Fasting Journal : Fasting Center International

FASTING HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE, 32, DROPS 48 LBS. & REGAINS BALANCE: "THIS 'FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH' WAS SO EASY, IT'S RIDICULOUS!"

      [FCI NOTE: Among the hundreds of prospective clients visiting FCI's virtual office each day of every year--representing 210 countries, on all continents and in all time zones--most want to hear where these noble testimonialists were coming from, pre-fast; what their goals were, and whether they accomplished them or not. Here is just one, representative example of what that all sounds like, from an executive in the Los Angeles entertainment industry--a Marina del Rey, CA, entertainment marketer, 32, upon completion of the 59-day Total Detoxification Program he began at 5'10", 211 lbs. Below, he clearly reveals the background which led him to FCI's extensive website, and then the goals he hoped to accomplish, plus his post-fast amazement at how fast and easy it was achieving his goals. Thus, here's his success story from start to finish, just as he expressed it]:

      "Hey, Dennis! Danny Mermel here. It's Sunday morning and I'm in Miami right now with my parents. Just having arrived from Europe, I'm still a bit jet-lagged, but no worse for the wear. Thank you for your many messages while I was on the road these past weeks. I am so excited for the next couple of months!!

      "Today is my second day of transitioning in, and I'm pleased to report that things could not be going better. My biggest concern is the first few days. I feel that if I can just overcome initial hunger and potential sugar cravings, the rest will be fairly easy. I had hoped to begin at home in Los Angeles, but the diversion to Miami was unavoidable, and I'll be back home in three days. I then have a perfect, two-month window with no travel before the Cannes Film Festival in early May.

      "I would like to give you more information about myself, as well as my motivation and goals for this fast. I'm 32, originally from Miami, schooled in Boston, and have lived in L.A. for the past 10 years. Like you, I, too, have traveled extensively while growing up, and after college, spent 13 months backpacking around the world.

      "In L.A., I've worked in the entertainment industry, first as an agent representing some of Hollywood's most famous actors, and then more recently, in entertainment marketing, representing some of the world's biggest brand names. Both jobs are very social, requiring a significant amount of entertaining, yet through most of my 20's, I was able to keep my weight in check. In moving over to entertainment marketing, I worked primarily with the world's largest wine and spirit group, and entertaining took on an entirely new meaning. I frequently hosted VIP's in Scotland (on the whisky trail) and at the company chateaus in Champagne and Cognac. In retrospect, it appears that it was then that I 'tipped' toward imbalance.

      "Around that time, I began to look for answers to what I was feeling. I started acupuncture. My initial complaint was a general feeling of 'blah,' coupled with steady weight gain. Around the same time, I felt my range of motion diminish dramatically. Even massage was insufficient to relax my muscles. I next found Pilates exercise, which has been fantastic, yet the steady weight gain limits my progress, in this respect. Over the past two years, my eyes have begun to fail, and my cholesterol has crossed into the unhealthy 200+ range.

      "My mother, a 25-year vegetarian and overall 1970's health nut, had experimented with week-long lemon-water fasts at a facility in Key West when I was a child, so the concept of fasting is not entirely new to me. I came to find you on the Internet, looking for a similar facility to the one my mother experienced in San Diego. A friend from Universal Studio had told me about a meditative and fasting center in southern California several years ago. My hairdresser mentioned it again recently, so I decided that fasting might be exactly what I needed. I had never heard of extended juice-fasting, and was initially in the mindset that I required a residential facility, as I would lack the willpower to do it on my own. A quick Google search under optimum health, hours before my flight to London, planted the FCI seed. I continued to check the website while traveling, and signed up from an internet cafe near the Dead Sea in Israel.

      "My goals are as follows: Firstly, weight loss. I've swelled to a portly 211 lbs. in the past years (5'10" frame). Clearly, my moderation diet is not working. The weight has not only been socially stigmatizing (especially in Hollywood), but physically debilitating, as it gets in the way of exercise and accounts for an overall poor self-image.

      "Secondly, I strongly feel out of balance. Whether it's an accumulation of a lifetime of toxins and/or abuse, my body has tipped out of balance. I believe that fasting on the FCI Total Detox. Program will reset my natural balance and weight. I cannot wait to lose this nagging feeling (which I have most frequently attributed to aging) that my health and general well-being have deteriorated.

      "In regards to all of the other spiritual, physical and mental benefits, YES!!! I want those. too. Yet, they are added benefits I look forward to experiencing along my journey, not what brought me to you. I've begun a detailed journal, as you recommended, ordered my juicer, and am ready to go. Thank you for the support and inspiration, thus far. I am very excited for the next few months. Sincerely, Danny Mermel

      [Post-fast, 59 days later, he pen the following testimonial]: "While exploring the FCI website, I was struck deep in my core that this might be exactly what I had been searching for, for the past several years. As an entertainment marketing executive in Los Angeles, and a major food and wine lover, I found that in my late 20's, I had lost the balance in my life. My weight continued to rise into the unthinkable 200-lb. range (on a 5'10" frame); my flexibility diminished; my cholesterol crossed into an unhealthy zone, and I developed adverse reactions to food which I'd never before experienced. Unwilling to acquiesce to a life on medication (antacid or worse), I started searching for an answer.

      "Here's my testimonial, Dennis. I'm honored that you asked me if I'd care 'to give back a little of what I've gained/lost/learned, for myriad, kindred souls who will follow us in this marvelous, self-improvement technique.' I hope this proves useful for others. For days now, I've been walking around with the biggest grin on my face, which I cannot seem to get rid of (not that I feel compelled to). I'm just so happy. . .for all the reasons which you know. This note has gone out to many of my friends and family, in several different drafts. My sister is halfway through her 58-day Total Detox. Program; my cousin in Miami has just signed on for his own program, and there are many more seriously contemplating it. Feel free to use my name, if you wish. I look fabulous; everyone should know (ha ha).

      "I'm not going to preach about the merits of juice-fasting, as I will leave you, the reader, to research that on your own, through the FCI website. All I will tell you is that this has been one of the most incredible experiences and accomplishments of my life. Let me remind you that this program is not a diet, certainly not in the terms that you may have ever experienced. This program is one of the most effective and important techniques for ridding your body of a lifetime (5-10 lbs.) of accumulated toxins and uneliminated metabolic wastes which most adults are carrying around.

      "I have been eating and drinking 'as I please' for the entirety of my 32 years on this planet. Among the most incredible things about this program is that in an amazingly short time--day by day for two short months, at my age, I have managed to cleanse my system of all those years of abuse, AND drop all of my unwanted weight, reset my metabolism for future eating, and experience a heightened clarity and spirituality, all at the same time. It was so easy, it is ridiculous. It is so inexpensive, it is ridiculous.

      "For me, today, I am weighing 162 pounds--3 pounds more than when I first moved to Los Angeles 10 years ago. My eyesight has dramatically improved (I brought my glasses to the movies the other night and actually forgot to put them on). The whites of my eyes have whitened, and are practically sparkling. My energy level is greater than it has been in years; the white, toxic coating on my tongue has disappeared, and my skin and hair are radiating health.

      "I am writing to share what I feel is as close to the "fountain of youth" as I have ever found. I personally chose to do the "Total Detox. Program," because in deciding to do the program, I was going to do it all the way. My program consisted of 49 days of actual fasting. While this may seem like a lot, upon closer examination, it is a very small sacrifice to undo the lifetime of accumulated toxins your body has absorbed by, among other things, consuming sodas, wrong foods, and breathing polluted, city air.

      "Close your eyes for a moment and imagine that in just a few months, you could be back down to your ideal weight, feeling fitter, healthier and more energized than you've felt in years. Imagining that possibility, I challenge you to rationalize that the time sacrifice, fear of the unknown, or any other excuse is important enough to keep you from your entitled right to live your life in optimum health.

      "I cannot encourage you enough to take this plunge!! I found that after going through the site, I could not stop thinking about it until I finally signed up.--Danny Mermel

      "P.S. Thank you, once again, for this marvelous journey. I will miss our frequent communication, Dennis, but you will remain in my mind and close to my heart, as I share the benefits of my experience with people I care about and anyone else who asks. Love, Danny"

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