Depending on how it’s said, 6 weeks can sound like a long time or a relatively short one. It’s only 42 days, who would have thought that so much can change in that time? At the outset it seemed like such a huge commitment, looking back it was a blink of an eye.
The Results
Let’s start with the results of the Back To Health program from my good friends at Garden Of Vegan.
| Start | End | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 116.8 kg | 107.5 kg |
| Blood Pressure | Grade 1 Hypertension | Normal/Optimal |
| LFT | Poor | Improved |
| Cholesterol | 3.05 | 2.56 |
| Iron (saturation) | 33% | 20% |
| Iron (Ferritin) | 726 | 460 |
| Diabetic Risk | Medium | Low |
Other Improvements
The medical results have been fantastic and there is no disputing the benefits I have received from being on the program and switching to a plant based whole foods lifestyle. There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction when you catch up with people and their first comment is “wow, you’re looking so good, look at all the weight you’ve lost”.
One major improvement has been my weight and cardio training at the gym. My personal trainer Sabine has commented throughout this process as to how my stamina has increased as well as my strength. Week on week I have been smashing personal records in all aspects. Two simple examples are the Romanian Deadlift which now sits at 90kg and the Iso-lateral Row coming in at 120kg. My sleeping habits have improved, I am snoring a lot less (just ask Mrs Usher!) and I am full of energy!
While Sabine has been a big advocate for my health changes there was a point this week where we discussed the strength, she was a little surprised at the growth since I was not eating any meats and therefore missing out on ‘proteins’. The cool thing is, all of my meals have provided more than my daily protein requirements, all from the pre-prepared meals available from Garden of Vegan, This beautiful Cuban Rice Bowl is a great example.
Where To From Here?
It’s the week before Christmas and I’m so looking forward to spending time with all five of our children, their partners and my three grandchildren. I will not however be breaking away from the veggie lifestyle, I have no intention in going back to eating Beef, Pork, Chicken, Eggs, Lamb, Veal, Venison, Kangaroo or any type of meat! I will be enjoying plenty of healthy plant based foods though!
NOT In Moderation
Someone said to me this week – “you can go back to having the other things, just do it in moderation” – I’m sorry, but I strongly disagree with this statement! I don’t want to eat a ‘moderate’ amount of meat, I don’t want to drink a ‘moderate’ amount of alcohol (more on this in the coming weeks), I don’t want to be putting a ‘moderate’ amount of processed (chemical) foods into my body. My health at the start of this program was because of this type of dangerous thinking. I’ve been diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease FFS! I want to (and WILL) be healthy. I want to (and WILL) reverse the damage to my arteries. My choice is to eat as much PBWF as I can, to remove toxins from my life and to continue to enjoy the benefits I have received over the last six weeks.
The Final Battle
I added this phrase to the title this post, why? I’m glad you asked! I received a call from a close friend of mine the other night. We had not spoken in 12 months yet he’d been following my journey and wanted to reach out. What he said was profound and I wanted to share it here. The context may not come across fully in how it is written, but I want you to think about the words and see where they can impact your life.
Paul, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone, you’ve already done that. Your next battle is against the man in the mirror
– Will B.
It struck a chord with me, my battle is against the man in the mirror. I need to continue to work on me, to overcome ego, to overcome self doubt, to overcome anything that is stopping me from being who I have been called to be. Thank you Will, much love and respect brother.
The end of this six week program is the start of an amazing journey for me, a launching board into what I can achieve in the next 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years. I will continue to blog about the ups & downs, about the heart disease, and share how blessed I was to be in a room on a random Saturday arvo, meet a random bloke and overhear a conversation that would change my life in ways I could only have dreamed of. Thank You Krista for arranging that leadership conference and a big Thank You Damien for believing in me and providing the way forward to a cleaner and greener lifestyle #wearegardenofvegan
Kudos & References
There have been many people helped me along this journey and I’d like to give a shout out to them
- Samantha Usher
- Damien Turner
- Mel Phillips
- Benny Walker
- Judith Kidby
- Sabine Brand
- Gareth Sharples
- Druen Dorn
- Dr Simon Ooi
- Robyn Chuter
- Krista Tier
- All the workers at Garden of Vegan
To The Reader…
A big shout out to all of you, yes, you reading this right now. It has really inspired me to hear from so many of you expressing how I have changed your thinking on foods. When you sit and write it’s always difficult to imagine how many people may read your work or how many lives you can touch. Over the last six weeks, my blog has been accessed by people in more than 140 countries! That just blows my mind. Thank you!
References
Some great resources to read / listen to if you are interested in exploring more about the lifestyle changes I’ve made
- The Garden of Vegan
- Empowerment Total Health
- The Game Changers
- Forks over Knives
- The Pleasure Trap (TedX)
- The Pleasure Trap (book)
- Alcohol Lied To Me
- Awaken The Giant Within
- The China Study
- The Model Health Show