NSV, I needed to share the great news :)

Leslierussell4134

Hello I'm Leslie and I've struggled with my weight my entire life. As a child I was always the big kid, the boys weren't taller and didn't weigh more until about 6th grade. So I understand weight loss and gain, the thousands of tricks, tips, and styles of eating, because I've tried them all, numerous success and failure.

In my late teens I was put on a mild blood pressure medication, as this was the first time my doc saw elevation. He's a great doctor, very knowledgeable and he seemed to think my pressure was solely weight related, as I was far too young to have any disposition for hypertension. Even though my father's side has been on pressure lowering medications since their early 20's and 30's and his father died at 49 of a massive heart attack...uncontrolled blood pressure and a physical job as a mason.

I was over weight at the time, I'm 5'1 and I weighed about 148lbs. So I decided to take the meds and attempt to lose weight. I lost weight, but my numbers didn't change, I gained weight and numbers didn't change. Thankfully I was placed on a slightly stronger medication at a low dose and my pressure was well controlled. I've attempted to go off at times and it would shoot right back up.

Fast forward to 12 years later, I'm 31 years old and now a registered nurse, so I have a decent understanding of the mechanisms that control blood pressure in the body. I also understand there ARE genetic reasons and greater dispositions for hypertension. Sometimes there isn't much we can do to change it, other than take meds...so I thought.

I love nutrition, I love it so much I almost became a registered dietitian instead of a nurse, but changed my mind and happy I did, because I genuinely love being a nurse. So it safe to say I've seen every documentary about food; Paleo, Keto, Vegan, DNA diets, intermittent fasting and training, as I'm sure many of you have. I've tried many of them more than a few times. I'd lose weight, fall off the wagon and gain it back. The only diet I hadn't fully explored was a Whole foods, plant based diet, and honestly, because for me it was the hardest. I'd attempted being Vegan before and felt vey bloated and uncomfortable, had low energy and couldn't stick with it. BUT I was eating a lot of processed foods and trying to imitate meat with them.

Recently I hurt my back at work. I'm an Operating Room Nurse and it didn't take much to injure my low back moving a patient. I've been off work for 2 months, and I gained 20 lbs. I was already heavier than I had been in a couple years, so this was devastating for me, I was feeling very defeated and in a lot of pain.

In wrapping up my longer than anticipated story, I was in a place 5 weeks ago that was low and I was willing to try anything. Since I couldn't move, I needed to change my diet. I went whole foods plant based and I've lost 10lbs of the 20 lbs I gained being off work. But that's not even what this post is about, because everyone knows Vegan diets aren't intended for weight loss and you can lose weight on any style of eating as long as CICO is taken into consideration and you're in a deficit. No, the real winner is!...I was able to get off my beta blocker for blood pressure for the first time and maintain better than normal numbers and in just 5 weeks. And technically I'm still fat!! So my doctor can't explain that, he just says keep doing what you're doing.

Moral of the story, and the reason I share this is because I know many of you are frustrated you have to take pills like I did at a young age. This may be an option for you, it's the ONLY thing that has worked for me. I never had high cholesterol, but I'm excited to see if that improves too. If this is what it takes for me to maintain a lifestyle that is BIG PHARMA free, I will gladly maintain it.

Cheers to Health,

Leslie

avskk

Hey, CONGRATULATIONS! What an amazing change, and I love the solid base of knowledge and experience you used to achieve it. You rock!