Anthony's Story

Since starting the Nutritarian diet style my life has done a complete 180-degree turn from the days of having no energy, three chins and being called Pudgy.  I was a happy and thin kid until age 14.  I started to gain weight and it was very hard for me to accept. I really didn’t have a clue what healthy food was and existed on soda and fast food. I was given the nickname Pudgy and hated it.  I had zero self-confidence and quickly learned that peers view fat kids differently.

The last month of my senior year I was stunned when I saw a photo of myself. I am 6ft.1in. and at 18 years old weighed 263 pounds. I had a triple chin and no energy to participate in physical activities.  I was obese and felt horrible.  This was not how I wanted my life to be.   I thought if this is what I look like and feel like at 18 what will happen by the time I reach my 30th birthday?  Will I even reach my 30th birthday?   Disgusted with myself and heart broken, in June of 2010 I joined a gym to try to lose weight.  I didn’t have a plan or any support. I lost six or seven pounds and quit.

The following month, July 2010, I attended my aunt’s wedding and was seated next to a wellness coach who is also Dr. Fuhrman’s patient.  I noticed that she was eating something different than everyone else and I asked her about it.  She explained that she followed a Nutritarian diet which meant she eats foods with as many nutrients in every meal as possible. I told her that I didn't think I could ever do that because I liked fast food too much. But what she said made sense and it stuck in my mind.

Then in December I decided to ask my aunt some questions about the Nutritarian diet.  She follows Dr. Fuhrman’s program and had reversed an autoimmune disease with it.  She gave me her copy of Eat To Live and I committed to follow it for six weeks.  The weight began melting off.  Soon my food addictions were gone. I no longer craved junk food and had more energy than I had in years.  When I reached the end of the six week challenge I continued on the program.  My brother was getting married and I wanted to look great for his wedding as well as take control of my health destiny for a lifetime.  

My brother and I began going to the gym together every day and really supporting each other in our commitment to health.  I live with my parents and they were very supportive.  Although they initially began eating this way for me, my dad now makes the best nutrient dense soups, and both my parents have made major changes in their eating habits.  So far I have lost 75 pounds.  The reason I was successful in losing weight this time was because I was armed with Dr. Furhman’s plan and the support of others who were following Eat To Live.  I love that I can go on the member forums and ask a question and that Dr. Fuhrman will answer me. Where else can you get that kind of support?

I am starting college and want to go into nutrition and help other people learn the importance of nutritional density.  We are at a critical time in history with a generation of children who may be the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.  I know that won’t be true for me, and I want to help prove that prediction wrong by inspiring others.  Our family has a tragic history of cardiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis.  I am proud to say that family tradition ends with me.  I know I have broken the cycle and will never have to be faced with those illnesses. Thank you Dr. Furhman and the Member Center, you have changed my life.