I started this journey to get my health back on July 10, 2008. On that day I weighed in at 226 lbs (102.7 kg), and now, mid February, 2009, I weigh 163 lbs. (74.1 kg), making a total weight loss of 63 lbs (28.6 kg) in seven months so far. I still have possibly 20 to 30 more pounds (9-13.5) to go.

I had discovered Dr. Fuhrman’s teachings about six years ago through an on-line search engine. At the time I was on a personal quest to find out more about diabetes, and I happened to “stumble” upon his writings. I bought and read "Eat For Health," but did not commit to doing it at the time. I knew his approach to health was the answer that I had been searching for all my adult life, but it took six more years, and a few more additional pounds, to finally get sick enough of my unhealthy lifestyle to want to change. The testimonies in his books and web site showed amazing results of not just weight loss, but people keeping their weight off, and individuals getting healthy again, and that is what pushed me over the edge to commit to Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional wisdom.

I clearly remember starting on a Thursday, and by the following Monday, I had taken my children to the beach, and for the first time in my adult years I did not have “brain fog;” that general malaise and cloudy brain feeling from unhealthy eating. To be honest, the weight loss dream started to become secondary to me from that day on because I felt sooooo good on the inside. I was amazed how in just a few days I felt so much better, and actually had the energy to be an attentive mother. Now as I look back, I had suffered from bouts of organic depression and fatigue throughout each day, and it was nothing more than my body’s natural response to unwise food choices. I had dieted in the past, and always felt deprived and miserable, but for the first time, I was eating lots of good quality food, and feeling great doing it! Of course, that first month I dropped 20 lbs (9 kg), and my cholesterol dropped from 214 to 145 (5.54-3.75), so that solidified my desire to commit to Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional wisdom for the rest of my life!

Last March, my blood pressure was 157/94, and I was scared, because I knew that I was heading straight for hypertension medication and possibly an early stroke or heart attack. My blood pressure was in a healthy range within 2 months of following "Eat for Health." I was also borderline type II diabetic, and that number has gone down also. My triglycerides were 203 (2.28) on July 10, and within one month they had dropped to 101 (1.13). When I get to my ideal weight in a few more months, I will have my blood re-checked again, and I am confident that everything that was in the high risk zone will be in a healthy range by then. I am confident that I will no longer be at high risk for heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.

Prior to July 10, I had shortness of breath after climbing just one flight of stairs. Now I can climb a flight of stairs and I’m not out of breath. My knees and feet used to hurt continually, and now they do not hurt at all. My family says that I used to snore quite a bit in my sleep, and now I don’t. I can sleep soundly through the night now. I used to wake up 2 or 3 times in the night, and couldn’t get back to sleep.

When I was six-years-old I was put on my first, nutrient restrictive diet. I was plump at that age, but not seriously overweight. As a result of being put on strict diets at such a young and impressionable age, an unhealthy view of food developed. By the time I was a senior in high school, I became anorexic by seriously restricting calories.

When I stopped the severe food restriction, I gained a lot of weight, which began years of yo-yo dieting. By the time my third child was born, I had ballooned to over 200 lbs. (91 kg), and gave up on trying to lose weight. By the time I delivered my fifth, and last child, I was obese, and remained obese for at least the past ten years. My highest weight went up to 238 lbs (108.2 kg). I had tried Weight Watchers, Atkins, and water fasting, but could only follow them for a brief amount of time, and then I would eat junk food out of frustration and ravenous hunger, and gain it all back within a short amount of time.

Along with the weight gain, I was depressed due to my physical state of malnutrition and hopelessness. One time, out of complete desperation, I fasted on water for 33 days to rapidly lose weight, only to gain it all back within a few weeks when I started eating again.

It wasn’t until this past summer, when I thoroughly studied Dr. Fuhrman’s teachings on eating nutrient dense foods, did I understand why I couldn’t permanently lose weight and keep it off. On July 10, I started eating nutrient dense foods, and I can honestly say that my body is well nourished, and coming alive for the first time ever. I feel like a new person, and love eating this way.

I don’t count calories, or carbs, or points, and my mind is freed up to enjoy eating food, guilt free, for the first time that I can remember! Seriously, the weight loss and getting my health back, which is naturally happening, is secondary to have wonderful freedom from unhealthy food addictions. I describe it in more detail on my website: www.emilyboller.com in my journey of transformation.

Freely eating nutrient dense foods has given me my life and health back, and I am forever grateful to Dr. Fuhrman for making his nutritional discoveries available to the public.

Joining the web site and receiving feedback when I had questions, and encouragement from the other members; has been a top notch place of help for me (I can't emphasize this enough). At first I didn't think I had the time for, or would use "computer cyberspace," but oh my, it has been a God-send of practical help to me! Plus I have received much insightful help from the newsletters, tutorials, and teleconferences, etc. I'm a die-hard member now, and I'll continue to be one for the rest of my life!

Many, including complete strangers, have asked me “how I’ve done it”, so I have decided to hold information meetings at my local library. I share my tips for successfully transitioning into the Nutritarian lifestyle; including how to eat well while away from home, favorite recipes that even picky eaters like, time saving food preparation tips, and cost effective shopping tips for eating healthy on a limited budget. The meetings have been well attended and attendees are reporting their own health successes already.

I love the following quote by Elizabeth George Speare. It sums up how I feel.

“The girl who looked back from the mirror was a total stranger, yet she had always been there, waiting.”