Calvin's Journey Into Raw Living Food

This is before I started living on a Raw Food Diet.	This is what I looked like one year later having lost 60 lbs and 6 inches off the middle.

I will begin my story in January of 2010. I was overweight at about 240 lbs. I was constantly fatigued. I found myself falling asleep all the time especially after a meal. My brain was foggy so I could not think clearly. My back was giving me a lot of trouble and I would go the chiropractor several times a month. This helped, but took a chunk of time out of the month.

I enjoy hiking but it was getting harder and harder for me to do so. I was completely out of shape. I decided to take a 5 mile hike up the Kuliouou ridge trail in Hawaii. The day of the hike came and I slowly made my way to the top of the trail where there was a beautiful lookout. I was elated that I actually made it; however, the following day my knee became very swollen. I don't like going to the doctor's office so I didn't. Nothing I did seemed to help. Walking was painful. A few weeks later my other knee became swollen. I suspected that I might have arthritis as it is in my family. Each day I would come home and crash on the couch and elevate my legs. I made decisions as to what I would do by the number of steps it would take. I had absolutely no energy.

My wife had experience in living a raw food life style as she would personally go on it once in a while. I had no real interest in the diet. I could see the benefits that it gave her, but I liked meat and the "Standard American Diet (SAD)" too well. I was getting quite worried about my health and my knees. I still wanted to hike, but I just could not do it any more. In February I was not getting any better and about this time our daughter asked us to all go on a raw food diet. For some reason I accepted and not only that but I accepted to do it for a year although at the time I was not sure I could.

I was very addicted to sugar. I had huge cravings for the junk food I would eat throughout the day. My wife started making some very good gourmet raw food which helped. Some of it I liked and some I didn't. Generally speaking I do not like tomatoes, avocados, and squash. It took about 2 weeks to get rid of the intense cravings and raw food eating became easier.

My knees were still swollen and even getting more painful to walk on. I knew this might happen because when you eat a raw lifestyle your body will start cleansing and that process can lead to headaches and soreness and in my case extra pain for my knees. In March I finally went to the doctor. He verified that I had arthritis and told me to take Aleve at the maximum dosage and was told that after that stopped working he could give me a prescription of stronger medication. After that they could give injections into the joint and ultimately do a knee replacement. He also told me that I had better quit hiking in the mountains and that I should focus on just walking on level ground and start swimming. I was not very happy with the progression of my outlook. I did not want to give up hiking and swimming was always too cold for my likes. However, I took the doctors advice and started swimming. I was so weak I could hardly make it across the pool. I found that swimming was very soothing especially in the ocean.

My knees became slightly better, but still quite sore. We decided on going on a 30 day cleanse using Dr. Schlutz's intestinal, liver, and kidney formulas. The results were amazing. This was the first time that I felt a significant change in my knees. After the first week of the liver cleanse they felt better than they had in months and perhaps for several years.

I also started using a number of herbal infusions such as nettles, oat straw, and rosemary. I started working up to taking 1-3 Tbs of MSM a day. Over the year's time my knees have slowly been feeling better. There is only a slight soreness on the edges when I really stress them. I have been able to take a number of hikes without any problem.

Now for all the other benefits I have experienced. I have lost 60 lbs. I never have brain fog. If I don't get enough sleep I might be tired, but there is a big difference between tired and brain fog. Eating a meal does not put me to sleep. I am very alert. I have not had to go to the chiropractor for a number of months. My back has been feeling so much better and even the vertebrae where I herniated a disk is a somewhat better. I have energy and it is so nice. So read all of the other accounts you find on the Internet. If I can do it so can you. I no longer look at it as a diet, but as a lifestyle. There is incredible tasting raw food out there. Enjoy and become a new YOU!