Hi my name is Bart, I am a 42 year old wildland firefighter who after moving into a management type of position put on some extra weight. Last November I found out I had triglycerides at 1200 and high cholesterol. I was diagnosed with hypertriglyceridemia when I was 18 and told at some point I would have to go on medication. Fast forward to late in my 41st year they were higher than ever before and my doctor told me I had to do something about it. She put me on a statin drug and told me to make some dietary changes and exercise more, but due to genetics they would never be normal.

Doing some research I found a Harvard study that showed people with triglycerides over 500 that reduced their daily carb intake to 27 or less were able to lower their triglycerides by 75%. So I gave it a shot, I went low carb. I did not realize at the time that I was going keto but that is what ended up happening. Fast forward 8 months I am down nearly 60 pounds, I went from over 30% body fat to single digits. My triglycerides and cholesterol fell in the normal range and I was taken off of the statin. My doctor told me to keep doing whatever it was that I was doing and that I was a perfect example of how lifestyle change can make a huge difference in health. I started running and am planning on running the Los Angeles marathon in 2017.

If any of you are interested in low-carb/keto living follow me if you want. I update my food journal daily have for about 200 consecutive days. I am have things I am still working on like diet soda, too many atkins treats from time to time, I had a serious sweet tooth and ended up replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners, the monkey I am planning on getting off my back. I am currently doing MAF training for running and building my cardio base. I would be more than happy to share my journey and help anyone else in anyway I can.

I wish everyone the best on their journey to improve their diets and health! I look forward to being a part of this group.