My Long Weight Loss Journey

My name is Jon. I am 54 years old and I live in the southern part of the U.S. I had been overweight/obese since childhood, a solid 40 years. I developed clinical (major) depression in childhood which led to many suicide attempts. The result of being depressed and overweight for so many years led to what's called wedging in my mid to upper back meaning my poor posture had caused my spine to grow the wrong way. So for the past 11 years, I have suffered from chronic mid-thoracic pain. In 2008, upon successfully quitting smoking, I began to exercise regularly to try to get the weight off. I had topped out at 233 lbs. I tried for a solid 10 years and the best I could do was getting down to 190 lbs. Then in 2017, after 2 years of being divorced from my ex-wife, I changed my diet to having fruit and spinach smoothies in the morning, (more emphasis on the fruit). They gave me a lot of energy I never had before and I began riding my bike 20 miles every other day. My workouts became more intense. I was able to lose a total of 68 lbs from the 233. It was certainly not the best way for a 50-year-old to lose weight. I was on a low-fat diet, exercising like a madman, hungry all the time never satiated, and just plain miserable. That was my introduction to the weight loss/gain back rollercoaster ride. I rode that ride for 2 years until 1 day a Dr. Berg video on intermittent fasting came up on my YouTube feed. It was short and concise and to the point. I looked into it further and found the topic of keto so I looked into that as well. There were videos from others coming into my feed but none were as concise and to the point of Dr. Bergs. So I would use them as a cross-reference to his instructions. At 1st, it was quite daunting. How in the bloody hell was I going to get 7-10 cups of vegetables in my diet that were NOT potatoes and corn and canned green beans and coleslaw from KFC? I had already switched my white Wonder bread to multigrain bread and boy was I proud to be eating lots of rice. But now I am to quit that too?! No!!! BTW, in the middle of all this let me just mention a word or 2 about my overall digestive health, LOUSY! Started eating Rolaids and Tums when I was still a teenager, "graduated" to GERD medicines when I was about 35. Developed internal hemorrhoids, Lots of fun. Later my colon was having uncontrollable spasms and would sometimes be shrieking with pain which really scared me as well. So many toilet horror stories I could go into. That has all changed. Dr. Berg's videos are a BIG reason for that change. To date, as of this morning, I have lost a total of 83 lbs. My diet and weight are steady. The rollercoaster ride is OVER. Also, thanks to Dr. Berg my supplements are on point and inflammation is down. As a result, back pain is lessened. Colon spasms and pain are long gone. I am no longer a slave to carbohydrates and years of horrible eating patterns. I now am able to do OMAD 3 days a week comfortably because I understand how my body thinks and operates. My eating window every day now ranges from 4-7 hours which means I can live life without having to worry about food intake all the time. Dr. Berg has helped to free me from no less than dietary hell. That is not hyperbole, because these are the facts. Dr. Berg doesn't strike me as the touchy-feely type and neither am I, but make no mistake, if I were to ever see him on the street he'd be getting 1 great big bear hug outta me and I don't think he'd have any choice in that matter. I have more gratitude for his help than words can adequately express. THANK YOU DR. BERG AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!