Re: my testimony so far

Thank you for the feedback! You have lost a lot of weight very quickly and the problem with that---unless you're very careful---is that you can end up yoyoing---which is just as harmful as gaining a lot of weight.

About a year ago, my husband and I decided to do a strictly vegan diet for a month. We both lost weight but he lost 8 lbs. during that month. However, we both felt deprived as we enjoyed having some fish every now and then. So we modified the diet --- we do vegan 4 2/3 days a week (one day a week, we have sushi and the rest of that day, a vegan diet).

Good for you for exercising 6-7 days a week---and good for you to be sure to have weight-bearing exercise in the mix. I was just wondering --- did you gradually work up to 6-7 days a week or did you just exercise like that from the beginning? The reason I ask is that we do the treadmill at a fast enough speed to walk a mile in a half hour and do this three times a week. We found that we had to gradually increase the frequency. For example, I started out 2 times a week at a slower speed, then worked up to where I'm now.

For me, my A1C levels are within normal range but the last reading showed I had creeped up a bit. Thus, I'm mindful to not slip back into old ways.

I think that everyone does have to find the way that works best for him/her. You can be vegan but not have to do raw foods all the time, IMO. Just be sure that what you eat isn't loaded with fats---or make sure you limit high fat foods. For example, we go out to eat in vegan/vegetarian restaurants and some of the soy protein/seitan is deep-fried in some dishes. The trick is to not eat like that all the time. If we get such a dish, we share it, rather than have one person eat it all. Also, we'll be sure to get a low-fat dish, too.

Have you added any herbs/supplements to your diet? Recently, I found a good multivitamin at Whole Foods that is vegetarian in that all the vitamins/minerals are extracted from vegetables. It is also devoid of folic acid, which in huge quantities, can cause problems. I also take gymnema sylvestre, prickly pear cactus, green tea capsules, a vegetarian probiotic (I have IBS-D), cinnamon and both coconut oil and flaked coconut.

Do keep up the good work and do report back once you're off the fast. I, for one, would be interested to see how things progress for you!