Guest Profile

Fred Rutman

Fred Rutman, BA, CACE, MBA, Certified Marketing Specialist
Intermittent Faster and Coach, Death and Brain Trauma Survivor

Currently writing the medical trauma memoir "The Summer I Died Twenty Times."

Currently living in Toronto. I was a marketer/consultant, then went into academia as a college prof (MBA, Marketing and Finance) for a number of years. After acquiring my MBA, my weight really ballooned, up to 340 pounds. I did all the CICO methods, tried a bariatric doctor (no surgery) and exercised my butt off, eventually getting down to about 280, where I plateaued. Until the summer of 2009 came crashing down on me and forced me onto permanent medical leave.

Something was causing me to what we initially thought was pass out randomly. I was hospitalized numerous times and learned I was Type 2 – my sugars were 23 Canadian, 414 US scale. I was put on insulin and metformin. But it was worse than that - It turns I wasn’t simply passing out - my heart was stopping. I was clinically dead dozens of times. Each time my heart stopped, I collapsed and hit my head, sustaining multiple concussions. They eventually figured out that they had repeatedly misdiagnosed me and put me on a pacemaker. Which was great. Until the infallible pacemaker failed in 2013. And 2018, with more complications in 2019 and 2020. 

In 2018, I learned about intermittent fasting and my life hasn’t been the same since. I attribute the large majority of my recovery to the healing powers of IF. I’ve reversed T2 diabetes and some of its related issues, and am no longer asthmatic and my sleep apnea went away. I’m down 10 pant sizes and about 80 lbs. Yes, there is still some perpetual anxiety, PTSD and Post Concussion Syndrome but it gets better every day. In mid-December 2021, I had the cleanest pacemaker check I’ve ever had.

So the last 12 years has been me fighting to get my life back. Additionally, I am writing my memoir “The Summer I Died Twenty Times” along with the sequel “Dead again, the Summer I Died Twenty Times Continues”. Yes, this adventure never ends.