Claudia's Story

I have been a vegetarian since I was 15 years old. I was taught in school that there were four food groups, two of which were meat and dairy.  Since I wasn't eating any meat, I was made to feel that this was cause for great concern.  My vegetarian diet was similar to the disease-promoting diet that most Americans eat, minus the meat.  I didn't care for vegetables.  Instead, I was addicted to junk foods like pizza. French fries, grilled cheese, and vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup.

As a result of my food addictions I was overeating.  By the time I was a senior in college, I knew I had a problem because friends and family were commenting that I had put on too much weight.  I was always struggling to either lose weight or keep it off.  I didn't have a diet style which was sustainable or would satisfy me long enough to maintain a healthy weight.  

I was always a low energy person and didn’t like to exercise.  Deprivation dieting and exercise were both burdens to me. Therefore, I didn’t to stick to either of them on a consistent basis. I also developed a large fibroid uterus which placed limitations on my ability to be physically active.  Just prior to Eat To Live, I had been following the McDougall program.  I was losing weight, but always felt hungry on the starch-based diet.  I was always thinking about the next meal, and had to carefully count calories in order to avoid overeating.  My food tended to be colorless due to the emphasis on grains and potatoes.  My skin looked pale and became extremely dry. 

Now that I am on the Eat To Live program I’m vibrant, colorful, and alive, and functioning every day at my very best. I am enjoying life to the fullest.  I enjoy an active life and have much more energy than I ever did before.  I feel very blessed to have stumbled across this way of eating because it has freed me from food addiction, and from the constant cycle of yo-yo dieting.  It still amazes me that, after failing so many times, I finally found a diet style that is sustainable for a lifetime.  I absolutely enjoy the food that I now eat and I love the fact that I can eat this way, feel great, and stay at an ideal weight. 

 I love knowing that I’m in control of my health destiny, and that I’m not doomed to suffer and die from chronic diseases that plague so many Americans. Since I was a vegan before becoming a Nutritarian, my cholesterol and blood pressure were already good.  My triglycerides, which weren't terribly high in the first place, were cut in half when I switched from the McDougall program over to Eat To Live and my HDL (good cholesterol) increased significantly.  My highest weight in my mid- twenties was 145 pounds (I’m only 4ft. 11in.).  In my before picture I am 31 years old and weigh 120 pounds.  Now, at age 52, I weigh 90 pounds which is less than I weighed in high school.

After many years of following Eat To Live, Dr. Fuhrman stated that I’ve achieved the parameters associated with dramatic enhancements in life extension.  He also pointed out that symptoms of longevity are often considered abnormal and treatable offenses by conventional doctors who do not recognize cases of extreme good health.

To others who are starting their journey to good health I want to say success happens.  It is only a matter of time.  It doesn't matter how many times you have tried and failed in the past.   There are so many of us who have experienced a lifetime of yo-yo dieting before discovering Nutritarian eating which has changed us forever.  Anyone can do this.  Just know that, and make it so.