pre-diabetic to plant-based

Growing up I was always what many described as “husky”.  My eating habits were terrible and I was a relatively picky eater, avoiding most vegetation.  I ate what would be considered a heavy meat diet, often gravitating towards fried foods, saturated and trans-fat-laden junk along with simple carbohydrates and processed foods.

This diet, along with the habit of emotional eating, led me to be around 265 to 270 pounds by the end of high school. I was self-conscious about my weight at all times. I kept telling myself that it was baby weight or that I would lean out over time since my dad and brother were both very thin, but that was not the case.

I played offensive and defensive line on the football team despite being only 5’9″ due to my weight and lack of mobility to play a position more suited for someone of my stature. Those positions really didn’t hold great interest to me but they were my only option and opportunity to get on the field.

Once I got to college, having some more independence changed in my mind about my habits and I suddenly came to the realization that only I could take charge of my situation and who I wanted to be.  I made dietary changes, opting for grilled items instead of fried foods, more vegetables (finally had my first real salad) and slowly substituted for things I knew were not healthy. I dabbled with the Atkins diet and avoided carbs like the plague for a period of time, too. I always had worked out for sports and continued some activity in the gym, although it ebbed and flowed. I saw some results and trimmed a solid 30-40 pounds off by the end of college.

After I graduated I moved back home. I continued to be more active and got a bit more into running and made it a habit to move more throughout the day. I either jogged, walked while I talked on the phone (yes, at one point I actually spoke on the phone to people, it was a strange time) or whatever else kept me moving.

After a short stint in a desk job, I ended up working at a gym, selling memberships.  I chose to seek this role because I had been making the changes myself and wanted to encourage others to get on the path to fitness as well. During the year-and-a-half working at the gym, I worked out roughly 6 times/week and got under 200 pounds for the first time as an adult. I counted every calorie, was meticulous about diet and exercise and continued the whole low carb thing. Still, I would eventually revert to some old habits, binge, emotionally eat and gain the weight back cyclically. 

Fast forward 10 years to 2016. My doctor’s visit was an eye-opener. I was told I was borderline pre-diabetic. I had high cholesterol (207 mg/dl), high triglycerides (209 mg/dl) and of course my BMI put me in the obese category (lifelong). During this time I never heard much concern from friends or family about my lifestyle or health. At work, I was viewed as one of the healthier people in the organization because there was an awareness that I was fairly active in comparison to the average person.

Over the holidays in 2016 I binged on something other than food. I watched just about all of the popular Netflix documentaries on the environment and veganism (Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, etc.). I had been exposed to the concept of veganism from my brother and his wife who were already vegan, so it wasn’t too foreign of an idea for me. After viewing the documentaries I could not justify consuming animal products anymore. I wanted to do my part to reduce my carbon footprint and was hopeful that it would have beneficial health implications as well.

It took about two months for me to get over my addiction to casein and dairy. I had cravings and the smell or appearance of a pizza was torture for a period, but after that, I was in the clear! The other impact that the first two months had was that I lost over 20 pounds. I started out (with a great amount of help from my girlfriend at the time) on a mostly whole-foods plant-based diet, which definitely assisted with the weight loss. I was not even particularly active in increasing my workouts at this time.

Nine months vegan, I went back to the doctor and was staggered by how much the numbers had changed. My cholesterol was down to 150 mg/dl (32% reduction), triglycerides were down to 138 mg/dl (34% reduction) and I was no longer showing signs of being prediabetic. I was floored at how quickly these numbers had changed and to be so dramatic without being on an extreme workout kick.

The first year was a great experience for me.  There were new restaurants opening in the Twin Cities (J Selby’s opened during my birthday week of my first year plant-based). I started my Instagram page and met so many supportive and overall great people through the experience. I also started to gain a different relationship with food and being more mindful about everything that I put in my body. There is something to say about diets where you have to be cognizant of ingredients that causes you to evaluate your choices more, in my opinion.

Now, over two years into my plant-based journey, I feel I am finally settling into a healthy routine and balance between finding what my body needs from a better-balanced plant-based diet, as well as the right amount of exercise to continue to drive towards my goals. I have tried to change my view of food as being fuel instead of indulgence and tried to eliminate habits such as eating when watching TV. I try to plan my meals a bit if I am going out to eat at some point to make sure there is likely some room for the higher calorie intake, but otherwise, I don’t track much of anything and I actually take leftovers home from restaurants now, which is a new experience in itself.

I currently lift four days per week, doing splits rotating days of back/biceps, chest/triceps, shoulders, and legs. I mix in 2-3 core workouts into those days as well. I do cardio, mostly fasted jogging in the mornings 1-2 days each week and have started to integrate yoga into my routine in the last couple months at least once a week, shooting for 2 days going forward.

I am hovering around the 210-pound mark at present and the goal is to get under 200 pounds initially and then find a stable body fat percentage that I am comfortable maintaining. I have added muscle mass on a plant-based diet without any issue.  As far as supplements go, I only take at most one scoop of plant-based protein powder in a morning smoothie, a multi-vitamin, and vegan BCAAs when I work out. There is not an issue getting enough protein or calories whatsoever. Don’t worry about it. You will get what your body needs. The massive farm animals people eat are raised off of plants and seem to have plenty of protein.

Although weight loss was not the catalyzing reason for me changing to a plant-based diet, the health implications have been more than welcome and it has helped me to get my body more nutrient dense food, be more mindful about my choices, gain sympathy for so many things and have a more positive outlook on what each individual can do to contribute.  Care to join me?

If you have any questions about my journey, please comment below! I am by no means a nutritionist, personal trainer or certified professional in the area but I am happy to answer as much as I can based on my personal experience!