My Weight Loss Story
For years, and I mean almost my whole life, I’ve struggled with weight issues.
Yay, I am that kind of person that goes up and down on the scale, even when I am eating incredibly clean! Let me repeat that. My weight goes up and down even when I am eating clean, organic and wholesome healthy foods.
What in heaven’s name was I doing wrong? You better believe that I have thrown myself into every health book out there. I have worked with holistic practitioners, integrative medicine doctors, and even spiritual advisors.
It wasn’t until I started to remove toxins from my life (with this book: Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness) and when I stumbled upon this incredible book (Medical Medium) that all the AH-HA moments and lightbulbs went off. I finally discovered how to start healing myself. THIS WAS HUGE!!!
The book that changed EVERYTHING for me.
I recently picked up the book Medical Medium. You guys, this book is INCREDIBLE! It is a very spiritual book and connected with me on so many different levels!
Let me first tell you that this is NOT a book review and I am not making money from this company to sponsor this book. It is just the book that has helped me start my healing journey.
This book isn’t like any other health book that you have read, I can promise you that. In fact, it actually goes against the grain. Sounds just like me!
I have been looking for answers to my health issues for years. I knew it was more than just about “losing the weight”, it was figuring out what was going on internally that was going to make the difference.
After reading this book, I had the answers to what was going on with me and the solutions to help my body heal. Pretty powerful stuff!
What I am suffering from….
After doing a ton of research, reading this book, and visiting quality integrative medicine doctors, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am suffering from the following:
- I Have Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), a toxic overload of heavy metals, and I have the streptococcus virus that is wreaking havoc on my system.
- I am also suffering from adrenal fatigue, thyroid issues, and have a sluggish or fatty liver.
- I suffer from eczema, rosacea, and achy joints (especially in the knees) which I suspect is arthritis. I have had these ailments since I was a teenager. These are strong indicators that something is wrong with my internal health.
This might seem scary to many, it was scary for me too, but your body has the amazing ability to heal itself if given the right foods.
It was time to start cleansing the toxins out of my body. I started this by doing a 28-day raw fruit and vegetable cleanse. My body will take time to heal, anywhere from 3 months to 18 months, I am okay with that. I’ll be sure to keep you updated along the way.
What I didn’t Eat…
Giving up meat, cheese, eggs, corn, nuts, and dairy for an entire month was nothing that I would have ever considered doing! Sure I already stay away from wheat, gluten and eat minimal grains, but I love my cheese and meat.
I was a firm believer that you needed protein (preferably from animals), fat and carbohydrates at every meal. This is what balances your blood sugar, right?
For me, the eggs were actually feeding the viruses in me, and the meat (more specifically the fat in the meat) was making my liver even more sluggish. I needed to eliminate them both for a 28-day raw cleanse. Keep in mind that eliminating meat is only for the 28-day cleanse. I am not becoming a vegan or a vegetarian, this is just for the cleanse.
I was in this cleanse for the long haul so I gave it a whirl, even though it went against everything I believed.
What an incredible experience this was. I learned a lot about my body, my beliefs, and I had plenty of Ah-Ha moments throughout this cleanse.
What I Ate…
Here is what a typical day on this cleanse looked like for me. I eat over 2000 calories every day (not that I count, I do NOT). This is not a cleanse that you should feel hungry on. If you are hungry eat more. If you are not, don’t eat. I found that I was eating every hour and a half.
All ingredients were organic. I should note that I gave up drinking coffee and alcohol for this cleanse as well.
- Upon Waking – I drink a very large glass of lemon water. This helps detox the liver.
- Pre-Breakfast – 16 oz pure celery juice (freshly juiced, I have this juicer).
- Breakfast – smoothie of 3 bananas, 1 1/2 – 2 cups wild blueberries, 3 dates, 1 tsp Hawaiian Spirulina (this stuff is incredible for your health), 1 tsp barley juice powder (Want energy? Barley juice powder gives you tons of natural energy and helps detox heavy metals too).
- Mid-Morning – fruit (apple, orange, pear or melon), celery sticks, 3 dates (I eat until I am full)
- Lunch – smoothie 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, 2 handfuls of spinach, few leaves of kale, 1 tsp Hawaiian Spirulina, 3 dates, 1 large orange, 1-2 apples, 1-2 cups mixed fruit
- Afternoon tea – I choose from one of 4 different herbal teas that specifically help with my ailments. Licorice root, dandelion root, nettle leaf, or raspberry leaf.
- Mid-Afternoon – coconut water, mangos and more fruit if still hungry (I eat until I am full)
- Dinner – Mixed green salad with shaved carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes and a huge pile of homemade guacamole.
- Evening Tea – I choose from one of 4 different herbal teas that specifically help with my ailments. Licorice root, dandelion root, nettle leaf, or raspberry leaf.
- PM Snack – banana, apple or pear (I eat as much as I want until I am full)
I use to think that I had to limit my fruit intake. But clearly you can see that I was wrong. Eating fruit is imperative if you want to reverse your health conditions.
Symptoms & Side Effects of My 28 Day Raw Cleanse
Week 1 of the Cleanse
The first week was tough, I am not going to lie. The first couple days were great. I had all sorts of energy! But after about 3 days, my body started to heavily detox. I had these symptoms:
- irritability
- insomnia
- blood sugar issues
- pain throughout my body, muscle soreness
- exhaustion
- extreme headaches
- flu-like symptoms
But after day 7, I started to feel better. I lost 10 pounds in the first week, which was most likely excess water weight.
Week 2 of Cleanse
The second week I feel I started to turn the corner a bit. I had a different set of symptoms.
- extremely tired
- intense dreams
- blood sugar issues got better, ate more frequently
- notice my joints and knees started to hurt less
- I started to break out on my face
- my rosacea started to fade a bit
- my eczema began to be less inflamed
I took extra care to get extra sleep and listen to my bodies language. I took several naps throughout the day and went to bed at 9 PM every night. I also added an hour massage every day to my routine. I have a massage chair, so this is how I afforded to do that. I lost no weight this week.
Week 3 of Cleanse
Wow, what a difference one week can make. I am excited to be at the half way point of this detox. I noticed that I am now craving cooked food, gosh a baked sweet potato sounds so good at this point. I have an excellent amount of energy and have continued with my massages but have dropped them down to 1/2 hour sessions per day. My extreme exhaustion has disappeared and I am feeling reenergized. Here are the symptoms from this week.
- intense dreams
- no blood sugar issues
- joint pain has 80% disappeared
- eczema is 80% cleared up
- rosacea is 80% gone
- energy has returned
- mental clarity is extremely good
I lost 3 pounds this week, making it a total of 13 pounds. I have struggled with rosacea and eczema my whole life and I am absolutely amazed that after 3 weeks BOTH are disappearing.
Week 4 of Cleanse
I am in the home stretch! Week 1, I didn’t know how I was going to do this for 28 days. It is starting to be a new normal for me, and what once tasted bad (like the celery juice each morning) is now tasting much better. Here are some symptoms from this week:
- vertigo (first time ever in my life I have experienced vertigo! I know, this is part of the detox)
- blood sugar issues are gone
- joint pain is gone
- rosacea is gone
- eczema is gone
- mental clarity is extremely good
- energy is great
I lost another 2 pounds this week making my total weight loss for this 28-day cleanse 15 pounds. I am shocked that my rosacea, eczema, and achy joints are gone, and I mean GONE — 100%! The celery juice was incredibly beneficial for these ailments.
My Transformation After 1 Month!
Take a look at the picture above. Those pictures were taken 2 months apart from one another. The one on the left was taken on New Year’s Eve and the one on the right was taken Feb 26, 2016. There is only a 15-pound weight loss but the transformation is HUGE.
I removed the inflammatory foods from my diet and my body naturally started to reduce its swelling. My eczema is gone and so is my rosacea. My joints no longer ache. Your body is capable of doing amazing things!
Here is what I looked like after the 28-day raw cleanse. Sorry for the selfie, but it’s all I had.
Where do I go from here?
This journey is not over, in fact, it has just begun. Healing takes time. I am ok with this. For once, my focus is on healing and moving forward in life knowing that I am working on being the healthiest that I can be.
Now that the 28-day cleanse is over, I won’t be going back to eating meat or eggs for every meal, I simply couldn’t heal doing that. Am I saying meat and eggs are bad for you? No. They just aren’t right for me while I am trying to heal.
What I am doing for next month is keeping with this routine and replacing my dinner from time to time with a piece of lean cut meat or fish and fresh cooked veggies. I am adding more cooked veggies throughout the day. I am looking forward to my first cooked meal that is for sure!
I will also continue to use natural solutions to remove toxins from my life. I strongly believe that this has played a HUGE role with my healing success.
So stay tuned…I will keep you posted at the end of next month, promise!
My Healing Journey Series
Hey there! I’m excited that so many of you wanted more posts like this! So…I decided to create this into a series of posts. It will continue to grow so be sure to come back!
If you’ve had a hard time losing weight, or if you’ve ever suffered from a number of illnesses that no one knows how to heal (like thyroid or adrenal issues, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, anxiety, leaky gut syndrome, ADHD and much more), then you might want to invest some time in this series. Here is a list of my current posts on my healing journey.
- My Healing Journey – My Weight Loss Story
- My Healing Journey – How To Start Your Emotional Healing Journey Plus A Free Life Changing Course!
- My Healing Journey – How to Naturally Heal Anxiety
- My Healing Journey – Removing Heavy Metals From Your Body Plus A Healing Smoothie Bowl Recipe
Update: 2 Years Later…
Hey everyone! I’ve been asked on numerous occasions to post an update on my weight loss journey.
So here it is: My Weight Loss Story Update
And if you’d like a current picture, here’s that too!
One Final Note & A Book Offer…
Earlier I mentioned one of the books that had a HUGE impact on helping me to heal. For a limited time, I’m offering this book to you with FREE Shipping!
Are you ready to…
Marta says
Thank you so much for sharing with us. I am into my first week, day 5. The body aches are unbelievable and I started second guessing continuing the cleanse. Thankfully I found your post and read that you have experienced this also. I was thinking my kidneys, my lungs, maybe my liver was not happy as well as my arms for some reason and my knees. Thank you sincerely for sharing as I thought I was going nuts. Let the healing begin and end soon lol.
Christina says
Hi. I am on day 2 of the cleanse and your list of side effects help me realize what I am experiencing (headache, irritability, and insomnia) are normal. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Christine says
Halle – your weight loss story has inspired me. I have all of MM’s books and on audible. I did the liver rescue 3,6,9 first week of January and lost 3 pounds. However, I think it was a bit much for my system, but I loved how i felt. The inflammation in my hands came down quickly and I want to try it again but I think the 28 day cleanse is a better choice this time. I have EBV; weight gain; inflamed joints, i have anxiety constantly. ughhh… I am seeking a holistic practitioner in my town and hope to consult with that person soon. I appreciate your story and thank you for sharing. I am starting today! I can’t wait to feel better.
robert smith says
what an excellent artical I hope this is really helpful for many people. I also recommend my Mother to follow the artical step by step. Thanks for sharing
leslie fraser says
how do you do a true cleanse if you have to take medication? I wonder if this cleanse would cure me of narcolepsy, but giving up medication means exhaustion.
kartik says
very informative and inspirational post…..actually…Thanks once again…!!
Sharon Tamper says
Is it about 25 lb. that you lost? You look really impressive! I’ve lost about 30 lb. for one year and more or less look like you in the upper picture. But I still have some fat on my stomach, so I think that I might benefit from some shredding. So I found these https://unimeal.com/blog/no-sugar-diet-food-list-how-to-start-recipes-111 tips how to start a non-excruciating non-sugar diet and get slimmer.