My Journey Into Raw Foods
I've had weight issues all my life.
No matter what diet program I followed, I always seemed to gain the weight back and then some. I'm also Hispanic (born and raised in Panama) and nobody in my family or around me (except for my boyfriend who is also Hispanic from Puerto Rico) is even remotely close to being vegetarian, vegan, or much less raw vegan.
And you know us Hispanics-- We like our rice, tortillas, meats and sugars!
And that has always been my problem.
I tried a variety of diets to control my weight.
I did the Cybergenics Diet in the early 90’s (I lost weight, but was hungry all the time); Weight Watchers in the mid to late 90’s (I lost about 3 lbs in about 4 months); and the Zone Diet (I couldn’t even do this one for long, so nothing happened there). Nothing seemed to really work for me.
By 2000 I had reached 205 lbs (size 20) and I’m only 5’3. For the next three years I hovered around 190 lbs and then I heard about the Atkins diet. I followed a very strict version of a low-carb diet for 8 months and lost 41 lbs. Of course, as you can guess, I got into eating sugar again and gained all of my weight back.
I contemplated the low-carb plan again, however, I had doubts in my mind if that was really the best way for me to eat. Even though I lost a lot weight and felt great, I kept getting painful cysts around my body. They would disappear when I ate "normally." I went to a couple of doctors and, even though I told both of them I would get the cysts ONLY when I ate low-carb, they told me it wasn't connected to my way of eating. They gave me prescription medications, which I never used. During all this diet experimentation, my boyfriend kept telling me about vegetarianism, cleanses, fasts, etc. I did Dr. Natura's colon cleanse for two months and in 2005 we tried going raw. We tried to replace all our meals with gourmet raw meals. We quickly became discouraged as the meals we were making took so long to prepare. We gave up and sold our raw food kitchen equipment. I gained all the weight back and then some.
I committed to changing my life.
In 2007 I committed myself to changing my life because I was fed up having an obsession with food, feeling tired, being obese, having knee pain, and dealing with high cholesterol (it's in my genes) and constipation issues. So, I started working out and did the Body for Life program. There was one problem, the program included a lot of processed carbs and also the "cheat day" didn't work for me because I kept cheating all week! Then I went back to low-carb for a while and kept the Body for Life exercise regimen for the 12 weeks required. Unfortunately, I didn't reach the optimal results because of my eating habits, I’m sure. I also lost a lot of flexibility due to weight lifting and not stretching.
After facing another batch of disappointing results, I started doing "hot yoga" in February of 2007 and I fell in love with it.
Soon after that, a friend came from Los Angeles and told me about The Master Cleanse. I bought books about it and read them from cover to cover and did my first Master Cleanse in July 2007. The Master Cleanse is a fast on only water and a lemonade mix that you make yourself. I did it for 30 days on my first try. Yes, you read it right...a 30-day fast on only water and lemonade! After my first Master Cleanse, I became mostly raw vegan. My body just wasn't able to process foods the same way anymore. During those 30 days, I discovered energy and focus I never had before. I also learned to treat my eating habits as an addiction, which they totally were! Once I understood my addiction I was able to take control my health.
I did another Master Cleanse in October for 17 days and finally went 100% raw vegan on 12-25-2007. Today, my stomach can't digest any type of meat anymore.
I've lost 66 lbs!
I've lost 66 lbs since October 2006 (53 lbs of those since July 12, 2007 - my first Master Cleanse). I was a size 16 in July of 2007, now I’m a size 4. Not only have I kept off all the weight I lost, but I also continued to lose weight gradually. I'm currently just maintaining with raw vegan foods and super foods!
People think that eating this way is boring and it really isn’t - AT ALL! There are so many possibilities of different amazingly delicious dishes that can be prepared. Plus super foods make this lifestyle SO MUCH easier. I love living on chocolate! I’m never bored with my food. I actually prefer my own raw food to ANY restaurant food. I never in a million years thought I would say that. And the truth is that when I smell cooked food, I can appreciate the delicious smell, but I don’t desire to have it at all. It can be there, staring at me, but I have no desire to even taste it. I'm very proud for all these accomplishments, for being a pioneer, for how far I have come for my health. That feeling is worth so much more to me.
A Change of Life.
After searching for many years, I finally found the diet that works best for me. I’ve lost weight, have reduced spider veins, have incredible constant energy and strength, feel vibrant, I’m not thinking about food constantly, I have no food addictions (except for maybe raw chocolate LOL!), no cysts, no cravings, have no knee pain, and I no longer have high cholesterol or constipation issues. I never want to go back to the way I was before! I feel amazing and I absolutely love my new way of eating. I never thought I could live without eating meat, much less live eating only raw foods! I love how I feel and I want to learn as much as possible so that I can share this information with people who may have the same issues as I did...as I still do. Because all my issues are still here. I just have them all under control now.
Do your own research and find your own answers. If you want, try some raw food for a few days and see how you feel. You don’t have to be 100% raw vegan to make a major difference in your life. And if you would like to try adding raw foods into your life, you don’t have to make any changes overnight either. You can start with small changes. For me, it has been a life-long ordeal. I've been searching for an answer for a long time. It’s a commitment that you have to make to yourself. I'm taking responsibility. It’s a lifestyle change and this is MY life now. What an amazing life it is!
I've had weight issues all my life.
No matter what diet program I followed, I always seemed to gain the weight back and then some. I'm also Hispanic (born and raised in Panama) and nobody in my family or around me (except for my boyfriend who is also Hispanic from Puerto Rico) is even remotely close to being vegetarian, vegan, or much less raw vegan.
And you know us Hispanics-- We like our rice, tortillas, meats and sugars!
And that has always been my problem.
I tried a variety of diets to control my weight.
I did the Cybergenics Diet in the early 90’s (I lost weight, but was hungry all the time); Weight Watchers in the mid to late 90’s (I lost about 3 lbs in about 4 months); and the Zone Diet (I couldn’t even do this one for long, so nothing happened there). Nothing seemed to really work for me.
By 2000 I had reached 205 lbs (size 20) and I’m only 5’3. For the next three years I hovered around 190 lbs and then I heard about the Atkins diet. I followed a very strict version of a low-carb diet for 8 months and lost 41 lbs. Of course, as you can guess, I got into eating sugar again and gained all of my weight back.
I contemplated the low-carb plan again, however, I had doubts in my mind if that was really the best way for me to eat. Even though I lost a lot weight and felt great, I kept getting painful cysts around my body. They would disappear when I ate "normally." I went to a couple of doctors and, even though I told both of them I would get the cysts ONLY when I ate low-carb, they told me it wasn't connected to my way of eating. They gave me prescription medications, which I never used. During all this diet experimentation, my boyfriend kept telling me about vegetarianism, cleanses, fasts, etc. I did Dr. Natura's colon cleanse for two months and in 2005 we tried going raw. We tried to replace all our meals with gourmet raw meals. We quickly became discouraged as the meals we were making took so long to prepare. We gave up and sold our raw food kitchen equipment. I gained all the weight back and then some.
I committed to changing my life.
In 2007 I committed myself to changing my life because I was fed up having an obsession with food, feeling tired, being obese, having knee pain, and dealing with high cholesterol (it's in my genes) and constipation issues. So, I started working out and did the Body for Life program. There was one problem, the program included a lot of processed carbs and also the "cheat day" didn't work for me because I kept cheating all week! Then I went back to low-carb for a while and kept the Body for Life exercise regimen for the 12 weeks required. Unfortunately, I didn't reach the optimal results because of my eating habits, I’m sure. I also lost a lot of flexibility due to weight lifting and not stretching.
After facing another batch of disappointing results, I started doing "hot yoga" in February of 2007 and I fell in love with it.
Soon after that, a friend came from Los Angeles and told me about The Master Cleanse. I bought books about it and read them from cover to cover and did my first Master Cleanse in July 2007. The Master Cleanse is a fast on only water and a lemonade mix that you make yourself. I did it for 30 days on my first try. Yes, you read it right...a 30-day fast on only water and lemonade! After my first Master Cleanse, I became mostly raw vegan. My body just wasn't able to process foods the same way anymore. During those 30 days, I discovered energy and focus I never had before. I also learned to treat my eating habits as an addiction, which they totally were! Once I understood my addiction I was able to take control my health.
I did another Master Cleanse in October for 17 days and finally went 100% raw vegan on 12-25-2007. Today, my stomach can't digest any type of meat anymore.
I've lost 66 lbs!
I've lost 66 lbs since October 2006 (53 lbs of those since July 12, 2007 - my first Master Cleanse). I was a size 16 in July of 2007, now I’m a size 4. Not only have I kept off all the weight I lost, but I also continued to lose weight gradually. I'm currently just maintaining with raw vegan foods and super foods!
People think that eating this way is boring and it really isn’t - AT ALL! There are so many possibilities of different amazingly delicious dishes that can be prepared. Plus super foods make this lifestyle SO MUCH easier. I love living on chocolate! I’m never bored with my food. I actually prefer my own raw food to ANY restaurant food. I never in a million years thought I would say that. And the truth is that when I smell cooked food, I can appreciate the delicious smell, but I don’t desire to have it at all. It can be there, staring at me, but I have no desire to even taste it. I'm very proud for all these accomplishments, for being a pioneer, for how far I have come for my health. That feeling is worth so much more to me.
A Change of Life.
After searching for many years, I finally found the diet that works best for me. I’ve lost weight, have reduced spider veins, have incredible constant energy and strength, feel vibrant, I’m not thinking about food constantly, I have no food addictions (except for maybe raw chocolate LOL!), no cysts, no cravings, have no knee pain, and I no longer have high cholesterol or constipation issues. I never want to go back to the way I was before! I feel amazing and I absolutely love my new way of eating. I never thought I could live without eating meat, much less live eating only raw foods! I love how I feel and I want to learn as much as possible so that I can share this information with people who may have the same issues as I did...as I still do. Because all my issues are still here. I just have them all under control now.
Do your own research and find your own answers. If you want, try some raw food for a few days and see how you feel. You don’t have to be 100% raw vegan to make a major difference in your life. And if you would like to try adding raw foods into your life, you don’t have to make any changes overnight either. You can start with small changes. For me, it has been a life-long ordeal. I've been searching for an answer for a long time. It’s a commitment that you have to make to yourself. I'm taking responsibility. It’s a lifestyle change and this is MY life now. What an amazing life it is!
