60 days of RAW flew by on a jet plane and I must say that I truly enjoyed the ride. Some people labeled me many things during this journey such as radical, crazy, extreme, and the list goes one. The reason why I began this journey after labeling myself as the yo-yo Queen is strictly for my health. I did not embark on this journey just to lose weight, look good for my husband, not because my doctor has been drilling it in my head for 2 year +, or anyone else.
On July 27th 2011, I went to my cardiologist for my scheduled echo-cardiogram, and received opposite news from what I expected. I was exercising 4-5 days a week, digging deeper, and was able to physically push myself further. So imagine hearing that the primarily results of the echo was back down to 40%, and I developed a Bundle Branch Block. Initially, I was very torn, and cried like never before because that was not what I expected. I did not stay in that mindset for long, and by the time I made it home I was developing a plan on healing my body, and living a healthier life. I have always had some knowledge of natural health, but never truly linked it to the foods by removing meats for true healing. I set a date of August 1st to give myself time to prepare for the RAW food lifestyle, and prepped my brain for the journey. Shortly after I finally purchased a medical bracelet and resumed working out. Well, after following up with the Cardiologist and after analyzing the echo-cardiogram he determined that my EF is actually 45%-50%, and he feels that this is a low normal for me. He also mentioned that the Bundle Branch Block will likely be there for life. He set my next appointment for 6 months out which gives me plenty of time to change my health around, and the hope of getting off the heart meds is still there. I want healing vs. patch ups, and I know changing my lifestyle will get me there.
Now you may think OMG!!! How did she go RAW for 60 days? I am a strong believer that once you set your mind to it you can conquer anything, and that is what I did. Do I enjoy the taste of meats, and meat by products? Of course I do, well at least I used to, but in my mind the success of gaining optimum health taste a helluva lot better. I want great healthy, mentally and physically and the only person that can sabotage that for me is ME!!!! I have full control over any and everything that I eat. The only time that I did not eat raw was towards the very end when I was hospitalized for 4 days and feed a liquid only diet. I made sure to let the nurse know that I needed a vegan diet though, but either way the most I could have was juice (no added sugars/sweeteners), broth (vegetable), jello, and tea. That Saturday morning they finally moved me to oatmeal which was made with water, and lunch were soft veggies. Once I got out of the hospital I hoped back on track even though the antibiotics stuck me with a reduced appetite.
Another great thing that keep me motivated was this blog to hold myself accountable, and then I updated one of my FB pages by changing it to my blog page and gained more followers which meant more people were reading my blog. I went from doing the blog strictly for myself which sounds selfish to learning that others were inspired to start juicing or going RAW full/part time. At that point I felt that the things that I was learning I had to share with others because I felt as if they are counting on me because my FB inbox and messenger had never been so busy. You say that I inspire you, but you guys also inspire me.
Seriously Dolicia, how did you do it was it easy, was it hard, was it time consuming, did you only juice the whole time? Answers yes, no, no, and no. LOL!!! Others at my job decided to start juicing as well so we all pitched in some money and purchased a juicer for work. Which made life really simple for me on work days because I did not have to wake up earlier to juice before leaving work. During the 60 day period I juiced twice a day. I always juiced for breakfast, and if I had salad for lunch I juiced for dinner, but there were some days that I would juice 3 times. Every time I juice I feel as if my body is having a party and all of my cells are dancing to a beautiful tune. That is how I feel about it, but to truly understand you would have to experience it for yourself. My one meal of the day normally consisted of a salad packed with color or a fruit salad pack with color. The process for me was not hard because I stayed prepared by keeping the items that I needed stocked in my fridge. Going raw was not time consuming for me because it takes a lot less time to put some fruits and veggies in a juicer than it does to thaw, and cook any meal. As time went by I noticed that my hair, and skin became more radiant, my attitude was even more positive, and my mind is clearer. Juicing/Raw foods changed my life, and my body. Ashamed to say I started this journey at 208lbs, and at my 60th day I weighed 176.8. I do feel that if I did not have that 4 day hospital stay being pumped with fluids and meds on top of my heart meds I would have lost more weight. Which is why one October 1st I decided to detox my body of that mess by juicing and eating fruits for 5 days or more. This will be a breeze because it's the two things I love, and I know that I am doing something great for myself by taking care of myself, which enables me to take better care of my family.
So at this point you may wonder what's next...After learning so much about the body, self healing, and experiencing RAW/Living foods I have decided to live a Vegetarian lifestyle that is mainly RAW/Plant based. Some people may think this is extreme, but I suggest that they give it a try before they knock my reasoning. I am still learning about the meatless/Raw/Living foods/Vegan lifestyle because the the more knowledgeable I am the easier it will be for me to experience continued success. My focus is healing, and the prize is weight-loss........
No one knows how they will die, but suicide by food is not what I want my cause to be confirmed as. Notice that holistic care/treatments are not covered by insurance companies, but as we know there is no money to be made by the pharmaceutical industry if we were to heal ourselves and stop killing ourselves with medications when health problems arise...Dolicia M.
"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."~Dawna Markova
"One thing I do know is that anything is possible if you add a dash of discipline, drop of planning, cup of preparation, ounce of will, tsp of motivation, and a whole heap of vision. My vision is clear, and I don't plan on fogging up my own glass." ~Dolicia M.
LOVING & LIVING THIS JUICY LIFE!!!
Dolicia M.
