Early in 2012 I started reaching out to vegan friends on twitter to ask them to share their testimonials. My hope was that by getting vegans to share their stories we could educate and inspire others and give people first hand accounts to replace perceptions or stereotypes. I’m incredibly grateful to those that have participated. Their stories speak for themselves! If you enjoy the series please let us know!

Before

After

“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

A quick search on the internet lead me to this definition: something that you say which means you cannot make a good quality product using bad quality materials. That describes my journey over the past couple years. I could not get a good result in my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health if I was using bad materials.

My bad materials?  The tools of the highly trained self sabatour: food, alcohol, couch potato-itis.  With a stealth like skill that would rival Angelina Jolie (think Mrs. Smith), I was highly skilled at sabotaging any significant forward motion toward a healthy life. Like a gun toting, knife wielding assassin, I could undo a week’s worth of stringent discipline in one night of indulgence. That rice cake didn’t stand a chance against my made-from-scratch spaghetti carbonara, caesar salad and cheesecake! Ha!

I took a long look at where I was compared to where I wanted to be. I was obese, anemic, deficient in Vit D, and full of aches and pains. I made a choice that if ‘IT’ did not serve my goals, ‘IT’ was getting kicked to the curb. The first thing to go was alcohol (everybody wince!). I had not mastered the trick of just having one glass of wine after work. I had mastered having several. And coming from parents who were alcoholics, before their far too young deaths, the writing was on the wall. There really wasn’t a choice for me. I quit.

After about a year, I had lost 50 lbs. Yay me! I still had 30 or so to go, but was well on my way! Then I read a book called Skinny Bitch. I committed to trying a vegetarian diet for 30 days. I never went back. After six months of being a very healthy vegetarian (yes, you can be an unhealthy vegetarian… potato chips are vegetarian… need I say more?) I had gained 20 lbs!  I worked out 5-6 days a week. I worked out with a trainer. Still, no weight loss.

Then I became vegan ‘ish’ (I am a rule breaker).  Then I moved toward raw vegan-ish eating. That, along with A LOT of reading and research, and guidance of an obesity doctor, and I have lost that 20 lbs plus another 20+.  (75+lbs) I am now five lbs away from my ideal weight. Crazy stuff! I was inspired to start a Raw Vegan Meetup group in our area. I love sharing and learning from other Raw Vegans. Over time, my husband and youngest son have become ‘mostly’ vegan. Not eating anything that had ‘a face or a mother’ has really helped me live my life with personal integrity in all things. Wearing a size 4 is just a side benefit!

Down 90 Pounds!

Cynthia is so awesome! I am so thankful that she is part of the project! My friend Nina (aka @vinylfetish) connected us and was such a great help in getting this testimonial to me. Say hello to Cynthia on twitter @VeganIsSexier and let her know you appreciated her sharing her success story!

Feeling inspired? Do you have a story to tell? Please read this post and learn how you can be part of the Vegan Testimonials Project. There are also some interviews about the project that you may enjoy. Kasey Minnis (@veggiemightee)  interviewed me for This Dish is Veg. Ashley Flitter also interviewed me about the project on The Unintentional Vegan. And I just finished an interview with Jamessina on Jamessina.com.