Podcast INSIDER: How To Lose 75 Pounds by Eating Plants - Premium Podcast!

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Hey folks, it's Ben Greenfield here. And sometimes we get folks onto the podcast who really are out there in the trenches living life, getting things done and getting some really cool and interesting results. And today I have a listener on also a guy who is really out there and involved in the nutrition and the health community as a health advocate. He's a family man, a father of five. He's been married for 28 years. He's got a lot of stuff going on. And his name is BJ Tucker. Now, BJ has an interesting story that we'll delve into today because he used to be very overweight. And I'll put a picture of BJ's former weight as well as what he looks like now over in the show notes@bengreenfieldfitness.com but, but he was out of shape, overweight, really into alcohol and some other things we'll get into today. And then he lost a lot of weight. He lost 75 pounds and he did it by eating plants and running. And BJ actually recently featured an article that I wrote called 10 Steps to Mastering a Plant Based Diet over on his website, which I'll link to in the show notes. But BJ was interested in that topic because he is a self described plant powered athlete. And so in today's podcast we're going to get into how to lose weight by eating plants, BJ's fitness philosophy and some of the things that he's done to successfully lose weight and where he's at today. So that being said, bj, thanks for coming on the call today, man.

Thanks, Ben. Glad to be here. Thanks for that great introduction. I really appreciate it.

Yeah, no problem. Well, let's jump right into your journey. You lost £75 over the past two years, I think it was. And I'm curious how you did that and if possible, if we could jump into kind of like how your diet and exercise routine looked like before and what it looks like now.

Okay. Well, before it was certainly the standard American diet. Lots of fried food, lots of fatty food, very few fruits, very few vegetables, if any at all. And just rock and rolling along as a sales guy who, you know, Did a lot of lunches with clients, did a lot of traveling. And you know, basically I just let, what I call it, let life happen and just didn't really care. And I mean, I cared, but I didn't care enough to do anything about it.

And did you like play sports or anything growing up or was was it kind of a sedentary lifestyle for you from the get go?

I played a little bit of soccer growing up, but I was not a big predominant athlete by any stretch of the imagination. I wasn't overweight as a kid. I was fairly thin. I wasn't skinny, but I was fairly thin. You know, when I started running back in my 20s, they always called me a, you know, Clydesdale runner just because of my size. But about 15 years ago, I really started packing on the pounds and, you know, hovered anywhere from 225 to 250, you know, for many years and no activity. And as far as sports or any type of endurance activity.

Gotcha. So what happened then?

About almost three years ago now, I'm coming up on the three year date. There was not really that one transitional moment, but it was just the thought of, I can't continue to live this way if I want to live past 50 or 55. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and he was passing away. And I've had a couple of friends that have gotten really ill and having five kids and all of them still being in the house, I thought, I just can't continue to live this way and be able to chase grandkids at some point in the future.

So it was based on longevity for you, huh?

Exactly.

Now you started into obviously an eating and an exercise protocol. And where did you kind of put together the pieces as far as what you wanted to do? I mean, were you one of those guys just headed out of the door and started running and eating more vegetables because you heard it was healthy for you, or did you do some research to look into what was the way to achieve your weight loss and fitness goals as quickly as possible or what exactly did you do at that point?

Well, in my mid-20s, I run a few marathons and I knew what to do as far as eating a traditional plant based diet. I continued to eat meat for the first year of my journey. I didn't really exclude that up front, but, you know, my path was really just making small changes. It wasn't anything dramatic. It wasn't overnight. It was, you know, incorporating the fruit, incorporating the vegetables, cutting out the things that, you know, that are bad, such as the, you know, The Coca cola and the sweet tea and the fried foods and getting away from the fast food and just eating a more, you know, healthy, you know, a more healthy way of eating.

Now, alcohol fit into the picture for you as well? Didn't.

Did. I've never claimed to be an alcoholic, but probably some. If I actually documented my drinking habits, they'd probably say, oh, yeah, you were there. But about seven months into the journey, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon. I wanted to start training for a marathon. And I just knew with the current course that I was on that the alcohol was going to hamper that. I just made a decision. I was done with alcohol, and the next day I didn't have any, and I haven't had any since.

What was that for? You like beer, red wine, hard alcohol?

It was a lot of beer. What's interesting is I transitioned some of that beer to wine, but the amount of alcohol didn't necessarily change. It was just the form changed, thinking that the wine was healthier than the beer.

Right, gotcha. So after eliminating the alcohol and switching to a plant based diet and starting to run, what exactly did your kind of daily scenario start to look like in terms of what a typical breakfast, lunch and dinner was for you?

So again, it was a journey. But when I really started to dial things in and I continue to make tweaks is it was traditionally fruit in the morning, so nothing but fruit when I got up, raw fruit. And then lunch could be a salad, it could be raw nuts, it could be, if I was having lunch with clients, it would be a salad and maybe a side of vegetables. But it was really focusing on real food at that point, nothing packaged. So I wasn't eating any of that. Then about a year into the journey, I decided after, you know, reading Rich Roll's book and Scott Jurek's book is, you know, I didn't really need the meat either, so I eliminated the meat from the diet. It wasn't, you know, an animal advocacy thing, although I certainly see that side of it. But for me, I just didn't think that I needed it in the diet. So I eliminated the meat well over a year ago now.

Gotcha now. You're pretty active on Vinny Tortorich's kind of no sugar, no grain for him. And also I think you've been on his podcast a few times. You know, it's pretty common for, especially in plant based diets for grains to kind of form much of the part of a plant based diet. Now, how is it that you're actually eating a plant based diet but not eating grains and also kind of, kind of taking on the no sugar part of that as well. You know, not keeping a lot of sugars and particularly like simple carbohydrates in your diet and eating lots of plants.

Right. So I do not equate fruit to sugar. We could certainly get into the debate about that. But when I look at no sugar, it's the processed sugar, even agave. I mean I've finally eliminated agave and don't do any honey. So I've eliminated all sugar from the diet except when I put a little life in the living. And from a grain standpoint, I do eat beans, I do eat some rice. It's not every single day. So I think I offset some of that from a nutritional standpoint of eating a lot of fruit. That goes a little bit against the traditional no sugar, no grains approach. But there's a large following of no sugar, no grain that's plant powered. More of us that are in the plant powered camp do eat the beans, do eat the quinoa, do eat the rice because you need that substance, you need that protein in your diet because we're not getting it from meat.

Do you find that when you're kind of consuming plants you're doing more fruit than vegetables or more vegetables than fruit, or is it kind of 50, 50 for you?

Probably about 50, 50. Probably more fruit than most people. But I do very well with it. I can go some days up until dinner with just eating fruit and some raw nuts.

Do you count calories?

Not at all.

So do you try to achieve some kind of a calorie deficit though on a daily basis or is it more for you just kind of like eating until you're full?

I just eat until I'm full. I found that the better my diet became, the less concerned I needed to be about how much volume because the volume took care of itself. I'm probably about as thin as I'm going to get. You know, I'm right at 172 pounds at six two so. And I'm, you know, I'd like to put a little more bulk on. I'm following some of the things that you're doing and some of the things that you're starting to do for your triathlon. But you know, the running has changed my physique, but the waistline, if you will, has remained pretty consistent in the last 8 to 12 months.

Gotcha. Now obviously, I think a lot of our listeners probably know it's no secret that Plant based diets kind of contradict some of the stuff I've talked about at Ben Greenfield Fitness. Like, we talk a lot about getting adequate creatine and B12 and amino acids and things of that nature from meats and kind of doing the high fat diet thing and avoiding long, slow cardio. So for you, I mean, you eat a plant based diet and avoid meat and you also run low, long distances. So I'm curious if, in terms of the way that you're managing your health and your lifestyle, if you're concerned about your blood work or your hormones or your gut or you're kind of paying attention to any of that stuff.

Not from a testing standpoint, I certainly am concerned about that. I have fallen into the camp of really listening to the body and it'll tell you what you need when you need it. I do want to have some blood work done. I haven't had that done in about a year, so I do want to have that checked again. But I feel that the gut's fine because I'm eating real food and I feel pretty good. I've ran five marathons in the last 12 months and I've got a 50k ultra coming up and I've done that injury free. I do a lot of Zone 2 training, and so there's a lot of distance from a Molle standpoint. And then I also hit the gym as well. So I just want it to be very balanced, not just focus on one thing.

Right, gotcha. So in terms of your running protocol, what exactly does it look like? Like, what's your training for running when you're going out and doing ultras and marathons and things of that nature?

So it's pretty simple. I do two weekday runs. Those can vary from five miles to eight miles. And then I do the long run on the weekends. So I'm only running three days a week. And then sometimes I'll throw in speed work, which will take that to four. The long runs vary depending on where I'm at in the training plan. So a short long run would be 8 to 10 miles. A long run will be anywhere from 16 all the way up to 26, depending on where I am and where my race date is.

Gotcha. Okay, cool. So as far as your running protocol, are you using any special strategies like do you use run walk protocols or some kind of a pacing method or anything like that?

So two things. One is, when I'm building the Zone 2 base, my long runs are in Zone 2. And then I started back in the 90s when I ran marathons. And even now I use the Galloway protocol. And for me, that's worked out to basically walking a minute for every mile that I run. And I'm actually moving away from that a little bit, but that base protocol has done very well for me.

So one minute for every mile?

Yeah.

Okay, cool. And are you doing any type of track work or intervals or anything along those lines?

I've done some, but it's not been in my protocol in the last six to eight months. However, I do plan to incorporate that as I train to get to a Boston qualifier this year.

Gotcha. What about strength training? Do you do much strength training?

I do, I go to the gym four days a week. A lot of that is cardio cross training. But I do spend of those two days, I'll spend 30 to 45 minutes doing free weight training. And that can be lunges, curls, you know, whatever. I just, I really like to use the free weights because I feel that it engages more of the body versus using the machine weights.

Mm, Gotcha. So what about. And I know I'm asking a lot of questions about your protocol, but I like listeners to just kind of see how some people are out there doing it. Are you using supplements? Like, you know, and that's one of the things that we talked about when I wrote that article for you on your website about mastering a plant based diet. You know, like including things like, you know, vitamin B12 or for athletes, you know, taurine and things of that nature. Are you using supplements at all?

The only supplement that I'm using right now is B12. I'll take a B12 tablet once or twice a week. And I'm also looking at adding some other supplements based on the recommendations you made. And then recently been doing some researching some of the things you've said about turmeric. So I'd like to add some of.

That into the diet as well as an anti inflammatory.

Exactly.

Gotcha. Cool. So let's talk about your lifestyle as well. I mean, you've got five kids, you have what would appear to be a successful marriage if you've been married 28 years and you're doing long distance running, which is time consuming. So do you have tips for our audience in terms of the way that you found to be able to manage that type of thing.

So it's. Fortunately, I'm at a point with the age of my kids. My kids range from 13 to 23, so the older ones pretty much can take care of themselves. But we do still have kids doing Dance and soccer and such as that. So what I found on the weekends with the long runs is I'll start real early so I can get those long runs in and get back to the house as the kids are just getting up, that works pretty well. And you know, given my fitness level and my health, I can still go all day even though I may do a 20 mile run that morning. So that's worked well for me. During the week when I go to the gym again, I go real early. So I'm at the gym by 5am, I get back to the house, the kids are just starting to get up. And then when I do my runs, what I found worked really well is I run while my kids are at practice. So instead of, you know, playing on Facebook or talking to the other parents, I drop my kid off, I take off to the trail behind the park and I'm gone until he's done with his practice. And so being able to incorporate that, whether it's time before a game or time at practice, just being able to sneak in that time to train while the kids are actually in the sport or the activity has worked well.

Now, do you use napping protocols or anything like that? Like biphasic sleeping in terms of when you're getting up at that early in the morning, in the 4am ish hours, are you finding yourself tired in the afternoon or do you just kind of go all day?

It's kind of been a little bit of a mix. And I think that just depends on where I'm at in my training plan. Because the longer weeks I do tend to, if I can get that quick 15 minute rest break, I wouldn't say nap because then I actually don't get to sleep. But just taking breaks helps during the day. The lighter weeks, I tend to just keep going. And so I am up at 4:15, 4:30, I'm typically out like a light by 9:45, 10 o'. Clock.

Gotcha. Okay, cool. So what about your kids and your wife? Are they eating the same way that you eat? Do your kids, you know, are your kids happy eating plants or do they ask about, you know, having meat or chicken nuggets or steak or anything like that or where, where are they at?

So the family has not embraced all of my changes. They tend to, I mean, they are making changes. So it's not like, you know, they're still eating the same diet, but they're eating more fruits, they're eating more vegetables. My wife's made some changes as well, but for the most part they haven't incorporated a plant based diet. So our Sunday family dinners, I'm still, you know, grilling the steak, I'm grilling the chicken. I don't mind cooking that for them because it's more important to, you know, support what they're doing than making it, you know, confrontational or say, you know, I'm just not going to do that. And then they don't want to be around. So, you know, I still want to create a very positive family environment and be very supportive of that. But, you know, they know where I stand. And my daughter actually is probably following more of your lifestyle, more, you know, a little more paleo. Like she still eats the meat, but she understands that, you know, she's got to eliminate the sugar and, you know, focus on eating real food.

So do you think that the reason that they're not doing kind of the plant based diet thing is because they're under the impression that that's just something for, you know, that you're using for weight loss or that they, they're simply more interested in, you know, more of an expansive diet protocol or. Why is it that you think that your family wouldn't be on board with something like that?

I think part of it is, is, you know, what they grew up with, you know, because we were eating the standard American diet. And then the other part of it is they're not unhealthy and they're athletes, so they don't have weight problems. So there's nothing, I think there's not a correlation between diet and how they feel and lifestyle just yet. But I think it's obvious, as it did for me when I got into my 20s, it's going to hit them as well.

So do you ever find that your weight starts to creep back up or are you concerned at all about, you know, yo yo dieting or anything of that nature?

Not really. I mean, my weight will fluctuate slightly within, you know, three to five pounds. For example, I was on vacation last week, so certainly had participated in eating some local desserts in Maui and, you know, having some of the pie and desserts that were available. So my, my weight did kick up some. But overall my weight has remained very consistent. In fact, when I gave up the sugars completely back in August, my weight actually went down and I got a little bit thinner in the waistline and it was the last remaining sugar that was in my diet that was preventing me from getting to my ideal weight.

And do you have specific goals that you've got down? Like, are you going to try and lose more weight or do you plan on making the ultra marathon your final event, like the longest distance that you'll go or what's kind of next for you?

I think once I do the 50k and my focus is going to be targeted on speed work, so I want to stay in that, you know, the marathon, I think is my race. It's a race I really enjoy. And so what I'd like to do is to, it's not going to happen in a year, but in the next two to three years be able to qualify for Boston. So there'll probably be less races, but more focus on the speed of those races. As far as, you know, other events, triathlons, things of that nature, at this point in time, really don't have an interest in adding, adding more protocols to the regimen. I'm not against them. It's just, you know, as much running as I'm doing, I'm not sure how I add those additional activities.

Yeah. And are you, are you planning on kind of sticking with the plant based thing for the rest of your life or is this, do you consider this to be a phase for you until you reach your goal weight or where are you at with that?

Well, I'm certainly at my goal weight and I really have no reason to change. I want to keep an open mind about things, but at this point in time, I really see no reason to change because the things that I'm doing are working very well for me right now.

Gotcha. Now, is there anything else you want to share with the folks listening in about your journey and kind of the success that you've had with weight loss or any tips or tricks that you found to be helpful?

I think at the end of the day, given the success that I've had and I put a lot of stuff out there on Facebook and in the group and the forums that I'm part of? I think most people just really struggle with, you know, A, making this decision to make a change and B, you know, quit listening to the TV or to the sound bites and actually, you know, do your homework. Figure out what's going to work for you, whether it's plant based or paleo or, you know, the things that you talk about. Pick something, stick with it, get smart about it and see it through. There are, there are no quick. There are no quick, easy answers. There's no magic bullets. There's nothing you can buy to fix yourself. You just got to go eat real food and yet find what that is for you. And I think that's where most people just, they get hung up. The other thing that I see a lot of is running injuries. And, you know, because I do hang out with a lot of runners and I think a lot of people, when they decide to make the decision to run or whatever it is they do, they do too much too quickly. And one of the things that I've always kept in the back of my mind is I've got to do all of this injury free. And so I took a long time to get to where I'm at and I've done quite a bit in a short period of time. But that first six or eight months, you know, my body was going through a lot of changes and you just need to take it slow and easy.

Yeah. And I think that that one important thing here is that, you know, you, you cleaned up a lot in your diet and your lifestyle and increase your movement patterns and things of that nature. And I think it's important that people realize that if you start to come at things from a movement standpoint, and even a reduction of total calorie intake standpoint, I mean, that's a place to start. Just this morning, across my desk, I saw a study that essentially put people on a vegan diet. But the vegan diet was laden with, with gluten and soy based protein, which I in no way advocate. But the folks who got put on that diet, they successfully lost a significant amount of weight. And if you look at that diet closely, they did indeed have a 25% energy deficit once they launched into that program. And it's definitely one of those deals where if you begin to just take these steps to eliminate, you know, calories in general and start to move more, you know, that's kind of the first step. And then what we can see from BJ's story is that, you know, there's more than one way to skin a cat and he's doing it on a plant based diet. And his main kind of, kind of thrust of that diet is the no sugar, no grains type of plant based diet. And so what I'll do is I'll link over to BJ's website in the show notes for this episode over@BenGreenfieldFitness.com if you want to follow him and what he does. And bj, I want to thank you for coming on the call today.

Well, thanks for having me, Ben. And you know, no matter what your audience does, go out and, you know, live a better life and enjoy, you know, being who you are and go have fun.

Yeah, and be sure to leave any questions or comments that you have for BJ or myself in the show Notes for this episode and until next time, this is Ben and BJ signing out from Ben Greenfield Fitness.

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