Over 115lbs released! My Before and After Pics! :)

[ChefDina]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to post my before and after pics to help lend some inspiration to those of you who are getting started on this raw journey. I began my raw journey a little over 4 years ago when my father who had diabetes and heart disease ended up in the hospital having a quadruple bypass and was given 6 months to live. My sister was pre-diabetic at the time and only age 22 and was around 30lbs heavier than I was at my heaviest and that was a scary time for me. I got into serious action mode and found Alissa's site and started a 30-day 100% raw food challenge when I first started and seeing other people's photos and reading their stories inspired me that this was the right thing to do. Since that time I've become a raw vegan chef, attended the living light culinary arts institute, completed alissa's program and have been teaching and traveling all over the place giving classes and seminars on the importance of a healthy diet, especially one rich in greens and how to combat diabetes and heart disease with raw foods. My life has completely changed! See my pics below, also please check out my websites for more inspiration, videos, recipes etc. :)

Please check out my websites at http://www.greenivore.net & http://www.elivinghealth.com

If you're on Facebook add me as a friend I have several videos and recipes on there and a "Greenivore" group with going green tips that I'd love to connect with you all on. I also have started a blog at http://www.dinaknight.com

P.S. I'm doing classes both online and Live. I've got one coming up Feb 28th called EASY Greens that will be outside of Austin and Live Webcasted as well. Check out my website http://www.greenivore.net/classes.html to sign up for that.
My next longer programs are coming up March 8th-12th in Alameda CA a 5-day program on detox, weight-loss and how to eat a high-green diet, then Mar 14th I'll be in Santa Rosa CA, and then March 15th I'll be doing a lecture at cafe gratitude for Monday Night Live!. Please visit my website for more details on that and how to register and also my releasing weight program for those of you who are interested in learning more on my main site!
http://www.greenivore.net/classes.html

Have a great day!
Chef Dina Knight

[rawstrength]

Wow! Congratulations! You look terrific!

[MelissaO]

You are a radiant beauty. What a beautiful healthy glow that you have from within.

Great job on all your hard work.

[bicb85]

Dina,

WOW!!! You look amazing!!!!!!!! Thank you for posting. I am fairly new to raw foods and I am loving it so far. I need to lose about 30-40 pounds and it really helps me to read other people's stories. You are such an inspiration!

I am already signed up for the rawkathon and I cant wait until it starts!!

[buffalogal]

I'm so happy for you that you have made such a wonderful transformation!! I truly hope that your father is still with you and has also made a tranformation in his life. And I hope you have been an inspiration to your sister as well. Continue the raw way - you are an inspiration to many!! Thank you!

[spicyfull]

You look RAWvalious............

[carolg]

Gorgeous, radiant, glowing and everything that relates to healthy and beauty you are. Wow. Congrat. You earned it and glad you got others listening. Off to check out your website. Wow 100+ pound loss.

I promoted with Cherie www.rawhike.com here in CO but also active in conference calls with her and Dan to get this message out.

Please suggest where you get your seaweeds. I love, love dulse...red..purple kinds....

Tonight we have rawluck and just love seaweeds minus kombu, nori just dry, but dulse dry is favorite or in salads.

How's sis doing? Changed? Healed? How are you marketing yourself as most refuse to listen. So proud of you.

Do you have youtube too? If so may have seen you there too.

Know my friend brigittemars.com? www.rainbeaumars.com daughter and great friends with Juliano.

Let us know if you come our way....between Denver/Boulder, CO

carolg

carolg

[Lady Green Jeans]

Totally awsome. You are truly a new woman.

Thank you for sharing your inspiration.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

HOLY CROW!! What a marvellous healing! Congratulations!

[SmilingRawDancer]

Wow a high-green diet! If you have any good high-green desserts I'm SO DOWN.

[tanishamarshall]

Wow, you look great... Congratulations...

[Raw Angel Mom]

Agree, you look great and radiant!

Congratulations!

[Pking]

Wow that's awesome! I'm very happy for you. Great job!

[ChefDina]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments, I'm glad to be an inspiration to others and I support you on your journeys as well.

I would say I eat a high-green diet more so than a strict raw foods diet. I'm really not focused on being 100% raw anymore, my focus is really on getting as many varieties of greens into my diet as possible and focusing on health and nutrient density rather than if something is "raw". In the beginning I was religiously strict but I ended up with some imbalances that were do to mineral deficiencies which improved when I upped my greens. I do eat a ton of raw food and the majority of my diet is raw but the first question I ask myself now isn't "is this raw", I ask myself "is this healthy?" So I've had a bit of a shift in perception, like I would rather eat a plate of steamed broccoli that was lightly cooked out at a restaurant than eat a cup of almond butter that was raw if those were the only two items available.

So one of the keys I've found to being able to sustain the weight loss and avoid cravings was really eating high-green. That's when I coined the term "Greenivore". A person that is a "Green Consumer", it has many connotations and I list three levels of greenivore on my website. Basically the inspiration is that plant-based lifestyles are best for the environment and best for you, whether that is cooked or raw. I do advocate eating high-levels of raw foods and the majority of my recipes are raw, but since I work with so many people in transition who are very obese I know what the detox can be like at these weights so you have to meet people where they're at.

I have met Briggite Mars before briefly at raw spirit fest a few years ago. I never met her daughter however. This past raw spirit fest where I was doing a chef Demo I know that she was there doing some yoga stuff. Of course I know Cherie Soria and Dan, she asked me to come and help her at a demo during the World Veg day in San Fran, but I wasn't able to make it out there, but we did reconnect at Raw Spirit.

As far as seaweed/sea veg:
I really started getting into sea vegetables because of my hypothyroidism. I wanted to find a natural way to reverse that and certain sea vegetables are an excellent way to do so. I've gotten my seaweeds from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, a local vendor and Ryan Drum of Island Herbs, for kelp. I was going to try Diamond Organics to see if their sea veg were any good as well, anyone tried them? I've found that it's best to soak and marinate your sea vegetables especially if you're trying to eat them raw because they can be fairly tough to eat and some are too fishy if you don't. I generally marinate them with some wheat free tamari or sole water, garlic, lime juice, and a little toasted sesame oil. It really helps cut down on the fishy taste and makes a nice mineral broth that you can add to soups.

I try and find as many ways as I can to "sneak" greens into my diet--that's why I developed the "Green Up Your Diet" class because a lot of people only think of salads and maybe green smoothies to get their greens in but there are so many ways to do so. I even make desserts with kale and spirulina in them like my Decadent Chocolate Kale Spirulina Brownies with Orange icing, those are always a fave.

I might do the "Green Up Your Diet" class online again so if you're not registered on my mailing list please sign-up so you can get updates as to what cities I'll be in and when the classes are going to be held. You can sign up either on http://www.greenivore.net or http://www.elivinghealth.com I'm also working on a DVD and recipe book so more updates on that as well.

I'm willing to travel and teach this class as well if we have enough students registered and I have a host in the city to stay with.

I also run a program called "Releasing Weight", and it's a program to help people who are significantly overweight or obese like 50-200lbs to help them choose a healthier route than dangerous surgeries and weight loss drugs.

I'll be in California bay area Mar 9-13th so if you know anyone out there please let them know.

Love & Light to all,
Chef Dina :)
Go Green, Live Green, Eat Green!

[Tuliza]

Absolutely breath taking!!!