On Wednesday, July 12, I had the awesome experience of attending the Exam Room podcast live for it's taping while they were in New York City. It was so much fun, and a great opportunity to talk with my plant based peers. I went with my friend Sherri and we both had a blast talking with the podcast host Chuck Carroll, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michelle McMacken, Dr. Robert Ostfeldt and Rip Esselstyn of PlantStrong.
I haven’t been to many gatherings since COVID, so it was so nice to be out there and without masks once again. The food was awesome too, especially the dessert. All vegan of course!
The other day, when I was in a store, someone approached me that I hadn’t seen in a while. We used to go to the same gym. He said “you need to gain some weight, you’re getting too skinny.” This stunned me as I am the same weight I’ve been for the past 5 years, having leveled off at around 195 pounds. At 6'3" tall, this seems like my ideal weight. It made me think of what Dr. Fuhrman said many times. The average American has no idea what a normal weight looks like.
I just looked up what my BMI (Body Mass Index) is and it’s at 24.5. This is actually a little high, not that I want to get a BMI any lower. This seems to be where my body wants to be, as I eat Nutritarian foods. When you eat fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, you get a variety of nutrients and your body gets what it needs to keep going at a steady weight. I do not worry about losing weight or gaining weight. When I was obese, I feared I would never stop gaining. It actually feels like freedom knowing I don’t have to worry about weight gain (or loss).
As many of you probably remember, I had a knee injury about three and a half years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just finished the Manchester Road Race in the fall of 2019. I had a strange feeling in my left knee after the run, like it was numb. I thought it was odd, but the numbness would go away when I rested, or so I thought.
After I got home, like an idiot, I didn't do much resting. I remember going to the store and noticing my knee was starting to feel like it was on fire, and I could not stand on it. It was beginning to swell. I bolted out of the store as best I could and made it home.
I was a salt addict before moving to a plant based diet. I used to salt everything, even before tasting it. I ate the typical American diet filled with salt, oil and sugar, and it caused my blood pressure to go up. It also contributed to pre-diabetes.
I remember when I first gave up extra salt, it took a few weeks for the taste buds to adjust. The process was made easier as I introduced several spices to my diet.
