Written by PETA
Congratulations, Marisa Serrano! Because this beautiful bride-to-be lost 17 pounds and improved her health by going vegan, she's been named the winner of PETA's first-ever Wedding Dress Weight-Loss Challenge. Marisa will receive a one-of-a-kind vegan wedding dress created by Linda Loudermilk as well as three free fittings with the in-demand designer. And she'll have peace of mind knowing that she won't have to struggle to fit into her custom-made dress on her wedding day.
Marisa told us that she had been vegetarian for two years prior to starting our challenge in July. But like many new vegetarians, she made the mistake of replacing the meat in her diet with cheese—and packed on unwanted pounds as a result. Now that she's stopped eating dairy foods, Marisa's lost weight, and her nasal allergies, sinus infections, and acne have all cleared up.
Brides spend tons of money on weight-loss plans every year when just going vegan could do the trick. If you want to have your (vegan) wedding cake and eat it too on your big day, remove animal-derived foods from your diet now to slim down and stay in shape.
Written by Paula Moore
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR THE WELL WISHES AND COMPLIMENTS! It was not easy. I counted calories like crazy, called ahead to restaurants to check their ingredients, sat idly by starving while people chowed down on flesh, and forced fake politeness with a "No thank you, I'm vegan", while people looked at me like I was nuts!' I also exercise six days a week. @ Blythe, I also had a hormone imbalance, although mine came before I was ever vegetarian, I've had great results with the herbs Dong Quai and Chaste-berry in helping balance my hormones. For me, there's too much conflicting research on soy for me to give it up. There is the research you spoke of, as well as numerous studies showing the phyto-estrogens in soy actually bind to excess estrogen in your body and assist in flushing them out the liver. The conflicting claims make it hard to decide so I encourage every woman to experiment with her diet to see what works best for her, in addition to the fact that some women may naturally produce more estrogen than others, I believe there is no "one theory fits all" on this matter; but I certainly do believe that too much of anything can be bad. In addition, current research STRONGLY suggests that parabens, synthetic fragrances, and the like found in almost all beauty products mimic estrogen once absorbed in the body and create massive imbalances. I've switched my face creams for organic jojoba oil and body lotion for apricot, coconut, coco butter and olive oils. For deodorant I've switched to 'Liquid Rock', as the aluminum and lymph node suffocating properties are also believed to contribute to imbalances. I can't say it will cure everyone but what I can say is my hormones were unbalanced before and now they're not. All of these steps were vital to my success and thank you so much PETA for this great challenge ;)- Marisa
Congratulations to the bride, she is lovely. I wish I could see her dress!
I try to eat meat only once a day and I cannot consume dairy as I am allergic to it. I like soy, but my husband does not so rather than eat soy substitutes for meat I eat other things that are high in protein such as beans and nuts. As a kid I hated vegetables but as an adult I love them so that is no problem (cauliflower and brussels sprouts are my favorites, and mashed turnips...yum!).
Thank you so much everyone for the well wishes and compliments on my success! It was not easy. I counted calories like crazy, called ahead to restaurants to check their ingredients, sat idly by starving while people chowed down on flesh, and forced fake politeness with a "No thank you, I'm vegan", while people looked at me like I was nuts!' I also exercise six days a week. @ Blythe, I also had a hormone imbalance, although mine came before I was ever vegetarian, I've had great results with Dong Qaui and Chasteberry in helping balance my hormones. For me, there's too much conflicting research on soy for me to give it up. There is the research you spoke of, as well as numerous studies showing the phyto estrogens in soy actually bind to excess estrogen in your body and assist in flushing them out the liver. In addition, current research STRONGLY suggests that parabens, synthetic fragrances, and the like found in almost all beauty products mimic estrogen once absorbed in the body and create massive imbalances. I've switched my face creams for organic jojoba oil and body lotion for apricot, coconut, coco butter and olive oils. For deodorant I've switched to 'Liquid Rock'. I can't say it will cure everyone but what I can say is my hormones were Unbalanced before and now they're not. All of these steps were vital to my success and thank you so much PETA for this great challenge ;)
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