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progress!

stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

i don’t own a scale, so its been months since i weighed in. its official, i’ve lost 20 lbs. in about 4 1/2 months!! yay raw foods!!

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  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    CONGRATULATIONS! I can’t wait to be back down to my regular size. I think I found the 20 you lost!LOL. I’m giving myself to the start of my cleanse before I weigh again. I am NOT looking forward to it but I’m finally losing the obsessive drive to eat so much sugar! so hopefully the lifestyle “sticks” this time. How is you diabetes?

  • shawnieshawnie Raw Newbie

    Congrats! I’m seeing some progress too. Quite slow for me but well worth it!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Congrats! How do you feel? How are your pants fitting?

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    aaaww! thanks everyone! well, my pants don’t fit!! i’ve gone down about 2 sizes!
    i’m feeling good, getting ready to start a juice fast, although thats mostly what i consume anyway.
    the diabetes, well, the diabetes is kicking my ass. its gotten somewhat better, but it is still a daily struggle, and it gets me down sometimes.
    i would probably do better if i ate more greens, i just can’t stomach more than a salad a day.
    there is always room for improvement, but today i’m just happy about the weightloss.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Now that is progress stylistchick! Pants falling off (or a targetted size fitting better) and feeling good! Throw the scale out. :) Be patient with yourself. You didn’t develop diabetes overnight… same goes for healing it. But I can understand the frustration. :-)

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    i’ve got type 1 diabetes, the chances of me going off insulin completely are slim to none. i think thats what gets me down, that it is basically incurable. i only know of one person that has type 1 and is not taking insulin, sergei boutenko. still i will keep on keepin’ on…i know i can improve my situation by losing more weight and starting an excersize program.

    i did just read about diabetes research in canada, they have cured mice by injecting a form of capsicum ( pepper) its making researchers rethink the cause of diabetes, they now think it is a nerve problem.

  • Congrats to you! You are one of the lucky ones. Everyone knows I’ve posted note after note about not losing a pound after going raw. Keep up the good work!

    I wish you the best!

    Peace

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    veganpunk, unless this is an archaic picture of you, you don’t look like you HAVE an ounce of fat to lose!! seriously…i’d be thrilled to be in your shoes! you look healthy thin and with lots of muscle tone. be happy :)

  • No I’ve managed to maintain a 70 lb.weight loss for nearly two years now. But, I am still technically 15 lbs. overweight for my height/age…”normal” standards. What you can’t see in that pic is the “backside” lol….

    We can get you there. We can all get there….Raw food has changed my life.

    Thanks

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    You are right… there is no pharmaceutical out there that “cures” diabetes or any other health issue for that matter. There is no financial incentive to do that.

    Many have seen otherwise using other means… The cure though, if you want to call it that, is giving your body what it needs to heal, defend, and maintain itself. “We” have yet to really understand the scope of the body’s abilities. The body is capable of healing itself if given the tools (the needed nutrition) and time. It will heal. Sometimes it looks like health issues are getting worst before they get better even if you are on the “right path.” Unfortunately, there really is no foolproof way of knowing whether one is on that right path when that happens.

    One way of looking at the situation is the group of symptoms that is called diabetes is simple how your body reacts to a deficiency of one or more necessary nutrients. Also consider that it might not be your pancreas that has the issue. The body will steal from Peter to pay Paul when the resources it has is insufficient. The Western “view” tends to focus on a narrow issue and not on the body as a whole. Exploring different nutritional sources gives you the best chance of reversing the deficency. :)

  • Hey stylistchick, how could you figure out a way to get more greens in your diet? I do a smoothie in the morning, a salad for lunch, then another smoothie at night, and I’ve been doing this for about three months. I’m eating a huge amount of greens, many different types, and the funny thing is now I crave them and can’t seem to get enough. Maybe this could work for you, too?

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    shane, yes i need more greens in my diet. i hate green smoothies!! the most i can stomach is a small spinach salad a day,or a small portion of sea vegetables but most days i don’t even do that. i was thinking about taking chlorella supplements.

    veganpunk, wow, holy smokes, 70 lbs!!! geez, you REALLY make the rest of us look bad!
    you need to learn to embrace the junk in your trunk :) from your pic you look to be in phenomenal shape. you’re an inspiration!

  • Raw_ChocoholicRaw_Chocoholic Raw Newbie

    stylistchick, have you tried eating more sprouts for greens? The sunny raw kitchen has a recipe for kale patties also. What about zucchini pasta and some cilantro pesto? Have you tried a green smoothie with cucumber and maybe just a leaf or two of kale or a stalk of celery? That might not taste as strong. Or how about miso with lots of sea veggies and some green onion?

    Interesting what you said about diabetes and nerve pinching. I was reading that pinched nerves are the cause of many physical problems, and the body must function properly mechanically before it can chemically. Apparently a greater chance at pinched nerves is the price we pay for walking upright. I read about this in a book by Dr.Marsh Morrison. You can find some used copies on Amazon if you’re interested. I haven’t tried any of his exercises yet, but they’re supposed to free up any pinched nerves in the spine.

    Here is an article which makes reference to Dr.Morrison’s work. Just do a search for his name (it’s nearer to the bottom). Hope that helps!

  • justagirljustagirl Raw Newbie

    hi stylist…greens are the key…the molecular structure of chlorophyll is the same as the molecular structure of blood except that it is magnesium based, and blood is iron based..however, we were meant to eat veggies…so that lovely chlorophyll helps us out…lots of greens make a real difference..I have the opposite..hypoglycemia…and since injesting larger amounts of greens..i have no blood sugar problems…if you can’t eat green…try wheat grass juice..one ounce is the equivalant of about 2 or 2.5 lbs. of green vegetables…I’ve seen it work wonders with others..

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    justagirl,
    i know all about hypoglycemia, since i inject insulin all day long, it is a part of my daily life, especially since i try to keep tight control of my blood glucose levels. i’ve tested myself and been in the teens ( 0 being dead or comatose) i’ve come close many times, once i even saw a white light when i accidentally took the wrong insulin! luckily i didn’t “go to the light” lol!!

    thanks for the tips, i don’t mind wheatgrass, in fact i’m growing some for the first time right now,and its just about ready to cut and juice.
    i do eat wakame and hijiki, just not daily.
    i try to eat spinach daily, but usually not more than about 2 cups.
    i guess its time i got with the program!!

    thanks everyone, i love the support i get here,
    you guys rock!

  • Congratz Stylistchick! So what are your eating patterns like? Peace and love!

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    I really want to start some wheat grass juice but I have to get the proper juicer 1st. I tried it in my Jack Lalan and I used a whole bunch of grass for about 1 TBSP. I was expecting a horrible taste but it was really sweet with a slight burn at the throat. I really liked it! I also grew the grass myself. This way I get my gardening fix in the winter!
    Here is some info from a newsletter called Natural Wellness by Dr. Laux:
    New research that pokes holes in the old dogma of what causes diabetes
    Breakthrough 1: Canadian researchers looking at pancreatic tissue from type 1 diabetics noticed higher than normal # of sensory nerve fibers woven around the islet cells. Those fibers normally secrete a neurotransmitter called substance P that tells your islet cells to release insulin. The team discovered that the nerves were secreting very little sub.P. Furthermore the lack of subP was creating inflammation in the islet cells. To try and shut down those malfunctioning fibers, the team injected capsaicin directly into the pancreas of lab mice with type 1 diabetes.The very next day, those islet cells were behaving normally. Next, the team injected similar mice with subP and again – overnight reversal of diabetes. The results were the same for mice with type 2 diabetes which is looked at as being caused by a different mechanism. Body tissues also started responding normally to the insulin.
    Breakthrough 2: Insulin does way more than just regulate blood sugar. It regulates things like appetite, brain function, reproduction, etc. There are also a lot of things that regulate your insulin secretion. For eg. GLP-1 & GIP are secreted by your gut when you eat. These are middlemen that relay the message to your islet cells to “get ready”. In healthy people, 50-70% of their insulin response is triggered by these compounds. These same compounds promote the growth of new islet cells and slow the natural decline of existing cells.. A similar role is played by a protein called IRS2, which tells insulin where to focus 1st. It also regulates the size of your population of islet cells. These examples are ironclad evidence that your body is designed to protect and heal itself from diabetes, by making sure you have enough islet cells to meet you insulin needs.
    BUT… Inflammation is interfering with this beautiful, self-contained security system. The disease isn’t autoimmune but altered-immune. Smoldering, low-grade inflammation due to stress, disease, ingestion of pro-inflammatory foods, or being overweight increases cytokines. These compounds block the normal action of protective compounds like GLP1 andIRS2.
    Of course it’s unknown whether these mice study results apply to humans, but its a good bet and makes a good argument for diet and lifestyle changes.

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    thanks for that, yes, this is the study i was talking about.

    this could be a whole other thread. the thing is, it sounds like a real breakthough, but i’m not getting my hopes up.
    pharm. companies make waaaay tooo much money off us diabetics and i believe if there was a cure they would find a way to supress it.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    stylistchick~ That is really cool about the study. This might sound encouraging, but what are the side effects of messing with the body’s natural process? What is causing the inflammation? That is where the “gotcha” comes in. Most research is drug producing oriented so the Pharms can patent the “chemicals” and make big bucks… that’s the Pharm game. Keep going with the nutrition! If it is the inflammation that is the issue (which is the most damaging issue for many health challenges if not all), deal with that… of course nutritionally. Eg. Fucose, a monosaccharide that is found in some seaweed, provides support for the body’s ability to deal with inflammation.

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    Another part of this article talks about a study with a Pritikin type diet that cured diabetes in a matter of weeks in 22 obese diabetic men. Critics say a diet like this isn’t a cure (Is anyone else thinking WHAT?) it only reduces diabetic symptoms. But the diet completely resolved the health conditions that are at the root of diabetes: obesity, HBP, hi blood sugar and inflammation-as shown when hi levels of inflammatory markers in the blood dropped into the normal range. Do you suppose th “critics” were perhaps associated with big pharma?
    Mainstream medicine is scrambling to put out new drug$ even though there hasn’t been nearly enough time for long-term safety studies. In the short run, significant side effects of these new therapies have already appeared.
    It is just amazing to me that a significant diet and lifestyle change is not considered a real therapy by mainstream medicine.
    I really hope that you can get off of insulin stylistchick- Wouldn’t that freak a mainstream medical doctor out! I went to a talk by a prominent naturopathic Dr. her a few months ago and the lady that introduced him has been in remission from stage 4 malignant melanoma for 6 yrs. Her mainstream Dr that biopsied her and gave her the news actually told her that she had probably been misdiagnosed because that just wasn’t possible.

  • Since there is so many of you who have grown your own grass- how has it gone? What kind of soil do you use? I tried twice and got really good sturdy plant growth, but covered in mold! I tried cooling the area a little and even uncovering a little, but to no avail. Let me know how yours have turned out!
    Stylistchick: Congrats as well! I really do think wheatgrass would be highly beneficial to you. They have some juicers out there for like $50, just check out ebay and the SproutPeople Site. And if anyone has read work by Ann Wigmore- she is pretty convincing!
    Peace and Love!

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    deborahann, did the pritikin diet cure type 2 diabetes, or type 1 ? there is a HUGE difference in the two. i doubt there will be a day when i won’t be insulin dependent, but i am certain i can reduce my intake considerably, because i already have, by almost half. i was taking about 9 shots a day, now i’m down to about 4 or 5. but its strange, i think my body got used to the new diet, because about 2 months ago, i had to readjust and increase my insulin. (which was discouraging because i had reduced from 36 units of lantus down to 15, now i’m at 24.) i think if i got into vigorous excersize everyday i could reduce my intake even more. also as i lose more weight, my needs will go down. typically the formula for how much to take depends on how much you weigh and how many carbs you are taking in.

    papayalove, i didn’t have any issues with mold, but it did take a long time for my gras to grow, but i realized later it was because i just scattered the seeds instead of burying them. i actually just juiced some a few minutes ago, and my juicer (jack lalanne) failed the test as far as i’m concerned. i do see the manual crank juicers on ebay pretty cheap sometimes, i think thats the way to go.
    i grow it in organic soil, although the package of soil says that its not for container use, so i dunno.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    stylistchick~ I’m interested to understand why you believe that you will never be able to reduce your external insulin dependency since you have been successful at reducing it.

  • I have the same question as Bluedolfin. I’m also wondering about capsaicin. Do you like peppers? I read the same report as Deborahann, and I think if I had Type 1 diabetes I’d be eating a lot of red hot chili peppers.

    Also, the thing about exersize for me is it’s always hard to get going. For the first five minutes or so. But once I’m going, my body just loves and craves it. I love to bicycle, and it’s a serious addiction for me. Almost like a drug. When I don’t cycle I get weird. If you could find a rhythm to some sort of exersize, you might learn to love it, too!

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    i think you have to have the disease in order to understand how extremely hopeless it feels.
    also the fact that out of the whole world there is only one person that has been able to live without insulin. (sergei) if it were type 2 diabetes there would be no doubt in my mind that i could reverse it.
    the general idea with type 1 is that the cells that make insulin are DEAD, and unable to ever be regenerated. the new research puts that into question though.

    that being said, i am looking into accupuncture and ayurveda as possibilies.
    also, even though doctors tell me there is no cause of my disease, unlike type 2 which is brought on by a bad diet and sedendtary lifestyle. they tell me its not my fault that its an auto immune disease. i feel like there is a cause for everything, and i have connected the dots to my onset, and it was when i was taking antidepressants. i feel in my heart that the drugs were the culprit. not too long after i was diagnosed there was a story in the news about a class action lawsuit against the makers of zyprexia which is not an SSRI but it is used to treat schizophrenia. it was causing the onset of type 1 diabetes!! beside i always thought it was pretty odd that i got diagnosed at age 32!!
    so maybe its something i have to detox out of my body from those 3 years that i was medicated.

  • elizabethhelizabethh Raw Newbie

    i know someone with type 1 diabetes, so any progress you make in the next while would be of great interest to me. let us know how you’re doing!

  • deborahanndeborahann Raw Newbie

    Stylistchick- The men in the study were type 2, but what is encouraging is that when they injected subP into the mice both types of diabetes reversed (suP is powerfully anti-inflammatory). This would suggest both types have their roots in inflammation. I would suspect though that type 1 would be much more difficult to “cure” because the severity of the inflammation is probably much higher than for type 2. I’ve know several type 1 diabetics over th years that developed the disease after a particularly bad viral infection (chicken pox is a common one)
    I do agree, though that this is the sort of info that could be supressed by big pharma because diabetes meds bring in billions in revenue

    Papayalove- I grew my wheatgrass in organic potting soil. I soaked it overnight, sprouted for 24 hrs. then planted it very close together and covered with a wet paper towel. I watered with diluted liquid kelp from a sprayer. I used a giant glass lasagna pan. I planted it on Mon morning and harvested on Sat. It grew really fast. I did notice a little fuzz at the base but not enough to do anything about. If it got bad I was going to wash it before I juiced it. I can’t wait to get a juicer that can do grass so I can make this again!

  • stylistchickstylistchick Raw Newbie

    i mentioned that my onset of juvenile diabetes was at age 32, but i forgot to mention that statistically it is on the rise for my age group. this was unheard of a couple decades ago, hence why it is called juvenile diabetes, it used to exclusively found in children.
    it makes me suspect something chemical/environmental as the cause.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    stylistchick~ That is great that you are exploring options… Maybe there is a small, very small glimmer of possibility in you about obtaining a quality of life that goes beyond what you experience at this moment.

    I have a differing opinion to yours. I don’t think one needs to have a disease or situation to “know” what hopeless feels like. We all have areas in our lives (health, financial, relationship, world outlook, etc.) that we feel hopeless about. My suggestion, look to those whose vision is the outcome that you think is hopeless if you really want that outcome. I applaud you for reaching out to those on this site (and other sites if you have done that). There is tons of expertise in a variety of areas and lots who are available to wrap their arms around you.

    BTW, some doctors “know” what they are taught in med school. Other doctors (and other healthcare professionals) go beyond that model because they continue to search and learn about options for their patients they are currently unable to help. A popular example of one of those amazing medical professionals is Dr. Oz who has appeared many times on the Oprah show. He is a classically trained cardiac surgeon. He

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    deborahann~ That is very insightful of you to use the kelp liquid. It would be really interesting to find out if your wheatgrass has significant nutrient differences to water “fed” wheatgrass. I have read about feeding yeast with nutrients to create highly bioavailable nutrition. Way to think “outside the box”!

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