Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

When a started my weightloss journey almost 12 years ago, I never imagined I would end up coaching others. As I strived to reverse my hypertension, I was doing what felt best for my health. I researched the best and worst foods to eat and began an exercise routine. This would help me lose 150+ pounds, reverse my hypertension and pre-diabetes and be in the best shape of my life.

Along the way, people would ask me what I did to lose weight. I also had friends or family that wanted to know how they too can get off their meds for good. I would always share what I learned. When I saw that other people were rsponding to my advice, that’s when I realized I should consider becoming a coach.

Today marks my 7th anniversary as a vegan. Yes, I was plant based since 2012, but I ate minimal animal products like turkey or yogurt up until September of 2016.

I credit my vegan brother Robert Cheeke for helping me transition. The 13 week workout journal did the trick. After the 13 weeks, I never wanted to go back to animal products.

Back in August of 2016, I had plateaued. I had already lost 150 pounds eating a mostly plant based diet, but I was left with a lof of loose skin, especially around my belly. I wanted to shift things into high gear, try other methods to build more muscle to hide the excess skin. That’s when I turned to the internet, the same thing I turned to when I initially lost the weight in the first place.

I had been trying for a few years to pack on muscle but it wasn’t working that well for me at the time. My personal trainer told me to up my protein intake to a whopping 200 grams a day. He wanted me to start having whey shakes. Two things happened that caused my personal trainer’s plan to fail: first, the whey protein shake did not agree with me. It didn’t digest well and there’s no way I could continue. Second, my primary doctor told me that I could damage my liver or kidneys with such a high amount of protein. Both of those instances caused me to rethink what my personal trainer was advising.

In a few weeks, it will be exactly ten years since I had my first physical since before college. That one physical altered my life from that moment on.

Many of you know my story, but it seems appropriate to remind my readers of why this appointment was so critical. I was morbidly obese, weighing in at well over 350 pounds. i was not taking care of myself, having neuropathy in my feet, feeing exhausted, having headaches, etc. I knew the doctor would tell me I had health issues and I did not want to know. I was pushed into this physical because the state of Connecticut was requiring it for workers who wanted to have cheaper premiums. I decided to finally face my fears and do the physical.

I still remember my last meal, Chicken Marsala, at a small dinner party celebrating my friend’s birthday. My plan was to start Robert Cheeke’s workout journal, a 13 week workout challenge where you are completely vegan for 13 weeks, the next day. I had done week long challenges before and always thought about how great I felt. I thought 13 weeks would be the ultimate test. Little did I know I would never go back to animal products after that!

I was plant based since 2012, having first started my healthy lifestyle through the work of Dr. Fuhrman. His advice about GBOMBS foods (greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds) is still an important part of my diet. Over the years, I’ve picked up advice from Dr. McDougall, Dr. Gregor and countless others. I think all plant based doctors have something to offer.