{"id":18960,"date":"2015-05-12T09:47:26","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T16:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cleanfooddirtygirl.com\/?p=18960"},"modified":"2021-04-02T18:24:31","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T01:24:31","slug":"reversing-pre-diabetes-with-a-plant-based-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleanfooddirtygirl.com\/reversing-pre-diabetes-with-a-plant-based-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Reversing Pre-Diabetes With A Plant Based Diet. Stephen Rocked It! + Steel Cut Oats With Date Syrup Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve received many an email from people telling me what a bastard I am to mention weight loss as a benefit of eating a Whole Food Plant Based diet.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always happy to get these emails because I like hearing different viewpoints.<\/p>\n

From what I\u2019ve gathered, there are a couple of directions that people generally take on the losing weight train.<\/p>\n

There are the people who stand up for Big is Beautiful<\/strong><\/em> and any mention of weight loss stems from a collective societal dictation based on unrealistic and contrived views on beauty and acceptance. (Say that three times fast)<\/p>\n

Then we have people who for whatever reason are pro weight loss. Maybe for people trying to sell stuff it\u2019s an easy market to tap; maybe some people are hung up on supermodels<\/a>, and maybe some people just feel better after they lose a few pounds.<\/p>\n

It’s different for everyone, and everyone\u2019s view should be accepted, regardless of your take.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not a fine\u00a0line, there\u2019s a line the size of the Grand fucking Canyon between losing weight when one is already healthy, and losing weight to save one’s life or to add a great deal of quality to that life.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The conversation about losing weight for actual health reasons transcends any conversation about whether or not the topic of weight loss puts a damper on people\u2019s confidence and self acceptance in society.<\/p>\n

For some people, there\u2019s no angle or agenda, losing weight for them means going from pre-diabetes to no diabetes, having high blood pressure to normal blood pressure and having high cholesterol to perfect cholesterol.<\/p>\n

So for me, mentioning weight loss as a benefit of eating a whole food plant based diet<\/a> isn\u2019t just important; it\u2019s really fucking important.<\/p>\n

There are people who have turned their entire world around by dropping extra weight.<\/p>\n

And today I have a guest who’s done just that.<\/p>\n

Stephen Smith signed up for one of my limited rapid coaching calls several weeks back. Five minutes into our phone call, I asked him if he would share his story with you.<\/p>\n

Stephen\u2019s story is exactly why I do what I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are so many people in constant pain, who are perpetually tired. They wake up groggy and feel like, Oh – this again.<\/em><\/strong> These are the same people who are on multiple medications, the people who have lost hope, and the people who feel like living is a chore.<\/p>\n

And this breaks my fucking heart. And what cracks my heart even more is that for the majority of people, it does not have to be like this.<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m confident that one day people will understand the correlation between food and health<\/a> as blatantly as the correlation between unprotected sex and babies.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s people like Stephen who are willing to share their stories with the world that are helping others to make the connection.<\/p>\n

With that, I give it over to Stephen to tell you his story. Prepare yourself for inspiration and maybe some welling up of the eyes.<\/p>\n

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This is a story of transformation. How switching to a Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle rocked my world and changed everything.<\/p>\n

I am a 51 year old single father, having raised two rather difficult boys since the ages of 3 and 5. While they’re both adults now, the years had taken their toll on me, both physically and mentally.<\/p>\n

When I was a kid, I used to boast that I could eat anything and never gain weight. Well, that is, until I became an adult and started to gain weight. Soon my stressful adventures in single parenting led me to treat food as comfort.<\/p>\n

And comfort myself I did. With cheese-steaks, Wendy’s, Chinese food, donuts, soda, and eating out nearly every single night. The few times I didn’t eat out, it was either a microwave dinner or a steak on the grill.<\/p>\n

I guzzled coffee like a madman, at least 64 ounces every day. I snacked constantly. Always had dessert. Except for the iceberg lettuce and pickle on my triple bacon cheeseburger, I never touched a vegetable. Actually, I usually removed the lettuce. Fruit was completely out of the picture. Exercise was in the form of walking between my house, my car and the office.<\/p>\n

Soon I ballooned up to 280 pounds. At only 5’5″, that’s downright obese. Morbidly obese to be precise. I was perpetually miserable. I groaned like an old man when I got up off the couch, usually on my way to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Under the slightest strain I could feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest. I wheezed. After inhaling a bag of candy I would feel dizzy and flushed, like I was going to pass out. The arches of my feet started to ache, as they collapsed under the heavy load.<\/p>\n

I broke down and went to the doctor, and found out I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, bad numbers all around, and pre-diabetes. I was given medications, and a little kit to prick my finger every day for glucose checks.<\/p>\n

In terms of weight loss attempts, I tried everything. Well, everything the mainstream told me to try. Counting calories worked for a little while, but faded. Atkins worked for a while, and I actually lost about 60 pounds, but it nearly killed me (Ketosis and livers don’t get along very well). I’m thankful that I never tried the diet pill route.<\/p>\n

Maybe exercise was the key! So I joined a gym, went several times per week, and even got a personal trainer. Again, this worked for a while, but it just wasn’t sticking, and I soon hit a plateau. Now I was simply a strong fat guy.<\/p>\n

I just couldn’t stop eating. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I used to leave the gym and stop at Dunkin’ Donuts on the ride home. I would get two extra-large coffees with cream (if you can call that substance cream), a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel, and two glazed donuts. I would eat the sandwich and donuts on the 5 minute ride home, and drink the coffee later. I did this every single time I came home from the gym. Can you say self-defeating behavior?<\/p>\n

Something had to change. And then one day, while wasting away with Netflix, I saw a movie that changed my life: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This documentary followed a regular guy, Joe Cross, as he embarked on a 60 day juice-fast to lose weight and control his chronic illness, an autoimmune disease in the form of a painful skin condition. By the time he was done, he was completely off all his medications, lost an insane amount of weight, and was full of energy and vitality.<\/p>\n

I wanted this!<\/p>\n

I bought a juicer and a stack of books. I slowly eliminated caffeine over a two week period, and tried to generally eat healthier leading up to my own 10 day fast. The fast itself was actually much easier than I expected. I was told I could drink absolutely as much as I wanted, knowing that the hunger would soon fade and I would stabilize at a reasonable quantity of juice.<\/p>\n

And sure enough, in only a day or so, all hunger was gone and I could drink a civilized amount of juice. I had a few days of detox symptoms like headaches, metallic tastes, and fatigue, but after that it was a breeze.<\/p>\n

During the 10 day fast I lost about 30 pounds, although half of that came back within another week or so (and I fully expected that). When it was time to slowly break my fast, I started with a single strawberry. And it was the most magnificent thing I had ever eaten! In that moment of bliss I made a snap decision to go vegan (which I have since refined to be whole food plant based).<\/p>\n

Over the coming months I went overboard, which is typical for me. I bought more books. I started a daily yoga practice. A bought a chest freezer to store all of the wonderful food I would be cooking. I bought a high powered blender and started making green smoothies. I started weekend cooking marathons and taught myself how to successfully wing it in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

I discovered things like kale and flax seeds and coconut oil. I ate a Brussel Sprout<\/a> and didn’t die (as a kid I was convinced I would). The caffeine and soda are gone for good. All I drink now is water and decaf green tea.<\/p>\n

Fast forward two years. I have lost 100 pounds, my blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol is normal, the pre-diabetes is gone, the meds are gone, and all my numbers are perfect. I haven’t been sick in two years. Not even a headache. I feel better than I did when I was 20.<\/p>\n

My waist size dropped from 46 to 38 inches. My tee-shirt size dropped from 3XL to L. I wake up bright and cheery (well okay, maybe just bright) every morning at sunrise, full of energy and ready for some yoga (I used to sleep until noon whenever I could get away with it).<\/p>\n

Of course, things aren’t 100% perfect. I still allow myself to “cheat<\/a>” once in a while. Holiday meals with the family? Count me in! And sometimes, pizza just happens. Cookies too. I would still like to lose another 40-50 pounds.<\/p>\n

The BMI charts still consider me on the edge of obese, and while I’m not a fan of such blanket guidelines, I agree with it. I still eat far too many calories each day and my salads and green smoothies have too many ingredients to be low calorie.<\/p>\n

I need to start making my own dressings<\/a> and generally buy less food and more ingredients. I can only cook so much in advance, and sometimes I fall back on frozen dinners in a pinch. But at least they’re the organic, higher quality ones. And of course, I still eat far too much hummus. It’s like crack on a carrot stick.<\/p>\n

But it’s all good. Instead of feeling hopeless and out of control like before, I simply need to buckle down a little bit and clean up some rough edges. I’ll get there with a little more work and dedication. And how could I not? Just a few years ago I felt broken and lethargic, in body and spirit. Food was my comfort, and yet it made me so uncomfortable. In fact, it made me miserable.<\/p>\n

But with a little self-love, and more than a little kale, real change is possible. And while it may take several months or even a few years to reach my goal in terms of weight, that is only part of it.<\/p>\n

The fact is, in a matter of only weeks I had completely reversed how I felt, both inside and out. Who knew such wonderful transformation was not only possible, but well within reach.<\/p>\n

I wish I did this years ago. But it’s never too late. Give it a try. Your body, mind and spirit will love you for it.<\/p>\n

Stephen<\/p>\n

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Did I tell you!?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bravo Stephen for taking charge of your life. You deserve all the health and happiness in the world. I’m honored to have you as part of my crew.<\/p>\n

If you know anyone who would benefit from hearing about Stephen’s story, will you share this post with them?<\/p>\n

If you’re ready to turn your life around by changing how you eat, check out our weekly Plant Fueled Meal Plans <\/a>for a ton of inspiration and plant based recipes. All you have to do is follow along!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s recipe is in the same category as unicorns and miracles.<\/p>\n

Check it out.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always thought that people who say they like oatmeal are lying.<\/p>\n

How can you wake up in the morning and think:
\nOatmeal! That\u2019s what I realllllly want to put in my mouth right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

I call bullshit. Mainly because I can\u2019t understand that concept.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that I hate oatmeal, it\u2019s just that there are about 100 things, including a bowl of pinto beans that I would rather willingly consume at breakfast time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well – that all changed last week when I created today\u2019s recipe for you. Fuckin\u2019 A – I ate steel cut oats every single morning last week.<\/p>\n

And I liked it.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

So here it is, my game changing oat concoction.<\/p>\n

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No Cook Overnight Steel Cut Oats with Date Syrup<\/h2>\n\t\t
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