Good Things

At work on Friday one of my coworkers looked me up and down and said, "you're losing weight, aren't you?" That was great- my first unsolicited weight loss comment! I had gotten a comment from another coworker a week or so earlier, but she is seeing the same nutritionist I am and was expecting to see me lose weight, so I didn't count her comment as purely unsolicited (hey, I have strict standards about what counts as unsolicited.) I am starting to fit into previously-tight clothing. I don't feel totally comfortable in them yet because I tend to wear loose clothing, but I have worn a few items to work these past couple of weeks that haven't fit me since last summer.

Another thing that made me feel good was my walk around the neighborhood. If I want to start walking to work again some day, it would benefit me to get a feel for walking around outdoors. Work is a 5-mile trek, but since I recently did 3.1 mph for 3 miles on the treadmill with variable inclines, I'm not thinking I can't do it. I just need to replace my worn out sneakers so my feet stop hurting! A faster speed won't make my journey to health any better than a slower speed, so I have no reason to hurry on this walk. 2.5 mph will be just fine, and my iPod will make the trip enjoyable. During my walk in the neighborhood this week, however, I didn't even bother turning on the iPod- it was just nice listening to the traffic and noticing the breeze and sunset. Part of the fun of walking is the greater connection I feel to the environment. When I used to walk 5 miles to work in Ohio, I noticed construction sites, chunks missing in the sidewalk, favorite haunts of squirrels, different types of trees- things I never pay attention to while driving. By walking, not only am I using my body to accomplish something necessary (rather than walking to nowhere on a treadmill), I'm becoming more familiar with the community surrounding me AND putting one less car out on the road.

So, three encouraging things have happened this week: I've made it past the 30 lb mark, my weight loss was noticed without my saying a word, and I'm one step closer to walking to work.

I Made it through the Workshop...

...with minimal dietary damage. Yesterday I blogged about the problems I experience with trying to maintain my raw diet when faced with marathon workshops, seminars, and catered events. This morning I ate a handful of almonds and half a banana before the event, drank water before lunch, and when the catered food arrived, chose the bean salad (edamame, kidney, and garbanzos), and half a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole wheat (no cheese or condiments). The "worst" thing I did, though, was eat a delicious looking brownie! Ha ha! There was a woman who said she was a vegetarian. What did she eat? The fattening macaroni & mayo salad, the fattening potato salad AND the brownie! I guess I chose to err on the side of low fat (except for the brownie). Looking back, I could have taken the turkey out of the sandwich, but... naaaahh!!! I'm all right with what I ended up eating. However, I do appreciate the suggestions I've gotten for future events. Thank you Lauren for telling me about the LaraBars in particular- I might buy some for "emergencies." If anyone else has ideas, please send them in!

At today's weigh-in I found I am down two more pounds. Now I'm 20 lbs down since June 10th. That's another reason I didn't freak over the brownie. A treat once in a while is all right when I'm doing well (as long I don't get triggered into binging, that is). My BP was 120/82, down from 120/90 on Monday. I know that I am less stressed since Monday (a major stressor was resolved on Tuesday), and I have deliberately drunk more water since then, so these probably helped. I am increasingly leaning towards not eating fish anymore and getting my protein from raw fruits and vegetables, cooked legumes and grains, whey powder, and some dairy products: fat free or low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and eggbeaters. (If I keep saying that enough, it'll happen!)

Well, that's it for today!

What a Day....

I've come to That Point in my raw diet. There appear to be several benchmarks (for want of a better word) that I reach in the early stages of my raw odyssey. One is a point where I've eaten the same thing over and over and start to get bored. There's also a point where I have little time or energy to put ingredients together and find myself eating some nasty combination of veggies in a makeshift salad. Today I was running late and threw together the most tasteless group of veggies you can think of (I won't recount them for you or you may feel as sick as I did). As I sat during a lunchtime seminar at my job, eating my nasty salad, I actually realized I was contemplating a trip to the bathroom to purge the contents of my stomach. It was that bad. Sigh...

So now I have a new quest: to go through my blog history and refresh my memory of the stuff I used to eat, then find a way to prepare salads and other meals using the tastier and easiest-to-prepare ingredients. I know that when I am bored and unsatisfied, I am more likely to stray from my raw diet in the early stages of transforming my eating. I think being in this alone adds to the difficulty. When I had a partner we both shared in the food ideas and meal preparations, shared the shopping duties, and reminded each other of why we are doing this. We also told each other how great we were looking, how loose our clothes were getting, how good we were being to our bodies, etc. I'm not good at telling myself this stuff, so going it alone is more difficult in ways I hadn't previously considered. Having a nutritionist is a big help. Now, if she would just move in and cut up my veggies for me!

Speaking of the nutritionist, I have lost more weight. I'm now down about 18 lbs since June 10th. At 20 lbs lost she'll take my measurements again. I have noticed my pants are a tad looser, but that thrill of knowing I am truly on my way hasn't hit me yet. I used to get overjoyed at losing weight. I'd have the next lower sized pants hanging in the closet and I would make bets on how long it would be before I'd fit into them. I don't have that joy anymore, perhaps because I've been there, done that. Or maybe I'm more focused on health then size - I do get joyful over improvements in my cholesterol and BP levels, after all! I would like to have that joy in other areas again, though. I remember how much I loved my achievements in the gym a few years ago, and how much fun it was to give away a new pile of "fat" clothes.

The stress of being a grad student probably interferes with that joy a little, too. Between the dissertation research, comprehensive exam studies, and growing work responsibilities, I am stressed out quite often- in fact, I am pretty good at being stressed! So good that my blood pressure was 120/90. The nutritionist said that stress (and not drinking enough water) are two things that can raise the lower number. Both of those are issues for me, so I am going to try meditation, and will try to do better with the water.

NOTE:
Don't know if it's my aging eyes, but the old white-on-black text was starting to get to me. Was it bugging you? As you can see, I am making changes to this blog's layout. These may continue over the next few days (or weeks, depending on how much doodoo I get into after the initial switch). I want to be up-to-date with Blogger's technologies, and this blog has been a little behind. What I'd most like to do is make comments visible at the bottom of each post, and make the colors a little easier on the eyes. What will actually happen may surprise us all!

And the Beat Goes On...

I saw the nutritionist today and found I am down another couple of pounds. That is 16 lbs since July 10th. I asked her if she thought I might be losing too quickly- visions of hair loss still dance in my head, you know. She said that as long as what I lose is adipose tissue (fat) and not lean tissue (muscle), I can safely lose up to 3 lbs a week. I asked her specifically about my hair and she said that I should make sure to get no fewer than 60 grams of protein daily, and should consider a range of 60 to 80 grams per day. Naturally I will be going for the 80!

Next, she took my blood pressure: 110/72- even better than last week. So now I'm no longer worried about the blood pressure. What a relief! I'll have her measure it for a couple more weeks just to be sure, but I do feel that it is back to what is normal for me. Now I just need to get myself back to the gym. I think I deserve a celebratory pair of new sneakers!

Since I have been eating fewer processed foods, I've noticed other changes besides the weight loss and lower blood pressure. Every week I notice I am less and less sleepy during the day. I used to nod off at work, even during meetings. I would drink coffee in a fruitless attempt to stay awake. Now I don't even think about drinking coffee unless I feel cold (and at those times I now tell myself, maybe I should start bringing tea). I believe my alertness is partly because I am sleeping much better at night, even when I don't get into bed until midnight. I do try to get to bed by 10 pm (as suggested by my nutritionist) but I tend to read or watch TV until I'm really sleepy and don't fall asleep until closer to midnight, so the earlier bedtime doesn't fully explain the extreme change in my alertness. (Another factor could be that my allergy medicine is helping me sleep better so I'm not congested at night.)

I also have more energy. If it's over 100 degrees I usually don't like walking across a parking lot, but these days it doesn't bother me so much - I guess I don't feel anymore like I'm going to wilt. My mood has also lifted. Although I still have my worries, I recover from them more quickly, and I generally enjoy life more. In fact, eating at the raw restaurant by myself last weekend was a whim that simply came to me- I usually consider eating alone in a restaurant to be depressing, so it's been years since I've done it unless I was there to use the wifi to study. That's another sign that the "old me" is coming back.

If you know of Victoria Boutenko, who writes about her family's experiences with changing to a raw diet, you'll recall that she says the health benefits they experienced were immediate. That always sounded fantastical to me, but I'm experiencing the same immediate changes. It is truly remarkable what eating raw can do!

Found a Nutritionist

A few people at my job love a particular nutritionist and have been seeing her for awhile. I've been watching my pennies since I first learned of her and have rearranged my budget so that I will have enough money to see her this month- I'm very excited about this. This woman is well versed on vegetarian foods and just wrote a book about vegetarianism. One of my coworkers who started seeing her this year looks awesome- he has lost weight and looks generally healthier- he's a walking billboard for healthy eating. He speaks enthusiastically about how his life has changed since learning about eating properly. Well, he's singing to the choir. I know from my experiences with my raw diet last year how wonderful the right diet plan can be. I plan to ask her about vegetarian, vegan and raw diets, and especially about weight loss.

I like the idea of seeing a nutritionist (who asks you a bunch of questions and creates a personalized plan) much more than seeing the personal trainer with a sports nutrition education who gave me a generic plan meant for athletes. Nothing against her personally (she's very nice) but I'm not in training to become an athlete. I'm just an ordinary Jane who wants to be fit enough to live a healthy life doing things like racquetball, biking, dancing, riding in an airplane comfortably, wearing clothes I actually like, riding roller coasters, etc. I also want to have energy and stamina because not only can my job be intense, my doctoral studies require hours upon hours of research. I don't like drinking coffee or energy drinks in an attempt to keep myself awake (doesn't work anyway).

Because my Sunday weigh-in still shows no weight loss I made a concerted effort to eat less today. I ended up getting only about 1200 calories. I took some nonfat cottage cheese and melon chunks to work for a "late" breakfast, and a couple of hours later had a Cedarlane lowfat burrito for the fiber. For lunch I had Campbell's ham and bean soup - the whole, big can! For dinner I had some broiled cod, a small sweet potato (baked) and broccoli. Today wasn't a workout day, which is good because I'm still nursing my calves from the stint on the elliptical trainer.

I'm feeling good about the healthy foods I've been eating, and the way I've stuck to my 45-minute workouts, which are increasing in intensity every week. I'm amazed that so quickly, 2.5 mph on the treadmill became too slow! I'm also happy about saving for the nutritionist; I'm hoping this will be a major turning point for me in putting me on the path back to raw (and jump-starting my weight loss).

One thing I learned through my Raw Odyssey last year was that the journey to health can be just as fun as reaching the final weight and fitness goal numbers. I tend to envision the future and want to be there already, so I get frustrated. But if I keep in mind how well I've been doing overall - while not aiming for perfection- I can really enjoy the odyssey and have much to be proud of along the way.

Made it to the Gym!

I had to fight with myself again to work out, but I convinced myself to do a 6:15 a.m. workout. This time I used the gym at my complex. I prayed and prayed that no one would be on the treadmill but someone was, so I decided to torture myself with the elliptical trainer rather than return home. The elliptical trainer burns more calories, which is a good thing, but not all of them have the right "feel." This was one of those trainers that just doesn't fit my body very well. Luckily the person on the treadmill left after about 10 minutes so I finished my workout by doing a walk at 3 to 3.2 mph, which was surprisingly easy. My leap in ability reminded me of my previous experience with regular workouts: after skipping two or three days I would hit a new level of fitness- be able to go longer or faster or at a higher incline. Today I found myself running for a tiny bit at 4 mph! (I remember that when I was in shape I used to WALK at 4 mph for 45 minutes. It's hard to imagine now, but I'm sure I'll be doing it again).

When I returned home from my workout I had oatmeal and yogurt with some thawed blackberries. For lunch I went to a Chinese restaurant with a co-worker and chose the mixed vegetables and white rice. Very tasty, and healthier than what I really wanted: cashew chicken or General Tso's chicken! I was proud for making the better choice, though. At the end of the day I was short on fiber (19 grams) so I ate two pieces of Ezekiel bread to add 6 grams. That's still low, but it puts me in the recommended range.

In response to the question of whether I lift weights (see comments below), I have thought of it but don't really want to do it until a trainer has gone over the correct use of the machines at the gym. But I do have access to dumbbells and could use those- I just haven't put a plan together yet. My goal is to do weights three days a week, two of them on days I don't do cardio.

I weighed myself and it appears I may be down a pound or two. Nothing "counts" until Sunday, but it was nice to see. But I'll probably gain it all back by Saturday, the way things have been going!!

The Scale Hates Me

This morning my blender committed hara kiri before my very eyes. No more smoothies until payday. Maybe that set me up for the annoying day I had: annoyance that I'm not losing any weight. Some days I don't think about the weight too much, while on days like today I feel like I'm failing. I would have loved to be approaching a 10-lb loss by my mid-July trip to San Diego, but no way is that going to happen now. My friends tell me I'm probably gaining muscle, or I'm probably getting smaller without it showing on the scale. Yes, those things happen but they aren't happening to me. My clothes don't feel any looser, and I don't see any evidence that I'm packing on muscle from walking, nor am I retaining fluid now. The bottom line is that I would like to combine the rate of weight loss I experienced from eating raw with the benefits I get from eating protein. If I don't start losing weight soon I'm gonna have to do something differently, and it might just be tweaking my diet to see if a diet like raw + fish would work. Maybe raw + fish + fruit/whey protein shakes.

Another tack I could take is to increase my exercise. Thing is, I think I'm doing enough at my current level of fitness. My goal is to burn no fewer than 1000 calories a week right now. The easiest way to do that is on the treadmill, but I have to admit I am getting bored. Interspersing racquetball helps, but I'm out of shape so racquetball is too tiring to completely replace the treadmill. I haven't tried the elliptical trainers yet, so maybe that would help. Swimming? Maybe sometimes. At night when no one can see me! It's 100 degrees at night here sometimes but walking outdoors is another option. Unfortunately, sparkpeople.com says I only burn 225 calories for 45 minutes of walking using a 21-minutes-per-mile pace. I wish I could burn more in that amount of time. I think I need ideas. Or maybe an exercise partner.

OK enough whining for the day!

Oh, the Pain....

I am really suffering from Saturday's racquetball session with my friend Cindy. My serving arm is killing me, my neck hurts, my legs hurt... but it's a good hurt! The hurt of doing well in the gym. After eating indulgently on Friday and Saturday, I am back to health today. Cindy made the healthy breakfast pictured here: a spinach and mushroom omelet with a little cheddar cheese on top (in honor of my love of cheese!), some tomato slices and strawberries.

Rather than driving straight to the house when I left Cindy's this morning I stopped at the gym and put my time in on the treadmill. As usual I didn't put much thought into my warm-up, but I noticed that it took longer for the front of my ankles to start hurting, and they didn't hurt as intensely or for as long as they have in the past. I started the workout at about 2.7 mph and quickly went up to 3.0. It seems my heart rate has improved so that working out at 3.0 is well within the 117 to 144 heart rate range I'm supposed to stay at for "fat burning." I did push it to 3.1 and 3.2 mph a couple of times because I am trying to work myself up to 3.5 mph.

Cindy is trying to get me out of my self-consciousness about my appearance, so she's been giving me her clothes as she loses weight. So far she's given me a swimsuit, a pair of swim trunks and a sleeveless gym shirt. I avoided the pool this weekend but I did wear the sleeveless shirt. I hated the look but she said I looked fine. I guess that's what friends are for, huh?

As I sit here I am really sore in my upper right arm and my neck, but yesterday's racquetball session was totally worth it. I am always up for a game of racquetball. I could be in a full leg cast and I would be happy to lean against the wall in the court and hit a few balls! Between racquetball and the treadmill I should be getting fit and losing weight pretty steadily. I hope to get back to my former racquetball form so that my friend won't kick my butt so badly again!

Cindy sent me home not only with clothes but with food- she's such a caretaker. So I've got frozen turkey burgers (I totally threw out the vegetarian thing this weekend!), some swordfish, haddock and cod to try this week. She's been very helpful to me despite the fact that we are competing for who loses the most weight this month. :-) I weighed myself at her place after breakfast and found I was up several pounds. I'll have to weigh tomorrow morning for a more accurate picture, but I do expect to have gained. I'm not upset! I had too much fun and too good a workout today to worry about a few pounds this week.

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!).

Almost Seven Months Raw- Then and Now

(Photo: My blood pressure and pulse reading this week- not bad!)

(Note- I know there's a typo or two in here but I can't find them!)

When I first started this blog, I was a pretty sad person. I was tired of being overweight, depressed that I hadn't figured out how to keep the weight off, and was suffering from physical ailments that decreased the quality of my life. They say that when you start to feel that you are not making progress in your new healthy habits, it's good to look back at where you started. Since I'm thinking about having some decidedly not-raw treats over the next few - and because I've been frustrated over bouncing within the same weight range for many, many weeks- I thought this might be a good time to compare where I stand today to where I was on January 1st, 2006 when I first embarked on my Raw Odyssey. Below are entries (with some paraphrasing for succinctness) from my first blog entry, followed by comments about how things have changed since I went raw.

OVERVIEW
First of all, I started at 341 lbs. I am 5′6". In 2001 I started to regain the 190 lbs I'd just lost and eventually reached that weight, size 30. I couldn't walk from the car to the grocery store door without running out of breath, nor could I read a passage from a book out loud without stopping frequently to breathe. I had obstructive sleep apnea and qualified for gastric bypass surgery. My doctor said it also appeared I had developed asthma. I couldn't wash the dishes for more than a few minutes due to the pain in my back. If I went to the mall I had to sit down frequently because I was tired and in pain. My arms and hip felt like they were pulling out of their sockets. My knee and leg felt so week that climbing stairs was scary because I feared collapsing.

Things sure are different today- despite having over 100 lbs left to lose, I'm much healthier and happier. Check it out with me:

THEN
-Eyes water for a couple of hours each morning
-Stuffy nose/post-nasal drip
-Sneezing in the morning
-Sides of tongue hurt for days at a time
-Bad gums (probably gum disease)
-Stiff neck and back

NOW
My eyes still water from time to time and I sneeze once in a while, but I'm not "suffering" the way I used to, and no stuffy nose these days. My tongue stopped hurting after my first week eating raw. I've yet to see a dentist (no insurance) so I can't say much about the dental issues yet, but the stiff neck and back are largely gone. I only seem to get them these days from carrying my heavy bookbag or working out.

THEN
-Blotchy complexion, some acne
-Low grade headache in morning, sometimes throughout day
-Severe lower back pain all the time
-Pain in knees

NOW
My complexion cleared up amazingly after being raw for a few months. It happened gradually, but the teeny bumps and darker pigmentation on my cheeks went away. Those of you who have followed this blog for a while know that I recently added smoked salmon and increased the amount of cheese I eat so that I could get more protein in my battle aganst hair loss (which started after eating raw helped me to lose a huge amount of weight in a short amount of time). Since adding those foods, the roughness in my complexion has slightly reappeared. Proof positive of the beneficial effect that a raw diet has on my skin- and I do love evidence! It is making me reconsider the salmon. I have no more daily headeaches, but I did develop headaches when I was eating smoked salmon from Trader Joe's and grocery stores. When I started getting my salmon from Costco the headaches stopped.

THEN
-Depression
-Low energy, low stamina
-Uneven sleeping patterns
-Often feel hot
-Very noisy digestive system
-chronically dry skin

NOW
I noticed relatively early on that my depression just kind of melted away. I still tend towards depressive thinking when I'm stressed out, but I don't LIVE depressed the way I did before.
I'm not sure that my energy level has increased, but I definitely sleep better. It used to take me hours sometimes to fall asleep. Since starting raw I've fallen asleep within 15 minutes sometimes, and I sleep through the night soundly.
I still often feel hot. When I was a size 10 I was always cold. I'd love to feel cold again because it's hot here in the southwest. Guess I've still got too much insulation!
My digestive system was embarrasingly noisy in the old days and guess what? Since adding the fish and increasing the cheese, the noise has started up again. More proof that my body seems to like my more-purely raw diet better than the one I've morphed to. I'm definitely reconsidering the fish.
My skin is still dry, but no more alligator legs! I drink water all day and really miss it when I don't have any on me. Water comprises 95% of what I drink; the only other beverage I drink is kombucha tea from Wild Oats and Whole Foods, usually once a week or so.

THEN
-Resting heartrate = 80s and 90s
-341 pounds (about 200 lbs to lose)
My blood pressure is high
-My cholesterol is over 200.
-I am anemic.

NOW
Check out the photo up top- that was my blood pressure and resting heart rate this weekend at a pharmacy. My recent blood tests show my cholesterol to be in the 170s with the good and bad cholesterols both at healthy levels. I'm at 272 lbs these days and I'm not anemic any longer. I'm a size 22W.

EATING HABITS

THEN
-Salt, caffiene and sugar make up a large part of what I eat.
-Pepsi, some days, is the only thing I drink. Other days I drink very little of anything.
-High saturated fat and trans-fat

NOW
I consume no caffeine at all. My sodium levels were fine until- you guessed it: I added the fish and increased the cheese. (I am really reconsidering that fish....) I've had no Pepsi since December 31st 2005. I'm conscientious about drinking enough water and although I'm not perfect, I do have an average of 7 eight-oz. servings of water a day, I'd say. My diet consists of no trans-fats. The only saturated fats I get are the healthy, plant-based kind.

FITNESS LEVEL
THEN
-Fitness? What fitness? I can’t climb one short set of stairs without huffing and puffing. If I have to hurry down the street even a little, I’m breathing heavily for a ridiculous amount of time.

NOW
Today, even at over 100 lbs overweight, I can run up a flight of stairs (I know this because I've been doing it at work since last week!) My knee and leg are FINE- so fine I forgot I ever had a problem with them (or with my shoulders, for that matter, until re-reading my first blog entry). When I visited the gym last week, I actually ran a little on the treadmill, too- so there!

CONCLUSIONS
All I can say is WOW- I'm so glad I re-read my first post! I've come a long way. I've learned a lot, too. The biggest lessons I've learned are that 1) junk foods have strong psychological and physical effects on me, and 2) My raw odyssey must be tailored to my lifestyle and body and no one else's 3) It's a good thing to experiment and to try new things. If something doesn't work for me, it doesn't work. There's nothing bad or good about that; I just have to adjust and find what does work. The fish and cheese thing, for example. I'll probably end up cutting out the fish and keeping low-fat cheese on my menu (cottage cheese comes to mind).


Now, does all of this mean I'm not going to have a few junky treats over the next few days? Truthfully, I don't know if I will or won't, but I'll be keeping in mind where I used to be. To those who wrote to me warning me not to overdo it, thank you very much. I'll be careful! I'm kinda hoping any treat I have makes me queasy so that it'll be easy to cross it off my list. I'm not doing anything until Friday, at the earliest.

66 Pounds Down!

Reached Another Weight Loss Milestone
I've finally made it to 275- whoopee!! I'm now 66 lbs lighter than I was on January 1st of this year!

Felicia and I were talking about our status as "rawtarians." Both of us miss some of the old treats we used to indulge in- the chips, candy bars, McDonald's and the like- but neither of us feels "called" to eat those things these days. In the past, a bag of M&M's would have quickly disappeared as we watched TV, but tonight we noticed that even if we are watching some boring TV show and eating something like grapes, we don't mindlessly shovel them in. It's great to have that natural "stopping mechanism" come into play- it was numbed when we ate SAD (Standard American Diet).

Need Your Input!
Someone messaged me at the Raw Odyssey Cafe saying she is a new raw foodist who is already bored with salads. I totally understand her. I used to get bored every few weeks (I've whined about that enough in this blog!) My advice to her would be to branch out and try new foods and flavors using ideas from other raw foodists and recipe books, but wouldn't it be nice if you who read Raw Odyssey registered at the Cafe and posted what you eat in the "what's on your menu" section (hint hint)? When I first went raw, boredom was the most depressing problem I faced, it seems. I would resolve that problem for a little while with my hummus and taboule sandwiches, then I'd get bored again. Lately I haven't been bored, but that's probably because Felicia has joined me on this journey and she has a lot more creativity than I do when it comes to creating meals. Without her, I'd be fishing through forums trying to find out what other people are eating. Which is a good idea for newbies to raw so c'mon to the Cafe and tell us what's on your menu! She needs ideas!

Felicia's Story: A Gastric Bypass Patient Goes Raw- PART II of II

Photos: Felicia, Winter 2005 before going raw / Today, after going raw

In Part I, Felicia discussed her experience after gastric bypass surgery. In Part II, Felicia talks about having to deal with her food addictions after losing over 150 lbs, and how she decided to try a raw lifestyle.

______________

For me it started with admitting that I could visibly see without a shadow of a doubt that I had a problem. It sounds so cliché but I can honestly say that I know where it comes from. I sat in my house running from room to room (I hid the cookies in the guest room) munching on cookies until the bag was gone. When I weighed myself at the end of the week I had gained about eight pounds. I was sick! I don’t mean physically (though I should have been) but sick with remorse, guilt, frustration and whatever other emotion you want to attach to this. I HAD to do something because I had read stories of OTHER bypass patients gaining all their weight back, but that would NEVER be me. PSYCH! It was becoming me; with a vengeance!

Enter Allison; gently coaxing me to join her in the raw food revolution. She had been there all along, whispering sweet benefits of being raw. Her depression had lifted; she was losing weight at the rate of a gastric bypass patient. She wasn’t craving anymore and she seemed to genuinely be satisfied with the lifestyle and willing to stick to it. I couldn’t do a thing to make her “cheat”. I wasn’t interested though, I had all kinds of reasons why I wouldn’t be able to do this. I wasn’t strong enough to adhere to all the rules of being raw. I felt like if I couldn’t eat my favorites then I couldn’t eat anything… and I surely couldn’t survive on a raw diet. After my “Costco” episode I started to “hear” her calling me to her side. I guess I was ready to listen, because I knew my life depended on it.

I said I would do it, but only for one week because I could not possibly survive anything more! That week was hard. I craved and I compensated by overeating all the fruits and veggies that I wanted. The sky was the limit, and I said to myself if I can’t have cake, damn it I am going to have 4 bananas! They are sweet delicious goodness! I was making fruit pies, and drinking fruit smoothies. I made my version of raw cookies and tried my hand at other raw deserts. The only problem with that was that my GAS(troentestinal) problems became even worse with all the fruit I was eating. Sugar is sugar folks!

At first I didn’t care. My week came and went, I decided by the end of the week NOT that it wasn’t so bad, NOT that I wasn’t having cravings because I thought that I still experienced craving, NOT that I was ok with doing this for the rest of my life but I had lost my eight pounds and that was good enough to keep at it for at least another week. By the end of the second week my problems with gas continued to bother me and those around me. I told Allison that I thought maybe my body was trying to tell me something… maybe this diet isn’t so healthy for me and that I should cease immediately and go back to the old way of eating. After all I was having problems. But the problem was that I was still eating too much fruit and through education and common sense I had to stop drinking smoothies and eating more fruit than actual food. By the time I looked up I was three weeks into the program, jamming in the kitchen; trying my hand at new creations by Felicia… yada yada yada and that brings me up to the present.

I can’t say that this was an easy journey as much as it was necessary. I don’t feel like it’s over but I certainly feel like my eating is more manageable since I went raw. I say on my obesityhelp profile that things are clearer for me since I started this program. Before with all the sugar, the little voices in my head were always turned on and revved up; telling me to eat this and eat that. Now, they are still there but they are muted by the other little revved up voices that say “good job”, “you’re finally in control”, “keep up the good work”, “how about a nice tasty salad?”, “it looks like we are going to achieve our goal this time”. It would be awfully hard to ignore the newer, friendlier voices these days. It would be a deliberate and extremely conscious move on my part that I am not willing to make. I feel like I could do this raw thing forever because I like being rid of my bigger problem which is my food addiction.

Although I still think I can eat more than a gastric bypass patient should be able to eat, I feel blessed that I can eat a normal amount of food. Now that I am paving a path to good nutrition and health I feel that eating a regular amount should not be a problem. I feel confident that what I am putting in my body is helping me and I feel really proud to be able to say that day by day I am further and further away from my old, bad habits and on my way to a healthy lifetime of good, new RAW habits!

Thank you Allison… MWAH!

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NOTE: Felicia started eating raw March 26th, at 215 lbs. Today, almost 5 weeks later, she is at 197 and counting. If you'd like to visit Felicia's gastric bypass journal, you can click this link.


gastricbypass rawfood rawodyssey weightloss

Felicia's Story: A Gastric Bypass Patient Goes Raw- PART I of II

Hey everyone! Today I am sharing Felicia's story about losing over 150 lbs following gastric bypass surgery and then finding out that surgery is not enough. As regular readers know, Felicia has now been eating raw for about a month and has lost additional weight. The pictures above are her in 2004 before gastric bypass, and then 2005. In Part I she talks about her life before her decision to go raw.

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Hello raw world, to those of you who know of me through honorable mentions on the raw odyssey website and for those of you who are new visitors I am the much spoken of “chef” and girlfriend of Allison, I am also known as Felicia. I was asked by Allison to be a guest speaker on her page and though I feel I am no expert I am more than happy to share my experiences with all of you.

I am a gastric bypass patient. I had the RNY also known as the roux-en-y procedure on Oct. 14th, 2004. To date I have lost around 167 pounds, I started this journey at 365 pounds. To anyone contemplating having surgery I would say it was the best decision I ever made for myself but I would also warn that it isn’t the easiest lifestyle to maintain. I came into this world with a lot of baggage. First of all I don’t follow rules well, I love to eat, and I am a procrastinator. I hate to be in control and I don’t like to not have control. If you look closely you can see that I am a pretty messed up individual. In order to succeed at this new life, rules have to be adhered to. Don’t eat and drink at the same time, stay away from sugar, stop eating when you feel full, exercise often and consistently, take daily vitamins, and the list goes on. The problem is that I was never good at lists; making them or following them. Thus I have not followed a single rule consistently from day one. This is my confession to you, all of you.

I will give myself some credit for losing 167 pounds. I exercised some; I even forced myself to take a physical education class at the local college just to ensure I had a “reason” to work out daily. As if my declining health or surgical commitment was not a good enough reason. (Self esteem issue). When the class was over I had to find other ways to make myself go to the gym though it was usually sporadically.

I take my vitamins- when I remember. As a result I have low iron and low B12. I have killer night muscle spasms and I get dizzy a lot. I say this to say that maintenance is key, and whether you are maintaining the effects from surgery or maintaining a healthy weight or simply trying to maintain all the weight you have lost the skills required are EXACTLY THE SAME. If you don’t have the skill you won’t magically grow it once you have had the surgery. I can’t say it plainly enough that when I had surgery on my stomach it did not change the way that I think.

I know that most overweight people are experts on the subject of nutrition. We could write our own book. We know every diet, we know what to do and the problem is never losing the weight is it? It’s keeping it off. Maintenance! Ok, I’m getting a little preachy here so let me continue with my story. So I lost the weight and actually would like to lose another fifty pounds. I had been keeping old bad habits up to this point along my journey like eating junk, chips, cake, cookies. At one point I would eat more junk than actual food on any given day. I found myself snacking all day and at any time… way into the wee hours at night. I was absolutely disgusted with myself. I hated to wake up to my bloated stomach, I hated to go to sleep with my GAS(troentestinal) problems from all the foods/sugar I was eating. I was a mess. I had to deal with the reality that my life was never about losing this weight it was about taking control where I didn’t want to have it.

This is pivotal to my story because it wasn’t as if I didn’t already know this about myself. It wasn’t as if I didn’t already know that I had a food addiction or carb. Addiction or whatever you would like to call it. I knew it, I just didn’t care. Take that back; I cared but I just felt powerless. I really did, and I knew I was powerless about a week after I had gone to Costco and purchased a huge bag of famous amos cookies and a gigantic bag of Doritos then proceeded to finish them both off in less than two weeks. Now granted, before I had this surgery I would have finished those bags in two days, but look at me. I had a life altering surgery, risked both death and a life for my son with no mother… risked my mother a life with no child, risked my girlfriend a life with no partner and continued to risk my life with no life… no quality life, that is.

Maintenance; would this idea of maintenance follow me for the rest of my life? What does it mean, why do I HAVE to do it? If I wanted to lose the rest of the weight - or at the very least stay where I was- I would have to learn this idea of maintenance.

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Tomorrow we'll have Part II, where Felicia talks about her decision to go raw and the progress she's made. In the meantime, feel free to visit her journal at obesityhelp.com, where she hooks up with other gastric bypass patients for mutual support.

Find gastric bypass articles on Technorati
Find gastric bypass-related photos on Flickr

WEEKLY SUMMARY for Week 9 of My Raw Odyssey

A DECENT WEEK

This week I had my first meal at a non-raw/non-salad bar restaurant, and things went really well. I had one of the healthier choices on the menu, made a few adjustments to it, and everything was fine. No cravings, no bingeing, no feelings of guilt or deprivation. That's success!

I've gotten a few pieces of advice on the blogs for how to make my meals more tasty. Ren suggests flavors like chili pepper and wasabi (I love wasabi!) for my sushi. Good idea- I don't know why I've stayed away from wasabi all this time. I was probably concentrating too much on the nama shoyu for all my flavor.

Chubbiegirl, who is gluten free, suggests I do what she does:

"i take half of an avocado (all of this is diced or in it's small natural state), red pepper, carrots, a slice of onion-or chives, corn (i use organic frozen), pistachios, and raisins. then i mix up a dressing of honey, cilantro, jalapeno, salt, apple cider vinegar, lime and olive oil. i just whip it up in the blender or small chopper. it should be sweet and spicey. i dress the veggie mix with this and spoon it into a red cabbage leaf. it's super yummy.you could use any salad veggie you like. i've also used snap peas, cucumber, etc... the dressing can also be varied. try nama shoyu or braggs with sesame oil for flavor".

That sounds great! Thanks a lot for that idea.

THIS WEEK'S WEIGHT LOSS

I lost only 1 pound this week. I'm happy in general, but of course disappointed that the weight that I have made "magical" (299) was not achieved this week. But it's pretty cool that I lost a pound despite the increase in my fat intake and point count- I ate more food this week than I have in a while, and feel great. If I wanted to lose weight more quickly, I could probably go back to eating only fruit for breakfast because I usually end up eating fewer points that day. I've found myself de-emphasizing the fruit breakfast in order to get higher-fat foods in. Despite my desire to lose weight quickly, I prefer to feel satisfied after a good meal; I really don't want this to feel like "dieting," where I deliberately eat less even though I'm hungry. To this end I will strive to:

• Continue to count points instead of calories

Since I'm eating raw, I don't worry about "bad food" and "good food" in my diet the way I did when eating SAD, so I can focus on eating enough to feel satisfied and to be healthy. Points are working better for me than calories in this regard.

• Have fruit for breakfast

This gives me a good start for the day. I'm less hungry first thing in the morning so a light meal like fruit works great before 10 a.m. I can save my fattier meals for when I need them in the afternoon. I just have to make sure I eat enough!

• Consider losing the scale for a while

Ren, who gives me lots of good advice on the blog, mentioned that I should stop looking at the scale. I've tried that in the past, and it is very helpful for people who are obsessed with their weight loss (or with reaching 299 lbs!). I should try it because concentrating too much on the scale turns my raw odyssey into more of an old-style weight-loss diet than a new lifestyle. Of course, I switched to raw primarily to lose weight, so I have a keen interest in my progress. How to deal with these two issues? Well, since an addiction to the scale is counter productive, I will probably ween myself off it. Don't know how yet, but I'll figure something out. SAD habits die hard!

NUTRIENTS

Calories..................................1008 to 1758
Weight Watcher's Points:.....Average of 30 points per day
Fat..........................................52g to 77g
Carbs......................................80g to 177g
Protein...................................24g to 55g


WEIGHT LOSS
STARTED WEEK AT: 301
ENDED WEEK AT: 300
TOTAL LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 42 lbs.


COMPARISONS TO PREVIOUS SUMMARIES

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Summary of my 8th Week Raw

PROGRESS FOR WEEK 8

• This week was very experimental for me. I switched to counting points late last week, which had a greater impact on my eating than I thought it would. I found myself striving to eat more in order to make my point count. This backfired a couple of times when I simply ate too much and felt uncomfortable. I had trouble making the 32 point minimum at first, but I've exceeded it at least twice this week. This is because my fat intake went up, leading me to have a couple of days where my calories were higher than even sparkpeople recommends. Yet, I've lost FOUR (count 'em) FOUR pounds this week, bringing me to 40 lbs lost in 8 weeks. That's 5 lbs a week, average.
• I visited the gym once- but only once! I haven't figured out how to work that into my busy student's schedule. I didn't have a wonderful time, but I can definitely see the benefits I would reap if I could spend time on physical fitness. Perhaps I'll start walking around my block between study sessions.
  

Here are my conclusions:
1) Even with the higher fat intake I lost 4 lbs. I'm not planning to continue with high fat, but if it happens, I'll be monitoring to see if it inhibits weight loss as many people believe

2) I need to start scouting around for new recipes so that boredom doesn't lead me away from raw.

3) There are definitely some negatives for me in eating raw: the work involved in preparing vegetables and fruit, the monotony of resorting to the same easily-prepared meals for two weeks or more, and the challenges of finding foods in non-raw restaurants. It really makes me wonder how hard it'll be to stay 99% raw for the remainder of my weight loss, let alone the rest of my life! (I normally don't care for the percentage label but I want acknowledge that I the bulgur I put in my taboule isn't "raw", even though I buy it uncooked from Whole Foods and only soak it. Also, the chickpeas in the store-bought hummus isn't raw. I haven't yet found raw hummus that I can afford.)

4) My motivation to stay raw stems mainly from my weight loss - I'm now only 2 pounds away from the 200s - and from obvious health gains, like my blood pressure improvement.

5) My next weight goal is 299 lbs. The goal following that is a total weight loss of 50 lbs.

6) I am making two new efforts: I will strive to drink more water and to add exercise, somehow, into my schedule.


WEEK 8 FOOD SUMMARY

NUTRIENTS

Calories.......................949 to 1522
Fat...............................19g to 84g
Carbs...........................124g to 290g
Protein.........................10g to 49g


WEIGHT LOSS 4 lbs
STARTED WEEK AT: 305
ENDED WEEK AT: 301
TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 40 lbs!!


COMPARISONS

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WEEKLY SUMMARY OF MY 7th WEEK EATING RAW FOODS

NUTRIENTS

Calories.......................1026 to 1460
Fat...............................30 g to 69g
Carbs...........................100g to 222g
Protein.........................29g to 44g

I noticed that with the switch to points, my fat and carb intake went up over the week while my protein intake went down. My calorie intake went up, but less steeply. These seem to reflect the fact that I was trying to increase my daily points with higher-calorie foods so that I wouldn't have to eat a greater volume of food, and that the higher calorie foods tended to be higher in fat and carbs (avocados and dates, for example). My protein intake is lower than sparkpeople.com recommends for me, but as we all know, there is some disagreement about how much protein the body really needs.

Anyway, this week I exercised for the first time and am not the worse for wear. I thought I'd be in a lot of pain, but I didn't really exert myself that much- I just used muscles that have started to atrophy. I hope to be able to create a regular workout schedule, between going to class, studying, work and family. I lost 4 lbs this week, which is great. I should be out of the 300s in a couple of weeks!!! That'll really make me feel that I am on my way to lasting health.

Truth to tell, I find that I am really more interested in getting this weight off right now than anything else. I feel I have the luxury of not having to concentrate so much on my nutrients right now because eating raw and taking my vitamins feels so good and healthy to me (except for that pesky fiber problem!!) I don't have cravings and don't binge anymore, so I don't worry anymore about eating junk or eating too much. I really believe that a visit to the doctor will confirm that I am healthier compared to last winter. I think that I'll concentrate more on the weight loss, eating what I'm eating now and adding exercise. Later in the year - like winter time, when I'm much lighter and therefore more mobile, flexible and able, I'll put more energy into the actual variety of foods I eat. A real nutritional emphasis rather than a weight loss emphasis.


STARTED WEEK AT: 309
WEIGHT LOSS 4 lbs
ENDED WEEK AT: 305
TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 36 lbs.


COMPARISONS
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Compre to week 5

Weekly Summary for Week 6 of Raw Foods

This week was a strange one, gaining and losing a couple of pounds there in the middle and ending up the same as last week. But it's only strange when comparing it to my previous weeks on Raw- not in comparison to my history of weight loss. Indeed, the previous few weeks on Raw have been the strangest weeks of my life! In the past when I've lost weight I've lost the largest amount on the first week, and then I gradually settle down to about 2 lbs a week. Losing 10 or 12 lbs in a month was a good thing! So losing 32 lbs in less than 2 months on Raw is extraordinary for me.

Why didn't I lose anything this week? Whenever this happens to dieters there are scores of reasons given: "you didn't drink enough water", "your body is adjusting", "you ate too much fat" "you didn't eat enough" "you ate too much." Well, it's too soon to look back and see what might have been the cause, if one is ever able to be discerned. I'm not going to make adjustments to my diet based on one week of not losing anything. First of all, 32 lbs!!!! Second of all, weight is not the only indicator of improving health; my headaches have disappeared, today I can zip up a pair of pants that I could barely get around me on January 1st, and I haven't had that pain on the sides of my tongue since last year. Good health encompasses all body parts (and your mental health, too!)

SUMMARY
This week was a bust as far as weight loss. It was good as far as the increased variety I've introduced into my menu, and my ability to stay raw despite barbecues and all sorts of treats in the house. I have proven that these days, old temptations tempt me no longer. I haven't done a single thing that I regret so far. Yaaay!!

NUTRIENTS FOR THE WEEK

Calories.......................1186 to 1450
Fat...............................19 g to 49
Carbs...........................132g to 270g
Protein.........................17g to 43g


WEIGHT LOSS 0 lbs
STARTED WEEK AT: 309
ENDED WEEK AT: 309
TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 32 lbs.


PROGRESS CHECK

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February 16th, 2006: Non-Raw Temptations Surround Me

Temptation surrounds me everyday while guests are visiting. Today there were leftovers from P.F. Chang's in the house, and in the car I was surrounded by the aromas of Taco Bell. Those aromas are heavenly to me still. Maybe even more so now. I'm not one of those raw foodists or vegetarians who can't stand the smell or sight (or thought) of meat. I wanted to stay in the car until the smells faded away! But I'm very happy to report that the aromas were sufficient for me. I really did not feel the urge to sneak anything out of anyone's bag.

I'm not going to pretend, however, that I don't love fast foods. And chocolate. And barbecued ribs... To be dishonest would be dangerous, because it could lead me, in a moment of weakness, to convince myself that I can afford just one sip of Pepsi or one small burger since I don't really like that stuff anymore. However, one slip-up this early in the game would be the beginning of a ride down a slippery slope I don't want to start on. In the past I often would quit a diet when stress overtook me. Right now I'm under a lot of stress from the demands of my classes, so it's even more important for me to stay raw and healthy and to maintain my point of view that raw is a lifestyle for me, not a short-term diet that I'll quit when I lose 200 lbs.

I want to note, however, that I'm not thinking I'd be a "bad person" if I slipped; I just don't want to indulge in something that has proven to be an addiction for me - as well as exceedingly unhealthy. I'm grateful that I do not feel a single temptation, and can only hope and pray that this feeling continues. Forever!
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(OK, yes- I'm a leeeetle compulsive and I hopped on the scale this morning. Those extra two pounds are gone. The science experiment continues.)
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TODAY'S MEALS

BREAKFAST (Fruit salad, Orange juice)
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)
Mangos, 1 fruit without refuse
Medjool dates, 1 date, pitted
Orange Juice, 2 cup
Blueberries, fresh, 10 berries
One 'n' Only Pure Essense Labs Superior Tonic Multiple Vitamin, 1 serving
Nature Made Calcium Citrate, 1 serving

LUNCH
None

DINNER (Sushi)
Yams, 2 cup, cubes
Carrots, raw, 0.5 cup, grated
Scallions, raw, 1 small (3" long)
Avocados, California (Haas), 100 grams
Nori, 2.5g sheet, untoasted, 2 serving

SNACK
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)

CALORIES 1,253 CARBS 270 FAT 20 PROTEIN 18

February 15th- A Little Weight Glitch This Week?

Today something new happened: I took my midweek sneak peek at the scale and found myself UP two pounds! Since January 1st I've been steadily losing weight or staying the same each time I weigh in. However, I can't say I'm upset about the gain. First of all, I stick to a once-a week weigh-in right now, and today ain't my weigh-in. Second of all, I feel very positive about the foods I've been eating and I know that any weight gain I may experience isn't caused by bingeing, fast foods, candy, or Pepsi. In fact, I made it through Valentine's Day without even thinking about eating chocolate, despite buying some for my sweetie. It's amazing to me how thoroughly I've been able to immerse myself into a raw way of eating. So I'm totally curious to see how this week's official weigh-in turns out. I feel like a science experiment! But a fun one.


TODAY'S FOODS
A raw sushi note: I've discovered that grated raw yams makes a great substitute for rice. It is dry enough that it doesn't cause the nori to get any more moist than rice would, and its flavor is mild enough that it doesn't detract from the other flavors. The photo above is of the new sushi I'm making now. I throw lots of things into it. This one has yam, carrots, taboule and avocado!

BREAKFAST
Smoothie: banana, OJ, mango, raspberries

LUNCH (salad)
Whole Foods Raw Nuts/Seeds Mix (estimated cals), 0.13 cup
Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 2 cup
Sweet Corn, 1
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.2
Blue Cheese, 1.5 oz

DINNER (Sushi)
Yams, 1 cup, cubes
Carrots, raw, 0.5 cup, grated
Scallions, raw, 1 small (3" long)
Avocados, California (Haas 3 oz
Nori, 2.5g sheet, untoasted,

UPDATED to include a little midnight snack of one sushi roll (same as above but without the avocado)



Calories 1,268 carbs 177 Fat 45 Protein 30

February 12, 2006 WEEK 5: It's the Weekly Raw Weigh-In Show!

This week my calories never dipped below 1200. My fat intake was higher than I'd planned, but it doesn't seem to matter as far as weight loss goes. I can't tell you what it means to my arteries to eat 62 grams of plant fat, but raw foodists will tell you that it isn't the least bit harmful. I haven't made that doctor's appointment yet, but it's on my agenda to get all my levels checked. I'll report my cholesterol and blood pressure, etc. as soon as I get 'em.

Here is the weekly summary with the weight loss reported below.

NUTRIENTS

Calories.......................1207 to 1321
Fat...............................31 g to 62g
Carbs...........................145g to 205g
Protein.........................23g to 50g

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Iron - Still consistently too low, even with the vitamins I take because they don't provide the RDA. I need to eat more of the foods that have iron, or I'll have to rely on supplements, which I hate to do. Not just because I prefer to get my nutrients from foods, but because iron pills taste like a set of keys.
Sodium- I like salt! Most days my sodium intake is well within the RDA, but on two days at the beginning of the week I was above that. Even with that, however, I've seen a huge improvement in my sodium intake since January 1st 2006. Since high blood pressure is a concern for me and it runs in my family, I have to watch how much sodium I take in.

WEIGHT LOSS 4 lbs
STARTED WEEK AT: 313
ENDED WEEK AT: 309
TOTAL POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 1ST 2006: 32 lbs.


NEW FEATURE
Comparisons motivate me, so I decided to incorporate them into my weekly summaries. So if you want to see how I did this week compared to last week or even all the way back to the first weigh-in, just click on the links below.

Compare to Week 1
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Compare to week 4