FROM COCAINE TO COCONUTS!

Hi Folks,

I've been so busy, all of a sudden!

And I cannot quite believe that just 2 weeks ago I was the most hopeless cooked food addict, unable to get myself off of the couch for anything other than to go into the kitchen to eat up all of Cliff's food.

Today is my 2 week raw milestone, and I've returned to raw as if i've never been away, but in a new controlled way: eating when i'm hungry, stopping when i'm full, not obsessing about food AT ALL, with no cravings to binge or snack compulsively, and I try to be sensible with fat and salt and enjoy it in moderation. I also don't stock the house with raw dehydrated snacks for temptation. I snack on fruit. Or I have a bite of a bliss ball, which satisfies me.

Basically, I've reached a new blessed level with raw.

And I'm losing weight! Even with oil, with avocado! (I'm soaking my seeds and stay away from nuts. But yesterday i had some nut pate as a treat.) And the new pants I just bought in size 32 are already too big on me. (I'll weigh myself in a few days when my period is over.)

The most exciting part is I am working such a rockin' energy zone right and things are percolating! Job interviews, singing lessons in NYC, orders for "Mostly Raw Catering." It's true that when we step into the zone, the universe knows and starts sending things your way, saying, "you are ready, here you go!"

Ready? I wasn't before. Honestly, i could barely get myself off of the couch...to go pee!

This way is so much BETTER...but challenging. This way, I take risks. This way, i get nervous. I fail at a singing job or I freak out over SOMETHING, an activity, a conversation, an idea, a job that feels overwhelming - instead of freaking out over the fact that i can't stop binge eating or that nothing fits me. This way, i gotta deal with LIFE. The other way, I was hiding from life, stuck in a negative vortex that was just sucking me under.

Grab the life raft...grab ahold...and pull yourself OUT! You know what the difference between people who survive freak accidents is, and the people who don't? The ones who survive want to live.

_ _ _

So, yesterday, I met with Joel Odhner, a former personal raw chef to Dr. Oz, who is opening a raw restaurant here in Philly called JAR BAR.

The guy is charming, very relatable, very kind, honest, down to earth, sincere. Not only that, he is GOOD LOOKING! Even this picture does not do him justice. So attractive in person! With that haircut in this pic, i told my mom he looks like a Nazi officer! I didn't expect to be wowed.

JAR BAR stands for Juicing And Rawfood Bar. We had a very nice meeting. We'll chat next week more about the possibilities.

Here are Joel's BEFORE and AFTER pics and his story, that i copied from one of his websites. To look at him, you would never know he was once heavier and out of shape and a former druggie.

JOEL ODHNER: "6 years ago I owned a restaurant/bar and catering company. Worked long hours did alot of partying, ate lots of rare prime rib, sour cream stuffed baked potatoes and drank large amounts of beer. Then to top it all off I also did cocaine to the point where it became a problem. Well actually most of my lifestyle was creating challenges in my life. Im married to an amazing woman and have 3 awesome daughters. The challenges got so bad that I lost my business and came very close to losing my family. There I was standing at the crossroads of my life, an opportunity to choose…my current lifestyle or something else. As you can see I chose to change my lifestyle. Raw foods has made such a dramatic difference in my physical, emotional and spiritual life. Some days I can hardly believe I'm really me. My life has been transformed into one I could have never Imagined. Maybe you could try it?!"

Joel's story is an inspirational one. From cocaine to...coconuts!

_ _ _

Have you seen the new Dr. Fuhrman special on PBS? Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified cardiologist who teaches people to eat healthier and to change their lives. His clients are changing their lives DAILY...by simply changing their diet. Dr. Fuhrman suggests a mostly raw vegan diet.

No one says you have to be all raw. Even Joel Odhner is not all raw. For me, this is just where i need to settle right now. It's GOT to be my home base. Maybe someday in the future I can steam my veggies without running to burgers right after that.

What I'm telling you is there IS SOMETHING to this raw thing. By removing addictive allergic foods and flooding the body with vitamins, I've gone - from depressed...to not depressed, from immobile...to being busy all day, from feeling hopeless...to feeling competant and hopeful!

And if I can do it? So can you! Find what level works for you and get on the ball. If you don't feel good, give IN to the detox. Rest. Relax. Cry. I had to cry out alot of emotional crap in the last two weeks. It's amazing how much better you feel when all of those emotional burdens start to lift. Ask yourself this. Is your life getting any better the way it is NOW? So what have you got to lose?

When you get over the humps, you realize this is a blessed state to be in. And this is only the beginning, again, for me.

xoxo michelle joy