Dr. Allan Kalmus, DPM

Meet Allan

Hi. My name is Allan and I’m a vegan. I used to make fun of people like me, but things changed. At 58 years old, I was 5'7" and weighed 274 pounds. My joints ached from statin drugs, I got winded walking up stairs, and my blood pressure meds weren’t doing much.

Facing the Facts

One day, I looked in the mirror and saw a red face staring back. I had been fooling myself. I thought I was healthy just because I wasn’t sick. The truth was, I had never been thin. I tried dieting on my own, Weight Watchers, high protein, low fat, low carb, the usual list. I’d lose weight and then gain it back, plus a little more. Year after year, I gained a few pounds until it added up to 100.

Choosing a New Path

After reading work by Dr. Joel Kahn, a local cardiologist who focused on plant-based preventative medicine, I made a decision. I would give plant-based eating a try for a year. If I could improve my numbers and avoid the heart surgery my dad had at 72, why not?

A Simple Start

I bought a vegan cookbook and picked up some things I had never heard of—kale, quinoa, steel cut oats, and nutritional yeast. I started cooking at home and stuck with it.

The Results Speak for Themselves

Thirteen months later, I had lost 78 pounds without exercising. My waist dropped from 44 inches to 34. My neck went from 18.5 to 17 inches. My blood pressure normalized, my cholesterol improved, and I stopped taking statins. Even off the meds, my numbers got better. I can now take the stairs without getting winded. My face no longer looks red, and my joint pain is gone.

Why I Keep Going

Plant-based eating has been surprisingly easy for me. Fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts are cheaper than meat and fish. I eat as much as I want, as often as I want, and I still lose weight. My goal is to stay healthy for as long as possible. My wife and kids are everything to me. I want to be around to see what they’re up to for a long time.

Dr. Esselstyn once said, “Obesity is a food borne illness.” If I can prevent disease just by changing the way I eat, I see no reason not to.