Member Articles

Like a lot of people, weight has always been an issue for me -- I had too much of it! It affected my whole life in one way or another, including my self worth. I thought about it all the time and, by focusing on it, I only made it a bigger problem. It was a vicious cycle.

For years I blamed it on my past -- upsetting childhood experiences, my brothers for poking fun at me and my chub, and even my mother for making me clean my plate. But those were really my excuses, a way for me to avoid the responsibility of doing anything about it. Holding on to, and being stuck, in the past was only keeping me from being fully in the present. Those past experiences were really gone forever, but when I dwelled on them, I wasn’t allowing them to rest in peace.

To my surprise, after only a few short weeks, it actually started happening! I was losing weight. I lost 35 pounds in about four months, and I kept it off! I never changed my eating habits, nor did I add any exercise routine.

After reading an article by Burt Goldman, a.k.a. the American Monk, I came to realize that as a collective society, we have forgotten what a hunger pain really feels like. The "tightness" we feel in our stomach isn’t always hunger; sometimes it is our body making it’s own energy. For instance, if I ate a full course meal at 6 pm., then logically I shouldn’t feel hungry again only two hours later (especially if I hadn’t exercised during that time). So the sensation I was feeling wasn’t hunger at all, it was my body doing what it’s supposed to do -- replenishing itself and burning calories.

Now that I care more about my health and I am aware that I have more control over it then I thought I did, I started to learn about nutrition and what our bodies need to operate effectively. I learned that many of the health problems people suffer from today -- including obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, aging, and many other issues -- can be caused by enzyme deficiency. Enzymes are found in raw, natural foods, and -- let’s face it -- about 90 percent of the food we eat is fully cooked and/or processed. As soon as we add heat to food, it destroys the natural enzymes and vital nutrients that are so important to good health. After I learned this, I decided to take enzyme supplements every day, and I feel better then ever. I am more energetic, and I continue to shed weight easily and without becoming irritable.