MACON, Ga. — We all know that we need a good diet and exercise. In fact, you probably roll your eyes when you hear it because it gets said all the time.
A group of folks, including 13WMAZ's Marvin James, tried out a 10-day challenge, and in less than two weeks they got some amazing results.
"It's funny, my coworker Raymond Tubb introduced me to hummus," said James.
James has struggled with his weight, and he's never hidden his pain or his victories.
"I think there are so many people going through these rollercoaster weight-loss journeys," he said.
Nancy White is with the Macon Volunteer Clinic -- they partnered with Macon Beets.
"It was a 10-day excursion into eating plant-based foods," she explained.
"That's no meat, no dairy, no animal products, so it's just plant-based. Vegetables and fruits," said James.
Thirty-one people including several from the Rescue Mission took the challenge.
"All my life I've had my proteins come in chicken, pork, beef, or seafood so this was out of the box for me," admitted James.
Now remember, this was only a 10-day experiment. A very short amount of time, but the numbers are big.
On average, people's cholesterol dropped 17%, triglycerides went down a little over 17%, and BMI plummeted by 2%.
"To see it in front of your own eyes... it was just compelling and I think it says a lot where the future of medicine is going, which is lifestyle medicine," said White.
James says he wants to incorporate a no-meat diet at least three days a week.
"My favorite meal is tacos and I can still have tacos, I just need to do a healthier lifestyle," he projected.
"The Rescue Mission is now going to offer a full plant option everyday in their dining room," said White with a smile.
Overall, James' cholesterol went down 54 points. His blood pressure improved and he lost four pounds in 10 days.