A newly married man shed an astonishing 210 pounds in just two years, after doctors warned him his obesity could lead to fertility issues.
Isaiah Caldwell, 28, weighed a whopping 434 pounds when he received the sobering news.
The St. Louis, Mo., man took action, adopting a strict carnivore diet, consisting only of meat and other animal products like eggs and dairy.
After two years, the 6-foot-4 tech salesman had lost over half his body weight. He says he’s happy, healthy, and eager to keep trying for a baby with wife Amanda, 29.
“Having a baby became an obsession of ours — we were really excited about it,” Caldwell told SWNS.
“We started trying for a year before we began to suspect that there might be some issues fertility wise. I knew if there was anything I could do to give us a chance, I would do it,” he said.
Isaiah Caldwell of St. Louis., Mo. lost over 210 pounds in two years on the carnivore diet.
“People think there’s some magic to it. But the reality is you’re just eliminating overeating as it’s really hard to binge-eat meat — it’s very restrictive and probably not for everyone,” Caldwell confessed.
After just one month of treating himself to steak and smoked brisket, he said, he was “blown away” to discover he’d already shed more than 20 pounds.
Caldwell models a suit before and after his dramatic drop.
Encouraged, he decided to shoot for another month, losing roughly the same amount of weight. He then decided to stick with it.
“I felt unbelievable even a week in — psychologically I felt so much better, my brain fog was totally gone. I felt a million times better,” Caldwell recalled.
“But I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep it up forever just eating meat.”
Ten months in, having lost over 100 pounds, he introduced fruit and dairy to his daily intake, and plunged headlong into the world of weight training — soon he was down 140 pounds.
Continuing with diet and exercise, he eventually made it to the 210-pound mark.
“If anyone is thinking maybe they can’t do it, they should know that I felt exactly like that too,” Caldwell encouraged. “It felt impossible and hopeless, but everyone is capable of it.”
The carnivore diet isn’t without its detractors — while noting that it can lead to “weight loss, improved mood, as well as blood sugar regulation,” experts at the Cleveland Clinic warn against this and other diets that eliminate entire food groups, citing the dangers of a lack of fiber or increased risk of heart disease from consuming so much saturated fat.
Now comes the next challenge — to see if the downsized wannabe dad’s efforts will be enough to see the couple through to a successful pregnancy.
“We’re really optimistic — I’m going to get testing done, but I’ve increased odds from zero to at least something,” Caldwell said.
“I’m in best shape of my life and we are excited to find a way to be parents no matter what.”
