Latest / NHA Today Podcast / Chuck Carroll: How He Lost 200 Pounds and Never Looked Back | NHA Today
Transcript
- Stephan Esser: All right, welcome to the NHA Today podcast. Today I'm thrilled to ⁓ host Chuck Carroll, himself an amazing host of the Physicians Committee podcast, the popular Exam Room, and also known widely as the weight loss champion, a name given to by some NFL players in the past, in recognition of his absolutely amazing transformation of his own personal life, a strong advocate for plant-based nutrition, and just cornucopia of knowledge. I'm excited to have Chuck Carroll. Chuck, welcome to the show. Chuck Carroll: Thanks for having me, Dr. Esser I'm glad to be here, man. A cornucopia of knowledge. I don't know about all that, ⁓ but I will bring as much as I've got for you. How about that? Stephan Esser: Ha I love it. Let's start with something that's really important to me and that is what is your favorite breakfast this month? Chuck Carroll: we're actually at an interesting part in my life right now where I'm just kind of reintroducing food after pretty ⁓ substantial surgery, man, but I'm excited. I mean, just to be able to eat regular food again. So ⁓ have gone back to my Southern roots and have really been enjoying grits, just old fashioned grits. put up in the yeah, man, ⁓ you Stephan Esser: just simple. I love it. We'll take it. I like it. Chuck Carroll: the ground corn and the boiling water with a little bit of pepper on there and you're good to go. No problem. I don't, I don't do the salt and butter so much anymore. So just a little bit of pepper. if I'm feeling like spicy, I'll throw some, you know, a little bit of garlic and turmeric in there, which was like, kind of like the anti Southern recipe, but whatever it tastes pretty good. So I'd do it anyway. A little bit. Stephan Esser: Getting a little savory there, I like it. So, you know, what is your least favorite vegetable that you still eat? Chuck Carroll: Onion, onion, you don't even have. ⁓ that I still eat. ⁓ yeah, no onions. can't bring myself to eat no matter what. So onions just not my So I avoid those things like the plague. But ones that I don't like, but I still eat like I. ⁓ I don't I like this is such a sellout answer like I like all vegetables. Stephan Esser: that you still eat just because you know it's good for you. Because you know it's good for you. Chuck Carroll: I'm not a huge fan of cooked carrots, but I will still eat them because it's good for me. So that would be one. It's either that or jicama, has no flavor. It's just there. ⁓ ⁓ neither like nor dislike it. ⁓ cooked carrots are pretty high up there on the dislike, but we'll still get eaten scale. Stephan Esser: There we go. Ha ha ha. There you go. Well, you know, because reality is a lot of our viewers, right, are going to say, well, I really don't like blank and I don't like blank. And that's fine if it's just one thing, let's say, but some people begin to get like more and more. I don't like this. I don't like this. I don't want that, et cetera. Right. And then before you know it, all of these amazing vegetables have been minimized down to some iceberg lettuce and a little bit of a tomato or something. Right. And then we're missing out. Right. We're missing out. Chuck Carroll: No. Yeah. Back in the day, that was me. But now I really love all the flavors that they bring. then obviously, you you can do so much with the spices in the kitchen to bring out the flavor anyway. But I don't know. Are you a cooked carrot guy? Because like I love raw carrots and hummus. Like that's one of my favorite snacks of all time. But once you cook the carrot, it's ⁓ flavor. ⁓ just the profile shifts so dramatically. It's ⁓ just. ⁓ Stephan Esser: Ha ha. Yes, it does. You know, I grew up eating so many cooked carrots that I think I've kind of maxed out on the cooked carrot piece, but I still eat them because I know I should. But yes. ⁓ my gosh. So the top four reasons that you stick with a plant-based diet are top four reasons. Chuck Carroll: Yeah, yeah. Ooh, top four. All right. So this is a profile kind of interview. All right. ⁓ Top four reasons I stick with a plant-based diet. Number one, first and foremost, risk reduction. You know, it's still not lost on me the fact that cancer ⁓ and disease and Alzheimer's, they all run in my family. And I really don't have any interest in either of those things. I would rather eat. Whole raw onion then deal with any one of those things to tell you that you're I would eat an onion like an apple if it meant Not getting Alzheimer's I would eat an onion like an apple every day every day Yeah, just get you something man something to take that onion edge off. ⁓ Stephan Esser: Every day, we're gonna get you some sweet Vidalius. ⁓ Okay, so risk reduction number one, number two. Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Number two is just the way that I feel. just like having been at the other opposite of the extreme, like at 420 pounds, just a fast food diet and just always feeling labored to breathe and move and just do everything. Like life was just so much, pardon the pun, heavier at that point. And so now I have the opportunity to breathe easy, ⁓ move much more easily. And like that, I believe, stems from my diet first and foremost. And so that is a huge reason why I eat this way. then number three, like there is a compassionate side of me. I always say that like people go vegan either for the environment or for the animals or for their health. I came in on the health end of things, but I'm a little bit of a softie when it comes to animals as well. So to know how the animal agriculture industry works is eye-opening. And I don't do that. I don't to support ⁓ that industry then fourth, just, I, golly, I like the taste. ⁓ Cooks, carrots, and onions I I just, ⁓ love the taste and way that you can be ⁓ so ultra creative. in the kitchen and replicate flavor profiles from the past, just using healthier ingredients to me is so much fun. So just to kind of play around. Stephan Esser: You know, that resonated for a minute there because you just were saying kind of like the variety and that's why I use that term cornucopia for you, right? But the reality is when you adopt a plant-based program, it's almost like it's so many new options that you never had in the past. It's no longer just bread dressing with a dead animal, right? I mean, it's like, you know, and a little garnish of veggies. No, it's, you know, amazing, the variety. So risk reduction, how he feels, animal rights and protecting animals and the taste of the food. Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you. Stephan Esser: I think these are some good ones, I like it. So, you you yourself have been through an incredible journey. I want you to ⁓ through the camera today for a couple of people that might be listening. So someone is struggling with weight loss and they're stuck. Give them three tangible tips for moving forward again, right? To get unstuck. Three tangible tips. Chuck Carroll: So number one is kind of the hardest and I only throw this challenge out because I've been in this person's shoes and you have to have a conversation with yourself in the mirror and say, have I honestly tried everything? You know, what am I doing might ⁓ be kind of sabotaging my efforts here? I would say that In my estimation, just as a patient, not the doctor, but just as a patient, 95 % of people still get the scale moving in the direction that they want without any sort of additional intervention other than diet ⁓ lifestyle. So number one, look in the mirror and ask yourself, have you honestly given it your all? And that means like making those hard choices of ⁓ rewarding yourself at the end of a bad day with ⁓ a whether that be a milkshake or a slice of cake or a whole pizza or a cheesesteak, whatever your particular vice is. You have to realize that we wired to be very good with ourselves at making excuses as to why we deserve something. so ⁓ you have cake one day, cookies the next, pizza the next, a burger the next, and say, well, on that day, well, haven't had cake in almost a week. Certainly I deserve a slice. Well, you're right. You know, it's been five days since you had the cake, but you know, what about the cookies, the pizza, the hamburger, all those other things? So every day it's something. So when I say like, have you really tried everything? Have you given it your all? ⁓ times out of 10, that answer is going to be a no. And that's a hard conversation because you never want to say that you've you've sold yourself short, but I'm sure that you've worked with people, dog dresser who, you know, have had that kind of epiphany where there's like little moments of sabotage every single day we do to ourselves with our diet, right? You know, like that's a real struggle point for a lot of people. Stephan Esser: Well, I think just fascinating what you just said there, because that self-awareness, willingness to look in the mirror and say, am I really doing as well as I'm saying I'm going to do? And we live in a culture right now where it's very popular to just talk about affirmations, which are so important as a way to facilitate and motivation, et cetera. But sometimes it's not just about the ⁓ affirmation. also need the kick in the backside and the hard awareness of like, no, ⁓ you do your best today. And that's OK, because you have tomorrow. ⁓ You the next moment. Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Yeah. Stephan Esser: where you can make that healthier decision. So self-awareness, what's number two to help them get unstuck? Chuck Carroll: build exercise into your workday whenever and wherever possible. This was huge for me during my initial weight loss in 2009 was it didn't matter if it was raining. didn't matter if it was snowing. It didn't matter if it was blazing hot or freezing cold. I was out there walking and, Like it was a lot of fun too, because at first, like I could barely walk across the street, but that's how I started. And then I would walk around one block and then two and then three. And before you know it, I was walking a mile and then that built up. It continued to build up. So every day at my lunch break, I was walking five miles. And now I couldn't get that in with the one hour timeframe that they had given me. so I, I asked my boss, you know, could I still take extra time during my lunch and then just stay after and make up that time? like they were so, supportive of that. They were absolutely. So instead of leaving at six, I would leave at 6.30. No big deal. Even gave traffic a little bit of time to thin out, miss a little bit of the rush hour, which was wonderful. And ⁓ by the way, now that I'm tired at the end of a long work day, I didn't have to go to the gym. Why? Because I had already put in that time earlier in the day. And then I would just eat lunch after my walk at my desk as I returned to, you know, performing my job. And I loved that routine. And I think that a lot of people would be surprised at how receptive their company could be to your efforts to be healthy. So number two would definitely be build it into your work day. And that could be walking the stairs. It could be just walking around the parking lot, whatever the case may be, just move, move, move during the day so that you don't have to drag yourself to the gym. ⁓ if you're not a real gym rat. And that's okay if you're not, not all of us are. So just build that movement into your day and you'll find a lot, a lot, a lot of success. Stephan Esser: What I like about what you're saying is that I hear you saying, I mean, you're taking this little moment in the middle of the day and essentially you're saying this matters. is something that's important to me. ⁓ of just saying, I'm gonna park it at the very end of the day and half the time I'll miss it because I'm too tired and traffic was too long or whatever. You're literally saying like, and that's what it's speaking in my brain, is saying that my health matters enough, my movement matters enough that I'm going to build my day almost around it. ⁓ even a good, yeah. Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Hmm? Yes. Stephan Esser: So beautiful. right, number three, what's the third thing, our final one here, to help somebody get unstuck? Chuck Carroll: Never give up on yourself. The plateau can be one of the most frustrating points of the entire weight loss process. And you never know when that scale is gonna start to move again and you're petrified that it's gonna start going up as opposed to coming back down. But never, ever, ever give up on yourself. You have to remember that you didn't put this weight on overnight and it's not going to come off overnight. And it can be frustrating, so frustrating. to just hang in there and wait and wait and wait, but never give up and just trust that you're making all the right steps. And ⁓ by the way, never also forget that even if the scale isn't moving, that doesn't mean that you're not becoming healthier. You absolutely are every single day with your healthier food choices and moving during the day. Your body is thanking you on the inside, even if the scale is being stubborn. There's only upside to eating healthfully and moving your body. And so if you do those two things, Eventually, % of the time, everything else is going to take care of itself. So just hang in there. And then if need be, you can make some adjustments, whether that be calorically, maybe adding, you know, a little bit of extra length to your walk, but ⁓ figure it out to get the scale moving in another direction, but never, ever, ever give up on yourself and never make the mistake that you're not getting healthier just because the scale isn't moving the way that you want there. So just hang in there for the time being. Stephan Esser: Love it. Now you've got a website on weight loss. What's that called? Chuck Carroll: well right now I'm really big on my newsletter, which is tracking ⁓ progress in my return to health after a pretty, ⁓ arduous three years, ChuckCarol.com. Yeah. So just ⁓ go ChuckCarol.com and every week I send updates on, my progress, some tips, ⁓ that I've learned along the way. Like I really gear this toward people who are kind of in that frustrating position we were just talking about where, well, maybe, you know, Stephan Esser: Tell us, tell us what they're, yeah, tell us, check your old icon. Beautiful. Chuck Carroll: they've got a condition that's really super hard for doctors to diagnose. And they're just searching for a community because it's so isolating when you feel so rotten. And then that's only compounded when you go to the doctor and they can't figure out what's going on with you. so it's like, I want to build this community because like for the first two years, I was feeling so isolated and so hopeless that I don't want other people who are going through the same thing to feel that way no matter what. condition they're suffering from. Being sick stinks. And so what I'm trying to do is just build a little bit of camaraderie for people who are in the struggle and give them some tips to keep going, some healthy eating, some interviews with experts. We got to get you on the show. We'll do a reciprocal, we'll do a host swap as they say, so you can come on ⁓ the exam room and we'll talk about you taking the NHA podcast to the next level. So. ⁓ Yeah, you know, just go to ChuckCarol.com sign up and it's just a great way to ⁓ build a little support for yourself if you're in the struggle at the moment. Yeah, man. Stephan Esser: We need more of that, right? I think isolation is a disease that's affecting so many people right now, right? Along with that leads to that depression and anxiety and so much, right? Which then loops back, doesn't it, onto this fast food culture, right? These food-like substances of abuse. And I wanted to ask you about that because in some of your writings early on that you talked about with Wade, et cetera, right? really struggled with a lot of the fast food ⁓ and the culture as far as the addictions there. Tell us more about why you think Chuck Carroll: It's crazy, it's crazy. Stephan Esser: The fast food culture is so dangerous for us. Chuck Carroll: because the sugar, fat, and salt are the three most edible, I guess, ⁓ known to man. I I will argue that if you put all three of those things into a dish, that dish ⁓ on par with crack cocaine. It is ⁓ ridiculously addictive. And it's funny, they that. And so when they... put these recipes together when they craft them in their test kitchens, they are very aware of that. They're very aware of like the crunch profile of things, how creamy something is, how savory something is, how much salt is in something like they spend months and months in some cases years perfecting recipes before they're ever rolled out because they want people to crave these things. And I did. I mean, I was dropping and this is golly, you know, here we're talking 2009. So we're talking 16 years. since I've been through a fast food drive-through. And I will tell you that to this day, I'm convinced that if I were to still pull into the Taco Bell in Tyson's Virginia, Tyson's corner right by the mall of Virginia, and they saw my car, they would still know my order by heart. And it was a $20 order back in 2009. So with inflation, you gotta figure what, that's a good 30, 30 some odd dollars a day that I was dropping there. Stephan Esser: Right, right. Chuck Carroll: And it was close to 5,000 calories, over 10,000 milligrams of sodium and 200 grams of fat. it's like, your was on the heart attack super highway and Taco Bell was ⁓ all happy to ⁓ push accelerator for me, man. Stephan Esser: I mean, it's interesting you said that. I read an article recently like about Doritos that somebody suggested it took, you know, two years and a hundred food chemists to produce just the right crunch, just the right flavor, this whole bliss point of, you know, almost like a sexual release in the brain. And I think me, that really sways me away from those heavily processed foods because I recognize they're not true foods, but rather food like substances of abuse, right? ⁓ I... Chuck Carroll: Mm-hmm. Stephan Esser: I don't wanna be in a relationship where I'm being abused. I wanna be in a relationship where I feel loved, respected, appreciated, valued, et cetera, instead of just harmed and injured repetitively. Powerful. I want another example that I want you to share with people. Let's say you have a long day of travel coming up because you do travel. In fact, you're gonna be traveling to the NHA annual conference in June this year and sharing your passion with the folks. How do you prepare food, hydration for a long trip? Chuck Carroll: Yeah, yeah. Stephan Esser: What do do? Chuck Carroll: That's a good segue right there. Yeah, that's a podcast. Speaking of lengthy travel, you're doing some travel. was like, God, man, good for you. Yeah, all right. Anyway, so what do I do? So number one, we're talking about going to the NHA conference, which I love. I love going to it every year. Why? Because I know that the food is going to be exactly what the doctor ordered, right? We're talking SOS free. We're talking about flavorful. We're talking about healthy. We're talking about just having a good time. Stephan Esser: Ha Chuck Carroll: I don't really have to worry about once I get to the conference. Now, there, you know, those long days in the airport, you and I both know it's finding something healthy to eat in the airport is not the easiest task in the world. Even a lot of the salads are going to be prepackaged. They're going to have cheese and like, you know, maybe some tortilla strips on them, like fried tortillas, like things that I'm just not really interested in. Egg, ham, like I don't want that stuff. So a lot of times will pack my snacks with me. I'm a big fan ⁓ preparing ⁓ travel. And you you can take raw carrots through ⁓ TSA. problem, right? They're not cooked, so they're still gonna taste good. So I don't have to worry about that. ⁓ So can crunch on that. Just a bit of ⁓ nuts or seeds, just a handful. I don't wanna go overboard. Like if you can find like just plain peanuts, which I love, but I'm scared to like... I love them too much. You know, the bags in the airport, they're they're big and they're like, you know, 10 bucks for a bag of peanuts. I don't want to pay that anyway. So if I'm going to do a nut like ⁓ it's peanuts or almonds and I'll take them with me just about handful. Just for health obviously water sometimes like if I'm really in a pinch, it'll be a Laura bar or an apple that I've taken with me. You know, just easy grab and goes. But then the biggest thing ⁓ is. If I'm kind of on my own the conference isn't serving food, then I'm going to be, you know, making sure that I book a hotel, obviously that has a refrigerator and then ⁓ is ⁓ a close distance of a decent grocery store, whether that be a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe's. Closer to home for me, there's a chain called Mom's Organic Market, which is really good. So. You know, those, those are the options and you just do the best that you can and you build it into your routine, right? But the critical thing is if nothing else, make sure that you always have snacks in your bag so that when you get, you know, just straight famished and you're ravenously hungry, you, you always have something to reach for as opposed to breaking down and going and getting from some restaurant that's going to charge you an arm and a leg for food. That's not going to serve your body any sort of meaningful purpose. Stephan Esser: You know, again, a couple things you just said there. You planned, you prepared, you thought ahead, you were forward thinking, you prioritized your goals, you know, et cetera. Because it's all such basic stuff, isn't it? But it's only basic if you think about it. It's kind of like, did you pack your underwear and your, you know, your socks? Well, of course I did, because I thought about it. You know what I mean? Versus ending up like at your destination, you don't even have your socks that you needed. Like, hello, right? Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Stephan Esser: So it's sometimes I feel like when it comes to food and beverages, et cetera, we don't even give it that same level of value for many people, right? And then they're in the midst of the fire and they're like, what am I gonna eat? And it's like, well, like, what are you gonna wear? You know, it's same idea. So I love hearing that because it just, ⁓ think our viewers to remember that in the same way that you're preparing your clothing and your apparel and whatever else you're taking on this trip, well, are you thinking about the food that you know is healthy for your body and necessary for keeping you nourished and vital? Chuck Carroll: Yeah. Yeah. Stephan Esser: and make a little plan. And it wasn't complex what you said, but it was thought out, which is fantastic. I love it. Boom, boom. So, you know... Chuck Carroll: Yeah. No. I know man, people wait for this big profound answer or tip and it's just like, nah, I just throw some stuff in my backpack and call it good. Stephan Esser: I love it. Well, and I would, my experience having been in this movement now for 40 plus years, right, is the idea that some people, people that are most successful live a relatively simple approach to this instead of over-complicating and making this big thing that just takes too much time and effort, especially for travel like that. ⁓ so some people say that going plant-based really destroys their social lives. What with you when you kind of made big changes? Was that your experience or, you know, what did you do? Chuck Carroll: I mean, I have a bigger circle of friends now than I ever did. ⁓ And part of that has to do with, you know, building the community through the podcast and meeting so many incredible people. But like, ⁓ was never really a drain on my social life. And maybe the advantage was that, you know, people saw my transformation and they just wanted to support me. I got kind of blessed in that regard, but I'm still very cognizant that Even if somebody is changing for health reasons, a lot of times they don't have that support from significant others. I can't tell you how many women I've talked to who say, ⁓ husband gives me a hard time about this. And ⁓ me, that's heartbreaking, especially because ⁓ your spouse, right? That's supposed to be your ride or die. That's the person that's supposed to love you and have your back no matter what. And they're tormenting you because you're eating fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Like that's so stupid. So I would think that, you again, kind of goes back to what I was saying also about, you know, feeling isolated when you're sick, right? You don't it at the time, but there are millions of other people in this world who are going through the exact same journey that you are. And for people who are eating a plant-based diet but don't have that support and they feel isolated, there are millions of people eating a plant-based diet who also don't have support but are doing it for health reasons. And so there's so many online communities that you can connect through the NHA, know, PCRM. Like there's so many places where you can go to get help. And ⁓ by the way, these same people who are giving you guff now as your results become more and more and more apparent, ⁓ gonna go from... Stephan Esser: Beautiful. Chuck Carroll: Riticuling you to asking you some questions because those are the people who nine times out of ten are gonna be coming out of a doctor's office getting some pretty grim news That may have thrown their life for a loop and now here you have this solution. What it's a simple thing You're just moving your body and you're eating healthier. ⁓ my gosh. What a concept Stephan Esser: I love it. Hey, you know, we're going to get to like a very intense question here because there is a correct answer for this one. And the question is, yeah, what is the best fruit on earth? Chuck Carroll: Pineapple hands down for me pineapple. I love a Stephan Esser: Argue your point. I want to hear the point. Why? Why is pineapple? OK, so juicy. Chuck Carroll: It's so and when it's ⁓ it just you bite down and it's just like this explosion of sweet in your mouth and it's a hydration and it fills you up. It's got the fiber strands. And so, yeah, man, like, you know, it quenches your thirst. It fills you up and it just tastes good. And, you know, I think ⁓ the end of the day and write this down, God put pineapple on this earth for us to enjoy. Stephan Esser: Sweet. fiber. Yummy. Chuck Carroll: And so who am I to go against God? I'm just going to enjoy the pineapple. Stephan Esser: I'm gonna accept that answer. I'll take it. So speaking of important topics, when you come to the NHA annual conference in June, and hopefully all the viewers are gonna be there as well, what's that? Can you give us a sneak peek about what you're gonna be sharing? Chuck Carroll: Thank you. Yeah, I'm actually gonna be moderating some panels with all of you smarter types so I can pretend to have a higher IQ than I actually do. So that'll be fun. So we're gonna do kind of like, I the Q and A's a lot like I do my live exam room episodes on Wednesdays. ⁓ And ⁓ it's be a lot of audience participation, a lot of trying to pull personality out of you guys that maybe they haven't seen that side of you before. And yeah, turning the tables, finding out what your favorite fruits and vegetables are. And then obviously, you know, having fun while also, you know, sharing a lot of life-changing, life-saving information. Because I think that like, if you sprinkle, here's my secret sauce. If you sprinkle fun into the conversations, it makes the part ⁓ the ⁓ that matters. makes those parts actually stick all the more. Right. yeah, we're going to have some fun, but we're going to tell you some stuff that can change your life too. that's the, that's the plan. So I'm just going to shuck and jive with you guys and hope for the absolute best. Stephan Esser: Sounds like a fun time and that's why everybody should be coming to the conference. Relationship, food, education, community, fun, playfulness, all the essentials. ⁓ I really enjoyed spending some time with you today, Chuck. And I just want you to kind of leave our viewers with ⁓ some thoughts, something that's kind of on your heart maybe about, that can inspire, encourage and motivate them close up shop today. Go for it. Chuck Carroll: Yeah Yeah, man. Yeah, I'm going to lean on the three words that I've used once, but they've kind of become my mantra here ⁓ as I reclaim my own health. And that is never give up. borrowed that obviously from, from John Cena. I'm a big ⁓ WWE fan, but I, I honestly believe that in my heart of hearts, ⁓ that separates people who can have more often not the outcome that they desire versus people who ⁓ unfortunately you know, just fall down that dark hole never to be heard from again, in terms of health. What separates those two a lot is just the resilience that the one person has to keep fighting no matter what. And to know that ⁓ ⁓ doesn't open for you, there's going to be another one that does. And you have to keep knocking and knocking and knocking on those doors and searching for answers and just keep going. But as long as you've been given the gift of waking up in the morning, you have the opportunity to improve your health. And so even if the day is awfully dark and gloomy and rainy and it's pouring, you still have to fight to find that sun. And every day you wake up, you have the opportunity to do that. So never, ever, ever give up. Never doubt yourself how resilient you can be. And if nothing else, just remember that your body wants to be healthy. Your body will fight by you. side by side, 100 % the entire way. Stephan Esser: Cornucopia of goodness, as I said at the beginning. Always great to have you on, Chuck. Thanks for joining us today and for the inspiration. And I look forward to seeing you at the annual conference. Chuck Carroll: Holla. Appreciate you my friend, I will see you there.