I'm Never Eating Again!

(Photo: teas for my upcoming fast)

What a terrible day I had today. I've been off my raw diet for almost 2 weeks and I feel it has caught up to me. On one day this week the skin on my left cheek hurt really badly- my cheeks had been more darkly pigmented than the rest of my face but had cleared up once I started eating raw. Now the skin is getting a bit rough again and my cheek hurt so badly I could barely touch it! Another thing: I've been congested for days- stuffed and runny nose. I feel (gross-out alert): "mucous-y" as well as "heavy" and slow- like a weight is constraining me. Another thing (prudish people alert): my breasts hurt VERY badly for several days this week. I think it was from all the sodium. I'm just falling apart, people!! At work today I felt all out of kilter, as if I had too many things to do and not enough time to do it. I just needed solitude so I could think. And tonight as I was washing dishes I knocked over a glass and cut my finger rather deeply. I refuse to get stitches, so here I type with one bandaged index finger looking as nasty as I feel.

But waiting for me is the menagerie of teas you see in the photo above. I am so ready for a fast. I need to clean out my body and my mind because I feel like a trash can. I know I can easily fast with water alone for a couple of days, but I decided to make the experience more interesting and flavorful by trying out a bunch of teas I've never had. I made sure they had no fructose, "organic cane juice" (who do they think they're kidding with that one?) or other sugars- except for the Kombucha teas, whose 4 gms of sugars per bottle come from the fruit. I limited myself to 3 kombuchas for this fast.

I didn't pick the teas with any expectation that they will do what they claim; the detox and fasting teas claim to help you in those two areas but if they aren't any more special than any other teas I won't have a fit. I just liked the idea of using a tea called "fasting" and a tea called "detox" while I fast and envision myself detoxifying. I will have molasses daily during my fast, and since I have 5 mangoes, I will have a mango a day until they run out so as not to waste them. I bought a 24-pack of bottled water from Costco as well. How long will I fast? As long as I can stand it. I want to go further than the two days I did before because I remember that on day three I felt better than day two, and if I can make it past day 3, I might make it a week! I will monitor myself to ensure I don't dehydrate or feel weak, etc. (yes, nurse Pam, I said that for YOU!). :-)

I have magazines -Shambala Sun, Tricycle and Yoga - to help me get into a nice, calm mode for the weekend. I also have a lot of studying to do, which should keep my mind occupied as I fast.

So there you have it- I'm undergoing a holistic deep-cleaning this weekend.

I want to say thank you to all of you who have sent me well wishes, urged me to not think poorly of myself, reminded me of how far I've come, sent virtual hugs, shared their experiences with falling off the wagon, and told me to not say bad things about my hair. ;-D

Day Three- to Eat or Not to Eat?

So it's the morning after my two-day fast and I've lost at least FIVE lbs. I weighed in at 267. I'm just having fun with this weight loss, but I'm not going to hold my breath that it's "real" until the end of the week after I've been eating again and can better assess the results.

Speaking of eating, I've delayed eating anything so far today. Usually I've eaten breakfast at home before leaving for work, then I munch on fruit until lunch time. Today I felt so good when I woke up that I didn't want to ruin the feeling with food. I didn't even take my molasses- I'll have it when I get home. I packed a bigger lunch than usual since I skipped breakfast: ezekiel bread, about a cup of cottage cheese, and a lot of corn salsa. I also put together a mixture of purple grapes, blueberries and dark red cherries to eat when I finally break my fast. I drank my Yogi fasting tea (iced) in the car on the way to work. Now it's going on 9 a.m. and I'm feeling only slight hunger pangs. It's amazing how much better day three feels than day two did! I'm flirting with the idea of not eating at all today, but deep down I feel I should eat today and therefore I probably will have the fruit within the next hour or so.

By the way, 267 means 74 lbs lost since January 1st. That works out to an average of about 10 lbs of weight lost a month. Perhaps that is less emotionally satisfying than losing 25 in one month, but it is much healthier.

Your Fasting/Cleansing Experiences

Here is some of the input I've gotten about fasting. Thank you so much!

Bootzey
What method did you try?
Juice Fasting, Master Cleanse, Liver Flush

Why did you try it?
Surgery Preparation, mind, body, and spirit maintenance, emotional recovery

What did the method consist of?
Liver Flush- Epsom salt, olive oil, grapefruit Juice
Master Cleanse- that nasty lemonade drink with the cayenne pepper, and salt water flushes
Juice Fasting- just juice. I like mine freshly juiced

What were you hoping to achieve?
Body-wide purification, stone passing if you saw those pictures, you would want those stones gone too

Were you pleased with the results?
Liver Flush- Yes
Juice Fast- Yes
Master Cleanse- No

Would you do it again?
Liver Flush- Yes
Juice Fast- Yes
Master Cleanse- No, it was far to intense for
my needs

What caveats would you have for a newbie like me?
Read everything you can find. Talk to knowledgeable people. Make a serious game plan. Probiotics for a few days after fasting.

Be careful with those teas. They hurt!

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Kristal
I did the Master Cleanse fast. This consisted of (roughly) 1/2 c. lemon juice, 1/2 c. maple syrup, and as much cayenne as I could stand mixed into 1 gallon of water. I would drink the whole gallon every day for 10 or so days. (The official way to do it is to mix your juice up fresh for each glass, but I work and just couldn't do it.)

It was fantastic. I've done it twice, and although I was hungry and cranky for the first couple of days, I felt fantastic for the last week and afterwards. The first time I didn't even want to stop at 10 days, but I felt kind of week. I didn't experience any miraculous cures or anything, but I felt... well, cleansed. I highly recommend it.


(Note from Allison: such different experiences from the same fast! Thanks for this information, Bootzey and Krystal. If I were to do the Master Cleanse, I would want to use molasses instead of maple syrup. Is there any reason why that would not work?)

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Naptress
check out www.drnatura.com....this is the one I'm presently doing...goodluck...supasolsista

(Note from Allison: Thanks, but EEEEEEEW- you could have warned me about the photos at that website, supasolsista!! :-D Hey, let me plug your raw food blog: http://supasolsista.blogspot.com/

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Julie
hey dpr, congrats on the wonderful work you have done so far and have nothing but good vibes going your way to help you on your journey. i juice fasted for 30 days. read my blog if you want detailed info but basically i did it mainly for weight loss. in 30 days i lost 25 pound but what really astounded me was the lessons i learnt and the way i felt, this was by far more important to me than the weight loss. however im not going to lie without the weigth loss i may not be as much as a convert as i am.

i juiced half veggie and half fruit, drank lots of water and herbal tea and added veggie broth to get me throught the difficult times. it was hard work but i have honestly never felt better in all my life. energy, sleeping, clarity of thought, emotional stability and many more benefits. it also taught me that i do not need to eat as much food as i thought and the lesson that i know you have learnt the more bad stuff you eat the more you want and the more good stuff you eat the more you want of that. it has changed my life my way of thinking my health and my body image so much so that i reconmend a juice fast for every living soul. that being said it is hard and not at all an easy thing to do.

my advice is to read read read and then develop a plan that you will work for you, set a time line, set goals and stick to it. hope this helped and i encourage you to try it. exercise is a vital key to the whole process but after fasting for a week i coulnt imagine not exercising you have so much energy you have to do something. good luck and please let me know if i can help in any way.

Julie's blog is http://69.93.158.250/blogs/f.asp?f=566

(Note from Allison: thanks, Julie - I always enjoy your comments and support. I'm scared of a 30 day fast, but you make it sound so good. )

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Here’s Bootzey again
In 2002 I had fibroid removal surgery. I mentioned this to the gentleman in a health food store, and he asked me what I was doing to prepare for the surgery. I was unaware that any preparations needed to be made. The gentleman made a variety of suggestions about different supplements. He also told me to stay away from exercise, which I thought was interesting, because my body was essentially pregnant. He told me that by fasting some, my body would cleanse itself of toxins; and that would help me heal soundly and more quickly from the surgery. I also had Queen Afua’s book, Heal Thyself, at home and decided to reread it. The book called for a 21 day fast so I did it.

The spiritual changes that occurred during the fast were wholly unexpected. Initially, I suffered horribly from hunger pangs, dizziness, nausea, headaches, cramps, etc. But after a week it was over. That’s when the spiritual stuff kicked in. Once I stopped “detoxing” I found an odd sense of peace. It was just a mind calm. Things that would normally send me into a rage, just slipped off my back. When tasks arose, I didn’t obsess over them or wait until I had a bunch to do all at once. I just performed them with a new purpose. I noticed beauty in simple things. Even my mother’s weekly calls didn’t bother me. Everyone noticed and was asking me what was going on. But I was so peaceful that my answers seemed contrived. The main person that really saw what the fast did for my attitude was my husband. He would say and do things that he knew would piss me off, but nothing would come of it. It was great; although it didn’t last. Once I went back to eating my regular vegetarian diet, I went back to feeling the same way I had before the fast.

Since then, I try to do a 21 day fast yearly usually during Lent. Should something arise that I need intense clarity on, or I’m emotionally distraught by anything, I will fast again. It reboots my body mind and spirit



(Note from Allison: I feel like such a wimp reading about your fast. A week of hunger and dizziness etc. etc.- I don't know if I could do it! Congratulations to you for going through it and reaping the benefits, I would love to achieve the peacefulness that you experienced afterwards.)

OK- I'm waiting for the rest of you shy people
to tell me about your fasts and cleanses!

Mini-fast, Day Two (UPDATED 8:30 pm)

(Photo: Lake Las Vegas Resort- a great place to relax!)

I woke up this morning very hungry, but I got on the scale and saw that I'm back down to 270, where I haven't been for a long time. Yippee!!! But man, I could really eat a meal today. The only reason I'm not is because those numbers on the scale are inspiring me to stick it out today. Isn't that pitiful? I'm supposed to be enjoying the serenity of it all, but dammit, I'm HUNGRY! Now yesterday, all of my hunger disappeared shortly after 6pm- that was amazing to me. At the poetry slam I was jealous of Felicia's salad but I ordered tea, which I didn't even really drink because I was too busy taking pictures of the performers. I was fine, and didn't get hungry again until early morning, like 1 or 2 a.m.

This morning I have had my fasting tea, a lovely mouthful of molasses, my vitamins, and a tall glass of water. I've decided to make some fresh-squeezed orange juice the next time I get hunger pangs today, but other than that, I'll try to stick to tea and water. No- what am I saying? I will stick to tea and water. No solid food! (I can tell you one thing: I will really appreciate my meals tomorrow).

I applaud all of you who make it past day one, because I'm not finding this easy. Look out for a second post today containing some of the comments I've received from readers about fasting. Since I'm still collecting information, please continue to send me stories about your experiences with fasts and cleanses- what method you tried, what your goals were, how it turned out, and whether you would do it again. I'm thinking I can do this mini-fast again. Are there benefits to doing a one-day fast once a week, or is that a waste (other than saving money on grocery bills!)? I do think this experience allows for some mental expansion. It's like I have time to ponder other things because I'm not distracted by another meal. Considering that my life before going raw was all about food, this is a true revelation for me!

8:30 pm Update
I can't believe I'm making it through another day of fasting. Right now I'm so hungry I can feel those faint nausea-like waves, so I'm going to make more fresh orange juice (I had 8 oz. earlier today) and make sure I have enough tea and water until I go to bed. (I really have a problem drinking enough fluids, which is remarkable when that's all I'm allowing myself to consume! ) Despite these issues- learning to drink enough and dealing with the hunger, I can see why I was able to make it through two days of fasting when, in my days of SAD eating I'd have been hard pressed just to skip two meals in a row: it's the raw diet. During this fast I've had no cravings. The hunger I felt was pure hunger rather than a desire for certain flavors or treats. These past two days I've kept the faith that the hunger would pass and could be managed, and I think I've done pretty well for myself.

I sure hope this jumpstarted my weight loss again. Fasting does crazy things to your weight, and what you lose isn't always permanent since it's often more water than fat. Still, the 3 lbs I gained from my weekend of tequila sunrises are now gone, along with an extra pound or so. Since my weight loss had basically halted, this is pure joy for me. If a one or two-day fast can break me out of a weightloss plateau, I'd surely do it every week or two (yeah, maybe not every week- ha ha!).

A Day of Serenity (with afternoon update)

(Photo: a bit of serenity at Mt. Charleston in Nevada)

I stayed out last night until about 4:00 a.m. having fun with Felicia and a new friend. We went out to dinner (seafood and salad for Fee and moi), did some walking and a lot of talking, some serious, some silly. Although I went to bed by 4:45 a.m., I still woke up refreshed by 9. Tonight I'll be going to a "poetry slam," where I'll be around a lot of positive, intellectual energy - something I truly love. I therefore woke up feeling that this is going to be a special weekend for me, so instead of immediately getting out of bed, I listened to my favorite music for a couple hours- my perfect stress release and a wonderful way to start any day. In a mellow mood, I put on Counting Crows, Silvio Rodriguez , and Guardabarranco. I envisioned my day going smoothly, and positively- indeed, my life progressing smoothly and positively. I connected what I do today with my overall life goals of finishing my Ph.D, losing this weight, and being healthy, happy and in control of my life.

I was then in a mood to do what I'm calling a mini "serenity fast," a precursor to the more serious one I'll do in the near future. My serenity fast is meant to create an uncomplicated mental, spiritual and physical environment. No meal planning, no new dishes to wash, no food to digest, no negative thinking. I'm drinking plain hot tea (spiked with my molasses), iced tea and water today.

Since I've never fasted before, I'm wondering what you all did when you got that hunger headache. I'm having one right now! One of the principles of Buddhism is about not rushing to get rid of sensations and emotions we don't like. We are always rushing to cure our headaches and hunger pangs and loneliness instead of "listening" to them and learning why they arose, experiencing them, and letting them subside naturally. I want to use my serene mood today to deal with all such stressors calmly and easily, without rushing for the food. From what some of you have already stated (and I will be compiling your wonderful stories and comments this weekend in the blog), you kinda plow through the early rough parts and are rewarded with energy and calmness afterwards.

So far I've brewed a batch of the Yogi fasting tea and have had a couple of mugs of it. I'll study this afternoon, look for more reader comments and stories about fasting and cleansing (send them in! Everyone's experiences, positive or not so positive, are welcome), attend the poetry slam, and have a wonderful day. I wish a wonderful, serene day for all of you, too.

6 pm Update
I've gone through a few strong waves of hunger, but I've stuck to my tea-drinking. I have had a couple of mugs of Yogi tea hot, as well as iced. I am not drinking enough, so my low-grade headache may go away if I drink more tea and water. Right now I'm brewing Cardamon Cinnamon tea made by The Republic of Tea. Boy, it sure smells good! I added about a tsp of molasses to my hot teal earlier but couldn't taste it at all. I'll add some to my cinnamon tea as well, as I still have a goal of 2 to 3 tablespoons of molasses a day. So far I'm not craving anything or feeling deprived. All I worry about is getting hungry during the event tonight and seeing everyone eating around me. If I can make it through that only drinking tea, I'll be very pleased with myself.

Cleanses and Fasts- Have You Tried One?

Today topic: fasts and cleanses. This is a call for your input! I have never done a fast or a cleanse but I've been more and more interested as time goes by. To me, a fast or cleanse is symbolic of a fresh start, getting rid of the old and providing a clean environment for the new. I guess that's sort of a spiritual way of looking at it, but I also see it as a physical "spring cleaning" of sorts. From what I've heard and read, there are many reasons to do a cleanse or fast, and just as many methods for accomplishing it. One reader suggested I try a gallbladder detox/cleanse because of the pains I've been having in the lower front/right side of my abdomen. Then today a coworker gave me a box of Yogi Tea designed for people who are fasting.

So I'm intrigued, and have some questions for all of you who have tried fasting or cleanses in the past. What method did you try, and why did you try it? What did the method consist of ? What were you hoping to achieve, and were you pleased with the results? Would you do it again? What caveats would you have for a newbie like me? Now, unless you all suddenly become strangely shy, I hope to be able to compile a nice list of your suggestions and comments for us to read. Since this blog is mirrored at another locations, I'll put all of the comments together so readers of either site can see them all (hmm, I wonder which site will have the most feedback?).

Oh-here is the tea my coworker gave me- I haven't tried it yet. I tasted their "breathing" tea and it was spicy! Good, though.

A Reader's Experience with Hair Loss

NOTE: A reader, Zoebess, submitted this comment at my mirror site. Because she put so much work into it and included information that other readers may want to know, I thought I would make it a blog entry of its own at this site.

Hairfall
by Zoebess

My heart went out to you reading about your struggle with hairloss. I experienced my own hairloss and thought I would share what worked for me in case there is something you might be interested in trying....

Last fall I did an extended Master Cleanse fast, 30 days, and unfortunately, my hair took a hit and within months, it began to fall out by the handful. I have fine hair, past my butt so you can imagine, I was freaking because both my brothers are bald!

I read up on it and discovered that it does happen and is connected to hormone levels. I cant remember everything I did but I did get liquid minerals and vitamins since they are more easily assimilated than pills. I also included kelp capsules because they are good for balancing out your hormone levels.

Here were the liquid supps I decided on. Each bottle is one month supply.

http://www.active-liquid-vitamins.com/product-alm.htm
http://www.active-liquid-vitamins.com/faq.htm#liqui

I also went to speak with some hair people and after that incorportated coconut oil hair/head massages, and also emu oil, both which helped tremendously. I would oil my hair and then put on one of those shower cap thingeys, the disposable kind and go out in the sun for an hour or so. I really let it soak in. I was also told that the hair that was falling out had died 3 months earlier which was exactly during my fast. The woman also recommend Nioxin which is a cleanser for the hair with bionutrient protectives. I added 3 or 4 drops of Oregano oil to this also. You need to take care not to get it in your eyes with the oregano but my feeling was, if I have skin mites or anything living on my scalp, the oregano was going to do them in.

I also added Coconut Powder to my diet to get more healthy fats in --
http://www.enerhealthbotanicals.com/products.html

I also used Hair, Skin & Nail Support from the Herbal Healer Academy.
http://www.herbalhealer.com/

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Ingredients:
50% RDA -2500 IU - VITAMIN A (100% as Beta Carotene)
50% RDA - 30 mg. - VITAMIN C (as Ascorbic Acid)
50% RDA - 15 I.U. - VITAMIN E (as d-alpha Tocopheryl Succinate)
330% RDA - 5 mg. - THIAMINE - B1 - Helps stimulate proper cell growth, antioxidant activity helps prevent rapid aging.
180% RDA - 3 mg. - RIBOFLAVIN - B2 - Facilitates use of oxygen by the tissues of the skin, nails and hair.
25% RDA - 5 mg. - NIACIN - B3 - Needed for circulation and healthy skin. Important for all skin disorders.
250% RDA - 5 mg. - PYRIDOXINE B-6 - Indicated for all skin and nail conditions and hair loss.
25% RDA - 100 mcg. - FOLIC ACID - Cellular energy and helps cellular formation
210% RDA - 12.5 mcg. B-12 - Promotes growth and development by maintaining the fatty sheath that cover and protect the nerve endings. Note: Strict vegetarians need to supplement B12 as this vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal tissue. Because the body can store B12, vegetarians may not see the signs of deficiency for a year or more.
85% RDA - 250 mcg. BIOTIN - Cell growth and helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins properly.
Very important for healthy hair and skin. Dry scaly scalp can be a Biotin deficiency.
250% RDA - 25 mg. - PANTOTHENIC ACID - B5
50% RDA - 75 mcg. - IODINE (Kelp)
12% RDA - 250 mcg - COPPER ( from Copper Amino Acid Chelate) - non-toxic
250 mg. MSM SULPHUR - Phenomenal in helping all skin problems
150 mg. L- METHIONINE - Amino acid essential for detox and mobilizes toxic build-ups in the body.
100 mg. L-CYSTEINE - Amino Acid - Present in alpha keratin, the chief protein of the fingernails, toenails, skin and hair. Helps production of Collagen and promotes elasticity in skin.
100 mg. HORSETAIL HERB - Famous for it's concentrated nutritional and mineral support
25 mg. Choline - Vitamin - Without proper amounts of choline, the body's brain and memory function is impaired. Brain function for healing!
25 mg. INOSITOL - Vitamin essential for hair growth. Deficiency symptom - hair loss.
25 mg. PABA - Vitamin that helps in the assimilation of Pantothenic Acid. Antioxidant ability that helps protect the skin against cancer. Helps restore gray hair to original color if gray is caused by stress of nutritional deficiency.

Daily Recommended Dose: 1 capsule 3 to 6 times a day preferable on empty stomach or before meals.

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Anyway...after much stress and fretting, my hairfall stopped and my hair grew back and is fine. I just did another 30 day cleanse but this time added blackstrap molasses, the liquid vitamins/minerals and liquid Essiac to the cleanse. I will be able to tell in a few months if my deviations from the cleanse worked to keep my hair in enough nutrition.

Now, off the cleanse, I am back to my cocnut powder and hair supplements. My hair has also grown in length with all the attention. That of course is not my main goal...keeping it on my head is...ggg

I wish you well on your healing journey!

blessings,
Zoe

-_-

My Raw Odyssey: Attacking the Hair Loss Problem

Based on the raw food message boards I peruse, so many people lose hair on raw that it seems to me it really should be made a prominent issue on raw food forums as obvious sign of the change in one's nutritrients. Hoping for a renewal in my battle to get my hair to stop thinning I went back to Raw Food Talk, one of my favorite forums, looking specifically for causes of hair falling out (not breaking off or failure to grow).

Some of the ideas they listed included "your hair follicles are repairing themselves," nutritional deficiency, "too much sebum in the scalp which 'starves' hair follicles," and detox. The detox answer is too vague for me (and seems to be the universal answer to health problems related to raw diets). However, I found all of the responses interesting and really appreciated the opportunity to read about others' real-life experiences.

The forum search reminded me to incorporate more greens in to my diet. I eat salads, but I really don't eat enough lettuce itself. I saw the greens idea several times on the RFT forum alone, and I've read about greens before. I posted a question at Roger Haeske's website, wondering what he might think. His immediate response was:

Hi Allison,
Can never be sure of the exact reasons for this happening. But this has happened to several people when switching to a raw diet. It's possible that your body is not absorbing amino acids well enough. It takes a little while for the body to get used eating new sources of food. Over time this usually just corrects itself. But make sure to eat lots of leafy greens. Try getting the equivalent of at least a head of romaine lettuce per day. Also make sure to eat enough calories. Some people do better with green smoothies in order to help them increase their consumption of greens. Check out this site: http://www.howtogoraw.com/Green-For-Life.html
There are several theories as to why some raw foodists initially lose hair. But it could simply be that the body is rebuilding with better building materials and discarding the old cells. So of course the old will fall away gradually and be replaced by the new. You just need to have some faith and make sure to eat as well balanced a raw diet as possible. Get plenty of exercise, rest and sunshine. This hair problem even happened with my ex girlfriend. But after a few months it started correcting itself. But we also found out that her mother is losing hair like crazy and she doesn't eat a raw diet. I think with women who have long hair it's more of a problem. It tends to crack and break easier. That hair is much older. If you cut your hair often and it's shorter it can renew faster. Roger

I found hope in the fact that people talk about the problem reversing itself after a few weeks or months, sometimes after they refined their diets to address the problem, and for others simply after they kept on with the raw foods.

Today I'm going to start by making green smoothies in my blender. I'll try various ingredients to make it taste good- tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and spices, whatever it takes. I don't have a juicer for those kinds of foods so I might be chewing my smoothies down- but it's for a good cause! In the meantime, I cut my hair short so that I will avoid hairstyles that will pull my hair out, and I continue to wear it natural- I was never a big fan of perms and lye anyway.


Wish me luck!

Summary of Week 11 Eating Raw!

This is a week for new developments. Some of them have been developing for a couple of weeks or longer, but I haven't noted them because it takes a while before I decide that something is actually presenting as a true "change" and not just a transitory event. The developments include the following:

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

• My hair is thinning around the crown
• I've had "allergy" symptoms for the past couple of weeks or more
• The dark, rough patches of skin on my face (cheeks) have smoothed and lightened considerably

THE GOOD STUFF

• I got my first unsolicited comment from someone who noticed I've lost weight
• My girlfriend made some great living bread and some good raw meals, restoring my faith in the raw food diet

The hair loss seems to me to be directly related to my diet. According to Sparkpeople my diet is very low in protein - we're talking below 30 grams sometimes. I've decided to add protein in the form of more raw cheese (I just bought some raw milk gouda), raw seeds, and grains. As for my allergy-like symptoms, some people might think that these are signs of detox. I'm open to the idea, but I must say that I've had all these symptoms from time to time before going raw, so I'm still inclined to believe I'm having an allergic reaction to something.

OK- I've made a couple of Big Decisions! I've decided that for the time being, I will no longer track my foods on sparkpeople, and I will try not to way myself for about two weeks. I've made these decisions because I want to start transitioning into a more "normal" way of eating, where I learn to trust my own body for signs of hunger and the need for nutrients. I've learned a lot these past three months and am ready to take the training wheels off! So you won't see me logging points or calories or fat grams any longer, although I will state what I ate. If I start gaining weight then I will put the training wheels back on for a little while. Eventually, I hope to free myself from the scale and food tracking. It's kinda scary for me, considering my history, but if I don't do new things, I'm not on an odyssey, am I?


NUTRIENTS

Calories..................................701 to 1468.81
Weight Watcher's Points:.....Average of 28.57 points per day
Fat..........................................19g to 76g
Carbs......................................49g t0 240g
Protein...................................15g to 45g


WEIGHT LOSS
STARTED WEEK AT: 296
ENDED WEEK AT: 294
TOTAL LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 47 lbs.


COMPARISONS TO PREVIOUS SUMMARIES

Compare to week 1
Compare to week 10 (last week)
Compare to week 2
Compare to week 3
Compare to week 4
Compare to week 5
Compare to week 6
Compare to week 7
Compare to week 8
Compare to week 9

Weekly Summary for Week Four on Raw

NOTES

I cut down on hummus and saw an immediate improvement in that pesky intestinal problem I've been dealing with. I'm sad because I really like hummus! But I feel better without its side effects.

I ate more fats than I planned this this week

I visited a great raw food restaurant and found raw nori and nama shoyu, plus "bread" that really is raw.

I got a bunch of culinary toys: a blender, a citrus juicer, a spiral slicer, a digital scale and a dehydrator. I love all of them, but I still want to eat as many whole, fresh foods as possible. The dehydrator while help me with school because it'll be nice to take dried fruits with me. I will also start making smoothies with the blender.

Although I haven't experienced what people call detox, don't feel closer to nature or more spiritual, and don't have any new "electric" feelings inside me from going raw, I can say that my depressive mood has lifted.

A Word about Depression
If any of you has ever been depressed, you might have had experiences like mine. I created something like a groove in my brain - this worn down path I kept automatically treading that was full of negative thoughts and imagery. I used to think about death- my own, my loved ones... I would think up all sorts of sad and terrible things that could happen to me. I imagined failing at school or on the job. I had my "favorite" little depression fantasies that I'd go over again and again before I went to sleep at night and in the morning when I woke up. Those negative thoughts went around and around and I was used to them and thought they were normal. (When I met with a therapist I learned otherwise).

Interestingly, since going raw, I notice that thinking those old thoughts no longer give me any of that - I don't know the word... comfort? That "comfortable" feeling you get when you go over the same thoughts over and over. They might be sad thoughts, but they are YOUR thoughts and you're used to them. But lately I find it more difficult to think those old thoughts. They don't do much for me anymore. This past week I actually made the effort to sustain my negative thinking and I couldn't do it- it felt foreign! All I can say is that it seems that my depression has lifted and that when my mind tries to drift back to that negative thinking, it finds no satisfaction because those thoughts are not needed any longer. If "needed" is the right word. Does anyone know what I mean? Not being depressed opens my mind up to new possibilities, like maybe I will reach my weight and fitness goals! Maybe I will succeed this time! Hey, maybe that's a form of detox- I'm detoxing my mind!! Without medication!

Here is the summary for this week:

NUTRIENTS

Fat ranges from............ approx 45 to 85 grams

Protein...........................approx 35 to 55 gms

Calcium.........................approx 0% to 800% RDA

Magnesium....................approx 39% to 165% RDA

Folate............................approx25% to 175% RDA

Carbs............................approx 100g to 220g

Cholesterol....................approx 0 mg to 60 mg

Potassium.....................approx 1000 mg to 4000 mg

Calories.........................887 to 1589

B12 ...............................5.83% to 100%

Iron...............................approx 0% to 200%

Water.............................average= 5 glasses a day.

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 323

ENDED WEEK AT: 316

TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 25 lbs.

A Summary of My First Raw Week

NUTRIENTS

Calories…………………….ranged from 1500 to 1800

Water………………………..average= 6 glasses a day.

An average of 42% of my calories came from fat

An average of 46% came from carbs

An average of 12% came from protein

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 341

ENDED WEEK AT: 325

TOTAL POUNDS LOST: 16

SUMMARY OF CHANGES NOTICED THIS WEEK

1) Tongue was coated with some sort of brownish/greenish layer I had to brush off. This lessened during the week but I’m left often with a strange feeling that something is on the back of my tongue- like when the skin from a bean lies flat on your tongue and you can’t get it off easily!

2) The diarrhea that started on day 3 still hasn’t abated totally, but I have had no more stomach pain, just an occasional stitch in my lower right abdomen.

3) I felt queasy one day and couldn’t pinpoint the reason, although I, probably unfairly, associate it with the raw cauliflower I had that day since it was so unpleasant to eat. The second time I felt ill was when I drank that Kombucha gingerade. I still haven’t finished the bottle (nor have I eaten raw cauliflower again).

4) My eyes usually water for a while every morning, as if I’m crying. This has lessened to either: no tearing, much-shortened tearing episodes, absolutely no tearing (a couple of mornings).

5) I’m in a better mood than I have been in a long time. Although not a huge change, it’s a glimmer of hope.

6) I’ve been free of compulsive eating all week- this removes a large amount of stress from my life.

7) My face developed two small patches with lighter pigmentation, one on each side of my mouth. This hasn’t changed in the 24 hours sinced I noticed it.

8) My skin is less alligatory - this is likely due to the huge increase in the amount of water I drink.

FOODS CONSUMED

Goji Berries

Kombucha Gingerade (Never again. Never, ever again).

Black sesame tahini - still don’t know how to use it. I just eat it as-is.

Raw sharp cheddar (Fiscalini)

Raw Trail Mix

Sea Salt

Flaxseed crackers - good for dip and to smear with the black tahini.

Sprouted fenugreek - very bitter. I might not buy this again.

taboule - has become a staple.

banana

cherries

papaya

Hummus - another staple in my diet, although I haven’t tried any raw kinds yet.

alfalfa sprouts

avocados - yet another staple, contributing to my high-fat raw diet!

cabbage- tried it once but didn’t really like it as a wrap because cabbage is bitter.

cilantro- I just love cilantro. I could just bury my face in it and inhale all day.

cucumbers - these went into my taboule, but I also sliced them and piled them with hummus and taboule.

limes - for dressing and also for the guacamole.

parsley - for the taboule

jicama- I didn’t like this. I tried to use it like a cracker. I may buy it again for salad.

extra virgin, first cold pressed olive oil

pine nuts- boring.

red onions

Bob’s Red Mill bulgar- I’ll probably try sprouted quinoa when this bag runs out.

garlic - Another favorite. I love everything about garlic except biting into a raw clove (ouch!!)

1 pomegranate- this is a new favorite of mine. Too bad they are so expensive.

apples - I’m not an apple fan, but they are convenient.

orange- I do not like citrus, but orange juice is bearable.

tomatoes- a staple.

cauliflower- Can you say B I T T E R? Ugh.

tahini - I don’t like it too much, but enough to keep experimenting with it.

FOODS I DIDN’T EAT

red bell pepper - it went bad

a small watermelon- it was in bad shape when I bought it (I’m not good at choosing melons)

a “young” coconut - it went bad and shot coconut water onto my kitchen counter!

sun-dried tomatoes- don’t know what to do with them yet

Mango- not ripe yet

Organic Wild Rice - don’t know what to do it yet

sprouted mixed beans-don’t know what to do them yet

Veganaise- shouldn’t have even listed this- I’m not gonna eat it! My friend will use it.

ROUNDUP

It’s funny; I began the week feeling some trepidation about raw food- can I live on taboule every daggone day? How come raw food has to be so bitter? But my tastes are already adjusting to the bitterness of such things as sprouted seeds and tahini, and I really like taboule. In fact, I think that as long as I make the taboule a bit different each time, I won’t get tired of it. I’ve had new textures and flavors, some good, some not so good. I haven’t gone through “detox”, unless you want to call the skin thing and the diarrhea detox. I don’t. I haven’t had any major cravings (except a short-lived one for salt early on) or desires to binge.

I will need to learn how to buy food when it’s ripe or almost ripe so that I can time when to eat them, rather than wasting money on veggies and fruits gone bad. Some of my uneaten items will need to be incorporated into meals or recipes of some kind and just haven’t found anything I like yet. I’m looking forward to eating that mango!

I think my fat intake is too high, but since I lost 16 lbs this week (a record for me!!) I’m not gonna complain right now. I do need to work on finding ways to bring up my calcium and B12. For now I’m taking Centrum. (That Kombucha tea has some b-12 in it, for those of you who are interested).

Conclusion: This week gets a thumbs up!

Physical Changes as of Day 4

1) I noticed this morning that my tongue was coated with some sort of brownish/greenish layer. It didn’t taste weird or feel strange but it caught my eye and freaked me out a little. I’ve been brushing it off from time to time all day.

2) I’m experiencing a strange form of diarrhea - it started last night. It’s more gas than anything and not very productive. And what I do produce throughout the day (when it’s not “diarrhea”) is a brownish-greenish color.

3) During the early evening I felt queasy and thought I was going to throw up. I rested for a bit and then felt better. I’m not sure what that was all about.

4) My eyes usually water for a while every morning, as if I’m crying. I noticed yesterday and today that this hasn’t happened.

5) I weighed myself this morning- I didn’t expect to have lost anything, but I just wanted to do something. I found that I have lost TEN POUNDS. WOW! At my current weight, a large part of any initial weight loss is water, so I’m off to a good start.

6) I’m in a better mood today! Not a huge improvement, but every little bit counts.

THINGS THAT HAVEN’T CHANGED

1) Still sneezing in the morning
2) Still have back/neck/shoulder pain in the morning and slight headaches
3) Skin still alligatory

I’m a skeptic by nature, so I’m not expecting miraculous raw-food related changes such as those I’ve read about, but I will be open-minded about what I observe. People talk about going through detox, which involves symptoms of illness (headache, tiredness…) and then coming out of it feeling more vital and alert than ever. I’ve read where, after some time eating raw, people’s graying hair has return to its previous color, their eyesight improves, and their skin achieves a remarkable clarity and glow. Although I’m a skeptic, I’m going to document what I experience, as well as whether things feel good or not.