On January 3rd, 2012 two milestones occured in my life. First I gave birth to my child, Zacchaeus Jordan Wood. Second, I had reached the highest wieght of my life, 330 lbs. Thankfully, the baby was healthy and a normal weight. Also, surprisingly I had no weight related pregnancy problems such as hypertension and gestational diabetes.

 I knew I needed to something about my size. Not only was it unhealthy but it would also greatly shorten my enjoyment of playing with my son as he got older and significantly limit my lifespan. I opted for breastfeeding initially and I was able to lose 40lbs in 2 weeks. That was a miracle in itself. It's amazing how God designs a woman's body to restore her size simply by feeding her child.

I was on a natural high from all the endorphins, being able to breath again, and despite poor sleep times with a newborn I was able to feel more energized. I attributed much of this boost to the weight loss.

Sadly, however, the pressures of teaching and being a graduate student wore me thin and my milk supply was running out. I started introducing formula at week 6 and by week 14 I had no more production of breast milk. I continued my stress driven eating habits and caffeine addiction. It was so surprise that 10 lbs seemed to creep back on in no time.

By May I was beginning to feel the effects of a poor diet. Tight clothes, lack of energy, headaches, insomnia, and fatigue. This is when I discovered. "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The information just clicked and I was hungry to know more. I have a vast biology background so I don't just go with Fad Diets that promise results but don't care to mention the real health and science behind a plan. Dr. Fuhrman provided real evidence and research. For those who care check out his 2 websites. I don't want to make this whole thing a campaign for the book. I'd rather provide the awesome recipes and tips that my friends and family continue to ask for.

www.drfurhman.com
www.diseaseproof.com

Also, I started scouring Vegan websites for additional recipes that I could make the necessary alterations to that would allow me to more closely follow the good Dr.'s principles.

My goal to keep posting great recipes (with photos, should I remember to take them) and my progress.

Enjoy!

Amanda Gullick-Wood
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