Saturday, June 7, 2008

The "diet-food" rollercoaster (my story and thoughts)

Recently there have been several articles within the raw food community regarding the diet scams that have been popping up with misleading testimonials. In fact, one of the diet pill companies was actually trying to misuse the “before and after” testimonials of some very well known raw-foodists. It just amazes me what people will do for the almighty buck! But it proves even another point. And that is, “DIET PILLS AND DIETS DON’T WORK!” Because if they did, that company wouldn’t need to lie about the success of it’s product by using other people’s testimonials, and lying to the public about it. It truly amazes me.

Reading about all this made me start thinking about my own self, and how over the years I allowed myself to be so mislead by promises of quick weight loss, and feeling super healthy and energetic. My “diet” life has been one major rollercoaster ride after another!

Have you ever been at a big amusement park, where you paid a lot of money for a thrill ride, waited for at least an hour, only to get on the ride, have a quick thrill, and then it’s over within seconds? It’s great, and it sucks all at the same time. Yet, for whatever crazy reason, you go and you pay, and wait in line again, for those few seconds of euphoric pleasure. Well, that’s kind of how I look at diets – or dieting, so to speak. You see, get hyped up about a great new diet. They say it’s the best, and you hear all the testimonials, and you’re like, “Wow, I need to do that!” So you go and you spend hundreds of dollars, and weeks of your personal time, using the “diet” plan you bought into. At first, you feel that the money and the wait were worth it. Only to discover shortly afterwards, that it was no big deal, and you are right back where you were…and sometimes even more let down.

I know first hand what I’m talking about. For years I have been on that “diet” food, or “diet” pill, or “diet” regime rollercoaster. I spend so much time, money, energy, thinking, “Wow, hey, I’m losing weight.” But then within a few weeks, and only about 5 pounds maybe a little more, the ride stops. The weight stays, and slowly…but surely, it creeps up again. Then, worst off, I feel disappointed, cheated, depressed, and fatigued, and sometimes broke, because I got fooled again by the diet food rollercoaster!

Just to give you an idea of how many “diet-food-park rides” I’ve been on, here’s a little list:

- 5-HTP
- Alli Diet Pills
- Atkins
- Beverly Hills Diet
- BioSlim
- Blood Type
- Caffeine
- Carb blockers
- Chitosan Supplements
- Chromium Supplements
- CLA
- Colon cleanser products (commercial)
- Cortislim
- Counting Calories
- Counting Carbs
- Counting Fat
- Cytolean
- Dexitrim
- Diet Pills Containing Ephedra
- Diet Pills Containing PPA
- Diuretics
- Ephedra
- Fasting (but not the healthy way – basically starving myself is more like it…)
- Glucomannan Supplements
- Green Tea
- Herbalife
- Hoodia Gordonii
- HydroxyCut
- Kellogg’s Special K
- Laxatives
- Lean body meal replacement
- Mega-Thin
- Metabolife
- NestlĂ©’s Sweet Success
- Noni
- Phen-Phen
- Quickslim30
- Slimfast
- Soup Diet
- South Beach
- Spirulina Supplements
- St. John's Wort Supplements
- Subway
- Susanne Somers Diet
- Tonalin CLA
- TrimSpa X32
- Ultra 90
- Ultra-Slim
- Vegetarian Diet
- Weight loss patches
- Weight loss teas
- Weight Watchers
- Xenadrine without Enphedrine
- Zetacap

I’m sure you get the jest of what I’m getting at. You can see how I probably have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars over the years on this crap; and all the time wasted, and the harm I have caused my body from all that. It just goes to show you, “DIETS DON’T WORK!!!” The only thing that does work is feeding your body “REAL LIVE LIVING FOOD”, CLEANSING IT REGULARLY, getting SUNSHINE, taking OXYGEN (you know, “breathing”), and drinking “PURIFIED WATER”! So, the bottom line, “RAW FOOD” is the ticket! But not for a week, or a few months, or even a few years. It has to be a lifetime commitment to take care of yourself, and live well, eat well! I’m not saying you have to be a purist. I am saying that you have to make conscious effort, and just “live it”! I can promise you, it will make the world of difference. In fact, the next ride you get on will truly be euphoric! And it won’t be costly, it won’t be disappointing, or tiring, or short-lived. It will become the ride of your life!

I’m no raw food coach, or nutritionist, or expert of any kind. For that matter, I’ve only been truly living this way for almost a year. I’ve toyed with it for many years, but never took it seriously. I just know that although, “yes”, I have emotional attachments to food – but truthfully, I only feel my best when I simply eat living food! You just need to get over – I need to get over, the need for eating whatever it is that you, me, we are being subjected to at the time (i.e. television, radio, restaurant drive-bys, the influence of friends and family).

I hope that I never lose sight of my healthful goals, and that I continue to stay focus on what is truly important for good health and physical, and mental well-being…living food is where it’s at! I mean that!

Well I’m done standing on my soapbox for one day. I just had to share that with all of you. I think it’s important to understand what we go through when we get caught up in trying to take shortcuts with our lives. It’s costly, it wastes time (what an oxymoron), its potentially dangerous, and most of all it just doesn’t work.

5 comments:

Kristen's Raw said...

I have been on that same ride right alongside with you :) I can see the two of us now...riding up and down on that darn rollercoaster, which was never ending.

Cheers to RAW :)
Kristen

Raw-Riffic Food said...

Kristen, you are always there to check-up on me. Thank you for being so supportive. I really would like to meet you in person. After all you're really not that far away. I consider you my cyberspace raw food coach. :0)

Raw_Chef_Dan said...

Nice blog. Hope you see fit to put a link to my site on your links list. i am one of the original raw chef pioneers and Raw Restaurant owners from way back in 1999. Check out www.rawchefdan.com. i am there to help anyone trying the raw life style.

Raw-Riffic Food said...

Thank you for the compliment Dan. And of course I will add a link for you. I'm all about helping out my fellow raw foodies, especially a pioneer like you! Thank you for being there! :)

Unknown said...

You have taken Ephedra. how did you find it.