Mario's story

My story is not just one about weight loss, it’s about how diet has helped me conquer chronic fatigue syndrome.

Basically I was always active even as a child.

As an adult, I did kickboxing and martial arts. And that kept me thin. And I stayed thin and active until I began getting sick somewhere in 2012.

One day after a competition, I woke up with this vertigo. I was so sick and dizzy—I mean, it was very severe dizziness. I thought, “Am I overtraining—did I get hit in the head too hard? Is this the cumulative effect of too much training?”

In fact, that first day—the dizziness was pretty severe, I had thought. But it kept getting worse, not better. In fact, it got worse every day. The following week after this competition, the vertigo was so severe that I went straight to a specialist.

They did MRIs and CT scans and couldn’t find anything. Everything was fine according to the CT scan. I saw even more specialists. I was really in a bad way. I felt like complete garbage to be honest.

As this went on and on, I got so stressed from this unresolved illness that I began developing chronic, debilitating fatigue. I was depressed, exhausted, dizzy, tired, and I just couldn’t function normally.

So, now I have chronic fatigue and vertigo and I couldn’t move for weeks and weeks at a time without feeling exhausted and dizzy.

After about a year of this, I started going back to doctor after doctor. None of them could figure out what was wrong with me. Eventually, one doctor told me he believed I had “chronic fatigue fever.”

In total, I saw some 15 to 20 doctors. They’re like “well, we know it’s not brain damage.” But I’m thinking, “Whatever this is, I feel like I’m dying.”

I’m a visual effects artist, and I work in an animation studio. But although I used to be such an active individual, the only time I felt somewhat good is when I was sitting down and working.

One Christmas I decided—“Hey, I’ll just stay in bed for one week straight and see if that makes me better.” I actually tried that—a whole week of rest!!

Then I thought, “well, maybe I’m lacking in certain nutrients.” I thought, “Maybe I’m over-training and not eating enough. Maybe I’m low on electrolytes. Maybe it’s too many saunas. Maybe the key to overcoming this fatigue and dizziness is FOOD.” This was about the Christmas of 2013 and I’m trying to eat myself back into an energetic state. So I started eating meat, vegetables, carbs, grains—everything, desperate to feel better. But that didn’t work either.

I kept searching my body for signs of a comeback. I’d think certain methods of eating were producing minor results. But they weren’t. I’ve tried everything trying to get better.

I tried a vegan diet. I tried a raw vegan diet. I tried veganism and yoga.

But over time, the raw diet threw me back into chronic fatigue.

So by this time I had tried everything possible from eating myself better, to resting myself better, to a raw diet, and nothing was improving my health.

At this point, I reached a top weight of about 200 pounds. I’m used to being much thinner. I feel better when I’m thinner than that.

To make a long story short—after years and years of not knowing what this vertigo was from, I heard about fasting—how a girl at work had a relative who – even despite being a drinker and a smoker—she had this doctor who was simply amazed at her blood markers after doing fasting.

What she was basically telling me is that fasting was improving her health despite her health-destroying behaviors.

So I tried fasting.

I noticed that after a 24 hour fast that I got this great energy spike.

I figured—“I’ve got to go into research mode on this.” And I did, and the first thing that popped up online was Dr. Berg’s YouTube videos on intermittent fasting.

I thought—he seems so smart, and he explains things so clearly.

I loved that he was so real, down to earth, to the point, and that he tells the truth. So, that’s how I discovered Dr. Berg., which is what put me onto the path toward wellness.

And I started experimenting with fasts—even dry fasts without drinking water. I started trying this one day a week, and started noticing my energy coming back. Then I started trying longer fasts—even five day water fasts.

It took me several days to bounce back from these but after doing these every now and then for several months, I began noticing my health coming back bit by bit.

When I heard him talk about keto and fasting – I said to myself, “this guys know what he’s talking about – that was when I began my journey with keto, IF, and regular intermittent fasting.”

This was about 3 years ago now. Soon after discovering the ketogenic diet combined with intermittent fasting, I began noticing real, significant health improvements in my body and in my ability to train again. In the beginning, I could only do a pull up an several pushups. But almost immediately after beginning keto and intermittent fasting, I began noticing huge improvements in how far I could push myself, training-wise.

Soon, I was able to do pistol squats, lots of pullups. and pretty soon, I was in the best shape I’d ever been it.

Most of all, I was reclaiming my energy and conquering chronic fatigue syndrome.

I also began losing weight, feeling great, and the body fat was just melting, melting, melting.

In total, I’ve lost about 60 pounds.

Today, I’ve almost completely conquered chronic fatigue syndrome.

I know today, if I wouldn’t have discovered keto, IF, and Dr. Berg, I would not be this happy, energetic person who’s able to enjoy life and able to play with the new bab, train, work, live and enjoy life again—with all this newfound energy.

Thank you, Dr. Berg!