Over lunch one day I was introduced to the Gracie Diet. As I looked into it, I began to think, "Of course! If you consume foods that shouldn't be combined, you might not feel so good. It's common sense." With this in mind, I began adhering to the diet regulations 100%. As I had hoped, I felt the benefits immediately. Meals always seemed to sit better, and most importantly they never caused me stomach pains again. Unfortunately, at times my friends and family questioned and heckled my dedication to this new lifestyle. Often I would hear, "live a little" or "everyone needs a cheat day." They would comment that I was too difficult to go out to restaurants with, or cooking for me was too hard. I remained unswayed. In fact, the more people said these things, the stronger my resolve became; they were questioning something that I knew worked. What I believe makes the diet successful is that it provides me with a system and a game plan to achieve good health and optimal performance. With each meal I realize the importance of synergizing my foods in order to achieve proper digestion, which then allows me to feel great throughout the day. The Gracie Diet makes food do what it's supposed to do, energize and make you feel good. For that reason, making this lifestyle change has been the most important turning point for me yet.

Chris H

I don't snack on junk food or drink soda between meals. This has helped me slim down, and feel healthier than I have ever felt before! Thank you for introducing your family's way of nourishment to me and my family.

Art B

When I first heard about the Gracie Diet I was definitely intrigued. For once it wasn't about counting calories, carbohydrates, or any of that nonsense. All I had to do was mix things correctly. That shouldn't be too hard. But, then I heard the final rule. I had to wait four and a half hours between meals! As I said, I was a snacker. I claimed to never get full, just bored with what I was eating. So, even if I didn't want any more of what I was eating, I could always grab some new food and continue packing away even more. I was also constantly suffering from digestion issues. I felt like I would get gas after every meal. Sometimes it was so bad I contemplated talking with a doctor about it, but I was always too bashful to bring the issue up. This was probably lucky for me in hindsight, as he likely would have put me on some prescription drug and I would have spent the rest of my life paying outrageous sums to a pharmaceutical company to simply mask the problem. I was also running to the bathroom several times a day, usually after every large meal. So, even though I was used to munching on something all the time, I decided to follow the advice of a family of fit, healthy individuals and see if it could make a difference for me. I had everything to gain if it worked, and if it didn't, I could always go back to Ritz Bits? for dinner. At first I started by simply spacing my meals without changing what I ate. I figured I would start worrying about the combinations later I just wanted to see if I could go four and a half hours without fainting. It turns out I could, and I felt great. I found myself planning what I was going to eat. Meals became precious to me as I knew I'd only have three, or at most four, a day. And knowing that I didn't get to eat again for four and a half hours was all the motivation I needed to make sure each meal really counted. I also took heed to the idea that these meals were not just more widely spaced opportunities to stuff myself. There was something that seemed really smart about not eating to the point of discomfort every time I sat down just because I wouldn't get to eat again for a little while. Within days the gas was gone. I found myself only using the bathroom once a day, and usually around the same time. That's not to say I didn't get hungry. I certainly did, but it only took me a few days to realize that drinking a glass of water when a hunger pang hit would usually hold me over until for the last hour until it was time to eat again. All of a sudden I was losing the excess weight I had put on, and I was certainly more energetic. It seems so obvious at this point that it's hard for me to believe that two months ago I didn't realize how exhausting digestion is. And when I was eating all the time and always trying to digest some new food, all my energy was being wasted tying to process the food I kept eating. What a bizarre Catch 22. So, I decided it was time to step it up and follow the combinations. I never would have believed that a person my size could get full on fruit, but at this point probably five to ten meals a week for me are just juiced fruits. I still eat out fairly regularly, and after the initial adjustment period of altering all my regular orders at places all over town, I've found I can still eat out with other people without being a burden at the table, and I really don't even find myself missing some of the things I thought I'd never be able to give up. To the nonbelievers, a six banana and six apple smoothie really are all the sweets you need in a day, I haven't had desert in two months and it's been one of the easiest things to do without. I've stuck to the full diet for over a month now and am as happy and energetic as I can ever remember being as an adult. I already have two of my friends on board and they gush about how great they feel almost as often as I do. To sum up, I'd like to say thank you for sharing this wisdom with me, and just as importantly, thanks for taking such an interest in the health of your fellow man and making yourself available to all the people who have questions. I am extremely grateful.

Zachary G

Soon, I would lose that weight and was back in my Marine Corps uniform. One day, Rorion came into our class and shared the Gracie Diet and how it was the most important thing. I thought about what he said and agreed that without good health, nothing else matters. My work schedule is hectic and very demanding. I am on the road a lot and cannot get into the gym to work out as much as I like. My family is very active and we travel to many cities for soccer. The reason why I bring this up is because the Gracie Diet is the one thing keeps my energy level high and is easy to follow. I believe that is the reason why I have not put on any weight and am in good health. It is the most important thing to me.

Jim L

I'm a person of science and experimentation, so when he asked for questions, I raised my hand to get a literal example of how what I was eating (for breakfast that day) was wrong and ways to improve. Following his suggestion the next morning, I immediately noticed a difference. This led me to dig deeper to fully understand the main tenet of the diet: avoid chemically conflicting food combinations. This is embodied by the two main rules of eating foods that combine together in one meal and to space out the meals 4.5-5 hours apart. For someone who loves to lift, run, train jiu jitsu, and exercise as much as I do (which is a lot), the idea of eating every 5 hours was murderous to me. Sure I could see myself eliminating fast foods totally, I had fast food 1-2 times a month, but the rest was a true challenge for me. Mentally, I had a fear that my body would shrivel up or simply wouldn't have enough gas to make it through the day! With the GM's guidance, I began to write down what I eat daily. Then, together, we started pointing out the individual food combination mistakes and I began to faze them out slowly. First week, I made it a goal to have all good breakfasts. Then, all good breakfasts and lunches. Finally, a month into it, I was having 3 meals a day, all within the guidelines of the Diet food combinations. Keeping in mind that the diet never limits the amount of food you eat, just what combinations, I realized I don't have to starve! What is also interesting is my body felt more sluggish and bogged down if I ate a small meal that was incorrectly combined than when I ate a huge meal of stuff that was all good together. This, to me, was not intuitive. However, using this little 'loophole', I was able to slowly extend my meal times from every 2.5 hours to every 5, almost 6 hours with great ease. (Later, I learned that to earn the next stripe on my Gracie Diet white belt, I should learn to end each meal feeling 75 % full, because the rest is just mental anyway). The trick is to do it slowly, one meal at a time, one week at a time. Chances are, you've had at least 20-25 years of bad eating habits and it's going to take a few months to undo them all. Be patient with yourself and incorporate awards! My favorite reward food is In 'n' Out burger, and believe it or not, this can fit in the Gracie Diet. I can't tell you how many Friday nights (my reward dinner) has been to go for a double-double WITHOUT fries, or a protein-style (without bread) burger with the fries (the two starches of the bread and potatoes conflict). This was a shock to my girlfriend who had heard me talk so much about this 'diet'. How can I eat In 'n' Out if I'm on a diet? Well this diet isn't about losing weight. It's about eating healthy and preserving your body. I've preached about this numerous friends and family members, encouraging they change one meal at a time. Everyone has seen improvements in their levels of energy, feeling healthier, and getting rid of that dreaded 'food coma' after a big meal. A cleaner, healthier, leaner body is a side effect of what happens when you choose to care about what you put inside your body at the expense of fast-foods that may seem so convenient now, but will really make you pay as you age.

Ashkan S

I also realized that, as a member of a family with health problems, I could be naturally exposed to health problems too, and felt the need to prevent from it and allow the next generations of my family to have a better health. At that time the first Gracie instructional tapes were being released in kiosks of Rio, and I bought them all, of course! On the back cover of the magazine, which came in the package, was printed the Gracie Diet food combination chart, and that is how I started to get familiar with it. Since I have been following the Gracie Diet, I felt not only that my health got stronger, but also my entire body was responding in a better way. That allowed me to do more things as a musician, as to be more concentrated, to practice more time and even to a better live performance. Dates and cream cheese, or bananas (no honey!) are always in my catering requests. Sharing the Gracie Diet with all of us is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things you guys could have done. You gave not only a way to take care of everyone's health but a whole philosophy of how, and why we should do it. That philosophy led me to Jiu-Jitsu, which is changing my whole vision of life. Thank you so much for all your family has been doing.

Philippe BP

In fact it often caused me fatigue, sometimes headache or stomach ache. Besides, during the years, my weight was far away from the ideal one, around ten kilos over. Since I decided to start the Gracie Diet, after few months, I reached my ideal weight without any strict regimen of what you can or cannot eat but with the pleasure of eating whatever I want, because the huge difference is made only by how you combine the food and by three main rules. Nothing else! What is even more incredible is that continuing the GD my weight has stabilized, it does not go up or down. But the best part of all is the energy I gained in my life. It looks like you get ten years younger! Everything become much more active: family, I have lot of energy to play with my kids and they love it; work, I do double of what I did before, because I am more concentrated, no headache around; friendship, I am more sensitive to the bad habits of some friends, who drink alcohol or eat junk food, and I like to try to convince them that is bad for their health. They appreciate it because the feeling is that someone is caring about you. This is exactly what Grand Master Rorion is doing with all of us. Sharing all over the world the Gracie Diet he is caring about us more than what we usually do. Dear friends, I want to make clear that I live far away from Torrance, California (the Gracie Jiu Jitsu headquarters) and I met Rorion Gracie once in my life so why should I talk in such a positive way about the Gracie Diet? I do not gain anything by doing so. The answer is that the Gracie Diet has "really" changed my life in such a positive way that is my duty, as well as a great pleasure to share it with you all, believe me.

Francesco P