Who am I and how did I get here?

Let’s see, where do I begin?  It was Christmas 2017 and my Christmas gifts were all Keto related cookbooks.  I was convinced Keto was my passage to a healthy life and washboard abs.  It was the craze and may still be.  But then a friend of mine expressed his concern.

This friend is very well read on diet, nutrition, and exercise.  He warned me about the impact of Keto on my heart health.  I was 52 with total cholesterol of 290 and blood pressure of 146/110.  He asked me if I fully researched the impact of Keto on my heart health.  Honestly, it was something I paid attention to, but when you are wanting to do something, you search for anything that supports what you want to hear.

The common theme I heard was that cholesterol numbers were misleading.  Studies seemed to support that in defense of Keto.  This was contrary to everything I had heard for years. 

He suggested I watch Forks over Knives and What the Health on Netflix.  Two documentaries that challenged the Standard American Diet (SAD) and offered a solution to obesity and chronic diseases.  It was not pills and medication.  It was not fat and protein from animals.  It was a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet.

Vegan?  Me?  My skirt steak was legendary.  My brisket had smoke rings that would remind you of counting the life of a freshly cut tree, not to mention the burnt ends.  My Korean Spare Ribs could not be more tender.  I was probably the last person you would expect to adopt a WFPB life.

But my friend’s concern and what I watched in the documentaries made more sense to me than the “science” behind Keto.  I looked at it this way…this lifestyle would not hurt me and can only help.  Before doing Keto, I decided to give this WFPB thing a try.

I had one last hoorah!  Dinner at Texas de Brazil where the leg of lamb and garlic sirloin was consumed in quantities that should have caused a heart attack!  I finished that meal and went cold turkey.  This was February 19, 2018.  I adopted a Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle.

My weight at that time was nearing 200 pounds.  In fact, when the scale hit 200 I jumped off.  So I will admit to 199 lbs. but not an ounce more.

I had a physical exam with my doctor in mid-March.  He has tried to prescribe Crestor or some other cholesterol lowering medication for the last six years.  I refused to fill the prescriptions that he called in to the pharmacist, convinced I could do it on my own with diet and exercise.  My weight had dropped to about 188 at the time of the physical.  But what shocked me after four weeks on the WFPB lifestyle were my cholesterol number (it had dropped to 211) and my blood pressure (118/80).  Could this be a fluke?

Well my doctor feared it may have been a fluke and asked me to return in sixty days for another blood test.  So, at the end of June I returned.  After ninety days of a Whole Food Plant Based life, my cholesterol number was 171 and my blood pressure was 110/70.  I was elated and felt so empowered and in control of my life and my health.  As I neared my 53^rd birthday, I was 162 pounds (a loss of at least 37 lbs.), felt much younger than I had in years, and told anybody who would listen to me that I found the Fountain of Youth!  And I went on to live happily ever-after…

Ok, it didn’t quite work out that way.

My wife and I went to an all-inclusive in Mexico at the end of July and I indulged in what I paid for.  All you can eat and drink…and if filet mignon was on the menu, I ordered it.  Oxtail, seafood, eggs, bacon, steak, steak, and more steak.  I’m not even mentioning the alcohol that was flowing (into my mouth).

Shortly after was a cruise with my step-kids.  Eight days of excess.  A cruise is essentially an excuse to eat yourself silly and I was delirious!

Returning home to college football season had me outside grilling skirt steak, ribs, and wings. 

I had fallen back into my old routine.  My weight crept up again, reaching 190 during the Christmas holiday.  My skin was inflamed and my joints hurt.  The energy levels I enjoyed for the five months while adhering to the WFPB lifestyle was gone, replaced with a lethargic and flabby being.  I was embarrassed and ashamed of my lack of control and discipline.  My health was taking a turn for the worse and I needed to take control and own my destiny. 

I wanted to be the husband and father my wife, kids, and step-kids deserved.  Healthy, vibrant, and not a burden physically or mentally.  Plus, I had another very important reason.  I will be a grandfather in 2019.  I want to be out there throwing or kicking the ball with my grandchild(ren).  I want to be rough-horsing with them in the ocean.  I want to exemplify health and vibrance that defies my age.

On January 1, 2019 I rededicated and recommitted myself to the Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle.  I have seen what it offers to my overall health and I want that for myself.  And what better way to lead by example and hold myself accountable than starting a blog on the subject.  Put myself out there for the world to see.

So here we are at the beginning of the new year.  Two weeks in and so far, so good.  Down 6 pounds, but weight isn’t everything.  I’m sleeping better, feel my skin looks better, and my energy level is improving. 

But I know every day presents new challenges.  I will discuss my trials and tribulations, offer tips, share recipes, review products, and just be real with you.  I’ll be honest and open with you.  That is my promise to my community.  At the end of the day, this blog is about you.  You stay and read my posts not because of me, but because I am serving you by providing information and hope that will help you and your quest.

My commitment is to post twice a week, scheduled for Wednesday and Sunday.  If there is a subject you would like me to address, please comment below.  I will make every effort to respond to each comment and where I can, incorporate your questions into my blog.

I invite you to join me on this journey.

Wishing you the best of health!

Stephen