Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
Why I Went Plant Based
A friend asked me recently why I decided to go plant based. I thought I should write about it because there were a number of factors that contributed to the decision.
I had already lost 150 pounds, so it's not like I needed to change my diet further to keep the weight off. I was mostly flexitarian, eating occasional eggs, dairy or poultry 3 or 4 times a week for a couple years. But I had an issue with my weight loss; I was left with loose skin. I wanted to tighten my skin, not just around my abs, but in my arms, etc. Weight loss really does a lot of damage to the skin and I refuse to get a tummy tuck.
I bring this up because I wanted to build muscle. This was the only way to tighten my arms. I was already lifting weights, although I wish I started the weights while I was losing the weight. I was working hard but getting nowhere. In my mind, I needed more protein to build muscle. This helped me to shift to a plant based diet.
I was reading about what excessive animal protein can do to your body. I didn't want to damage my liver or kidneys just to build muscle. That's when I discovered vegan bodybuilders like Robert Cheeke (author of "Shred It!"). These bodybuilders were building muscle without needing any meat at all. I thought "I can add extra plant protein and build muscle, while not having to worry about excessive protein doing any damage". Another thing is that I like challenges. I like the fact that it goes against the conventional thinking that meat is needed for muscle building. I can prove something to others at my local gym who do not know about vegan bodybuilders.
Eventually, with additional research online and listening to lectures at the NYC Veg Fest, I came to realize that I didn't need the vegan protein powders I was consuming. I was getting more than enough protein with whole foods. Now don't get me wrong... I do still use a protein powder. The only difference is, I use it only on days that I feel I need extra protein, such as a tough workout. The protein powder consists of yellow peas only, no other ingredients.
Another factor was the week long vegan challenges I would do. Each time I did the challenges, I realized how great I felt. I would be sad that the challenges ended. The last challenge I did was a 13 week challenge based on a workout journal by Robert Cheeke, which lasted for 13 weeks. But I never wanted to go back to my old way of eating after that.
Also, my compassion for animals has increased so much. I hope that even the carnivores out there can acknowledge how bad most farm animals are treated. It's hard to ignore the abuse once you give up meat. I look at animals different now. I see a pig more as an animal that could be a pet and wonder why dogs and cats are conventional pets and not other species. I never thought this way before going plant based.
This started out as a challenge for me, not knowing that I would stay on this eating plan. But, I've been building muscle at a much faster rate as plant based. I feel energetic and healthy being plant based. I rarely get sick... I can't think of the last time I had a cold! Now, I can't imagine eating meat. I ate meat and processed food all my life, so to be over 10 months plant based is an incredible feeling!
About the author
Richard Hubbard was once over 350 pounds. After a doctor's physical and finding out he was pre-hypertensive, he decided to make changes and avoid medication. Over the course of a year, Rich lost the first 120 pounds of his incredible 150 pound weight loss. He ate healthy foods based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live". He was mostly plant based, but switched to completely plant based in September of 2016. He also became a vegan in the process as his compassion for animals increased. He credits bodybuilder Robert Cheeke for influencing his decision of going vegan. Rich aspires to be a vegan bodybuilder and is planning his first half marathon this year.