Peggy's Story:

A Remarkable Testament to the Power of Healthy Living!

In the summer of 2008 I became very ill – it all started with some type of spider bite and that led to an ugly infection in the area around my right elbow.  By the time I sought medical assistance, the infection had spread and I required emergency surgery.  From that I developed a severe staph infection that attacked many of my major organs.  After two long hospitalizations that summer, I was left with numerous health problems.  The next 12 months were spent with medical specialists with the result being the same – I was not getting better.  My work greatly suffered, I had no energy, was constantly dizzy, fatigued, experienced severe GI problems, no muscle strength,  had aches and pains all over my body, experienced hemoglobin issues, etc.  Also I had to go from oral meds for my diabetes to insulin.  Moreover the dosage for my blood pressure medicine increased.  I was totally discouraged and concerned that I might have to take a leave of absence from the church. 

In May 2009 I came to the conclusion that if I lost some weight perhaps that would solve my problems.  So I joined Weight Watchers on May 5, 2008.  I was diligent those first weeks, making sure that I did not go over the allotted points allowed.  However I was still eating all of the junk food as before – just depriving myself of the amount.  After three weeks and 18 pounds lost, my health was no better.  I was on the way to a District Clergy meeting with a colleague, lamenting to the fact that I would probably not be able to eat anything provided for the meal that evening, when she told me “Well, you can eat Dr. Ann’s healthy bean salad that I have brought. What is that, I asked and who in the world is Dr., Ann?”  And that is how all of this began.

Finding this bean salad very delicious and wanting to know how to make it, I stayed up all night searching the web and reading all of Dr. Ann’s back issues of her monthly newsletters.  I was fascinated.  And what did I have to lose in trying her advice – I was desperate.  So I ordered her book, read it cover to cover upon arrival and began incorporating the ‘Steps’ one at a time. I then ordered her “Eat right for Life” CD and began listening to it every time I was in my car. The thing that grabbed me most was her explanation concerning insulin resistance and that if you had it, you could reverse it.  In the past all of the doctors that I had seen just painted a picture of gloom and doom and told me I must take this medicine, stick my finger so many times a day, watch out for my eyes, spoke of the possibility of losing a limb in the future, etc.  How depressing.  And now here was a doctor that not only explained insulin resistance in terms that I could understand but also said I did not have to have it!  So what did I have to lose by learning more?

The other piece of information that really struck home with me was the idea of my body needing nutrition to live at its optimal level and that so many of the foods I was choosing to eat had empty calories and were mostly man-made, full of chemicals.  Finally I was getting it – I would eat mega amounts of junk food only to be hungry again in a few hours.  I was always at the pantry or the refrigerator looking for something to eat. The more junk food I ate the more I craved.  I was constantly hungry and yet I was eating so much.  My body was begging for nutrition and I was giving it junk.  Finally someone had taken the time to explain all of this in terms that I could comprehend and understand instead of just handing me the latest ‘diet’ plan and telling me to go home and do this or die prematurely.

Bit by bit I began incorporating Dr. Ann’s teachings into my daily eating habits.  I became fascinated with reading labels, finally understanding the dangers of processed foods, red meats, and refined carbs, etc.  Also the idea of eating a balanced diet of vegetables and fruits and fiber and healthy protein began to make more sense.

A phenomenal thing for me was in a rather short time I was craving foods that I had avoided all of my life.  In the past I would bypass the produce section of the grocery store, perhaps stopping to purchase bananas and iceberg lettuce, or white potatoes, but not much else.  I did not even know what to do with many of the vegetables I saw.  However today I actually crave every vegetable I see – I spend most of my time at the store in the produce section now – always trying something new and enjoying learning how to prepare these vegetables.  The other amazing thing is that I eat a lot of volume everyday – a lot of vegetables – can’t seem to get enough.  In many ways I think I eat more that I did when I was overweight all of these years.  Also I am now growing my vegetables organically.  I have so much energy and I just love the time I spend in my garden.  I have been known to just pick some vegetables and eat them immediately – some never make it into the kitchen.  It is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable!

My body has become so regulated that it is now in control of when and what I eat.  Never one for breakfast in the past (well, if you call a large muffin, diet coke, something salty, candy, etc.) midmorning as breakfast – well I did eat that.  What I am saying is that as soon as I get up in the morning my body is demanding that I eat a healthy breakfast.  Then I am totally satisfied until noon when my body automatically lets me know that it is time to eat again.  Mid afternoon something alerts me to eat again and the same in the early evening.  Other than that I do not get hungry.  Also since totally eliminating all diet sodas (I was up to 5 a day), sweets, the great white hazards and empty calories from my eating plan, I do not crave them anymore.  I will choose vegetables and fruits over these any day of the week – that in itself is a miracle.

I used to joke the if doctors could come up with a way to remove taste buds, I would be their first patient.  Thinking that my taste buds were the problem has certainly changed today.  I am so thankful that I have taste buds because of all the joy I get from eating.  Honestly I thank God every time I sit down to eat – thanking him for such wonderfully tasteful and delicious food options in the world.  Why would we ever want to eat man-made foods when the world is a bounty of excellent and nourishing choices?  My motto in life now is “I live to eat and I eat to live."

What a change.  Everyone who has ever known me realizes that struggling with weight and health issues has dominated my life.  Dieting has been a constant yoyo, certainly causing damage to my body.  My biggest regret is that I met Dr. Ann so late in life.  My goal now is to introduce everyone I come into contact with -  to the principles she has taught me.  I really want to make a difference in other’s lives – if this can happen to me it can happen to them.  It is all about education and understanding and application. 

Well back to my weight and health. My numbers speak for themselves: weight 122 pounds down from 193; bad (LDL) cholesterol down to 80 from190; good (HDL) cholesterol up to 75 from 30; blood pressure down to 105/62 from 190/110. I no longer take any prescription drugs!   My health is absolutely remarkable.  I have never felt better or had so much energy. As to the weight, once I began to focus on getting healthy, the weight just came off.  No kidding.  Moving the focus to health and not primarily on weight loss is another astonishing part of this.  In the past I would get on a weight loss program, deprive myself of certain foods, lose the weight, and then quickly return to old eating habits – and the result would always be gaining the weight back again.  With this plan, it is as though I have retrained by mind and body to a completely new way of living.  I never hunger for those old favorites of the past, honestly, never really think about them; not even tempted by them.  When friends and colleagues see me they want to know what in the world I have done to get to this place.  I just smile and say it is Dr. Ann.  And then if they are really interested and want to improve their own health, I give them one of her books.  I am proof in the pudding that her plan works and can restore lives that have been lost due to poor nutritional choices.

Peggy Garland
Pastor
Francis Asbury United Methodist Church
Greenville, South Carolina

If you are interested in making healthy changes in your life, check out my book, Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet.