“My mother did try to prepare me healthy meals and once served me millet, but I refused to eat it because it looked like bird seed. .”
Carol developed high blood pressure as a teenager and continued to eat the same diet despite being prescribed medication.
By the time he graduated from high school at the age of 18, he weighed 136 kg and was considered obese for his 1.67 m (5 ft 5 in) frame.
In her 20s, Carol’s typical lunch consisted of half a rotisserie chicken and side dishes such as creamed spinach, cheese pasta, and mashed potatoes with gravy.
Dinner was often one and a half or two whole pizzas, followed by burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and dessert at his favorite Mexican fast food restaurant.
“I was on a first-name basis with the staff. They always knew what I wanted, so I didn’t have to order,” he says.
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The big risks of leaving high blood pressure untreated – doctors explain
At the peak of her addiction, Carol was consuming about 10,000 calories a day and would get cranky if she didn’t eat fast food.
He often binged and drank to hide from shame, and was sometimes tormented by guilt afterwards.
“I didn’t want people to know how much I was eating. At work, I would eat at my desk behind a locked door so no one could barge in on me. When I went out to eat with other people, I always ordered a salad because I was too embarrassed to eat anything.”
“I was depressed at the time too, but it never crossed my mind that food was the main cause,” he added.
“I started having chest pains and realized I wouldn’t make it to 30 if I continued like this,” he says.
“I’ve tried every kind of low-carbohydrate diet and calorie-restricted diet, but no matter how much weight I lose, I always gain it back. “If I had bariatric surgery, I’d lose the weight permanently and live at least 30 years of age. I thought, “I’ll make it in time.”
The surgery in 2009 was successful and Carol’s stomach became much smaller and she was unable to eat much, so she lost a lot of weight, down to around 70kg. Around this time, he also decided to quit fast food altogether.
“My doctor told me not to take it for three to six months after surgery to avoid severe illness,” Carol said.
“I was told that I could eat small portions of whatever I wanted, so I might have been able to start eating smaller portions again after this,” he says. “But I was addicted to fast food, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it in moderation. I had to stop eating it completely.”
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Ultra-processed food: what it is and why it’s bad for us
Still, that didn’t mean he was eating healthy. He was eating processed foods such as cheese and ham rolls and protein bars. Over the next few years, his weight increased again, increasing his weight to 81 kg.
Around this time, Carol was approached by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nonprofit health organization based in Washington, D.C., to participate in a healthy eating campaign called “Teaming for Health.” I was approached.
A few years later, at age 34, Carol stopped eating all animal products. He interviewed a former WWE wrestler who practiced a plant-based lifestyle and suggested Carroll consider this diet.
He and transport news anchor Julie Wright married in 2015, and he successfully convinced her to switch to a plant-based diet as well. It didn’t take long for me to lose the weight I had gained after the surgery.
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10 surprising ways a whole food, plant-based diet can benefit your health
He is no longer shy about being seen eating large amounts of food, proudly stuffing himself with extra-large plates of vegetables, beans, and grains in front of others.
Seven years after adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet, Carol now weighs 140 pounds (63 kg). His blood pressure readings are excellent and he is not on any medication. His back pain is gone, he is less depressed and has more energy.
“I still wake up every morning and think, ‘It’s so freeing not to have to worry about my weight.’ Eating this way has changed my life,” he added.
He still has cravings for unhealthy food from time to time, but he has found ways to cope with this.
“Eating pineapple chunks or baby carrots with hummus helps, but I don’t hold back if I have a strong appetite. Instead, I sit with them and they’re gone within 15 minutes.” I know that,” he says.
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How to prevent heart disease: Health checkups, active lifestyle, and smoking cessation
Carol has been able to combine her career in media with her passion for health and nutrition and currently hosts a vegan podcast called “The Exam Room” by the Physicians Committee.
It’s a job that allows him to share his knowledge about plant-based eating with others and hopefully make a positive change in their lives.
Recent guests on his show have included Tanya O’Callaghan, an Irish plant-based bassist who plays in the British rock band Whitesnake. They were both wearing one of Carol’s old denim jeans.
He is also physically active.
“I’m doing all the things I ignored when I was overweight. Little things I thought would make no difference at all actually make a world of difference…taking the stairs instead of the elevator. using the bathroom, using the restroom on another floor and then taking the stairs, parking further away in the parking lot, and so on,” he says.
“I calculated that by parking in the last spot at work, I walked an extra mile per week without putting in any effort. Over the year, that distance increased to nearly 50 miles. [80km]And that small effort can make a big difference. ”
After losing weight and getting her health under control, Carol says her future is bright.
“I’m more optimistic and looking forward to what the future holds. There was a time when I didn’t even see my future, but now I’m in my 80s or 90s and I can relax on the porch with my wife. I can totally picture myself being there,” he says.
“Reaching old age is no longer a pipe dream. It’s within my reach.”