Abraham Vazquez
Retreat in Paradise – One Saturday afternoon I found myself watching T.V. on my couch. Sitting there I started wondering why I felt so tired. Why I had gained over 10 pounds and why I was so unhappy with myself. It had never dawned on me that my meal choices were leading me in the wrong direction. Juan had always told me to try eating healthier and make better food choices but with my schedule, when was I going to find the time to do this?
I decided to take the retreat in beautiful Playa de Carmen with an open mind hoping that some of what I learned would actually stick. Let me start off by saying that in no way shape or form do I consider myself a vegetarian, I love to eat chicken, fish and steak! With that said, I was a little bit nervous when Juan told me that the whole week we would be eating vegetarian meals. The first morning Juan made smoothies from almond milk, oats, flax seed, banana and organic cacao. Yes, it was as good as it sounded!
In the afternoon we had a yoga session that made me feel like I had just been to the gym for hours. For dinner, Juan prepared steamed potatoes, quinoa, and avocado with diced bell peppers. As a carnivore I can tell you that meal was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Obviously I finished the entire plate and even though I felt full, it was different because I didn’t feel tired or bogged down, just satisfied, it was great!
The whole week was beyond my expectation, the morning smoothies and the delicious dinners where I was introduced to vegan foods like eggplant, quinoa, beets, and re introduced to steamed potatoes, zucchini, carrots, avocados and red bell peppers. I was actually a vegetarian for a whole week!
Of course you are in Playa del Carmen. The beaches are absolutely beautiful; the aqua and light green tones of the water are just something you have to see for yourself. The atmosphere is that of a big city; in that you can find all the amenities you can find there but while still retaining its small town identity.
This retreat changed my perspective dramatically. It really does not take a whole lot of effort to prepare your own smoothies in the mornings, healthy meals with plenty of vegetables in the evenings and a huge assortment of fruits as desserts for in between. I was able to adapt that routine into my daily life and I am happy to report three weeks after I did the retreat I have lost a total of 9 pounds so far. Not only the weight loss, my cholesterol levels changed drastically as well. My LDL or “bad” cholesterol was always border line in the high range and my HDL or “good” cholesterol was always below what a healthy level would be. Two days ago I found out that my “bad” cholesterol went down 40 units and my “good” cholesterol went up 10 units!
I feel great, I have more energy, I like the way I look, and even my confidence took advantage of this retreat. It truly was a life changing experience. Thank you so much Juan and Namaste.
