End of Week 9: Inspiring Others to Change Their Life.

I still feel great and have lots of energy, vitality and no pains, although I continue to experience some adverse reactions since reducing my thyroid and stopping two other hormones. My hair is shedding  and it takes a while for me to kick into gear in the morning. I’ve also been feeling really cold. I'm probably catching a cold because my husband has one.

As for  my weight, I was surprised that it stayed the same, even though I have been eating a lot more. What I found amazing is that I have gone down one clothing size! My husband also had some success this week and lost one and a half pounds. I think having only freshly squeezed juice for breakfast might have something to do with it! 

We are accumulating so much pulp from this juicing that I have had to find a way to use it.  Now I give a little to our dog and use some to make bean burgers. It's really easy, I just add a cup of brown rice (it comes frozen and pre-cooked at Trader Joe's), a can of black beans that I liquidize and a packet of taco mix (again I use the Trader Joe's one). Then I make this into patties and broil (grill) on high. This way we take in more fiber from the fruit and vegetables that we juice.

My husband is so into this juicing that last week-end he planned on doing a juice fast. He even took his own juice to the party we went to. But when we got there, he abandoned the plan, at least for the evening, because there were many yummy plant-based foods that we could eat. But I found it hard to resist some English chocolates that I hadn’t seen in years. There was no escaping them because there was a tin of Quality Street at either end of the table and I found myself looking longingly at them, even choosing which one I would eat. But I decided not to have one, because I can’t just stop at one. Instead, I ate some delicious vegan pasties. The same thing happened to me at Costco. They were offering samples of European chocolate cookies and other chocolate treats. But when I asked myself if I really wanted them, the answer was “no”. I was so proud of myself for resisting them and sampled some dried figs instead!

I wish everyone could feel as great as I am feeling and that's why I continue to promote this diet. Sometimes, the benefits of this lifestyle speak for themselves, such as when my dentist noticed that I have a spark in my eyes and that I seem more alive. My family has even noticed that I sound different on the phone, much happier and healthier. After speaking to me today, my dad was so inspired that he decided to start this diet with my mum. Our friends who invited us to the party were also impressed at how well we are doing that they finally took the plunge and started a plant-based diet.

It feels great to be inspiring others to change their life!