Here’s another inspiring weight loss and health success story from one of our amazing Eat to Live Support Group members:
My name is Shona Bright, and I’d like to tell you how the book “Eat to Live,” changed my life. In 2009, my life changed forever, when I began to have horrible pain all over my body. I woke up one night and couldn’t move my right leg without excruciating pains! The pain seemed to subside only to “pop” up in other places, my shoulders, my feet, my hands all felt as if they were burning. I had severe stiffness, and swelling. At times it felt like electrical shocks in my joints.
In 2010, I was diagnosed with RA, Sjogrens, Connective Tissue Disease, IBS, and Fibromyalgia. I was placed on many high powered drugs such as, Methotrexate (which is a low dose chemo drug), Humira, Plaquenill, some others to manage secondary symptoms like depression and insomnia with drugs like Ambien, and Celexa. It seemed that for every drug I took there was a new side effect that needed another drug, and it became a vicious circle! All in all, at one time I was taking over 10 prescription drugs. After many years of this I felt pretty hopeless. My faith in Jesus Christ got me through those difficult times.
I begin to research my diseases, and ask questions about how diet could help me deal with them. One book that just seemed to linger in my mind as I was deciding which to purchase, was “Eat to Live”! I read several other books as well, such as “The End of Dieting”, also written by Dr. Fuhrman. I also read the book, Alive! by Scott Stoll, which helped me greatly as well. I began to try to implement the “Eat to Live” plan, and did it for 6 months. I just couldn’t quite let go of old habits and wasn’t seeing enough progress, or so I thought. I made a mistake, I quit!
But, in early 2016, I decided, I was in for life! I started again. With a vision in my mind of a healthier, thinner, and stronger me in my mind, I began to eat with a purpose like never before. As a Christian, I prayed for direction and strength to continue with this huge change in my life, and I received it! I based my diet on plants, and as I kept going I noticed how much better I felt. The depression and anxiety also began to disappear. For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself. I started to lower my meds slightly after about 6 months. Somewhere around the 8th month I began to get sick! I had strep once a month for three straight months! I couldn’t understand it, because I knew that I was doing well on the plan. But it finally dawned on me, that I was taking meds I didn’t need any longer! With autoimmune diseases, our immune system is TOO high, and sees our own tissue as an invader and attacks. So the drugs we take are to lower our immune system. My immune system had apparently righted itself and I was still taking immune lowering drugs and it caused my immune system to go so low I was getting sick! I stopped the meds and the strep cleared up without antibiotics!
When I began to eat this way, I thought it would take a lot longer to heal. After all, it took years to become so sick, so I overestimated the amount of time it would take. These natural foods are powerful medicines, and can reverse disease very quickly! I am off all the drugs now! My rheumatologist is very happy for me, and feels that I am in remission! I am back in the gym about 3 times a week for 45 minutes. The workouts are light, but, they are just wonderful to me! The only side effect of this diet is that I lost another 40 lbs without trying! The pictures you see are of me in my late 20’s, at around 47, and now at 49! Altogether over 80 lbs lighter than I was in the first picture. Weight loss alone did not make me healthy; it took moving to a plant based diet to change my health.
Whatever your diagnosis is, I believe this eating plan will help. We can take back our power through a nutritarian lifestyle! We no longer have to be chained to doctor visits, meds, shots, and to the stress and pain of illness. I thank God for every day of freedom! Get a VISION, get a PLAN, get DETERMINED to do what it takes, and you will succeed!
Connect with Shonna through her own inspiring Facebook Group:
