The Evolution of a Personal Trainer's Diet (My Story)
I often think of the first twenty years of my life as a biased introduction to the world curated by the family, friends, culture, and influences of that period. Despite my passionate connection to psychology today, I never examined my role in that world nor how I interacted with it until later in life. Most importantly, I never examined myself during this pivotal period of my development. Although a high school psychology course triggered my interest in mental health, I was more enamored with the study of the underlying influences of OTHER people's human behavior (not my own).
Considering the common academic and social distractions of a man in his early 20s, most of my personal exploration in college was the physical body. I, like my many male counterparts between the ages of 21 and 25, succumbed to the health and fitness trends of pushing the body to the limits at any cost. Along with Arnold Schwarzenegger's dietary guidelines, I adopted the amplified version of the standard American/midwestern diet to gain nearly 25 pounds of muscle. Usually, my meals consisted of the meat, dairy, and simple carbs that I grew up eating and always loved. A toast taco slathered with butter, parmesan, and spaghetti, and a tall glass of whole milk? Yes, please! An entire Tombstone Meat Lovers pizza? I'll take two, por favor! You can imagine that I wasn't in a good position to say no to these temptations. It permitted me to eat everything I WANTED with the incentive of a lot of muscle!
Although my 23-inch arms gave the appearance of fit, the day-to-day discomfort told a different story. After taking Tums nearly every day for six months, I visited my doctor to seek a medical solution. While the doctor praised my muscle tone, I quickly shifted his tone when he reviewed my blood panel. My triglyceride levels were nearly double the norm (and genetics didn't account for that troubling level), and the doctor recommended taking a statin to lower the number. Also, I learned that my dairy intolerance contributed to my indigestion. Basically, I was abusing my body with poor nutrition.
Shortly later, a spasm left me on the ground for thirty minutes, and I, consequently, spent the following nights in the hospital for bulging discs in my lower back (L4-L5, L5-S1). While I hope no one else needs to reach this physical low, it became the push I needed to derail an obsessive mindset that blinded my physical awareness. My body was a degrading, inflammatory time bomb, and something had to change.
I asked myself, "What am I trying to optimize here?" and "What is my body's true relationship with food and movement?" Awareness of proper dietary fuel was never part of my language at home or at school. I didn't know how to create sustainable change. I did possess an unrelenting curiosity about the mind and body that wouldn't allow my condition to worsen.
Of course, I tried everything I could before changing my diet. I hoped exercise was the answer. Over the course of a year, I experimented with a plethora of exercise programs that improved the condition of my back but didn't affect my digestive comfort or my triglyceride levels. Despite my repeated attempts, there was no way around it. My optimal fitness depended on the body I fueled and brought to the gym floor. I had to rethink my eating approach.
After much research, I learned that nothing affects the human body at the cellular level more than a nutrient-dense diet of whole food plants (a far cry from the pasta and German sausage I grew up eating). After a lifetime of the same eating habits, I knew that pivoting from the old to the new physical me would undoubtedly be a significant transition.
Nevertheless, I began my journey and went all in. I became a "human scientist" and studied the emotional, physical, and mental patterns of myself. I quickly discovered how dysfunctional the real "me" was at times. My poor habits seemed hardwired and unchangeable. I fought against the insecurities, fears, and family culture that steered most of my behaviors and choices (the underlying influences that often led me to take a step back when I knew the best step forward). Would the fitness industry push back on my issues regarding the adverse effects of meat, dairy, and supplements? Would I lose business by advocating what's right…not what's most popular or accepted? Would I be ostracized from social functions because of my eating preferences?
Without a doubt, the process of awareness, acceptance, and adaptation was the true step to overcoming these influences. Armed with this approach, I created an adaptable framework for everything in life, including nutrition, and determined the optimal baseline for my physical body. I became aware of my body's sensitivity to different foods and the continuous state of inflammation and stress that I endured.
With this new awareness, I struggled to accept it. It took time to admit that I was an imperfect human who didn't always make perfect decisions. It wasn't easy to accept that my physical boundaries weren't as extended as I thought and that I would need to adopt a new plan to see sustainable change.
I was determined, though, and justified the effort for the long-term health benefits. I finally set the most appropriate boundaries based on my optimal nutritional needs — not my wants (as I had done most of my life). I began adapting my diet to a whole-food, plant-based diet. It became the baseline for ALL of my food choices and the anchor for my meal decisions, which are still made today.
Fast forward to today, I believe that every meal should be 100% whole food plants. Many studies and books, including those by the celebrated authors Dr. Fuhrman and Michael Pollan, provide scientific support for the health benefits of this approach. Among many vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based social groups, there is a great debate over the proper terminology for this belief, though. Personally, I term this approach a "Whole Food Plant Diet," and I integrate a flexible extension of this system, which I named "Whole Food Plant-Based Diet," into my life.
Essentially, whole food plants are the center, the foundation of each of my meals. Although they are my priority, I allow some wiggle room for non-whole-food plant indulgences (e.g., meat, dairy, processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol). When I do so, I accept the inflammatory and adverse health consequences unapologetically, though. If I see brisket on a menu in Austin, I will absolutely order and enjoy it. And, yes, yes-I'm salivating, right now. Sometimes that brisket is 5% of the total food on my plate, while at times it is as high as 40%. Is any of the brisket ideal for my sustainable health? I don't believe so. It isn't the most nutrient-dense option for my health, and the benefits of the protein and iron don't outweigh the effects of the inflammation. That's okay. My brisket choice is an outlier, and I always return to my whole foods plant baseline.
Overall, I have determined that I can healthfully get away with 10-15% of non-whole-food plant choices without compromising my levels of inflammation, cholesterol, blood sugar, comfort, sleep, and other health indicators. I've designated 21 of 28 meals to be entirely whole-food plant-based. In the remaining seven meals, all meat, dairy, processed foods, and refined sugars don't exceed more than 25-40%.
All in all, my diet system has helped me (as well as my personal training clients) build the most optimal "self" while satisfying the mental, craving "self" at times. While it hasn't been a perfect journey, I couldn't be more thankful for the cues and signals that pointed me in this direction. If you're reading this right now, I hope this article is the cue you need to make the change you deserve today.
Disclaimer: Hey, vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based friends! If you have any insight on this topic that I overlooked or left out, don’t hesitate to email me (michael@michaelmoodyfitness.com). I grew up on a Midwestern diet of meat, cheese, and processed foods and want to guide the world back to some of its plant roots (see what I did there). Help me educate the world about the benefits of a whole-foods, plant-based diet!
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of the “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver and other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Golden, Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
