I Struggled With Obesity My Whole Life, Until I Went Vegan

I began struggling with obesity before the age of 10. Even though I ate moderate amounts of food, I couldn’t seem to stop putting on weight. I spent decades stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing and regaining hundreds of pounds. At my heaviest, I weighed 420 pounds. I had hypertension, acid reflux, liver complications, respiratory issues, and prediabetes.

I was desperate to avoid going on prescription medications, because I’d seen my father go down that road, and he ended up needing medications his whole life. I even found ways to “cheat” on my A1C test by fasting extra long just to avoid having to go on medications. I knew something had to change, but I didn’t know where to begin.

For 17 years I was a single mom; it was just my sons and me, and it was hard to find the time and resources to prepare us healthy meals. But in 2019 I met Justin, my now husband. With his support and encouragement, I was able to finally prioritize my health after giving birth to our son in 2021. I read The Future of Nutrition and The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., and those books completely changed how I thought about food and health. I remember crying, not just because the books were eye-opening but because I realized I had to go plant-based, and I was scared of making such a huge change. Justin saw me struggling and said, “Let’s do it as a family.”

The switch didn’t happen overnight. We took it one meal at a time, and it took about 13 months to fully transition to a plant-based lifestyle. But as we gradually made the shift, I found myself easily losing weight—100 pounds in the first six months, even before I began exercising. I started with gentle movement through walking and yoga, then added weightlifting, Pilates, and barre classes. I noticed that anytime I ate animal products before a workout, I’d have significantly less energy and sometimes I ended up feeling sick. With plant-based foods, it was the exact opposite: I felt more energized and recovered faster, and I wanted to eat before every workout. At that point it became obvious to me that I wanted to eat plant-based all the time.

I’ve now been plant-based for four years. I like keeping meals and snacks simple and easy. I’m a huge fan of hummus. I love beans and rice, or a whole grain wrap with rice and veggies. I also returned to one of my childhood passions: baking. Now I make vegan versions of my favorite recipes, and my family loves them even more than the originals.

I now do several hours of movement a day and feel more alive than ever. I love being active. In total, I’ve lost more than 270 pounds naturally, without drugs, surgery, or supplements. My blood pressure, cholesterol, liver function, A1C are all in a healthy range. My acid reflux and respiratory issues are completely gone. I’m 44, and this is the healthiest I’ve ever been.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.