Hey, everyone. Dr. Ro here. So I want to be very real and very vulnerable with you in this video because I want to share how intermittent fasting saved my life. The reason I share so much of my story is because you're at the beginning or the middle of this journey, right? And I'm closer to the finish line than you are. You are trusting me with your weight loss success. And I take that very, very seriously, right? I used to be a mess. And now I'm a messenger because I truly feel like I've been given a second shot at life. I'm going to be here to see that kid grow up. I'm going to be here to see his children. And I would not have been if I didn't change my life. So now I'm here to help as many people along the way as I can. Let's start in the beginning. I don't have a lot of great pictures because if you're like me and you've been fat your whole life, you don't keep a lot of pictures. So this is me. I struck with my weight my entire life. I was almost 200 pounds in the fourth grade. I remember I took a book from my grandmother's house and I was 10 the first time I tried to diet. It was the cabbage soup diet, any other diet that Oprah was recommending my grandmother would be talking about. And then I'd be in secret, you know, trying them myself to the best that I could. I did have weight loss success after high school for a while. I ate a thousand calories a day and I did three hours of cardio a day. And I got my weight down to a very weak and miserable 208 pounds. So even by starving myself for a long periods of time, a thousand calories a day and doing all that cardio, 208 pounds is the lightest I got and I really, really was miserable. So this is the old me again, a bad picture. It's a picture of a picture. I keep this one on my wallet because it's the reminder of where I was and the fact that I'm never going back. I kept that weight off as long as I could, but it obviously all came back and then some. I had an injury. I had a wrist injury that was which is why I stopped exercising for way longer than I should have for 20 years. I drank way too much alcohol, right? I've given up alcohol 10 years ago as the best decision I ever made because it gave me my family. So alcohol in activity caused my weight to balloon. But I was still in the mid 300s, let's say. And then, you know, fatherhood kind of pushed me over the edge, right? Yes, I love everything about being a dad to all of Roniel, but like stress, sleep deprivation, you know, working myself to death. All these things brought me to here, 414 pounds, right? So that's the, that's the old me. This, and this, I had a lot of problems, right? I promised you I felt the pain that you're feeling right now if you ways, much as I did or anywhere close, I have lived it right alongside you. So I was the picture of disease. So I had a slow metabolism. My first resting energy expenditure test showed that my metabolism was 600 calories less than predicted. I had sleep apnea, needed the old CPAP, high cholesterol and triglycerides. I'll share the numbers later. High blood pressure. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a low testosterone, also diagnosed with hypogonatism. So I was, I was a teenager the first time I was told my testosterone levels were low. I have multiple autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis, which covered 80% of my body at this time. You know, it was on my knuckles and everything. So I always saw me wearing long sleeves, never wore short sleeves back then, depressed. Honestly, I was, I was very depressed. I hated, hated myself, hated my life. Headaches, gastrointestinal problems, you know, I was basically having to use the restroom five, six, seven times a day. Night terrors, terrible sleep. They put me on medication for that, but it didn't really help. Nerve issues, wrist pain, back pain, knee pain, right? So that was the old me. And I realized I had to do something about it. But I share all this to tell you this. There's no way that you would have bet on my story ending as a success. So if you feel the same as this person, just remember, that's where I was. This is the new me. Right. COVID was the last straw. I had all these underlying health problems, depression, anxiety, all these issues. And then I got COVID and I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I barely could do anything. And it took me four months to recover. And I realized that I had to change. Right. So using a combination of alternate day fasting, time restricted eating, and other things, I got to pull a lot of levers. I changed my diet. I improved my sleep, managed my stress better, not perfect, but better. Started walking further down the line. I started lifting weights doing all those things. I lost 49 pounds in 10 weeks, 101.2 pounds in six months, and 165 pounds in a year. So this is the new me. Right. So my metabolism has actually gone up. So most people are shocked to hear that. That while I lost all that weight, most people's metabolism go down button. This is proven with resting energy expenditure test. My metabolic rate has gone up 181 calories per day. Sleep apnea, gone. Don't need to see pap anymore. High cholesterol, gone. It went from 276 down to 170. My triglycerides gone. Went from 119 to 59. High blood pressure gone. It was 140 over 90 on two medications. Now it's 110 over 70 on half of a dose of one of the medications. And I'm low enough now where the doctor really wants me to get off of that as well. Hypothyroidism gone. My thyroid hormone levels are perfectly normal without treatment anymore. Low testosterone gone. My testosterone levels were 285. Last time I had them tested, it was 717. The doctor was shocked. Let's see the numbers move that much without being on testosterone replacement therapy. Autoimmune conditions, much more manageable. Suriacis gone. I still take a partial dose of my hemera, but my autoimmune GI issues are completely resolved. The psoriasis is completely under control with less medication. Depression gone. I'm a new man. Headaches, usually gone. I do have a herniated disc in my neck, so I have some of those, but totally different types of headaches. GI problems, completely gone. Very regular. Night terror is gone. Nerve issues gone. I started exercising because I was having nerve issues and I was worried about all this pain. Now I have less pain. Rist pain is completely manageable, even though it's still injured, but I can lift weights. I can do everything I need to do. Night pain is gone. Neap pain is usually gone. Sometimes I have pain. I lift weights. I'm very physically active. I jumped on the trampoline with Oliver and sprained my big toe and I was in sore for a couple months. Now occasionally I have the pain of activity, but I was in way more pain when I had the pain of disuse and the pain of just being overweight. Medications are all gone except for those little bit that I told you. I was able to cure my autoimmune conditions and my hormone issues to as much as possible. I'm very proud of that fact. So why does my story matter so much? Why do I constantly bring it up? Because I want you to know me and like me and trust me and I want you to follow my advice. Because it will work if you let it. Success leaves clues. So I'm leaving the clues. I'm pulling you along on my journey. Because you're on the same journey that I am. I'm just a few steps ahead of you, but I'm leaving these breadcrumbs behind to keep you on the right path. But I promise I won't make you eat the breadcrumbs, especially if you're low carb or if you're in a fasting window. So do you see yourself in my story? If so, I would love for you to reach out to me and let me know. And if so, I want you to believe that you can have the same happy ending that I did. So let's do this together. Have a wonderful day. Be blessed.