It seems that I’ve always been overweight, had chronic inflammation and “been on a diet,” but youth had been on my side until two years ago when my immune system began attacking my organs and skin (common on my mother’s side of the family). After stints with allergists, dermatologists and rheumatologists and visits to the ER for antibiotic and steroidal IVs, I finally learned that I was born with only one side of a liver, which had become filled with fat and septic. I had high blood pressure and cholesterol, was borderline diabetic, and my organs were being pushed out of place by fat. To avoid the liver transplant list, I was directed to go on a low-carb diet and begin hiking in order to lose 100 pounds. The Atkins diet was begun in earnest in July 2013 and I lost 60 pounds by September 2014, but too many of those pounds were muscle loss. My wife saw The Exercise Coach® open nearby and knew that we both needed to sign up. By April 2015 I had lost another 20 pounds, but this time all but ½ pound was body fat and I was beginning to feel quite strong. In April 2015, with counseling from my trainers at The Exercise Coach®, I switched my diet over to their Metabolic Comeback nutrition lifestyle, which meant only eating whole, real foods, eliminating the laboratory chemicals and unhealthy fats that Atkins allowed, adding fruit, good fats and expanding my vegetable choices. The change in diet, along with regular intensive workouts, brought very significant changes to my body. I lost the final 20 pounds to reach my goal weight, got off the BP and cholesterol meds, no longer have runaway inflammation, have ideal immune, antioxidant and micronutrient levels, drastically reduced my cholesterol (HDL, mostly the good, buoyant HDL, is now much higher than LDL), dropped my A1c by more than a point, my organs are migrating back to where they belong, and my doctor says I have zero risk of metabolic syndrome. Best of all, at my visit at the liver disease and transplant center last week, my liver scan and blood tests showed a smooth, trim, healthy and fully functioning (albeit half) liver. The hematologist said he was proud of me and called me their poster child (at age 63!) for showing them how to make up for even congenital problems through proper diet and exercise. I thank my trainers at The Exercise Coach® for playing a key role in allowing me to regain my health. My wife and I plan to continue with them for years to come to maintain our bodies and live long, active lives.
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