ok, new commitment!

[catherinethegreat]

:) Hello again,

It's been a while since my last post. I am re-commiting to a new type of food plan/lifestyle - starting tonight when we go food shopping.

For the next month I will eat raw for breakfast and lunch and for dinner I will choose either raw or cooked foods.

Also - I will ride my bike Mon Wed. and Friday.
and swim 2 days per week when I figure out the swimming schedule at the local pool. This is not about the distance I ride or how many laps but just doing it because I need to move my body and get outside. and biking is free and swimming is cheap at the local pool $2.00 each time!

My intention is to clean out without harming myself like I did last time. And to not be an extremist about anything.

Oh and I want to start going to OA meetings and dealing with my compulsive need to do all or nothing regarding food.

I'll be journaling again daily.

xo
*catherinethegreat

[RawMagnolia]

Good luck Catherine!! Your plan is kinda how I've worked out my own plan. Except for the exercising... we're still in a cold snap so I'll be trying to get myself on the treadmill each day.

I wish you the very best of luck with your goals!!!
Sandra

[EmeraldGlow]

Your plan is kinda of similar to mine too, but I'm walking every day (cept for Sundays and Sats) and eating as much raw as I can without spending extra money I dont have :)

Good luck with everything!!! :D

[stRAWberry fields forever]

Catherine,

I recognize myself in your post as well -- I've recommitted myself to high raw for this coming month, and I'm challenging myself until easter (4 weeks). Beginning right now.
Although it's playing along with my own inclinations to follow an "all or nothing approach" (as you also mentioned) which I suppose might have its own downfalls, in my opinion this is the perfect time -- I just purchased my first juicer (the Breville -- HOORAY), and I am returning to the city tonight. Classes start up again tomorrow, it's the first day of SPRING!!, AND it's a Monday -- to me, it all falls into place as the perfect time for a fresh start. I've got to get my life back into gear.
Incidentally, another similarity we share is the "relaxed raw" eating aspect of the plan -- I am doing light raw meals for breakfast and lunch, and a raw or cooked option for dinner, though the cooked will be only organic, wheat-free, MINIMALLY processed, vegan foods (baked or steamed sweet potato or veggies, brown rice or occasionally quinoa or kamut pasta if I'm really craving it). I will also be journaling daily again.

Best of luck to you!

[Cinnamon]

Welcome back Catherine! I've missed your posts and contribution to the board so I am glad you are here again and are at a good place in your journey and will be sharing it in your journal.

[catherinethegreat]

Nice to see others doing a similar plan this month .I didn't realize that tomorrow is the first day of spring!! How cool is that. I think it's harder for me to NOT be 100% raw - but it is too much for my body to take all at once so this is a nice way to be gentle.

ok so I went outside and realized that it's too cold here in Los Angeles right now for me to do the exercise plan - with my raynauds syndrom I am much more sensitive to cold even when it's not that cold out! So I am going to take that back and say that I will bike and swim on warm days and when it's rainy and cold like today I will stay in.

good enough for me.

[misslinda]

just have to say................


YOU WERE GREATLY MISSED & GLAD YOU ARE BACK CATHERINE!!!!!!! :)

[rawblueberry]

I'm completely inspired to begin my 'raw journey'!

I'm going to begin journaling tomorrow!

Rawblueberry

[RawMagnolia]

I agree that I also have that "all or nothing" mentality to kick. I go high raw... and then I get to thinking "it's not good enough" and I go 100% raw for as many days as I can, and then I slip and want to just give up. But I am really trying to learn to be gentle with myself. And to learn to reason in my own head that "high raw consistently, is must better than all raw for a few days and then back to sad." I still hope to see some weight loss... since I'm coming into this from a completely non-vegetarian SAD diet... and now I can at least say that I plan to be vegan for the future... and I don't see any difficulties arising from that. It's never then the non-vegetarian aspect that's been my challenge... for me it was always the processed junk foods. So I'm also going to be trying to ensure that my cooked meals are steamed veggies and the like.

Good luck to everyone else trying to ditch that "all or nothing" attitude!!!!!
Sandra

[catherinethegreat]

SO today is day one for me and it's the first day of spring.

And guess what? I forgot that my friend and I had planned a lunch date today at our favorite thai restaurant. It's all organic food and very clean...but wasn't part of my plan this week food wise. I struggled with it for a while and decided that I am going to eat there and just pay attention. They have GREAT salads there so I feel it's a way better choice then say...a burger.

:D

[catherinethegreat]

Hope you are all doing well this first week of spring!

So far it's been a great transistion into cleaner food.

[sweetgoddess]

Catherine, wow!! Welcome back. I am very excited to see your friendly face.

Happy spring wishes to you. I love your spring intentions. Perfect time of year.

Hugs and cheers~
Carmel

[jaurequi]

Hey, hey! Nice to see you back, Catherine! :)

[faith4u]

Your plan sounds like a great one! I also have that all or nothing personality and it can be very harmful for me.

I am sure you WILL succeed with your plan which is better than always pushing yourself to do 100% and then failing and beating yourself up.

Don't be a stranger anymore, okay?

[catherinethegreat]

Hi everyone - wow good to see some familiar friends saying hello! Misslinda thanks for the well wishes and carmel! I need your phone number!
and all the rest who understand my own mind games with the all or nothing attitude. So far this is working for me! I am actually surprised.
2 raw meals - one not raw.
I must admit though that I have been spilling over with anger and rage and cussing for the past 2 days. :mad: :eek: Which I am surprised by since my diet is much better then it was before this spring cleaning. I am hoping it will pass. I know it has to do with pressure with work and a schedule that got very busy and no time to breathe and I don't work well under those circumstances.
I am going through a transition with my career and I am not certain where the journey is going....we shall see.
hope you all are doing well today - I look forward to hearing how spring is going for you.
Nice to be here and share this with others.
xo
*c ;)

[lavendarJ]

catherine

great post....that's the beauty of this life catherine...each day that we wake up is an opportunity to renew, refresh, recommit...that's the beauty of this thing called life,

[catherinethegreat]

thanks lavendarJ
hope you ahve a wonderful day today...I can hear the birds singing about how happy they are that it is SPRING!

[pamojamo]

Catherine, I was glad to see you are considering OA. I have received much healing there.

[catherinethegreat]

hi pamojamo, thanks for the encouragement. today I drove from LA to San Diego. I didn't bring any snacks and planned to go directly to the health food store when I get to my destination. The traffic was horrible and I felt frustrated. the frustration went immediatly to the obsession to go get fast food. I obsessed about it for the remainder of my trip. I called 4 friends and shared my obsessive thinking with them and it helped me get thru the rest of the trip without Mc Donalds or any other fast food. YAY!
I ate the better choices of food and was very happy about that but totally saw hoe my emotions really play a roll in how my mind thinks about food. I wanted comfort and instant gratification.

tonight my family took me to dinner and I ate some bread dipped in olive oil. It tasted terrific and after a while I stopped myself and saw how I was just eating to pass time and because it was there. at least it was not mc donalds. But still learning lessons...I had salmon and asparagus for dinner and a cesar salad. better choice.

I don't know where I would fit OA in. I already go to 5 meetings per week in 2 other programs! maybe morning meetings.

anyhow glad to see others in OA here.

I'd love to heal my obsession about my weight and my need to eat to comfort.

xo
*c