In a fit of blatant and unrestrained vanity, I entered the Sexiest Vegetarian 2010 competition!
SOOooo… Do you think raw foods have made me sexy?
Whether you do or don’t, please go here and vote for me: http://SexyVeg.com (It takes just a moment.)
Why should you go vote for me? Frankly, I can’t think of a compelling reason. You won’t get anything in return (except maybe a small deposit in your karma account). But it’d really mean a lot to me if you voted for me anyway. I think it’d be just fantastic to make it to the first page, even if just for a little while! Perhaps I’ve given you some good free information in the past that you appreciated.
Anyways, I’m not vain enough to actually believe I have a shot at winning… But hey, I had to try it.
I believe in miracles…
Where’re you from, you sexy thang
(Sexy thang you)
I believe in miracles…
Since you came along, you sexy thing
… … …
P.S. The contest is put on by PETA. Now, I’m not a huge fan of PETA. Their heart’s in the right place, but I’m not into the militant, in-your-face tactics. It seemed like a fun little contest though.
About a week ago I selected Wendy to try the new Diet Paradox program — on me! — from among a number of respondents.
In exchange for her getting to go through the whole program for free, we all benefit from hearing the real scoop about her experience with the program: Does it really work? Is it worth it? Wendy’s going to tell us what it’s really like.
Below are Wendy’s updates as she sends them to me. I’ll be keeping an ongoing journal right here on this page. (I won’t send an email for each update, so if you’d like to follow along, be sure to book mark this page and come back every week or so.)
Have a question or some friendly words of encouragement for Wendy? Leave a comment below!!
Thank you Wendy for sharing with all of us!
January 20, 2010
Hello! I thought I better give you my first update.
1. Not related to the program: I began eating raw about seven days ago – mostly fruits and greens and some shots of wheatgrass. The result: Lost 8.4 pounds. I think most of that weight was water and perhaps SOME toxins leaving my system.
2. Statistics: I weighed 315.4 pounds on Wednesday, January 13. Today, Wednesday, January 20, I weighed 307.
3. What have I been doing?
Blending fruits and greens and ‘eating’
Eating mono fruit meals (only a couple – all-I-want of a single type of fruit)
Listening to and reading hours worth of audio and material from the Paradox Diet
Spending a great deal of time preparing food, which is therapeutic for me.
Taking notes about what I will be acting on.
4. What’s next?
Now I start taking action on other equally as important items – For Example:
Look inward to realize my deepest reasons for doing this
Begin Journaling / Blogging my experience
Set my goals
Do a detox system
Menu planning
Keep up with my sprouting etc.
5. Things I can work on (where I am not doing as well as I’d like):
Still require a cup of coffee every couple of days (have drunk 3+/day since 12)
Broke down and had rice with vegies and soy sauce (Tamari) when I was running out of my produce
It’s hard to watch others in the house eat comfort food
Paying for it now… very upset tummy
So, I have watched enough videos to detour me from eating any time of animal product. My biggest challenge is to get into the rhythm of planning my food menus so I can prepare them days in advance when needed. (i.e., sprouting needs, shopping, soaking, dehydrating)
I am actually going to be acting on some of the action steps in the Program now. I will update you when I have done that.
This past Sunday I came up with the wild idea of buying Kevin Gianni’s and David Wolfe’s new raw food program for one reader, so that he or she could try it out and report back on the results for the benefit of everyone here.
There was quite a little flurry of activity indeed! All in all, 8 people responded (you can see them here) — which was more than I was expecting.
To each of you who responded, I want to say thank you for taking a chance and sharing a bit of yourself. Each of the stories was moving and compelling. Truly each of you deserves to try it out. Though I have to choose a single one… And choose I did, as difficult as it was to select only one from all the fantastic comments.
I just found out about this new program created by well-known raw food authorities Kevin Gianni and David Wolfe. I also had a crazy idea — that involves me paying your way through the program! — so be sure to read through to the end.
Anyways, their web site begins like this:
If you’ve gained every pound back, here’s the best news of 2010…
“You Don’t Have to Diet Anymore”
Discover How to Lose Stubborn Body Fat At Any Age, Even If You’ve Tried Everything And Nothing Has Ever Worked For You Before.
Stop the guilt, confusion and up and down dieting systems and finally lose the unwanted fat for good.
From The Desks Of Kevin Gianni, Creator of Renegade Health, Author of High Raw and David Wolfe, Renown Nutritionist, Author of Superfoods & Eating for Beauty
If this sounds interesting to you, check out the whole page here.
Now, here’s my idea for how you can get it for free.
You see, before I recommend or endorse a product, I always buy it and try it myself first.
Only, there’s two obstacles preventing me from trying this new program. First, I just don’t have the time to spend on it right now. Second, I’m already fairly thin and I can’t really afford to lose any of my weight.
But, this situation can be YOUR gain!
I’m hoping you or one of my other beloved readers will be interested in trying it out and willing to report back to me in detail your experience and results with the program, so I can share with the rest of my readers.
So to be crystal clear, I have not tried this program so I am NOT endorsing it. That is why I’m looking for some help evaluating it.
Here’s exactly how it will work:
Read their product page here. Be sure to read it all the way through so you know what’s involved.
Does it sound interesting to you? If so, continue on to 3.
Do you agree to send me regular updates by email (say, weekly) about your experience with the program and the results you get? Do you also agree that I can share your updates on my blog or in emails to my readers? If so, continue on to 4.
Great! Leave a comment at the bottom of this post, saying you agree to share your experience and results, and why I should buy it for you.
On Wednesday, January 13, 2010 I’ll choose one person from among the commenters. My selection will be completely subjective, though it’ll be based on enthusiasm as well as other factors. My choice is final.
I will buy the program for the chosen individual. Any other expenses will be your responsibility. (In other words, I’m not offering to buy your food as well!)
As you can see by checking the price on the product page, what I’m proposing here is worth $97.
Pop quiz: Which is better for your bones, a glass of milk or a salad?
This New York Times article discusses recent research showing that adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet — in addition to the many health benefits already associated with fruits and veggies — can also help prevent osteoporosis.
So, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. (Gee, where have I heard THAT before?)
Today the Thanksgiving holiday is being celebrated here in the United States.
Whether you participate in this holiday or not, it’s a perfect time to deliberately and consciously consider the things you have to be grateful for.
We all have our own troubles, problems, and issues. Nothing is perfect; nor will it ever be. But everyone has things to be grateful for! So today let’s focus on the positive.
Seriously. Stop and take just 5 minutes right now to think about all of the good things you have in life.
I’ll share with you some of the things I am grateful for. (Maybe it will help inspire you if you’re having difficulty getting started.)
Good health.
Having plenty of good, clean food to eat, and never having to know what true hunger is like.
A home to shelter me from the elements.
Having a relatively care-free life (compared to many less fortunate people around the earth).
Two caring parents who looked after me while I was most vulnerable, did their best, and helped shape the person I am today.
Good, close friends and a loving family.
All of the opportunities that have been available to me throughout my life, and the inspiring people I have met along the way.
Being alive! And being witness to all the amazing splendor of the universe.
What are YOU grateful for? Share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below.
Would you expect a child to ride perfectly the first time she sat on a bicycle?
No, of course not.
Don’t expect yourself to be perfect when you’re starting out with raw foods.
Just like learning to ride a bicycle, it can feel awkward and unfamiliar at first. But it’s simply a matter of practice and persistence, and soon enough it becomes second nature.
The most important key to long-term success is not how well you ride… but rather what you do when you fall down.
Will you get frustrated, give up, blame yourself for being weak?
Or will you stand up, brush yourself off, get back on, and keep going?
You may have heard me mention I’ve been reading the book The 100 Year Lifestyle by Dr. Eric Plasker lately.
Today I ran across this passage I wanted to share with you.
The author talks about a time in his life when he was 40 pounds overweight:
My first thought was to lose weight. But there was something about the thought of having a primary goal of losing that did not work for me. I had never wanted to “lose” anything, or “lose” at anything before in my life. … I decided that while the extra weight was going to come off my body, it wasn’t mine to begin with. It was just an extra burden that I was carrying around that it was time to unload. I decided to develop a new relationship with my abdomen and say goodbye to the extra burden while welcoming all the exciting things that I was going to gain … I started saying no to all the foods that tasted good for 30 seconds but were bad for me. I got my “edge” by calling them liars when they would talk to me and tell me to eat them. I started making food and exercise choices that supported my ideal … lifestyle. I started focusing on all the things I was gaining, including more energy, feeling younger, being more active, sleeping better, breathing better, looking younger and healthier, and feeling like a kid again. … If I can do it, you can too. (Page 53.)
(The bold emphasis at the end is mine.)
I like the way he framed it to himself not as LOSING weight, but in terms of all the things he GAINED.
This is the same thing I’ve been saying about the raw food diet. It’s not what you can’t have, it’s not giving anything up, it’s not restricting yourself, it’s not confining you to “food prison.” It’s all about what you’re ADDING to your diet — more fresh, whole fruits and vegetables.
Today marks the first anniversary of RawFoodDietNow.com!
Happy birthday, RFDN!
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already. So much has transpired… and so much remains to be done.
Reflecting back on my first post, I feel it was prophetically written for myself. I have been making small steps every day. And over the past year, those have really added up. I will continue to make forward steps every day.
What have I accomplished? Sharing my message of raw foods with others: Eat more fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. Keep it simple.
Having a positive impact on YOUR life… That’s why I started.
Hello Chuck, Thank you for your e-mails, as I find them so informative. I have quite a few Medical Conditions and I feel like I’m eating myself to death. I know I won’t be able to go RAW 100% to start off with, but I need to lose weight sooner rather than later because my Doctor has told me I could start Diabetes Medication, which means tablets and then maybe Insulin Injections, and that is not a path I want to follow. I take medication for hypertension, reflux disease, cholesterol and 1/2 aspirin every day. I am not getting enough sleep because of the Sleep Apnoea and my blood pressure is getting higher because of the sleep apnoea. I seem to going round in circles. Will Raw Juicing (vegetables) help with the weight loss. I don’t exercise because I don’t have the energy. Because I have to ease my way into a new way of eating I would like to ask you for your help in working out an Eating Plan for me. I am so desperate for your help Chuck, so could you please contact me ASAP. I look forward to receiving an e-mail from you soon
After reading this troubling note, my heart just ached. I feel sincerely concerned. So much so I began to reply right then and there, but then decided to post my reply here in the hopes it could also benefit others: Read more »
Potpourri | Chuck February 23, 2010 | 
Comments (8) 
