Our Granddaughter has gone healthy

Hi everyone. My name is Erika. I’m Robin and Roy’s granddaughter. Without knowing it, Robin & I were both in the midst of making major lifestyle changes to the way we were eating. We found out through the grapevine about each other’s new lifestyles and are now trying to encourage each other to succeed........... A little about me… I’m a 36 year old single mother with a 7 year old son. I’m also a nursing student earning my bachelor’s degree. Our lifestyle is non-stop most of the time. There is homework, studying, clinical paperwork, clinical rotations, more homework, more studying, taking care of the house, the pets, and whatever else would arise. It left me no time to think about nutrition and fitness. Whatever convenience packaged meal we could grab was becoming our daily routine......... This spring when my semester was about to end I became restless. I knew I would only be taking an online class over the summer and would have time to figure this nutrition and fitness thing out. Late one night I was scanning through my Netflix movies and came across a movie titled “Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead.” I decided to stay up and watch it. It was the most motivating movie I had ever seen. Joe Cross, an Australian man was diagnosed with a debilitating autoimmune disease. He was 100 pounds overweight. He went on a whole plant based juice diet for 60 days. The statement he made in the movie sticks with me. He said, “When I was a kid I would fall down and scrape my knee. Back then I didn’t have to do anything and the wound would heal itself. I started thinking why can’t I do the same thing today? Why can’t I heal my body from the inside out and then it will take care of itself and I wouldn’t have to worry about it?” The movie follows him over the 60 days and the transformation is amazing. I was sold! I purchased a juicer a few weeks later and was ready to start my fast. The only problem was how could I stick to a long fast and still take care of my son over the summer. In reality the 60 day fast wasn’t going to happen. I started to investigate more about a whole plants food diet and discovered Forks Over Knives. After watching that documentary I was convinced I could do it. I could make a lifestyle change that would improve the nutrition for not only me, but also my son. From that point on I became a sponge for new information about this lifestyle. I’ve read numerous books, listened to audiobooks and searched many websites. Another favorite series I enjoy is the “Skinny Bitch” series. This is always a great motivator! The big change… Classes ended mid-May and within a week I had switched to a vegan diet. I started with The Engine 2 Diet. This taught me how to start a fat-free vegan lifestyle and overcome many obstacles. I found this diet extremely hard to stick to after a few weeks. I chose to incorporate oils and margarine back into my diet and was happy to have many more options for meals. It was also much easier to pass off vegetable based items to my son when they tasted similar to things he was used to. I was also able to bake pies and desserts that other family members enjoyed and couldn’t believe they were vegan. Each morning I wake early and exercise for one hour on my elliptical machine before I start my day. As of today, I’ve lost 30 pounds in only two months! I feel great and plan to keep on losing! I also plan to incorporate some strength training into my morning routine this month to start toning up too. The more I learn about this lifestyle the more I realize this is going to be the future for many people. We can’t continue to eat junk and chemicals we can’t even pronounce! This is the easiest lifestyle to live. All you have to do is eat all natural, whole-based foods. They are not that hard to find and not really that hard to fix. I enjoy not having to wait for meat to thaw out to prepare the meal, nor do I have to plan in advance what I am going to make. I look in the fridge, find a recipe online for what I have and throw it together. Most meals take less than half an hour to prepare. If you are considering the change don’t hesitate. It’s simple…eat whatever is in season, plant yourself a garden, start cooking meals at home again, be creative and live a long, healthy life that you and your family can enjoy together.