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Battling Addiction, Abuse, and Transforming Your Life with Battista Locatelli

Robert Sikes

• October 18th, 2021

Have you ever hit rock bottom and somehow climbed back up to transform your life? Battista Locatelli grew up quickly as the child of drug-abusing parents and found himself battling addictions from food to heroin. After years of abuse and addiction, relapse, and run-ins with drug cartels, Battista transformed his life through a meat-based ketogenic diet. He is a bright light in the ketogenic space and it was a pleasure to talk to him and learn about his life.

What we discussed on this episode:

His early life growing up the child of drug addicted parents in Las Vegas (1:32)
What it was like being raised in the restaurant industry that catered to celebrities and mafia members (2:04)
The beginnings of the sexual abuse he endured as a child (3:03)
When his unhealthy relationship with food began (4:41)
His success in school despite his tumultuous home life and his first exposure to dieting through Jenny Craig as a ten-year old (8:34)
His first experience with methamphetamines and the quick weight loss that followed due to lack of appetite (11:14)
The resentment he felt towards his mother and father as absent parents (16:16)
How his addiction evolved and led to his eventual incarceration due to theft (23:57)
Unhealthy relationships and the toll they took on his self-esteem (28:09)
Moving in with his parents in Utah and becoming an alcoholic (31:10)
His first stint in rehab and subsequent relapse due to an ATV accident (33:11)
Heroin addiction and his experience as a distributor (38:03)
The opioid epidemic in Utah (38:17)
Continuing run-ins with police and insane experiences due to drug and alcohol abuse (49:48)
The pivotal moment in jail when he realized he didn’t have anyone but himself, and he knew he could return from ground zero and remake himself (50:47)
The beginning of his weight loss and fitness journey and the years he spent experimenting to figure out what works best for his body (57:05)
His relationship with his partner Brandon and the shared trauma they have in common (58:02)
Their experience with going carnivore and the immediate health benefits they saw (59:54)
Battista’s work towards a master’s degree in social work with the goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker (1:06:50)
The gifts that being an addict has given him and his experience working as an operations manager for sober living homes (1:08:33)
The value of community when going through recovery (1:10:36)
His experience with EMDR therapy (1:14:09)
The ramifications of chronic undereating (1:26:07)
Weight training and the benefits he’s noticed since beginning a routine (1:34:14)