Guest Blogger: Forks to Feet – My Forks Over Knives Story

During the summer of 2011, I became very serious about working out and staying in shape, mostly in the form of running.  I spent countless hours at the gym, and even more time hitting the pavement in an attempt to burn off excess fat.  From what I knew – carbs, fat, sugar, and calories were all bad – and the reason to blame for my extra padding.  But, it seemed that the more I worked out, the more I ate.  And, the more I ate, the more weight I gained.  No matter how much I worked out, I couldn’t lose an ounce; if I did, it came right back.  Running was the most difficult for me. I had no energy and my body ached from the run only a day or two before. I loaded up on protein in the form of fish, chicken, and steak.  I just “knew” the added protein would help build me back up for my next workout and repair any muscle damage.

While training for my first half marathon, I followed a very strict regimen.  I held myself accountable for each training run I had planned.  I wanted to be absolutely ready come race day.  I decided to look into what other
runners were eating.  I knew that there must be a correlation between a runner’s performance and the foods that he/she was consuming.  I saw that runners were on some of the healthiest diets I had ever seen.  Some ingredients that were mentioned: whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, bananas, bagels, berries, oranges, quinoa, broccoli, peanuts, almonds, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, and almond milk.  Honestly, I didn’t see myself eating half of that stuff; I ate meat, like the tough guys. I drank milk, because it made my bones strong.  I enjoyed the smell of flesh as it cooked on the grill, juicing up to provide me with that next dose of protein.

A friend (and running partner) of mine told me about the movie, “Forks over Knives.”  He told me
that it had changed his life.  I was extremely skeptical, knowing that he was vegan.  I shared the view of many – that vegans were strange people.  I’m all for learning new things, so I popped in the video (figuratively).  I was glued to the screen, taking in all of the information that I could absorb. Upon finishing the film, I decided it was time to try something different.  I was going completely plant-based, for good.   Immediately, I
noticed results.  Within two weeks, all of my aches and pains were diminishing; my hips and legs felt brand new again!  I also noticed a substantial increase in energy.

It has now been seven months since I watched the film and, as of this writing, I have lost 30 lbs. and completed not one, but five races: two 5ks, two half-marathons, and one full marathon. Not only did I finish the races, but I have consistently placed in the top 10%.  Since my transformation, I have not had a single injury.  Furthermore, my speed has dramatically improved over the last few months due to my ability to
train without the setbacks of injuries.  I continue to run for competition and fun, logging anywhere from 20-60 miles a week.  Now, wouldn’t you think that I would need a staggering amount of protein to compensate for all of this mileage?  Thanks to Forks over Knives, I have learned the facts about plant-based
nutrition.  I no longer buy into the same old sponsored advertisements that the meat, milk, and egg industries have thrown at us for years.  I continue to research plant-based nutrition through the Forks over Knives‘ website and Facebook page, as well as from blogs around the internet.  Unfortunately, media does not cover the topic of “nutrition as medicine” because there are few sponsored advertisers who would support it.  Money makes this world go around, but may bring it to a screeching halt if we don’t take back control of our health.  It is up to us to spread the knowledge, and it all starts within our own homes.

Thank you, Forks over Knives, for empowering me with the knowledge to live a happy, healthy, and
sustainable life.  I will continue to spread the information which was freely given me, through every resource that I have available.