Big Change The Film Podcast

This week’s guest is Daniel Shuman who has lost 171lbs. After the birth of his second child Daniel realized that he needed to change his lifestyle for the future of his family. After being asked to get off a ride at Universal Studios, Daniel decided that he was going to turn things around. He says that he is now able to do a lot more with his kids and is also more present. We have a great conversation about his journey and I hope that you enjoy!

This week’s guest is Jennifer Niles who lives on the island of Tonga. Jennifer tells me that her weight gain started for her in the third grade and by the time she was in here early twenties 95% of her caloric intake consisted of junk food and alcohol. She also told me that she simply didn’t feel comfortable in her own body. She later found yoga, healthier eating, and has now lost over 100lbs. She tells me about how she did it all (including designing the life she always wanted living on an island). We have a great conversation and thanks for tuning in!    

This weeks guests are Tim & Heather Kaufman who live in Alden, New York. At his worst Tim was on the maximum dose of Fentanyl, 15 pills a day, drank a liter of vodka a day, and could hardly get up the stairs. Tim has lost over 200lbs, Heather has lost over 85lbs, and they now have a life together that they could have never imagined. 

This week’s guest is Amy Johnson who lives in Frisco, TX. Amy told me that previously she was addicted to fast food and her busy life was an excuse for eating poorly. In her 40's she developed type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, was taking medication 3 times a day, and even walked with a limp. One day she decided to watch Forks Over Knives, changed her diet, was able to get off all of her medications, and says she feels younger than ever. We have a great conversation and thanks for tuning in!

This week’s guest is Marc Ramirez. Mark told me that he had been a big guy all of his life. After getting out of college he began to put on weight and eventually ended up on medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Nearly everyone in his family battled diabetes, including his mother for 33 years. His doctor actually told him that he would be giving himself injections for the rest of his life. Marc has since gotten off all of his medications, has lost 50lbs, and is feeling better than ever. We have a great conversation and thanks for tuning in.

This week’s guest is Alishea Basson. Alishea tells me that by the age of 6 she was already 80lbs. After the birth of her 4 children she says that her weight skyrocketed and started to affect her quality of life. Her turning point came after one night where she ate 7 biscuits, 7 pieces of fried chicken, and a pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream. She now says that every meal is a choice, every meal is an opportunity for a healthy choice. Before she describes herself as a couch potato, now she runs 10 miles 4 days a week, and has lost 105lbs. We have a great conversation and thanks for tuning in.

This week’s guest is Doug Schmidt who lives in Rochester, NY. Doug was previously a bit of a foodie and talks about how he would eat wheels of brie as an appetizer. Doug ended up having a heart attack, blockage in his widow maker, and told me that only 10% of people with this heart attack survive. He has since completely changed his diet, lost 60lbs, ran his first marathon of his life, and was even recently named PETA’s sexiest vegan male over 50. We have a great conversation and I hope that you enjoy. Thanks so much for tuning in.

This week’s guest is Angela De-Jesus who lives in Weatherford, Texas. Angela told me that she was chubby as a kid and early on food became a drug for her. She told me that would eat until she was sickly full and felt hopeless. At her biggest, she weighted 665lbs, had diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other ailments. During her journey she actually ended up on the Dr. Phil show for 2 years, lost a ton of weight, and later gained it all back. She has since lost 300lbs and says that life is better than ever! Thanks so much for tuning in and I hope that you enjoy our conversation.

This week’s guest is Joseph Alexander who lives in Rochester, Minnesota. Joseph told me that he was super skinny as a kid and started putting on weight as a teenager. At his highest, Joseph weighted as much as 394lbs and told me that he would often times find himself swimming in the Chinese buffet. He struggled with his weight for decades and eventually was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He recently decided to put himself first and that health was the most important thing in his life. He has since lost 152lbs, off his medications, and is feeling better than ever. Thanks for tuning in and I hope that you enjoy our conversation.

This week’s guest is Sarah Goodenough who lives in Rochester, New York. Sarah told me that in high school she struggled with anorexia and later with binge eating. At the age of 22 she was diagnosed with fatty liver disease, she also told me that she struggled with high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. Since then she has been able to shed 160lbs, completely change her health around, and now says her mission in life is to “make as many people as possible healthy.” We have a great conversation and I hope that you enjoy!

This weeks guest is Ronald Tibbs. He told me that he grew up on meat, comfort foods, and sugar-laden desserts. By the time he was 31 he was already on high blood pressure meds, failed a life insurance physical at 40, and eventually found out that he had stage 3 liver disease with no known cure. After watching Forks Over Knives he completely changed his diet, has lost over 65lbs, and is feeling better than ever. We have a great conversation and thanks for watching. 

This weeks guest is Mike Meltzer who lives in Los Angeles. Mike told me that he was heavy as a kid and grew up being teased about his weight. As an adult he became as he calls it, a “junk food vegan”, his weight got above 300lbs, and he became a type two diabetic. Eight years ago he decided to change to a Whole Foods plant based diet, dropped his A1C from 8 to just 4.1, and says that his weight hasn’t been this low since he was 12 years old. He has lost 153lbs and is now feeling better than ever. We have a great conversation about his journey and I hope that you enjoy!

This weeks guest is Kate McGoey-Smith from Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Kate earlier in life was 120lbs heavier, she had type two diabetes, heart disease, was legally blind, was on a lung transplant list, and was a list of medications that would fill up a full page. She watched Forks over Knives, taught herself to cook while she was still blind, She has since lost 120lbs, restored her eyesight, and restored so much more of her health. We have a great conversation about her incredible story and I hope that you enjoy!

This weeks guest is Anna Bolla. Anna tells me that she was obese by the time she was 5 years old, started dieting at 8, and was over 160lbs by the time she was in the 6th grade. She says that most people in her family were overweight and she thought to herself, “this is just the way that it is going to be.” Just a few years ago she watched Forks over Knives, read The China Study, and decided to choose a healthier (and more compassionate) way of living. She has lost over 55lbs, now enjoys running, lifting weights, and now weights less than she did in the 8th grade. We have a great conversation about her journey and thanks so much for watching.

This weeks guest is Ben Rayland who lives in Syracuse, NY. Ben is a full time strength coach who has lost almost 90lbs in the last several years. Before he had lost the weight, Ben says that he would eat a whole bag of Doritos, whole pizzas, whole cheesecakes, and often times would take in upwards of 8000 calories in a single day. Ben had a wake up call after going to his doctor and getting back shocking bloodwork. He decided to completely change his diet and is now healthier, and stronger than ever. We have a great conversation about his journey, whats is like being a plant based powerlifter, raising 4 children in a plant based household, and so much more. Thanks so much for tuning in and I hope that you enjoy.

This weeks guest is Ben Hokanson who lives in Zimmerman, Minnesota. Not long ago Ben was 90lbs heavier, would sweat just playing his Xbox, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and says he was headed to heart attack land. He told me that he didn’t like the way he felt, he hated how he looked, and got sick of being heavy. Ben decided that he had enough, downloaded Myfitness Pal app, and life has never been the same since. He is now a competitive Ironman athlete and we have a great conversation about his journey. Thanks so much for watching!

This weeks guest is Joey DiMaggio who lives in Three Oaks, Michigan. He struggled with his weight for most of his life and at the age of 36 his doctor told him that he was going to have a heart attack. This concerned him as he told me that he had watched every man in his family suffer heart attacks, strokes, and invasive surgeries. He told me that he used to eat terribly and an example of that, was that he would eat his cheeseburger while using two grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun. Joey ended up watching Forks Over Knives, cleared out his fridge, completely changed the way he was eating, and says that he woke up for the first time and felt like he could breathe. Since then he has lost 100lbs and basically reversed his developing heart disease. One thing that Joey said which I love was this, “If you live to eat and love food more than you love yourself, or your family, or your kids, you are going to eat yourself to death… I don’t miss feeling the way I used to feel, I don’t miss looking the way I used to l

This weeks guest is Scott Putnam who lives in Dubuque, Iowa. Scott had always carried some extra weight but thought of him self as pretty healthy compared to those who were much heavier than him. In his 40s Scott received a bit of wake-up call when his doctor told him that if he didn’t do something about his reckless eating that he was on the verge of going on meds, was on his way to pre-diabetes, as well as other medical complications. He also says that at this same time he was always tired, had sleep issues, and high cholesterol. He decided that had to make a change, has lost 65lbs, is now a marathoner, and feels better than ever. We have a great conversation and I hope that you enjoy.

This weeks guests are Pam & Chad Dalton who currently live in Northwest Arkansas and combined as a couple have lost 150lbs. They both grew up in South Louisiana and say that they grew up eating cheap, greasy, and often times friend food. Pam that she was a bit of a “ closet cheese addict” and Chad told me that high blood pressure and heart disease runs in his family. They realized that they simply weren’t being as present as they could be with their kids and simply didn’t have the need to participate. Over the last few years they have totally changed their health, their activity levels, as well as how present they now are with each other and the kids. One of my favorite things that they said was about being an example to their kids, “If you live the right way, and eat the right things, life can have more essence to it than just existing.” We have a fantastic conversation that I hope you enjoy and thanks so much for tuning in.

This weeks guest is Eric O’Grey. At the age of 51 Eric was 340lbs, wore a size 4XL, and was on 15 medications. His doctor said that if he didn’t do something he would need to purchase a cemetery plot because he would likely need one within the next 5 years. Eric decided to turn his health around, he has since lost 160lbs, is a best-selling author, and feels better than ever. We have a great conversation and thanks for watching.