10 NATURAL LAWS OF HEALTH!

Howdy, fine folks!!

Hope you are all well!  I have limited computer access and I wanted to fit a lot in here...sorry this is a longy!

I have been at the BETTER LIVING LIFESTYLE CENTER for a week and a half!  I am fabulous!  I will be here 10 more days.  I'm so excited to update you and show you pics (lots below)!

You KNOW my history with various raw diets, trying to find "the answer," my battle with salt or no salt, my questions over cooked or no cooked ad infinitum, my chronic binge eating and morbid obesity.

All I can say is, I seem to be breaking many of my hard-won preconceived notions here, yet things are miraculously....WORKING!

1. I'm eating salt here....yay, tasty food!
2. I'm eating only 'mostly raw'...(we have cooked nut butter, some cooked veggies, some cooked cereal, even small slices of cooked cake on rare occasions, etc...)....
3. I'm eating in moderation...what really feels like an answered prayer. 
4. I'm eating plenty of fruit, really as much as I want (without counting carbs or worrying about weight gain from fruit sugar)....
5. I eat as much as I want at Buffet style meals...
6. I'm eating plenty of nuts and NOT counting FATS...., wow, I can't believe this is working!
7. I'm not Food Combining but eating Nuts WITH Fruit.
8. I'm not counting calories or any of that....
   
   And YET...and YET (drumroll, please), my body has released 32 POUNDS in only a WEEK AND A HALF!!!!  It is TRULY amazing.  I am so intensely GRATEFUL to have found this WONDERFUL program!

I wrote the following a few days ago:

Yesterday we began a 5 day Cleanse (no solid food) which involves several different colon cleansing concoctions, one, a salty broth that has 5 tsp. of sea salt in it (!!) that induces almost instant mega-poops!  I took 11 poopies yesterday!

My weight went up the next morning (scary!) even with the lack of any food due to my particularly sensitive body's proclivity for fluid retention - which we knew would happen and are monitoring exactingly.

Today, to give me a break from the salt, I received a salt-free-poop-inducing-Herbal Tea from the Dr., among many other Cleanse elements, such as herbal tablets and fiber supplements to propel the Cleanse along, in addition to my now routine 1.5 gallons of water daily and several cups of herbal tea on top of that!

I am 5 poops in so far today and it's only noon!

Even with the pseudo-weight gain, I am BEYOND THRILLED that I chose to come here.

Learning to trust the Dr.'s wisdom through the temporary weight gain (scary for someone with "an eating disorder") was challenging, to say the least!

HAPPY NEWS! I lost 11 pounds AFTER the cleanse was over! (Total of 32 lbs. in 1.5 WEEKS!)  P.S. The Doctor prescribed pears and watermelon as a part of breakfast after the Cleanse, since I retained fluid.  Pears and watermelon are natural diuretic fruits. Who knew?  Hallelujah, they work!

I am learning SO MUCH!  I really feel like I completely (completely!) understand the cause of my binge and overeating.  Finally!

I am CONFIDENT that I will be able to follow the simple food plan, as well as follow the simple LIFE plan I am learning!

I know in the past I have often had great trouble following through with diets, but I am learning a LIFESTYLE, not a diet.  There's a BIG difference!  Yet, it's been a challenge to trust at times because I've been fearful of slight indulgences causing a loss of control or weight gain.  The black-and-white thinking of an eating disorder is being seriously challenged here!  Old dysfunctional thinking is going out the window!  I'm amazed that I am doing so well while still indulging in small ways.  I just can't believe it.  

And I'm learning something even MORE important - that predicting the future based on the past is a BAD practice and all a part of living in FEAR.  What was driving my binge eating?  Plain and simple: FEAR.  An all consuming FEAR had been driving my life!

I grow in confidence daily here by focusing on God's promises, and by replacing fearful thoughts with empowering ones that tell me I can do ANYTHING!

Positive actions follow positive thoughts.  Self defeating thoughts propel self defeat.

According to Dr. Arcilla, there are 10 NATURAL LAWS OF HEALTH.

These are found in the Bible...so they are really GOD'S 10 NATURAL LAWS OF HEALTH!

This is how I am living them here.

• 1). Sunlight - I am so enjoying my morning time here, feeling the warm sun on me before I go into my morning prayers and body stretches, before my morning walk.  It feels so nourishing!  The sun's energy brings forth life...and healing...and Vitamin D!  The sun's rays stimulate our 'third eye' or pineal gland which helps regulate wake/sleep patterns by producing naturally occurring melatonin.  As I abide by waking with the sun and turning in early after sundown, the quality of my life and health have improved drastically.  When I was acting out with food, I felt horrible, sick and drained, with only enough energy to lay in bed all day, and up all night watching TV.  I abused food for STIMULATION, among many other reasons.  Enjoying stimulating activity instead - in the sun - is a huge and energizing component of the program here.        
• 2). Temperance - "Temperance" is biblical language meaning self control.  Temperance has eluded me my entire life!  I am learning here that temperance is AMAZINGLY POSSIBLE!  Self control is so much simpler than I thought.  It's a result of following this whole amazing program which addresses the spiritual, the emotional and the physical.  In a nutshell, what I really feel is helping are the following:

• Simple raw food (for the most part) which reduces overall cravings/appetite stimulation because it is so nutritious and packed with enzymes

• Being part of an amazingly SUPPORTIVE program of people all doing basically the same thing (there are those in the group that eat much more cooked than I do)

• Someone trustworthy, wise and skilled to turn to anytime for advice/direction/support (the Dr and his wife)

• The inclusion of God into eating with prayers before every meal, and all day!

• Allowing at least 5 hours between meals 

• Actually, we eat only 2 meals a day and this has been HUGE in reducing cravings

• Practicing ZERO (I mean ZERO) food/snacks between meals for optimal digestion and craving control

• Chewing 30 -50 chews per bite

• Savoring and really tasting my food

• Sticking to regimented meal times (10:30 a.m. and 4p.m. usually, and that's IT!)

• Recognizing HUNGER and FULLNESS and taking care not to eat extra food past full

• The LONG meals here (we eat SO SLOWLY, we sit and eat for 1-1.5 hours per meal!)

• Stimulating conversation at the table

• Busy and stimulating schedule

• Amazingly satiating and appetite-reducing effects of drinking the RIGHT amount of water for my body at the right time

• The practice of moderation, eating small amounts of cooked foods (even cake!), so as not to feel completely deprived

• Ability to CONTROL my own food intake as we are served BUFFET style and I am entrusted to control myself with portion size (with support and constant encouragement)...  

Temperance, so far (Thank you, God!!!) is....EASY!  This program is just SO GREAT!  And know this: there is a fridge full of food not 10 feet away from me right now and all day, evening and night, but I've lost the compulsion!  My connection to Spirit guides me, my Obedience serves me, my Mind is renewed constantly with uplifting words, my "new" Body (it feels brand new!) has changed it's desires and I've said good-bye to my former inability to control myself.        

• 3). Air - Diaphragmatic exercises, deep breathing to cleanse the lungs, and several walks a day in the fresh air make me feel so good!
• 4). Rest - The quiet country life in the woods of New Jersey, a dark bedroom, going to bed on an empty (never hungry or growling) stomach, and genuine tiredness from so much exercise make for good and easy rest.  When I first arrived, I slept as much as 10 hours a night.  Mornings I feel rested and ready for my day!
• 5). Trust in the Divine Power - This is HUGE and SO MUCH of what had been missing in my life!  Obedience to God and obedience to a sensible Lifestyle/Health Regiment and I am a completely NEW person!  I know that as I grow to Trust God more and more and learn to continually let go of living in Fear, I will succeed!  
• 6). Attitude - Attitude is HUGE.  As a matter of fact, the Dr. and his wife are the epitome of a happy, sunny, joyful people, who are cheerful and a delight to be around.  I had a strong inkling of this teaching before I came here with the www.abraham-hicks.com messages teaching us the way to happiness and success in ANY endeavor is to adopt an attitude of "happy under all circumstances."  (I'm so grateful to Esther Hicks for giving me insight into this important practice).  Now, seeing it modeled in action daily confirms my knowing that it is REALLY right.  Why fret about ANYTHING?  God will take care of it all.  We just have to learn to "give problems to God," and TRUST and KNOW that there is ALWAYS a SOLUTION on the forefront.  A happy attitude under ALL circumstances is really one of the MOST IMPORTANT answers to health and healing.  
• 7.) Nutrition - I am following an AMAZINGLY SIMPLE FOOD PLAN here: Assorted Fruit and some Nuts for breakfast (10:30a.m.), Salads, Veggies and some Nuts for dinner (4p.m.).  That's basically it!  How simple is THAT?  So much variety, so delicious, so simple.  There can be SO MUCH complication in the raw world - With so many experts, my mind was reeling and I became incapacitated, paralyzed to even TRY to get back on raw it seemed so complicated.  www.rawfoodbootcamp said this, Arnold says this, Doug Graham says this, OHI says this, etc...  Calgon, take me away!  I'm so ENTIRELY grateful for the simplicity of this program.  And knowing that Nutrition is only ONE ELEMENT of the puzzle.  Nutrition is NOT the solution.  But it is PART of it.  Not having to worry about food combining is so freeing.  In the Book of Genesis, God says, "...of all of these trees, ye may eat freely."  Not having to worry about constant hunger is so freeing!  It's GONE- I get hungry 2x/day and that's it from two very filling (as much as I want) meals a day eaten excessively slowly...and lots of exercise....and that's it!  Proper eating and digestive practices make the constantly grumbling tummy a thing of the PAST!  Hairloss has stopped and weight is flying off of me so something is seriously working.  
• 8.) Exercise - Exercise has been a HUGE component to my plan here.  I worked up to one mile 3x/day.  Today, day 11, I walked one mile 5x during the day.  You know what?  It feels wonderful!  TIP: Frequent walks burn more fat that one long walk. 
• 9.) Water - We have been instructed to drink half of our body weight in water...in ounces.  For me, that's 1.5 gallons.  Drinking so much water reduces the appetite REMARKABLY, makes your skin look smooth and feel soft, it cleans your insides, your organs, lubricates your joints and energizes you.  The Dr. says water is ENERGY.  No wonder I am not hungry in between meals or during the 5-day fast, I'm drinking so much water and tea!  Water is also HEALING to almost ALL diseases.  Almost all diseases involve not only inflammation but severe dehydration!  We follow two simple rules when it comes to timing - no water until 1 hour after a meal and no water 15 mins before eating.    
• 10). Cleansing - Internal Bowel Cleansing and External Body Cleansing keep the body healthy, no ifs ands or butts, oops, I mean, buts.  If its colonics and enemas like we did at OHI, or more effective colon cleanses like I am learning here, it is vital we keep the colon regularly cleaned. The topic of Cleansing also includes Emotional Cleansing and Spiritual Cleansing, two ENORMOUSLY VITAL parts of the program that have made me feel renewed, recharged, reborn!

 What do the first 9 Natural Laws spell?

S.

T.

A.

R.

T.  

A.

N.

E.

W!

We have to START ANEW and follow these Laws DAILY if we want to be healthy and happy!  God will help us if we ask Him for help, follow THE 10 NATURAL LAWS OF HEALTH and do away with living in FEAR!

PICTURE TIME!

       

One of the gorgeous breakfast smoothies here.  We always get fruit, nuts and a gorgeous smoothie!  A few times a week, we get raw cereal, too. 

Mmmm...kale salad for dinner!  I was on the fast and missed this one!

Raw soaked buckwheat groats for breakfast...along with a  smoothie and more fruit and it keeps you full all day!

A gorgeous dinner salad here.

The Drs talented wife, Carmen, prepared this wonderfully filling and delicious raw meal to go with a salad for dinner and maybe even some dessert!!  I was on the fast and had to miss this one, too.  But be assured, we are NOT hungry here!

The Bowel Cleanse drink component of the 5-day Cleanse.  The Bowel Formula contains charcoal, turning the drink black!  Blech!

The Magic Bullet to the rescue!  Whips up the drink quickly!

Yum Yum!  3x/day for 5 days....and not much else...except for the salty broth...below!

One one of the first days of the fast with one of the other guests.  On the table you see a pitcher of the salty pink broth of which we must drink the entire thing within 30 mins.  It is a crucial part of the Cleanse and it makes you poop like 10x a day and works almost instantly...and for sure within an hour!

It actually tastes delicious! 

Breaking the fast with the Dr.s amazing Zucchini Alfredo!  Wow!

Salad to go with Zucchini Alfredo!  He made Honey Mustard to go with it!

The viking ship!  Watermelon Fruit Boat for breakfast, plus smoothie and  nuts.  Yum!

Raw Pad Thai!  I got to play and helped make dinner this evening.  That's the yummy  collard "noodles" with  my ginger garlic Thai sauce , chopped herbs and tomatoes.  Everyone enjoyed.  

GRAPHIC PICTURE ALERT!  This is a part of my colon lining which expelled in one of my many poops during the fast.  It looks green and hairy because of the bowel formula coating it which propelled it out.  Ookey, i'm glad it's outta here!  Buh Bye!  Here's to MUCH HEALTHIER LIVING!!!!!

xoxo michelle joy

GOOD NEWS! UPDATE FROM THE RAW RETREAT!

HI Folks!

I weighed in this morning and was pleased to find I lost 19 lbs in 6 days....and that's with eating SALT on my dinners!!!

And get this - my hair stopped falling out!!!  I am incredulous!  For 4 months before I came here, Cliff and I ate vegetarian at home, and every time (I mean EVERY TIME) I'd run my fingers through my hair, there would be like 10 hairs left in between my fingers.  If I did this 10x, I'd get 10 hairs each time.  This was FREAKING ME OUT SERIOUSLY.  

It has STOPPED.  

Praise the Lord!!!  Something is seriously WORKING!!!

An example of an early breakfast in the program.  A lovely fruit platter with a yummy smoothie.  This smoothie was pear, banana, strawberry, i believe, decorated so lovingly with a carob puddle on top and a gorgeous frozen blackberry!  The Dr. always so artistically gifts me fresh herbs on and in my smoothies and meals which i happily devour.  Num num!!  By the way, who woulda thunk it, but thyme tastes DIVINE with fruit as does lavender!

Soon after this breakfast, I began to receive nuts along with my fruit.  Perhaps all of the protein is helping my hair?  And eating so slowly, at least 30-40 bites per mouthful, it takes me a while to eat, but perhaps I am finally ABSORBING nutrition.  Also, by only eating 2 meals a day, what I eat, really gets to DIGEST.  I'm jazzed!
  

Another gorgeous smoothie with mint leaves on top.  I tear up the leaves and add them to the smoothie for a burst of herbal yumminess with every spoonful!  P.S. The Dr. gives me pears alot in my smoothies as they are diuretics.  Mmm...making me hungry!!

A luscious dinner of low fat avocado guacamole on lettuce scoopers.  How did they get the guacamole low fat?  There's tons of asparagus pulverized in with the avocado!!!  So yummy!  The tomatoes were such a flavor complement.  MMM, I remember savoring this one!!!  And yummy walnuts, too!  And chia seeds on top!!!      

I'll be here for another 2 weeks and a day!  I'm glad I get to catch up with you when I can!  I borrow the Dr.s computer!!  Check the center out on facebook.

THE BETTER LIVING LIFESTYLE CENTER ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Better-Living-Lifestyle-Center/413869575316712?fref=ts 

xoxo michelle joy

DAY FOUR RAW - BETTER LIVING LIFESTYLE CENTER

Hello, Friends!

I'm doing very well!  My feet/ankles look almost normal again and not blown up like balloons.  My knee, which felt like a tight rubber band was around it, stopped hurting after the first day!  My athlete's foot went away after the first day, too!  After 4 days of lots of pooping, I'm feeling trimmer and slimmer already!

The food here is simply amazing!  The Doctor is an Amazing Raw Chef, wow!  I am so excited to bring back so many new ideas for meals to Arnold's Way!  What I am being served is so SIMPLE in ingredients, but prepared so artistically that looking at it, my mouth waters!  Today I had pear "stacks"...that looked like bisquits filled with jelly...but it was slices of pear filled with kiwi and strawberry....so simple...but like the most gorgeous thing you ever saw!  Like something you'd get in Hawaii at an expensive resort spa!   

And it's not strict-strict raw....  At first it frightened me, but I relaxed and trusted.  (Michelle, you are in the right place...God sent you here!)  (What have I been seeking all along anyway?  SOME form of moderation.  Finding it here feels like an answered prayer.)  For instance the Dr. used Veganaise as a dressing for one of my salads.  I LOVE Veganaise...why NOT?  And I was gifted an amazing piece of cooked chocolate cake after one of my dinners earlier in the program when company was over.  It was so delish and made from some health ingredients!  Zucchini!  Apples!  Bananas!  No eggs!  No butter!  In fact, no fat at all, except for the fat in the walnuts and the cocoa!

We don't receive Salvation from raw food, but from GOD!!!  Raw food is a tool.  After understanding that, I "let go, let God!"   Yes, I actually LIKE that it's not so militant raw!  I have simple guidelines to follow and over the coming weeks, I will be cultivating more and more TRUST and KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING to know what my limits are.  I felt an answer to prayer when the Dr. suggested,  "Cooked foods are more stimulating.  And you need to lose the inflammation and the weight.  You will be on raw for at least a year."  I like having this guideline with a good reason behind it, all the while knowing that I may be able to add Vegan cooked foods in, and still maintain self control.  Since I'm learning self control comes from God, I am really starting to believe this will be possible!  And i'm blessed that Dr. Arcilla www.drarcilla.com will be here to guide me, so close to Philadelphia, where I live.

And there is no food combining here!  That is actually a relief.  The only thing i have to really watch is when I drink my water - not with my meals, wait at least an hour after meals and wait at least 15 minutes after drinking to eat.  As far as eating rules, that's about it!  I'm getting fruit and nuts/seeds and smoothies for breakfast, and salads with veggies, fruits and nuts/seeds and smoothies for dinner.  It really feels SO simple!  And I get smoothies that contain both banana and strawberry even though that's supposed to be poor food combining, but the Dr. doesn't follow those rules.  It's actually FINE with me.  I feel great!  For breakfast the Dr. makes me these gorgeous amazing platters of fruit with some nuts.  And I get 1-2 juices for lunch and before sometimes.  And then for dinner I get huge salads with lettuces and veggies and apples and raisins and nuts and only a little olive oil.  So, it's SIMPLE, kind of normal!  I could definitely do this at home and that's exactly what i like best.  And sometimes I get juices and smoothies instead of meals.  He changes it up.  Oh, and for breakfast every morning I also get a smoothie WITH my fruit/nut plate!  So, I am NOT hungry in between!   He uses a little salt from time to time.  We're monitoring it.  My mouth is sure happy, but i awoke with my face a little bloated from a sprinkling of black salt on my dinner salad, so no salt in my salads today. 

This is a BIGGIE: I have to drink 1.5 gallons of water a day.  That's alot!

And ZERO eating between meals.  That is one of the most important insights i have received, how eating in between meals creates so much digestive disturbance and actually creates cravings and toxins and just wreaks havoc on absorption of nutrition.  I've suffered from thinning hair and brittle nails my whole life and to a greater degree at some times in my life.  I am anxious to see my hair restored with no eating in between meals...i'll be finally receiving nutrition from what i eat!

And i have to chew chew chew my food!  That will also be the ticket for me.  Sadly, 30 chews a bite, which is about all I can seem to manage before the food slips down my throat, is not enough.  The Dr. says I have to aim for 50-80!  Uy!

And i have to walk walk walk!  I started with 1 mile, then 2, now I am doing 3 and then some.  Whew.  I'm tired!  This will be a huge key to weight loss and to digestion.  And to mood elevation, as it already is!  

And a big part of the program is educational videos, so during the day and in the evening, I watch one of the multitude of health / inspirational videos available, like "Meet Your Meat," "Kentucky Fried Cruelty," "Diet For A New America," and so many more.  Such amazing info out there the Dr. has collected!  

The accommodations are fine and very comfortable, but not fancy.  "It's not the Hilton," as the Dr. said.  It is an extremely homey and very warm environment with beautiful decorations and fresh flowers and inspirational sayings everywhere you turn.  And the Dr. and his wife Carmen are so loving and friendly, I honestly feel like I'm with family.  

Now, we are in the woods, so there are crickets that unavoidably invade the house to contend with, but I just send love to the little creatures and they seem to quiet down.  The Dr. and his wife comically run around catching them.  

I think the MOST important part of the program is the spiritual angle.  The Dr. gives me daily lectures and he leads and teaches me quite a bit during meals, and I pray daily and read devotional quotes that he's hand selected for me to inspire me and comfort me.

One of the most important quotes I refer to daily is a scriptural passage from The Ten Commandments.  "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."  Whew, that's a good one.  Food has been my God.  Today food is placed back into it's proper perspective - into something that nourishes and fills me and is making me healthy so that I can be the best me possible and serve a loving God!

When I didn't think that was possible, I abused myself mercilessly and destroyed this "Temple of the Holy Spirit."     I can't help that I am becoming so tuned into God.  It is such a huge part of the program and I am benefitting so hugely from it!  There is a biblical scripture that says something to the effect of "Don't you know this body of yours is on loan, that it does not belong to you?"  My body is not mine own to do with what I please anymore.  I'm supposed to reflect God and beauty in my body.  All new extremely intensely amazing awarenesses which seem to be propelling me forward...so I ain't gonna argue with success!      

There is a very nice library of health and spiritual books here, too.  Today, I read in one of the Drs. many books some very insightful information regarding binge end and overeating. In "A More Excellent Way" by Henry Wright, Wright states that overeating is caused by wanting to pacify ones emotions.  (Well, that's certainly true), but he goes on saying overeaters, in general, are fearful of rejection, fearful of people, fearful of failure, and fearful of abandonment.  The overeater has low self esteem, insecurity and the need to be loved.  The mouth is "a contact place for love and security," like sucking ones thumb.  Food has become a false God.  

Whew, that really hit home base with me.  I mean, just for one thing, no wonder I've never done many opera auditions.  I'm scared to death of being rejected.  And talk about insecurity and low self esteem...  
The Drs. first lecture to me was on finding my life's purpose.  "You cannot stop eating unless you have a Higher reason, a Higher purpose.  You need to figure out your purpose."  After not too long, I spontaneously blurted out, "I think my purpose is to inspire, and it has something to do with singing...and most definitely with weight loss."

It seems I lost my way somewhere after the Raw Wedding of the Monarchs in Oregon.  I felt like a true inspiration then, singing at their wedding, showing off my new thinner body!

While I was doing the raw catering, my catering partner prepared me some cooked beans with my raw salad.  I figured, 'what the heck, why not?'  I soon became propelled by a FEAR that knew no bounds.  What I ate (some beans) (my first departure from raw) was nowhere enough to send a person into an addictive tailspin.  It was the FEAR of what i had done and not knowing that my Salvation came from God, and not from raw food.  After the beans, I felt like I was doomed, and then for 2 years following, I tried to figure this thing out.

FInally, things are becoming clearer and clearer.

Now I must keep on track, because inspiring is God's Plan for my life.
With such a plan...to inspire...life is going to be challenging without my "crutch."  So, it's CRUCIAL that i find a NEW way to "pacify" myself.  So, here, when i am feeling alone and fearful and not good enough and scared and overwhelmed and discouraged, I need to God.  I read verses.  I pray.  I meditate.  This many-times-daily connection to Spirit I've begun here is a crucial blueprint for my weightloss success and a cessation to binge eating.

And walking and the water drinking and the clean simple easy diet all seem to play into everything to lift my spirits and keep me positive and motivated and on track and focused.    

Thanks to the Dr., I have a lovely practice in the morning which I SO enjoy once i begin.  (I often resist beforehand.)  After my cinnamon tea first thing in the morning (this helps to release toxins), I read quotes back in my room that pacify my soul and work on memorizing the ones that really speak to me, and then i go outside into the sun, feel the rays on my face, and pray silently.  I am really getting to like this alone time with God.  Then i begin the warm up exercises the Dr. taught me, stretches that don't only just stretch and lubricate my body, but exercise my voice!   To have a Dr. prescribe VOCAL exercises feels like every part of me is cared for!  I am an opera singer after all!   Was I ever surprised to find an electric piano in my living space, also.  It's as if God hand selected this retreat for me, knowing exactly what I needed.

Well, I think He did! 

~

I have a lot of time on my own in which i have to fit in my several times daily walks, my many showers, my water drinking, my videos, my spiritual study and my personal for my upcoming opera, and so much more.
I have been taught to shower after each walk to wash off toxins so they don't get reabsorbed into the skin.

Many short walks helps with fat burning, rather than one long walk, but it means LOTS of showers a day. 
Today in our meeting time, the doctor told me I am doing GREAT and that he could tell I really want to get well.  I DO!  I DO!  He said he was impressed with my diligence and discipline.  I had to roll my eyes because I am such a tremendously undisciplined person.

But I find that I absolutely THRIVE in a structured environment.

Of structure, I have PLENTY here - walks, water, meals, all very regimented, but my time is self-directed and self-motivated.  The Dr. encourages me often, but I'm forming the blueprint for how I will live once I return home.

Today, I was feeling somewhat discouraged, and tired.  So much to accomplish in the day.  Will I actually be able to do this on my own?

I often feel fear I won't follow through, knowing "me," but he gave me a wonderful quote to help me when i feel this way, and made me say to him, "I CAN DO IT!"  So I'm saying it again to you!  I CAN DO IT!

My billions of cells actually hear me speaking, so speaking positively to and about myself....is crucial!

Looking forward to keeping you updated!

xoxo michelle joy         

BACK ON RAW AT THE BETTER LIVING LIFESTYLE CENTER!!!

Greetings Good People,

Boy, it has been a LONG time since I last wrote~!

Since I fell off of my 3.5 year raw diet (about two years ago), things got progressively worse with my weight and binge eating.  When I was my thinnest raw I was 249 lbs.  When I worked with Doug Graham I weighed 330.  Over the last year, i don't think i've weighed less than 350.  I weighed in this morning at 383.75.  Up until now, 375 had been my highest high with my all-time high of 425 looking like I would approach it soon enough...  My knees were killing me.  My circulation in my right leg had become a serious and dangerous problem.

I am so grateful that I did not let this go any further.  I had been planning on going back to OHI in January, but things became desperate sooner and I saw no hope in sight. All i wanted to do was eat and watch TV.  My leg hurt worse and worse and my body was swelled seriously from water retention.

I think I am the only person in the world who could gain on a Vegetarian diet! Cliff and I have been Vegetarian/Vegan (cooked) for the last 4 months.  My overall fitness level began to seriously decline the worse my water retention and circulatory problems became.

Through all of this desperation, I can now see that God has been at work at my behalf!  He miraculously arranged for me a (very spontaneous and sudden) opportunity to stay at a raw food retreat in Berlin, NJ, only 45 minutes from my home in Philadelphia, PA which i knew previously NOTHING of!!!  God is so good!  This is alot better solution than a 3,000 mile trip to San Diego, and better than OHI in so many ways!  This is only day one and I can't believe my good fortune at finding this amazing place!  I will be here for the next 3 weeks.  I am on a 21 day cleanse program here.  I can't tell you how my heart is singing with PURE RAW JOY that I am here!

The BETTER LIVING LIFESTYLE CENTER www.DrArcilla.com is run by a marvelous and wise Medical Doctor (he is an M.D.) who gave up his professional medical practices in Internal Medicine and Plastic Surgery....to heal people naturally with raw food and God's love!

The center also offers vegan cooked programs, but I am on the raw cleanse as it was deemed necessary by the good doctor as this way will certainly set me on the quickest path back on the road to health.

What a blessing it was for someone medical (with scientific evidence from my live blood test) to direct my course...to RAW!  I have belabored on purerawjoy over which plan cures binge eating, what causes binge eating ad infinitum.  I can't express to you the relief to just SURRENDER to this program knowing virtually nothing of it, and then to find that the answers I seek are here!

xoxo michelle joy
LaSoprana@aol.com