I have lost 28pounds on the fruit diet! Read my very revealing journey here…Part 1
…Well more accurately the fruit diet I refer to is called a low fat raw vegan diet or 811 
To date I have lost 28lbs.
just took this one now...
Exercise yesterday: 8km hilly jog, 40kms on the bike…
I have many peeps particularly ladies sharing with me their weight-loss struggles, this has inspired me to share the following intimate details of my own struggles in an effort to help peeps understand the complexity of problems that we bring to the LFRV lifestyle and how it greatly impacts our weight in the early healing stages…
My first contact with the rawfood lifestyle was in 2001, when I bought an Oscar Vital Max Juicer which came with a fascinating rawfood recipe book. I was very excited as I thought ‘hmmm I bet I will lose a lot of weight if I only eat rawfood….’ admittedly this was my main motivation at the time…coming a close second was my pimply skin, chronic digestive problems, depression, candida and chronic fatigue.
fluctuating weight was the norm..
So I tried my version of a rawfood diet, loosely guided by the recipe book and nothing else, I lasted about 2 weeks then fell heavily back into cooked food…why? I simply wasn’t eating enough calories from sweet juicy fruits but I had no one to tell me this at the time. I decided to pack the raw thing in and accept my cooked path of ill health, disease and weight fluctuations, afterall everyone else was on the same program…must be alright then?
Found this pic at my mums, this was me after anorexia eating a high fat animal product diet.
Over the years I continued to struggle with my weight, yo-yoing back and forth, never finding stable ground. One day I would be subscribing to anorexic mentality, eating a couple of items of food a day and looking up advice from bulimic websites on how to puke effectively… whereas other days I would be stuffing in over 5000 calories of cooked junk food a day in a frantic binge…I always had a love of fruit but I was afraid the fruit sugar would make me fat, I would later discover its NEVER the fruit’s fault at all.
before LFRV
I was lost, lonely, hungry, depressed but worst of all – FEARFUL OF FOOD!
Food became like the enemy, afterall it was responsible for making me fat right?…Was there anything worse than being fat?!? No way not for me.
By night I was hooked on recreational drugs, ecstasy, cocaine, speed and pot. I needed these stimulants to keep me going! I would dance and dance till I was drenched in a cold sweat…my brain screamed ‘keep dancing!!’ while my body pleaded with me to ‘sleep now pleeeease!!…’ I found myself caught up in this cycle for many years, hanging around peeps who were as misguided as myself…I lost many kilograms and looked like a girl on crack… well I was afterall, luckily I enjoyed exercise and random bouts of ‘healthy eating’ which I believe kept me alive through the toughest times.
A rainbow of hope appeared when I joined the Gym World in 2003, Having always been into sport and activity I felt right at home there, my clients were great and my colleagues became like family, I was happy. The only thing I found a little disconcerting about the Gym lifestyle was the superficiality that came with it… I had always had a slightly distorted view of myself from years of ‘hollywood conditioning’ but this opened up a whole new world of ‘opportunities’ in that area…
I thought ‘ yes now I’m a trainer I will NEVER get fat..har,ha..!’.. . ofcourse this wasn’t my only motivation for being a trainer but it definitely was a regular focus…I met a few guys who introduced me to the seemingly wonderful world of ‘legal’ stimulants and fat loss drugs…I was on my way to a lean physique forever…or so i thought! I didn’t understand the concept of ‘everything we do to the body has a consequence..’ or that the digestive system was not some ‘pleasure tube’ and so I naively stepped into the realm of weight loss drugs.. I had given up the recreational drugs by this stage now I was a ‘legal’ user.
From the advice of a well-meaning ex-boyfriend I started to take thyroid accelerating drugs and finally started to get ‘control’ over my weight problems…I was getting leaner, therefore I must’ve been healthier right?…wrong but ofcourse you couldn’t tell me that, in my conditioned mind lean = healthy and if I was lean life was great…doesn’t matter how i got there.
My stimulant-junkie existence would start with my routine cappuccino first thing, a few ‘fat-burner’ tablets throughout the day, the occasional ECA stack (ephedrine,caffeine and Asprin in a pill) to get me through my weights session, sometimes Clembuterol to speed up my run and later that night get sloshed with liquid poison (until my 25th that is when i quit)…all fuelled on a meek 1500calories or so of stimulant-filled food, its little wonder that I would binge-out on 5000calories of junk food several times a week. I was overtraining like a crazy woman but didn’t know it because I was propped up on stimulants… I was running on adrenaline almost 24/7, I had never escaped my stimulant-junkie past like I thought, I had jumped from one drug to another…from ecstasy to fatloss drugs, I was still hooked…all underpinned by cooked food.
At times I looked great… on the outside but peeps didn’t see me behind closed doors, a depressed, tired, lonely, hungry, fearful girl who was surviving from stimulant to binge to stimulant. Fortunately I didn’t go down the anti-depressant route, I had always had knowledge in this area but I felt so bad sometimes that I sure as hell felt like making the ‘investment’!
Looking ok on the outside but different story within
When I rediscovered rawfood I felt like I’d found GOD, the resonation was incredible, I thought I had uncovered the answer to eternal health and happiness and in some ways I had. I was a ‘banged up’ mess as far as health goes and was teetering on the edge of some very serious dis-ease in my body. My adrenal glands were shot, my digestive system could barely process the smallest of morsels, my skin looked like the latest topping at Pizza Hut, my hands were always red, swelled and blistered, my weight was fluctuating a good 10kgs often and my state of mind was fragile to the point of suicidal….not many peeps would know of the pain i suffered, I hid it well, I was too proud to show my ‘weakness’..
So when I threw myself into raw life, I was consuming any foods that were labelled ‘raw’, I was so excited as I could still eat chocolate, cakes, slices, lasagne and burgers but now they were raw…After dabbling for long enough I soon discovered this food didn’t make me feel good at all and finally found Dr D’s 811 approach. By the time I found the raw lifestyle I was carrying with me a truckfull of issues which ofcourse all have a massive impact on how my body behaved once it had the chance to relax and finally detoxify…
I started my LFRV journey at around 150 lbs (after fluctuating for years up to 160lbs), in the first 3months that crept up to 154 lbs as my body ‘relaxed’ after the years of drug/stimulant/cooked food abuse and calorie restriction. After a few months I was at 125lbs, that’s where I’m at today. My weight has fluctuated a few lbs up and down within that period, like i said depending on my training regime (slightly heavier in the off-season) and food sensitivities,,eg tomatoes and some varieties of durian cause me to retain fluid which = an extra few pounds.
When I came to the low fat raw vegan lifestyle I thought that fruit would cure all my problems straight away without any ‘recoil’ from my past assaults on my bodymind, ofcourse this is not how the universe works, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction…
“…no debt in the universe ever goes
unpaid. There is a perfect accounting
system in this universe, and everything
is a constant `to and fro’ exchange of
energy.”
- Deepak Chopra
to be continued…
Fresh-faced Freelee
A recent body shot
hellooo..
Freelee — one day we’ll meet — and I just want to give you a big hug. We’ve had such a similar path! I was a super athlete in HS and college days… masking enormous problems both physical and emotional… but my body on the outside didn’t show it, so I was crumbling on the inside with shame and sadness. Thanks for taking the time and the strength to write this out. You’re a star, keep shining. <3
Jen I am so grateful to you for poppin in and sharing some of your past also, isn’t it amazing the struggle that we can hide from others? It was a challenge for me to be so revealing but I know it helps others so much
I can’t wait for that hug!!
Lovefree
Great body transformation through juice therapy. God bless you Freelee. – Yogi Anand
Hey Yogi Anand, lovely to see you
Must correct you on the juice therapy though! Just 100% low fat raw vegan food not juice. I don’t mind the occasional juice though.
thanks for your kind words
Lovefreelee
hello Freelea, have been following your blogs on facebook and have never felt compelled to write til now. I just wanted to say that, having known you for a few years now, I really admire your honesty in writing this. I also admire your dedication to the path you are on. Well done, you are an inspiration my friend! Hope to see you next time you are on the Goldie xx
Hello lynda! It is so great to see you here, I’m also happy you could read part of my private struggle, when I was training you I was on the way to recovery but also silently suffering…it can be hard to show in a society that doesn’t reward ‘weakness’.
Can’t wait to see you one day, i will get the Goldie and you will be one of the first peeps i see!
lovefreeleeX
Thank you for your honesty. Its so encouraging to see how far youve come -especially knowing what youve struggled with. Im not healed from CFS yet, but on 811 I know I will, and Im lloking foreward to being as acitve and fit as you and all the other 811′ers!
My pleasure Cecilie
I find being honest really is the best way to assist others. I feel like i have been through an awful lot and I’m really excited to say that so much of this dis-sease in my body is in the past…I overcome my CFS on 811, it really works if we go all out 100%, which is how nature designed it for us. I look forward to following your journey to health X
Lovefreelee
amazing! thank you for sharing your journey and process, i’m very much looking forward to part 2:).
I’ve been into raw for some time now, but the last few months I have been binging so much…on RAW food!
Trying to work it out and think maybe it has to do with not getting enough calories into my diet…
Thing is, I’m worried about the effects of fruit on my teeth, with all the sugar therein!
What’s a good way to start off on the high fruit raw path? It appeals to me on so many levels but just don’t know how it can actually work in practice!
Love and blissings to you:)
AngelicWildBoy
Nate thankyou so much! I’m still contemplating how to write Part 2! I took most of the day to write Part 1 so I need a breather
)
How do you know that you are bingeing? I believe if we are eating our biologically designed diet then its impossible to overeat, especially on fruit because of its high water content. The fullness may feel foreign at first which may lead to us feeling like we are bingeing but it goes down very quickly, unlike a cooked food binge. Most peeps eat way too fast or still have undigested food in their stomachs and bowels which mixes with the fruit and makes them feel terrible and bloated. Fruit likes to be the main attraction.
I wrote a blog here about fruit & teeth, look under blog articles
Have you read 811? I recommend you get the book, it is awesome. Go to nutriidiary.com and work out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and aim for this with sweet juicy fruits. Also just try to eat fruit until dinner for a start or a fruit breakfast.
Great to have you pop in and say hi!!
Lovefreelee
thanks for the post
You are so beautiful and inspiring! I am really in awe of how you open up in order to help others. I can be a bit of an information junike when it come to things that inspire me and light that fire within, raw food is one of them, so I collect blogs, but yours is the only one I really stick to
it finds me everyday. Even when I forget to check it consiously, I somehow end up here. It’s like I can feel your energy all the way to Sweden. Thank you 
love Angel
Hi there Angel, what a lovely comment! thankyou so much
) Im really quite flattered to be part of your most-read blog collection…I really like to bring info to peeps that is useful and also share bits of my day. I am overflowing with energy so I bet it is reaching you there in Sweden! Have a fruity day X
Lovefreelee
is the fruit diet goooooooooddd
Freelee-
It was really inspiring/motivating reading your story. Your physical/mental/emotional struggles contain pieces of my own well-being concerns (and I’m sure of so many, many others too), and it is amazing for someone to be so honest and open about what they have walked through.
Please know that your blog is very special, and I’m certain it touches many people’s hearts.
Keep the blogs coming.. I love reading what you write!!!!
In love-
Patty
Thanks patty! I can’t tell you how much i appreciate receiving your feedback, it really means a lot and to know it touches so many peeps lives is priceless…
Thank you for taking the time to tell me, have a lovely fruity day my friend!
Lovefreelee
Hi Free,
Thank you for being so honest and candid. I am in awe of your amazing progress. It’s very motivating to read your story to keep reminding oneself that healing cannot be rushed and that a lifetime of abuse will not be healed within days. By sharing your story and by being you you help so many people in reaching a fulfiling life. Furthermore, you communicate in a very clear and easy to folow manner, which is one of the reasons why I love your writing so much.
XoXo,
Kristina
hello beauty-full
I really appreciate your comment, getting this sort of feedback is so inspiring for me. Knowing that my journey is really improving another’s life is
just very fulfilling for me…I’m so glad my communication is clear enough too! I’ve decided to drop the ‘peeps’ slang in an effect to communicate even
more effectively.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
Lovefree X
Great blog Freelee. I have a similar story minus the illegal drugs though. I was not really hooked onto the stimulant legal drugs but I did take them and luckily I got off of them months before I got pregnant with my 3rd child. I tried going back on after the baby was born, but theynever worked again(luckily) I used to be afraid of food too and yo yo dieted forever. I always just wanted to be thin. That is how I found the 811 book. Now, my husband Michael is getting amazing results 2 years 811 now and I had been on and off for the same amount of time. Now, I really want to be back on track. Hopefully now will be that time with my guidance with the GREAT DOUG GRAHAM, whom I stay in touch with because there is nobody who coaches better! I My husband and I are so grateful to him and to you and DR for making this websites.
Thanks for sharing,
Very inspired
Victoria Arnstein
Hey Victoria thanks for sharing part of your journey, its so great you have found 811, it really is the answer to well-rounded health and well-being.
Doug was part of the inspiration to start my own coaching business which has been
Doug is a great great guy yes! I am grateful for his awesome life insights
highly successful (it helps that i’ve been a professional in the health & fitness industry for about 10years too!) I appreciate you dropping in to share my friend X
You lost weight because you created a calorie deficit. This could have been done with McDonald’s too.
You do realize that, right?
I am consistently eating MORE calories now on a fruit diet than I ever have on a cooked diet. Do you think my results will be different if I eat 3000 calories worth of big mac’s in comparison to 3000 calories from fruit? I have a healthy living body on fruit, and I used to have a dying body on McDonalds. It’s definitely not all about calorie deficit, because I have established above calories from junk food are different from nature’s wholefood calories.
so if I eat 3000 calories from bananas I will get the same weightloss as 3000 calories from meat burgers? I will look the same? Oh come on..
wow lisa (i know that is you who is spamming myself and DR) you seem to have waaaay too much time on your hands! Eat more fruit girl then you won’t be so angry.
Ive just red this blog….well im shoked…seems like im not alone who has gone through all of these: lots of days of starvation, overexercising,binging, then discovered magic pills which would get me lean…..so was running about 12 km….till i had problemes with my teeth (calsium defeincy) due to extremelly high caffien intake and overexercicsing. ..Extasy story….thanks god im alive after overdosing….
Im so glad we VE all found out the truth!!! The way to LIVE NOT TO EXIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome Anna thank you for sharing! We are on such a great path
Hola Freelee,
I am really glad you were able to share your struggles.
My sister is going through a lot of what you went through. She uses a lot of weight-loss pills (speed) as well as starves herself and then binges. For some reason she doesn’t seem to be influenced by my incredible weight loss from eating 811rv. I sent her a post about your story. I think she will relate to what you went through, I am hopeful that something “clicks” inside her. She is so unhealthy and malnourished, but continues to think that I am malnourishing myself while my energy, vitality and health show quite the opposite. She is also convinced that fruit will make her fat, even though it obvious that by eating mass amounts of fruit I lost 120lbs.
Anyway, since I can’t reach her through my story and example, I think she might “get it” from your story. Thanks again for sharing
Victoria
Thanks a lot Vic
Sometimes we need to hear “it” from other ppl, family seems to be a tad too close for some reason, did you lose 120lbs?!?! woah that is inspirational!!
I totally relate to ALOT of what you have written here. ALOT. Thanks so much for sharing your story. Very inspiring and wow you are just GLOWING with health now
aww my pleasure girlfriend! I’m so glad you could pop in and share. I have to check out your amazing blog more X
No problemo! For some reason It shows up as being deleted, but am trying to work it out
Freelee,
My Personal Congradulations!You have transformed amazingly tipifying the enormous benefits of this 100% Raw Vegan Lifestyle.Thank you for being a shining example of the Possible Human and an incarnated aspect of the Divine Feminine.Every success and joy for you and your work!
Joseph,
wow thank you so much! I appreciate your beautiful words of motivation X
Hey there Freelee, i am new to the LFRV lifestyle, although i have been raw for 5 months and you are truly an inspiration. I am currently battling with my weight, having lost 11lb initially on a raw diet, but not getting that lean body (like yours) i so long for, no matter how much i train, and im constantly bingeing on fruit at night.
I was very tempted by getting some ephedrine but after reading this post, i seem to just have an epiphany!
Fruit is the way! I am going to eat as much fruit as i like and see myself flourish!
Thank you x
Hey there
how do you know you are bingeing on fruit?? I thought this initially but in actual fact I was just eating enough…remember fruit contains so much water that we will feel very full after eating a large quantity, you are not bingeing!! Keep up the big meals and training & you will attain the physique you desire, a lot of the time ppl aren’t consistent enough with either
Hey Freelee.
The thing is, I live in Massachusetts and it’s very hard to get local fruit here, and when I can it’s expensive! I’ll have access to some things in plenty like watermelon and apples during the summer and fall but what do I do during the winter? I don’t think I’ll be able to get 2500 calories worth of fruit without breaking the bank. And ideas?
I was raw for about 8 months last year and stopped because I developed insatiable cravings, among other things, and couldn’t stop eating honey. I could never stop thinking about eating either! I found out about the WAPF and I’ve been following a mixture of that and paleo ever since but I feel rather low on energy. Since discovering you’re blog and Durianrider’s, I want to give raw another go.
Ashley <3
You sure do know what youre talking about. Man, this blog is just great! I cant wait to read more of what youve got to say. Im really happy that I came across this when I did because I was really starting to get bored with the whole blogging scene. Youve turned me around, man!
Good to hear!
thank you for taking the time to blog and put up photos from your past as well. i was raw for 6 months last year and have been yoyoing ever since. its been 8 months, and ive put on and lost 7 kilos twice, and recently put on 10 and am now struggling to lose it as im sick of the binge control cycle.
i miss the health and vitality (as does my partner).
im particularly grateful that youve said you did initially put on weight, as im terrified of that but now that i know it probably will happen, i also trust that itll come off again as long as i stick to it.
thank you.
Thank you so much
If there was one word that springs to mind it is consistency. Being consistent on this lifestyle yields fantastic results. You ARE worth it.
thank you
ive been consistent for 12 days now, puffing up a bit but slowly starting to see it melt away. feeling much better.