Just when you think that you were dealt the worst hand possible by your life, you meet someone who has it just as bad, or even worse than you.
Two years ago I received an email from Ashleigh. She was desperate for a change. She suffered from PCOS (polycystic ovaries syndrome–a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of a female sex hormones, which leads to menstrual cycle changes, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other health changes), depression, PMS and other health issues.
Ashleigh felt alone and in despair when she found Vegalicious website and signed up for the Body by Plants program. She had nothing to lose—she was already at her worst, resigned to a life of depression and anxiety, wanting nothing more than to curl up on her couch and disappear, struggling to be the Mom her daughter deserved, taking numerous medication, which caused severe multiple side effects; and she had everything to gain. She took a chance with Body by Plants, hoping that she could resolve her health issues.
Two years later I wanted to know if she achieved her goals, and whether her transition to a plant-based diet paid off. In today’s podcast I sat down with Ashleigh for a candid interview to see how her life changed by completing the Body by Plants program.
Listen to the podcast (or read attached transcript) as she will tell you how she came to rid herself of not only PCOS, but extra weight, depression, PMS; how she now lives medication free, and how, while helping herself, also helped to change the lives of those around her and now lives a vibrant life she hoped for.
Healing PCOS and Depression with a Plant-Based Diet
Listen to the Podcast on the go (15 minutes)
Or read the interview
Elena: Ashleigh, welcome! Two years ago you enrolled in Body by Plants. You did the program and had a success. Then you disappeared, until you recently posted in the Body by Plants community that you were doing great; you lost weight, and feeling better. You look completely different these days than what I remember when you first did the program.
I want you to take me through the genesis of Ashleigh’s health transformation. Tell me what happened when you first did the program and what happened in the end.
Ashleigh: In the very beginning, when I did the Body by Plants program, I was in a state of desperation. I’ve been having many health issues and I was at my wits end. I was tired of being on medication.
I enrolled in the program. I started eating a plant-based diet and became addicted to green smoothies. I was excited. My cycle regulated without the aid of birth control medication. I lost weight.
I am a teacher, so, as Summer was over, I went back to work in the Fall, and everything fell apart. I needed to plan and prepare my food, so I just dropped the ball.
I became discouraged, frustrated, and went back to the old ways of eating. Once again, I was eating the SAD (Standard American Diet), addicted to sugary foods. This caused me to go back on medication. The weight came back, and I was back to being depressed again.
Fast forward to late last year. I had a wakeup call. My mother’s fiancée was diagnosed with lymphoma. It hit me—there is really something going on with our diet. He is a healthy guy, he works out, yet he ended up with a cancer. I started talking to my Mother daily about what foods to prepare for him, and how his diet can either help or hurt him and affect his illness.
She changed overnight—went cold turkey. She cut dairy and meat out. She began juicing, making smoothies. Her fiancée cut out as much as he was willing to cut out. The more I was talking to her, the more she was telling me: “Why are you eating this crap? You are telling me it is bad for us, yet you are eating animal products, which are carcinogenic.”
Late last year it dawned on me that I have to make changes too. I was stressed out. I knew that I had to increase the healthy foods in my diet and stop eating junk, which was not helping me at all. So, I slowly began to transition to the plant-based diet, with occasional slip-ups.
I got back into the groove, determined to make the change. I looked at my mother, who is in her fifties, who had been eating the Southern fried garbage all of her life, change her diet to encourage someone she cared about to change and help him battle the cancer; and I thought: “I want to live a long life! I want to reverse my illness. I do not want to be on medication anymore.”
Now, I’ve lost 34 lbs. I was on four medications and birth control pills. Now I am not on any medication, and neither do I want to be on any.
It is a challenge, because I hang around my friends, my family. They eat SAD food. But I try to look at everything I eat, as: is it going to hurt or harm me?
Elena: You said that you had several health issues, Ashleigh. Can you talk about what they were?
Ashleigh: I will be 31 in May. When I was 15, I was diagnosed with PCOS. It took a while to get that diagnosis, because it was not well known at the time. I had the classic symptoms: irregular and painful cycles, excessive hair growth on my body and face; elevated androgens. Because of the hormonal imbalance, by the age of 20 I was diagnosed with depression.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome affects everything. Hormones go wild and crazy; it is hard to lose weight. The doctors tell you: “Lose weight!” And I am trying! I am cutting calories to 1200 a day and workout and I was still not losing any weight.
PCOS has been a huge part of my life. I have been a guinea pig for my doctors. I have been to many doctors. I’ve been on all kind of drugs. Some made me ill; medications that caused me to have other female issues (irregular cycles, bleeding). Depression was so severe that I was, literally, on the couch, not wanting to move or do anything. With depression came anxiety. I took medication for all these things and had side effects to these medications.
Elena: What kind of side effects did you experience?
Ashleigh: With anti-depressants alone, and I have been on tons of anti-depressants, I couldn’t not have a regularity of my bowels—I had terrible constipation; headaches, fatigue. One of the medications caused me to have manic issues—it messed with the chemical balance in my brain. I called my doctor and she told me to stop taking it. I had digestive problems. My moods still were unstable. I was not getting any relief. I have a daughter, and I couldn’t do anything with her. I could not even get up just to play. I barely had energy to get up to go to work. And that is with medication.
Elena: Is your daughter now happy that she has her Mommy back?
Ashleigh: She is! She complements me a lot. I am better without medication. I saw my Mom come off high blood pressure medication due to her dietary changes too.
I used to worry that the weight I lost would come right back, but I am staying where I am, having lost weight, whether I exercise or not. This is a miracle!
Elena: That is one of the benefits of this lifestyle. When you were going through the Body by Plants program, we talked about the fact that the maintenance is easy, once the extra weight is lost. If you maintain this lifestyle and forget to work out or have no time every now and then, the weight should not pile back on. If you don’t do something for a long time, the story changes, but if you do not work out occasionally, nothing major should happen.
So, you are depression free, you lost weight. How is your PCOS?
Ashleigh: I have not been to a doctor to have my levels checked yet, but I go by how I feel, since PCOS affects my energy levels and other things. I am not sluggish. My cycles are regular. Before, I had no idea when my cycles were coming, now I have a pretty good idea when things will happen. I do not worry about that anymore. It used to be a stressor. I thought I was going through a menopause at one point.
I feel better overall. I no longer feel like I am in fog. I no longer suffer from PMS. I used to get emotional when menses came. Now I am even keeled. It’s such a relief.
Elena: A low-fat plant-based diet helps to reduce body fat, which also reduces estrogen levels, leading to uneventful cycles. I never had PMS on a plant-based diet, which should be a norm for all women.
So, as you were teaching your Mom how to transition to a plant-based diet and refreshed your knowledge as well, were you using your Body by Plants materials?
Ashleigh: Yes, I did use BBP materials. I would tell Mom: “This is what I learned.” I would talk to her about the cooking methods and appliances she needed to buy. She is getting a Vitamix—she is so excited.
I’ve been using BBP recipes for special events. For Christmas dinner, I used your ricotta recipe (from your manicotti dish) to make lasagna. It was a hit! My sister, who is not even near vegan, loved it; my Mom’s fiancée ate it. Mom is going to make it again. Now when I visit my Mom, I can eat what she eats.
Once, when I visited a family member, I tried something she made. It had cheese in it. I felt so sick, for about three days. I told my Mother: “Now I’m scared. I am never eating that stuff again.” After that meal, I drank green smoothies until I began to feel better.
Now my Mom and I encourage each other to stay the course. I am thankful for your program. I even send my friends to check your web-site.
Elena: I think you are a proof that Body by Plants works. Just look at you—you are glowing, you are looking and feeling better; you are off all medications you were on.
So, I have to ask you: between all the money you spent on specialists and the money you spent on Body by Plants program, which was the money best spent?
Ashleigh: Body by Plants, of course! Totally! While I am not against doctors (they server their purpose), I do not like going to them, because I already know what they will tell me. Over the years, all the pain I lived through and all the medications I had taken, I wish I had known about this when I was younger; I could have probably prevented a lot of the issues that I’ve had throughout my teens and twenties.
Elena: The advantage you have now is that you will teach your daughter these principles, so she will never have to live through what you’ve been through. You also helped your mother, so you have already touched two generations, and the people they will touch. By you getting your act together, you cannot imagine the ripple effect you have caused. That’s exactly what we want to do—create people who, by healing their bodies, will become the best evangelists of this lifestyle. We eat great foods, we look and feel great. What else could you want from life?
Ashleigh, thank you for your time! You have been an inspiration. Ever since you posted in the BBP community, I have been getting emails from women. There is a huge need among women who suffer from similar health issues to have a great example, and you have been just that.
You are now symptom free. As soon as you see your doctor, I hope to hear from you that you have a clean bill of health.
Ashleigh: I am thankful for the changes. Weight loss alone makes me feel great. Looking in the mirror and seeing a slimmer person, and feeling the way I should feel, makes me feel better.
Blown Away? Now it is YOUR turn!
Now that you have heard Ashley’s story, I want you to take time to think about yourself. Ashleigh, a busy professional and a single mom, found her reasons to be healthy. She found her inspiration and now she reaps the benefits of her efforts.
Are you where you want to be with your weight and health?
Do you want to feel better? Have more energy?
Drop a dress size?
Do you want to teach your family and loved ones better eating habits and dietary choices that will help them prevent health problems?
If you are answer is YES to any of these questions, it is time for you to take charge of your well-being just like Ashleigh did.
There is not going to be a better day or a better time. NOW is the time to take action.
I want you to go to Body by Plants page and sign up for the program TODAY!
Body by Plants (BBP) is an exclusive online 30-Day program, which will teach you how to change your lifestyle habits to improve your health and weight long-term.
Once a month (today for the month of May) I open enrollment into the Body by Plants program and offer an exclusive opportunity to a small group of people to have a personal, 30-Day Coaching, with me, walking them through a transition to a whole foods, plant-based diet.
BODY BY PLANTS is not a fad diet! It is a healthy dietary plan that will transition you to healthy living. You won’t have to count calories or points ever again!
I like delicious foods and will encourage you to eat lots of them, while you will be feeling better and losing weight.
You will learn:
healthy recipes
workout routines
nutritional information about the plant-based diet
If you do everything I teach you, the results are guaranteed!
Let me help you begin on your health journey and guide you through the maze of the whats and the hows of a healthy lifestyle. I will be your coach, just like I was Asleigh’s, and I will help you navigate your way to a better health and slimmer waist line.
Have Questions?
Do you have questions about the program or for Ashleigh? Leave a comment under this post to have them answered.
Share!
Meanwhile, share Ahsleigh’s inspiring story with the world, and especially with those who need help and encouragement to take charge of their health and well-being. Let’s make this world a healthier place one person at a time!
Listen to the Podcast
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