A Wild and Wacky Summer- and now the Holidays are Coming!

I would like to get back to raw before January of 2007, but my heart just hasn't been in it. Personal problems took up a lot of my energy starting this summer: I am a single woman now, which really took an emotional toll on me. Then, as a related problem, I had to move. That involved a lot of physical labor and emotional stress that took time away from my studies and made the whole break-up thing more upsetting. Remember that I joined the Raw Food Bootcamp? Well, need I say that I wasn't attentive to the Bootcamp regulations through all of this?

As part of my move I lost internet access at home, which interfered with my ability to stick to the Bootcamp regimen of checking in, logging foods, maintaining a blog, etc. It also interfered with my studies, a problem I especially do not need. Between trying to find reliable sources of free wi-fi, studying, moving and being generally depressed, it seemed that I had really picked the wrong time for the Bootcamp. I tried to stick to the regimen, thinking that if I could at least stay raw one of my biggest problems would be under control, but it was really too difficult for me to handle.

When I finally got moved, I thought I could then put more attention on the Bootcamp, but then my computer powercord broke! More internet woes, then- and not having a computer is even worse than not having internet because my research data is all digital. AARGH! That did me in as far as the Bootcamp. The truth is, other areas in my life have had more importance in my life than staying raw these past couple of months: my studies and my personal life. If I have to choose between the bootcamp and my studies, for example, the studies have to win. And I've found that it is too hard not to stray from raw when I'm so emotionally stressed.

So I am no longer a member of the Bootcamp. Speaking for me- not for anyone else- a Bootcamp experience works best when it's not competing with outside forces. I thought the Bootcamp would force me to focus on raw over those other forces, but no- I couldn't make it work no matter how important I thought it was. Carlene was very understanding that this was not the right time in my life for Bootcamp (although I didn't bring even bring up the break-up issues!). She didn't call me a whiny loser or anthing dreaded like that. :-) There is a time and a place for everything and if Bootcamp is in my future, it'll be when I am fully able to commit to it.

So what do I do now? I am definitely not eating raw these days, but I am starting from square one to get myself back on track. First, simply watching what I eat is important. I may progress from there to recording what I eat- maybe calories or Weight Watcher's points. I've bought some frozen meals because those are the easiest foods for someone going to grad school and working at two different job sites! After I'm in the habit of watching what I eat I can transition to an all-vegetarian diet, and then transition back to raw- maybe by my January 1st raw anniversary! Once the semester is over at the university I will also have some free time- a good time to start a gym regimen. So I know what options are out there. It's a matter of putting them into play. That's always the hard part.

A Note for U.S.A. Voters

A friend passed this information on to me and I thought I'd post it, a bit late but still early enough to be helpful. This website lists the requirements for voters in each of the states. Many polling places have volunteers who are not fully aware of state laws and are mistakenly turning people away from polls for insufficient I.D. If you are able to print this information and take it with you to the polling site, you might fare better in case there are problems.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

http://electionline.org/Default.aspx?tabid=364

November 3, 2006

Getting back on raw is definitely a day-by-day thing for me- I rededicate myself each morning. I hope that soon it'll be the unconscious habit it once was. I had cantaloupe for breakfast and a "salad" for lunch. Since I didn't get to the store last night I had no herbs OR lettuce, so I just ate a bunch of vegetables with a base of taboule, basically. It was yummy, though. Who says a salad has to have lettuce, anyway? I made a conscious effort to keep water at my desk to help get myself back in the habit of drinking water every day. If I weren't doing the Raw Food Bootcamp I'd probably be trying to do "high" or "medium" raw, eating one nonraw meal and the rest raw to ease back into this, but my history with changing eating patterns shows that cold turkey tends to do the trick for me. Regardless, no single way is "easy"!

Right now I'm conducting research regarding the use of sacred spaces. As I perused the web for information on places of worship I came across a site that described the pastor as having healed the sick. The site featured several stories of healing; one woman had her depression lifted from her within a week. I looked at the other healings to see if any of them had food addictions (ha!) but no such luck. I think you have to be a "believer" to be healed in this way, and I'm really not a believer in spontaneous healings. What I do believe is that I'll always have this food addiction lying somewhere underneath, no matter how much I pray for it to be taken away. Although it makes me sad to think this way, I simply accept it. So I continue on this Raw Odyssey because it's the closest to "healing" that I've ever found.

November, Finally!

The beginning of the month is a good time to start over

Good morning! I've had my honeydew melon and kombucha tea and am raring to go. What a busy, hectic month October was for me. Between time-consuming academic projects and my move, staying raw and getting in gymn workouts fell to the wayside- I mean, there are only so many major issues my brain can deal with at one time. Not having internet access turned out to be a major problem, since you have to log onto the Bootcamp site daily to update everyone and to see how everyone else is doing. Once I had to rely on internet cafes it was amazing how unreliable they actually are. My favorite place lost wireless access for long periods of time, another place had a ridiculously slow connection that made online work useless, and another spot was so cold I couldn't stay there long enough to get anything done! The folks at the Raw Food Bootcamp have been patient, but November is my time to get on track or else I'm really wasting my and everyone else's time there.

I finally broke down and bought some new clothes this week. I don't know about you, but I tend to delay buying clothes when I outgrow my current ones because 1) I hate to acknowlegde the weight gain and 2) I keep telling myself that I'm going to lose weight soon, so why waste the money? Unfortunately, I usually end up not losing weight "soon" and therefore wind up wearing ill-fitting clothes that make me feel fat and which also keep reminding me that I'm gaining weight. Just looking in the closet sets a negative tone for my whole day- EVERY day! So even though I really am back on the raw wagon, I bought several affordable (read: cheap!) items to get me through the next few weeks.

FOOD & FITNESS
Last night I made a salad at a saladbar for today's lunch- it's always a treat to go to a salad bar because they've done all the chopping and slicing for you, but it's hell on your wallet! Tonight, though, I'll be getting parsley and cilantro to make my herb-based salads- time to get used to chopping and slicing again. I will also be buying new gym shoes because I lost mine in the move (they didn't fit well anyway). Nothing like new shoes to get you back in the workout groove! Plus, since my new location is much more walkable than my old area, I'll be putting those shoes to good use going for walks. The best thing about moving is that I have a lot of new places to explore. Since I can't stand walking purely for exercise, having another purpose for walking makes it much more enjoyable.

_____________________

Here's to a good week!!
_____________________

PS: Some of you may notice that the link to the Raw Odyssey Cafe is gone. I have found that my life is too busy to properly promote and maintain the cafe, so it never really got off the ground. However, I am truly grateful to those of you who did visit and post to it . I look forward to your continued visits to this, the main Raw Odyssey site. Don't be afraid to leave comments here about your own experiences eating raw or contemplating a raw diet. Sharing experiences is what makes blogs great!