February 3rd, 2018, was the day everything changed in my life moving forward.
I always lifted weights routinely and did natural powerlifting to accommodate my large appetite (non competing). Of course aches and pains were common, however, on this night, something felt different about the pressure I was feeling in my upper left back/shoulder region. Kind of hard to explain, but it felt like a constant throbbing that could not be massaged or stretched out. My weight at the time was 396lbs, my family has a history of heart issues, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and I had been feeling more winded than usual. These things racing in my mind, I decided to go to the ER to have a look to make sure. I was 32 years old at that time, so I was almost certain, I would be too young for heart disease, nevertheless I had to be sure. After a few hours at the hospital, blood draws, etc
My blood pressure returned 200/100, 120 blood sugar, 235 triglycerides, 190 cholesterol, 30 HDL cholesterol, and the marker that landed me two overnight stays in the hospital was my troponin level was elevated, which is a marker for heart damage. It was not high that indicated a heart attack, but raised enough that there was signal of damage. I was SHOCKED, confused, and scared. How could this be at this age? I thought I had more time to be in better health and shape before I had to worry about these things. Little did I know, eating recklessly in my diet, overindulgence, and poor food choices would come back to pay me a visit. During my stay I underwent several heart tests, including an angiogram that discovered an artery blockage on a branch off the obtuse major 1 artery 95%. A stent was placed, I was prescribed several heart medications (aspirin, clopidogrel, beta blockers, statin), and I was ordered to stay another night in the hospital to monitor and recover. While lying in the hospital bed wondering how I got here at the age of 32, I started reading everything I could get my hands on to fix my condition. The first book I came across was, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.
The Revolutionary Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based “Cure” by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. This way of eating/life was totally foreign to me, yet so insightful. I decided at that moment, this was the way for me moving forward. I was determined to change my life forever, and never end up back in this hospital bed because of the choices I made regarding my nutrition and lifestyle. Not only would this be for me, but for my future self and family. Once released, I immediately changed my diet based on the recommendation of the book. I threw away everything that didn’t comply, and shopped for food that I believed would help cure my ailments and give me my life back.
I changed from being a powerlifter to an endurance athlete and focused on combat sports, weight training, and cardiovascular conditioning. Within the first 12 months I lost 100 pounds, and all of my health markers were to a place that my cardiologist recommended that I could stop taking several of my medications (beta blockers, clopidogrel, aspirin), and lowered my Statin dose to 10mg. I continued my path and at this point, this way of eating was not a diet or fix, it was a normal way of life and decisions were easy to make regarding what I ate. The most challenging part was that the concept was foreign to many people, and they didn’t understand why I would make such a drastic change they felt wasn’t necessary. However, I felt being on a doctors table was more drastic than eating whole food fruits and vegetables. I was literally choosing the FORK over the KNIFE.
2 years post hospital visit, my health markers had all normalized. In fact they were in athlete ranges, and I had lost 150 pounds from my initial weigh in. I asked my doctor to order another heart scan test to check my progress. When the results came back, again he was floored. There were no signs of cardiovascular damage, and no signs of arterial buildup in my arteries!!! I did it! I reversed my disease as the book I read in that bed said I could. My doctor couldn’t believe it. He wanted to know what I was doing, and all the details. He moved my visits to be yearly checkups and removed the recommendation for the remainder of my medications. At the moment of this program development, I am officially down 208 pounds (188 lbs.) and in the best health/shape of my life. I am dedicated to a helping, coaching, and fitness lifestyle because I am capable, and able to help others reach the same successes I have mentally and physically.
Hey guys! My name is Karl, my friends and family call me Tank. I am a licensed psychotherapist, lifestyle, and health/fitness coach in the state of Oklahoma.
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