10 Weeks! :)

[melia]

Gonna try hard to figure out how to post a picture on here! :) I've been waiting two months to do it! I started on June 9th, around 285-290 (might have been higher - didn't have a scale when I first started). I am about 80-90% raw -- gotta have ranch dressing on my salad or I won't eat veggies! :D
But thank God I am finally through the terrible cravings for pizza and chinese food! whoo-hoo. haha.
I started so I could lose weight. I have never dieted before in my life - never wanted to, never had the self-control. Suddenly I just woke up one day thinking - melia, you're killing yourself, you need to change this. And I found out about the raw lifestyle in the middle of the master cleanse I did.
I used to have migraines or tension headaches every other day (obviously from the way I ate) and chronic bachaches, but since I started this lifestyle I have not had any headaches at all. Backaches for a day or two when I get my mens. but that's all now. And I think my eyesight is improving slowly. But all in all -- I feel awesome!

Anyway, I know you're REALLY here to see the pictures! :D

[AllergyGirl]

Woot - you go girl! You started about when I did, and I was even heavier when I began than you were. You look great, and it sounds like you're feeling great as well. :D

[melia]

Oh -- and I've lost 25 pounds!

[AllergyGirl]

Yay! That's awesome! :D

[melia]

How are you doing on your 'diet' AllergyGirl? I bet you're feeling as good as I am! :)

[GlimR]

You look beautiful!!!!:) Love the haircut too!

[AllergyGirl]

I'm doing awesome too - lost 28.8 pounds so far, and feel amazing. I have a lot of energy and some of my health issues are resolving themselves. Isn't it wonderful? :D

[melia]

You look beautiful!!!!:) Love the haircut too!

Thank you! :) It is a test to see how fast it will grow! Plus it needed to be trimmed, badly.

[melia]

I'm doing awesome too - lost 28.8 pounds so far, and feel amazing. I have a lot of energy and some of my health issues are resolving themselves. Isn't it wonderful? :D

Awesome! And all those great changes keep us highly motivated. ;) It is amazing what the body will do when you take care of it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

congrats!!! keep up the raw and watch the weight release... melting away...

[ava]

Melia,
Congratulations! Your skin and eyes are radiant! Keep it up!
Ava

[RawTorahKeeper]

Fantastic pictures! I too, was slowly killing myself. At 280 lbs. I put my foot down in March and said 'no more'. Haven't looked back since. ;)
Keep it up girl! We are here for you!

[Zaphirah]

way to go sister!!! what an inspiration you are! (don't know if you've tried it but if you want to, here's a pretty darn good raw ranch recipe: http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=36267&highlight=snowdrop%27s+ranch )

[gritsnla]

Wow!! Totally agree - it's in the eyes!! Lovely!

[melia]

When I first started, I tried to find a raw ranch dressing I could stand to eat. ;) But I didn't like it and I wasn't eating my veggies. I figured it was way more important to make sure I'm eating my veggies! (even if they are laced with ranch dressing....) haha. That is one of the only stipulations I make in this diet other than eating a square of dark chocolate every other night. ;) I did make it one whole month without chocolate...then I went crazy. :P
The ranch dressing I use is organic, so it has no chemicals in it. But when I try other dressings I can definately taste the chemicals in them now. Hidden valley ranch?? Now it just tastes...nasty!!! Blawghhh! It's like my taste buds suddenly woke up when I switched to this raw lifestyle! haha.
I have been eating some salmon this past week, because my body seemed to be needing and craving it for some weird reason (two months ago I HATED fish, my tastes are changing SO much). I decided to try some after finding out my eyesight is improving on this diet, because the leptin you get from green leafies and the omega-3 oils you get from fish or walnuts are supposed to be very good for your vision. I haven't noticed if it slows down the weight loss, but it slows the digestion down a lot. I'm gonna go back to no-cooked/no-meat next week probably. I just feel better. :D

[green jeanie]

awesome news woman!

it's so great to hear that you can already taste the difference in the quality and taste of your food and in the quality of your digestion.

Those are the most important changes because it will keep you going back to the GOODNESS ;).....because they are good!!!

stay happy!

[Baby Bird]

What a difference! You look so focused and beautiful in that last photo. Thank you for the inspiration.

[Tru]

Melia, I'm so happy for you! How wonderful to be blessed to see the changes that are happening for you! That's very interesting about now tasting the chemicals. I wonder if it will be the same for me?

May the Lord bless you as you continue your journey!
Susie
:rolleyes:













Gonna try hard to figure out how to post a picture on here! :) I've been waiting two months to do it! I started on June 9th, around 285-290 (might have been higher - didn't have a scale when I first started). I am about 80-90% raw -- gotta have ranch dressing on my salad or I won't eat veggies! :D
But thank God I am finally through the terrible cravings for pizza and chinese food! whoo-hoo. haha.
I started so I could lose weight. I have never dieted before in my life - never wanted to, never had the self-control. Suddenly I just woke up one day thinking - melia, you're killing yourself, you need to change this. And I found out about the raw lifestyle in the middle of the master cleanse I did.
I used to have migraines or tension headaches every other day (obviously from the way I ate) and chronic bachaches, but since I started this lifestyle I have not had any headaches at all. Backaches for a day or two when I get my mens. but that's all now. And I think my eyesight is improving slowly. But all in all -- I feel awesome!

Anyway, I know you're REALLY here to see the pictures! :D

[melia]

Beginning of week 16 ---- so Four months! :)
37 pounds lost.
Began at : 283
Currently at : 246
Goal : 180
I've gone from a size 26-28 in pants down to 20 or 22 (and now my new jeans are too big) :D
Only bad thing -- I have no clothes that fit anymore.... :rolleyes:

The weightloss has been slower this month, but that's okay. It doesn't show on the scale, but I can tell my shoulders and waist are slimming down. I've been excersing more this month also, so I might just be building up those muscles.
When I first started eating raw I figured I would just give it 6 months and then go back to my old lifestyle. It was all about the weight loss at the beginning.
But, honestly, it's about so much more than the weight loss. The weight loss is just one tiny part of it! I'm happy and filled with joy! And confident in myself. I feel pretty. I am starting to love exercising and swimming.
Now I'm totally convinced that this is a lifestyle I will pursue for the rest of my life!

It is so weird how much my tastes have changed. About a month ago or so I was craving salmon and so I was eating it every so often, but I quit that because...now it just tastes nasty... I would much rather have a big salad. :D

More pictures: The first one was taken 4 months ago, and the fourth one was taken about a year ago. The three are new ones.

[islesgirl]

I am so glad I peeked at RFT tonight. (have been playing hookey:o) First place I checked was "before & afters" (we need more of these) and here you are looking so happy, healthy and getting slimmer by the minute! Melia, you are just lovely and I want to commend you for the fine effort you are making to change your life. You will be amazed - I am sure you already are - with the transformation that is taking place.

Rawsome!:D

[ArcturusXIV]

You are looking so much happier! Keep detoxing. Let us know how it goes!

[Tulpa]

OMG! That last picture is stunning! You are simply stunning! What a transformation! Keep going!

[Cottonball McFluffy]

You are looking very fabulous. Keep on rawkin! :D

[RawHorizons]

Girl,your are looking awesome!! So cool what raw has done for you.Keep up the good work..... Very inspirational :)

[JCB44]

Congrats!!! keep up the raw life

[sinopa27]

love those pics! keep it up!!

[laura-jane]

Wow, looking great! Way to go and we look forward to tracking your progress as time progresses. Keep us posted!

[melia]

Almost five months. It is week 19, but I think by the time I am at 19 weeks, it doesn't really matter what week it is anymore!

Things I have learned:
1. Be very careful when you are using a mandolin to slice your carrots. It can and will slice your finger too.
2. Eating cooked food will make me feel like I was hit by a train the following day.
3. Steamed veggies are good, but taste even better when they are still crunchy!
4. If there is a goody day at work, bring lots of fruit to tide you over.
5. I am addicted to green grapes.
6. I can and will eat an entire bag of grapes in one sitting.
7. Bananas make the world go round.
8. So does romaine lettuce.
9. Favorite night snack : sliced carrots with sunflower seeds and dressing all mixed together.
10. 'That time of the month' is SO MUCH easier to handle on a raw diet!!!! :D
11. If they are trying to give you free pizza at work, the only thing you can do is hold your breath as you walk down the hall, run past the lunchroom as fast as you can and go sit outside during your break, no matter how chilly it is!
12. There will always be one guy who will offer to eat your free pizza, or cupcakes, or cookies for you.
13. After going raw for at least 5 months, taking the time to make a smoothie or prepare a salad just seems way too long to you now. :D
14. All the money in the world could not make you eat anything that has been fried in a deep-fat fryer.
15. People are very curious about the raw diet, especially when they see the effects it has on one.
16. People are certain they could not handle going raw.
17. I should get a nickle everytime someone asks me how I get protein in a raw diet.
18. I should also get a nickle everytime someone asks me how I get calcium in a raw diet.
19. Mixing pinapple with your green leafies will give you the worst stomach cramps you have ever expereienced in your life...
20. I have never again had a craving for lemons after I did the master cleanse for 10 days.
21. Stepping onto the scale everyday will probably not burn enough calories to make you loose a pound....But sometimes it does. :D
22. Nothing in the world is as good as the feeling you get when you fit into the size jeans you wore back in highschool.
23. Except maybe chocolate. :D

[RawHorizons]

I'm so glad for you,looking healthy healthy healthy and very happy!!Congratz on 5 months.


Im nearing my two months in,can relate to some of the stuff you wrote lol
Its ever changing though it seems and the raw food is so versitile no way to get bored.

Keep rawking it :)

[janicejourney]

Love your list :) Made me smile!

[GlimR]

You're looking awesome Melia...great list...was fun to read~:)

[Conscious Midwife]

Congrats on a great release and amazing transformation!:)

[KaleMama]

WOW!!! Congratulations, you look amazing and that smile says it all!

Keep it up!!! :)

[AdrianaH]

The ranch dressing I use is organic, so it has no chemicals in it. But when I try other dressings I can definately taste the chemicals in them now.



I have to agree on this... I used to have mayonnaise a lot... and the other day I was cleaning up my fridge.. and there was a small jar of Mayo... I tasted it with my finger and I could definitely taste the difference..... it must be the chemicals.... Awwwgh!!

[AdrianaH]

Anyway, I know you're REALLY here to see the pictures! :D

Hahaha... so you think we're just here for the pics.... you're wrong... About those headaches.... I used to get them a lot too... To me, the were getting close to migraines.... they would last for about two + days... now they're gone...

I'm so happy for you..... keep up the good work....;)

[AdrianaH]

The weightloss has been slower this month, but that's okay. It doesn't show on the scale, but I can tell my shoulders and waist are slimming down.

When I first started eating raw I figured I would just give it 6 months and then go back to my old lifestyle. It was all about the weight loss at the beginning.
But, honestly, it's about so much more than the weight loss. The weight loss is just one tiny part of it! I'm happy and filled with joy! And confident in myself.


YOu night think that you're not loosing weight... but it's t=different through the eyes of someone else... you're definitely loosing the weight... you look great... and like you, I also said to myself... " I'll just try it for a month"... but now... i know it's a lifestyle for me.....

I wish you the best!!!!...

[AdrianaH]

10. 'That time of the month' is SO MUCH easier to handle on a raw diet!!!! :D :D


About this one on your list.... I also noticed that for me... my breasts used to get sore about 2-3 day before the day... but now it's gone too.....

We can only expect good things from our Raw world..... :D

[okorolina40]

i love your list too!! congrats on changing your life thru raw foods!

[melia]

Officially made it to six months. :D
I'm hanging around the -50 to 55lbs. RIght now it is Christmas though, and I am just focused on getting through this holiday with no sugar rushes. Because even though I know all those goodies are going to make me feel sick and tired and exhausted if I eat them, they still look good! But today I plan on making some raw cocoa truffles and take them along so I won't be as tempted to eat what everyone else is.
ANyway----
I am so freaking cold!!!! I now know what everyeone was talking about when they complain about being so cold their first winter! Haha. I wear at least two sweatshirts everyday. ;) I have found that my temperature is down one whole degree than it normally is. And I am very tempted to eat warm foods. I think most of it is because I have lost so much body fat, there is nothing to insulate me anymore. :rolleyes:
The last one is an old pic from a 1 1/2 years ago. But these new pics are from about a month ago now, I don't have any recent ones yet. My mom had taken me shopping, until then I have been hiding beneath my old baggy clothes and no one really knew what I looked like underneath them! Not even me! haha. She made me put this shirt on that you see in the picture and both of our eyes got really wide. "Why are you wearing those big sweatshirts!!" :D

[DawnD]

Melia, you look fabulous! I admire your will power. Keep us posted on your journey.

About being cold, I asked for knee socks and cuddle duds for Christmas. The layers definately help.

[GreenBee]

Great job!

[melia]

About being cold, I asked for knee socks and cuddle duds for Christmas. The layers definately help.

I love kneesocks!!!! :D I've been buying them left and right this winter! haha.

[melia]

Hahaha... so you think we're just here for the pics.... you're wrong... About those headaches.... I used to get them a lot too... To me, the were getting close to migraines.... they would last for about two + days... now they're gone...

I'm so happy for you..... keep up the good work....;)


Adriana---Your profile pic makes me hungry! ahhahaha :D

[RawHorizons]

Your are doing awesome,your eyes look so bright!!

[AdrianaH]

Doesn't it look tasty??!!!...:D
I love colorful fruit..... I have a thing for sweets... What better way to go than fruit??...:rolleyes:

[melia]

Wow, I haven't updated this in a while and I realized it is the anniversary month of the year I went raw and lost 70 pounds!! :dance:
I'm still eating high raw, except on the weekends because my boyfriend is a fabulous cook. :) From February to May I had stopped eating salads cause I was just so sick and tired of them! And I instead got hooked on breads & dairy. It is amazing to see how much of a change that has in your body and how it operates. I just felt so tired and cranky and the headaches & backaches came back. I kept telling my boyfriend it was because of the flour and the sugar, but he didn't believe that it would have that kind of an effect. He dared me to quit eating that stuff for a month to see if all those symptoms went away. So I did! And I'm proud to say I have kicked that habit again! :excited:
I've been falling into the habit of snacking on chocolate in the evening, my body craves the sugars again. :drool: And I am terrified of falling back into my old habits. I can tell I need to detox again. So I am thinking about doing the Master Cleanse again, or just a juice fast. Would a juice fast probably be better? You'd get more of a variety of nutrition then just the lemons provide. Plus I got so sick of that lemonade by the end of that cleanse. I hadn't even juiced a lemon for an entire year, until yesterday when i made some lemonade. 'hum, why does the taste of this give me terrible memories?????'

Anyway, thought I'd update my pictures, I never really gave you guys the end result. I guess I don't call it the end though, cause I still have some work to do in the belly area.
From June 2010-Feb 2011 I lost 70 pounds, and from Feb til now I have been maintaining that weight-loss.

[RawHorizons]

I am so friggin proud for you!!!
Can relate to your fear of falling off the wagon,Im 11 months in and having some issues.Going to rethink my diet,know Im getting tired of some things I couldnt get enough off and never thought id tire of.Thinking more pure food to qwell the cravings and amp up the nutrition.
IMO ,a juice feast is the best way to go.For some reason it scares the crap out of me (not eating) but makes the most sense.Its not harsh and it aids all the cells as you heal.I want to do one day,Hmmm your post has got me wanting to be brave lol!!

Anyhow beyond all that,just wanted to say, you look soo much more confident and happier!!! Keep up the great work!!

[siennagray]

Glad to see you checking in here again. :) Good for you for kicking the bread/dairy habit again. And hopefully your BF now realizes how much that junk can truly affect you.

I agree that you should do a juice fast. There is nothing wrong with the master cleanse, but if you are dreading the lemonade before you even start, I don't think it would be the right thing for you right now.

[lilacmuse]

Gonna try hard to figure out how to post a picture on here! :) I've been waiting two months to do it! I started on June 9th, around 285-290 (might have been higher - didn't have a scale when I first started). I am about 80-90% raw -- gotta have ranch dressing on my salad or I won't eat veggies! :D
But thank God I am finally through the terrible cravings for pizza and chinese food! whoo-hoo. haha.
I started so I could lose weight. I have never dieted before in my life - never wanted to, never had the self-control. Suddenly I just woke up one day thinking - melia, you're killing yourself, you need to change this. And I found out about the raw lifestyle in the middle of the master cleanse I did.
I used to have migraines or tension headaches every other day (obviously from the way I ate) and chronic bachaches, but since I started this lifestyle I have not had any headaches at all. Backaches for a day or two when I get my mens. but that's all now. And I think my eyesight is improving slowly. But all in all -- I feel awesome!

Anyway, I know you're REALLY here to see the pictures! :D

You look amazing!

[trenchchic]

You look amazing. Your skin! It's beautiful!

[MeredithLee]

Damn. Awesome work! Very inspiring.

[melia]

Hey! Have you guys seen the new documentary called:
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead?
It's about the raw lifestyle, they're focusing more on juice fasting primarily.
You can see it on netflix

[Conscious Midwife]

You have done awesome thus far and I think it was 'good" that you took a break so that you could then be your own leaving proof of what felt best.:heart: Congrats on the weight release!