About Martin

Thanks for visiting metabolize.us. My name is Martin Dwyer and I am over 60 years old. At one point in my life, my health was dominated by metabolic syndrome. Obesity, high blood pressure, prediabetes, chronic lung disease and cancer were killing me, literally. Today, I am cancer free, no longer have high blood pressure, any signs of prediabetes or lung disease.

The solutions which I have found are neither new nor unique. Some of them are ancient. Nor are they commonly recommended in medical offices today. I hope that sharing them along with my experience will encourage others.

It has become apparent that what has happened in my life is unfortunately common today.

Obesity and disease crept in...

As a child, I had no idea what obesity or metabolic syndrome meant. I gained weight easily and carried it well on a large muscular frame. My constitution kept me active as an athlete. I knew myself as a big strong man who came from a family of big strong men. That was it. No one was obese. No one discussed personal family health matters. I had no idea that type 2 diabetes had been a big part of family history. I was obese and comfortably in the dark about the real challenges it presented.

My waistline grew steadily. It was well over 40 inches within a few years of playing college athletics. By age 32, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. My doctor at the time did me no favors. Neither my weight nor my BMI were mentioned in the meeting where I was first prescribed high blood pressure medication.

Maybe my doctor was being nice, not wanting to ridicule me for my weight. Maybe my doctor was protecting his own ego as he was also a big man. But reality is reality, we were both obese and silently robbing ourselves of life itself.

Serious illnesses accumulated over the years. Chronic lung disease was detected by the time I was 45 years old. Blood tests detected early signs of type 2 diabetes. My first cancer a short time later. I was not just a big strong man, I was obese and dying from it.

The struggle to survive ...

I got a new doctor in 2010. Since that time, she's given excellent care. Perhaps the best wisdom she shared was written in her notes on my file: "Martin struggles with obesity." What does a struggle with obesity look like over twenty years? I knew gaining weight was unhealthy, and always battled to overcome. I tried every diet that came along. If the author of the program wrote a book, I read it. In total, I've read hundreds of diet books and tried every single solution. The efforts were not without occasional victories:

• Lost 70 pounds on Slim Fast
• Lost 50 pounds on the Zone Diet
• Lost 40 pounds on the Pritikin Diet
• Lost 30 pounds on the South Beach Diet
• Lost 20 pounds at Nutri-System
• Lost 15 pounds at Weight Watchers

Just on these six programs, I lost 225 pounds. That would be great. But obesity raised it's ugly head every time. I would gain the weight all back, usually plus 10%. Yes. I lost 225 pounds but then gained 250 pounds. The hold was just getting deeper

A metabolic solution ...

The first component of my solution was to return to the weight room and cardio equipment. It was helpful for me to be involved with others, so I competed in power lifting events and did whatever it took to maintain a healthy weight class. However, the whatever it takes part of that formula was for me starvation. Usually extended periods with less than 1,200 calories per day. This was unsustainable. I was different. I needed a different solution for my metabolism.

I first explored intermittent fasting and ketogenic nutrition in 2015. By 2018, my BMI was normal, signs of type 2 diabetes had disappeared, blood pressure medication had been reduced to the lowest available dose. It was miraculous. But the past seven years were neither easy nor perfect. Weight was inevitably gained as my commitment to keto waned. The weight would be lost when I returned.

The battle never ends ...

The solution I have found is a powerful weapon against metabolic syndrome. But it is only in a weapon in the battle against metabolic syndrome. The battle rages on each day. Most recently, a softball-size tumor in my abdomen contributed to weight gain for almost two years before it was discovered and removed. The cancer was removed and I was back to my nutrition program. The weight was lost and I am otherwise healthy.

Encouragement ...

My goal is to encourage others in their wellness journey, especially those like myself who have fallen prey to a struggle with metabolic syndrome. If you need encouragement, would like to discuss the material on this site, or would like to explore a personal coaching arrangement for yourself, please visit the contact page to send me a message. .