Raw Food

How do you get over 40 years of age (and obese) without ever hearing about Raw Food? I'm not just talking about the occasional bit of fruit and a salad, but going High Raw. This means eating 75-100% of your food, RAW! 
  At first it's a little hard to take in - I mean - virtually everything? Raw?
No more bread, pasta, packaged foods of any kind (I did cheat a little on this when I discovered raw food that you could buy at health stores)! No more sugar, and I chose to go Vegan as well, so no more meat, fish, eggs, cheese, or dairy of any kind. WOW! I started the Monday morning after my epiphany - and have continued to this day, 15 months later. At first I did have a small amount of meat once a week, until I read 'The China Study' By Dr T Colin Campbell. 
  It was an eye-opener, and has resulted in my choice to go Vegan for now. I may perhaps add the ocassional egg in when we get our own chooks, but I'm not too fussed. Our whole family has reduced the amount of meat and dairy we consume, and we now all eat alot more fruit and veggies. It HAS resulted in some weight loss for my teenage daughter (whom needed it) and an increase in feelings of well being for everyone. Strangely enough, on the weekend of the clinic our microwave stopped working, and we made the decision never to replace it. The kids, after an initial uncomfortable period of adjustment, have coped really well. We now steam all our veggies, except for the occasional baking!  
   Ever since I homeschooled them for 3 years, they've been cooking their own meals, taking it in turns every night, so they are pretty independent anyway.
  Ok the biggest news - in 12 months I lost 23 kilos - the first 14 I lost ONE kilo a WEEK! I've now stabilised somewhat, and am in the process of 'ramping up' my exercise to continue to lose the other 20-odd kilos I need to shed. 
  I DID, after 6 months, go to a nutritionally and classically trained Doctor - whom promotes a raw diet - and had all my blood tests done to make sure I was not getting low on anything. The tests came back pretty good, although I do need to supplement with B12 and Vitamin D. I have since discovered a Vegan supplement which includes these and a few other things, and it seems to working well. 
    When I started, I had trouble walking from the car to work. Now I jog up 7 flights of stairs. Every day I feel quite saintly walking past all the people cramming into the lift, and quite often I beat them to the top! 
   I think the other biggest change, is the mental one. Last Christmas for the first time, although 'thinking' about it for years, we made the commitment to help out on Xmas day for the 'Feeding the homeless' Xmas lunch put on by one of our local churches. It was an enjoyable couple of hours, luckily coinciding with the year the kids all go to their 'other' parent. But not only that! 
   I rediscovered my love of Permaculture, first discovered when my eldest was a baby, 20 years ago. I realised that we CAN'T possibly ever get into a place of our own, AND run a stud with seven or more horses. CAN'T be done. 
   SO, after 6 years of building up our Gypsy Horse stud, I decided to lease all my mares out, and my stallion, and start seriously saving. We are down to 1 mare, her foal, and our stallion, whom stays here 'til the end of December, as he's got a few mares booked already for next season. Then he, too, goes out on lease.  I'm still working on the mare and her foal, but may have a lease home for both.
   It's been a really hard thing to do, but it feels RIGHT. I've started a garden here at home, after 6 years of procrastinating. My partner and I have joined the local 'Transition Ipswich' movement and are actively involved in the local Community Garden. After 6 years we've finally become part of our community, and I'm amazed at how good it makes me feel! Most of my friends were made over the internet, hence scattered all over Aus, only a couple nearby, and all of us so busy I rarely see them. 
Adie