Personal Trainer finds Keto Life Changing

We are back with another amazing interview of someone living a Keto lifestyle!

In today’s interview I would like to present Andrew, a personal trainer of 22 years, he shares how keto not only improved his workout but how it truly changed his relationship with food forever.

So, we can definitely learn a lot from his journey and experience.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I’m 47 from the Boston Massachusetts area and I’ve been working as a personal trainer for the past 22 years.

One of the reasons I wanted to work in fitness is because I have struggled with my own weight issues for the past 35 years.

I grew up in a Italian and Latino household which meant there was always a lot of wonderful food around!

Food was always love for us growing up and around age 12 I noticed that I started eating compulsively and that’s what started me on my journey.

What moment or event started your weight loss journey? 

I’ve been on different diets for the past 35 years which never worked for me but two years ago I developed silent reflux which is similar to acid reflux except stomach acid is going up into your chest and esophagus which can cause awful sore throats and this feeling like there is a lump in your throat.

My doctor told me there is really no cure and that I would need to start taking medication daily and I may need to get surgery on my esophagus in the future.

I also started getting pain in my knees and Achilles’ tendons which after getting a couple of MRI tests done I found was not structural in nature. A sports medicine doctor told me it wasn’t tendon or ligament damage and that it most likely was normal wear and tear.

He said he felt it was the start of old age and that we are all going to get there someday. He advised no more high impact sports or workouts like jumping rope which I really enjoy so this was very discouraging to me. That’s when I realized I needed to do some research and explore other options.

How did you discover the Keto lifestyle and how has it affected you?

I was actually researching diets for my dogs because they developed this dry flaking skin. I started reading about diets that may reduce inflammation and the ketogenic diet was one of them.

I put my dogs on a grain free diet and their skin improved immediately and the condition never returned. So that lead me to research more about diets that may help reduce inflammation. After doing quite a bit of research I decided to start on a ketogenic diet.

My primary care physician was initially skeptical but he agreed to track my progress so we did blood work, blood pressure and EKG tests. I think finding a medical professional that is willing to work with you is invaluable. About two months into starting keto my stomach and joint issues were gone! I went back to eating Frank’s hot sauce and other spicy foods that I had given up.

I also resumed jumping rope, running and mountain biking which I had to stop because of the pain in my joints. I even recently tried out for a men’s over 40 recreational baseball league which I will be playing oddly enough catcher. I went for a check up with my sports medicine doctor and he gave me this look like I was crazy when I told him I was going to be a catcher but after we did some tests I was cleared to resume any and all physical activity within reason as he put.

One of the interesting things about keto is I got fat adapted or keto adapted around two months in and wow it changed my whole attitude toward food! The sugar and carb cravings were gone. I wasn’t hungry all the time. And my energy at the gym went through the roof!

I started keto because of my stomach and joints but I had no idea it would also help me with my compulsive overeating.

I didn’t think any diet could make the urge to binge go away.

It’s truly been incredible!

What is your favorite Keto recipe / food?

A year and seven months later I still love a good steak cooked in a cast iron pan with avocado oil, butter, pink salt, fresh cracked black pepper and fresh garlic. I then slice it thin at a angle and put it over a big bowl of leafy greens like dandelion greens or Swiss chard with homemade blue cheese dressing and nutritional yeast. It’s so good!

If someone wanted to get into the Keto lifestyle what advice would you give them?

Get a full physical and blood work done with your doctor and do your research!

Keto is really a whole lifestyle change not a diet! You must do a lot of research!

I recommend watching all the keto videos on YouTube by people like:

Dr Ken Berry

Dr Eric Berg

Dr Jason Fung

I would make sure to look up the keto flu and the importance of electrolytes.

I would also check out some of the free keto Facebook groups so you can talk to others that are also doing keto.

The online keto community and the daily support they provide has been invaluable to me.

What are your top 3 benefits you find living a ketogenic lifestyle?

  1. No more sugar and carb cravings and it breaks the ties you may have between food and your emotions which is truly life changing! I no longer have anxiety around food and I can be in a social situation without feeling like I will lose control. I couldn’t say that before keto. To finally no longer constantly obsess about food has truly been a blessing.
  2. The food is delicious and filling that’s why it’s sustainable
  3. After you get fat adapted you turn into a beast at the gym! Working out can be a little challenging when you first start keto but once you get fat adapted wow the results can be incredible! I’ve been working out for 30 years and I’ve never been able to build muscle and lose fat at the same time like I can on keto! And I can do it eating foods I enjoy without starving myself.

What are the best ways for people to connect with you? 

I have a free keto group on Facebook called Health and Wellness for Keto Living. There are no sales of any type it’s just a wonderful group of people that share meal ideas and fitness tips with each other. This is us


Join Andrew’s Free Keto Group
Health and Wellness for Keto Living

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