Question: To have you body feel better; to clean it out. To detox it or, detox at times people; there is a more negative connotation towards it than I'm cleaning my body out.

And how did this program differ from other programs that you've been on in the past?

Mari: Well, the difference in this program is a natural form of re-establishing of a basic. What is the work I am looking for? It's um; it gets you to the baseline of your body. And the reason that it does that is very logical.

Fasting has been around for centuries. I'm a Christian and Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. And when I used to read it in the bible about Jesus fasting, I think wow, “Can you imagine going without food for forty days?” You know it's very interesting now, is I could go without food for forty days and I'll be okay.

I'll probably feel great and you get a clearness of thought that you will not have if you eat food. And yet you are sitting on the other side of the fence thinking she's crazy. How can any body be thinking like that, no one would, how can she go with out food? And I found out how the body works.

The difference between this “quote unquote,” a diet, this isn't a diet. This is something that you do to get clarity of mind and get your body back to normal, but during the course of the fast, the body actually be comes a carnivore. It's okay to be a carnivore because we have got so much excess fat and excess protein in our bodies that the body gets rid of all the stuff that's in there. And a lot stuff that is bad for you goes out in the fast. So, for me it was not so much diet or what's different about it is it actually works and it's pretty seamless.

The first few days I had a little discomfort, but not really. I have friends who had more discomfort. I had friends depending on how your habits are. If you have a lot of diet cokes everyday, if you have to give that up or whatever, it's tougher. But, for me; I had one big thing to give up and that was coffee. I have been on coffee since I was twelve years old. And um, I used to go to Starbucks and when I was in town, the girl in Dublin would see me and she's making everybody else's drink and she would “Got Ya Mari.” She knew me because I was in there like once or twice a day and I would have a venti Latte. Non-fat milk venti Latte; that was it. That was three or four shots of Espresso and I do it twice a day, so I was really addicted to coffee.

And when I found out I couldn't have coffee, I pretty much freaked out with the doctor. Um, I said I don't know if I can do this, I don't think that I can ever give up coffee. And um, so being able to give up coffee, I found first of all I have an energy level that was off the charts naturally. It's ah; it's ah very humorous the young lady that works for me.

When I first got off coffee everyone noticed. And they just said, “You are a little bit calmer, you just seemed a little bit more, you're a just a little bit calmer.” “Great, Mari's great now.”

It's interesting because and now my body is acclimated to not having coffee, they'll think I'm back on it again because my energy level is all natural you know. Having to slow it down and I naturally got this energy; I'm very blessed with that. But, I would never have know that if I never had done this fast. And what coffee was doing is actually slowing me don't because it can be the high and the low, high, low, high, low. So it actually took away from my energy. So, as pose to a diet, this is a way of life.

Once you actually finish the fast and go through your two week where you; another thing when you think of a fast, your fasting, but you kind of aren't because you have a fabulous little juice that you that you have whenever you get hungry. So instead of grabbing a cookie or a bar, you just grab a juice, “How hard is that?” And then it fills you up and your brain feels great, you're good to go.

So, for anybody that's on the go and anyone says, “you know, I don't have time for this,” that is absolutely for you because this takes no time.  You fill up your little bottles of water every single morning; throw them in a little thermos, that's it and you're done for the day. You don't have any cooking, no preparation time, no having to sit at a restaurant, not having to sit for someone to serve you, none of that, so you actually get a lot of time back in your life too. It's one thing I did notice.

Question: When you first started the fast itself, what was the most difficult thing for you?

Mari: The most difficult thing for me was, first thing believing that I can do it. That was my first thing, so when I committed and wrote my, paid for this, um, the most difficult thing is learning to read organic that was difficult. For me as being high energy that I am and instant fast, I had to go to Whole Foods. I learned about conventional and organic. I remember the first time I went into, ah, I've actually spoken about this. In some of my talks, because this was hilarious, I remember going to Whole Foods and being totally overwhelmed by the store. And going in and going conventional, organic, you have to look at the little slots which one the vegetables go. I was in there like an hour and a half; I thought I was never going to make this.

This is ridiculous because I used to think that organic people were really crazy people. I used to think that anybody who had organic was kind of you have to live in Berkeley. So I thought, you are wearing your Berkinstocks, obviously I'm not a Birkenstock girl. So I thought, you know I'm not sure these people; this would be, this would be for me.

So, here I am at Whole Foods the first time, and I'm there for an hour and a half. And I'm thinking to myself, I'm never going to do it. I'm never going to be able to cut this. I'm not going to be able to have the time. How am I going to prepare all this?

So, gradually I started to learn that and ah that was on the pre-fast. What I did was I just you know what you can do any thing for two weeks. How hard is two weeks? If you can't do this for two weeks and you're teaching people how to run a business and you can do this for two weeks, something is wrong with you. So, that was really the hardest part, getting inside my own head.

When I first started the very first day, I did have some hunger. Um, but, but, hunger, what's hunger? You know you miss a meal; you grab some water or something to supplement your meal that was like what the hunger was. Now I'll grab an apple, or a banana, or something like that.

When I actually went on the fast, I have done the pre diet so well, that actually on the fast I didn't really have the symptoms. So, by day three, day two and two three I actually had euphoria. I can't promise euphoria to everyone, but for me I was really bless to have that euphoric feeling. I mean that that happy feeling. You know that kind of feeling, that you get up in the morning and wow it's just like I just feel happy. And I have not experienced that believe me ever I don't think, but I had that during the fast.

And then day four and five I got a little tired. I remember that, it was at night, so I would go to bed early and I just learned some things; during that two weeks to myself, I didn't travel at all. And during that two weeks for myself I listen to what they told me to do. Go into the Sauna, going in for the. Go in for the, the um, the check in, if you can everyday. I gave that gift to myself, so that when I would go home at night, if I was tired I would go to bed.

I also got between eight and nine hours of sleep every night and that is something I don't negotiate about anymore. I need eight hours of sleep. I don't negotiate; if I have to go to bed late, I'm going to get up later. I just arrange my schedule around it now. Because I remember when I was sleep deprived too. I wasn't totally sleep deprived, but I need about eight hours of sleep. And I learned that from the doctors here that you can't short change yourself.

Question: When you started reintroducing foods, did you realized how different foods affected your body?

And if you ate something with more sodium or, or maybe had some wine or maybe had different foods that affected your body negatively.

Did you realize that it was something to cut back on and were you able to?

Mari: Well, you know it's interesting that you said that because I went to Mexico right after that and so I had two weeks. From the day I left the detox I was pretty much pure, in-fact I was pure for the two weeks after the re-entry. I believed what they said would be true, that the re-entry was critical. They have given us some stories on people who have broken a fast and had a pizza and were very very sick.

I'm one of there people when you give me a really good direction, I'm going to follow it and I'm not going to want to blow it. I'm going to do what you told me to do, but I was very very concerned being in Mexico because I have a great time there and what of course in Mexico that we all love, it's the old Margarita. And so I remember talking, I've got to be able to have a Margarita. They said have a Margarita, but the difference is it's this. What I do now is that I am in control where I go of what I eat. So, when I go out to somebody serving me food, I feel that they need to make it right for me.

I am not afraid at all to ask for the things that I wanted. So, for example, if I go and have a margarita right now I will have a Margarita the way they make it in Mexico. You have no salt around the rim, you have the good Tequila, You just have a teeny bit of Grand Monjie or Controy and you have fresh lime juice and no mix. So, I won't allow any mix in my body. So these are little things that I'll do.

So when I was there I didn't have to worry about it because in Mexico, they don't make it with mix. It's only in our country they do that, but I would have one Margarita or two Margaritas. One night I would have two Margaritas if I was dancing. I'm a dancer, so I went dancing every night I was there. Um, so I would have one Margarita and one night I think I did have two Margaritas, but I didn't deny myself.

I came back I lost a pound. But what I did do was the rest of the day was eat, now the chips. What are you going to do about the chips? The chips and salsa, the minute I get there that the first thing on my mind. Instead of having the whole bag/thing of chips, I would have a few chips. But what I did do was I altered it. I didn't go to happy hours, I skip the happy hours and I had the chips in the afternoon. So, I didn't have chips at night and that is what I did. I made absolute choices for health when I was there. And then I have the fresh fruit, I had the egg white omelets. I didn't deny myself, I had grouper for every single day for lunch and dinner. I love fish, so I had grouper for every single day.

So, you know, you can go out there and um; the thing about it is, is it changes you what you really really crave. And then when you see the results; I mean for me I'm now a size four. I feel like I can go in to; I used to test that am I really a size four. Okay am I four at this store or am I four at this store, but now I'm a four pretty much anywhere I go. So, for me the joy of being a four at my age, I feel great.

So that kind of keeps me on the right track and then I burn/give away, then I give away all the clothes that were bigger. So I burn the bridge. So, for me the reward, and for everybody to say why you look awesome. Have you loss some weight? You look good. For me that takes the place of food. As far as wine and things like that, I know you mentioned wine a little bit. You know last night I had dinner. I have one glass of Marlow. You know here I am in San Francisco at Farrel Line, so you know I had one glass.

Question: What was the one thing you have that you felt that it affected your body, that you knew you had to alter in your regular everyday life?

Mari: Well, there are several things that I know my body is really sensitive to. One of them to is, I have to be careful of because I develop a lot of mucus for it is eggs. So I have to be very careful of eggs, but I do have egg whites and I will have egg white omelets. But, I do know it's going to develop more mucus.

But the one thing I can't have is milk. I mean if I have milk and I try now to have too much wheat. I buy a live wheat bread, called “Ezkel Bread,” and Ezkel Bread you can get it at the frozen foods. Railey's even has it. You can buy it and it's a live bread. I will have bread because bread I love. That's the bread I have in my refrigerator at home. I do know that milk affects me. I don't really want to go back on coffee; I don't want to go on a lot of caffeine. I will have green tea, but milk and I haven't had any cheese. I don't do cheese, any milk products.

Question: Is that something you had before?

Mari: Yes, oh yeah. I had my non-fat Lattes, two of them a day. So, that was giving it up. But, you know what I actually um, my boyfriend came in with a pumpkin spice because I remember pumpkin spice. I mean that was my favorite Latte. I would go to Starbucks before they ran out. They only had it a certain time of the year And I'll be all late at the airport at night and I'll be like do you still have pumpkin spice. I mean total addict. No we got the gingerbread, and I go okay, okay.

So pumpkin space Latte just up on the thing a few weeks ago, and I go how am I going to go through with out the pumpkin spice. You know I did have one pumpkin spice Latte the other day that he brought to me. You know what I could have taken it or leaven it really.

So, I told him, I know you really want to do this for me, but don't bring me anymore milk because I really didn't feel that great for the rest of the day. I didn't feel like oh my gosh. I didn't have the reaction that you did where I felt that my joints and all that, but I just didn't feel like I needed it.

And I thought you know what, if I can eat clean and I feel healthy, your skin glows. When you get rid of milk you skin glows. People tell me that my skin glows. You get rid of the junk out of your body, your face starts glowing.

To me, maybe because I'm vain, that's better for me than the food. So, I'm very, very conscious of what I eat. I'll go to a really nice restaurant and I'll ask for the fish chef. I say please but no salt on anything and I'm fine with that. You just make a few little alterations to get to the reward of what you do.

And I will tell you one thing about this that is absolutely the most amazing thing of all. You won't gain weight back right away. So, lets just say you do have a night out that you do eat a little bit eventually. Like we have a little bit of dessert or whatever, you won't necessarily gain weight the next day. So that's different from any other diet, I've ever been on.

When I was on a diet, you'll gain it right back. Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, but now your body just kind of works with you, to be able to metabolize food better, so you don't gain. If you were to do it months on end, then you would. But, I was in a situation, I had a surgery recently and I couldn't exercise in a month. I exercise pretty much four times a week and I didn't gain weight.

That is an absolute testimonial to the fact that this change, changes your body and how it works. It's been five months since I've done my fast and I will be doing it again this February. The first week of February, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do this twice a year for health.

Question: Are you going to do this again and why because you have lost the weight you wanted to lose, so why would you do this again?

Mari: It's for health because what happens is as you start introducing toxins, we all do it. So, even a glass of wine or as you start doing it, your body needs to go back and have a break. So if you don't go on vacation for year, what happens? You may not go on vacation for a couple of years, eventually you'll snap. You got to get away from your routine and have a break.

What this does is it gives my body a break to say wow she's letting me off the hook for a while. And then my body starts acting better. It starts actually moving better, it starts feeling better, um you don't have as much pain.

Just couple of things, my medication, I was on Thyroids. My medication now has been cut over half. I won't be able to get off of Thyroids probably the rest of my life because of age and everything. As you go through menopause, there are some things that happen, my doctor says “I wouldn't take you off of it,” but I've definitely cut back over half. I didn't need as much. I haven't had to have any um, I know Advil or any headaches when I. I don't get any of those symptoms of anything anymore.

So, what I want to do is maintain my body, so that my body does continue operate efficiently. And you won't lose; I will lose a little bit more weight. I mean I defiantly have fat on me. I may not look like I do, but I do. I could go probably two month without food. We all can, you know you look at somebody that's really thin and you think “Oh My God, she couldn't a day, but she can. There's a lot of fat in your body, but what this does uh, it gets down on a certain level and I won't lose any more. It will just be for the health purposes.

Question: Now, if you or have you referred people to this, to the center here and why?

Mari: I've referred so many people to the center, because of the way I look. People have said I have never looked better and people that um. One girl that I sent here that was grossly overweight and I actually helped her in the program. And. she meant that much to me and she came here and she lost 37 lbs of fat and it changed her life. It's life changing and her children are overweight, her husband is over weight and she matters to me. And she's a walking time-bomb for, for problems.

Yes, I will tell people about it, that's why I'm on this video. I, it's kind of a rare for me because I'm pretty private when it comes to things about any beauty thing, but on this I think is just something for health that everyone needs to do.

I think it's absolutely the best thing you could ever do for your body. It's a life changing event. These people now are like family to me. I mean I'm here all the time, I love this place. It's like I come in here and I'm happy. I know I'm doing something that is really healthy for myself.

You may think you could do some of this stuff on your own and you think I can go on a fast by myself. You know what you need support and I'm probably the most independent person in the entire planet. But when it comes to this, I would walk in these doors and I would have somebody with a smile on their face say “come on lets see how you have done,” and then you have somebody to talk to that is a doctor that says “ok you're having these symptoms, this is happening and this is happening.”

You know, I used to go to Keizer for everything. I get the sinus thing or whatever. Now what I don't. I had a problem with something. I can't remember what it was. I was starting to get a sinus infection or something and I came in to see Dr. Harry. He gave me this concoction of this tea I had to take and it was the craziest thing I have tasted in my life. It was the worse thing I have tasted in my entire life, these packets of tea. But you know what? I didn't need to go to Keizer.

So my philosophy is I come Tahara first. If Tahara can't figure it out, then I'll go back to Keizer. But, you don't need to go back to Keizer or to; I'm not saying this to anybody as a testimonial for doctors, everybody's got to do their own thing. For me personally the wealth of knowledge in these doors there's pretty much everything you got a problem with they can figure out and it's done in a way that the body is naturally going to heal us. I just believe that it's been here forever. I mean God put us on the planet with everything we needed. It's just the matter of figuring out where it's in the planet.

You know, they go into the jungles of South America and they're finding berries and things that cure things, almost cancer. But, no instead of us, we're going into factories and you know we um you know we're testing out animals and we're doing all this stuff, when it's probably just a natural form. Just go into a jungle, pick up the stuff and figure out how to give it to the human people. So, I believe that um, that's where it is. So, I sound I'm probably moving to Berkeley *laughs* but I'm not. Nothing against Berkeley people, but it's taking an ownership and a responsibility of what you have.

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