Many individuals who follow the Nutritarian diet write to Dr. Fuhrman about their success. Keep in mind that results vary from person to person. As always, consult your physician if you have a medical history and/or condition that may warrant individual recommendations.
Steve's journey to losing 220 pounds began when he and his wife juiced for 60 days and then followed the Nutritarian lifestyle; now the whole family lost a combined whopping 337 pounds
On New Year’s Eve 2013, I had my normal insomnia and lay tossing and turning, while my husband Steve, lay next to me with his sleep apnea snoring and gasping for air. We were the typical overweight middle aged couple with a couple kids and a pantry full of processed foods that we didn't know were actually slowly killing us all. Steve weighed 437 pounds and I weighed 226 pounds. Sleep apnea, pre-diabetic (he was in denial about this), high cholesterol, hypertension, acid reflux, were just a few of the ailments Steve had along with being morbidly obese. I had my share of sicknesses as well and was always exhausted. My daughter had been on different medications for a skin condition we could not get rid of. Our family visited doctors at least eight to ten times per year.
That night I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. When it was over, I watched it again. It had a profound effect on me and I was extremely excited and determined to make changes in our lives. The next morning I had my husband and children watch it. My husband also felt very determined. The answer was so simple. We realized we had been caught up in the American way of yo-yo dieting and all the different ways to lose weight.
We went through our pantry and freezer and planned to get everything we needed to start juicing the following day. We had about eight large trash bags of “junk” to give away. I almost felt guilty giving them to someone else to eat, knowing why we were getting rid of them. We left a small shelf with some items for our two children. I was pretty sure that we would not be able to let them just drink juice like we were going to do, but also that it would take some time for them to adapt to this huge change we were about to embark on.
Steve and I started exclusively juicing on January 2, 2014 with no real time frame in mind. We just thought we would try it and see how we made out. We ended up completing sixty days, just as Joe did in the movie. During the fast our children created their own juice concoctions in the morning and had mostly veggies and fruits for lunches. At dinner, we would allow them an item from the “junk” selections we still had. After a few weeks the junk ran out and was not replenished. I prepared different vegetarian-like meals for them to continue keeping them on the path.
Along with juicing, Steve began studying everything he could about Dr. Fuhrman and his way of eating. He looked at his websites, purchased his books, watched YouTube videos and anything else he could get his hands on. We wanted to make sure we had a plan once we ended our juicing. After those sixty days, Steve had lost 78 pounds and I lost 30. My daughter lost 10. Our son, then 7, who didn't really need to lose any weight, but was a junk food addict, was eating 98 percent fruits and veggies.
We dove right into cooking the Nutritarian way. I spent a few hours a couple times of week researching recipes and preparing foods so we would have everything ready to pull right out of the fridge. A few times a week, I made an additional meal for dinner to go with the previously prepared grab and go meals. We would have many items available like, kale slaw, cut vegetables, fresh fruit salads, hummus, salad greens, soups and chili. Every day we had green smoothies for breakfast. It took some time but it was worth all the effort. We also began doing more outdoor things as a family, such as running and hiking the beautiful area parks.We were constantly asked what we were doing to lose weight. We actually became the talk of our church with everyone making sure that when there was a special happening that included food, there was a vegetable or fruit tray for our family. We were on to something and they knew it. We wanted to shout it from the rooftops. We told everyone and anyone that would listen. It was so simple!
My husband started growing our own wheatgrass, sprouts and microgreens. What a healthy addition to our new lifestyle. We would top our salads and meals with them, add them to smoothies or just eat them by themselves. We began juicing wheatgrass every morning.
By the end of 2014, Steve had lost 220 pounds; I lost 75 and my now eleven year old daughter lost 32. It was a tremendous blessing and amazing transformation for us, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. At the beginning of 2015, my husband, who could barely walk up a flight of stairs just a year before, began doing CrossFit. I could not believe it and I was so proud of him. Both my children are also involved in CrossFit now and absolutely love it.
In February of this year, Steve and I were asked to do a healthy eating seminar at our church because so many people wanted to know what we had done and how to do it. We gave a three hour seminar and had an attendance of over sixty people. It was an amazing experience for us and we were thrilled that so many people wanted to hear how they could change their lives. We knew if we could just get through to one person that evening it would all be worth it. We brought sample foods to taste and told them all about Dr. Fuhrman and everything we could share.
It will be two years this coming January and, I am happy to say, we have not visited the doctor’s office at all since January of 2014, aside from our annual exams. All of our previous medical problems are gone. No more high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, acid reflux, sleep apnea have disappeared. Our daughter's skin condition is much better. We are vibrant and full of energy. We continue to strive to teach our children and keep ourselves on the path of good health. Even now, I sometimes look at my husband and can’t believe it is him and just how far we all have come.
Although we struggle on occasion, we keep in mind that this lifestyle has changed not only our way of eating but our way of thinking about food. We will continue to shout it from the rooftops because everyone needs to know this simple solution to health and the weight loss that comes as a bonus. We are so blessed to have found out about Dr. Fuhrman and all he has to offer!
Results may vary.
