Interview with a Nutritarian: Rod
Preface by Emily Boller: Last fall, after a few months into my weight loss journey, friends and complete strangers would ask, “How are you losing so much weight?!” It was a bit time consuming to explain to each person Dr. Fuhrman’s books, so I decided to schedule a public meeting room at my local library to “tell-everyone-at-once” and be done with the various questions. Ha.
That first little meeting room was filled, and many in attendance that day wanted me to schedule another one so they could come back and bring their family and friends. The rest is history.
I ended up scheduling a large meeting room in our city’s downtown library, and that room was filled. I’ve had several “library talks” now, and Fort Wayne, Indiana is a buzz with excited people on their journeys to health! Rod attended that first meeting, and now he shares his own weight loss story and success tips at the library talks. Welcome to Disease Proof, Rod!
Tell us about yourself and the events that led up to getting your health back?
I had just received the results of my annual physical. For the fourth straight year, my cholesterol was over 215. This time it was 231. The doctor called and wanted me to start Lipitor. I was not excited about putting a drug into my body that would have negative side effects. This left me with the question, “What do I do to avoid taking medicine and reduce my cholesterol?”
In addition to having high cholesterol, my doctor told me that I was obese at 215 lbs. Wow, what a blow to someone who considered himself an athlete and not a couch potato.
How did you hear about the library talk?
One evening while checking my email, I received a message that was forwarded to me from my sister-in-law. Her neighbor, Emily, had lost a lot of weight and her cholesterol level had dropped drastically without medication. That was when I realized that I had received the answer to my dilemma.
How did you feel before starting ETL?
I had low energy, constant bloating, continual cravings for food, and trouble with breathing when I tried to run a couple of miles or sleep at night. My wife thought I had sleep apnea, and I could not get a new life insurance policy.
How do you feel now?
My energy level is higher than ever and I seldom take a nap! The bloating is gone, and I no longer have food cravings. My breathing is fine now when I’m sleeping, and I qualified for the highest level of Life Insurance at the lowest premium rate. Plus I’m currently training for a marathon, and I just completed a half-marathon in a surprisingly great time!
After approximately eight weeks of nutritarian eating, I returned to the doctor’s office to have my cholesterol rechecked. My overall cholesterol dropped from 231 to 127; LDL cholesterol dropped from 168 to 82, and my triglycerides dropped from 142 to 56.
I now weigh 170-175 lbs.
Success tips you’d like to share with others in the journey to health:
- Find someone else that wants to get their health back also so you have support, eating ideas and an exercise partner.
- Focus on what you can eat and not on what you can’t have to eat. There are so many wonderful food choices with nutritarian eating.
- Be creative. Learn what foods you can eat, and put together combinations that you like. I make a vegetable soup and chili that I eat for lunch. I even mix together the soups to change the taste or add the leftover vegetables from our evening meals (saves money too.)
- Start an exercise program or a sport you enjoy.
- Make a game out of it – I want my cholesterol to go down “this much by this amount of time.”
If you could sum up what nutritarian eating has done for you, what would it be?
Not only has the quality of my health and life improved, but nutritarian eating has given me so much freedom! It feels so good to be free!
NOTE: A year ago Rod was obese, unhealthy and could barely jog. Now, at the age of 46, he just completed his first marathon in 4 hours and 9 minutes; placing 416th out of 1005 runners. We are so proud of him!
Go eating for health!
