90 Day Transformation Guide by @plantbasedben

10 Key tips to to surviving your fitness
TRANSFORMATION
Ben shares his story and insights on not only how to
survive but thrive during your transformation
by Ben Raue
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TRANSFORMATION SURVIVAL GUIDE
If you’re like me, you’ve tried multiple times to transform your body for a 60- or 90-
day period and about a couple weeks in you find yourself eating ice cream and trying
to justify the reasons this isn’t a good time for you to follow through. You end up
giving up, your self-esteem is lower than it was before, and you’re back to your old
habits and patterns. This happened to me at least a dozen times. However, in the
spring of 2018 at the age of forty-four something changed. I guess you can say, I
“cracked the code.”
This journey continues to this day almost eight months later as I’m writing. At forty-
five I’m feeling stronger than ever, doing things I couldn’t do at any age, and I can
honestly, say the vibrant health, increased energy, endorphin rushes, and the positive
impact I’m making on people’s lives has made this possibly the best year of my life.
Due to my positive changes, I wanted to share my story with others. My of this guide
is to provide some helpful tips that will put you in the 5-10 percent category of people
who follow through to the end of a 90 day program, transforming their mind, body,
and soul. So, let’s get started. To begin, I wanted to give you a little background on
myself. This excerpt is from an interview I did the Vivo Life Company, where my 90-
day transformation was featured on their blog.
Ben Raue
Vivo Life Interview
90-Day Transformation
www.PlantBasedBen.com 01
Firstly, tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Ben Raue, I just turned 45 years old and I’m from the suburbs of Chicago.
Growing up I was fascinated by National Geographic and nature programs, especially
the ones about the rainforest. I remember one time I was glued to the TV and the
narrator started explaining how humans are destroying the rainforest at an acre every
second and species were going extinct due to deforestation. This had a big impact on
me and led me to get an environmental science related degree at the University of
Illinois.
I wanted to do something to help the planet, but after graduation found myself a bit
discouraged since there were few job postings saying “Planet Savers Wanted.” The
pressures of getting a job and paying off some debt let me to a corporate job. I didn’t
want to let my vision go but I thought I might have to find a different route.
Fast forward about 8 years and I was a business owner of a small employment
outsourcing company. The accumulated years of not really contributing to something
I was passionate about was adding up. I didn’t feel I was making a real impact in the
world. I needed a mental and physical detox from my 12 + years of the rat race and
unhealthy habits. So, I broke the golden handcuffs and decided to spend the next
few years focusing on deep meditation and personal development.
I was fortunate enough to be mentored by a meditation coach who wrote

"Meditation for Dummies". Around the same time, I ended up studying and receiving
certifications in hypnotherapy, personal training, life-style and weight-management
consulting, and basic nutrition. I ended up using these tools to quit smoking, lose a
little weight, and manage stress. I wanted to help others make the same positive
changes so I started working as a coach.
Shortly into this new career, my father was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer.
He was given a 10% chance to live 2 years and a 2-3% chance to live 5 years by his first
oncologist. When asking the oncologist about nutrition, he replied, “keep him away
from raw foods and vitamins.” We were out the door, skipping what should have been
his first day of chemotherapy. My father’s grim diagnosis put me on a quest to dive
full-time into researching alternative and integrative health therapies. Through the
research, we found an Integrative Oncologist who combined both conventional
treatments and a nutrition-based protocol.
Fascinated by the field of natural healing I continued my search, interviewing over a

half a dozen MDs and PhDs specializing in alternative cancer therapies. In addition, I
had the good fortune to meet and interview “terminal” alternative cancer survivors
who were alive a decade plus after their diagnosis.
These interviews, in combination with months of in-depth research, opened my eyes

to a whole new understanding of healing. I knew that I wanted to share what I
learned and someday help to spread this information far and wide. And my father?
He is still kicking 6 ½ years later. Although we have no way of knowing the role the
more holistic nutrition-based protocol had on my father’s full recovery, something
allowed him to beat the odds.
Once my father was back on track, a personal burnout settled in. I ended up traveling
extensively on and off for a few years through Thailand, India, and Central America to
continue my meditation and self-enquiry practice. I found myself meditating 3-6
hours per day and attending numerous meditation events and workshops. There
were many moments of deep peace throughout these years; however, living a semi-
monk-like life didn’t seem to be addressing the external environmental, health, and
human rights issues. There was a piece of me that was unsettled by solely focusing on
inner growth but not taking action externally in the world.
About six months back, I rewatched the documentary What the Health which ignited
a spark in me and made me want to clean up my eating to more of a whole food
plant-based diet. I also rewatched Cowspiracy which brought back to mind the
extraordinary impact animal agriculture was having on human rights, rainforest,
species extinction, climate change, ocean dead zones, and more.
Refueled by these documentaries, I signed up for a vegan fest in January of 2018 in

Tulum, Mexico. This event had vegan-fitness professionals speaking. They were the
perfect of examples of “being the change you want to see in the world” and
promoting a lifestyle that was not only impacting lives, but creating a revolution that
is impacting the environmental and human right issues. This was my “aha” moment. I
decided to also become the change I wanted to see in the world and dedicate my
time and career to promoting a vegan diet, for the people, the planet, and the
animals. My first step in the journey? My 90-day health and fitness transformation.
What was the motivation behind your transformation?

My motivation for my 90-day journey was to demonstrate to the world that you can
thrive on a vegan diet. Most vegans are already aware of this fact but a majority of the
population believes there is a lack of protein in a vegan diet and eating plant-based is
not an optimal diet for fitness.
What were the first changes you made?

Although I had been vegan for 2 years prior to my 90-day transformation, I was a bit
of a “junk-food” vegan including pizzas, ice cream, and eating out almost daily. In
addition, I was going to the gym once or twice a week, but I had little direction or
motivation to change
The first thing I did was write down my purpose, my goals, and what I wanted to
accomplish after the 90 days. The second step was to get support. I found direction
from Jon Venus and ordered his online meal and fitness plan. This was a key step, as
it gave me clear direction and took the guesswork out of my diet and fitness goals.
This set me sailing in the right direction.
How did your training program look over the 90 days?

The program evolved over the 90 days. For the first month, I worked out on weights
about an hour a day, 5-6 days a week. I worked on each muscle group two days per
week: chest, shoulders, triceps one day. The next day: back and biceps. Then a leg day.
I incorporated abs 3-4 times per week. I repeated this pattern each week with a day
off (or just cardio) in-between.
In regards to cardio, I started at 20 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training) 3-5
days per week and moved closer to 30-40 minutes towards the end of the month.
Although I didn’t notice significant improvement the first month, I definitely felt
strong and more alive. Cardio was starting to get easier and I was primed for month
two.
The second month was much easier to get through the workouts. I found my 60
minutes turning into 75 to 90-minute workouts. I followed a similar routine to the first
month but added a few more sets into the routine. As the weather was getting nicer,
I found I was complimenting my back and bicep days with some basic calisthenics at
the park - a little Derek Simnett inspiration! About 6 weeks into the program, I started
to shift my cardio to more steady-state, as opposed to the HIIT. I started noticing
more fat burning from the steady state cardio, which was mostly a slow jog. By the
end of the second month, I felt like I was becoming unstoppable.
The third month I turned up the heat even more. I found myself working about 60-90
minutes per day in the gym on weights, and 6 days a week of 45 minutes of steady-
state cardio. During the final 2 weeks, I did an hour of cardio with about 1 ½ hours in
the gym on weights. I realize this is beyond what most trainers would recommend,
but honestly, I felt amazing. I walked out of the gym each day energized and feeling
on top of the world.
What changes did you make to your diet?

The easiest way to sum up my diet was I went from eating processed vegan foods
(pizza, chocolate bars, a lot of Thai food, Indian food, chips & guac) to more of a whole
foods plant-based diet. In addition, I became a bit of a smoothie junkie and I still am
today. This allowed me to get in a ton of fruit, veggies, and my protein powder. I only
ate out in restaurants maybe two or three times the entire 90 days. I counted my
calories very closely for the first time in my life and that made a huge difference! I
kept my calories often between 2000 and 2500.
What supplements did you use?

I used protein powder twice daily. On the last month of the program, most days I also
supplemented with a ¼ scoop of vegan BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids).
Nothing else.
What were your favorite foods during the transformation?

Smoothies, baby! Here’s a quick recipe that I love: 2 cups of soy milk, a full scoop of
the Salted Maca Caramel protein powder, 2 brown-spotted bananas, 4 large dates, 2
cups of frozen mixed berries, three shakes of cinnamon, and top it off with some
cacao nibs. Warning: I recommend sitting when taking the first sip.
Other sources of protein I incorporated in my diet included lentils, lentil pasta,

quinoa, a lot of black and kidney beans, soy beans, soy milk, and brown rice.
What is the biggest thing you learnt during the transformation?

Having a compelling purpose bigger than yourself not only will drive you to success,
but also more happiness and gratitude.
Other than the physical changes, how else has your transformation
impacted your life?
The transformation has helped in numerous ways. For one, it has given me the
confidence to take on new and bigger challenges. It has inspired friends and family
to change to a more plant-based diet. It has opened doors to create new connections
in the vegan community. It was well worth the effort.
What are your plans for the future?

I have a couple major projects in the works. First, my YouTube channel will be
launched this summer. The goal of the channel is to inspire happier, healthier, more
conscious living. An emphasis on this channel will be transformation interviews on
health, fitness, and even condition-reversing transformations.
Secondly, I am helping people to transition to a vegan diet and accomplish their own
transformations through one-on-one online coaching, with an emphasis on
motivation, support, and commitment.
What advice would you give someone looking to make positive

changes in their own life?
First, set a lofty goal. Second, find very compelling reasons to accomplish your goal.
Find a reason that will keep you going through difficult times. Third, during your
transformation phase make your transformation your priority. Avoid circumstances
and situations that don’t support your goals. Replace unhealthy habits with healthy
ones. Become obsessed about learning about veganism, fitness, and self-
improvement. These actions made all the difference in my transformation success.
For more information on Vivo Life products, you can visit their website here.
I hope this article gave you some inspiration and insights you can bring with you on
your own journey! Next, I wanted to share with you 10 key transformation tips that
significantly helped me during my transformation.
Top 10 Transformation survival Tips
1.) Find Purpose
Let me just get straight to the number

one reason I survived my 90-day
transformation; I have a very compelling
reason and purpose for my
transformation. For me it was strongly
believing in plant-based vegan living and
wanting to show people it was not only
possible to survive as a vegan but to
thrive as a vegan.
Seeing the documentaries Cowspiracy, What The Health, and Earthlings, (Link to the
documentaries here
) opened my eyes to the enormous impact our current animal
agriculture practices are having on the planet, our health, and the animals. I believed
“being the change you want to see in the world” was the best way I could help to
make an impact. This purpose fueled me throughout my 90 days.
2.) Set Goals
Bored of hearing about goal setting? I

was too, but it made a HUGE difference. I
personally set daily, weekly, and 90-day
goals. My daily goals included my
workout for that day (what, where,
when), and my meals and calorie targets
for that day. I set these goals up for a
week ahead of time: How many
workouts, which workouts on which day,
and my target for weight loss (which was
about 1 pound per week starting off). My
90-day goal was to get down to 10%
body fat and put on 10 pounds of
muscle. I reviewed these goals every day
in the morning and at night.
Be very specific with your goals. For
example, a specific goal might be: “I want
to lose 12 pounds of fat over 90 days (As
of March X) and gain 6 pounds of
muscle.”
3.) Plan Meals

Life will inevitably throw you curveballs
and try to take you off course. Preparing
in advance made all the difference for
me. For example, I made five jars worth
of overnight for my breakfast for the
week. In the morning, I went to the
fridge, grabbed a jar and was off. I would
often do the same for my lunch and
dinner. I would make a big enough
Instant Pot meal to last me three to four
days. Setting some time aside on Sunday
to shop and plan meals for the week was
priceless.
Preparing a shopping list, and knowing
the meals I was going to make prior to
going to the store and extremely helpful.
4.) Count Calories

You were okay up until this point? Sorry
about that… Although we touched on
counting calories in goal setting, I believe
it deserves its own spot in the Top 10.
Counting calories is going to be your best
friend. Once you have a good idea of
what you are taking in and what you are
burning off, you will have a clear idea of
what you are losing. The good news is
that once you get into the routine, and
have your primary meals already figured
out, you don’t need to recalculate.
How do you know your target calories? There are numerous apps out there that will
calculate your ideal calorie intake based on your goals. Also, many apps make it easy
to enter in your food or meals and calculate the totals for you. Cronometer is a
popular tool which will provide all you need to get the job done.
5.) Prioritize
You’re committing to these 90-Days. You
need to make this transformation a
priority. This will inevitably mean making
sacrifices. If you have “Friday night pizza”
with your family as a tradition, then for
the next 90 days, you might want to
modify this tradition. You can still order
pizza for the kids while you have your
high-protein lentil pasta, or better yet,
make a change for the whole family, and
impact their health too. If you have a big
party coming up and “Frank the Tank” is
going to making everyone party until the
sun comes up, you might want to “call in
sick”. Think through in advance which
upcoming activities support your goals
and which do not. For most people, if
they miss a day in the gym, the response
is “Oh, well” We would never miss a
scheduled work meeting and think “Oh
well”. This can be telling as to how
seriously we are taking our
transformation. Make it a priority, if you
want to succeed!
6.) Track your Progress

Take before and after pictures each week
month, if not weekly. Also track your
weight, fat percentage, and body
measurements the best you can. All of
this really helped me personally so I saw I
was making progress. Your mind will play
tricks on you; unquestionably! Having
“proof” of your progress will be your best
friend during difficult times. I also
recommend that you track your
experience through video and a journal. I
would record a video of my current
thoughts, some of my workouts, and my
progress.
This allowed me to put together this video. In addition, I recorded updates almost
every night with few exceptions. Just prior to going to bed, I would look at my goals,
my vision-board, and then write some comments on my progress and experience for
the day. It’s great to look back and not only see the physical transformation but also
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7.) Stay Inspired
I’ve created this Motivational Playlist on

YouTube. I listen to this almost every
single workout. I can’t tell you the
difference it made. Some days walking
into the gym I didn’t have my A game
going. I was stressed, tired, but after a
few minutes of a David Goggins
motivation compilation video, I was
stretching my workouts from 60 to 90
minutes, because of motivated I become.
Watch inspiring documentaries. For me,
What the Health, Cowspiracy, and
Earthlings, truly motivated me.
It reminded me of my higher purpose, why I was doing this in the first place. It’s so
easy to say, “I know why I’m doing this…” Don’t fall prey to this trick of the mind.
“Knowing” why and “feeling” it are two totally different motivators. Once a week, find
something to refuel your fire, whether you are clear on your purpose or not.
8.) Create a Vision-Board
A vision board is a collection of pictures

to help clarify, concentrate, and stay
focused on your goal. For my vision
board, I used pictures of people whose
body types I wanted to model. Consider
putting your "before" picture on the left
side and putting the ideal body picture
on the right side can do wonders for the
subconscious mind. I found from my
research on success that creating vision
boards in one way or another is very
common among successful people.
Research “vision-boards” and you’ll find
plenty of additional great tips.
9.) Get Support
I got direction from an online personal

trainer and nutritionist who pointed me
in the right direction. This took a lot of
guesswork out of the equation and gave
me confidence that I was on the right
track. Walking into the gym without a
plan without knowing what to do is not a
formula for success. If you’re not familiar
with gym equipment, get three sessions
with an in-person personal trainer.
Join transformation groups online for support. Seek out people you admire and ask
them questions. Most people would love to help. Also, find a workout partner. Having
that mutual commitment to meet each other can greatly improve your
accountability.
10). Get Obsessed

Although it's true that finding balance is
important in life, for a 90 day period, let’s
turn up the heat! CJ Fletcher refers to
power lifting as his “magnificent
obsession”. He completely immersed
himself in fitness, leading him to break
world records. I m not saying you need to
go out and break world records, but start
learning everything you can on health
and fitness, so that you become more
confident and educated on these topics.
Find your favorite YouTubers and
bloggers.
Research, research, research! Find tips on the best meals, exercises, perfecting your
form, counting calories, and whatever else comes to mind. I know there is only so
much time in the day, but rethink your schedule. “You become what you think about
most often.” Start thinking about a healthier you. Put your attention on self-
improvement, and surround yourself with positive influences, both online and in
person.
Find your favorite YouTubers and bloggers. Research, research, research! Find out tips
on the best meals, exercises, perfecting your form, counting calories, and whatever
else comes to mind. I know there is only so much time in the day, but rethink your
schedule. “You become what you think about most often.” Start thinking about a
healthier you. Put your attention on self-improvement, and surround yourself with
positive influences, both online and in person.
If you take these 10 key tips to heart, I have no doubt your odds of success will greatly
improve. Next, I wanted to talk about 5 ways you could get derailed or give up on
your transformation journey.
5 Ways to Get Derailed from Your 90-Day Transformation
1.) The Scale
I had weeks where I did everything

perfectly. I ate right, my calories were on
target, my workouts (including cardio)
were on track, and then I stepped on the
scale to see that I'd gained a pound. If
that isn’t enough to derail you from a
program I’m not sure what is. Notice the
chart below. There are ups and downs,
but ultimately the trend is downward.
If you were to zoom in and just look at an upward spike, you would think you were
heading in the wrong direction.
The body can act in mysterious ways. Your body may be retaining water or it could be
related to digestion, or even some muscle gain. Nobody has a perfect downward
trend. Week by week is not enough to show you the big picture! If you’re doing the
right things, trust in the process. Overtime you will see the results.
2.) The Mirror

Even 2 months into my 3-month
transformation I would look at myself and
say, “Am I really making any progress?” It
would happen quite often, to be honest.
Sometimes the lighting, bloating, or
looking from the wrong angle can be
quite the buzz kill. During these times it’s
helpful to look at the statistics. If you’ve
been documenting, you have numbers to
support your weight loss, reduced body
fat percentage, and body measurements.
Despite what you see in the mirror, notice
the facts. You can’t argue with this as
much as your mind would like to. Hang
tight, the feeling of utter disappointment
will pass.
If your experience is like mine, you’ll be looking in the mirror the next day, pumped
up about the progress you’re making.
3.) The Mind
Ultimately follow-through boils down to

our mental state. Keeping a positive
attitude throughout a 90-day period can
be close to impossible. Despite the facts,
the scale, or the mirror, the mind might
come in and say, “I’ve tried this so many
times in the past and it didn’t work.” You
get that feeling of wanting to throw in
the towel. Notice that the mind works
like the chart above. It feels positive, then
it feels negative; often within the same
day; sometimes within the same minute!
If you’re going to get through your 90-
days successfully you need to weather
the storms of the mind. How did I do it?
The primary reason was my purpose. I wanted to demonstrate that you could thrive
on a vegan diet. Having a purpose beyond me, fueled me to keep going. Secondly, I
listened to positive, encouraging, motivational audios daily. Every single day. I could
honestly say without these motivational audios, it might not have succeeded.
4.) Falling Off the Wagon

You’re sailing along and Friday night
comes around. You go out with friends,
get a little carried away, and next thing
you know you’re eating a pizza and ice
cream. To make things worse, your
disappointment from this night leads
you to keep binging over the entire
weekend. “Okay, I guess my
transformation has come to an end”, you
think to yourself. “How could I ever
recover from this loss?”
Let’s look at this mathematically first.
Let’s say you had those extra calories that
Friday night. It’s possible you could have
added 1000 calories over your target.
Let’s say Saturday and even Sunday you have an extra 500 calories over your target.
In reality it’s 2000 calories, setting you back a total of .57lbs (.25kg). That’s right, you
gained a little over half a pound. Remember to focus long term. You can easily make
up for that and more over the course of the upcoming week. Shake it off, learn from
your mistakes, and keep moving forward.
5.) The Process
After completing my 90-day

transformation, I asked myself, "If the
physical appearance of my body didn’t
change, but I got all the other positive
benefits out of this 90-day plan, was it
still worth it?” The answer was “yes.”
Here’s why: The daily workouts did a
wonder for managing my stress levels
and putting me in a positive mood. This
affected the rest of my day in a positive
way, including the people around me. In
addition, my energy levels, my
confidence, and my overall sense of
vitality and health greatly improved. In
addition, I loved to put on my
headphones, listen to another David
Goggins,
Tony Robbins, or Les Brown motivational video while working out. It was “me” time,
filled with inspirational infotainment. Even if the outcome was poor, all of these
benefits were worth it alone. Each workout, once completed, was it's own reward. It
gave me a feeling of accomplishment that would set me sailing for the rest of the
day in the right direction.
Keep in touch!
I hope these tips have been helpful and will
@PLANTBASEDBEN
get you on the road towards a success
transformation. I have yet to find anyone who
stuck out the 90-days and regretted their
decision. My personal journey was as much of
a transformation on the inside as it was on the
outside.
Send me a message on Instagram and let me

know how your transformation is going. I am
always available for coaching support if
needed.
Cheers!
Plant Based Ben


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10 Key tips to to surviving your fitness

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

Firstly, tell us a little about yourself:

I was fortunate enough to be mentored by a meditation coach who wrote

Fascinated by the field of natural healing I continued my search, interviewing over a

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

These interviews, in combination with months of in-depth research, opened my eyes

Refueled by these documentaries, I signed up for a vegan fest in January of 2018 in

What was the motivation behind your transformation?

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

What were the first changes you made?

How did your training program look over the 90 days?

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

What changes did you make to your diet?

What supplements did you use?

What were your favorite foods during the transformation?

Other sources of protein I incorporated in my diet included lentils, lentil pasta,

What is the biggest thing you learnt during the transformation?

What are your plans for the future?

What advice would you give someone looking to make positive

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

Top 10 Transformation survival Tips

1.) Find Purpose

Let me just get straight to the number

2.) Set Goals

Bored of hearing about goal setting? I

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

3.) Plan Meals

4.) Count Calories

Prepared exclusively for xenia.piciughin@gmail.com Transaction: 0065246968

6.) Track your Progress

7.) Stay Inspired

I’ve created this Motivational Playlist on

8.) Create a Vision-Board

A vision board is a collection of pictures

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9.) Get Support

I got direction from an online personal

10). Get Obsessed

5 Ways to Get Derailed from Your 90-Day Transformation

1.) The Scale

I had weeks where I did everything

2.) The Mirror

3.) The Mind

Ultimately follow-through boils down to

4.) Falling Off the Wagon

5.) The Process

After completing my 90-day

Send me a message on Instagram and let me

Plant Based Ben

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