“I had to have a health crisis to get the ball rolling”

By: Darin Francom

It all started back in the early 2000’s. I had returned from serving a mission, started a new job, went back to school and met and married my sweetheart. Over the course of the next few years we started our family and added two of our three kids to the mix. Up to this point I had enjoyed great health. I was very athletic and played several sports growing up. I had never had to worry about what I ate and never dealt with weight gain, until one day in early 2005 I woke up and looked down and noticed I was starting to get a gut. The process was so gradual that I hadn’t even noticed.

So what did I do? I decided to start working out! I also borrowed a book from my brother called Body For Life. This required me to eat six times a day with an animal-based protein, a starch, and a serving of vegetables in each meal. Ultimately the diet was heavy in meat and dairy and limited in grains and vegetables. I also worked out six days a week alternating between cardio and weight training. I can’t forget the free day once every week where you were permitted to eat whatever you wanted. I would eat myself sick! I did lose weight, and I looked like I was in great shape, but I knew deep down I couldn’t maintain this lifestyle. I spent all my time planning and prepping meals or working out. I was also perpetually sore from the workouts and had the hardest time recovering. Needless to say I eventually burned out, and between 2005-2011 I went from 200 lbs to 259 lbs. As with most weight gain, my cholesterol and blood pressure also went up. I suffered from acid reflux and chronic sinus infections. I also started snoring, which robbed sleep from both my wife and me. I was a mess!

Then one day in 2011, I was watching good old KBYU while lying sick in bed from a sinus infection. Their annual fundraiser featured Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I was intrigued to say the least. I watched the whole thing and then bought Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live and read it from cover to cover. I went cold turkey from eating the Standard American Diet to whole food, plant-based (WFPB), eating 1 lb of fresh vegetables, 1 lb of cooked vegetables, 1/2 cup of beans and 4 fruits a day. I was so sick for about 3 weeks straight! I felt like I had the flu. I was weak, tired and had a perpetual headache. Everyone around me thought I was crazy! I started to lose weight rapidly and eventually I didn’t feel ill anymore. Over the course of 6 months I went from 259 to 192, I also felt fairly good.

One of the things that drew me to this way of eating was how closely I felt it aligned with the Word of Wisdom. Eating this wasn’t difficult for me, but the pressure from others was intense and my own sweetheart, who is a nurse, thought I had an eating disorder! Family and friends thought I was being radical and without the proper support group I threw in the towel. I felt cold all the time. I had lost muscle weight, and felt considerably weaker than I was used too. I slowly and painfully went back to the SAD. From 2011 to 2018 my weight went from 192 lbs all the way up to 270 lbs.

In September of 2018, I went in to see my physician for an annual check up. My total cholesterol was back at 250, and I was suffering from high blood pressure. It was consistently around 140/90. My snoring was reaching epic levels which forced my wife out onto the couch regularly. During my follow up visit with the doctor she said that because I was 40 years old I should heavily consider taking a statin for my cholesterol and something to lower my blood pressure. I also had an appointment to have a sleep study, so I could get on a CPAP machine to take care of the apnea. I asked her to give me a couple of months to see what I could do on my own and then we would do the medication route if there was no improvement.

I decided that I would try Dr. Fuhrman’s dietary recommendations again with the hopes it would somehow be different this time. As usual I started to lose weight right away, but I knew there was something missing! I decided that I needed to make my diet more interesting and started searching for plant-based recipes on the internet. That is when it all changed! I just happened to come across a website called Discovering the Word of Wisdom. I watched all the videos, visited each page, and bought the book Discovering the Word of Wisdom. I read the book in two days and started incorporating whole grains into my diet! I was so excited to eat breakfast every morning that I would think about it as I went to bed. The addition of whole grains into my diet was the key that unlocked the door to my success.

It has been just over 5 months since I changed my diet. I currently weight 205 lbs. My total cholesterol went from 250 to 178 in just 2 month (I’m confident it is much lower now!) I went from only being able to do 8 push ups to over 100 in a workout, and I recover within a day! My blood pressures consistently come in under 120/80. I don’t snore anymore! The marriage is better, to say the least. While the doctor is impressed, she thinks that I am being radical and doesn’t think my new lifestyle is sustainable. That’s okay. It just keeps me motivated.

This time, I’m much better prepared to deal with the naysayers. I’m more educated and so is my wife, so it doesn’t feel nearly as radical as the time before. Previously, I might have been a bit zealous in my approach and preached the WFPB gospel a little too directly. (I had a hard time trying to understand why others were not as excited about what I had learned!). I now ask in my prayers that if there is someone that I can help with the knowledge I have learned to bless me with those opportunities. When asked what I am doing, I tell them what I do, and if they are still interested I share a few resources and let them know I am more than willing to help them figure it out.

My 16-year-old daughter who plays competitive volleyball has also been doing great and notices a considerable difference when she plays and has lost 9 lbs that she didn’t know she had to lose. My wife has always eaten fairly healthy and is very fit, and it has been nice for me to be able to keep up with her when we run or workout together. I am also happy to report some of my friends and colleagues are starting to have some success.

I have been blessed from eating a WFPB diet in so many ways beyond good health. I can now look back and see how I was being prepared to be eat this way. Unfortunately for me I had to have a health crisis to get the ball rolling. When I sit down to bless the food I can truly be thankful for the food before me and know it will be nourishing and strengthen me. When I read Section 89, I feel so blessed for the new insight and personal revelation that has truly stayed the destroyer in my life.

Darin Francom is 40 years old and lives in Riverton, Utah. He and his wife have 3 children 16, 14, and 4. He enjoys watching his kids compete in athletics and spending family time in the outdoors. He also enjoys sharing everything he knows about WFPB nutrition when someone dares to ask! (“Do you have 4 hrs?”) 😉