And it’s only been 30 days!!!

Dear J & J,

I have been wanting to write one of these testimonials for years!!! Now, I am finally able to!!!

For those of you that don’t know me, I am/was a childhood friend of Julie’s and went to junior high and high school with Julie. I have been following Julie all the way back from her days on PlantPurity.com. I have seen time and time again all the successful stories from other people and knew what I needed to do to achieve what I wanted to do but I ALWAYS CAVED to a veggie pizza on Friday night, taco bell drive thru while running errands and eating out with my husband. The biggest contributor to my problems is/was alcohol!!! I would basically be a weekend drinker with friends, wine, beers, shots, cigarettes, etc… I have a lot of AWESOME friends and we have a ton of fun together, but I was also having heart palpitations lasting for a day or 2 after our good time. I knew I had to make a change because if I do not take this knocking on my chest as a warning, then I am an idiot!!!!! Well as of today I can proudly FINALLY say that I have completed my 30-day detox 100%!!!! And I do mean 100 percent in all ways!!! No booze, no cigarettes, no fast food, no toxic cleaning products. Instead PD pizza, PD tacos and so much more!!! I have been enjoying it so much and I am super proud!!!

I told myself on New Years that 2019 was going to be my year to optimal health but in my head, I knew I had to wait until after January 12th. January 12th was my BFF’s 50th surprise party that I threw for her which was a night of usual drinks, cigarettes & was a great time. I could typically go without a cigarette all week, but once that beer gets in my system, I would want to smoke as well. The very next day, I had the expected hangover and it took me a few days to get back in the right mindset. But on 1/14/19, I got serious and I have been going PD strong ever since. I must admit, I am a little worried about how I am going to handle nights like this in the future. I live in the Chicago area and it has been bitter cold and ugly here lately, so I have not been very social. For as long as I can remember (and sometimes not remember)ever since my late teens, early 20’s and on, I have been a weekend warrior of drinking and good times. I am 47 now, so it’s time to give my body the optimal health it deserves.

Also, on top of the 30-day detox, against Julie’s recommendation I have been day fasting!!! I only did this because I was very impressed by how well Julie looked and the weight that she had secretly been shedding was quite noticeable. I had already basically been doing a PD diet and keeping my pantry stocked, but I would get lazy and cheat. (P.A.W.P.D.) I wanted to see some noticeable changes in my body and thought if I am going to do this, let’s walk the talk!!! Well, I am now loving it!

The changes I have noticed:
• Most importantly, the heart palpitations have almost completely disappeared.
• I have never been very overweight, but I have had a “beer” belly. That belly and muffin top is disappearing! I am getting an hourglass figure instead of a pouch!
• I think I lost around 10 lbs. or so. I have been trying to lose 10 lbs. for YEARS!!!!!!! I have been carrying around a little piece of paper in my wallet with my weight and body measurements dated 10/14/15. At that time, I wanted to lose 10 lbs., but instead over the next 4 years I gained weight. I am finally back down to those numbers from 2015.
• I look forward to loosing 10 more lbs.
• Strange periodic pain in the bottom of my foot seems to be gone.
• I feel so much more organized when it comes to meal planning since I have only 1 meal a day to think about.
• My husband eats a SAD diet, so I always have LOTS of PD leftovers. I am LOVING my PD leftovers more than ever. I used to get sick of eating the same meal more than twice but with the day fasting I really look forward to enjoying them. I have been preparing 2 or 3 meals for the week and rotate them.
• I used to get small patches of eczema that seems to have disappeared.
• I don’t know if it’s possible, but my sense of smell seems to be more sensitive because I have become much more aware of people’s perfumes, and stinky lotions, and even laundry detergent.
• I am saving on my grocery bill.
• And without alcohol, I have not given in to cigarettes, no hangovers and no late-night cravings for junk food!!!

There’s so much more I could say, but basically, to sum it all up, I am learning to live a simpler life, saving money and appreciating myself and my health. I look forward to seeing more changes in myself and hope that I can eventually be an inspiration to my family and friends. I do worry about alcohol in my future as well as going on vacations and eating out with my friends but hope that I can overcome the peer pressure without losing friends. I put a Facebook notification out there publicly today and I am surprised to see how many people have congratulated me. I kind of thought my friends would mock me. So now that I have been open with it, my confidence is up a lot more. Whatever road this life takes me on, it will no doubt be a good one if I continue PD LIVING the way I have been for the past 30 days. I just need to keep that in mind when the pressure is on.

Thanks to both of you for all your research and teaching lessons. Julie & Jerry, I appreciate our friendship and I am lucky to know you and have you in my life.