The Change: Transforming Yourself and Your Body into the Person You Want to Be

Working at Whole Foods had been good to Milan Ross. It not only allowed him to earn a decent living but also provided his family the medical insurance his family so desperately needed. But it wasn’t until Milan was offered the opportunity to attend Dr. Stoll’s Immersion program that his life totally changed. This is the story of how Milan Ross lost two hundred and twenty-five pounds of excess weight and found the passion his life had been missing.

Since 2010, Dr. Scott Stoll, a medical doctor and past Olympic athlete, has conducted a week-long intensive health program. The seven-day course provides the most up-to-date information on nutrition, achievable exercise, and culinary education, as well as encouragement, coaching, and vision casting. While food is the centerpiece of the program, it is meant to be a transformational experience that forever changes the attitudes, habits, and lives of those who attend the program―all in just one week. It was to this program that Whole Foods sent Milan Ross.

The Change not only tells the personal story of Milan Ross and what he experienced during that crucial week of his life but also provides the voice of Dr. Stoll, who takes the reader through the very same program Milan experienced. Unlike weight-loss books that offer quick fixes to lose the pounds, The Change is designed to look within each individual and see what is driving him or her to eat food that is known to be unhealthy. Based on science and inner strength, which is the true seed of change, this book is meant to have its readers lose weight and be healthy not for just a month or a year but for a lifetime.

Milan Ross was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Central Visual and Performing Arts High School with a passion for the arts. After pursuing a career in the music industry and getting married, his family was faced with a health crisis, which required him to find a job that provided health insurance to cover mounting medical bills. In 2012, Milan walked away from his career in music and took a position with Whole Foods Market. This fateful decision changed not only Milan’s life but also the life of each member of his family.

As an overweight individual, Milan was intrigued by the health retreat offered by Whole Foods to its employees in need. He soon applied and was accepted. After attending Dr. Stoll's Immersion program in 2013, Milan lost over two hundred and twenty-five pounds. The story of his dramatic transformation broke nationally on the cover of Vegan Lifestyle Magazine. It has since been featured in several national magazines and highlighted in the feature-length documentary film Eating You Alive. In addition, Milan has developed his own organic health food line, Full Flavor Vegan (www.fullflavorvegan.com).

Today, through his many speaking engagements across the United States, Milan has made it his life's mission to help people attain optimal health and change their lives. Milan lives with his wife and son in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where they are actively involved in serving their church and community.

Scott Stoll, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Colorado. He is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and specializes in regenerative medicine, utilizing natural treatments, diet, and lifestyle to aid the body in healing chronic disease and injuries.

Prior to receiving his MD, he was a member of the 1994 US Olympic Bobsled team, and he currently serves as a physician for USA Bobsled & Skeleton. He is also cofounder of the Plantrician Project and the International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference; has served as a member of the Whole Foods scientific and medical advisory board; is athletic team physician for Lehigh University; and is department chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Coordinated Health.

Beyond conducting his popular "Dr. Stoll's Immersion" program several times a year, Dr. Stoll is the author of Alive! A Physician’s Biblical & Scientific Guide to Nutrition as well as numerous scientific articles, and also contributed chapters to the book Rethink Food. Dr. Stoll can be heard on his daily radio program, Health Minutes, in the Lehigh Valley, on Channel 60 TV's "health minutes," and in lectures nationally and internationally. He has also appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, The Marilu Henner Show, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and Daystar Television. Dr. Stoll and his wife, Kristen, live in Pennsylvania with their four sons and two daughters, where they, too, are actively involved in their church and community organizations.