Archive for weight loss – Page 6

“I am 81, and my wife is 79”

By Jane Birch · Comments (15)
Saturday, March 28th, 2015

Cy and Pat WelchBy: Cy Welch

My name is Cy Welch. My wife is Pat Welch. I am 81, and my wife is 79.

When I read “Discovering the Word of Wisdom” by Jane Birch on Meridian Magazine, it rang a bell with me. I was struggling with the normal health problems of aging, such as lack of mobility, some arthritis, enlarged prostate (BPH), hypertension, hearing problems, and lack of strength. My wife is diabetic, arthritic, has fallen many times over the years, has hearing problems, and lots of migraine headaches, etc.

After I read a couple of the articles on “Discovering the Word of Wisdom” on the Internet, I bought the book and started the transition to a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) eating. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. I also bought and read The China Study as recommended by Jane. It connected the dots for me on health problems we were dealing with and just made sense. We went on a two-week vacation about this time while making the transition and found out just how difficult it can be to find food which supports the WFPB lifestyle on the fly so to speak. We did the best we could and are now about 90% changed over to WFPB.

One of the first benefits I noticed was my mobility began to return. I used to be fairly flexible, but I slowly lost my flexibility over the years. I am now flexible enough to get in and out of the van without bumping my head on the top of the door opening. I feel almost twenty years younger. I’m also slowly losing weight, although I wasn’t much over weight. I have much greater flexibility, strength and endurance.

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“The Spirit confirmed to us that we were on the right track”

By Jane Birch · Comments (15)
Saturday, March 14th, 2015

Mantlo FamilyBy: Leslie Mantlo

My daughter Meg, now 11, has struggled with bellyaches, headaches, stiff achy joints, and troubled sleeping for many years. I have taken her to the doctor time and again, but there have never been any real answers. It has been so frustrating. When I have taken her in, the doctor would attribute her bellyaches to constipation, which was partially true, but she wouldn’t really take the problem seriously. Her “solution” was to prescribe the regular use of laxatives (to a small child?) and give her gummy fiber supplements.

We tried everything the doctor suggested, hoping for results, but we never got lasting results, maybe a day or two of relief was all. It was very trying, especially for our daughter. No matter what she ate or drank it ended in a bellyache. She wasn’t sleeping well at all. It got to the point where she was not able to concentrate during learning activities so schooling was incredibly challenging.

I finally heeded a friend’s advice to contact a doctor in Colorado Springs that she’d had great success with. I counseled with him on our daughter’s symptoms, and he immediately suggested that she likely had an intestinal yeast infection. He made many dietary recommendations that, initially, I found pretty heavy. He pulled us off of white flour, white sugar, cow’s milk, artificial colors and flavors — all five days before Halloween 2013. I was like, “What are we supposed to eat if we can’t eat any of that???” He also prescribed particular supplements, including probiotics, and asked us to faithfully keep food diaries.

For me this was “experiment upon the word” and “come and see.” We were at a point where we just needed solid answers and solutions. We needed for our daughter to get better. We needed a medical professional to take the situation seriously. It was affecting all of us. So we jumped on board, supplements, food diaries, and all, faithfully! It was very challenging, but I was amazed at how our whole family rallied around our daughter. We all did this new diet together.

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“Every day feels like a cheat day to me”

By Jane Birch · Comments (10)
Saturday, February 28th, 2015

Maria AveryBy: Maria Avery

I want to share how I’ve lost 110 pounds, going from size 24 to a size 10, on a whole food, plant-based diet.

My family immigrated to the United States from Azores, Portugal when I was three years old. I grew up on a small family dairy farm in California. I learned how to feed animals, mend fences, milk cows, and all the other things that go along with running a dairy. I never thought I would become vegan. That wasn’t something I was exposed to when I was growing up. My mom cooked traditional meat based Portuguese dishes and is a wonderful cook. (Sadly, I didn’t inherit that gene.)

In 2012 my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and a friend died of cancer. Another friend was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease) and passed away the next year. All these events made me seriously think about my health. I knew that diabetes and heart disease ran in my immediate and extended family. Now, I could add cancer to the list of family health concerns. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would follow in my family’s footsteps. Those were not the footsteps I wanted to follow!

At this time, I was overweight, pre-diabetic, had a high liver count, acid reflux and high cholesterol (219 out of a normal range of 130-199). I was on medicine for acid reflex, and my doctor wanted to put me on medication for high liver count. As I pondered my health and family history, I decided I needed to make some changes. I was not sure where to start, but I knew something had to happen.

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“I made a promise to myself to never go back to my old junky ways”

By Jane Birch · Comments (4)
Saturday, January 31st, 2015

Amanda KotterBy: Amanda Kotter

Coming from a family with a propensity for addictive behaviors, I worked diligently most of my adult life to create a healthy living environment in order to counter the tendencies in my own life. Yet, nearly seven years ago, I came to understand that I was not treating myself with the love and respect God expected of me.

My mother had died just two years prior from the side effects of the chemo treatments she was on for lung cancer, which was caused from a 2-packs-a-day smoking habit she had cultivated since age 13. My siblings were also struggling with unhealthy habits, which was also very distressing. In addition, the events in the world were weighing heavily on my mind. Verse 4 in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants echoed in my head:

“Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—”

It was made manifest to me that I needed to become highly aware of those conspiring men and their evil designs.

So, I took a good look at my lifestyle and noticed where I was lacking. Though I thought I was doing well by avoiding the usual alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, it became obvious I ought to be avoiding so much more. This awareness led me to make some serious changes. I cut out all junk, pork, and refined foods. I had a pretty hefty diet soda habit at that time, so this was a significant change for me. I switched to mostly organic food and unfluoridated water. I also cleaned up my environment by getting rid of chemicals and pollutants.

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Duffy’s WFPB Journey — December 2014

By Editor · Comments (9)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2014

January Calendar StartNote from Jane: This is the latest in a monthly series by Duffy, who went whole food, plant-based late in 2013 with the goal of losing over 200+ pounds. Duffy is doing an awesome job and has experienced significant successes. At the same time, she still struggles with a problem many food addicts have: indulging in high-calorie dense foods that feed cravings and slow weight loss or even cause weight gain. Duffy understands this issue well and is working hard to overcome it. I hope others struggling with similar food addictions can learn from her experience. To see previous posts, click Duffy Chronicles.

Dear friends,

As 2014 comes to a conclusion, I have been looking back on the year and asking myself whether I accomplished all that I wanted to with my New Year’s resolution to go whole food, plant-based. While I did not lose as much weight as I hoped at the outset of the year, I have lost 72 pounds since 2013 and have kept about 60 of that off. I also accomplished several things of great significance. For instance, I remember a time before I began this way of eating that I couldn’t walk the length of a high school and was in great pain when I tried to do so. I remember having near-constant back pain when I stood and not being able to bend over to reach the gas tank release button while sitting in the driver’s seat of my car. All of those issues resolved quickly when I changed my diet, lost a little weight, and started being able to move better. Perhaps the more significant outcome though is that for one full, entire year I kept a promise to myself. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever kept a New Year’s resolution, and I am so proud of myself.

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“I’ve started wearing belts and much snappier outfits!”

By Jane Birch · Comments (2)
Saturday, December 27th, 2014

Bob and Carolyn AllenBy: Carolyn Allen

I was 12 years old when I saw a picture of myself that would impact my entire life. As an adolescent I had put on some weight, but not any height. I’m so short-waisted and short-legged that there was no place to hide any extra weight. Even five pounds is a big deal for me. In the photo, I was chubby and had an unflattering outfit, but more than that, my face was sad and unhappy. Looking at myself, I felt distressed.

So at age 12, I started to exercise and watch what I ate. I didn’t tell anyone, but when my mom commented that I looked different, I told her I’d lost 5 pounds. My weight went up and down by as much as 30 pounds during the next 8 years. It greatly affected my self-esteem. I also had a strange genetic disorder that resulted in my starting 7th grade as toothless as a first grader. Ages 12-18 were spent trying to lose weight and waiting for teeth to grow in. Needless to say, I was not a cheerleader or prom queen. Add the typical woes of adolescent acne and social challenges, and no one could pay me enough to do those years again!

I was chubby when I went off for my freshman year at BYU where I gained more weight. As I returned home for the summer, in my frustration of gaining the 10 pounds, I gained another five. I reached what was later my top maternity weight. I could see myself ballooning into a very overweight girl, much like my paternal grandmother and aunts and uncles, so in desperation, lonely and scared, I went to the local Weight Watchers. Thankfully, I lost the ten pounds and got a moderate grip on things.

As the years went by, I returned to Weight Watchers many times, and I thank this program from the bottom of my heart. It saved me from becoming obese. My happiness level went up and down through these years, but as I look back, it could have been much, much worse. Eventually I became a Weight Watchers leader. My years of sharing the importance of “A Balanced Diet of Fruits and Veggies! Meat! Dairy! Protein! Be Healthy and You’ll Be Happy!” were a lot of fun and were the foundation of my current writing and business.

During these years, Weight Watchers actually came out with a vegetarian program where you could “eat as much as desired of these foods until you are satisfied.” As I look back on it, it was pretty much a whole-food-plant-based program that I dismissed with “Who would ever do that!” I loved my skim milk, cottage cheese, weekly allotment of cheese, beef meals, etc. And with a sweet tooth that was never really under control, I sure wasn’t going to go that route!

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“My journey started before I joined the Church”

By Jane Birch · Comments (5)
Saturday, December 13th, 2014

Warner Molema FamilyBy: Warner Molema

My journey towards a whole food, plant-based diet is a long one. It started before I joined the Church…

In my mid teens I remember reading that we become what we eat. The article was accompanied with a picture of a man with a pig’s snout. The article also mentioned that a diet of meat leads to increased anger and hostility. I did not want these traits and made up my mind to become vegetarian – no meat, but I still had dairy and eggs – ovo-lacto vegetarian. My mother supported me by preparing a separate vegetarian addition to the family meal. I was the only vegetarian in my family.

A few years before this time, while living in Cape Town South Africa, missionaries knocked on our door. I remember my parents purchasing a copy of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants… they had to be purchased in those days. I remember a few visits by the missionaries. I think my parents indicated that they appreciated their visits, however would not be joining the Church. During those early years of being a vegetarian, I remember browsing the burgundy covered Doctrine and Covenants and reading Section 89. I stopped drinking all hot drinks thereafter. I refused alcohol and did not partake in tobacco. Both my parents both smoked at the time.

After completing high school in Welkom, I attended university in Bloemfontein. I stayed on campus in the student housing – dormitories or in Afrikaans koshuisse. At meal times I would swap my meat for extra vegetables or dessert with fellow dorm dwellers. I held to my resolution to be a vegetarian and to refrain from hot drinks, alcohol, and tobacco.

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Duffy’s WFPB Journey — November 2014

By Editor · Comments (7)
Sunday, November 30th, 2014

Sliced Apple for Duffy

Note from Jane: This is the latest in a monthly series by Duffy, who went whole food, plant-based late in 2013 with the goal of losing over 200+ pounds. To see previous posts, choose Duffy Chronicles from the Stories menu.

When Jane broached the subject of my writing a regular blog post on her website, I was hesitant. Even if I did it anonymously, I would be putting myself out there in a big way. And what if I failed? It wouldn’t be a private failure, but a public humiliation.

I have not failed… but I have not succeeded in all the ways that I want to yet, either.

To put first things first, I will state up front that I have kept my New Year’s resolution to stay 100% Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB), no oil.

I haven’t lost weight since summer, however. I had gotten to 72 lbs lost and then I bounced up to where I was only down 62 lbs and that is where I’ve stayed. I think it started with nuts (daily)… then came the bread and lemonade (daily). After that there was a time when I ate all three of an evening. (Note: While these are all plant foods, they are higher density plant foods that need to be eaten sparingly for weight loss.)

A few of weeks ago I reached a point of realization where I had driven to the store with the intent of buying the usual loaf of oil-free ciabatta bread, Simply brand raspberry lemonade, and oil-free roasted and salted cashews from the bulk section (talk about a daily calorie binge!) and it was raining so hard I didn’t want to get out of my car. So I sat there in the parking lot and thought about how badly I really wanted those things. Interestingly enough, I found that I wasn’t actually truly hungry at all, that I didn’t really want those things so much as I wanted to stuff down the emotion, and that I was basically on autopilot. I drove back home empty-handed, read for awhile and went to bed. My newfound abstinence lasted two days.

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“I felt so great I never looked back”

By Jane Birch · Comments (19)
Saturday, November 29th, 2014

April AshcroftBy: April Ashcroft

My mother passed away when I was 5 years old, so my brother and I went to live with our paternal grandparents. Grandma had diabetes at that time, and Grandpa was diagnosed shortly thereafter and then died suddenly of a heart attack in his early 70’s. Throughout my adolescent and teen years, I witnessed my grandmother suffering greatly with the consequences of her disease. She was in and out of a rest home in her later years and during my many visits with her, I saw not only her suffering but the suffering of others in the rest home. This made a huge impression on me as a young child.

I’ve also seen the suffering of many others in my family. My mother had died of cancer at a very young age. My father had heart disease and was eventually diagnosed with diabetes. He died about a year later from pancreatic cancer. My maternal parents both had diabetes and heart disease and suffered strokes. One of my mother’s brothers had diabetes, heart disease, and eventually kidney failure, so he went on dialysis. After 5 years, he took himself off because of the great suffering he had experienced. My mother’s sister was diagnosed with diabetes in her early 40’s. She also has heart disease and has suffered a stroke. She continues today to live with the impact of these diseases.

Over the years I’ve thought about family members plagued with chronic diseases and wondered: Are these diseases and their suffering my destiny? Am I doomed because of my genetics? I was concerned about this at an early age. I did not want to go through what I saw my family and others going through. So I decided in my early 20’s that I was going to do everything in my power to avoid what many would say is my genetic destiny.

I now find it a blessing that I began to battle my weight after high school because I went from being sedentary and a bit lazy to being very dedicated to exercise. I thought that was going to keep me healthy. Unfortunately, my commitment to exercise turned into an obsession, and before I knew it, I was on a vicious cycle of dieting and exercise in my early 20’s. Worse, it was discouraging to see women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s who were still struggling to maintain their ideal weight. I hated the mental madness of the dieting game, and I did not want to still be dieting when I was 40! I firmly believed that Heavenly Father didn’t want me spending so much time and energy worrying about my weight. Along with being consumed about my weight, I felt terrible. At 21 I was fatigued and tired all the time. I couldn’t understand why at this young age I felt so bad. I wanted to have energy and be active and healthy. I believed that Heavenly Father wanted that for me as well.

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“I find so much joy as I prepare nutritious meals”

By Jane Birch · Comments (5)
Saturday, November 15th, 2014

Anne Marie Yates FamilyBy: Ann Marie Yates

I first heard the term “plant-based diet” a year and a half ago. I was nearing the birth of my fifth baby and was anxious to lose the baby weight and get back into shape. I had successfully lost weight in the past on a high-protein, low-carb regimen, so I visited a body builder web site, ordered protein powders and selected menus and workouts to begin as soon as possible after my baby was born.

In the meantime, my sister told me about a documentary on Netflix called Hungry for Change. I watched it, and then I watched Forks Over Knives. Both films outline the dangers of eating the standard American diet (SAD) and show the benefits of eating a variety of whole, natural foods. Forks Over Knives introduced me to a wealth of information about the danger of animal protein, which was completely new to me.

I knew immediately I should not follow my high-protein, low-carb weight loss plan. I ordered books from many of the experts in the documentaries including Colin Campbell, Rip Esselstyn, John McDougall, and Joel Fuhrman. I read everything I could about a plant-based diet and was impressed with how closely it follows the Word of Wisdom. I had always had a nagging feeling that the “body-building” diet was not in line with the Word of Wisdom, but I didn’t realize modern research so closely backs up the “do’s” in the Word of Wisdom and not just the “don’ts.”

One of my favorite parts of more fully living the truths found in the Word of Wisdom is learning how following a plant-based diet can prevent most, if not all of the commonly accepted diseases related to aging. Last spring, my mom lost her fourth sibling to cancer, my beloved Aunt Wilma. I felt very helpless as I realized that cancer seems to run in my family, and I prayed to know how to eat as healthfully as possible to avoid future illnesses. After watching the documentaries, I felt empowered that I could control my own health destiny. I decided to have my cholesterol tested to get a starting point to go from, and was shocked when the results came back high! I committed to six months of not eating animal products of any kind. I was retested in February and my cholesterol was down 30 points and is now in the “safe” zone. I am striving to lower it even more, and I love how healthy and strong I feel when I follow this way of eating. My migraines, body aches, acne, mood swings and cravings are greatly diminished, if not gone altogether.

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