You can lose 36 lbs every month!
Backed by Yale research: Eating plants like Enid did repairs aging cells— so you can lose 36 lbs a month!
“Is the pain any better?” asked a nurse practitioner. Enid Lemley started to shake her head— but it hurt too much. “It was so bad last week, I vomited several times,” Enid whispered. A nurse herself, Enid had ruptured discs while treating a patient; complications led to severe nerve damage. After two years of failed treatments, hopelessness had begun to swallow her up. “I have a suggestion,” said the nurse practitioner, concern on her face. “There’s a diet group I’ve seen work well. Losing weight will take pressure off your back and could really help.” Enid closed her eyes, recalling her last time on the scale. She’d hit 287 pounds. That’s definitely more than I want to lug around, she thought. Suddenly, being lighter sounded like the best idea ever. “I’ll try it,” she said, managing a smile...
The next day, Enid learned more about the program: She’d limit portions and skip foods that trigger overeating—namely sugar, flour and oil. No more Oreos, chips, fries or soda, thought Enid, an animal lover who’d given up meat as a kid. Can I cut out comfort food when I feel so lousy? She glimpsed painkillers on the counter and realized, My “comfort” food isn’t working anyway. So, with help from her husband, Joe, and their teen kids, she went to meetings and carefully measured and logged modest servings of foods like apples, peanut butter and bean-based burgers. Pounds began to
disappear—and so did some of her pain. Yet she still relied heavily on narcotic meds and mostly stayed at home. Not quite a happy ending…
A setback…and then a miracle
Over time, Enid grew tired of weighing and measuring and fighting cravings; she began cheating. Then she cheated more. Pounds piled on, and her pain roared back. “It’s almost as bad as before,” she confessed to Joe. As they hired a home aide, Enid was again battling hopelessness. How is this going to end? she asked herself. Am I ruining Joe’s life? Yet something told her not
to give up. Maybe the aide can make healthy food to get me back on track, she thought. I’ ll find recipes. Enid was soon watching cooking videos on Youtube, mesmerized by a woman named Chef AJ. The plant-based guru had an army of followers, including many who’d overcome serious health issues. Her approach was built around whole plants with no sugar, flour or oil. The big difference from Enid’s previous diet: There was nothing to track or measure. Folks simply aimed to eat 2 pounds of veggies a day, enjoy as much additional starch and fruit as needed to feel satisfied—and let nature do the rest. Two pounds of veggies sounds a little crazy, Enid thought. But Chef AJ promised no other diet delivered more antioxidants or helped people heal faster. And, boy, did Enid need to heal.
So she asked her aide, Christine, to start prepping salad ingredients and make snack bags full of peppers, carrots and celery. Christine also cooked up big batches of steel-cut oats, baked potatoes, soup, chili— things easy to reheat. This is actually really good, Enid thought, tucking into her first of many giant salads with raw and roasted veggies, fruit, beans and fancy vinegar. In two months, Enid lost 30 pounds and felt good enough to fix her own meals and take short walks. “This food is the best medicine anyone has given me,” she told Christine over a bowl of popcorn one day. “Thank you!”
Suddenly free
“I read that deeper-colored plants have more healing power, so I began favoring purple sweet potatoes, blueberries, red peppers, black beans,” Enid shares. “I was losing steadily, didn’t have to count calories and it didn’t feel like work.” Better yet, in 12 weeks, she was off all pain meds. “I was able to do laundry again, and I couldn’t stop smiling!” Down 50, 60, 70 pounds, Enid began to walk more, shop, go to church. She and Joe let themselves daydream about exploring the country in their RV, making up for years lost to her health struggles. Today, that’s exactly what they’re doing. Enid, 60, whips up all their plant-based meals in the little RV kitchen. Despite permanent nerve damage, she now has energy for days and easily maintains a 147-pound weight loss. “I have gone from bed-bound to outward bound!” she grins. “Even when I was thinking of my ultimate hope, I never dared to dream we could be living this life. Believe me when I tell you, you want to feel this way. I tell everyone who asks: Try this way of eating!”