I am going to be accepting a few more people into the workshop, and have decided to extend the early bird special for 25 dollars off till I close the sign-up.
I’ve had so many questions about the workshop, so I thought I’d take some time to answer your questions – just in case you are on the fence about it.
1. Are you going to make me give up all the food I like?
A. I will not make you do anything. My goal is to give you information, resources and support to make your own healthy choices. If you choose not to give up something, that is between you and yourself.
2. Will I lose weight?
A. I can not for legal reasons claim that being in the workshop will do anything for you. I can tell you what living this way has done for myself and my husband, I could point you to 100′s of others who have had success. I can help and support you in many ways if your goal is losing weight, but can I promise you will lose weight? No.
A big side note to that - this is not just about losing weight. Often our society only cares about weight. We don’t seem to care about preventing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and more. Weight is just a symptom of greater problems, but not all thin people are healthy. Because someone is thin does not mean they are eating in a way that is best to prevent disease.
3. I don’t think I am ready to do this.
A. I don’t think we’re ever ready for big life changes. Just like you probably didn’t think you were ready for other changes in your life. If we keep saying things like “I’ll do it after…. ” or “I’ll wait till” we’ll never do it. This is not about being ready, this is about saying you are making the first step.
4. I have no will power, can I still do this?
You do not need will power – actually I don’t believe there is such a thing. I believe in learning information and becoming educated so you can make informed decisions. I also believe that you only need the power of one step to do this. You have to take the first step, that’s all.
5. Is this going to take a ton of time?
It depends on how much time you want to invest. Past participants have spent as little as 15 minutes a day in the workshop others have spent up to an hour. It is all up to you. If you choose you can sit back and just read, listen and watch and make changes slowly – again it is all up to you and what you want to accomplish.
6. I don’t have enough money to eat healthy.
I will help you learn how to shop in a way that will end up saving you money. I have many friends who spend less than 70 dollars per week (for 2 people) on groceries and people with children who spend less than 100 dollars per week on food. And if that is still out of your budget range, I will still help you with figuring out how to be on a tight budget and be healthy.
7. Money is really tight, I don’t think I could afford the workshop.
Please send me an e-mail, there are still a couple of scholarships left to give.
8. I don’t think I could ever be vegan.
Neither did I! Nor did my husband, nor do most people who are vegans. This is not about an overnight change, if you do not want it to be. Again, this is about you learning information about your health and your nutrition so that you can make better decisions for yourself. This is not about becoming vegan or not becoming vegan, this is about making the decision for yourself after you have the information.
9. I have failed a million times before, what is going to make this time any different?
I failed millions of times as well. Failing is not always bad, it teaches us a lot about where we are and who we are. You can not fail in this workshop. It’s about having some tools in your belt to help you go forward and change the way you live your life. It’s a life long journey, something that I work on daily. But you can not change the course of your health unless you take that first step. It doesn’t matter if you have taken a million wrong steps up till this point, let this be the first positive step in a long life of health.
I also go over a lot of the emotional sides of changing your health. We will discuss addiction, emotions and the pitfalls so many of us fall into.
10. I don’t know how to cook, will I still be able to do the workshop?
Absolutely! We have lots of cooking videos with step by step instruction, I teach you how to shop, what to look for, even how to eat out. You will be amazed how easy and fast preparing meals can be.
11. I HATE VEGETABLES.
My husband, Matt had severe food sensitivities to ALL fruits and vegetables. To the point that we ended up in the ER 2 times because he ate something with tomato in it. He was also featured in Veg News as someone who would actually have a hard time going plant based. He has been 100% plant based and vegan for a year now! And he now eats almost all fruits and vegetables with out any trouble.
Most people don’t have cases like my husband, but most people think they don’t like any ‘healthy’ food. I work with people where they are at. We find the things you do like and help you to discover some new foods. You will also find your tastes changing as the month progresses and an entire world of food will be opened up to you (hopefully) 
12. I’m thin, I don’t need to lose weight should I do the workshop?
Just to be sure we’re on the same page – I have lost 150 pounds, but still have more than 100 to lose, so yes, I am overweight and teaching the workshop. As I’ve said before, this is not about losing weight – this is about making better decisions for the future of your health. Being thin is not a marker (all the time) for what is going on inside – things like: are you eating in a way that promotes cancer cell growth? Are you preventing future heart disease? The workshop is about overall health. For people who want to lose weight, there is definitely that side of it, but a lot of my past workshop participants have not had any weight to lose and still benefit from the experience. Generally people report things like more energy, better workouts, better sleep. (of course I can’t claim that those things WILL happen to you). The workshop is open to anyone who would like to change the way they look at food and their health.
13. Are there spots in the workshop left?
I am opening it up to a FEW more people, just because I’ve had some last minute e-mails asking about the workshop. I am going to cut it off soon, because I do not want to have an over-crowded workshop.
14. Where is the workshop held? Is it private?
I have a private network set up that is only accessible through signing up for the workshop. Every person who is in the workshop I approve. Anything you write in the workshop is completely private and will not be shared on the web. *private with in the workshop.
15. I’m going on vacation for part of the workshop and won’t be online. Will I still benefit?
Definitely – when you get back you can always catch up! And, I go over how to eat while you are on vacation – no need to be unhealthy on vacation.
16. I’m still afraid.
It’s ok to have fear in regards to making changes. However, I want to assure you that doing this is not something to fear, it is something to celebrate. You are making a first step on a really amazing journey.
17. Where can I sign up?
Hopefully that has answered some of your questions, please feel free to ask me anything! I’m really excited about the workshop. I’ve been putting together new videos all week on every thing from how to shop to how to make an oatmeal pie. It’s going to be a great month, and I’d love to have you in the workshop!
I am so excited, I am literally jumping up and down in my chair. Even already being vegan for over two years, I know I do not eat healthy or even know how… at least not in a way that is tasty and balanced. I want a place to start, and this sounds like the perfect place. Thank you!
i’m scared and excited and a bunch of other things all at once! it’s going to be awesome! we’re already transitioning to healthier and more vegan choices so we’ll be ready. thanks for the info, tal, it was a good read!
Your points on number 4 and number 8 really hit the nail on the head Natala.
Willpower? I have none of that. The only way I managed to change my diet was by educating myself so that I didn’t have to resist eating cheese etc, I actually learnt things about it that made sure I didn’t want to anymore!
And how many vegans were born vegan? I would bet the majority ate meat for most of their lives and also once thought that being vegan is a horrific and unnatural idea where you live on lettuce and carrots and salad. I know I thought it was crazy, but since going veg I have never looked back.
I soooo wish I could do this workshop. Although my husband supports whatever lifestyle change I’d like to make, he’s very much against spending any money on “diet” books or programs, especially since my track record isn’t great. OK, it’s terrible! Although I wouldn’t look at this like a “diet”, I know he would. But I am following every word on this blog…also your vlog on youtube. I’m a thyroid cancer survivor of 2 years (I went the conventional route). My Endo has stated that diet won’t affect reoccurance for this type cancer. I figure a change from a SAD diet could hurt & if I’ve developed one cancer, I think I could develope another. I do have some seasonal allergy/asthma & lower back pain isssues as well as about 60 pounds to lose. So I’m on board…just not at the workshop. I’ve read most of your blog & it struck a nerve…just made so much sense, along with everything else I’ve read. Sorry to make this such a time of confession…just wanted to let you know you made a difference.