Can You Believe the Results of Whole Food Plant-Based Eating For Me?

Weight loss seems to be what most people want to know about & it is important to me, but my health was my main motivation when I made this change. After 15 months of eating whole food plant-based, I’ve lost about 50 pounds, but a lot of other really cool stuff happened as a result of changing my eating.

1. My blood pressure returned to normal & I’m now off BP meds. 
2. My cholesterol has returned to normal & if my numbers stay the same or lower by my next doctor visit, my doctor plans to take me off the Statin Drugs I have been on for decades. He has already decreased my dosage by 75%.  
3. I’m much more mobile. My family sees a big difference in my ability to move. 
4. I DON’T CRAVE SWEETS ANYMORE. Can you believe it? This is huge. I have craved and loved sweets my entire life. In the past, when I was dieting & felt deprived, I would regularly go on eating binges. It was always sweets. Large amounts of sweets. I could not eat one piece of cake. If it was leftover birthday cake from one of my kid’s birthday parties, I would sometimes eat 6-8 pieces of the cake before throwing it in the trash. The more sweets I ate, the more I wanted.
5. I’ve stopped dieting. I have dieted since I was 12 years old. Actually, it was a cycle of restriction & binge, restriction & binge, and more restriction & binge. Now I only eat Whole Food Plant Based Foods. I don’t write anything down. I don’t count anything. I don’t measure my food. I have researched WFPB eating extensively, received my certification in WFPB Nutrition from Cornell University, and I continue to research the data on this way of eating. I am fueling my body with high quality foods & I feel so much better. 
6. I don’t overeat. Trust me. It’s hard to overeat on high fiber foods.  
7. My digestion is so much better. It took awhile for my body to adapt to higher fiber foods, but it did. I think my microbiome is in good shape now. As a result, my digestion has improved dramatically. I won’t go into the specifics, but all is well. 
8. My mood is stable. I no longer have ups & downs in my mood. On most days, I am a happy camper, unless I haven’t received enough sleep. Sleep is another “health issue” I’m working on. It is also imperative to our good health.   
9. My tastes changed quickly. Within 3 weeks, my tastes changed. An example is salad dressing. I always loved creamy salad dressings. Mostly ranch dressing. I always liked a little salad with my ranch dressing. Once I committed to changing my food choices to WFPB, I tried several recipes for creamier versions of vegan dressings. I found some I liked. I soon found that I loved the taste of lemon or lime juice on salads, fresh pico, coleslaw and other veggie mixtures. Now I eat lemon juice on my salad and love the freshness & taste. I never dreamed my taste would change so drastically, but it’s wonderful. I am really enjoying the freshness of so many veggies, fruits, grains, beans, seeds, nuts, etc.  
10. I don’t feel deprived. I try to be prepared with good food, but even if I’m traveling, I can find good food if I look for it. I’ve learned to love it & don't feel deprived.

Always check with your doctor before ever changing your diet. My doctor is the one who pointed me in this direction & I’m so grateful. He is also my biggest cheerleader. The weight loss is great, but better health is so important, especially as you age.