By: Brandon Berrett
I’ve been a “larger fellow” all my life. I simply chalked it up to genetics. I watched my father and grandfather be diagnosed with diabetes and saw them struggle through everything that comes along with obesity. After years of seeing this happen, I didn’t want to be that person.
So I took action and 15 years ago I started to do everything that traditional medicine and weight loss advocates say to do. I went on a high protein, low carb diet filled with as much meat as I could handle.
I saw a lot of success. I lost about 50 pounds. I looked great. It was suddenly an option for me to pursue a career in the military, which I did. Even in the military though, I was always at the high end of the weight scale. I had to constantly count my calories. I found that pounding back tons of protein every day was no longer effective.
Despite my high level of physical activity, I was gaining weight. I was distressed and depressed at the same time. And it never sat right with me that I was told to avoid certain fruits and vegetables. How could carrots and fruit be causing my weight gain but unlimited steak and bacon were perfectly fine?
My health was also suffering. I was diagnosed with chronic recurring pleurisy. I had terrible chest pains that would leave me incapacitated for days or weeks at a time. Needless to say, this was not good for my military career, and I was medically discharged.
Over the next 7 years, I watched my weight gradually increase and my health steadily decline. I felt 30 years older than I was. I found myself weighing 320 pounds and was constantly sick from ailments doctors couldn’t diagnose. I was in my early 30’s, and I had to walk with a cane.
Despite my pain, I decided it was time to make a change. For the second time. I decided to skip the high protein route though and after a year of really hard work, I dropped myself to 300 pounds with pure exercise.
During this time, my mind kept returning to my patriarchal blessing. In it I am specifically admonished to remember the Word of Wisdom and the principles of taking care of my body. In my wrecked physical state, I wondered what that could mean. It told me specifically to “only take into [my] body that which is pleasing to the Lord.”
I, of course, thought this only applied to the Word of Wisdom in a traditional sense. I took special care, more than most, to avoid harmful tea, alcohol, tobacco, etc. I thought I was keeping that admonition in my blessing because I was keeping the worthiness aspect of that section of the Doctrine and Covenants. I wanted to run and not be weary and walk and not faint. But somehow that promise was elusive to me.
