100 lbs down – My testimonial

I just posted this on my Facebook wall and thought I should share it with the Join The Reboot family. I did do a 7 day juice reboot when I first started my weight loss journey and now I am here……..

This ended up being longer than I thought it would be but concision has never been my strong suit.

Last week, Wednesday I believe, I unceremoniously stepped on the scale and realized I had finally lost 100 pounds. 16 months ago I weighed 249. I say unceremoniously because I realized it’s not hitting the goal or reaching the destination; it was the journey that made all the difference. I deserve no accolades; I let myself get morbidly obese. For my friends who have stayed fit and of healthy weight all these years, who went to the gym 3 nights a week, who already figured out that organic, vegan/vegetarian and non-processed is probably the best for your body – Congratulations to you!! You deserve the shout out. I’m just playing catch up.

Many people have asked me how did I do it and do I have any tips. Everyone is different and my answer probably won’t make most people who are struggling to lose weight happy but it’s the basics – eat less, eat better, exercise more. Sadly, there is no magic bullet. I can however tell you what you DON’T need to do. You don’t need to: join a gym, take a diet pill, buy over-priced supplements, powders or snake oil remedies from a direct marketing company or health food store, or even buy any equipment.

What you might try: 6 nights a week turn off Law and Order: SVU and walk 30 minutes away from your house and 30 minutes back; you want to curb your appetite? – work raw and inexpensive psyllium husk fiber into your diet 2 times a day, every day; eat vegetables, fruits and do fresh juicing (you’ll get all the nutrients you need), learn some good brown rice and lentil recipes (Indian food has some great ideas and don’t be afraid of coconut milk), comfortable shoes are a must and if applicable a good sports bra, limit fast food to once or twice a month as a treat and drink one glass of wine a night not three (that last one was hard!) Remember, if it can sit on your pantry shelf for two years and be consumable after a nuclear war, it’s probably not the best thing to eat except as a treat. Twinkies are still my friend but we’re no longer lovers.

Disclaimer: 5 days out of 7 I try to be a good, healthy vegan but 2 of those days you bet your ass I have an expensive steak with a glass of Opollo Summit Ridge Zinfindel, an organic omelet with veggies and Tillamook cheddar cheese or sushi with a bottle of unfiltered cold sake. You just have to keep that stuff as a reward. Go five days without meat then take that first bite….a piece of bacon will bring tears of joy to your eyes.

So that’s how I did it. I have a ton of other little things I do here and there – I don’t take a piece of cake I just mooch one fork-full from a friend’s piece, take the stairs, park far away from destination, grab a banana at 7-11 not a candy bar, eat LOTS of nuts, seeds, and avocados (I love when someone told me “you should really limit eating those things because they are loaded in fat” while they were literally eating a breakfast burrito from Tommy’s….. and no they don’t work at Rapattoni any more so quit guessing who I’m talking about

Lastly, these three documentaries are what gave me the Aha! moment I needed to make life changes and not just go on a diet.

*Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (I juice almost every day. I even enjoy the ritual of it now. And what juicer should you buy? The cheapest average one on Amazon – around $50)

*Food, Inc

*Super Size Me and for an interesting and counter-intuitive refutation of Super Size
Me -

*Fat Head

PS I didn’t post this in anticipation of debating the pros and cons of veganism because I won’t join the debate. This is what worked for me and what I believe in. If you disagree please feel free to drive directly to McDonalds and eat a Big Mac while thinking to yourself – That Erin is a fricking idiot!