My Raw Odyssey Continues...

I decided, this past weekend, to eat up some of the non-raw food I had so that I didn't have to throw out too many items when I start my segue back to 100% raw. Unfortunately, one of the foods I ate- some bleu cheese- should have been thrown out. I ended up with food poisoning. Talk about agony. Thank goodness it's only lasted a couple of days. I have some lingering dehydration symptoms, but I'm feeling much better than I was yesterday- and pretty "cleaned out," too! And since I'm cleaned out, I'm putting only good stuff back in.

Luckily, before I got sick I had a couple of young Thai coconuts in the fridge, salad greens and some salad bar item from Whole Foods. Once I progressed from drinking bottled water and coconut water, I ate a couple of tiny salads. Today I'm ready for something a little more hearty, so I ventured back out to Whole Foods. I decided that instead of jumping into 100% raw I will ease into it, so I have bought nonfat Greek Yogurt, hummus, and seed crackers, as well as papaya, avocado, edamame, Ezekiel pita bread, 1 bottle of Kombucha tea, and raw sunflower seed kernels. Perhaps I'll time my transition to raw so that it ends the week that I get my new VitaMix! Let's see, when will that be? 30 Days!!

While I was out, I stopped at the local raw cafe and got a green smoothie. YUCK!!! I drank it down knowing it was nothing but healthiness going down my throat. When I start making my own green smoothies next month I will definitely be experimenting with flavors (and accepting any recipes you want to send me!) I know that the bitterness is something I'll get used to again as I re-accustom myself to an all-raw diet. The SAD way of eating gets you so used to sugar and salt that the naturally less-sweet flavors of so many healthy, natural foods seems "bad" somehow. My first go-around with raw, however, taught me to appreciate nature's flavors without seasonings, so I look forward to experiencing that again.

I don't know exactly how I'll handle eating raw this time around. I might log all my foods like I used to, or I might not. I do know I'm not in a hurry to jump on the scale! Maybe I'll wait until I've gotten back into the raw habit before I get more regimented about it. Right now, the most important thing to me is to start thinking, eating, and generally behaving in a more healthful manner. This means turning my home into a healthier environment, relaxing more, surrounding myself with "healthy" people who don't drag me down. Just doing all of the things that help make daily living less stressful.

I'm So Excited!

I found out that one of the Costcos around here is selling the Vita-Mix in February! I'm so ready to buy one. I see on their website that they have a new one called the 5200. So many choices! I'm going to buy that one, I think, as I do not intend to grind any grains into flour. I can't wait to watch the demonstration at the store. I love watching them put those recipes together- guess I'm easily entertained.

These past couple of weeks I find myself having less and less desire for junk foods. It's not a conscious effort. In fact, though my fridge is full of holiday food, I'm having a hard time finishing it all without thinking of how unhealthy it is and how this great raw diet is right around the corner. Pepsi, steak, pork chops, bread, pudding- even a little vodka- are in my fridge and freezer. They taste great (my friend Tonia is an awesome and inventive cook), but my mind is, thankfully, pulling away from that stuff and gravitating towards fresh fruits and vegetables, home brewed teas and filtered water. It's so nice to feel this way naturally, as it makes returning to 100% raw that much easier.

Right now what I need most is to be rid of this lingering cold or allergy I've had for a month already, and to regain my energy and focus as the new academic year begins. If any of you are also embarking upon a new or renewed effort in eating raw, you have my support. It might be fun to make a list of all of your ailments and see if any of them diminish or go away as you follow your personalized raw journey. That's what I'm doing- I'm making a list of my most irksome problems and putting a line next to each entry so I can record the date that I first notice a positive change. If I have negative experiences, I'll note those as well so that I can make adjustments as needed. Here's my list! What's yours look like?

Complexion
Dark patches _____________
Acne___________________

Skin
Dry, scaly _______________
Bumps/"tags"_____________ (did you know skin tags are related to hypothyroidism?)

Nails (brittle) ____________

Hair
Dry, Brittle_______________
Thinning_________________

Energy level_______________
Depression________________
Focus____________________
Concentration______________
Appetite changes____________
Cravings__________________
Weight changes_____________
Cold/allergy symptoms_______

(Wow- based on this list you'd think I was a total wreck. How do I manage to get up in the morning?? ) I can't wait to start documenting the physical changes I will experience over the weeks that I eat raw.

Still Going Strong!

Despite not being 100% raw yet, I'm continuing to lose weight and so far I am feeling quite healthy. I have become more accustomed to grains and beans and now I combine quinoa with lentils and vegetables for one meal daily. Breakfast is usually fruit. I often have an ounce of almonds as a snack or even with my breakfast, but I'm reconsidering continuing that since they add a lot of calories but only a few grams of protein. I can honestly say I don't miss dairy as much as I thought I would.

Speaking of protein, I've been getting between only 40 and 60 grams daily with this new McDougall-influenced way of eating. Since I have been aiming for 60 - 80, I'm not entirely happy. However, I'll keep plugging away and trying new foods over the next few weeks. The bulk of my protein comes from lentils. Combined with a grain and vegetables I can get a complete protein- this is where nutritiondata.com comes in handy; I use the recipe analyzer to see if my food combinations give me the nutrition I'm looking for.

Today my nutritionist weighed and measured me. I have lost about 29 lbs, and 54 inches total since early June. Although it's nice to see my clothes get looser, I don't get excited about the weight loss too much. When I lose 50 lbs I might get excited again. However, I was happy with my blood pressure of 110/80.

My goal is still to lose 50 lbs before the end of the year. To that end I started some light weight training about a month ago using a 10-lb free weight. I need to start the cardio again but haven't been motivated enough. Now that the weather is nice I want to start walking outdoors. I've also still got that VitaMix in my sights, and I'm even more motivated to use it since hearing Victoria Boutenko talk about green smoothies. I've tried green smoothies and can't say I like them, but I know they are good for me and will help me on my road to an all-raw or high-raw diet.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

I had the most wonderful weekend, hanging out with my friend Cindy. She made a great dinner, of course, grilling mahi mahi and shrimp (see photo), and preparing a healthy coleslaw, couscous, and corn on the cob. The next day we went fishing- one of the items on my "one day I'd like to do this" list. You can't really call what I did "fishing" since I spent most of the time bugging Cindy about how to do this or that, and getting the line caught in the rocks under the water. But I did learn how to cast the line and reel it back in. We didn't catch anything because a storm blew in, but I hope we'll go fishing again and actually catch dinner.

Today I started my new nutritional plan. Following my nutritionist's suggestions, I created meals balanced in protein, starches, vegetables, carbs and fruits. I had 2% cottage cheese with fruit for breakfast. For lunch I made a salad with 2 oz of grilled salmon, tofu, 1/2 oz. of Stilton, and veggies. For dinner I had 4 oz of salmon, some brown rice, and I grilled some bell pepper slices. (Whenever I eat healthfully I feel like an adult. I don't know if that's good or bad...

The longer I stay overweight and less active, the more I worry about high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. I've taken a giant step by making a doctor's appointment for this week. I'm getting bloodwork done, and also checking to make sure I don't have blood sugar problems. I know that seeing the numbers will motivate me to do improve them. I love to compare and contrast my "before" results with the consequences of changing my diet for the better.

I may start my journey back to raw very simply, starting with one raw meal + two less-than-100% raw meals a day. That is easily done by eating a salad as my raw meal. My raw diet this time around won't be like my previous one. I've probably mentioned before that I'm not really into the faux-cooked foods made with raw ingredients, except as a treat (like an occasional meal at a raw restaurant). I don't plan on making raw "burgers" and fake tortilla chips, etc. Those can be fun to do, but the more I process foods into semblances of cooked ones, the more I get away from the reasons I'm turning to a raw diet again. I want to separate myself from the processed foods mentality. Over time I'll be giving up even my beloved sodas and will probably drink only water and teas. I think the only "mechanical" processing I'll do is use the dehydrator to make flaxseed crackers and dried fruit, and use a food processor/vitamix to make smoothies and cold soups.

I gained two pounds over the past week. I realize that many things cause weight to fluctuate, but I did eat waaaaay too much over the weekend. A new friend and I went hiking and then ate dinner at a restaurant that evening. I did not try to make up for the overeating, but by week's end I found that I had "undereaten" about 38 points total. This was mainly because I did not feel like snacking (except for one day where I ate pretzels) and because I ate low-point frozen meals and salads. I may have gained because I undercalculated my weekend points- who knows? The good thing is that even though I gained two pounds I still tracked my foods, ate what I should have over the rest of the week, and drank a lot more water than I usually do. I even remembered to take vitamins every day. I'm also proud of my hiking day. I got a lot of exercise completing my home organization, too: I had to put shelving together and do some heavy lifting over a three-day period. Doesn't count as cardio or anything, but I did get some musclework in.

Although I like WW for it's simplicity and dedication to health rather than to fast weight loss, it discourages me that I feel I'm "on a diet." That feeling occurs when I'm following the program properly but still feel hungry. At that point, I want to eat more but I tell myself I can't because of the point value of the foods. There are a few times when I feel so hungry on WW that I eat an extra meal. I don't go over my points because they give you an extra 35 for the entire week, which can be split into 5 a day (this week I couldn't do that because I'd eaten my extra 35 in one day!) I think that it's the types of foods I eat that lead me to feel hunger between meals. Perhaps it's the carbs or something in the processed frozen foods. Also, you don't get much buik in a "lite" frozen meal, so I don't always feel satisfied. It'll take me a while to adjust to these portion sizes if I keep eating frozen meals.

When I ate raw, I eventually stopped being so strict about counting calories and fat, or doing portion control. I ate when I was hungry, stopped when I was full, and still lost weight -and felt good! So although WW is great for losing weight and is very healthy, I'm still eating foods that scream "DIET" to me, and which don't fully satisfy me.

To deal with the hunger and lack of "satisfaction" I will try to take more fruit to work with me, and maybe make bigger salads. Over time I should phase out the frozen foods in favor of whole foods that I prepare myself, but that will depend on how much time I want to spend in the kitchen. That Vitamix is looking better all the time! I can quickly chop up a bunch of veggies and herbs and stick 'em in the fridge. I figure the money I spend on the Vitamix will be made up by not spending that money on the salad bar at Whole Foods!

I still have my days where I feel lonely and depressed, but I'm not eating my way through them. Unfortunately, I am not at all motivated to go to the gym and have yet to go this year. I have all the equipment I need so I have no excuse to avoid it except my mental state. I could probably use the endorphins to get me through the rough times, so I really need to start going.

Note to JennP who left a comment this week- it's nice to know others are trying (or thinking of trying) the same thing I happen to be doing. I do believe that I can adapt WW to a raw diet as I head in that direction. And maybe I'll get there sooner than later, since I'm not at all happy with the foods I'm eating now!