*cringe*

[Ginger]

Ok heres my contrast shot, me at almost my worst & me today:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/November2006-1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/april15-full.jpg

Before raw I was a little chunky off & on but never FAT. I discovered raw when I was 5 months pregnant and stayed all raw for a month then went back to SAD. Shortly after my daughter was born I went veg and tried to stay raw as much as I could. I was 100% raw for a 3 month stretch and lost all my excess weight I gained while pregnant. I felt great but still had major food addiction and ended up going back & forth after that.

This is me after losing all the pregnancy weight (excuse the .22 & the 590 lol)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/22.jpg

[Ginger]

I went 100% raw again after that for 6 months and was shocked that I kept GAINING weight eating all raw. Keep in mind this is a flattering angle lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/meinaugust.jpg

So I got very discouraged and went back to SAD for a year or so because I was angry at my body & life & God etc.. Obviously I got worse, got huge, felt awful and had health problems. I ended up around 250 pounds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/November2006-1.jpg

So I went back raw, I decided I was going to feel good even if I was doomed to be huge. I learned that most raw foodists ate around 60-80% fat and I decided to try low fat raw this time. I dropped 60 pounds in 3 months and never felt better in my life! This pic was taken in Jan 2007.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/0January2006118.jpg

I went back to high veg SAD and still ate as much raw as I could. I kept most of the weight off and eventually returned to raw only this ime i'm focusing on eating as many nutrients as possible while eating as little as possible. Takes less time, I have more energy and I feel BEST EVER BY FAR! I mostly just eat superfoods & super herbs now. I have no desire to ever go back to anything else. I am 15 pounds away from where I was before I discovered raw! WOOT!

[Ginger]

Here is me today! :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/april-15-th.jpg

[Theogirl]

You're looking great! Fab curves!

[JennaBoBenna]

WOW Gingie!!!
You look fantastic!!
That superfood fudge does a body good, eh? :D

[oai]

wha! :eek: dangerously sexy! :D

[Care4raw]

You are a really gorgeous 'girl'!

So happy you found what works for you, you really went through a lot to get there.Admirable!

I am 7 mos raw and still figuring out what is the best way to 'have' my raw...mentally and physically.

So well, well done!!!Congrads!

[sweepea32]

You look great!
Can you tell me what superfoods and superherbs you eat?

thanks
Mary

[shashibala]

That is a wonderful story about listening to your body and taking time to find your path! You look beautiful and vibrant! Congratulations!!!
No need to cringe, we all have the "before" phase!

[Bananna]

Your story is very encouraging and is reminds me of my own struggle thus far, lol, guess there is hope!

You look sizzlin!!!!!!!! In a raw kind of way ofcourse, ;)
You even Look like you Feel fantastic! If that makes any sense...

[StarFire]

I LOOOOOVE THESE PHOTOS!!! GIRRRL... YOU ARE SOOOO GORGEOUS!!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/thfunny_11.jpg

it is wonderful having this section to beable to come and see these AMAZING TRANFORMATIONS....

You're like this little sexy forest nymph... beautiful... ABSOLUTLEY BEAUTIFUL!!!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/2006-11-16T08_58_11-08_00.gif

[Banshee]

Yay, Ginger!!

You look AWESOME--congratulations!!!!

[DawnW]

Ginger,

First of all.....WOW! You look so great!

Second of all....could you PLEASE share why you think the raw diet worked for you better this time? If I read that right, it implies you gained the first time you went raw.....was there something you feel you didn't do the best way for you? I really am trying to learn from others.

Thank you!,

Dawn

[RawHeaven]

Congratulations Ginger. You look fantastic. I love your photos...the last one is Hot.

Your story is so inspiring. What superfoods are you eating regularly? I'm interested in going more high raw and eating more superfoods myself. Thank you so much for sharing.

Crystal

[lavendarJ]

Daaaang Ginger..I'm am scared you toting that gun:D


Wish I could give ya a high five..your words speak to the importance and the power of self-love
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_75.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk762MSUS)

[Ginger]

Thanks you guys!! :D

The biggest reason why the raw diet wasn't working for me was because of my emotional eating.. I didn't want anybody getting near me, especially the men in my life. I tried to wall them off with fat. It didn't work lol. :rolleyes: I was always miserable in every relationship I had and would somehow always end up in one and never have been single pretty much my whole life. I was also very unhappy about having my homebirth ruined resulting in a very traumatic emergency c-section with massive PPD as a result. And I was depressed because I could not finantially take care of myself, I still can't just yet but i'm dealing with it better now and really trying to make a few bucks through my site now too. It is so worth it to be able to stay home with my daughter.

Aside from the emotional aspect I also have to be careful to get enough excercise and not eat too much or eat too many nuts or oils. My body just dosn't seem to function well if I do and I gain weight even eating all raw. That is why superfoods work so well for me.. I can eat less and get more so I have no cravings and no excess weight. Plus I have such steady wonderful energy all the time so I can acomplish more. I was never able to make raw 'stick' untill I found my way to the super foods & herbs. I will list some here that i can think of off the top of my head that I include often and I also seek out new stuff whenever possible!

Cacao, maca, ho shou wu, bee pollen, honey, medicinal mushroom extracts, ginseng, astragalus, ginko, aged garlic extracts, deer antler (they shed them every season you can find them in forests), tocotrienols, kola nut, lucuma, mesquite, spirulina, E3Live... you know what would be easier is to say that pretty much whatever David Wolfe is into i'm into! lol. I could go on naming herbs like shatavari, ashwagandha, cats claw, pau d'arco, nettles, chuchuasi, chanca piedra etc but theres just too many!! :D Sometimes I live off just my fav tea blend, Superfood Coffee, Ormus Gold & Marine Phytoplankton! I blog it all on my board, I would here but honestly I don't like being limited in how many photos I can post. Seems like such a little thing but i am a very visual person and i like to share pics of my recipes etc. One pic per blog is just other then the best ever. hint hint mods! LOL

[DawnW]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. I am fairly new to raw (have been vegan for a while) and haven't lost any weight. I am tyring to figure out why (of course, it could be the few slips I have had!!!)

I am also finding that the nuts are quite expensive (maybe I can find some for less online?) Some of the recipes that call for 4-5 cups of nuts would cost about $10 to make. I realize it would last a while, but still......

I will read your blog.

Off to look up what supercoffee is.

Dawn



Thanks you guys!! :D

The biggest reason why the raw diet wasn't working for me was because of my emotional eating.. I didn't want anybody getting near me, especially the men in my life. I tried to wall them off with fat. It didn't work lol. :rolleyes: I was always miserable in every relationship I had and would somehow always end up in one and never have been single pretty much my whole life. I was also very unhappy about having my homebirth ruined resulting in a very traumatic emergency c-section with massive PPD as a result. And I was depressed because I could not finantially take care of myself, I still can't just yet but i'm dealing with it better now and really trying to make a few bucks through my site now too. It is so worth it to be able to stay home with my daughter.

Aside from the emotional aspect I also have to be careful to get enough excercise and not eat too much or eat too many nuts or oils. My body just dosn't seem to function well if I do and I gain weight even eating all raw. That is why superfoods work so well for me.. I can eat less and get more so I have no cravings and no excess weight. Plus I have such steady wonderful energy all the time so I can acomplish more. I was never able to make raw 'stick' untill I found my way to the super foods & herbs. I will list some here that i can think of off the top of my head that I include often and I also seek out new stuff whenever possible!

Cacao, maca, ho shou wu, bee pollen, honey, medicinal mushroom extracts, ginseng, astragalus, ginko, aged garlic extracts, deer antler (they shed them every season you can find them in forests), tocotrienols, kola nut, lucuma, mesquite, spirulina, E3Live... you know what would be easier is to say that pretty much whatever David Wolfe is into i'm into! lol. I could go on naming herbs like shatavari, ashwagandha, cats claw, pau d'arco, nettles, chuchuasi, chanca piedra etc but theres just too many!! :D Sometimes I live off just my fav tea blend, Superfood Coffee, Ormus Gold & Marine Phytoplankton! I blog it all on my board, I would here but honestly I don't like being limited in how many photos I can post. Seems like such a little thing but i am a very visual person and i like to share pics of my recipes etc. One pic per blog is just other then the best ever. hint hint mods! LOL

[RawHeaven]

Cacao, maca, ho shou wu, bee pollen, honey, medicinal mushroom extracts, ginseng, astragalus, ginko, aged garlic extracts, deer antler (they shed them every season you can find them in forests), tocotrienols, kola nut, lucuma, mesquite, spirulina, E3Live... you know what would be easier is to say that pretty much whatever David Wolfe is into i'm into! lol. I could go on naming herbs like shatavari, ashwagandha, cats claw, pau d'arco, nettles, chuchuasi, chanca piedra etc but theres just too many!! :D Sometimes I live off just my fav tea blend, Superfood Coffee, Ormus Gold & Marine Phytoplankton! I blog it all on my board, I would here but honestly I don't like being limited in how many photos I can post. Seems like such a little thing but i am a very visual person and i like to share pics of my recipes etc. One pic per blog is just other then the best ever. hint hint mods! LOL


Ginger, thanks so much for taking the time to post this information. It's the next direction I'm going in...incorporating more superfoods. The thought of the deer antler made the hairs on the back of neck stand up for some reason, lol, but everything else sounds great. I'm going to check out your blog woman.

Peace, love, happiness...
Crystal

[Theogirl]

THese superfoods sound exciting and I'm currently trying some of them. (Bee pollen, spirulina, etc.) Curious if any of them are contraindicated or if you could take too much (not likely to happen with fresh apples!) Should a person research each individual food before partaking?

[Ginger]

Your body and taste buds will let you know how much you want to be taking and when. There are some foods out there like kola nut for example that you don't want to take often or in quantity but when you buy it, it will say so on it or on the site etc. Always good to start out with one new food or herb at a time and read up on it and try it out at a lower dose and increase to where you are comfortable. This way you will be able to see how your body responds to each herb rather then mixing everything under the sun in your first drink, which is also fun hahaha! Much of the stuff I take are 'tonic' herbs that have been traditionally used for many many years and can be eaten daily. It pretty much all combines well except that concentrated isolated Ormus Gold and MSM should be taken on opposite sides of the day because when you take them near eachother the MSM is able to revert the ormus back to its original state thus canceling out the effects of the ormus. However eating ormus containg FOODS like tree mushrooms etc this reaction does not take place when eating MSM together.

Crystal I hear ya on the deer antler, it sounds horrid dosn't it? But they are shed in forests every season and dropped naturally, no deer ever has to be touched.

[Ginger]

Ok here's a couple more contrast shots..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/renfair-b4after.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/2006-2008.jpg

Me yesterday:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/april28th01.jpg

[Ginger]

I still have at least 30 more pounds to shed! i'm getting there!

[Aleesha Sattva]

you sure are!!!

[brydee]

Wow Ginger! you look great.

I think herbs and superfoods are the way to go! i also live mainly on 'superfoods' if i didnt i would be miserable, im finding more and more herbs and superfoods as the weeks go on.

[Jerseygirl]

Ginger, you are such a foxy lady!!!!

I'm definitely inspired by your story. Thanks for sharing!

[plucked]

ginger,

your pics inspire me so freakin' much. I have the same issue with gaining weight even when raw if I consume oils and nuts. I'm curious how much of the superfoods you eat over the course of a day. I'll go back and look and see if you talk about that. I'm runnin' around all day and I don't want to feel hungry and drained.

By the way, I for one totally appreciate the pic with the guns! You're my kinda gal!

yee-haw! :D

[gingincal]

Keep up the great work - you look terrific.

[rawstrength]

Ginger,
At any weight, in all your pictures, you are beautiful and inspirational!

[Ginger]

Thanks!! :D

Ok full body shot taken yesterday! I will update again after I shed the last 30lbs! w00t

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/RVMsSanctuary/sunglasses.jpg

[StarFire]

btw Gorgeous Goddess.... any idea when your un~cook book will be ready? I'm still waiting!!!

veerrrrry patiently.... http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/ongeduld.gif

:D

[shashibala]

You look so good!!! You must feel great too!! Keep those photos coming!
You are an wonderful inspiration to me!:)

[hulagirl]

ginger, you are far beyond beautiful. congratulations! i have to ask, is that a purple light up hula hoop in the last pic? i am constantly on the hunt for new hooping friends!!

[snufkin]

you have an incredibley beautiful face! You look amazing! Congratulations on your weight loss, you must feel awesome about that :D