How MAHA Inspired Me to Change My Life

By Jeff Louderback, Special to The MAHA Report

Many people have a moment that jolts them into action to make a positive change. I’m no different. Mine happened last May. I stepped on the scale at the local gym and it flashed back a staggering number: 278 pounds – the heaviest in my life.

At 6-foot-4, with my build, it’s easy to carry more weight and not fully realize how much more. For so long, I had promised myself to get back into shape – tomorrow. That moment in May was eye-opening. It propelled me to start tomorrow today.

Since that moment, a MAHA-inspired, anti-inflammatory wellness plan has become central to my life, with a focus on whole foods and herbs.

I eliminated processed and fast food. I minimized sugar. I began to regularly walk and hike. Now I’m back to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts.

Six months after “278” stared back at me on that digital scale, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my weight had trimmed to 213 – 65 pounds, gone.

Today, more than nine months after I started my journey, the number consistently hovers between 210 and 215. My body fat is lower and my energy levels are higher. I’m healthier and feel fueled with momentum.

But it wasn’t easy.

The MAHA movement inspired my own movement and instilled a need to change.

Usually, a reporter avoids becoming the story. But the stories we cover can inspire us personally. In this case, it was covering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign from start to finish, writing about the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, and telling the stories of regenerative farmers in my role as a national reporter for The Epoch Times.

I had always lived in cities and suburbs until September 2023, when I decided to simplify life and move to the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio, where self-sufficiency is as common as Amish horse-and-buggies on winding country roads.

Homesteading and sustainable living became topics of interest after attending the Food Independence Summit in Ohio’s Amish Country in 2023. Yet clean eating and a healthy lifestyle were not consistent priorities.

From April 2023 through August 2024, my Epoch Times beat took me around the country chronicling Kennedy’s run for president at town halls, events, and places such as general stores and organic farms.

There were frequent one-on-one interviews with the candidate. I heard his message of the need to address America’s chronic disease epidemic enough times that I could have delivered his speech for him.

Clean eating and a healthy lifestyle, however, were still not consistent priorities for me, just yet. I knew what I had to do to lose weight but I kept slipping backward.

Sitting on the couch, watching football, and devouring large pizzas became commonplace. Sure, there were short bursts of momentum over the last five years, but they didn’t last.

So, what was different this time?

My faith.

Raised in a non-denominational church, I’ve long been a believer in Christ, but there is a difference between being a believer and a follower. Much of my adult life has been defined by being lukewarm and not wholeheartedly honoring God.

Over the last few years, my faith has gradually grown. That commitment soared last spring, and it keeps growing.

Earlier this year, around the same time “278” appeared on my scale, I prayed that God would restore the lost years when I hadn’t been the man He intended. That means praying to make the most of each day from this point forward, and being the disciple Jesus calls us to be. That includes taking care of the body He has given, and the blessings of having health, mobility, and five senses.

Even when you know you need to shed a lot of weight and body fat, it is still daunting.

We live in a society that sells quick fixes, yet there is no magic pill to improve your health. Wellness is an odyssey, its destination not reached overnight. It takes time. It takes discipline and willpower. It takes commitment—and that requires a first step.

To use a sports analogy, when your team is in the midst of a losing streak, it has to first win a game to stop the skid. To start a winning streak, it must win a second and third game in a row—and then some positive momentum is built.

I started by giving myself a season—three months.

Know Herbs, Know Your Food

Addressing inflammation in the body, which is the culprit behind many chronic diseases, was essential. Research told me this can be accomplished by consuming whole foods and herbs.

Covering Kennedy, the MAHA movement, and regenerative farming taught me that our food supply is laced with chemicals. There is little on the grocery store shelves that is truly healthy.

Ultra-processed foods have a long list of ingredients that even a writer has trouble pronouncing and spelling. Much produce is doused with pesticides, and meats are loaded with additives.

It’s essential to know where our food comes from.

Inspired by people such as regenerative farmers Joel Salatin and John Klar, and Food Independence Summit co-founder John Miller, I decided to source all my food locally. Beef, chicken, and produce that was raised by regenerative farmers—free of chemicals and pesticides—replaced unhealthy food from the grocery store.

In January, Kennedy and HHS debuted the new food pyramid and dietary guidelines. I adopted this lifestyle months before, and it works.

Organic ground beef and eggs cooked with butter or beef tallow, instead of seed oils, are now everyday staples. Those late-night pizzas and packages of Oreos and Doritos? They’ve been replaced with selections from Pete Evans’ The MAHA Cookbook: Taking Charge of Your Health with Vibrant, Whole Foods.

I’m determined to make every meal in the book. Among my favorites so far are the Classic Scrambled Eggs, Meattza, Ground Beef Curry, Chili Con Carne, and steamed wild salmon.

Plants and herbs are among God’s gifts to us. I personally don’t take vaccines because of the long list of side effects readily presented on the inserts. It’s been years since my last vaccine. I now also avoid over-the-counter medicine for the same reasons. Holistic health practitioners and naturopathic physicians are my go-to resources about medicinal herbs and remedies.

This same guy who had never planted a vegetable until two years ago is now making oregano oil and colloidal silver, which are natural antibiotics.

I also bought a capsule maker and now prepare my own supplements, including turmeric, ginger, cloves, cayenne pepper, and magnesium. I’m learning to make oregano oil and colloidal silver, and this spring, I’ll plant my first Victory Garden.

Intermittent Fasting

Regular intermittent fasting and occasional 72-hour water fasts are now part of my ongoing wellness journey.

Intermittent fasting is not solely about what you eat, but when you eat. In prehistoric times, people were hunters and gatherers who went long periods without eating.

In an era when we can order groceries online and have it delivered in hours, or drive down the street and have our pick of fast-food restaurants, the hunter-gatherer days are long gone. Yet giving the digestive system a break has multiple benefits.

Dr. Eric Berg, a frequent guest on the MAHA Action Media Hub, notes that extended periods of fasting flip a metabolic switch that pushes your metabolism to convert body fat into energy.

“As your liver breaks down stored fats, it generates large amounts of ketones, a by-product of fat-burning and a very efficient energy source,” he writes.

Adds Dr. Berg, “When your cells begin to utilize ketones as a primary fuel source, your metabolism enters a state known as ketosis. Ketosis doesn’t just help you lose weight but has profound benefits for cellular and metabolic health.”

Since early May, I’ve adopted the 16:8 intermittent fasting method, eating within an eight-hour window—usually between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Intermittent fasting does contribute to weight loss and lowering blood pressure, but that is not the ultimate purpose.

My first 72-hour water fast took place in June, with the intention of strengthening my spiritual discipline. Since then, I’ve completed four more sustained fasts.

A University of Southern California study showed that a 72-hour fast can reset your entire immune system.

Dr. Berg said a 72-hour water fast can trigger deep ketosis, maximize autophagy (cellular cleaning), and regenerate immune stem cells. Additional benefits include significant reduction of inflammation, enhanced mental clarity, and improved longevity.

There are different versions of this fast. Some people consume only water. I drink filtered water with mineral sea salt to stay hydrated, and also have coffee and peppermint tea.

Fasting affects the body at every 24-hour stage over the three days.

Simply put, during a 72-hour fast, the body shifts from burning glucose to using fat for energy, leading to ketosis. This is believed to reduce inflammation, enhance insulin sensitivity, generate increased cellular cleanup, and help the immune system.

On the first day, between the 12 and 24-hour stage, the body depletes its glycogen and starts burning fat, creating ketones as an alternative energy source.

The first 24 hours of a 72-hour fast are not difficult. Entering the fast with a mindset of strengthening discipline and understanding the health benefits provides a boost when hunger pangs arise.

Autophagy escalates between 24 and 48 hours. The body clears damaged and old cells. Studies show that three days of fasting contribute to immune system regeneration as the body breaks down aging immune cells and stimulates the production of new ones.

Fasts can also lower blood pressure.

Weight loss is another benefit. Fasts have been shown to reduce levels of the hormone leptin, which plays a role in feeling full and preventing overeating.

The more weight you lose, the more fat you lose. Leptin levels continue to drop.

Fasting might also reduce the chance of developing chronic diseases because the practice is believed to reduce inflammation in the body and boost the immune system.

Another habit I implemented over the last year is daily grounding, or earthing, which may help shed weight and also reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and eliminate chronic pain. Grounding is a practice where the body makes direct contact with the Earth’s surface, tapping into its natural electromagnetic energy.

I live in a house along a rural road where the front yard looks out across the street at farm fields, hills, and forests. Sunsets are majestic. The silence is golden. There is little manmade light here, so the stars seem to shine brighter. Every morning and evening, I walk barefoot in the front yard with my dogs, Boston and Zeke, practicing earthing, even when there is snow on the ground.

The rural region where I live is teeming with beautiful nature preserves. Hiking has become a passion. That was my main physical activity from May through November.

The Next Chapter

Many nutritionists will tell you to lose weight and keep it off is more about what you eat and don’t eat than how long you spend in the gym. My results prove they are right. You can’t out train a bad diet. Daily Big Macs, fries, and milkshakes will erase hard work in the gym. Yet solely consuming whole foods and herbs, and walking and hiking, will lead to favorable results.

Now that I’ve reached my goal weight and have maintained it for a few months, a new chapter has begun: continuing to reduce body fat, building more muscle mass and tone, and enhancing cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility.

In my mind, I’m 37, but in reality, I’m 57. It gets more challenging to add muscle mass and keep toned the older we get, hence the sense of urgency.

As I dive deeper into covering the MAHA movement and telling the stories of regenerative farmers, I incorporate what I learn into my lifestyle.

I’m a founding board member of a 501c3 nonprofit in southern Ohio that conducts community projects for people in need. Down here, food insecurity is a problem that must be addressed. In the spring, we will partner with the Victory Garden Alliance and grow regeneratively raised produce to donate.

My 2026 plans include transforming the front of my property into a large Victory Garden, growing more microgreens, making more capsules, and learning how to grow medicinal herbs.

My MAHA-inspired wellness mindset will remain and evolve because it is fueled by faith and fitness.

Simply put, it feels good to feel good. I’ve become part of the topic I cover, and it has inspired an escape from apathy and inaction. There are more goals to accomplish and more stories to write.

Living life with these principles is the ultimate path. It’s helped me shed 65 pounds and made me healthier, and more motivated and focused. I’m thankful for God’s grace and direction, and for Him bringing MAHA into my life. It’s brought back vitality and fortified me with a greater sense of purpose for what lies ahead.