"I Lost 25 Pounds Going On The Optimal Raw Food Diet"

I lost 25 pounds going on the Optimal Raw Foods Diet in under 6 months. This was extra weight that I couldn't lose after my pregnancy. My daughter is 9 years old! The weight seemed to effortlessly come off and I haven't felt so good in years.

I was eating a vegan vegetarian diet and I could not lose the weight. It was hard for me to lose weight because I didn't know how. I did not eat junk food or fast foods. I was eating a “healthy, whole foods” vegan diet.

I was practicing yoga daily, sometimes three times a day. I came across Roger Haeske's HowToGoRaw.com and found the most encouraging, inspiring, and practical advice on how to do it.

Daily emails keep me inspired and I have the Forum where other rawfoodists and experts meet for interactive support and information.

The value goes way beyond the price of the membership. There is advice on much more than the diet also, and expands to all aspects of life including general well-being, exercises, organization skills, spirituality and personal development.

Eating an Optimal Raw Food Diet took me out of a depression I wasn't aware of, I was so used to feeling low. After eating raw I started to feel giddy for no reason.

My daughter says I look and act like a teenager! I am much more playful and I don't get in grouchy moods.

I am the same size I was when I was fifteen and I feel compelled to move and exercise! I practiced yoga for 13 years and my flexibility and strength improved faster than ever once I started eating raw. Leaps and bounds beyond areas I had been struggling in.

I have had my ups and downs in the transition but having the support and information of Haeske's Success Society at HowToGoRaw really kept me on track. Thank you Roger, I really appreciate all the time and effort you put out there for us.

Cathy Breshears
Manipura Yoga Studio
Kirkland, Washington
1-425-830-6443
http://www.my-yoga.com

Click Play to Hear Cathy's Full Story:

Mother Gains Courage... Stays Raw

March 26, 2006

I am fairly new to Roger's Forum but I have noticed a huge difference in my commitment to raw since I've joined. I don't know anyone else that is raw, so finding a support buddy is nearly impossible.

I have been learning about the benefits of raw foods for 2 years. I know they have changed my life and health dramatically.

I have degrees in nutrition, dietetics and physiology so I know the science behind eating this way. I have studied many different raw diets and experimented on my own to see how they effected my health.

It has been a journey and I keep moving forward. Roger's low fat vegan raw is the one that works hands down.

My downfall has been not making that 100% raw commitment. My family is not raw and of course a lot of happiness and emotions are connected with what I now know as food addictions. I have been 100% raw off and on but always come off to please others, get trapped in the addiction and then it takes me a long time to crawl out of the hole I've dug.

Roger's email "Is your family your excuse to stay sick?" really hit home! I need to post this up on my wall!!!!

Having Roger's feedback often gets me to look at things from a different perspective. I may not even see something as an issue but with his comments it gives me new information, allows me to really listen closer to my body, and guides me to a new level of health.

I have a lot of knowledge. I have been a personal trainer myself for many years. It takes more than that to succeed. Knowing is just the beginning. Putting it into action and having it work for you is a completely different thing.

Someday's I spend so much time and effort helping others that I don't take care of myself. When I am in a weakened state, I make weak choices. When I let this continue, I find I am not much help to anyone. It took me a long time to realize that I, myself need help. I need guidance. I need an outside perspective. This is what I have gotten from How To Go Raw!

The health benefits come automatically when making right decisions. Learning what decisions are right and acquiring the courage to make them is key. Some of my problems with being 100% raw seem fairly simple now that I can look back on them.

Not having enough raw food in the house was one. Now I order in cases. This is new to me and was a challenge in the courage department. But I've conquered it and it is easy now. I have a wonderful supply of raw foods surrounding me. This is what I want!

This was a decision I did not make until joining How To Go Raw. Just reading others posts and Roger's replies, I gained a lot of insight on what I needed to be doing to succeed. I now have fallen in love with being raw.

There is no other way to describe it. When you're in love, you don't care what other people do. You don't need to struggle to find the courage. It just comes naturally. When you embrace raw, all else seems to fall away. The support forum has helped me see this, feel this and whenever I need a boost it is there for the asking!

Sandra Dwan
fitjunkie(at)mac.com, 831-422-4755
Salinas, Ca 93905 

Click Play to Hear Sandra's Story:

"I feel I took the RED pill , in the movie "the Matrix" and woke up !!!"

May 5, 2006

Hi Roger

THANX a LOT for checking up on me !! I really appreciate it . At the same time I can tell you that I am very driven !!! I don't think I need a lot of check-ups.

I have been living with illness since birth and gone through the whole regular medical mill and even the whole alternative/ natural mill . I went RAW (90%) the first week this year and I still am .

I have SO MANY improvements already in a FEW months. I see the Light again . I am BEAMING with hope and I have a FUTURE !!!! I KNOW RAW WORKS !!!!! I went RAW 100% TODAY !!! I feel SO MUCH BETTER !!! .....

Also your Lightning Speed Program . It is just GREAT !!! I KNOW it WORKS TOO !!!! I started doing it the same day I got it , 4 days ago . I only did it two days , because I have to take a rest the next day , because my body is very weak . So my program is to do as many exercises as I can and then rest one day.

But I am very Confident !!! I FOUND the TRUTH. I FOUND things that WORK !!! Now there is only one thing left to do and that is to just DO it !!!!!!! And you better Believe me , I want to LIVE , there is no question about it .

My nessecity-level is very high. I WILL DO whatever it takes. And last but not least , I found and find going RAW not so hard and NOW even easy . I (almost) have no cravings, so I must be doing something right. And I expect the same of the LSE !!!!!! THANK You for that Roger, it is really great, I feel I took the RED pill , in the movie "the Matrix" and woke up !!!! ....

ps. I lost a lot of weight. Which is ok now. I'll build it back with muscle.

Thank You for your Being ..... May the Blessings Be .....

Dave Batten
Netherlands

"I no longer use a motorized wheelchair... I went to the site and always found help"

March 23, 2006

I am a raw foodist. I love how that sounds. I started raw after hearing about it from a friend last August. This same friend recommended HowToGoRaw.com, so I checked it out.

I signed up right away and started posting in the forum. There were many times in the beginning of my raw journey that I struggled. I went to the site and always found help.

There were days when I was cranky and depressed. (You know you are a raw foodist when your children ask you if you ate cooked just because you are a little cranky) Days where I wondered if being raw was worth it.

It was a struggle for me because I had to give up everything that was comfortable to me. The hardest food for me to stop eating was cheese. If you had asked me before I would have said chocolate, but it was cheese.

I needed a cheese substitute and found it. (You know you are a raw foodist when you grind up nuts and call it cheese) I received the support I needed. I found a couple of on-line friendships that I value.

Raw Food is a miracle for me. I feel better than I have ever remembered. I have confidence in this program that I've had in no other; confidence that I am doing the healthiest thing for my body, and confidence that I can continue to lose weight until all of it is gone.

I have lost 60 pounds. I no longer use a motorized wheelchair. The pain in my knees has disappeared. All the numbers doctors are concerned with have come down and into normal range ie BP 101 over 68. Above all else, I feel wonderful both emotionally and physically. Raw really works.

Cheri Jones

"My cholesterol was down from 218 to 171! Amazing!"

August 13, 2006

I just wanted to tell you all... thank you so much for your help!

Before I found this website, I was completely lost. I didn't know how to eat properly and was having terrible side effects to my diet change (candida).

This website has really turned things around for me! I feel great, I've lost 12lbs, and my skin looks incredible... and the best part is I spend most of my day eating dessert!

Fruit has never tasted better and I never get hungry! I'm just glad there are people out there willing to help! I am still amazed at the amount of information on this site!

Thank you again!

Update: I just went to the doctor for my annual physical and my cholesterol was down from 218 to 171! Amazing!

April Jackson

"Every assertion made is closely followed by research and data that support its findings"

April 2, 2006

With so much contrasting information in raw foods nutrition today i didn't have much faith that Roger Haeske's newsletter would be any more helpful than the mess of contradictions i had been uncovering on my own but i was instead surprised to find his newsletter choc full of interesting commentary and theories that come together to convey an easily adaptable and useful techniques for the raw lifestyle.

Every assertion made is closely followed by research and data that support its findings, so before i attempt anything new i have confidence that it's been investigated beforehand. Needless to say i love the newsletter and greatly appreciate Roger's efforts in bringing raw science to a broader specturm of progressive thinkers.

Loz Campbell

"I am so much happier, more content and at peace"

March 31, 2006

Thanks to Roger and HowToGoRaw.com I have been 100 percent raw for a while now and have no desire to cheat. For awhile i would be 100 percent raw and then have some cooked food and after awhile you get to the point where you just don't have any desire for cooked food.

Plus I am so much happier, more content and at peace. I am that for many reasons but going 100 percent raw is one of the big reasons. I didn't know what they meant when they said there would be a big difference between 90 -95 percent raw and l00 percent raw... and you know what "they" were right. My body doesn't have to fight the cooked food hang over anymore. I'm in a wonderful place right now...thank you for your support.

Lisa Montgomery
Pennsylvania

"The forum is a great way to connect with others who are in transition as well as raw veterans who can give you a helping hand."

March 17, 2006

I am drawn to Roger's sensible approach to going raw. He does not advocate abrupt changes - does not use inflammatory rhetoric to convert anyone to a 100% raw lifestyle. He offers honest, straightforward personal accounts, including his own past challenges and successes. He conveys a multiplicity of facts and internet links to astute professionals who offer extremely insightful, researched information. The forum is a great way to connect with others who are in transition as well as raw veterans who can give you a helping hand.

Debra Taylor
DTConsult (at) cableone.net
1-928-772-6826 

"I Felt Like I Could Ask You Anything"

August 12, 2005

You have really been a help to me, even before I bought my membership. That's one reason I bought it. I felt like I could ask you anything on the open forum but I also felt like it would be taking advantage to do that.

I appreciate all the support you have given me and I don't feel like I could have made it as far as I have without it.

Even with all the reading I'd done, I was still going about this all wrong and was doomed to failure without some guidance. I read your page about eating grains, etc., and was thinking that it was a lot like some of the other sites I'd been to until I saw "I don't eat this way any more." That got my attention and I went on from there to find out more about it.

Thanks, Roger!

Tommie Burchard
Tommie's Great Raw Food Blog: With before & after pictures, plus a whole lot more.
http://reallyrawfood.com/

Hi Roger,

I just wanted to thank you for the awesome things I've been experiencing on this diet. I had tried to eat raw for about four months before I found your web site, and had to learn from my own mistakes - I wish I would have started with the program you recommend. I feel "cleaner" every day and my energy keeps growing.

After a long battle with cravings, I think my body is finally getting over my addictions to junk food. Your writings on this helped me a lot - especially the pain v. pleasure ones. It's gotten to the point where I don't actually enjoy eating junk food. Yes, it feels good in a way, but it pales in comparison to eating fresh fruit with "gourmet taste buds," as you call them. There's a whole level that just isn't there - the salt, sugar, and grease that I used to savor now taste crude and unrefined - I don't know exactly how to say it. It's as though part of me enjoys eating this stuff, but not the part that has been awakened by and sensatized to the nuances of raw foods.

I have also been following your exercize recommendations, and they have been great! I was never "fat" per se - I actually exercized a lot before I was raw. When I wasn't binging on junk food, I ate a lot of protein. Your comments on being undermuscled really applied to me - I lifted weights a lot and took some muscle growth supplements occasionally. The massive ammount of cooked calories I was consuming, combined with the suplements and my exercise caused me to become quite bulky - I looked great in black polo shirts. I didn't always like the idea of taking them off, however. It wasn't that I was that flabby - looking back, I was just bloated from overconsumption of protein and I had a lot of fat, which, when layered on top of muscles, made me look pretty strong.

Things were not as great as they looked, however. I had unevenly developed muscles, which led to strains and pulled rotator cuffs. I also had to shower and wash my face frequently - if I didn't, the grease and grime that came out of my pores would build up. I just figured that this was natural, and forked over the cash for the soap, lotion, toner, cleanser, etc. that it took to keep my face's appearance normal and "clear."

That is all different now. I no longer have to buy any of those products - my body just doesn't need them. I use a dry skin brush in the mornings, take a hot shower and scrub my body with a loofah gourd (1.29 at target). Then i take turn the water to cold for a few minutes to close my pores and stop the hot water from making me drowsy later in the morning. I don't have junk going into my body, so it doesn't come out on my skin.

Back to the whole muscle thing (I'm finding it's all so related, though). Initially I lost a lot of muscle because I stopped working out when I tried to do a raw diet. Bad idea! I've been doing a lot of squats and pushups - with amazing results. I've also been using my own body's resistance, as you suggested, for curls, neck exercises, abs, and a host of shoulder exercises. I dont know why I ever went to the gym! This is developing my muscles so much more evenly. People
worry about me when they see me (with a shirt on), but I recently hugged a friend I hadn't seen in awhile, and he immediately asked if I had been in the gym - said my arms and shoulders felt strong - he noticed this from a 2 second side hug! At some point I'd like to go back to the gym to see how much strength I've gained, especially in my shoulders.

I also noticed the benefits of the squats when I went running this morning. We had awful weather for the past few weeks (in Ohio) so I just did lots of squats at home instead of jogging. (I typically jog first thing in the morning) Today I went outside, and I just flew down the street - I can't even begin to describe it - I wasn't exerting much effort at all, but I was moving at what I would have previously considered a moderately strenuous pace. I always finish with a
spring- and today I went just as fast, hardly had to "work" for it.

OK, I have to go now, but I just wanted to let you know how much your website has helped me.

Steven Plaat
stevenplaat(at)gmail.com

Member of http://www.HowToGoRaw.com
Owner of the Lightning Speed Exercise Program

12/29/04

Roger you've been great, a great support. Its almost 5pm, my coach says, get to bed! I'm gonna work towards getting to you the food journal.

Thanks for mentioning the Harry Browne-How I Found Freedom... book. Paul Nison suggested it to me quite a while ago. I bought it and only read parts. So much of it already sounded like me I put it down. Today I'm looking through it again, I think I'll read it cover to cover this time.

I have pretty much lived my life trying to please others. For at least a year I've never considered 'my own interests' of health. I'd have raw food in mind, but after preparing cooked food for loved ones I'd be too tired to prepare my own raw food.

I mention all of this because I'm certain in your coaching you've come across many people who have bought into 'spiritual ' ideas that others come first, their desires, their wants, wishes. Its one of the hidden reasons I hadn't went raw. I know it sounds ridiculous, giving till it hurts, but I'm learning. I don't have physically forever to live, to wait till others 'get it'.

This is really an eye opener for me. DO WHATS IN MY OWN BEST HEALTH INTERESTS!!

I'm gonna do this Roger. You may not hear much from me, but I know you're out there along with the group supporting me.

I remember going raw a few days in-a-row and experiencing bliss. That was scary. "Could it be like this a lot more?", were my questions to myself. Believe it or not this is one of my main
reasons. And I just know that a greater part of my potential will come out. I think I'm ready now, not too much fear of being a 100 watt light bulb instead of a 60 watt!

Take care, I'll send the money on the upgrade soon.

Regards, Maurice Ottey
Las Vegas, Nevada

12/26/04

Hello Roger,

I've been a subscriber for over five years, and have thoroughly enjoyed your "hands-on" and "been there and done that" credentials, and I totally agree that one can get too much nutrition! You write very well. Very readable, and not wordy, and not just in short, technical commands! You have a very "story telling ", patient way of explaining things. I once sent you an email question about "tinnitus" (ringing in the ears) and thank you for the timely response. I never realized how so many people suffer from this.

This is my year to go raw, and I have you to thank for your support.

Best Regards, Larry Sarver