Cathy's Story

I lost 40 pounds and went from a size 14 to size 4. It is a journey I feel lucky to have stumbled upon and want to share with as many people as possible. I had a 50th birthday looming and couldn’t bear the thought of reaching this milestone with an extra thirty to forty pounds on my body.  I also wanted to feel better.  More often than not, my mediocre eating habits left me feeling chaotic, lethargic and overwhelmed, in addition to having a potbelly and fat rolls on my back and hips.  I have struggled with anxiety and attention deficit issues all my life and my standard American diet provided me with little ammunition for effective coping and flourishing.

I discovered Dr. Fuhrman through the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead.  I had been looking for a guide to healthy eating that wasn’t complicated.  On Drfuhrman.com I struck gold.  I became a member and ordered Eat To Live and Super Immunity as well as Dr. Fuhrman’s Daily Journal, which enabled me to carefully track my Eat To Live journey.  I quickly passed up a dinner of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and apple pie to plunge into the green and multicolored world of G-BOMBS – greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds.

At first, I was uncertain as I roamed grocery store aisles buying foods I had seldom or never eaten before, things like kale, collard greens, leeks, sunflower seeds, walnuts and cashews, currants, dates and pomegranates, mushrooms of all kinds.  Yet, within a matter of days of eating these foods in Dr. Fuhrman’s easy-to-follow recipes, I was more alert and energetic. The brain “fog” or “malaise” that had hovered over my life for so long seemed to have lifted.  In the past I had had great trouble getting up in the mornings; I craved weekends so I could get caught up on sleep.  On a Saturday or Sunday I would sleep in until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. and then drag myself to a diner for eggs, home-fries, coffee and scones.  Now I rise with ease on both weekday and weekend mornings.  I have started working out again in the early mornings, going for a run or bike ride or doing some yoga.  My favorite breakfast is a bowl of fruit with flaxseed or Dr. Fuhrman’s Blue Apple-Nut Oatmeal.

As I lost weight through following Dr. Fuhrman’s recipes, I turned again and again to the testimonials on drfuhrman.com for inspiration.  Emily Boller in particular has been a source of great hope to me.  When I first committed to healthy eating I weighed 166 pounds.  My original plan had been to follow Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live diet until my 50th birthday which was about three months away.   But I soon realized that I was on a life changing and lifelong journey in which food was about healing and wholeness.  So even though I had lost 25 pounds by my birthday, which coincided with the start of Dr. Fuhrman’s holiday challenge, it made sense to sign up for it.  Under its guidance, I continued to lose weight during the holidays. I also got through the winter, like so many other Eat To Liver followers, without getting a cold or the flu.  The only time I got sick was after eating some unhealthy foods at a family holiday gathering. My body reacted by vomiting.

I weigh 128 pounds and believe that this is the naturally right weight for my body.  Friends, family members and people I don’t know regularly tell me how great I look these days.  I tell them about Dr. Fuhrman and loan them his books.  It takes time and planning to Eat To Live, but to me the time and effort are well worth it.  Following the Nutritarian program has taught me that real change is possible and that I can take charge of my life in all sorts of new and exciting ways.

I am struck now by how little I knew about nutrition before encountering Dr. Fuhrman.  I had always cared about good health and have long been a runner and cyclist.  But while I knew about the benefits of exercise, I knew little about powerful, superior nutrition. In fact, I didn’t know that food could be such healing medicine and life-giving energy for my body. The increased energy and well-being that I now have are the greatest gifts of the Eat To Live journey.  I love that I am eating to protect my body against cancer and dementia and helping ensure that I can live a healthy, full life into old age.  I believe that ignorance about the powerful, superior nutrition that Dr. Fuhrman teaches is costing our society tremendously.  My hope and goal is that I too, in my own way, can be a teacher of the powers of great nutrition.