After 1 year - 50 pounds lost

[Zella Juice]

Here is a face shot. Still trying to find a full body shot of me "before"

The dark circles under my eyes are so much lighter.

I have been raw for a year with lots of going back and forth to cooked. Now I am not interested in cooked at all because of how terrible it makes me feel.

Always doing green smoothies every day. They really helped me get back on track.

[Veganforlife]

Holy schmoley girl! GOOD GOOD GOOD. YAY YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Raene]

Whoa, GO you!!!!

[oceanee]

You look fantastic ! Great inspiration to post your beautiful healthy head shot !!
Oceanee

[rawstrength]

Wow! Fantastic!

[GlimR]

You look so young and fresh...beautiful blue eyes!!
Really a great inspiration.thanks~*s*

[Zella Juice]

Thanks everyone!

I must add that ..the "before" pic was after 9 months of mostly steak. I can hardly believe that was my old life.

[RawHeaven]

Inspiring!! Zella Juice you were beautiful before and even more beautiful now! You've got the glow. Wow, congratulations.

[Aleesha Sattva]

wow... you look like a totally different person!!!

congrats on bringing more raw into your body... (((hugs)))

[Anastazia]

What IS zella juice, anyways? A fruit I've never heard of??? A new recipe???

One thing I KNOW it definitely is, (YOU ARE!!!) is TRANSFORMED!!!!!

You look radiant, & your natural beauty just shines thru now!!!

It amazes me every day what RAW does!!!

{9 months of steak...oy, vey!}

~Anastazia~

[Morn]

What an amazing difference - congratulations!:D

[avanderland]

You LOOK AMAZING! Your now shot is so full of life and health and vibrancy! You rock it raw style :D

[Zella Juice]

Thanks :D

Zella Juice is the name of the Juice Bar I owned and recently sold. I just made up the name. It's in Snohomish, WA and is now called Puma Juice.

[Eva]

Wow, seriously, you should be giving yourself lots of pats on the back! You have done some amazing changes for yourself! :)

[shashibala]

Woooohooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are transformed!!!

[smoothiegirl]

WOW! Is that you?

[Honeybee]

You look FAB! What an inspiration you are to me. Thank you for sharing.:D

[Marin Mom]

Wow, what a difference! You look like 20 years younger now!!!!!!!!!

[Zella Juice]

I love to make my contribution to this site and share my story because this site has helped me SOOO much with ideas and support. I am glad I can give back.

This also inspires me to find a body shot. I know I have one somewhere.

We went to the lake and there were a bunch of ladies in bikinis..my husband said I looked better than them. I always just wear a modest one piece. I would never wear a bikini. But this summer...I think I might just buy a bikini in a few weeks. I just hope I don't blind anyone with my white stomach. :D

[phedre]

Wow, what a fantastic, healthy change!! I say do it - get that 2 piece suit and wear it proudly!! :D

[Zella Juice]

20 years.. :eek: now now...that might be pushin it. hehe.

But it's cool cause my husband is 10 years younger than me and the people at the grocery store were amazed when he told them I was 10 years older. I used to have a problem with being so much older than him but I am fine with it because I am so happy with myself. I am also not as jealous as I used to be.

I am 36 by the way.

5'8

179 pounds

I started at 230 pounds

And...I haven't weighed myself in the last 15 years. I wouldn't even look at the scale...Until that dreaded day I realized I was 230 and thought it was going to be somewhere around 200..what a shock that was.

[lucky lemons]

Wow, you look terrific! Congratulations!

[ShelShel]

Congratulations on such a great weight loss and attitude! Keep it up! Good job! You look great! :D

[shashibala]

I had scale shock myself!!! It hurts! I went on a trip and the inevitable photos reminded me of how large I had become! I got on the scale and fell off!
At barely 5'3", I weighed 195! Thank goodness for raw!
Congratulations to you!

[100percent]

U look really good! CONGATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

[Vaclare79]

You look so different wow.. That is truly amazing and inspiring! :)

[Zella Juice]

yeah Shashi those pictures never lie. I am having the hardest time finding a before pic of my body. I deleted them all. And never printed them out. I know my mom took one of me and I have it around here somewhere. I wasn't as big as I was at my heaviest but I remember thinking I was lookin' pretty good that day..until I saw the photos. I had to donate those pants I was wearing because they were so big they were falling off. Even the skinny pants in the closet are loose on me..you know the ones we keep in the closet for when we get skinny?

And I am not even at my goal weight yet. And it really doesn't matter.

I want to say THANKS again for all the wonderful comments.You guys are the best. :)

[maui_butterfly]

*thunderous applause*

wowsers! you look FABULOUS! excellent job, you must be so proud of yourself... and with good reason.

[LivingRawGirl]

You look great, what a wonderful transformation!

[Zella Juice]

Your pics are my inspiration LivingRawGirl. I printed them out to show everyone at work. I just love these Before and Afters.

[RoseCityRaw]

Thanks for posting the before and after -- most inspirational! :D

[Patsy]

Thanks Zella for posting! The timing was a perfect encouragement to me. I just officially weighed in with body fat percents, etc. with my trainer yesterday and was so bummed to see the real numbers. I've been fully raw and exercising since May and my goal is one year to show significant results. I hope for 50lbs by then, but this is really the rest of my life, so I guess it doesn't matter. The neat thing my trainer said, "Here are the numbers, but remember, they have no eternal significance."

I rejoice with you! Your testimony blesses me to know I'm headed in the right direction, too. :D

[Zella Juice]

No problem Patsy. I know the feeling oh so well. I didn't weigh myself for awhile when I was raw. And thought I would have lost all this weight and NOOO..I hardly lost any. But people were saying how great I looked. I realized my weight was shifting and I was building muscle first.

I followed the plan and only did raw. But I used cold pressed oil on my salad which was holding me back and the bananas in my smoothies were slowing down the digestion process. Once I felt I was strong enough to go without those things. The weight started falling off again.

Glad you are doing well. Take lots of pictures along the way..so you can see the progress because sometimes you don't realize that you are looking better until you see the changes in a photo.

[Patsy]

Hey Zella,

Were cold pressed oil and bananas the only foods that kept you back? Were there others?

What did you use on salads instead?

Thanks for your input! :D

[carolg]

Zella,
You are a rawking star. Wow, what a difference. Isn't it amazing? Super congrats. for your hard work.

I "examined" your website with a fine tooth. I love all that I see, but couldn't get the family pictures going. What is happening to me? I loved your WA ideas.

The ice cream machine looks great Have you known it to work with raw? Would you have to prepare it another way, like we all do, then put it through the machine? Just trying to get my brain kicked in to see the whole picture.

The childcare sounds fabulous.

Best to you.

Again, you worked hard and earned it all.

Amazing. Were your smoothies with lots of fruits? Any coconut oil or butter? How much?

Carolg......

[carolg]

I hadn't been on a scale for years myself, but when I decided to leap to another gym I made a great decision. Bally's didn't do it for me for 25 years. 24 hour fitness membership included 5 training sessions which I later continued and paid for. Learned so much about machines. Got lots of results. Coming up to a year. I need to get back on scale, but last was 30 or was it 32 pounds down? A pastor who hadn't seen me for about 10 years saw me other day at church. He asked me "what happened to the other half of me." That's a compliment and all worth working for!

Best to you and your hubby losing 100+ is quite a testimony.

Maybe a book---We LOST the Battle--we WON the weight loss game!

carolg

[Zella Juice]

Patsy,

When I first went raw..I didn't cut anything out ..It was hard enough just staying raw. I went 3 months and lost most the weight then. Then winter came..and we were really busy and didn't have time to make things...we had some Thai food and it started the vicious cooked food cycle all over again. I started a new job and it was hard to even think about being raw. But I knew that juicing got me on track before ..so I just kept juicing and adding it to the green smoothies. I had one every morning before work..and ate cooked vegan stuff. Then I just got to a point where the cooked food was making me feel terrible. I started making my big salads again. I didn't want tough leaf lettuce..I only wanted iceburg. Something about the crunch. I added a bunch of stuff...avocado, carrots, tomatoes, cukes, celery..basil leaves, chopped garlic (that helped make me think I was eating cooked), olive oil or sesame oil...So anyways...I ate that same thing for a few months and started feeling better. And wasn't bored of the food. I was starting to get back into the joy of it. But I wasn't losing any weight. So once I got strong enough and was able to ..I cut out the oil. I won't cut out the avacados. It's impossible for me to. I have 2 a day.

So yeah..the oil and the bananas were the only things I cut out. My body is cleansing like crazy. It's like I am on a juice fast. Now I am fine with a yellow pepper and onion. I make the pepper like a boat and put avacado in it...and a little sea salt and I'm good to go. I never thought in a 1000 years that I would be able to fast...but I think it might actually be possible some day if I can do this.

I also discovered hemp seeds on my salad. I don't do them as much because all I crave now is just the raw veggies with hardly any prep. Which is great because I am so busy. You will get to this point too. Just keep up the juicing.

Carol,

Thanks for all your nice comments.

The ice cream ..we made in the blender and just poured it in the machine. It was cashews & water, honey, pinch of salt and whatever flavor..strawberries, peaches, cacao powder, or vanilla bean. They wanted me to use this petroleum based stuff for the lubricating of the machine but it gets in the ice cream..eww...so I just used coconut oil and it worked great! I had people who lived hours away come for the ice cream. If you don't have a machine...you can just pour it in ice cube trays or in a dish and freeze..then pop them out and throw them in the food processor.

The smoothies we sold were fresh juice, bananas and berries with cashew milk that had honey in it. And you could add greens for a dollar more. I don't think the new owners are doing that anymore. I am taking a break from smoothies because of the bananas. I sometimes blend some greens in with my raw V8 juice. Sometimes I have a tad of coconut oil in my drink for better absorbtion.

About your exercise comment. I need to start working out. I am on my feet alot and didn't exercise to lose the weight. But now I am in need of some toning. We are swimming in the lake after work now. That's about the extent of it. We are both not exercise/diet people. So anything that is easy ..is what we will choose.

I have thought about a book. I was thinking about a raw preparation book for kids. My son's eyes light up when he hears about another kid who is raw. Or a book for parents ..helping them with raising a raw child. There are so many issues that we have had to deal with.

It would have been nice if I would have had some instruction and guidance and support in my area. That's why I am starting the Raw Community Center. If only I had the money to start it now. But I think it will come. Everything seems to be falling in place now that I am taking charge of my health.

THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

(((((((((((((((Raw Food Talkers)))))))))))))))))

[LivingRawGirl]

Zella,
Your comments are very kind. You know, the only reason I posted my pics was because so many others had inspired me, so I certainly understand your reasons! I admire your goals and wish you the best!

[Patsy]

Thanks Zella for describing how it has gone for you - it really helps when others describe their personal experiences on Planet Raw - it helps me know I'm in the right place! :D

It's also an encouragement to know that although there are soooooooo many wonderful recipes out there, I don't have to make one everyday - the Good Lord has already properly pre-packaged so many perfect foods!

And you have also given me a key that I think will help - those green smoothies in the morning - what a great way to consistently do breakfast - which is a new thing I am trying to incorporate (breakfast), but I get so overwhelmed by the possibilities - I forget there's a perfectly good, variable constant for me right there which will take some of the overwhelmedness of it out for me!

Don't know if that makes sense, but you have encouraged me again. Thank you! :)

[spicyfull]

What a RAWonderful Story.........You RAWk

[Zella Juice]

Thanks Spicy!

Patsy,
Another reason I started juicing was to break out of the McDonalds Mcmuffin habit that I had. I would have two of them with the hash browns every morning before work. I decided I would make juice and have that instead. I had to have something for breakfast because I would wake up so VERy VERy hungry. The juicer was loud while everyone in my family still slept... and it took longer but I could go longer before lunch. With the McMuffins I would be Starving three hours later..and the whole carb vicious cycle would start again. And I would want a burger and fries. Especially when you work in an office like I do...because everyone is eating out and buying everyone lunch. And birthdays with the cakes. I just kept my juice cup with me and it helped with the temptations.

Glad I could be of some help Patsy.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Congratulations, you look great and healthy!

[moonstar]

Skins looks awesome, glowing, radiant!

[carolg]

Zella,
Thanks for sharing about the ice cream, smoothies, cold pressed oil and banana elimination. I appreciate you being transparent. I'm so excited for your success. It's amazing to feel like we all know each other here being so supportive. I sure wish it was reality where I live and the few people I mingle with.

Ice cream question:
Cashews were UNsoaked I assume?

I never used vanilla bean and am clueless how to open it. Any suggestions? Do you use just one bean once opened? It breaks up when you blend?

The coconut oil is the solid thing that becomes more liquid like when added to the ice cream? I have some I use on my skin in the solid container that immediately melts when touches my skin. Same kind? I never refrigerate it or should I after opened?

Your plans sound great.

For me I didn't realize I had gotten to my highest weight nor did I see how people saw me as heavy. Now to hear I am slim is so refreshing. Having a personal trainer, that was pricey for a few months, helped me learn how to use the machines at the gym properly. I was always into exercise, but floating from machine to machine not knowing how to use them for my benefit. Now I am past that stage and do understand the machines. Not everyone needs a gym. You can start with a walking program, moving faster each day, doing some squats along the way or lunges. You can even do some jumping in your own yard. I love thrift stores so finding used weights works great! Right shoes is key and no substitute however. I love Kohl's for shoes, save box and receipt if ever a problem for a refund. No kidding. No fancy pants or shorts but comfort. I stretch out on a foam roller. I also do turbo kick boxing in a class setting, yoga and now going to take a pilates reformer class. I do overeat my fruits and that is not getting the weight off as quickly as you expressed for yourself with all my working out about 5 days per week, 2 hours or more. No kidding.

I would encourage you on the book ideas. We can never read or have too much information to learn. Your weight loss testimony along with others here are absolutely fabulous and will touch many. It's about getting the word out.

Wishing you the ultimate best and will continue reading your success story. Regardless if you happen to miss a moment of what you see as "success" bounce right back and you will spring or sprint forward again. Don't be hard on yourself for those unexpected moments that seem to trickle in.

Looking forward to more of your sharings. I'm here, I care!

carolg

[Zella Juice]

Aww Carol (((hugs))). I wish we could have a Rawfoodtalk party. I guess they are having one at Alissa's restaurant. I wish I could go. I would love to meet alot of people on here like you in person.

I actually didn't realize I had a dramatic change....even though people would tell me. I didn't really see it THAT much. Until I found that "Before" picture I have posted. Seeing the two pictures side by side really made me see the difference. I encourage all of you to take a before body shot and a face shot too. I took a before body shot and it got earased :( so I am stuck trying to find one.

I haven't found the time or money for a gym membership. At this time I am doing alot of stretching to tone up. I ride my bike to work and walk at lunch..so I am getting some cardio..but not much. It's only a few blocks. Weight loss is slow but steady. If I was still in my 20's the weight would be dropping off so fast. But now that I am 36 it's much harder.

[linda7276]

You look FABULOUS!! Inspirational and great to hear!! :D

[StarFire]

Wowzers!!! You look amazing... !!! You are glowing girl and what an inspiration you are!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/thyahoo.gif... RAAAWk on!!

[Zella Juice]

Thanks Starfire, you are my inspiration!

I went to Value Villlage today and bought some size 12 plaid mini skirts :eek:

I thought I would just save them for when they would fit but they fit now! I went from size 18 to 12 so far!

I felt like the girl at the counter was thinking "why is this fat girl buying these?" ..I guess I still have a fat girl mentality.

I also bought a fancy dress that is just beautiful and doesn't quite fit yet..Maybe by then end of the summer. And I can do something I have never done which is go somewhere formal and dress up. I might even have a marriage ceremony and wear it because I think it might have been a simple wedding dress. We never had a real wedding..just a court thing and we were both so FAT in the pictures...I don't want to share them with anyone. Now we both have lost alot of weight and it would be cool to get some formal pictures of us looking good. The dress does fit now it's just really clingy so I need to lose the rest of my belly. I think I will use it for my "after" photo body shot.

I just wanted to share my excitement because I am just blown away that I can fit into this size. I think the last time I was this size was 8th grade. :o

[shashibala]

That is wonderful! I am shopping in my attic and being reunited with clothes that were favorites that I thought i would never wear again! I'll buy some when I reach the Goal. I can't wait to see you in your new dress!!!!!!:)

[Zella Juice]

Thanks Shashibala! my skinny clothes from the attic are too big. crazy crazy stuff. I never would have thought I could get down this many sizes. It's truly a RAW MIRACLE :D

[Bethanie]

You are lovely, you are beautiful now share the rest of you with the rest of us:D
B.

[Zella Juice]

I'm workin on it. I haven't found the best "before" shot yet. They are hard to come by because I deleted alot of them because they would make me sad to look at them. My Mom prolly has tons but I haven't talked to her in awhile. Long story. So yeah..they are coming. I have one "before" it's just not very good. Stay tuned. :D

[jacsam]

It's like two different people.

[Zella Juice]

Here are some full body shots for ya.

I just had a baby in the first shot and didn't lose that weight for 7 years. UGH.

(I don't know why I got 'crazy eyes' in the second shot. But oh well. I am not taking it again.)

Also, I am up to 60 pounds lost now.

[Moretta]

Zella Juice: You look fantastic. You are such a pretty woman.

Be proud of yourself and only look ahead.

[The Incredible Fruit]

you look infinitely younger!! AMAZING :)