well this works and how great you feel.”

With the support of his family, friends, and coworkers, Guy has lost 70 pounds (32 kg) since starting keto. “The only hard part was getting through the initial stages,” he says. “Follow Dr. Berg’s advice, find a support group, and for yourself and your family, do not give up. It works!”

Favorite Way to Exercise: Speed walking, jogging, and boxing

Favorite Keto Recipe: “I make a great stir fry,” Guy says. “[I use] 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, 1 cup broccoli, 6 spears asparagus, 3 to 4 green baby onions, and 1 cup green bell pepper. Pour that over a large bed of fresh spinach, then top with fresh-caught mackerel in olive oil.”