I could write a book about how I got to that point. All the things I was taught as a child and all the things I experienced as an adult contributed to my weight gain over the years. My dangerously low self-esteem and life long battle with depression all contributed. In the end though the number one reason I was morbidly obese was because I consumed the standard American diet. I was raised on it and as I grew into an adult and continued to eat the food I had been raised on and I was never told it was killing me.
I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was 16 years old. I was mildly overweight at the time despite the fact that I worked out 6 days a week while playing basketball. I was an athlete yet overweight. Everyone told me I was “big boned” no one told me my food was slowly killing me.
The doctors told me high blood pressure is hereditary but not one told me it is one of the first signs of heart disease. My arteries were already clogging up at 16 years of age because I was consuming too much dietary fat and cholesterol. The doctors told me to take a pill for the rest of my life and it would control my blood pressure. What they didn’t tell me is that the pill would not treat the underlying disease it simply controlled it’s symptoms.
I didn’t listen to the doctors then . In part because I didn’t care about myself to want to take care of myself but also in part because I sensed that taking a pill was not natural. I should not have to pay a drug company money every month for the rest of my life just to live. So I ignored the problem.
In 2007 my blood pressure was so high I could not get a DOT certification to drive a package car for my job. The doctor in the clinic took it about a dozen times and the best reading she got was 165/112 with a resting heart rate of 110. I was told to get on medication and come back in a few months to be re-tested. I left my job at UPS due to stress so I never went back. I also continued to ignore my stage 2 hypertension.
In 2012 I found myself 105 lbs overweight. I had high blood pressure, elevated eye pressure, sleep apnea, muscle aches and pains, backaches, knee pain, dry mouth, headaches, cramps while menstruating, acid reflux, constant sinus infections, frequent upset stomach with diarrhea, frequent sore throats, coughing, colds, and intermittent bouts with depression.
On January 21, 2012 I decided to change. Less then a month after I made that decision I watched a documentary that changed my life. I adopted a whole food plant based diet and not only did I lose massive amounts of weight I reversed my chronic ailments. Below is a graph of my weight loss over the last two years.
In 2014 I am no longer obese. I started with a BMI of 41.6 today my BMI is 30. My blood pressure is averaging 125/75 with a resting heart rate of 65. My sleep apnea and acid reflux have almost completely been resolved. I no longer have high blood pressure, elevated eye pressure, headaches, muscle aches or pains, backaches, knee pain, dry mouth, cramping while menstruating, sinus infections, upset stomach or diarrhea, sore throats, and coughing. My last cold was in March of 2012. I can’t remember the last day I was depressed.
So physically and emotionally I have been healed. I did not take a single pill or undergo a single surgical procedure. I simply changed what I put on the end of my fork. You can to.
This year I will turn 40 years old. I plan to empty those last 6 bricks out of my shopping cart by my birthday on December 28th. For the first time in my adult life I will be at a normal weight for my height. I will also be the healthiest I have been since likely the day I was born.
No matter how many extra bricks you are pushing around in your cart you can get them out. You can regain your health and your life. I hope that my story can inspire you to do so. We were not created to be sick and unhealthy we were created to be vibrant and healthy. Change what you eat and you will change your life.
For more information on how I did it please watch the documentary “Forks Over Knives”. You can stream it on Netflix or borrow a copy from me. The following books also go into detail about the whole foods plant based diet I eat, “The Starch Solution” by Dr. John McDougall, “My Beef With Meat” by Rip Esselstyn, & “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
So since I don't particularly want to increase the vegies, decrease the beans and stop stuffing my face when I'm not hungry, I haven't been pushing myself to make more changes in my patterns. Thanks for the inspiration!
