I got heavier as I progressed through college and medical school.

At the age of 27, while I was making the rounds in the hospital, I was convinced that I was suffering a heart attack. With hindsight, it was probably just severe heartburn. But it scared me into action.

It was time to lose weight.

For months, I tracked everything I ate. I followed the “calories in, calories out” principle that I learned at school, making sure I was consuming less than I was burning. I also exercised for many hours each day.

It worked; I lost 50 pounds.

Of course, that’s not the end of the story. You wouldn’t be reading this if it was. Like many other people, I put all of that weight back on - and then some more. Both of my parents were obese - eventually both had gastric bypass surgery - so I resigned myself to being “genetically destined” for obesity. Regrettably, this was another concept taught to me at school.

Obesity stared me in the face every day, both in the mirror and in the hospital. I treated obese and diabetic people on a daily basis, and I gave them the same advice each time:

“Eat less. Move more. Choose low-fat foods.”

I believed this was the correct advice, and I continued to follow it myself. Over the years I tried everything, including Weight Watchers and Nutrifast. I always lost weight - but I always put it back on with extra.

Then, in 2015, things really changed for me, and I owe it my wife. She had suffered with severe heartburn since giving birth to our daughters, and in 2015 decided to try avoiding gluten to see if it helped. I joined her in a bid to be supportive, and I was stunned to discover that I immediately felt better. I had more energy, and some of my excess weight disappeared.

Sometimes life presents strange coincidences, and I experienced one a short while later. At a medical conference, I listened to Gary Taubes as the guest speaker. He delivered an alternative explanation of sugar and carbohydrates as the underlying cause of obesity. I began reading his books and reducing my carbohydrate intake.