For much of my life, I struggled with my weight, always up and down. As a kid I ate the standard American diet (SAD). I frequently suffered from heartburn and was constantly getting sick.
When I was 14, I decided to go vegetarian for the animals. Then, at 22, I started having horrible digestive issues, which led to my discovering that I was lactose- and gluten-intolerant, so I cut dairy and wheat from my diet, as well.
Eventually, I went vegan, at the age of 28. My health did improve a bit, but I was definitely a junk-food vegan and continued to gain weight and not feel my best.
The Turning Point
In 2019, I gave birth to my daughter and had to have an emergency cesarean section. After that, I wasn’t able to exercise much at all. My weight went up and up, until I was the heaviest I’ve ever been. I had persistent swelling in my ankles and feet and was in a lot of pain every day from the pressure on my joints. I knew I had to do something to take back my health and my happiness.
Years prior, I had watched the documentary Forks Over Knives, and more recently I’d come across The Starch Solution, by John McDougall, M.D., so I was familiar with the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. On June 8, 2020, I started my WFPB journey, eating low-fat, high-carb meals.
Amazed by the Difference
Almost right away, I began steadily losing weight. Little by little, as the weight came off, I started to feel better. After a few months, the swelling in my ankles went away for good! I found myself going for walks with my baby in a carrier on my back. I was absolutely amazed that simply changing my diet had such an impact. I didn’t have to do crazy workouts to get into shape.
In the first eight months of eating WFPB, I lost 42 pounds. At that point, I started to incorporate yoga into my daily routine. That helped heal me emotionally and physically. Over the next two years, I lost another 30 pounds. During that time, I had some slip-ups where I ate non-WFPB, but I always got back on track, refusing to give up on myself.
Today, I continue to enjoy a WFPB diet. My focus these days is building lean muscle, not losing weight. This has truly been a lifestyle change, not a fast weight-loss fix. In the beginning of my journey, I read success stories like this and they motivated me to start and to keep going. I hope my story will inspire you. You can do it!
To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.
