21-Day Vegan Kickstart / a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) site

Hey Revolution, Hay Molly
I'm semi-raw (65-85%, depending on the day), and can speak a bit about the "miraculousness" of it. I think it's like the transition to veganism... if you're switching from the SAD to raw foods, then yes, it IS a miracle. But if you're eating a healthy vegan diet already, the change won't be so dramatic. Well I guess that's a good sign for a vegan ... it means one's body is getting more of what it needed than when it was on an omni diet. Going raw would be the optimal level of nutrition. Then again, I'm sure there's anti-proponents of raw too. You can go crazy with all the diametrically opposed opinions.

Just like there are junk-food vegans, there are junk-food raw foodists, too. Because raw veg are low in calories, raw foodists focus a LOT on dehydrated sprouted grains, nut butters/patés, added sweeteners, and lots of fruit. The typical diet of a raw foodist contains more fat than you would believe! Ugh I confuse quickly then. Is this good or bad?

This is just my experience, but it speaks to what several people have expressed:

I suffer from several autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Me too, I have fibromyalgia and also am hypothyroid, for which I take Synthroid now, Armour Thyroid previously. The medications really get it under control. I did go to a homeopath hoping to avoid the medicines, but I just couldn't wait as long as he asked me to for the "remedies" to work For a couple of years my medication was not adequate a couple of years? that's a long time to suffer with that pathological fatigue. did your hair thin too? and I wasn't exercising enough, and wasn't eating the best I could, and I wasn't losing weight. No matter what I did, I couldn't lose even a single pound! It was really depressing and frustrating. What I learned after years of this is that my disease/medication was part of the problem – once I got an adequate dose, I finally had the energy to exercise. But the main issue was ME. Not following ... how could the main issue be you ... when it was the medicine that actually restored back your metabolism and energy? I was not exercising enough, and I wasn't eating the right diet.

Sure, I thought I was eating healthy – and to the average person, I was! But after learning as much about nutrition as I have, I know now that my diet was still too heavy in certain things, and too light in others, and it was preventing me from losing weight. When I finally changed my diet enough and started exercising regularly (and I mean really exercising, not just going for walks), I lost weight.

(My diet is far different from anyone I know. It is far different from even PCRM's Kickstart plan. If I had to categorize it, I'd say it's closest to Fuhrman's Eat to Live plan, but even that isn't 100% accurate.)

I think too many people, myself included, want to blame "something else" for their problems, when they may need to take a look in the mirror. Barring any medical or health issue (of which there are MANY), if someone is not losing weight, it's because they're not doing what it takes to lose the weight. Losing weight, especially for older people, is extremely difficult and people all too often write it off as "too hard" or "my body just won't cooperate." I had the same problem, and have felt those same feelings. I know how painful and frustrating it is.

I won't lie and say it was easy. It was not and it still is not. I still hate getting up early to go to the gym. I hate the elliptical machine. I freaking hate exercise and sometimes all I want to do is sleep, and then eat junk food. Hell, I want to eat junk food ALL the time.

But I don't. I get up, show up and do my damn workout. Before my back problems I would do about 60-90 minutes on the arc trainer in the gym, an hour on treadmill ... I enjoy sweating, working out to funky music, and find the endorphins addictive. Oh, and I cannot work out without music. I work harder, and longer. Also some weight training. With all that and carefully watching what I ate, drinking gobs of water ... maybe I would budge 2 lbs every 3 months. But you're right ... it's patience that counts ... if you're body is stubborn, you've got to just keep persevering. What's the alternative anyway, you've got to work with your body as it is and just be patient ... eventually you will get there. I do think the drinking water thing is very important. I lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks confined to my couch after my surgery ... I was drinking tons of water. What do you like to do for exercise ... machines, sports? ... in the high resistance and high I eat the right foods that I know are nourishing and not going to make me fat. And I do not put junk food poison into my body. I do this because I like the RESULTS. I want my body to feel good and perform well, and so I do what it takes to achieve that.

Our bodies are machines, and we have to treat them as such. Give them the best fuel, the best maintenance, and the best treatment, and they will give us good health in return.