Read 21 Pounds in 21 Days for Free Online Page A

filled with the Holy Ghost and God would forgive all our sins—they would be washed away by the water. I went down in the water in Jesus’s name. When I came up, I was baptized. That’s when things really started working in my life.
    On the way home Dr. Roni stopped by a house. She told me she owned it and was preparing to rent it for the summer. It had a big living room and a big loft. It occurred to me that my furniture would fit perfectly in the space. I was homeless by choice because I hadn’t figured out what I was going to do with my life. All of my things were in storage. We made arrangements for me to rent the house for four months.
    By Day 10 of my detox I couldn’t believe what was happening tome. I was losing tons of weight and was feeling great! My pores had cleaned themselves out. And my double chin was gone! It looked like I had had a facelift! Emotionally, I felt amazing. And I was reconnecting with my spirit. I was letting God come in and clean me out.
    The last week of the detox continued successfully. I could not believe that I wasn’t chewing but wasn’t starving and thinking, “Oh, God, I want a hamburger! I just have to have a bite of cheesecake.” I’d walk by people eating all of those things and wouldn’t even think about it.
    By Day 21 I had lost 21 pounds. When I had arrived at the Inn my clothes had been too tight; now everything except my sweatpants with the elastic waist was falling off of me. Suddenly, I had a great body—I looked and felt like a teenager! I had tons and tons of energy. I had never been a lazy person; I had worked long days my whole adult life. But when my workday was over, I wasn’t the type who would exercise. For recreation, I’d drag myself to the movies. In retrospect, I am now able to see that even though I had a wonderful life, I was about 10 percent grateful to God and 90 percent negative, negative, negative—which leaves you completely exhausted.
    After completing the 21 days, I looked like a totally different person—and I was one. They held a little ceremony for me on that final day, celebrating the fact that a new life had been born in me on many levels. Dr. Roni told me I had completed the first level of detoxification, and that as I continued to take care of myself, I’d go to higher and higher levels. She was right; I still have issues but I feel and behave so differently. I continue to work on improving my eating habits and my outlook on life, making strides toward becoming a better, healthier person. Because of the Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox, I have undergone a physical, mental, and spiritual transformation. I live my life by Dr. Roni’s theory: 75 percent clean and healthy, 25 percent recreational.

1
TOXIC, UNHEALTHY, AND HEAVY
    America’s Rude Awakening
    T he United States has the best health care system in the world, yet Americans of all backgrounds are having a hard time staying healthy. At least 20 million Americans are chronically ill with conditions that undermine their quality of life and may ultimately lead to their demise—diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and kidney and liver failure. Each week, about 80 percent of adults take medication—at least one-third of us down five different drugs—the Institute of Medicine reports. Often, the conditions these medicines treat are caused by our lack of success in maintaining a healthy weight.
    Today, over 60 percent of Americans weigh more than their recommended body mass index (BMI), which measures the amount of body fat we carry compared to our height. Sixty-two percent of women and 70 percent of men are overweight, meaning that their BMI is 25 or more (normal is 18.5 to 24.9). Thirty-one percent of men and women are obese. Of course, everyone has different advice for how to slim down. These days, it’s almost impossible to figure out whether to eat or avoid