A little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to lose weight and get healthy, because I was dangerously overweight and always felt tired and depressed. I started by buying a scale with a 400-pound limit. Seeing 395 pounds was a real eye-opener! I joined a gym and started working out three hours a day: one hour before work and two hours after. I lost 30 pounds in the first two months.

One of the personal trainers saw how hard I was working and suggested I watch Forks Over Knives. What a revelation! I have been eating exclusively plant-based foods ever since. At first I thought it would be more expensive to eat this way, but that perception quickly changed when I realized processed foods cost more. I have been spending the grocery money I save on new clothes, because my old wardrobe no longer fits.

I lost an additional 60 pounds in the subsequent two months eating this way, while working out about 90 minutes a day. Since then, I continue to exercise 60 to 90 minutes a day, five or six days a week. Now at age 32, after eleven months on this program, I have slimmed down to 215 pounds, a healthy weight on my at 6’1″ frame — actually 50 pounds less than I carried in high school!

Eating only plants has yielded so many unexpected benefits. My once-high cholesterol and blood sugar levels have normalized. My persistent depression is now a thing of the past. And I no longer suffer apnea-induced sleep disruption and fatigue … In fact, I feel amazing!

My heartfelt thanks goes to fitness trainer Lorean, without whose guidance I might have dropped some weight but certainly would never have regained my health!