"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" Marianne Williamson

The documentary film "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" changed my life. Although it would take me another year to begin juicing, I immediately lost 14 pounds in 12 days. That was weight I hadn't ...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" Marianne Williamson

The documentary film "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" changed my life. Although it would take me another year to begin juicing, I immediately lost 14 pounds in 12 days. That was weight I hadn't been able to get off in the past two and a half years, no matter what I did. Not even as a plant-based vegan who had a serious exercise program!

Since that time, I have dropped to the lowest weight I have been in the past five years. Everything I learned about going vegetarian and mostly vegan and about the healing power of nature has helped me as well on this journey.

One thing I have learned about the weight loss and fitness journey is that what works for one person might not work for another. In my case, it wasn't about calories in and calories out. It was about a juicing detox that allowed my body to release the toxins that had built up. Once those toxins were released, fat was naturally released. I've used juicing books by Cherie Calbom to help me on that journey, and I carry one of those books on my Kindle.

I also found EFT Tapping essential to my journey, along with meditation, journaling, writing, and long walks. Nick Ortner's book on EFT Tapping is also on my Kindle, and I used Gabrielle Bernstein's 40 days of meditations to help me on the juicing journey as well.

Before I began juicing, I was seriously into the green smoothies and still love them. I also was exploring the raw vegan lifestyle. That helped me on the juicing journey because I already had begun to detox.

I gave up coffee at least two years ago, and I haven't had a drop since then. It was one of the most important things I did for myself that year. It made such a difference. I stayed away from caffeine as much as I possibly could, not even able to tolerate tea.

Alcohol is a real weight loss killer, and I consumed very little over the past several years in my weight loss journey. That also is a big help during those first tough days of a juicing detox. And the first 3-5 days of a juicing detox are the hardest.

At this point on my journey, green juice plays a huge part. I don't juice fruit unless it is a very small amount in a green juice. Fruit juiced alone is a massive sugar rush I don't need. But I do juice carrot juice with lots of ginger, a juice I call ginger fire.

When I suffered a knee injury, of all things thanks to very long flights from Hawaii, I discovered that ginger in my juices acts as a great anti-inflammatory. I now use ginger instead of Advil, and I find the weight comes off faster as a result. I also don't face the health risk that come with using Advil on a regular basis.

Fitness has been a big part of my journey, but at this point, walking and hiking are my major exercises while my knee continues its speedy healing process.

I'm excited by the progress I'm seeing on my weight loss journey and can't wait for the next chapter to unfold.

Also, I should note that I found "Eat To Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman to be not just a great help but also a terrific book on nutrition. I definitely recommend the book. 'Thrive" by Brendan Brazier has great vegan nutrition information as well, and Ani Phyo's raw vegan books have some great recipes.

Read More About GIANTPANDA (Updated May 18)

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