Meet Jason Cohen, one of the co-founders of Healthy Human Revolution, who lost 120 pounds and decided he needed to share with the world stories of inspirational people and created a documentary, Big Change The Film, and hosts Big Change the Film Podcast. Jason interviews people who lost over 100 pounds…eating plants! Imagine that. He also recently ran the Leadville 100 miler in Colorado! Yes, that is a 100 mile race in under 30 hours at very high elevation!
1. Before you began your health journey what were the struggles that you dealt with?
Being uncomfortable in my own skin. Always being super sensitive to anything that was weight/size related (i.e. wearing a shirt at the beach, hated going shopping for clothes with the expectation of disappointment of going up a size or things being tight/not looking good). Always being on edge/having very little patience from always being worried about what others were thinking (this is a common theme amongst bigger people). Constantly being tired or not feeling like being active. This would lead to basically staying on the couch and either being on my laptop or watching TV.
2. Why did you decide enough is enough and take control of your health?
Around the time that I was 27 (and around 300lbs) two different things happened simultaneously to change the course of my health. #1 was that I was given a bike as a gift from one of my best friends and #2 was that a friend who was 44 suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack (he was much better looking physically than I was at the time). I realized that now was the time to try and turn my health around so that I could hopefully have a better health outcome than I was headed towards, and these two things really put me in gear to make changes.
3. How did you become a Healthy Human?
I started out by becoming more open to eating/trying different foods. Previously I was very picky and had only eaten foods that were the color beige. I began to try things that I had always avoided (namely vegetables) and started realizing that I liked the things that I previously claimed to not like. Slowly but surely the vegetables began taking over the beige foods and next thing I knew there were no more beige foods (except potatoes)!
I also discovered that I had untapped potential to be active… Running, biking, hiking, paddling, were all things that I previously thought were impossible and for “other people”, but they were now becoming my favorite ways to spend my time.
4. What lessons did you learn along the way?
I learned that we are all capable of so much more than we might think and that our bodies are incredible in their ability to adapt and heal. I never imagined that I would be considered “skinny” or that I would be leading an active life. I never thought that I would be able to bike hundreds of miles, or run marathons, but I now know that often times we build up in our heads certain impossibilities that are well within our reach.
5. What is the most incredible experience that you have had in this process?
Running the Leadville trail marathon with my wife and so many great friends is pretty high up on the list, especially when you consider that I always said “I can’t run.” Honestly just waking up every day with a new body and a new life is probably the best ongoing experience that I could ask for.
6. What advice would you give to someone considering the whole foods plant based diet?
Try it for 30 (60/90/etc) days and I think you will be surprised how much better you feel. I now have more energy than I ever had on any other diet. Also be open to trying new foods. I am amazed at how much my taste buds have changed over the last several years. Almost all of the foods I now eat were things that previously would have never touched, which means that my palate has changed more in the last 7 years or so than it had changed in the first 27 years of my life!
7. What is your favorite recipe that you would like to share?
SUSHI!!!! We make sushi probably once a week or so and I put the following in my roll…. Cucumber, Carrots, Avocado, Purple Cabbage, Mango, Apple, Strawberry, Seaweed Salad, and some shredded coconut on top!!!
We hope you enjoyed this interview and may Jason’s story inspire you to do something extraordinary!
Comments