RE: Fixing my Autoimmune Problems

My name is Dan Barrett my current age is 55. I live in Syracuse NY. Current weight is about 175-180. It all started about 12 years ago when I had some very stressful events occur in my life & my health started to fail me. My background is in exercise science & I've always been fit, baseball league 25 years, mini triathlete, I was diagnosed w/ Vitamin D deficiency in 2007, 21 out of 30, Then in 2011, emergency appendectomy surgery lost my dad, & my job within two years. I gained about 20-25 lbs, had IBS, many food allergies, HDL was lower & Triglycerides went up to 118. I've had some family history w/ cancer, Lupus, MS & always wondered how does this happens. My typical diet was much lower fat, not always healthy, ie regular butter, skinless chicken breast, oatmeal, basic veggies, no cabbage or asparagus as much. I cut down on dairy in 2012 but still had yogurt & regular ice cream occasionally. I would eat 4-5 times per day. 3 meals & some smaller snacks like yogurt, I always thought that keeps your muscles from wasting away. Four years ago, this summer, I started watching Youtube videos on Keto Diet. I took a lot of notes even during my dinner as I was eager to learn how to fix my health issues. I think the first person I saw was Dave Asprey who explained the Keto diet. So I started doing Keto full throttle, I saw your videos soon after and some of your interviews & really learned how I got sick. The one mistake I made w/ keto was not replacing my electrolytes early on & not learning about Celtic Salt to increase my minerals. I learned how low we are in magnesium, potassium, selenium in our diets & what I can do to increase them. That was a great lesson to learn. Within the 1st year, I lost the 20 lbs, IBS gone, brain fog gone. Gut health really improved, Sleeping like a baby. Fully rested & waking up without an alarm around 6:30-6:45. Apple Cider Vinegar in the am, no food allergies, although I cut out a lot of foods that were processed or not organic & replaced w/ grass feed beef & butter, etc. I did my first blood work in years about 16-18 months after starting Keto. Let's just say the science was real. My Triglycerides went down to 39!!!. HDL wants up to about 10-15 pts. Cholesterol was in the same range 220-250. But I felt amazing!! Better than I felt overall in 10-15 years. I did fasting most days of 14-16 hrs, eat in an 8-hour window most of the time. My heart feels so strong as I can sprint on a treadmill at 6-7 mph & an incline of 6-8 degrees and my HR never goes above 150 which I only do 1-2x per week. I will do HIT training 4-5x per week & heavy strength training 1x per week. 90% of the time I work out in AM & fast until 12 noon. That has helped my Keto as my HGH seems higher, Testosterone is about 700. I have so much more energy working out fasted, never did that before keto. I will eat my first meal around 12 & last meal 7-8 pm. I often do Keto Coffee in the am or some time during the day especially the first two years of Keto. I think it really helped my gut health. I will eat a burger w/ olive oil, asparagus & a cabbage/spinach salad w/ avocado mayo. Another meal maybe 3 eggs, 2 eggs whites, 2-3 slices of bacon & some fruit or avocado. I eat sockeye salmon w/ olive oil, & a big cabbage/spinach salad w/ a Primal Kitchen dressing. I will also have a smoothie, mostly plant-based protein, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut oil, cocoa powder, nut butter & a small amount of fruit. I have been able to do 2 meals most days & will at times eat 3 but only if I'm really hungry. One of the best things that happened was I was invited to speak in front of 75 Physician Assistant students at a local college to discuss keto as the professor I met in a health food store wanted his students to understand how to relate to patients who may do Keto or who have health issues that might not be fixed with just an Rx & to have good listening skills. So, I now help members of my family w/ keto & learning how to be really healthy. In fact I have a sister who was just diagnosed w/ lung cancer & we are working together, along w/ treatment, to do Keto to help starve the cancer of glucose. I'm so glad I have that experience now to help my sister and others learn what really makes us sick. Your videos have helped educate me and stay motivated while I worked on the Keto transition. I really appreciate your wisdom & time you take for all your Youtube videos. They are very valuable to all. Thank you for allowing me to share my story.