Time has just flown by! It’s hard to believe I’ve been raw for 9 months already. By far, be best progress was in the beginning, and especially just after I finished my 100 day juice and water fast in early October 2009. I expected a small weight gain, as many people do after a long-term juice fast/feast. I was hoping to keep the momentum going, but my 100+ pound weight loss hovered around the same range, going a few pounds up and down. But, I suppose that was to be expected, as I continued to stay high raw, instead of 100% raw.
In December I decided to go 100% raw since I was stuck at a plateau. For the most part, I was doing well, but as I got into early January, I found myself busy and taking the easy way out and reverting to high raw. Don’t worry – I didn’t have any meat – and have not for almost a decade! But a few times I was in a rush and got cooked vegan food, such as steamed vegetables with tofu from a Chinese restaurant, grilled veggie wraps, curried vegetables with rice, etc. I admit, I wasn’t being as diligent as I was before. Once I noticed the weight creeping up a few pounds, and staying there, I decided it was time to go back to being 100% raw.
There were a bunch of people on Facebook doing a juice feast at the start of January, but I wasn’t ready to join them. However, I did promise myself that I needed to do another juice feast and cleanse myself of all the impure food I had eaten recently. So I did. On February 1, 2010 I decided to start a 100% raw juice feast. Why February 1? It’s a nice even day and easy to remember how many days I’ve been fasting. So far it’s been almost two weeks. Last year I’d have thought that was a long time to fast, but after having done it for 100 days last summer, a couple of weeks seems quite short. I’m not sure how long I’ll do it for this time.
There hasn’t been a lot of weight loss. Only about 10 pounds, but there was a good amount of detoxification in the first few days. That makes me realize it doesn’t take long to build up toxins. It’s only been 4 months since my last fast, and I was surprised at how much toxicity I eliminated.
The difference this time is that I’m doing a true juice FEAST, and not a fast. I’m following the suggestions of David and Katrina Rainoshek’s Juice Feasting program. That means 4 quarts or about 1 gallon of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables – including lots of greens, especially leafy greens. After a minor mishap with my juicer, I got it repaired and for the most part, I’ve been really good at getting at least 3 quarts of truly fresh juice. Occasionally I’ve bought some good quality store bought juice or from a juice bar, but most of the time I prepare a day’s supply in the morning and take it with me to work.
The downside of drinking so much juice (plus of course the water) is that I have to go to the bathroom a bit more often now. The upside is that even just 13 days into a true juice feast, I can definitely see how much better it was as opposed to the high raw juice “fast” I did last year. My energy level is higher, I routinely get 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night now, and feel very rested and energetic.
I’ve even gotten back into exercise. Nothing fancy, just some walking, since it’s been good outside with the lack of snow and ice on the sidewalks. I also bought a used elliptical machine/exercise bike and bench to go with my Bowflex Selectec dumbbells. Now I just need to use them! I’ve never been a fan of exercise, although I know that when I was doing it regularly last year, along with being high raw, my weight loss was definitely accelerated. That’s what I need to do now. I’m not sure how long I’ll do the juice feast for this time. Maybe until March 1 and then have smoothies, because they’re quicker to make. But I’m definitely sticking to 100% raw. Any deviation from that and I quickly gain weight back. It takes at least twice as long to lose it, and I certainly don’t want that!
I also want to thank all of you rawsome people for following my progress and communicating with me here on my blog, on YouTube and on Facebook. To be honest, that’s part of what has kept me going, knowing that I’ve got so many people watching me!
It’s getting close to 1 year since I started this weight loss journey. My goal, and a very lofty one at that, was to be at my goal weight by May 4, 2010 which is exactly one year from the day I started this. That would mean about 200 pounds of weight loss. I’m not sure that’s healthy or realistic, but I’m going to strive for it. Even if I don’t attain that goal, I will certainly be further ahead than if I had done nothing. If I shudder to think where I would be now if I had kept up my old ways. Probably pushing 400 pounds if not more. But, those days are behind me now! I’m going to look GOOD for this summer!
The replay of my interview with my friend and raw food mentor, Philip McCluskey is now available! It’s about 1 hour and 10 minutes long. Please note that there is some background noise as I forgot to mute the lines until later in the call. At some point I will edit, or have someone edit this to “clean it up.” But I didn’t want to make you wait. The information and content in the call is awesome, if you can put up with some background noise. Learn a bit more about Philip – and me!
So if you missed the call, called in late or would just like to hear it again, here it is:
To download the MP3 to play on your computer or iPod, right click (command-click for Mac users) and “save” the file. Or just right click on it to play it here (opens in a new window). Or, use the media player below.
PS: that photo of Philip and me enjoying some coconut water was taken at Raw Spirit East in August 2009. Good times!
This Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:00 PM, EST (6:00 PM, PST) I am interviewing raw food guru Philip McCluskey!
As you may know, Philip got me started on raw foods and my weight loss journey. He’s become my friend and raw food mentor. Within two years, Philip went from 400 pounds to 200 pounds – literally half the man he used to be but twice the man he ever was. Over 3.5 years later, he’s still 100% raw and loving life more than ever.
And now, I am really excited to interview him on a conference call – and YOU can be a part of it!
If you have a question for Philip, please submit it below. We’ll do our best to answer it during the call, which will last for about one hour. Replays may NOT be available, so make sure you’re on the call on Wednesday!
NOTE:everyone is welcome, but I’m especially interested in hearing from other MEN. Gentlemen, do you have any “guy” questions you’d like to ask Philip?
“Raw Food Fast Food” is Philip McCluskey’s collection of raw food recipes, in ebook format, that are relatively quick to prepare. The sales page states that, with some creative adjustment, raw does not need to be a luxury for those with time and money to spare.
The good news is that this ebook promises a much easier way to do that than some other recipe books do. (Many of which are very time consuming and expensive – trust me, I’ve been frustrated with several such recipes before). It’s ironic, but sometimes raw food recipes can take longer to prepare than many cooked food recipes.
That being the case, and raw food veganism being such an amazing way to improve one’s health and/or lose weight (fat), Philip’s recipe book is definitely a welcome addition to any raw foodist’s arsenal of tools. And it’s important to note that this a raw food vegan recipe book (and not a cookbook) since, of course, no “cooking” is required!
I recently bought “Raw Food Fast Food” and have read through all 51 raw food recipes and personally made 11 of them during my recent visit to my parents house for the holidays. And now, I will give you my personal review…
“Raw Food Fast Food” Format
“Raw Food Fast Food” is delivered electronically, by download, so you get instant access upon payment with your Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club or PayPal account. The recipe book is in PDF format, which makes it easy to to print and read offline if you choose.
I like this format because it’s environmentally friendly and saves a few trees, plus postage and handling fees normally associated with a printed book that needs to be shipped. Not to mention, no more waiting for the book arrive by snail mail or customs hassles if you live outside the USA.
However, the ebook format also has a drawback… being a recipe book, I’d find it easier to have a physical copy of the book in my kitchen, and am considering printing at least a few of the recipes for quick and easy reference. While preparing some of the recipes, I’ve had my laptop on the kitchen counter, but was always nervous about spilling something on it. Although there are 92 pages in the recipe book, they’re side-by-side, so the actual PDF is only 50 pages.
“Raw Food Fast Food” tools and supplies
As Philip will tell you, the recipes are “simple and fun.” After trying 11 of the 51 recipes in just a few days (some more than once), I can attest that to be true. You really don’t need any special kitchen appliances. Many of the recipes require the use of a blender, but most people already have one. It doesn’t need to be fancy, however a high speed blender, like a VitaMix or BlendTech will definitely make it easier and quicker. Plus, the friction these high speed blenders put out helps warm up soups and drinks when you leave it on for a few minutes. I could never get my old Sears 2-speed blender to do that.
Now that I have a Vitamix, there’s no going back! Definitely worth the investment. Every raw foodist’s kitchen needs one sooner or later. If that’s not in the budget right now, try looking for a used blender on Craigslist or eBay. Or buy a cheapie at your local department store.
You may or may not have all of the ingredients for the recipes on hand. There were a few ingredients I had to buy, but once purchased, they got used in many of the recipes. Hemp butter, for example, is called for in quite a few of the recipes. Although you may find it a bit pricey, and have to go to a health food store or an online store to buy some, it will last you for quite a while and prove to be very versatile.
Bragg’s Amino Acid also shows up in quite a few of the recipes. I had to pick these things up at a nearby health food store. I was not able to find young Thai coconuts, but Philip often mentions easy substitutions (like hemp butter in some cases). If there had been an Asian market nearby, I may have been able to get the young Thai coconuts (the mature coconuts found in many supermarkets won’t work for these recipes).
Don’t get me wrong – most of the ingredients are common items you probably have in your kitchen already, even if you’re a new raw vegan. A lot of the fresh produce can be bought at your local supermarket, though as Philip suggests, and I agree, you should buy locally grown organic produce whenever possible. Being in the middle of a snowy winter, farmer’s markets are out of the question for me right now.
If you choose to follow the recipes as a guide rather than making them exactly as they are written, you can make substitutions or even leave out the odd ingredient (as I did a few times). The following ingredients may be a bit more specialized, especially if you’re “newly raw” but they’re really not all that expensive and most will last for quite a while:
Miso
Hemp butter
Nutritional Yeast
Bragg’s Amino Acid (may also be sold as “all purpose liquid soy seasoning”)
Mesquite
Raw Cacao Powder & Nibs
Agave Nectar and/or raw (unpasteurized) honey
Apple Cider Vinegar
Young Thai Coconuts
But can a complete newbie do this?
The short answer is YES. Even if you’re not much of a “cook.” The recipes are quick and easy to make – some more than others. Because your kitchen may not be stocked full of many superfoods or some of the harder-to-find items, you may skip over some of the recipes for now. Or make some some minor changes. But there are plenty of recipes that you can try straight away, whether you’re a newbie or a long-time raw foodie. You may ba a raw food vegan (or transitioning to become one) for improved health, weight loss (fat loss) or for compassionate reasons.Whatever the reason, the recipes in this book are sure to impress you and your guests!
You may even become inspired to try your own version of recipes. Just be careful… you may end up with something way too salty, sweet or liquidy…. (trust me)! If you’re not familiar with some of the ingredients, you’re best to follow the recipe exactly as written the first time, then try experimenting later.
The only real requirement to succeeding with “Raw Food Fast Food” is your commitment to approach this with an open mind and be ready to try something new. Just like going raw, your carnivorous friends may not share your enthusiasm for all these nutritious and healthy recipes – no matter how good they taste! Just don’t tell them it’s raw vegan. Or if they know what you’re making, try to stick to the desserts. Everyone loves dessert!
The price of the ebook is $15.95 and worth every penny. Sure you could probably find some of these recipes for free somewhere online, or modify some recipes from your old non-raw or even vegetarian/cooked vegan cookbooks. But why? You’re getting 51 RAWSOME recipes all in one attractive package. And when I say attractive, I mean it! This isn’t some document made in MS Word and converted into a PDF. No way! It’s been professionally designed and laid out. The photographs look so good you’ll want to eat them! If it were in print on a shelf in a bookstore, you’d easily pay $10 or $20 more. In my opinion, the price is super low.
You’re getting recipes for:
6 soups
10 appetizers
11 entrees
7 salads
6 desserts
11 smoothies & teas
Ingredients lists & nutritional facts
I won’t list all 51 recipes here, but these are the ones I prepared over the holidays for my parents and myself:
Spinach Bisque Soup
New England Corn Chowder
Seaweed Salad
Stuffed Mushrooms with Pesto
Not So Big Mac (Burger)
Grandma’s Lasagna
Dragon Rolls
Chocolate Ice Cream
After School Special (Milkshake)
Orange Julius-ish
Mint Cacao
Like I mentioned earlier, desserts are almost always a big hit with people, whether they’re raw vegan or not. The chocolate “ice cream” (page 57) tasted so good and rich, we almost felt guilty eating it! You’ll be surprised at how quick and easy it is to make, and how few ingredients it requires. You’d never believe it’s raw vegan!
The Dragon Rolls (page 37) didn’t turn out exactly as intended, but that’s partly my fault for making a few too many substitutions and not following the directions. And my mother tried to help and messed up and didn’t roll the seaweed properly. Oh well, live and learn! Next time I’ll make the best Dragon Rolls ever! But they do taste great as leftovers, after the flavors have had a chance to blend.
The Spinach Bisque soup (page 2) was so quick and easy to make! And it was even better the second time I made it – a bit less miso (my parents didn’t like it too salty). I also figured out how to give it some texture by adding in a few more spinach leaves at the end and lightly blending it to break the leaves a part without liquefying them. This had to be fastest recipe I made from this book.
I could go on an on, but regardless of which recipe was prepared, we all had fun working on them together and enjoying eating this healthy food without feeling guilty. And my mother, who is diabetic, was able to eat all of the recipes I prepared.
If you’re ready to put this healthy lifestyle to work for you with these quick, fun and easy recipes, click here to get started. You’ll receive the recipe book immediately since it’s a PDF you download, so you can get started making your first “Raw Food Fast Food” recipe today.
Have a rawsome day!
Peter
P.S.: I found “Raw Food Fast Food” to be very easy to follow, and chock full of examples and creative ideas. Even if you are a complete newbie and have no clue how to prepare raw vegan recipes (because face it, there’s more to it than just having garden salads), you’ll quickly be able to whip something up and have one ready to serve in no time.
P.P.S.: Whether it’s just for you, looking to get some variety in your raw vegan diet, or you’re looking to impress your guests, “Raw Food Fast Food” definitely has something for everyone. I also really like the suggested ingredients – some of which I had never even tried before. If you’ve been promising yourself to try out some new foods, this ebook will help you get there. It’s like you’re looking over Philip’s shoulder and learning from this raw food guru!
Wow, 7 months raw already! It seems like just yesterday that I dabbled with the thought of going raw, then 50% raw, then 80% raw, and now, as of December 1, 2009 I am 100% raw. Well… 99.9% raw. After coming off my 100 day juice fast, my weight fluctuated. I didn’t like it going up and down, so that’s why I decided to eliminate anything that wasn’t raw vegan. The next step is to make it all organic.
It’s been a while since my last update – partly due to a really busy work schedule and partly because I was waiting to drop a huge amount of weight. After such amazing progress in the first 5 months, it felt like such a let down to plateau. But many of you have contacted me to see how I was doing (thank you)! so I made some time to put together an update.
Autumn has made way for winter here in Montreal. Yesterday we had our first significant snowfall – about 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow. My daily walks will become a bit more challenging now with the more slippery conditions. But for some reason, I’m not detesting winter as much as I used to. (we’ll see if I still feel the same way in March)! This made me think back to December last year when I was MORBIDLY obese and suffered a nasty pinched nerve injury which had me flat on my back for several weeks. Much as I cursed it at the time, it was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise I wouldn’t have decided to lose weight and go raw. Who knows where I’d be now if it weren’t for that. My guess is that I’d be pushing 400 pounds for sure.
2010 is going to be amazing! I’ve got so much planned for the coming months, so stay tuned! I will also lose the remainder of my fat in the first half of the year. Then I will be able to fit into some of those clothes I haven’t worn since 1999. I got rid of all my 3XL, 4XL and 5XL shirts and pants recently, so there’s no going back! Just my 2XL and smaller clothes.
With all the overtime I’ve had in the last couple of months, I splurged and equipped my kitchen with some new raw food appliances: a Samson juicer, Excalibur dehydrator, Vitamix blender and bunch of dry goodies for my green smoothies. And of course I had to go buy a bunch of books on Amazon. Stay tuned in the new year for some book reviews!
Thank you to all of you who are following my progress. I truly appreciate it. Without the comments and feedback, I probably wouldn’t have kept up with the video updates. When I hadn’t put out an update in November, many of you emailed me, contact me via Facebook, the Shreddersphere or YouTube to ask how things were going and that you were looking forward to my next update. With all the overtime I’ve been working, it’s been hard to get in as much exercise as I wanted, but I am so thankful that I made raw food a routine and was able to at least get a few 1-hour walks per week done. Looking forward to ramping things up in 2010, so stay tuned!
Here’s a video I made of myself giving my thoughts on the fast, some highlights of the fast and of course, you get to see me eat my first solid food in 100 days (upon request, I’ve typed out the major points below plus a few extra bits I forgot to mention in the video):
Can you believe it? I haven’t put a solid piece of food in my mouth for almost one third of a year! Since June 27, 2009 I have been on a juice and water fast. I’d like to say it was 100% raw, but it turned out being high raw. Sometimes it was hard to have freshly made juice from my juicer due to work and travel commitments. At times like that, I had to resort to high-quality store-bought juices. So, it wasn’t a “juice feast” either. But I plan on buying a better juicer that juices leafy greens and wheatgrass and planning it a bit better. Then maybe next year I’ll do it again, and do it 100% raw. Yeah!
This started out rather by chance. At first, I got my new juicer on June 26 and was having fun juicing. Of course, I had already been going raw for a couple of months at that point. Then I went all day June 27 on just juice. When I realized I had gone all day on just juice and didn’t feel weak, I decided to do a 3 day juice fast. Which turned into a 7 days. Then I thought, why not go for 100 days? I thought I could at least make it to 20 days, but that was so easy that I decided to go for 100 days like my mentor, raw foodist and one of my new best friends, Philip McCluskey had done. I want to thank Philip for inspiring me to do this and for giving me some tips and guidance along the way. Thanks bro!
So, today was Day 101 of my juice fast. Time to break the fast. I did it with the requisite soaked prunes (five in total), plus the water they had been soaking in overnight. On one hand, I didn’t want to break the fast as I was enjoying it so much and had adapted to it – kind of like how Angela Stokes felt when she broke her fast. And like both Philip and Angela, I must agree that it feels so strange to put solid food into your mouth, chew and swallow after just drinking juice and water for so long. After doing much research on the net about long-terms fasts, many people consider 7 or 20 days to be long-term, and 40 days to be outrageously long. Very few people seem to be doing a 92 or 100 day juice fast or juice feast. So I guess I’m now a member of a small group of people who have done this!
Many of my friends and family members thought I was crazy. And maybe I am. (a little bit, haha)! A lot of people told me to be careful and that this was dangerous (DISCLAIMER: Do not try this at home, folks! Please hear me, I don’t want to be responsible for any mishaps, so make sure you do this under qualified supervision). But ironically, the people who were most concerned about this were those who have never fasted a day and/or are not raw. I appreciate the concern, but I felt quite comfortable and reassured when encouraged by several raw foodists who have also fasted long term.
I’m so happy with the detoxification benefits, along with the 5 colon cleanses I had done at Clinique Hydro Dtox (thank you Sanaz & crew)! And of course I’m happy with the 82 pounds released during the fast. That’s about 37 kilograms or almost 6 stone. And that’s just during the fast! At first, I was losing about one pound per day for the first 3 weeks, then it slowed down. Some days I lost half a pound or less. Some days nothing. But every week I weighed less than I did the previous week. Prior to doing the fast, I had some weeks where I lost a bit more and some weeks a bit less. It’s hard to say how much weight would have been released had I not done the fast, but it likely would have been less.
For the last few weeks, I have been counting down to my next major milestone: 100 pounds of weight loss (45 kg / 7 stone). I am proud to say that today is the day!
Today I weigh in at 271 lbs (123 kg / 19.5 stone). I know this is only a number, but I chose this as a milestone because it’s a nice round number and a significant amount of weight.
Of course, I am only about half way there with my weight loss, but I look and feel so much better already. I can only image how good another 100 pounds of will be!
Back in early April, I was thoroughly disgusted with the way I looked and had all but given up hope on being able to lose weight. No matter what I did, I only gained weight. There were no bigger sizes of clothes available at the “Big & Tall” clothing stores. I didn’t know what to do and knew that my health was rapidly deteriorating. Then I stumbled upon Adam Waters’ RTP (Real Time Physique) contest. I figured “what the heck, why not?” All the while I was half-thinking that I’d probably give up and that this wouldn’t work.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised that I did start to lose weight and quite a few people had taken interest in my journey and my blogs. I couldn’t give up then! There was just one part of RTP that wasn’t quite right for me – the nutritional aspect. I have been vegetarian and near-vegan for the last 8 years, so the meat, fish and dairy wouldn’t work for me. Of course, I had also become a “junk food vegetarian” which lead me to put on so much weight.
Then I stumbled across Philip McCluskey who had gone from 400 lbs to 200 lbs mostly from going to a raw food vegan diet. Philip, Adam and I are all close to the same age and all had weight loss challenges. Adam didn’t have as much to lose as Philip or myself. But I found the raw food vegan way to compliment RTP quite well for me. Adam got me to be accountable and exercise. Philip got me to eat delicious and nutritious raw fruits, veggies and nuts. And I haven’t looked back since.
I can’t begin to explain what a thrill and honor it has been to have met both Adam and Philip in person last month. I met Adam at the NYC Shredder Summit and Philip at Raw Spirit East just outside of Washington DC. And of course so many wonderful people at each of the events too. Everyone was so nice! Plus, all of the terrific people who have followed my progress online, read my blogs, watched and subscribed to my videos on YouTube, commented and even been inspired by me. You people are what kept me going. I didn’t want to let you down, or myself.
Now, my health is so much better, my pinched nerve injury is a lot better (far ahead of schedule) and I have become a much happier and more positive person. Now, people in my offline world are really starting to notice too. It’s so exciting to have lost 100 pounds so far – it sounds quite significant (and it is)!
I wish we were all together in person so we could celebrate, but alas we’re not. So, the next best thing is to join me for a virtual party! Go grab something healthy like a glass of carrot juice or water and join me in celebrating this awesome day!
I really don’t know how I pulled this off, but I lost 13 pounds in 7 days. That’s almost 6 kilograms or 1 stone. Since starting this weight loss and raw food journey (lifestyle change, really), I rarely go more than a day without weighing myself. But last week I went to Raw Spirit East and weighed myself on Thursday morning. Then, between staying at the festival and visiting my parents on the way home, I didn’t have access to my scale until this Thursday morning. When I stepped on the scale, I had to do a double-take. “Could this be right? 274 pounds? I weighed 287 last Thursday!” I even checked a few minutes later when I was more awake, and sure enough, it was right.
Must have been something in the water there! Come to think of it, I did drink a lot of ionized water there!
I am long overdue for a new video of my 3 month update, my trip to the Shredder Summit in New York City and my trip to Raw Spirit East. I promise to get that done as soon as possible – just been swamped with so much to do since I got back.
If I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it now… thank you to everyone for taking an interest in me! And to all of you wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person, it was truly awesome! It was a very surreal experience, but it really makes my day to meet all you nice people.
First of all, I want to thank all of the wonderful people who have been following my progress on the Shreddersphere and on YouTube. I never imagined that so many people would be interested in hearing my story or subscribing to my videos and blog. It makes me very happy that I have even been an inspiration to others, even though I’m still in the midst of my weight loss journey through eating a raw vegan diet and following the RTP (Real Time Physique) program.
Here is a long overdue update. If you’ve only seen my original videos, you’ll be shocked at how different I look in just two months! I’ve lost around 30 pounds since making the last video, and 64 pounds from my heaviest weight. You’ve just got to see this video where I give all the details!
(Sorry for the poor sound quality – it was my first time recording outside – next time I should use a wireless microphone)
As I gradually rid my kitchen of all non-raw foods and foods that require cooking, I make a healthy and satisfying morning green smoothie, inspired by Philip McCluskey. Later I will make a new video using only raw ingredients, including a few more exotic ones. But for now, here is a great smoothie to get the day going using many common ingredients. Check out this video to see how I do it:
