Permanent Weight Loss with Raw Food Diet

Major weight loss, and permanent weight loss, are possible with a raw food diet, says Philip McCluskey, 31. At 5-10, he used to weigh in at 400 pounds and tried many diets and other weight loss attempts; none worked until he tried a raw food diet for weight loss. In a little over two years, McCluskey has lost 200 pounds of fat. He is now a raw food coach and motivational speaker, and CEO of lovingraw.com.

The secret to overcoming obesity, and experiencing healthy weight loss, is the raw food diet, says McCluskey, of Danbury, Connecticut. He'd been overweight his entire life: going from chubby to overweight to obese to morbidly obese to 400 pounds. I was never trim. Previous attempts at weight loss include: Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet, blood type diet, and diet pills. Diets are designed to fail, says McCluskey.

He had also tried a vegetarian and even vegan diet, nutrition counseling, hypnotism, exercise videos, personal training, martial arts and gym memberships. I asked McCluskey some key questions about his raw food diet weight loss success.

Did you ever consider gastric bypass surgery?

I thought the only thing for me would be this surgery. I went through a month of tests to satisfy my insurance company to have this done. Literally every heart test, kidney, overnight sleep apnea, etc. I finally got approved to have it done and at the last minute something inside me say, Don't do it. I decided to listen to that voice.

How did you come to try a raw food diet?

I read something online about raw foods. So I googled it and found a book called Raw Family, which showed how four family members all overcame disease with this diet. I decided if they could do it, so could I. I literally went from a fast-food lifestyle to a 100% raw foodist overnight.

What exactly is the raw food diet?

Raw vegans avoiding all meat, dairy, eggs, breads, and pasta from their diet. They also do not eat any cooked, processed, and often conventional produce as well. My diet is basically uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and seaweed. That's it!

aw foods contain enzymes which help in the digestion process. By eating living foods you don't have to use your own enzymes, helping you live longer. Switching to a raw food lifestyle has helped people all over the world overcome illness, disease, and live a more vibrant and energetic life.

Why did the raw food diet work so well for you?

I saw results. I lost 100 lbs in the first year without even exercising (not that I promote that.) I started to eat less and felt so much energy. I wasn't falling asleep during work anymore. I went from a place of dying to a place of living. My bones weren't as sore, my acid reflux went away, and the weight literally fell off.

Don't you miss the foods you previously ate?

I don't miss any of the foods I ate before. Much of them don't even look like food to me anymore. By taking in the proper nutrients that my body needs, I lost the taste for so many of the other foods that are often just empty calories.

Are you ever hungry?

Surprisingly, no. I thought I would be, but the amazing thing is that when you eat foods that are living, you get a higher amount of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals, and you body actually needs less food because you are getting what you really need. That is why when you eat a McDonalds burger, many times people get hungry an hour afterwards, mainly because they really haven't had anything with any nutritional value.

How does a person make a raw food diet interesting, since food choices are limited?

The spectrum of foods is much greater than you could imagine. You can make so many amazing foods that are raw. There are hundreds of raw food restaurants now across the world that cater to this lifestyle. From mock lasagnas, burgers, ice cream, and chocolate. It's easy to make crackers in your home, nut pates, smoothies, shakes, juices, etc. A little creativity and maybe a raw food recipe book, and you would be shocked at what is available to make.


By Jillita Horton