(CNN) – Life as a 340-pound man had become unmanageable for Eric O'Grey.
He tried dieting, but nothing worked. Then two things happened seven years ago that inspired him to go see a naturopathic doctor.
When he wasn't traveling for work as a salesman for GE, the 51-year-old rarely left his San Jose, California, apartment. He took insulin for type 2 diabetes and about 15 other medications, including anti-depressants and weight-loss drugs.
"My entire life was an exercise in minimizing my movement. I just felt miserable all the time," O'Grey told CNN. "It's just amazing how painful it is to be that heavy. Every part of your body hurts. My cholesterol was 400, which is the walking dead level."
O'Grey had an embarrassing incident on a plane when the flight crew had to wait for a seat belt extension for him before taking off. And he saw former President Bill Clinton on the news talking about his new "plant-based" diet.
The doctor recommended a whole foods, plant-based diet like Clinton's. She told O'Grey to throw out everything in his pantry that wasn't on her list. But she also said something that shocked him. She ordered him to adopt a shelter dog and walk him twice a day for 30 minutes....[Keep Reading]