Theresaann

Not to start a raw vs. cooked debate, just wondering if people eat high raw (80%/day or more) here. Just read The Thrive Diet, thats a good outline for this, I would assume. Just wondering if people live this way. Just saw on Ani Phyo's site that she's gone to 80% raw, from 100%. I've been about 40-50% raw, but feeling the need to "clean up" and thinking that 80% would be good, and perhaps more like 100% in the summer, when its warmer. For me this looks like raw breakfast, raw lunch and veggie/bean soup with salad for dinner. Heres what I'm thinking: green smoothie OR fruit OR soaked buckwheat porridge with sesame milk bfast Salad OR blended soup with salad OR lettuce/kale wrap lunch greens/veggie/bean miso soup for dinner with more salad any thoughts??

good one, xjohanx

I have this almost daily: 1/2 bunch (yes bunch) Laciento Kale or parsley-gotta get lots of greens in there 1/2 serving Vega 1/2 serving hemp protein 1 cup frozen berries 1/2 frozen banana (sometimes omit this) hemp or flax seeds water LOVE it...lots of greens, protein, low glycemic and energy for hours

you GOTTA check out the SQUEEZE workouts by Tracy effinger, available through collagevideo.com. these are very "joint friendly" while getting tremendous results. Try also the Barre method-lots of people rehabilitating back issues with these types of workouts and NOTHING has toned me and leaned me out like these.

Being a girl, the results I want might be different than most guys, but I've been getting FREAKING amazing results using really tough isometric workouts. No more than 3 pound weights (or no wt-for real), and high reps, and I'm getting more ripped and toned (and SMALLER, tighter) than with traditional weight training-heavy weights, lower reps. I workout at home with dvds. The best ones I've found are the Squeeze workouts by Tracy Effinger, and the Barre method, and I use tough cardio by Amy Bento on alternate days. These are avail. through collagevideo.com. Just wanted to share cause I'm 44 and getting my 25 year old body back after two kids is something I want to share with EVERY woman! We do not have to have "mommy butt" for the rest of our lives!!

Ok, one thing I have to share is that alcohol is not our friend....at least not when being used as a "distraction method". Drank a few beers with a friend last night as we talked all about this stuff. Anybody else going through tough emotional stuff the last couple of weeks? We just had a huge eclipse series, solar and then Lunar ecli[se, which happened last Monday. Eclipses bring up our subconscious fear based beliefs for purging. THe only way to purge the unconscious is to make it conscious. I know I'm feelin' my stuff come up.... For me its about letting go of being afraid to express my power. this is an ongoing theme my whole life, and I've been ascending, esp. the last few years, through it, but here it is....I am a professional intuitive, bodyworker and spiritual channeler, and hearing that "now its time to channel to the masses", like just channel Holy Spirit to the world....anyway. A WEE bit "out of the box". Thats my issue....anyone else feeling stuff coming up?

Yes, I think having kids really makes me have to sleep early if I want to have any free time at all. I have to get that workout in before they get up, or I just probably won't do it later. Sometimes I make myself do it after they go to school, but that cuts into my work time (self employed). I started a new thing to deal with overtraining. I am working out (hard) mondays, tuesdays, thurs, fri and sat, taking wednesdays and sundays off. I was doing 6 days a week and was SOOO tired, plus the fat loss stalled. So far, this is working well already. Also, on those wednesday rest days I'm eating all raw vegan. Its easier for me to do raw during the week cause weekends are usually socializing, etc, and kids home, etc. But I'm thinking that all raw is a really deep rest as well as not exercising. Good regeneration day. BTW, I have found some REALLY killer workouts to do at home with just a set of 3 lb weights and a mat! (Thanks, drop soul for telling me about the core fusion sculpt-I just bought it, can't wait to get it. ) The tracy effinger workouts, called "squeeze" are REALLY effective. I can't believe whats happening to my body. Also, Amy Bento's dvds for cardio-really butt kickin'. And the core fusion that dropsoul talked about. Along the same lines. These are all avail. at collagevideo.com Just sharing cause I am so excited! Peace!

John I agree with you. When I don't eat after 6, 7 pm the weight drops off easily. Like really easily. This was true for me also before kids, when i was in my twenties, so I don't think age related metab slow down has anything to do with it. It DOES have to do with supporting the body's natural detox rhythms. If we are aligned with the rhythms of nature, we sleep when it gets dark and get up when it gets light. At any rate, the body really does have a rhythm of when its detoxing and thats between 10 pm and 2 am. So, if we are digesting food or staying awake, we aren't using our energy as efficiently to detox as we could. Also, the thing about craving food at night-a lot of this is neurohormonal stuff-stress builds up during the day and when what we actually need is SLEEP, we eat for stimulation and to raise serotonin. Probably more sleep earlier and eating a lot of high nutrient food to balance hormones would help that. I know that sticking to this rhythm myself-not eating at night, sleeping early and eating high nutrient content foods I don't have cravings at night and if I REALLY stick to not eating after like 6:30 pm, man, the fat just melts off. A good friend of mine who has been working out hard and consistently for like 8 months was frustrated cause he wasn't losing his gut or, what he hated the most, his "double chin", so I mentioned that even though he's working out hard, that half bag of newman's oreo cookies at night was probably not helping his fat loss efforts....so he stopped eating at night and lost 23 pounds in three weeks...so, there you go. I say, give it a try and see what happens. But the breast feeding thing-no way, you have to eat, just make sure its high nutrient content foods....at least this works for me!

Hey thanks John! Yeah, my kids are kinda blown away how I'm not like "other moms". its all in the attitude, eh? and oh, yeah, the sleep thing...I guess I just got so tired of being tired, I mean, my kids get up early regardless of what time I go to sleep. I guess I really had no choice! But if I did, I probably would stay up later too. All my friends who don't have kids do

I like those fake meats too....boca burger in a salad tastes so decadent! I try to get to sleep by AT LEAST 10 pm (except weekends), but I'm making a commitment to make that 9:30 pm, for a couple of reasons. I'm a single mom and the only way I can get a workout in is to get up at 5:30 am cause I have to make breakfast, lunches and get my two kids out the door by 7:15 am (they are 15 and 12). The other reason is that I heard that the body does the majority of its detox on the cellular level between 10 pm and 2 am, and if we are awake at that time, even if we get 8 hours in after that, it is not as restorative as sleeping between 10 and 2. I can tell a difference too. I just feel better if I sleep earlier, but its a HUGE habit that must be created to do that. WHen my kids were babies, I got into a habit of staying up until 1 or 2 am cause it was the only time I had to myself, so I know how that is. Also, before kids I worked the afternoon shift in a hospital laboratory as a medical technologist-thats from 3 pm to 11:30 pm. But when my kids started school I made myself get on a better track-now I feel wiped out if I don't get to sleep early enough. I just ordered the core fusion! I can't wait to use it! I think I might be over training a bit, pushing too hard. I've been working out 6 days a week, but I'm TIRED! I have to cut back to 5 days until I get stronger. I really like the squeeze workouts. These workouts are really phenomenal. I have to REALLY remember that the other half of losing fat and getting fit is to get enough REST!! geesh... The food thing though, I have finally got down, I think. Its good to be happy eating the same things pretty much everyday. Makes life a lot easier...now if I could just let go of that coffee....

Hey guys~ I know, these workouts really work! I might check out that core fusion body sculpt also. I'm getting slightly addicted to this process, lol! When you start seeing real results its hard not to. I LOVE the squeeze workouts. I didn't know she had an e-book-is that avail. on her website? I am going to check that out too! Oh! I would love to share the low carb, high protein menu ideas I've been using. Basically, I have green juice almost everyday after working out, which is usually celery, cucumber and chard. Breakfast is oatmeal and protein powder (hemp and or vega), seeds and maybe half a chopped apple OR scrambled tofu and greens OR sprouted grain toast and nut butter OR a green smoothie (vega, hemp protein, a bunch of greens like romaine, spinach or parsley, half a banana, some frozen berries and hemp or flax seed) Lunch is always salad (mixed greens) with some kind of veggie bean soup on top. Its easy and I can get it at salad bars if I'm out (I have whole foods and another store like it in the areas that I work when I'm on the road) Dinner is usually more salad and I eat the soup I made or make another one. Soups are always some combination of beans, greens and veggies. Sometimes I make seitan stew, but I always make that stuff cause it lasts for days and I really don't mind eating the same thing everyday. It really makes life easier. For snacks, I usually don't eat them, but if I do, I"ll have an apple and a handful of nuts or a small green smoothie ' ALSO~ a really important trick I learned (actually I used to do this many years ago and started again) is not eating ANYTHING after 6-7 pm at the lastest. If I am REALLY hungry, I'll have 1/2 a piece of fruit. I can have tea, though, after 7. This really seems to help the fat loss also. I know some people say to eat every 3 hours regardless of how late it is, but I have found that to not be helpful, for me!

Just want to share an update... I found that this week I was REALLY tired, so only worked out 5 days instead of 6 to take a rest. That made a difference...now the size 6 jeans that were tight last week, and didn't even fit the week before, were LOOSE last night. Can I tell you, this is a blast! I am just really getting to know my body, to feel now what over training feels like, and not eating enough, and really learning to fine tune everything, and man, those results just keep coming. Its quite, quite remarkable. I just have to say one more time...no matter what age we are we really can turn back time and regain a youthful vitality and physique. this is really fun!

hey, thanks so much! My goal was to get in the best shape of my life by my birthday and I have to say, I'm darn close! Its so amazing to see the body I had in my 20's coming back. Its like after 15 years of being overweight (SO many emotional reasons for that), and thinking I'll always look frumpy and "rubenesque", its amazing. Its like someone giving you this cool sports car that you always dreamed about but never thought you could have. Wow!! I look in the mirror and its like "who IS that??" I have probably about 6 more weeks to really get super lean and mean....thats nothing to how long it took me to just get my metabolism ramped up again. I have to say, Brenden Braziers book, The Thrive Diet, really helped me a lot to understand why the body holds onto fat relative to stress. Its so worth reading. Thank you everybody for creating this community!

I can so relate! I just started seeing someone a couple of months ago, and after over 20 years of not feeling loved or cherished, here comes this guy who is SO loving, so cute, so intelligent and the sex is the best I ever experienced. I mean, pinch me!! I know its cause I've been working so much in myself in the last 10 years, spiritually and emotionally, and I created him to show up. He's like everything I always wanted a relationship to be and we are both kind of amazed actually. And it WAS love at first site! My girlfriend set us up (she knew him from work) on a blind date and when we first saw each other, there was this little explosion of energy....it really CAN happen! We just have to love ourselves first, and then we manifest it. So happy for you Melissa-gotta love those endorphins! Have fun....

Hey there, just wanted to respond to this post of yours, VP: "I have been in a real funk lately. I am just discouraged how slow it is to see changes in the mirror. I am working so hard and I really see nothing. Now I know everyone thinks I'm being hard on myself because of the photos I just took, but you have no idea how good lighting, standing just perfectly and the right clothes can camoflauge your flaws. I promise I know the different in my body between when it is really fit and when its not... and right now, the tone is just non-existent compared to what it was a year ago. This makes me feel anxious all day long. I know I need to be patient but I want to see SOME progress. I want some of my old pants I wore last year to fit a little bit. And they just don't. I WILL be patient. I will continue tweaking cardio and working my ass off and being tight with my diet until I get there, but PLEASE GOD just throw me a little bone for all of my efforts. Give me an inch off the hips and butt... pretty please? Then again, I doubt God grant frivolous wishes such as that." I don't want to be an annoying "amatuer" but I HAVE TO share with you, that I am getting the most frickin' amazing, and I mean AMAZING, and fast, results with some tough high rep, low weight (like no more than 3 pounds) workouts. check out the tracyandersonmethod.com, and tracy effinger's workouts and amy bento for cardio. I know you like gym workouts, and these are home dvds, but they are completely changing my physique in only a few weeks and they are REALLY challenging. Tracy anderson is Madonnas only trainer now, and she says those workouts have changed her physique, and we all know how good she looks...anyway. Thanks for letting me share!

Thanks you guys!! I feel so blessed to have the consciousness to "get it" about a plant based fitness lifestyle. I used to be irritated that people were so addicted to crap and animal foods, and not wanting to be their best, but now I just feel really compassionate toward them....they just don't know how great life can be. I think the best thing we can do for the world is inspire people just by BEING this way-just by shining our light through our example. I feel very blessed to be able to do this. yes, another week passed of working out this way and eating good, and I'll be darned, still shrinking! its a miracle. My b'day was yesterday, I turned 44. I put on a pair of skin tight, size 6 jeans and they totally fit, not one bit uncomfortable. I came downstairs and showed my 15 year old daughter, and said, "check it out, this is what 44 looks like!" A couple of clients of mine said a few days ago, "you don't look a day over 35". Most people think I'm 30...my point is, we get to cheat time with a plant based diet and regular exercise!! That is so frickin' fun to me!! I will post photos in a few weeks after I really get to my goal. I feel so, so blessed.... Blessings all!!

Howdy....this is an inspiring forum. Can I share, just cause I'm so excited, after alomst 4 months of consistent work, I'm finally seeing results! I started working on in early October and started off with 2 weeks raw, and then vegetarian/vegan for a couple of months (giving into cheese in restaurants sometimes), and the last 5 weeks strictly low carb, high protein vegan. ALso, really started upping my workouts to at least 5 days a week, working hard, rather than just 3. I also found the most awesomely effective workouts that use little or no weight and work mostly isometrically, plus INTENSE cardio dvds. I am using Tracy Effingers Squeeze dvds, which are REALLY challenging, as well as Amy Bentos cardio dvds, which are super challenging. I also ordered Tracy andersons dvds (Madonna's trainer) and will start using those tomorrow. Kathy Smith also has an isometric workout called "total body lift" that I've used a couple of times in the last two weeks. I have to share that starting these workouts I dropped a pant size in one week-not kidding. up to that point my progress was slow, but I know it can take a few months to really kick in the metabolism-especially at my age, 44. Its frickin AWESOME though, that I hung in there, stayed consistent, and even though it was really about 3 months before I saw any results, my body is really shrinking! It is starting to look how it looked 15 years ago, which is like totally miraculous. Its SO SO true that we just have to hang in there, be consistent and the results really will come! Trusting that has been THE HARDEST part of this journey for me, but trust me, it really WILL happen!! starting size was 10, now down to tight size 6. at this rate, probably about 6 more weeks will be finally back to a 4, my true size-before my second child was born. Thanks for letting me share!!

Hi everyone-just wanted to chime in. I live in W. Bloomfield, MI. Denise, thanks for writing back a few months ago! Glad to see your comments on this forum. Sorry I don't have a photo up yet-the forum said my photo files were too big-I am SO not computer literate....will have to work on that. Denise THANK YOU for posting those listings of what you eat-I finally did figure out what "low carb, high protein" looked like on a vegan diet. Glad to see I'm very close to how you eat. So, its just a matter of time, with consistent exercise, that results show....I gotta believe. I'm getting there! I modeled in detroit area in my twenties (I'm 44 now, but most people think I'm 30, max, especially when I'm eatin' right and working out!) Have been thinking about trying to get back into it when I reach my goal size (size 4, 15% BF). anyway, glad to meet some fellow michiganders!!! Blessings, everyone! Theresa

I just stumbled accross this last week. This lady is madonna and gwyneth paltrows trainer and they swear by her isometric toning method-high, high reps, little or no weight, as well as at least an hour of dancey cardio, 5 days a week. I bought her dvds and have also been doing similar workouts by others (Kathy smith has one now called "total body lift" and Tracy effingers workouts are isometrically based and totally hard core, as well as amy bento for cardio which is also really advanced). last week I started working out in this way, and even with only 3 days of cardio (and only 30 min at a time) and 3 days of the toning stuff, plus following an Eat to Live diet style (drfuhrman.com) I dropped a pant size in one week-not kidding. This way of working out tightens up the muscles rather than bulking, and trust me, it burns like crazy. Its all about toning the accessory muscles, which pull in the larger muscles as well, to create great tone and low body fat, via all that cardio, making tight and tiny figures. It really works-after one week, I'm pretty amazed, and feel a lot stronger. check out these sites also, for more info on this workout style: nrgfitness.com (amy bentos dvds-powerful cardio workouts) squeezebytracy.com tracyandersonmethod.com

I was using a pea/potato powder with a brown rice one and a hemp protein altogether, then I discovered vega....I am totally screwed now, cause nothing else even comes close to how good vega tastes and absorbs in my body. Just have to budget for it, like no kidding.

I just read it and want to share that I think EVERYONE should read this book. He has presented the best information on how cortisol effects the body and why high nutrient, whole food, vegan nutrition is the best way to eat to balance the hormones and reduce stress. He's got a great breakdown of the types of stress and how they effect the body, and compelling evidence that stress is really the biggest reason we can't lose fat, even if we are working out a lot. Check it out!

check out drfuhrman.com, click on "Q and A" on his homepage, or questions, something like that. He discusses the raw vs. cooked issue from a scientific, rational place. I've done 811, other all raw stuff, on and off for almost 20 years and am a certified raw food teacher. My own experience is that raw is fantastic for detox and healing, but for most, an Eat to Live approach (via Dr. Fuhrman) is more sustainable. But periodic raw, or high percentage raw, is great. Not everyone can assimilate all the nutrients they need from all raw, and we live in such stress filled places in our lives that vibrationally its' not very sustainable at 100% raw long term. Just try it for yourself. If I could live in a tropical place, be financially self sufficient and not have kids to manage and provide for, my life would be really ammenable to being 100% raw all the time. I do periodic cleansing periods all raw though, a few weeks in spring and fall, and eat at least 50% raw every day. Just wanted to share.

EAT TO LIVE, book by Dr. Fuhrman. Check out his website also, drfuhrman.com. ALso, Brenden Brazier's book THE THRIVE DIET. These approaches are virtually identical. They are the optimum nutrition for weightloss or to heal any illness, and optimal athletic performance, per Brenden. Also read THE CHINA STUDY for a really important scientific background that will help you understand WHY these are so important. Dr. Fuhrman is the smartest guy on nutrition I've ever studied. It works. Its the best approach to nutrition we have at this time.

I'm getting great results using Dr. Furhman's Eat to Live guidelines, which are pretty much identity to Brenden Braziers. The best part is......NO HUNGER, and NO PORTION managing. Granted, it took about 8 weeks of consistently working out and almost perfect Eat to Live guidelines (the holidays were not in alignment with that, for at least a week, but even with holiday eating, it still worked) but now I'm seeing SERIOUS fat loss. I work out 5-6 days a week and eat this way. The thing about it is that its very high nutrient content. Only one serving of grain/ day, but unlimited beans, greens, fruit and some raw nuts and seeds. Its amazing. I have NO cravings, tons of energy and after the first couple of months (which were frustrating to wait for results through) the fat is literally falling off me, daily. Its wild to wake up and every morning I'm leaner. Plus, remember the most important factor with this diet, at least to me, lol: NO HUNGER and NO PORTION CONTROL. and it STILL works better than any other "diet" I've ever tried. Not to mention, heals all illness, prevents all illness and reverses cellular aging. Its truly a miracle. I'll post photos soon, I'm almost to my goal size, then you guys will see-its really something! Blessings!

YUM!! Thanks for sharing that!