Hi my name is Troy, I am the owner of Roppo’s Wood and Engraving. You are probably here because you eat the standard american diet, and like me are looking for a healthier life, and good information on how to get started.

Before I tell you what I figured out, let me tell you a little about myself, where my health was and where it is now. At the time of the writing, I am in my mid 50’s, have been married for 26 years, retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 22+ years, have two adult kids and 2 grand daughters, I run my own business, by myself, and lead a very active life, I’m no bump on the stump sitting around, I’m always moving and doing something. Physical activity has never been a part of my problem.

There are 3 times in my life that I can clearly recall that I consider were the peak of my physical fitness and health.

First was when I was 18, just before joining the U. S. Navy. I was actively body building, pretty ripped back then, lean at 155 lbs, 32 inch waist and bench pressing 300 lbs. With body fat in the low teens. I was a green belt in Taekwondo, worked part time as a gym manager and part time for a private contractor doing his grunt work. But I also remember suffering bronchitis twice a year and my cardiovascular system was weak. I had a hard time just running around the block. and have always had elevated blood pressure that was regularly being monitored by my doctor.

Second time was the year 1996, the year I picked up the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO). Back then the CPO training season was 10ish weeks long, with 2 hours of very physical intense training 3 time a week, pushing you to the very limits of your abilities. One of our trainers stated on the first day, that by the time he was done with us we would be able to do 100, 24 count body builders without stopping. (A 24 count body builder is a standard body builder with a push-up thrown in between each step just for good measure.) We started out in the single digits and you know what? On hell night we did those 100, 24 count body builders and could have done more. I owned a ski boat and we spent the entire summer out on the lake. I could ski until I was just done, but not tired. On the flip side, my cardio was a little better but still suffering and running that darn 1.5 miles was very difficult for me, but I managed to push through and maintain Navy fitness standards without suffering a heart attach. I still had elevated blood pressure. The previous year I started developing allergies, and seemed to always have a cold. My allergies were sever, I ended up in the urgent care a couple times getting a nice fat benadryl shot in the back side just to get my allergic reaction under control.

Here are some of the medical issues I was dealing with:

• I have always had high blood pressure, at one point it was high enough to start treatment with a couple different drugs. I was able to PT my way off the drugs, but it steadily climbed back up over the years. I was in the 140-150/90-100, and probably should have been on some medication, but I hate taking medication, and kept side stepping the docs recommendations to start taking them again.
• About 10 years ago I started getting the eczema rash on my right leg. I googled it and for some reason it’s pretty common, it starts on one leg and after a few years jumps over the other and itches like hell and a major distractor as all you can think about all the time is not to itch it, itching only made it mad and itch more. The doctor basically said there was nothing he could do about it but try some creams. Nothing seemed to help.
• I started regularly getting these little BB sided blisters on the bottom of my foot, they were deep and painful to step on. And of course, they also jumped over to the bottom of my other foot.
• In the summer of 1995 I started suffering from allergies. I eventually had one of those allergy tests done and was allergic to just about everything. I started taking Claritin and Flonase daily and did so every day for the past 22 years.
• Early 2000 I started developing breathing problems, doc mentioned COPD but would not diagnose it as such, he had no problem putting me on 3 different breathing inhalers.
• My vision went to hell in a hand basked, in 2014 I developed triple vision in my left eye resulting in cataract surgery. I then started developing double vision in my right eye.
• I've been considered obese for the past 15 or so years, my highest weight up to this point had been 220 lbs. with a 36" waist and around 30% body fat. Weight management was a constant battle that was getting more difficult. I had accepted the idea that diets were only good for temporary weight loss and used them as a reset my weight and blood pressure. I even did a round of HCG with my wife, I'm not to happy that I did that to myself, but it did give me 3 years of stable controllable obese weight, holding a 200lbs. Which believe it or not, I was very happy with.
• My cholesterol numbers were climbing to the point that the doc was no longer recommending statins but insisting, again I was side stepping him and refusing to go on more drugs.
• Blood glucose has been climbing over the years, pushing 110-120.
• Even in the 50's I still suffered from adult acne, my face, chest and upper back were all fair game.
• My hair started graying at a noticeable rate. I went from the occasional gray to a lot of gray in a couple years.
• I was clearly in a medical state that they refer to as “metabolic syndrome” and teetering on the edge of type 2 diabetes.

It felt like I was standing on the edge of a deep hole that the only direction to go, was in. It felt like I was at the beginning of the end, I was truly concerned about my health and longevity.

So how did you end up here? In January 2018 I started gaining weight again, despite my earnest attempt to restrict my holiday festivities eating. it was time to try something new. I had always wanted to try a water fast but thought it would be too difficult, think about it, voluntarily go without food, could it be done? Could I do it?

I already had collected some fasting data, and after a few more days research my wife and I started a 14 day water fast, and continued to do more research as the fast progressed. Much to my surprise fasting is easy, I only had a little hunger issues on the 2nd and 10th day, other than that I felt fantastic, a little low on high intensity energy, but still able to perform my normal routine without difficulty, and superb clarity of thought. As the fast progressed, I just kept feeling better and better. After fasting I put together a 7 day organic home cold pressed fruit and vegetable juicing plan to help with re-feeding and I thought a new way to reboot a healthy diet. But something was terribly wrong, I started to feel like crap all over again. I was suffering energy crashes, and noticeable difficulty maintaining my train of thought. What was going on? I found my answer! While fasting your body enters a state of keytosis. It burns more efficient fat after your glycogen stores are depleted (~24 hours). There is a whole lot of science behind it and I haven't stopped digging into it. It’s been a huge eye opener for me, but once you understand what’s going on with you metabolism, it all makes sense and now I understand why all of the my previous attempts at loosing weight ultimately failed. It was not my lack of dedication! It's more like a house of cards all stacked against you, you can do it but it's tricky and requires a lot of finesse, very few people enjoy long term succeed with a low fat, reduced calorie diet.

So now on to the third time I can remember that i was at the peak of my physical fitness... NOW!!!! At the age of 54, this is by far the best and healthiest I’ve ever felt in my entire life.

Check these changes out:

• High blood pressure. it’s still a little on the high side at 135/80 on average but it’s coming down, the lowest I’ve recorded is 101/64, but I understand what's going on and what to do to keep it coming down.
• Eczema rash - gone, haven't seen a sign of it since i got back into Keytosis.
• Blisters on the bottom of my feet- gone!
• Allergies, I've gone the entire spring and summer without any allergy medicine, I still have some small symptoms, like sneezing a couple times, but I suspect by next spring I’ll have no problems at all.
• Breathing problems (COPD?) - Gone!
• Vision, the double vision in my right eye has cleared up and my vision in both eyes is actually improving.
• Obese, I’ve lost 45 pounds so far and it’s the simplest “diet”/“lifestyle” I’ve ever attempted. Now I'm just fat, but I'm not done.
• Cholesterol - HDL is up, Triglycerides are way down, LDL is up a little, but if you do the research, that’s not a bad thing. The 2 big ones are HDL and Triglycerides, which for how I’m eating all my numbers are exactly where they should be.
• Blood glucose, 60-80’s, perfect!
• Acne, gone!
• Graying hair, I’m back down to a few gray hairs here and there.

All this just for accepting and adopting a new food paradigm. I am leaner (160 lbs. with 32” waist) and more flexible than I’ve been in a long long time, not quite at the 18 year old strength but I will soon be. My endurance is though the roof. For example, I have a tread climber that I use to use to get into navy shape. I hated that thing! It was very painful, exhausting and took all of my effort just to get a mile and half in 30 min at low resistance and moderate speed. Now I’m at maximum resistance and maximum speed, I’m not sure how long I can sustain that level, but I can easily go 90 min and have done so several times. I just recently moved my mother and decided to experiment on myself and fasted the entire time. I ate a fat juicy steak the night before I left. Flew out to the midwest, packed her 2 bedroom apartment, loaded the truck and drove back to the west coast and unloaded the truck in 7 days, fasting the entire time, felt great, had more energy than I knew what to do with! (my son and his family visited just before we left the midwest, we went out to a eat and I had an 11 oz. Ribeye Steak with Blue Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms on it, nothing else.) Who would have figured that was possible? And as a bonus I lost another 11 pounds.

If any or all of the first part of my story sounds like you, and you want your story to end like mine, I would strongly recommend giving Keytosis with intermittent fasting a try, they go hand in hand. What do you have to loose? Look at what you could gain!

Here are some links to get you started.

• If you would like assistance, here is a good place to start. Intensive Dietary Management Program.
• A lot of good information in pod cast format and blog reading. 2 Keto Dudes
• And the 2ketodudes Ketogenic Forums and Public Access Link
• Jimmy Moore has transformed his life with keto and has a wealth of information all over the web, here is a good place to start. Jimmy Moore Livin Low Carb Man
• A leader in the keto diet movement, a lot of info here and in her books. Healthful Pursuit

In addition to the hundreds of hours spend researching on the internet, I’ve also read the following books:

• Keto clarity
• Cholesterol clarity
• The four tendencies
• The art and science of low carbohydrate performance
• The art and science of low carbohydrate living
• Good calories bad calories
• The complete guide to fasting
• Keto
• Tripping over the truth
• The keto diet
• Obesity Code
• Conquering Arthritis - Barbara Allan

I am not affiliated with any of the above, nore do I have any financial ties with them. I am the average american that was struggling with my weight and health, I just happened to stumble onto something that actually works. I am using my web site/store to help spread the word. The more people that discover the truth and adopt a new eating paradigm, the faster we can turn the tide on our broken food supply and institute change from the consumer and force the food processors to accommodate us, the consumers. You can already see some change in the grocery stores, but more demand will generate more change. Change will result in a healthier population and healthier food choices for us all.

I do not intend on making this a huge Keto/Fasting goto place, I'm just trying to do my part to spread the word. If you would like to help motivate someone, please send me your story, I'll expand what I have here to include it.