Whole Food Plant Based is leading to yet another success story. Miraculously my blood sugar has dropped down from an average fasting number of 160 to 110. My overall body weight continues to drop slowly at an average of about 1/2 pound per week. My BMI is at 25.8 and I am shrinking in my clothing.
All of a sudden I can’t seem to function properly without fast walking 3 miles each morning on the treadmill. I look forward to Saturday and Sunday when I get to head to the local gym and work my body pretty hard with weights.
Body image is certainly an inspiration as I can see my midsection getting smaller each time I look in the mirror. I know that with full commitment that it is now possible to return my body to the image it was many years ago when I participated in many sports. But as these thoughts certainly make me smile they are ultimately not the real goals I set out to accomplish. The real goals are the things I cannot see in the mirror. It is the plaque that has built up in my arteries after so many years of abuse, it is the revitalization of a pancrease that is stubbornly slowing down the processing of sugar, and it is the microbiome that has been compromised due to all of the abuse it has taken by unhealthy eating.
The human body has an innate system of survival and can heal itself when properly taken care of. A nutrient rich diet without processed foods, meat, dairy or added oils is the key to returning an abused body back to a healthy one. While I entertain myself by redeveloping my body image through exercise, it is the foods that I choose to put in my body that work on the inside. Someone once said, “If you take care of the inside it will reflect upon the outside.”
I know that there are so many who disagree with this approach as they rely on many of the foods I choose not to eat. This is a matter of choice and I too have been guilty in the past of taking the same approach. As I go back to some earlier posts I see the words that I write and the habits that I formed that I believed then were right, but I can no longer agree with as biochemistry has moved forward in so many ways and we come closer to understanding the human cell and what it needs to stay healthy and work correctly. It is unfortunate that we don’t see too much of this science because there is little money backing it like the pharmaceutical companies, but still it is managing to make its way out to the public.
Look, I know that as we age it is just natural for out bodies to start breaking down. And I know that one day I too, like so many before me will pass away. If I know some simple facts that would ease this process, make it less painful, more enjoyable and lengthen the time span for it to occur, then there is no reason in the world not to practice this lifestyle.
So I will be the old dude with the six pack abs walking down the beach. The one who questions the ingredients in the foods served at a restaurant, and the one who continues to smile and find joy in both people and things around me. I will be the one who always questions conventional wisdom and looks outside the box for alternative answers to health. I suppose that I will be that happy, “pain in the ass” who just never can go along with the crowd and rebels against the things I just don’t believe to be completely true.
Simple Living Over 50 
Bravo
Super happy for you! I think that is key…finding what works for each of us personally. There is no one way that works for every person. Finding what makes you feel your best and optimizes your health markers is what is best for each person. Please continue being a “pain in the %@#”, lol. I am one too, lol. I became overweight and diabetic following guidelines. Be a rebel and challenge what is not right for you! And it doesn’t matter that we all find different approaches to the same goal. Feel your best and live life on your terms. Thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks Kelly, tis a journey.
You have done brilliantly. This is really interesting to me. I will look into it more. Thank you for being so inspiring.
Melanie, thanks for reading my blog. I can be a little bit over the top at time, but that’s just who I am. It seems to work for me.
Looking forward to reading more of your posts. I’m type 2 and controlling it by diet. Trying to lose weight the Slimming World way following success two years ago before having radiotherapy for breast cancer (all done and dusted and I’m fine), but getting bored and sluggish. We don’t eat a lot of meat, if we do it’s pork, chicken or 5% fat minced beef, though I still drain off the excess. We both suffer from reflux so I’m trying to get on top of that too., and cook our meals from scratch so know exactly what goes in them.
Good for you and very impressive from what I’ve read so far.
Excellent! There is so much information out there. Right now I am reading a good called “How not to die” by Dr Gregor. I love watching Dr. John McDougal on youtube and actually started this journey 12 years ago although many of the years I was still eating meat. But as you can see I am back on track.
I’ve been dieting since I was a teenager, and screwed up my system an absolute treat in the process. Getting things sorted now though, better late than never I guess. Best thing is giving up smoking in 1991. Apart from one puff at Christmas that year though heaven knows why, I have never wanted one.
All we can do is the best we can do.