A Raw Testimony 

by Marilyn Littlejohn

What has she lost?          172 pounds in 17 Months!

What has she gained?      life!  (enthusiasm">

A Raw Testimony  by Marilyn Littlejohn What has she lost?          172 pounds in 17 Months! What has she gained?      life!  (enthusiasm, zest, energy, confidence, vision, & gratitude) Editor's Note:  When we first posted this article about Marilyn, she had been raw for 1 year and lost 115 lbs.  Now, after 17 months eating exclusively raw foods, Marilyn is 172 lbs. less.  This is such a wonderful blessing.  Can you imagine?  Read on... My name is Marilynn Littlejohn. I had been extremely over weight and although I was not having any medical problems, I knew that if I continued in the way that I was going it would just be a matter of time. I had previously been on EVERY diet that you can imagine--only to lose the weight and then gain back what I had lost and then some. I was feeling so uncomfortable and out of breath with every movement. It seemed that I couldn't and didn't have control over my own actions when it came to eating.  I prayed and asked God to help me out of desperation. All of a sudden there came a desire to go vegetarian. On July 20, 2001 I began my quest to be a vegetarian (not to lose weight, but to obtain optimum health). I purchased a Champion Juicer and a food processor. I was a vegetarian for 1 month. In September while I was eating an egg for breakfast I realized that if I was eating the egg I might as well eat the chicken. So I became a vegan. I enjoyed being a vegan and started fixing all kinds of different dishes from recipe books.  In  January 2002, I noticed that I started desiring raw things, would eat cucumbers raw while watching television, buying alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts, broccoli sprouts, and other raw vegetables. I mentioned this change in my diet to my friend Elinda Williams and she told me that she had to introduce me to Mark Blackburn, who worked with her. Elinda said that Mark was a raw foodist and ate nothing cooked. On February 15, 2002, Victoria Boutenko, came to Sacramento to give a weekend seminar on how to prepare raw dishes and why we should eat only raw food. I went and met Mark for the first time.  The weekend was absolutey life-changing and thus began my journey in being RAW. I found that there was a large group of people who ate raw and loved it. I immediately went out and purchased all the equipment necessary to make me successful as a RAW Foodist. I purchase a K-Tec Champ blender and a Food Dehydrator (Excalibator 9 tray). Since becoming RAW I have eliminated approximately 80 pounds. (35 pounds was lost during the time I was a vegetarian and vegan), my total weight elimination is now 115 pounds!    Marilynn (on the left) shares her RAW ENTHUSIASM with Suzan at our CSUS Aquatic Center Potluck I have received many benefits in being RAW. I started noticing that I couldn't see well with my glasses on so I started taking them off until finally I decided to make an eye appointment to see what was the matter. To my surprise my eyesight had drastically improved so that the doctor asked me what did I do to cause this to happen and I told her that I went totally RAW, well of course she tried to medically explain the sudden improvement, but I told her that I would only be coming to her for 2 more years. I said at that time she would tell me that I needed not come back because my vision would be 20/20 or better and that I would remind her that I was still eating RAW, she just laughed. I can climb steps and not be winded. I go to the gym at least 4 to 5 days a week. I am constantly on the go and enjoying life. I have never felt as good as I feel today and I know it's all because of the change in my diet.  If you are having challenges in your body or just desire to have better well being, I would recommend that you go RAW and just see the change that you will notice and feel.  Mark, I hope I didn't get too winded. If I did just take out what you need. So you see, you played a big part in what has happened to me by helping to organize events for our group.  Keep up the good work and if you ever need any help you can call on me.  Thanks for everything,  Marilynn Littlejohn Mark's comments:  I have made an enormous commitment to Raw Sacramento.  It has consumed huge amounts of my time to organize events.  But, when I read a story like this.....every bit of my efforts seem so well worth it!  If the benefits Marilynn has enjoyed were the only benefit, all the effort would still seem completely worth it all.  Are you a Sacramento-Area person with a 'Raw Testimony?'   Why not send it on to Mark for possible publication?