From Fitness Hero to Health Humbled: My Shocking Autoimmune Wake-Up Call and Battles

It's been quite a journey these past few years, and my body has certainly thrown me some curveballs. For a long time, I thought I had my health figured out, especially when it came to weight management. But life, and particularly our biology, often has other plans. I wanted to share my recent experiences, hoping it resonates with anyone else grappling with unexplained health shifts or the complexities of autoimmune conditions.

The Weight Rollercoaster: From Triumphs to Tangles – And an Ego in Freefall

Back in 2020-2021, I was on a high. I successfully shed a significant 38 pounds over a year, reaching a low of 163 lbs. I felt great, and more importantly, I maintained that weight pretty consistently. My secret? A disciplined approach to calories and a remarkably consistent diet – I literally ate almost the same thing every single day. I was so proud of my discipline, of the control I had over my body and my health.

Little did I know, my body was about to teach me a harsh lesson about who was really in control.

It was also around 2020 that I started deeply exploring the world of amino acids. Prior to this, I'd dabbled with BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids), but the science just wasn't "mathing out" for me in terms of their overall effectiveness for muscle protein synthesis.

That's when I discovered Essential Amino Acids (EAAs), and specifically, a unique MAP formula like the one used in Perfect Amino. I began experimenting with it, finding myself drawn to how EAAs positively affected my recovery and overall well-being, even at 50+.

My personal success and profound belief in this science eventually led me to launch my own company, I.AM.AMINO®️, dedicated to providing that very same high-quality MAP formula EAA.

Then, late 2023 arrived, and things started to feel… off. Despite sticking to the exact same routine, the weight began to creep back. It was a silent, insidious gain that I couldn't explain.

The control I had so carefully cultivated was slipping away, and with every pound, a part of my confidence and my ego began to erode. My body was behaving differently, even though my inputs hadn't changed, and the sense of powerlessness was crushing.

The Blindside: An Ocular Occlusion and an Autoimmune Diagnosis

The real turning point came in April of 2024. I experienced something terrifying: an ocular occlusion, essentially a stroke in my eye, which led to partial blindness.

Imagine waking up one day and half your vision is just... gone. 

At that point, my weight was already up to 175 lbs – a 10-pound gain from my low. 

The pride I had in my physical transformation felt hollow.

The man who had been in such control of his body was now facing a terrifying, and very visible, loss of function. It was a devastating blow to my sense of self.

Here's a remarkable detail that stood out amidst the crisis: during the heart catheterization that followed, despite having naturally very high cholesterol levels for years, my arteries showed zero, zero damage.

The doctor actually noted I had the arteries of an 18-year-old. While I can't definitively state the direct cause, I personally attribute a significant part of that incredible arterial health to my consistent use of I.AM.AMINO®️'s EAA formula.

(For those interested in the science, research continues to explore how optimal amino acid intake and metabolism may contribute to cardiovascular benefits, including arterial health, by influencing factors like nitric oxide production, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

For example, one study found that women with higher amino acid intakes tended to have less arterial stiffness and lower central blood pressure. See: Jennings, A., et al. "Amino Acid Intakes Are Inversely Associated with Arterial Stiffness and Central Blood Pressure in Women." The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 145, no. 9, 2015, pp. 1827–1834.)

To save my vision, I was immediately put on a high dose of prednisone. This powerful corticosteroid was necessary, but its well-known side effects hit hard.

The weight ballooned.

I shot up to 210 lbs. This wasn't just a number on a scale; it was a physical manifestation of losing control. I had lost all my hard-earned gains.

While that number was jarring, it's worth noting my pant size didn't increase proportionally.

This strongly suggested that a significant portion of that gain was water retention, a common prednisone side effect, rather than pure fat. (In fact, my waist size at 210 lbs was still smaller than when I started my initial weight loss journey at 195 lbs in 2020 – go figure!)

The doctors diagnosed me with an unknown autoimmune condition. This was a shock.

My body was fighting itself, and suddenly, so many inexplicable symptoms (like the stubborn weight gain and the sudden vision loss) started to make a twisted kind of sense.

The sense of invincibility I had once felt was completely shattered...

Prednisone's Double-Edged Sword: Saving Sight, Sabotaging Joints

Thankfully, my prednisone dosage has gradually been reduced, and I'm now on a much smaller maintenance dose. With that reduction, I've been able to cautiously embark on a new weight loss journey.

Four weeks ago, I started strictly calorie counting again, and I'm already down to 200 lbs. It’s slow, but it’s progress. More than a number, it's a small victory in reclaiming a sense of agency.

However, the experience with high-dose prednisone has left its mark in unexpected ways. The increased cortisol levels wreaked havoc on my connective tissues.

I've had multiple strange, tendon-related issues – dislocating fingers on both hands multiple times, and experiencing issues with my adductor attachments. These are injuries I'd never experienced in my entire life before.

It's a stark reminder of the widespread systemic effects of powerful medications, and of how fragile the body can be.

The Carb Conundrum: Challenging Conventional Wisdom

One piece of advice that often pops up for autoimmune conditions is to "cut carbs." However, this felt counterintuitive to my own experience. My ocular occlusion and subsequent diagnosis happened when I was already consuming under 100g of carbs a day.

Curiosity (and desperation!) led me to do a gene test, and the results were enlightening: my body, metabolically speaking, appears to do much better with higher carbohydrate intake.

This resonated deeply with my past. In my 20s, I was very high carb, and I was also significantly leaner. It was only in my late 20s that I shifted towards low-carb eating and intermittent fasting, a strategy that clearly started to backfire on my body more recently.

Sometimes the answer isn't in the latest health trend – it's in listening to your own unique biology.

Finding My New Normal: Listening to My Body's Wisdom

This journey has taught me immense humility about how complex our bodies are.

What works for one person, or even for yourself at a different life stage, may not work for another, or for you anymore when underlying health conditions shift. The ego that once believed it had all the answers has been humbled.

I'm now recalibrating my approach, leaning into the insights from my gene test and my body's signals, moving towards a more carb-inclusive diet while still focusing on whole, unprocessed foods.

The goal isn't just weight loss, but finding a sustainable path that supports my immune system, protects my joints, and helps me feel strong and vital. It's a new kind of victory, one that's less about control and more about collaboration with my own biology.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and sometimes the path forward means questioning conventional wisdom and truly listening to your own unique biology.