david's Story

Growing up in the Midwest, I was always active, enjoyed water sports and outdoor activities on a daily basis. I even thought I ate a healthy diet – 80 percent vegetarian meals – but I grew increasingly overweight, and my health deteriorated. By the time I was 41 years old, I weighed 330 pounds. 

This lifetime struggle with my weight took on a new urgency with the sudden onset of symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes: severe thirst, exhaustion, brain fog and more. I was sick and depressed, and spent most days in bed. I knew I couldn’t go on like this. I suffered from migraines, sleep apnea, depression, and anxiety. I even had severe cramping in my legs, especially at night, which prevented sleep and caused issues with walking. I also had digestive problems with constant gas, bloating, and rectal bleeding. I had severe boils, acne, skin tags and skin infections. I had brain fog so severe that most days I would just lay in bed, not able to deal with anything.

When I finally visited my doctor for blood tests, they found out-of-control type 2 diabetes, and an HbA1c level of 11.4. The doctor prescribed Metformin (500mg) and 10 units of insulin per day. Determined to find a different path to wellness, I made an appointment at Dr. Fuhrman’s Wellness Center. I knew that I had to change what I was doing. I had tried everything else over the years to lose weight and get healthier, and I had failed every time. I was committed to following every element of the Nutritarian diet.

As I followed Dr. Fuhrman’s nutrient-dense, plant-rich eating style, I gradually lost my cravings for unhealthy foods. Believe it or not, I started craving greens and salads instead. I dropped an incredible 155 pounds in a year, and found that my health was transformed. My digestion was better, and my energy levels returned. I no longer use my sleep apnea machine, which is huge! Where I used to suffer from three to four migraines a week, now I have zero. My skin is much better, almost all of my skin tags are gone, and I am off all medication.

I now weigh 175 pounds. Every day is an adventure, it is like I have been given a new lease on life. I started exercising when I started this way of eating, and now I do 15 to 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights every day and every night after dinner, I take a 30-minute walk.  My health transformation – including my 155-pound weight loss – has inspired other members of my family to begin their own health journeys. Two have joined the Nutritarian Women’s Health Study, and others have started to incorporate the Nutritarian eating style into their lives. My advice to anyone contemplating making the change is: Don’t wait – do it now.  If I had known the outcome, I would have done this decade ago. I constantly think about what successes I would have had in my life if I had done this when I was younger. It is worth every bite of greens!

When I returned to my doctor’s office for a follow-up visit a year after my diabetes diagnosis, the physician and his staff were astonished by the dramatic changes to my health. And, given my professional career in IT, I got a chuckle out of the fact that even the computer system couldn’t believe my transformation.  When the nurse typed in my weight and numbers, the computer kept alerting her that something was incorrect, because the numbers were so different. Everybody laughed.