April 6, 2020 is the day I made a commitment to take my health “seriously”. A couple days prior to this date, I was feeling dizzy and decided I would take my blood pressure. I’ve never had high blood pressure in my life, but it was high. I had been working in my garden, so I just figured I had bent over one too many times. Then next day, it was high again. And the next day too. I decided to call my doctor.
I had already been fighting high cholesterol for years and was on 20 mg. of statin meds. My doctor said he needed to add a medication for my high blood pressure to protect my organs.
I did some research on the combination of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I found that the combination usually leads to heart disease. What? This is not what I wanted for my life. My doctor also recommended lifestyle change in the form of eating whole food plant-based and exercising.
I had researched and practiced eating whole food plant-based in the past but did not make it a lifestyle change. On April 6th, 2020, during the Covid pandemic, I decided I wanted to do everything within my power to improve my health.
I purchased my groceries, started doing tons of research on whole food plant-based eating & cooking, began a walking routine and never looked back.
Prior to making this lifestyle change, here is how you could describe me:
My joints hurt.
My back hurt (even from walking around the block).
I had digestion issues.
I had no energy.
If I tried to walk, I got out of breath easily (it was embarrassing).
I had a lot of issues with my legs (lipidemia and vascular insufficiency) and they hurt to the touch.
I just didn’t feel good most days.
I was very overweight and very unhappy with my size.
I had high blood pressure & was on meds for it.
I had high cholesterol & was on meds for it.
I ate A LOT of processed foods (many were labeled “healthy”).
I hated to exercise.
I had been a yo-yo dieter for decades restricting and then binging repetitively. It was a vicious cycle.
I had Hashimotos (an autoimmune disease), which contributed to my Hypothyroidism. I always used this as an excuse for why I could not lose weight.
One of the best decisions I made as I started this journey was to enroll in a whole food plant-based cooking course. It was a legit culinary course through Forks Over Knives and I learned so much. It gave me the confidence I needed to get started and it gave me a whole reservoir of recipes.
The results are in after one full year of making whole food plant-based eating a way of life for me.
This year has been a year of allowing myself to learn new things, developing new habits, seeing profound improvements in my health and losing 40 pounds.
Slowly but surely, I am healing my body that I had mistreated for so many years with my yo-yo dieting. If I had only known what I know now, I would have done this when I was young.
But, as they say, “when you know better, you do better”.
This describes me as of today:
My blood pressure is normal & I’m off the meds for it.
My cholesterol is in the normal range & I’m down to only 5 mg. of statin meds (I’m anticipating I will come off of them completely soon).
My back doesn’t hurt anymore (unless I do a lot of lifting).
My joints rarely hurt anymore.
I’ve lost 40 pounds so far & feel so much happier with my size. I’m looking forward to losing all the extra weight in time. The Hashimotos disease & Hypothyroidism probably contributed to my slower weight loss, but it did not prevent me from losing weight.
I have so much more energy (the difference is quite amazing).
I feel great (physically and mentally).
My digestion is much better & I am thankful.
I can walk without hyperventilating (lol).
I love to walk outside (I actually look forward to it).
I’ve now started a strength training program which is brand new territory for me.
My legs feel much better. I know my food choices and my walking routine has helped with
this.
For the first time in many years, I have hope that I will continue to improve my health, continue to lose weight and continue to enjoy all of this life-giving food.
Some people say to me, “I’d rather die than give up meat.” It is not dying that I want to avoid, it’s living a poor quality of life because of my poor eating habits. I don’t want heart disease or diabetes (and all the health conditions that go along with these diseases) if I can prevent it.
Other people say to me, “You need to splurge every once in a while.” Well….that has not worked for me in the past, so why would I continue doing the same thing and expect different results?
Celebrate with me. This year has brought new habits, new groceries, new recipes, more exercise, better health, weight loss and a new outlook for my future.
If you want to know more specifically about how I eat, get my whole food plant-based guide free on my website. It explains what groceries I buy, the foods I batch cook, the appliances I use, resources for you to check out, and some of my favorite recipes. Follow this link for the guide:
https://www.brendaworkmanspeaks.com/wfpbd-guide
I highly recommend you start by watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. It is eye opening. If you can, take the Forks Over Knives cooking course. It was just what I needed to get me going in the right direction.
Don't forget, I love to share with others about whole food plant-based eating. Invite me to your next event to speak. I'd love to share my story. Check out my website at
https://www.brendaworkmanspeaks.com/.
To God be the glory for the great things He has done!