Rebecca Martinez

Weight gain has been a battle I’ve struggled with for most of my adult life. Like most of us, I’ve tried every diet out there. While they worked to get the weight off, they weren’t sustainable, and the weight would come back. And it brought friends (as in more pounds). My weight slowly crept up to 347lbs by the time I was in my mid 30s hit. I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and bad knees. I was at a point where I was eating chocolate and cheese for lunch. Between that and having an Orthopedic doc hand me a catalog for knees, I realized something had to change. Soon after, I discovered plant-based eating through a food-based cleanse program run by two naturopathic doctors in Santa Monica. I [literally] went plant based overnight. Within 21 days, I lost a significant amount of weight – while eating foods that were enjoyable. I wasn’t going to give that feeling up, so I decided to remain plant based. Over the next couple of years, I lost more weight, but because I was eating ‘vegan junk’ food, the weight loss slowed to a halt. It wasn’t until I met Chef AJ and began taking her classes that I learned a lot more about the power of eating plant-based foods free of processed ingredients, oil and sugar. Once I started to eat more of those foods, the weight loss started again. Admittedly, I wasn’t always the prize student because I continued to struggle with food addiction. I was always looking for a way to numb my emotions and food seemed to be there for me. I just didn’t realize what it was doing to my physical and emotional health. In time, I got better and better at living a whole food, plant-based diet. Weight was coming off and I was feeling SO much better. But my marriage was causing me so much stress, yet I didn’t realize it at the time. So, the weight would fluctuate because I’d stumble off the ‘program’ and pick up more weight. In 2019, my life “fell apart” when my marriage ended. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Although I gained some weight initially after everything happened, months later, I realized I was in a *much* better place without him. That's when the weight went away. Easily. Funny how being happy can help you to simply nourish your body instead of trash it. Happy, indeed. But I was left with sagging skin that was causing me health issues. A lot of it. You can't be morbidly obese in your 30s and 40s and avoid that. So, I decided to have it removed and it was one of THE BEST decisions I've ever made. No regrets whatsoever. Since having the skin removed, I have stepped into a whole new world of moving my body to keep my results, my weight and my mind/spirit healthy. A testament to the power of food is that I lost my weight without very much exercise. Most folks don’t believe me when I say that. They think I either worked out like an Olympian or got gastric bypass. I did neither. IT WAS THE FOOD! And, yes, I ate rice and potatoes galore. But I also ate a heck of a lot of vegetables. I know it’s not for everyone, but it worked for me. I am still very much aware that the bad-food-monster is, as Chef AJ used to say, in the corner doing push-ups waiting for me to have a moment of weakness. The struggle is real and it’s something that’s on my mind daily. More and more, I’m realizing that I need to do two things (that I hadn’t yet mastered) in order to put myself in even more control of this situation: workout and deal with the real reasons I’m eating emotionally…and, with self-love practices, Chef AJ, JP (John Pierre) and, *most importantly* - GOD, I have what I need to fight the battles that come my way!