Breaking Down Barriers & Living WFPB Healthy

Our plant-based starter kits are a great way to begin this new healthy lifestyle because they include a book, a set of DVD lectures from Dr. Neal Barnard, and a folder full of helpful literature from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

By: Dan Caracciolo

Growing up heavy

It was tough growing up as a heavy kid.

Picture this. An 8-year-old boy, unable to play on the same team as his friends because he is too heavy for his age group. Instead, he’s asked to play with the 10-year-old team because the weight requirement is higher.

Now imagine that young boy being told on game day that he can’t play with the 10-year-old team because he is over the 10-year-old weight limit.

That was me.

And every single evening before a game I cried myself to sleep because I didn’t want to be told I was too heavy to play again.

Growing up, I was teased and bullied due to my weight. And, over time, I turned into an overweight teen, adult, husband, and father. I felt stuck in this fat body that was destined to breathe heavily and be made fun of for life.

I had accepted it though. I literally have a tattoo on my chest that says “Big Daddy” because that was my nickname in high school.

Debating bariatric surgery

Fast forward to December 2017 when I was debating stomach surgery and had a consultation with a bariatric surgeon. I had numb fingers and was wearing a 3XL shirt and size 46 pants. That’s when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

That’s about the time my mom introduced me to Dr. Neal Barnard and his plant-based diet and how it has helped type 2 diabetics. I began studying his teachings and started following his blog to learn more.

The defining moment

But, it was about three months later, in March 2018, when I had a near diabetic coma episode with blood sugar in the 500s that I finally made up my mind that I could do this.

At first, I just googled recipes endlessly. Then, I joined all the plant-based Facebook groups I could find and quietly observed others and their successes.

Finally, I decided to start and just jump in headfirst with a starting weight of 350 pounds.

That was almost 20 months ago, and now I am down 155 pounds. My type 2 diabetes has been absent for over a year and, this past January, I came off my CPAP machine.

Bringing in a fitness routine

The fitness part of my journey started after I lost the first 40 pounds and joined a gym. Today, I train with an ex-CrossFit games competitor. I just want to be the best version of myself.

I still often feel fat and worry about what will happen if I don’t work out, and I wonder if I could possibly wake up fat again. But I am working on that too and am finally talking to someone about it.

Helping others break down barriers

I eat very nutritious whole foods and try my best to stay away from oils and highly processed vegan food. I just want to help folks transition now, especially fellow males.

I feel there is a real disconnect between men and a plant-based diet. I love to follow fellow barrier-breaking vegan males and learn from them too.

The only advice I can give someone who is struggling like I was is to keep at it. I was lost for so long when it came to fitness and diet. I didn’t know where to start, but now I am positive I’ll never stop.

Reminder: you don’t have to be extreme, just consistent. For more inspiration, check out another success story on this website called, Plant-Based Gabriel: From Football Injury to Health.