January 2009 Raw Challenge Archives [Archive] - Page 2

janicejourney

01-11-2009, 06:01 PM

Doing great today. My favorite thing of all the foods I made yesterday was the chili! It was a recipe I found it on this site on the recipe board. Type in Raw Chili and it will come up. I think it was a rawvolution recipe?? No time to look now. It was great today as a spread on flax bread with onions and sprouts today. mmmmm What I liked about it was that it was all veggies and no nuts.

My cravings are changing and I am noticing that I want most of my food before late afternoon and have not wanted big dinners. My little white bumps are gone. I am still waking up with bad breath like I am releasing something. I know this will clear though.

My skin is less dry then it has been and I am needing a lot less face moisturizer then I was using. Considering we are still burning two wood stoves to heat this is saying something. It is dry in this house.

contessa20

01-11-2009, 06:53 PM

Today is day 14 for me; officially two weeks! Doing great and stocked up at the farmer's market again. Got lots of goodies! I haven't really made anything great this week besides the chili, which, while my mouth LOVES iit, my body apparently does not. :(

What I ate today:
4 clementines
2 bananas
pineapple/coconut smoothie
2 1/2 lettuce wraps (tomato, avocado, onions, sprouts & a little mustard sauce I made up)

TanjaJo

01-11-2009, 07:48 PM

Joya...CONGRATULATIONS! I do so love being married. Good luck.

But...I'm still raw! Day 11. Unbelievable. My husband is so proud of me. We had a green smoothie before church. After we got home from church made a version of the Waldorf salad, I think on page 3 or 4 now of the recipes. That really fills me up. Today in addition to two granny smith apples, I added an asian pear and chopped up orange. It was just delightful. Oh...also instead of just mixing things up in the salad, I put half of one of the avo's in the blender with the cayenne, honey, olive oil, and some lemon juice. I am in heaven eating this salad. I think it should have a new name, lol!

Not really hungry tonight. I made a raw refried beans recipe with sunflower seeds, and by the time I get done testing the seasoning, I'm full.

I do feel like I have some kind of a urinary tract thing going on. So I drank the rest of the super fat burning juice that I had in the fridge, hoping the cranberries will do something to nip this in the bud(t)?

I was so excited to tell my friend at church about this diet. You know...after years of not feeling like I'd ever be quite as happy as I should be, or like there was something dragging me down, it finally feels like something's lifted. I even felt absolutely JOYFUL about things. Maybe it's because I've slept a few nights thru (well, pretty much 6 hours or so is good for me). I just told her how happy I feel. Vern's noticed it as well. He has much more tolerance for Bridger's antics. (We met and started late in our lives, so we're older parents of a single child). Also part of the reason I want to be raw, is to be a good influence on my child, and to be a fun, albiet older mommy.

Anyways...just an overall great day. Spent 4 hours outside today, trying to batten down the hatches for the -22 degree weather they're threatening us with. Ugh.

Take care everyone, have a happy evening.

shine72

01-11-2009, 08:19 PM

joya - Congratulations! :D

Ate SO much of the yummy food yesterday at my potluck! :D

Today I've had:
1 HUGE banana-split choc. shake
2 salads
grawnola

Hope everyone is having a GREAT day! :D

marysmit

01-11-2009, 08:39 PM

I'm feeling better everyday and loving raw more every day. I'm reading "Raw Family" today, good book. Once again I'm even more excited about eating raw.

Made beet, carrot, apple and celery juice today. My daughter had fun doing the juicing but wasn't as thrilled with the end product. Next time I'll ease back on the carrots.

Made Mushroom walnut loaf last night. Had it today with romaine, avocado, red pepper, english baby cucumbers and sprouts. Yum.

ate 2-3 bananas.

Torilla with the same toppings as above, loved it.

Oh also made spaghetti with zuccinin and did the marana recipe. Pretty good. Ate two bowls of it.

Friday I mostly ate 3 berry mix with almond mix and almond slivers. Didn't want anything else really.

I eat a lot. I am amazed at the smaller amounts of food others eat, maybe I'll get there some day.

By the way Congrads on the engagement. Awesome.

Tell tomorrow have a great evening.

polycute

01-11-2009, 10:29 PM

Day 11! Loving raw!

Today I had the unique and special priviledge of attending a local raw potluck. Oh, it was lovely and everything was 100% raw, I'll try to remember most of what was there. It may spark some ideas for you!

I made Ethiopian Inspired Raw Dishes including very spicy yemiser wat (berbere lentils with cayenne, paprika, dark chili pepper, green onion, cilantro, cold pressed olive oil), a semi-sweet alitcha wat (yellow lentils with agave nectar, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander - you could also use fresh corn). The lentils were soaked for days to soften them. And I made marinated collard green strips in sea salt, pepper and cold pressed olive oil with heriloom tomatoes with yellow and red sweet peppers.

There was a kale salad with fresh corn, a pesto zucchini with pine nuts (to die for!), a sea kelp spaghetti dish (truth be known, I didn't care for this particular recipe/dish at all, eeek!), wonderful raw fajitas (yellow, red and green sliced peppers in spices and seasonings), an avocado/tomato salad, stuffed veggie tomatoes (stuffed with chopped onions, corn, etc.), a nut and lettuce salad, a cashew nut cheese with zucchinis and carrots (delicious!), a veggie salad with green goddess dressing (homemade and raw, of course) and a whole lot more yummy raw delights I am sure I am forgetting.

Desserts: young coconut ice cream, fruit salad, cacao fudge with berries, orange-banana-coconut salad, all manner of fresh fruit like apples slices, strawberries, grapes, etc., chia berry pudding.

I definitely indulged and am feeling full and happy. Ready for day 12! To infinity and beyond!!

crazygirlmcc

01-11-2009, 10:30 PM

ate apple pie most of the day and loved every minute of it. made a romaine salad with my raw nut dressing..yum. snacked on raisins and bananas. can't wait to try new things, got a dehydrator and am getting a processor in a week. hope to figure out some simple satisfying crackers. good job everybody!

bowie

01-11-2009, 11:24 PM

welcome to day 12

rawshay

01-11-2009, 11:49 PM

Today was great. I ate 5 oranges, Rawvolution food bar, several dates, and a large salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, purple onions, and olives. The dressing was olive oil and vinegar. It was delicious. I had lots of water and a green superfood drink. Take care and let's keep going strong!

siren

01-12-2009, 03:28 AM

ETA: Day 6 for me!

Still have battling a stubborn cold and not felt fell.

I cant wait until my order gets here fo rmore variety. Im so bored with my diet so far, so time to get my food processor and dehydrator and put them to use which I have yet to do. I am sure ill be making some kale or collard chips and that's been raved about around here so I'll be giving that a go.

Ate: Banana, Orange, half of cucumber, tomato, radishes in my smoothie, collards, pecans, chlorella, carrots, apple and had plenty of water.

shine72

01-12-2009, 05:44 AM

Good morning everyone! :D

So far I've had diluted orange juice (about 3 parts juice/water). Today will be a big kitchen day for me, so I'll probably be nibbling as I go along. ;)

Hope ya'll have a great day! :D

polycute

01-12-2009, 10:03 AM

I'm here!

Congratulations Joya! That is such good news and definite cause for celebration!!

Just finished my breakfast green smoothie (really simple: one banana, two collard leaves and 2 smallish dates, water) and looking forward to leftovers from yesterday's potluck for lunch. I came home and immediately stuck them in the refrigerator. I realize I probably should have packed a little plate to go since there was plenty there. I've only got the three Ethiopian inspired raw dishes I brought (the spicy red lentils, sweetish yellow lentils and the massaged collard greens) but that's more than enough for a tasty lunch.

Not sure what I'll have for dinner but since I have plenty of tomatoes and some cucumber left, it'll probably be some type of cucumber-tomato soup.

So far, I really love eating this way and I'd love to continue beyond the 30 day challenge.

I do not want a dehydrator. For me, it would be just another appliance in the kitchen I don't use. I was never big on bread or chips to begin with and I don't want to start now that I am raw. Also, since I live in the desert, I think I'll wait until those extra hot, dry days and do my own dehydrating in the sun. It could be a slower process but one I think I'd like to experiment with.

Also, I'm getting by without a Vita-Mix or K-Tec or a Cuisinart or any of the fancier gadgets. More power to those of you that have them and especially if you need to make anything in quantity, I would say that's the only way to go. But since I only really need to make one meal at a time for myself (except for yesterday's potluck), my little $5 chopper with the 1.5 cup bowl and my mom's old Osterizer blender seems to be doing a great job cranking out what I need for now.

Once my needs change, I'll look into other gizmos. Someone once told me a machete and a good knife are all you need on this diet. ;)

contessa20

01-12-2009, 10:12 AM

Today is day 15 for me!!! Still going strong and found that I released another pound this morning.

So far today I've had a banana and the cranberry/grapefruit/lemon/cayenne juice plus a bottle of water. The juice was not in the least bit pleasant tasting but it wasn't wretched either. It's definitely not something I would purposely mix up but if it gets the job done I can tolerate a cup of it every morning.

rawchic

01-12-2009, 11:42 AM

I released another pound over the weekend which is super exciting for me since weekends used to be my non-stop eating crap days. Man, do I feel great on Monday morning when I ate great all weekend!

Yesterday I had a large grapefruit for breakfast, and then a bowl of blueberries, raspberries and goji berries as a snack (they were all frozen, so I put them in a bowl on the counter 2 hrs before I was going to eat them to let them defrost).

For lunch and dinner I had a twist on zucchini pasta. I spiralized the zucchini and put it on top of a bed of greens. Then rather than making marinara, I topped it with sliced cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, and chopped red onion.

I went to a baby shower in the afternoon and wasn't even tempted by the carrot cake, cupcakes and cookies. I actually felt bad for everyone who was eating that junk.

Today I'm having a grapefruit for breakfast and then I have 2 oranges for after I go to yoga. I have salad stuff for lunch and dinner.

IamLoved

01-12-2009, 11:54 AM

Day 12 and I am so happy!

First, Joya, if you are reading this still Congrats on the engagement! That is definately something to celebrate!!!!!

polycute - that potluck sounds like it was yummy, I am glad you had fun!

Shine - have fun 'cooking' up a storm today.

rawchic - way to go staying with it all weekend. What a great reward for all your diligence to lose a pound and feel great. Good for you!

Everyone else - Hi! Keep up the good work. This is so exciting!

I am drinking a lucious green smoothie with baby spinach, a banana, a peach and a mango. It is so good! Keeping it simple today.

Have a great day everyone!

apple baby

01-12-2009, 12:06 PM

Hi!! day 6 for me and feelling great!!

I'm drinking tons of water , and keep it simple, fruit veggies and green smoothies

Joya: Congrats for your engagement!!! I wish you all the peace love and blessings.

marysmit

01-12-2009, 01:03 PM

Good morning,

So far a fruit shake with spinach. Tortilla with avacado, red pepper, cucumber and sprouts. I have several things prepared ahead so for the rest of the day I'm just opening up the fridge and eating. I need to make sure I get more water. Everyday I'm more "converted", not sure if I'll go back to cooked food at all. At first I thought I would at least want to reincorporate my cooked beans, but I seem to have went past that phase.

Results so far are awesome. I can't believe how my thighs are smoothing out. Major change. My cellulite is almost gone can barely see any. Believe me it was not a good thing before. Also after losing 120 lbs I have not like me face. It's looked old and too thin, but now I'm seeing myself again. Smooth not so old looking just me. It's great. I read in the book about the family that went raw that one of them had a gap in their teeth that came together, so do I. I hope it works for me. I was considering invisalign. This would be much cheaper.

Have great day you all.

rawshay

01-12-2009, 04:12 PM

Great day 15 so far!!! I had a GS for breakfast (kale, bananas, apple, avocado). I munched on oranges and raisins for the rest of the day so far. Not sure what I'll do for dinner. I'm craving a salad so I'll probably do a spinach, romaine salad with tomatoes, purple onions, olives, carrots, and olive oil/vinegar dressing. Oh I had a green superfood drink today too. Congrats to everyone for making it this far. We are half way to the end of this challenge. I'm looking forward to participating in the Feb. and other monthly challenges. Take care!

mmaynard

01-12-2009, 06:00 PM

Hi Everybody,

First off - congratulations Joya! That is exciting news and I wish you all the best.

I have been really struggling today. Everyone at work took me out to lunch today for a belated birthday celebration, and it was really hard to just eat my salad. I did it, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I think I'm mostly stuggling with my hormones - I have PMS this week and all of my usual cravings are kicking in. Anyway, I am still here and still raw but just had a REALLY hard day.

Tonight I am going to mash up an avocado and have it with my last tomato. I need to stop at the store tomorrow night to pick up some more and am hoping that I will have the energy to make sweet potato chips when I get home. Later tonight I am planning to have more of my chocolate ice cream (that Karen Knowler recipe is really good) while I watch 24!

Hopefully I'll be back to myself tomorrow... Wishing all of you a great night and I'll see you tomorrow!

janicejourney

01-12-2009, 06:20 PM

I think I have PMS too. I gained back the 3 lbs I lost... not sure how. Thinking it is just my moon time approaching but we'll see. I have been 100% raw except a couple dressing ingredients and a couple herbal teas. I have to admit that I have been eating probably too many gourmet raw foods but as Alissa says don't sweat it, just eat raw and the cravings will change on their own. I am not going to worry about it but felt a little down when the scale moved back up. Mind you I have been losing and gaining back the same 5 lbs for 7 months! I do trust though that a raw foods diet will keep me at my healthiest weight and at 135 and 5'7" this might be where I need to be. It is just that pre-baby I was 125 so it is a change I am trying to adjust to. I know there are worse things. Feeling a little down today.

TanjaJo

01-12-2009, 10:18 PM

Hi everyone! Well done today. I'm still hanging in there. Although can't say hanging in there as if it's a bad thing. I'm really quite enjoying myself, and the raw foods. Other than that I seem to be spending a lot more $$ on groceries, I see no down side to this at all.

Started the morning with a green smoothie for Vern and myself. Then we had to pick up an Amish neighbor and head to mom's to help them get some firewood cut. The boys ate junk from Kwik Trip, but it didn't bother me in the least. I was remembering what I used to pick to eat when I went in there, and I was like....blech! Why was I doing that to myself? I held out because I knew mom and I were going to the grocery store (in a bigger town - fun!) so bought $80 worth of groceries (fruits and veggies) there. Ate two clementines on the way home, and my goodness were they wonderful! So sweet and tasty.

Got home and mom and I made a lunch for the guys, and I made a big old salad, and the avocado/cucumber dressing to go on it. YUM-O. So then we went outside and cut and hauled and split a lot of firewood. Another great day to be outside getting fresh air and exercise.

Once home and after getting chores done, I tried out the new zucchini crackers that had been dehydrating all day (and all last night) and they really rock! They are my favorite "bready" thing I've had so far. The recipe is in one of the recipes threads here. It tasted really good dipped in the raw "refried beans" recipe I made last night, with sunflower seeds, flax, cumin, and other spices. But I ate very little because I just am not hungry.

Tonight I juiced 2 green apples, half a bunch of celery, a bunch of parsley and one large cucumber and just finished drinking that. Seems the old body is playing tricks on me, and I'm stopped up a bit. I just feel like I'm blowing up like a balloon. I carry a water bottle with me at all times, and I drink quite a bit of water. Not the 3 quarts I'd like to but I think I'm doing well. So I'm hoping that the green juice will be the magic elixir.

Janicejourney, I'm sure the weight thing must be PMS related. I hope you feel better soon. I'm still only at a 4.4# weight loss since we started this challenge. I'm thinking it's related to the cycle thing, and hopefully getting that over will get me going again.

Have a lovely evening everyone. Well, what's left of it. Can't believe it's this late already.

Oh....slept 7 straight hours last night!! Wooohooo!

Green_Woman

01-12-2009, 11:27 PM

Had my first 100% day this year - and mentally, it feels good to be High Raw, again. Physically, too. :)

Had a big green smoothie, some raw tomato soup (6 small organic tomatoes and 1 tiny organic green bell pepper in the Vitamix until lukewarm), and right now I'm munching on some raw granola cereal soaked in coconut oil/water/honey and topped with a chopped banana.

Also put in my first day at my new job today - exhausting, but fun stuff.

And followed up with my first client for Green Woman Cleaning - she is considering becoming a Contract Client. Holding my breath... praying... :D

polycute

01-13-2009, 12:05 AM

Just a note to say that I lost 4.5 lbs but gained a pound back just the other day (PMS?). And I did not weigh myself this morning because I'm on my cycle and I know there are some extra pounds from that. I don't want to get discouraged since I'm enjoying the food so much.

I've got yellow bell peppers, radish, green onion, orange bell peppers, sweet red peppers, cold pressed olive oil, sea salt and black pepper marinating in the refrigerator for raw fajitas tomorrow! Stole the idea straight from the potluck and added in my own ideas like radish.

bowie

01-13-2009, 01:09 AM

welcome to day 13

IamLoved

01-13-2009, 08:55 AM

Good Morning everyone!

Day 13, can you beleive it? It seems so easy this time. I just finished a huge delicious quart of fresh OJ. It was so good and now I am quite full.

Yesterday I went shopping and got a bunch of spinach and kale, oranges, bananas and grapes. Last night I made a very yummy green smoothie with spinach, cherries and bananas. It was fabulous and very satisfying.

I hope you all have a great day!

rawchic

01-13-2009, 10:07 AM

good morning! I don't have as much energy this morning as I've had during the past week. Not sure why...my husband said he didn't sleep well last night so maybe his restlessness disturbed my sleep somehow.

This morning I have the same food as yesterday - grapefruit for bfast and then two oranges for a snack. Then for lunch I'll make wraps with collard greens filled with sunchokes, cucumber, and avocado. Dinner will be a big salad - I have a bunch of romaine, carrots, celery, and sunchokes. I just love sunchokes - I had never even heard of them before until this year. Now I can't get enough of them! I get a weekly produce box from a local farm, so that's how I found out about them. Give them a try if you haven't had them! They are crisp and juicy...kind of like water chesnuts. yum!

shine72

01-13-2009, 10:48 AM

So far has been kiwi for breakfast. I'll have a banana-split choc. shake after breakfast. :)

I have a lot of food prep to get done today. We'll be having Napa Wraps for dinner with a spicy chili cashew sauce. :)

Hope everyone has a great day! :D

Green_Woman

01-13-2009, 11:50 AM

Sipping on my GS all morning, and looking forward to DAY TWO at my new job (and D.2 of 100%).

janicejourney

01-13-2009, 12:51 PM

Rawchic... can't wait to check out sunchokes. I am feeling better today, not so grouchy and tired. I keep telling myself I will have some ups and downs on this journey. Looking forward to a big green salad with marinaded mushrooms and onions. I had some trail mix of cranberries, cashews, and cacao nibs with a few dashes of sea salt for breakfast along with an apple. Will also have some key lime pie for later to get me through the day... life's rough :)

contessa20

01-13-2009, 01:10 PM

Day 16 here and happy as a clam! Yesterday I tried on a pair of jeans that I wasn't able to wear a month ago and they actually fit! Woot!!!! This morning I was down another 2 lbs. and feeling great. I also got my Tribest last night. I've been itching for it to arrive since the order was placed. This morning I tried it and it's really, really great.

I did an hour of freestyle step aerobics earlier with the Wii Fit (love that thing) and almost made it to 8,000 steps.

In the dehydrator I've got a bunch of yummies; corn tortilla wraps, potato & sweet potato chips & strawberry thumbprint cookies. All 9 shelves are packed tight.

So far today I've eaten:
banana, strawberry, kiwi, kale green smoothie
banana
4 clementines
fajita salad -- spinach, tomatoes, avocado, peppers & onions marinated in homemade fajita seasoning

polycute

01-13-2009, 01:22 PM

Is it day thirteen? We're almost half-way there. Unbelievable!

Ok, well today I have some challenges. The night/morning back pain has returned and I woke up with a sore throat. I know many raw foodists don't believe in supplements but I can't take any chances since I don't have medical insurance (like most Americans, unfortunately). So I did take some echinacea, vitamin C and a multivitamin this morning.

Breakfast: banana-orange smoothie (2 bananas, two cubes of fresh squeezed oranges, one date, water).

Snack: one tiny apple (it's about as big as my thumb!), an orange and a banana

Lunch: I marinated some yellow and orange bell pepper in onion, garlic, lemon, olive oil, collard green strips and radish last night for raw fajitas. I haven't had lunch yet but they'll be wrapped in romaine lettuce.

Dinner: Not sure but soup sounds best.

I'm not going to let the sore throat and the fact that I am on my cycle get to me. These things happen whether you are raw or cooked.

I really need to start hanging out in the recipe section of this site for more dessert ideas. I made a great apple pie yesterday (it was more like an apple crumble) but now I am all out of apples!

I love being raw and I can't even fathom going back to cooked at this point. It's a wonder and a mystery to me why I didn't eat this way all the time!!

crazygirlmcc

01-13-2009, 03:36 PM

mmm, day 10 for me, going good. i'm finding out that i can make yummy food without a recipe just by combining things i like. today i made another pie, not sure what you call it but it was so good.

base..blended walnuts, almonds, dried dates with a little water, stirred in a teaspoon of honey

filling..thin sliced and peeled apples with a handful of raisins stirred in syrup made from a blended orange and dried dates and a little cinnamon

topping..sliced banana, drizzled honey, cinnamon

it tastes so good, unbelievable and so satisfying. i've got to learn how to make some salty chip food to break that craving.:confused::)

I am feeling so much more energy, sleeping all night without ambien, i just feel so much more in tune with my body. I'm also impressed with how good i'm doing at staying away from cooked foods, it's not always easy, and i haven't been perfect. But with my mistakes I learn... raw foods are so full of flavor that when i take a bite of sad food I wonder what made me like it so much, nothing can compare to the vibrant flavor of fresh foods...mmmm

rawshay

01-13-2009, 08:45 PM

Today went fine. I went grocery shopping for me and the family. It's tough cooking for my husband and kids. Today was the first day that it was tough. However, I thought about this challenge and my committment to a healthy life. I chose raw food today and I'm so glad that I did. It taste so good and I feel so healthy and vibrant when eating live food. I am excited about this new journey and I'm so glad that you all are on the path with me. You will never know how much all of you and this online forum helped me to stay committed today. Much love!

TanjaJo

01-13-2009, 10:02 PM

Hello Raw Friends,

Today was another good raw day. Not bubbling over like the past few days. Didn't sleep as great last night as I did the few nights before. But Vern let the dogs out at 2:30 am and promptly fell back to sleep, so I woke up hearing whining and had to get up and let them back in.

This morning, while waiting for V to get back from picking up the Amish neighbor's cow for him, I sort of pigged out on the zucchini crackers and raw refried beans. then V got home and I made a green smoothie for us.

I made Vern a batch of hmm...what would you call them? Corn tortilla things with the raw refried beans on top, dehydated for a while to warm, then added greens and topped off with fresh salsa. I tried a little bit, but thought it was a bit calorie dense to be eating so much of it, as I AM trying to lose weight. I had a couple of clementines. They are so amazingly delicious. That filled me up plenty.

Tonight I just had a big salad around 8:00 pm. Really full from that.

I have no desire to eat any cooked foods. I really don't miss very much. I have no cravings.

Oh! I think I have sunchokes in the fridge. I picked something like that up last week on our big trip to the health food store. I haven't quite figured out what to do with them though. I sort of feel like I over-ate today.

Hope everyone had a great day. Bye, T.

marysmit

01-13-2009, 10:54 PM

Another day. Thank goodness for Walmart carrying dates felt like I might grab the wrong thing. Saved. I've decided I like my milk too much. Ate fruit shake, torilla, avacado, pepper, cucumber and sprouts. Dinner spinach salad with avacado dressing. And dates.

bowie

01-14-2009, 12:59 AM

day 14 and week 2!

contessa20

01-14-2009, 08:52 AM

Day 17 for me and loving every minute of it!!!!!

Last night I went to a PTA meeting/going away party at the school where I work. There were all sorts of sweet treats from cake to cookies to pie. I was really surprised when I wasn't in the least bit interested in any of it. My 9 yr. old scarfed down a piece of cake and, in all honesty, all I could think about was how much I wanted to get home to eat the scrummy portabello fajitas and strawberry cookies. Now THAT was good.

I'm thinking I might make some refried beans today. Can you tell I LOVE Mexican food!?!?!

So far this morning I've had a strawberry/banana/kiwi/kale green smoothie. I'm planning to hop up and do some exercising here in a bit.

Have a great day everybody!!!!!

tvillemom

01-14-2009, 09:20 AM

Good morning all! I have been having mostly juice the last couple of days, trying to kick this cold. I am feeling better, and have already put into the deh. this morning:
buckwheat cacao crispies....(I made half the recipe with cacao, and 1/2 without and just put cinnamon in that half.....YUMMY)
I also have all my nuts soaking to make granola today.
Flax crackers are about ready to come out!!

Today's food will be:
GS with spinach, banana, cherries, blueberries, goji berries.
Lunch: ??? not there yet. Maybe guacamole with tomato and spices.
Dinner: I know I will have a salad before going to church.

Hope everyone has a great day. I am so thankful for raw LIVING, LIFE GIVING FOODS!

IamLoved

01-14-2009, 11:07 AM

Hello everyone!

You are all doing so great! You really should be proud of yourselves.

I am toying with the idea of starting a juice fast. I don't know yet if I want to. So far today I have only had carrot/apple juice so I could start today. I have not done a fast in a long time and I have a feeling that we may be expecting before too long so I will not be able to do one for a long time once that happens so I would like to do one now. I probably should. I don't know yet. I am trying to keep things simple and did really good yeaterday. I found that taking a date, pitting it and stuffing a half of a pecan in side makes for a very deilcious dessert and it satisfys a sweet tooth. Also since there is only one it is easy to do portion control. So yesterday went really well. I had a kale smoothies and it tasted very earthy.

Have a great day everyone, I am off to make some OJ!

rawchic

01-14-2009, 11:17 AM

I started my morning with a large delicious juice - it had carrots, celery, cucumber, spinach and parsley. It really hit the spot.

Now I'm about to have a grapefruit. It's my last one, so luckily my produce box comes again tomorrow. For some reason I've been craving lots of grapefruit lately.

For lunch I'm going to have collard wraps again, and a salad for dinner later.
I have found that I really like eating simply. I haven't made a gourmet raw meal at all in the last two weeks, and I don't really miss it. I will still have them every now and then, but for the most part, eating simply seems to work better for me.

polycute

01-14-2009, 01:04 PM

Well, well, well...I am here to report that I have lost 5.5 lbs. so far!

Day 14 and it's going very, very well. I was sick with high fever and sore throat yesterday. Today, I have a little lump in my throat (the sore throat is lingering a bit) but my fever is gone!

Breakfast: GS - romaine, 2 bananas, 2 dates + an orange for the vitamin C

Lunch: raw fajitas wrapped in romaine lettuce (yellow, orange and red sweet bell peppers marinated in cold-pressed organic olive oil and lemon, sea salt, black pepper with radish, green onion and other assorted veggie goodies!

Dinner: most likely a tomato based soup

I can totally relate to not even wanting any sweet cooked junk! Today, as I was putting away cookies for my boyfriend's teenaged son, I remembered a day when it would be so hard for me to resist them. That day no longer exists. I don't even want them! They don't look appealing anymore.

Part of what makes raw so appealing to me is that it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. There are days when I feel like going all out and making various nut creations and desserts, etc. And there are other days when a simple smoothie or a piece of fruit will do just fine for a meal.

I'm really happy to be here, amongst friends, feeling good and 5.5 lbs lighter!

shine72

01-14-2009, 03:22 PM

Breakfast was a yummy banana-split choc. shake. :)

We also had yummy choc. balls for snack.

Just finished up lunch about an hour ago, it was spring mix, carrots, cukes, orange bell peppers, Juliano's house dressing, and sunflower seeds. YUMMY! :D

Hope everyone is having a GREAT day! :D

Green_Woman

01-14-2009, 08:40 PM

Chowed down on another tasty, filling meal of raw tomato soup, fresh spinach salad with raw dressing, and raw crackers!!!

Exhausted.

Must be hitting some detox AND suspecting other things involved...... *nervous*

crazygirlmcc

01-14-2009, 09:02 PM

so i made my first almond butter and spread it on apples, not bad. had some cabbage and carrot "coleslaw" with a dressing tossed in i made from nuts, water, evoo, and spices. drinking water. I don't know why I am feeling so tired, but it could just be the cirrhosis. I'm glad to be eating healthy.

TanjaJo

01-14-2009, 10:58 PM

Happy to be here again tonight! Started the day with fixing a huge bowl of fruit. I told V I wanted the whole thing gone by the end of the day. We snacked on that until about 2:00 PM and I was craving a salad. I'm not a big fruit lover. But I love my greens, veggies, salads. So I made a big tossed salad, with romaine and kale, pepper, onion, sunchoke, walnuts, and the raw ceasar salad recipe I found on youtube. Mmmmm....that hit the spot.

Tonight juiced a bunch of green stuff. V had half, I had the other.

Tried really hard to stay away from dehydrated stuff, or the raw refried beans, as I am trying to lose weight.

Ran 2 miles on the treadmill, cooled down for half a mile, then did an upper body workout with light dumbells.

I couldn' believe how rarin' I was to go this morning. Even with the cold, I was right out there, feeding horses first thing, and then I saw that wagon load of firewood sitting there waiting to be unloaded, so I started that. I was half-way done by the time Vern got outside. He asked who fed me the nitro.lol.....He said that never would've happened before raw. Yeah! I'm feeling like the person I was hoping I could be.

marysmit

01-14-2009, 11:19 PM

Just making in it through the last few days. Low energy. That time each month that it is stolen. Temptations too, so thankful Walmart had fresh dates, yum. I'm making more corn tortillas for tomorrow. Had portella bello mushroom with avacado and salsa with braggs, apples, nuts, berries and almond milk.

bowie

01-15-2009, 01:23 AM

welcome to day 15

Nappilocs

01-15-2009, 08:58 AM

Hello all,
I haven't posted in a few days.. I am doing the 7 days of no fats ( nuts, avocados, oils). This is going to be difficult for me because I rely on these things a lot when I am raw. I am trying to break my dependence on these things because I think this is why I haven't been loosing much weight. Today I made a half gallon thermos of green smoothie to bring to work with me. I also have a a bag of apples, oranges and bananas. I will try to eat a small salad later, I know I will have a hard time eating it without some type of dressing which usually consists of OO or avocado..lol. Wish me luck y'all. Everyone have a rawsome day!

TanjaJo

01-15-2009, 09:24 AM

Good luck Nappilocs!! I think I would die without avocados, but thus probablay my reason for not much weight loss. Did try to eat mostly fruits and vegetables yesterday with little dehydrated stuff.

We're running low on greens today, so not sure what's for breakfast. Not looking forward to a pile of fruit again. I would probably rather have a salad.

We'll see what happens today. Starting Day #15 raw. How exciting.

shine72

01-15-2009, 09:28 AM

I'm here, and I'm stoked! :D

I haven't eaten anything today, but I will. But today after work, hubby is taking a co-worker to Lovin' It Live to introduce him to raw, and bringing me home their yummy goodness for my dinner. I LOVE that man! :D

rawchic

01-15-2009, 09:48 AM

well we're half way through the month and I feel like I need a deep cleanse, so I'm going to fast today and tomorrow. It will feel good to reset before the weekend, especially since I have Monday off for MLK Jr day.

crazygirlmcc

01-15-2009, 11:19 AM

I'm starting the day with a romaine, cucumber, grape, orange smoothie. I'm getting pretty low on fruits so I'll prolly go to the store tomorrow. So... I started eating raw to detox my body and give my body a little break from working so hard to digest whatever I threw in. Yesterday I decided it had been long enough and I was ready for cooked foods again. Then this morning before breakfast I got a phone call asking me to be in a wedding. She asked my size..13...and said her largest dress for the bridesmaids is 10. So...I have a goal now to fit that dress by March 19th. Looks like I'm sticking around:D:p

apple baby

01-15-2009, 12:09 PM

Hi!!

I'm starting my day drinkin16 onz. of pure water, the I ate an apple, some bananas.

for lunch and dinner already dont know what.

have a rawsome day!!

contessa20

01-15-2009, 04:17 PM

Day 18 here! This was a work day for me so I was in school all day. It seemed like everytime I turned around something was going wrong. Made me want to take a peek at the vending machine once or twice but I resisted. After eating a yummy lunch though I'm stuffed. I might just have some juice or fruit for dinner, if anything. Not sure if I'll exercise when I get home. I get a LOT of walking in here at school but I'd still like to get in a little something more formal if I get a chance. I'm pretty sure not exercising is what put me in the funk yesterday and then today just seemed like an extension of that.

Food today:
banana/apricot/kale green smoothie
banana/strawberry/kiwi/kale green smoothie
fajita salad
"refried beans" w/dehydrated corn chips
1 strawberry thumbprint cookie

Fern

01-15-2009, 07:22 PM

Day 15! Going strong, I am planning on making this a 60 day challenge!
My food today has been:
Lemon water, green smoothie (which lately have been strained for green juice) for breakfast. Today was more of a fruit day; 2 bananas and an orange for lunch/snacks. For dinner I had blended gazpacho. Loving avocados, but backing off on nuts. Have been feeling great!

Congrats everyone!

polycute

01-15-2009, 07:26 PM

My house is clean, my skin and hair look good, my boyfriend loves me and I'm still in a bad mood! Ugh!
I woke up 1.5 lb up from yesterday which is absurd considering what I ate yesterday. I'm mostly on fruits and soups, green smoothies. My body must be adjusting and I'm hoping that was just phantom weight somehow.

Other than that, let's see:

green smoothie this morning - it wasn't good. I hate the dates I got which are not Mejdool - they are the other ones, drier and not as sweet.
It turns out romaine, banana, dates = not a winning combination.

lunch: the best veggie soup in the world so I am thankful for that

dinner: already had some chia pudding (which also surprisingly didn't turn out well!) and an orange but probably gonna have soup or salad or both.

Trying to stay away from nuts and avocados since we're two weeks into this and I've only seen 4 lbs lost so far. Sheesh. Sllllloooowwww.

I wish I could say I was doing raw for spiritual reasons but I am not. I am doing it for several reasons. Mostly, I love the lifestyle - I love that I am feeding my body pure nutritious whole foods. But secondly, I'm truly hoping for weight loss. My preference has always been for fruits and vegetables anyway so raw makes perfect sense to me and is right in lockstep with my palate.

By the way, I had to attend a cooked dinner last night and I was not tempted in the least - NOT AT ALL. It didn't even look appetizing. However, I think I could go nuts at a raw gourmet restaurant!

Thanks for letting me be a ray of sunshine today. :p :eek:

marysmit

01-15-2009, 07:31 PM

Lots of fruit today. I made the Papaya and banana pudding. I like it. Did hotlunch at my daughter's school. Kept myself full on apples and cuties. Had tortilla, avacado, sprouts, salsa and cucumbers. 3 bowls of triple berrie fruit and almond milk. Struggled today but the thought of eating cooked food, made my stomach sick. Yeah halfway there. Just packed my cooler for work, I've got breakfast, lunch and dinner ready.

TanjaJo

01-15-2009, 08:57 PM

Such great posts today...things sound very interesting.

Day #15 for me....I couldn't resist the last few of those zucchini crackers I had left with the raw refried recipe. Thank goodness that's gone! (not really though, love that stuff).

did a 2 mile run on the treadmill around 2:00 pm and had 2 clementines when I'd finished with that.

about 5-ish, drank half a quart of he super fat-burning juice that was still in the fridge.

Made a salad tonight, about 8:00 pm. Then had about 6 dates.

How can I feel like I've pigged out so?! I wasn't really hungry all day. I just did the salad because I thought I'd better get some greens in me. Now I feel like I pigged out!

'Night everyone. Have a great tomorrow!

bowie

01-16-2009, 01:16 AM

welcome to day 16

contessa20

01-16-2009, 05:08 AM

Day 19, here!

I had a dream last night that I caved to some SAD food. I actually woke up really sad thinking for a moment that the dream had been real. :eek:

Today, it's back to school -- I'm so thankful it's Friday. I need to get up from here and go pack my lunch. I did absolutely no prep work last night before I went to bed so nothing is ready to go. Uggh, I hate when I do that.

I'm thinking I'll take some fajita mix and refried beans along with some dehydrated corn chips and a bunch of fruit, juices and smoothies.

Have a great day, everyone!

apple baby

01-16-2009, 10:10 AM

HI everyone!!!

day 10 for me!! feeling great, with more energy.

Nothing prepare for to day.

breakfast a orange juice and banana.

lunch i think som canelonis

and dinner much fruit.

have a rawsome day

marysmit

01-16-2009, 12:57 PM

I'm learning that even when eating healthy I have bad habits I don't want to let go of and can't image changing, but know I have to. Today had berries with almond milk, corn tortillas and fruit shake.:)

janicejourney

01-16-2009, 01:48 PM

Still 100%! My period came last night after a raging headache. I feel weak and tired today and the flow is really heavy but no cramps. I only bring this up because they say raw effects our cycles. So far no change here. I am relieved that my weight was only a response to the cycle. I have already dropped back down to where I was a week ago. I am thinking this was def. why I "gained" back those 3 lbs. Still having very few temptations. I got some oats in a delivery and look forward to soaking some tonight to eat tomorrow. Not too hungry today.

polycute

01-16-2009, 01:49 PM

Happy Sweet Sixteen! 16 Days Raw!!

Well, today I'm up another pound which brings my loss total so far to a very humbling 3 pounds. I'm truly not as upset about it as I should be. I know I am doing the right thing and my body was so toxic, it will probably take some time to adjust and peel away some of these extra layers of fat.

It's funny to read the three entries above mine and know that absolutely none of us did any prep work for today. I'm in the same camp! It's the weekend and I've got nothing ready to go (except fruit which is perfectly packaged by nature!). So today, I do plan to spend a couple hours in the kitchen blending, chopping and preparing some raw dishes to get me through the weekend.

Breakfast: Green smoothie (simple romaine + banana and a couple of those horrid dates - I ran out to get the Mejdool style today!)

Lunch: so far a tangerine but I plan to make something else - maybe carrot salad or something for lunch.

Dinner: totally not sure, but headed to see a movie tonight so I will make sure to have plenty of raw snacks on hand.

We're more than halfway through the January challenge. Yippee!!

shine72

01-16-2009, 03:23 PM

So far I'm on my second salad of the day (2 different kinds) and I've also had a chocolate ball. :)

rawchic

01-16-2009, 03:26 PM

overate last night...not going to post everything because I'm short on time. It was all raw though, so no big deal - just too much.

this morning I had a big juice w/ beets, celery, cucumber, kale & spinach. Then I had an orange, and then an apple. For lunch I had lettuce wraps w/ sunchokes, carrots, flax seeds & hemp seeds.

not sure what dinner is going to be. I got a celery root in my produce box last night, so I'm thinking maybe a soup with that? I also have an avocado so that would make a creamy soup. maybe throw in some red onion...not sure what else.

polycute

01-16-2009, 03:56 PM

I just made a great carrot cake! And a green bean salad and I plan to make stuffed anaheim chiles with mole sauce. I'm happy now!

Ravani

01-16-2009, 04:17 PM

Hi, Everyone!

It's been awhile since I've posted. Life is just busy - but good. I'm on day 25. Some days, the food seems great. Some days, I hate it all. Either way, I'm ecstatic to be raw! No major changes for me yet this time around. I don't own a scale (it never was a friend of mine), but my clothes are not falling off of me. My belly hasn't miraculously gone flat. I don't have a ton more energy (matter of fact, I'm less able to get out of bed in the morning than I was before). My other stabs at raw netted me almost instant results. This is the time that's going to stick, however, and that's because of Alissa. All in all, in ways I can't put into words or even figure out myself, I'm loving this raw thing.

Thanks to all of you for being here!

Ravani

teamrose

01-16-2009, 06:15 PM

Day 15 and still raw. This really is easier than I thought. Today is a juice day. My mixture is tomato, collard greens, cantaloupe, beet and apple. Not one of my favorite combos, but have to use whatever is in the fridge.

SW 290
CW 276.5
GW 179

crazygirlmcc

01-16-2009, 09:24 PM

so i made raw ranch and had it on romaine this morning. then went out to get ingredients and made an amazing raw starwberry shortcake, it really hit my sweet spot:p tomorrow at 5 is two weeks raw. I know that my eating habits have been permantely changed, maybe not fixed, but changed. I can never have a diet with such little live foods like before, I'm addicted to yummy healthy food. Kinda worried bout makin smoothies cuz I broke my blender makin the cake. Maybe it's God telling me to get a better blender, I know it would sure speed up meal prep time.

Bananna

01-16-2009, 09:37 PM

Hi guys!
Just thought I would say a quick hello to you all, I am just finishing my day 9! My personal record and going strong...

TanjaJo

01-16-2009, 11:00 PM

Janicejourney...I'm in the same boat as you right now. The cramps are here. Glad I got in a good 3 mile run on the treadmill (and .5 mile cool down!). Also did a light workout with dumbells. I'm afraid tomorrow I won't be feeling good enough to work out, so I tried to do extra tonight.

Didn't eat as much today as yesterday. Had 2 clementines around 11:00 or so. Then found some wonderful raw treats when V and I went to the food co-op. I bought a small bag (they are $7.00/lb!) had a little bit of that (and am saving the rest for work tomorrow). Made a huge salad for V and I told him I'd eat whatever was left over, which was nothing, lol....and I didn't feel like making another one. (I just get so lazy!)

So after the treadmill work out I filled the kitchen sink with what I wanted juiced (granny smith apples, parsley, celery, some romain, kale, and cucumbers) and V juiced them for me while I was in the tub soaking. Oh, also had a handful of brazil nuts, and some about 4 dates tonight.

It's getting late, and I should be in bed by 11:00 pm as tomorrow is a work day, and as per usual I am hearing murmurings of freezing rain/snow. Doesn't help matters much. They are really pushing our time at the post office. I even got a call from my boss this week asking how come I took so long last Saturday. I just want to tell her that there is nobody, absolutely nobody that wants me to be done quicker than me. But my old Jeep only goes so fast. Guess I'm venting. Thanks for letting me do this. Sorry.

Have a great day # 17 tomorrow.

bowie

01-17-2009, 12:51 AM

welcome to day 17

tvillemom

01-17-2009, 08:14 AM

Good morning all! Yesterday was great, but very busy. My foods were simple.
tea, juice
buckwheaties cereal (about lunch time)
granola and a pear
salad....large w/ baby herb salad mix, cucumber slices, carrot slices (I like to use my veggie peeler and julienne all the cucumbers and carrots) alfalfa sprouts, and lemon/evoo drizzled.

Today will be another busy day with Upwards Basketball starting with the kids! DD and I are on the same cheerleading team (I am a coach! Luckily, with Upwards, no previous experience is necessary....so we get to just have fun and cheer)

Today's food plan looks kinda like:
tea, juice,
bucwheaties
maybe a savory GS....or "soup"
salad....going to hit the grocery store this morning and hopefully buy some different veggies

Not sure what else. It's sooooo cold outside, I just want warm foods. I'm thinking of maybe just having spicey, savory GS's (or even RAWvolution's chili) ....hey, maybe some fajitas with a sunflower seed cheese. We'll see. I'll post tomorrow.

Peace to all.

PS. (I got my period this morning...early, and from what I can tell, not really any PMS to speak of, that's a HUGE BONUS!!)

contessa20

01-17-2009, 08:55 AM

Good morning! Day 20 here. I can't believe I'm already 2/3 of the way through the challenge.

Yesterday was rough. We always have pizza and movie night on Fridays. I've never been a big fan of homemade or frozen pizza so it really wasn't an issue to make that for DH and DS while I ate my own thing. Last night I had none of either so I ordered pizza. I have to say, it was torture. I even got to the point where I took a bite of the pizza but once I had it in my mouth I realized that (a) I didn't want to spoil the 19 days that I had already been raw and (b) it really didn't taste good at all. In the end I spit the bite out and was content eating nothing at all. I tried a few bites of salad but it wasn't good and, to be honest, I wasn't really hungry in the first place.

Today I'll be home all day so I'm thinking I'll make some fajita mix, some enchilada mix to eat over a portabella or stuffed in a tomato and maybe a key lime pie.

So far I've only eaten a Brazilian melon and I'm FULL.

polycute

01-17-2009, 12:22 PM

Awww, Contessa. I'm glad you hung in there. We all have our moments of weakness and challenges.

The "phantom" weight I described yesterday was just that - phantom weight! It's gone now! I'm back down 5.5 lbs. since the challenge began on January 1st. I think my body was just making an adjustment or it could have been water weight but it really did freak me out! :eek:

Day 17 and I'm going strong. I'm not tempted at all yet by any cooked foods. I made my boyfriend his regular cooked breakfast and it looked so unappetizing and just....dead. Truly! It's remarkable how much your mindset changes on raw foods. I feel clean inside and out and I'd like to remain that way. I also feel very light even though I am about 40-50 pounds overweight!

Also, is anyone experiencing a heightened sense of smell? This isn't always a good thing. Last night, I was at the movies and the smell of the various disgusting foods (like hot dogs, ugh!) was nauseating to say the least. It's funny how I never really noticed any of these smells so intensely before.

On the other hand, the smell of a freshly peeled orange though is heaven-scent! :)

Anyway, my breakfast was a green smoothie (cucumber and kiwi) - truth be known, I didn't like it that much.

Lunch will be stuffed anaheim chiles with mole, sour kream, salsa verde and a nut cheese.

Dinner - I have some soup in the fridge I need to eat and green bean salad which marinated overnight.

Day 17! We are all on this little tugboat together!

shine72

01-17-2009, 03:33 PM

Yay Wendi! The whole no PMS thing is ALWAYS bonus! :D

Today has been great! Had a banana split chocolate shake for breakfast, a Pure bar with some Penta water while I was out running errands. Not sure what I'm gonna have for dinner.

Keep RAWKIN' on everyone! :D

janicejourney

01-17-2009, 04:20 PM

I just made the best soup!!! It was Gazpacho from a Raw Food cookbook. Tomatoes, honey, salt, olive oil, garlic, lemon blended until warm and then chopped celery, onion, avocado, and bell peppers in the soup. So yummy! I think I will make more chili tomorrow, and just eat that with flax crackers. The rest of the week will likely be green smoothies, salads, and fruit. Will try for more simple foods this week.

bowie

01-18-2009, 01:28 AM

welcome to day 18

marysmit

01-18-2009, 09:02 AM

Yesterday was great went to SAD food potluck ate salad and then ate more in the car on the way home, wasn't even tempted by desserts and I love sugar. Then that night went to church social that had some of my favorite childhood food. WOW. But I ate my banana and apple, and had grapefruit all prepared to be my popcorn. YEAH. It went great.

Today I had a spinach, strawberry, blueberrie and banana shake. I'm working so I have my cooler packed.

My body shape keeps improving. I notice my abd muscles more. So I'm pleased with the results.

Wishing you all a great raw day.

crazygirlmcc

01-18-2009, 09:59 AM

Ahh.. so I hit the two week mark. In the last 14 days I failed the challenge 2 different days, it was more like 90% raw. I feel like I don't qualify to continue but I wish you all the best of luck. Also, I made a raw strawberry shortcake, it is so good my sad brother said it tastes just like the real thing except the bread is wet and cold. He ate it up and he never eats sweets. I have an order of raw foods in the mail and a book by Jennifer Cornbleet, with practice and patience I think I can do Feb challenge, but I must get a blender soon!! You guys are great, keep up the good work.

Vaclare79

01-18-2009, 10:45 AM

Today I'm not sure what I'm going to eat. I got to go shop to get some things. I hate shopping. Its sometimes inconvenient to shop but I'm keeping raw.
I'll post later.

contessa20

01-18-2009, 11:37 AM

Day 21 here!

I woke up this morning with my period, a rash on my stomach and zits on my face. :eek: What the heck? I'm actually feeling great though. I wasn't even hungry when I got up, which rarely happens. I had 2 clementines before I left for church though because I knew I'd be hungry eventually and it would be a looooong time before we got back home.

Wasn't able to go to the farmer's market today so we went out to Wal-Mart real quick before DH had to get to work. I picked up a bunch of goodies for the week.

So far today I've had 2 clementines, fajita lettuce wrap and a small slice of Ann Wigmore's banana pie that I made last night. That stuff ROCKS!!!!! I've had to show great restraint not to scarf down the whole thing.

pixelkatt

01-18-2009, 01:14 PM

I've kinda been MIA from this thread lately but it's day 18!! Woohoo! :D Had a huge green smoothie and then later a cabbage salad with miso gravy.. mmm yummy. :p:D Hungrier today than usual, but am listening to my body and am going to just eat more, lol!

Happy Day 18 everyone!!

TanjaJo

01-18-2009, 01:30 PM

Day 18 still raw. Amazing. Unlike some smart people on here, I failed to eat before church, so afterwards was starving. I fixed a huge yummy salad and just finished downing the whole thing! I let myself get too hungry. Now I think I'll have to take a little nap and let that salad settle down.

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday. We went to visit some friends we haven't seen in a while. She put out quite a nice spread for us, but knew I was on the raw so she so kindly had veggies and grapes out for me. So I didn't have a hard time with them eating their Atkins diet cheesecake or anything. The cheeses were hard to pass up but I did.

I dreamed the other night (I think it was the same night Contessa20 had her dream about eating not raw) that I ate regular food, and I was so disgusted at myself in the dream. It was real enough that I don't want to do it in real life. '

My period is over, just like that! So quick, yeah. This is quite unexpected. If it's raw that does this, I'll be eating raw forever! Also the weight loss seems to have kicked in. I guess hopping on the treadmill has helped. I just get such a kick out of my body when it does that 2-3 miles. I did a 10 miler in November of 2007, and I would love to get there again. I was on WW then, but I imagine I'll feel a thousand time better being all raw and running. Anyways, 6.8 lbs. gone so far. That makes me happy. Plus I purchased a really nice pair of size #14 Gloria Vanderbilt jeans at the Goodwill on Friday and they fit really good today, so I wore them to church. They are really nice. I felt super in them.

So far today only a big honkin' salad. Oh...purchased NEW cumin, and what a difference that made in the raw ceasar salad dressing. It really punched up the flavor a lot. Just the smell is so amazing. And I can't get over how I'm liking peppers now. I tried to eat them before, and didn't much care for them. Just ate them 'cause I knew they were good for me. But now, I'm like....hmmmm...is that enough, no, I'll chop some more up and add more of that. I LIKE it.

My husband continues to be impressed by my resolve on the raw eating. My attitude and outlook has changed so much. I know it's a direct result of my body getting the nutrition it needs to be the best I can be mentally, emotionally and physically. This is so cool.

Have a great day everyone. Time for a little nap (that's my Sunday treat!).

contessa20

01-18-2009, 02:20 PM

And I can't get over how I'm liking peppers now. I tried to eat them before, and didn't much care for them. Just ate them 'cause I knew they were good for me. But now, I'm like....hmmmm...is that enough, no, I'll chop some more up and add more of that. I LIKE it.

Isn't that funny! Even though I was a vegetarian for about 13 yrs. before going raw I never liked vegetables all that much. I would eat your standard corn, potatoes, carrots etc. but for the most part I just hated them all. Now I can't get over how many veggies I eat. Even the first time I went raw a few years ago I wouldn't eat any veggies that I hadn't tried before. I'm finding now, though, that SO many of the veggies I tried and disliked cooked, I LOVE raw. Go figure.

polycute

01-18-2009, 02:55 PM

I'm here! Day 18! Happy as a clam. I lost another pound bringing my total lost so far to 6.5 lbs! So exciting.

Other than that, I feel great and I'm discovering all types of new recipes that are so darn delicious.

Breakfast: strawberry-banana smoothie with dates. I ran out of greens this morning, boo! :( Will pick up some parsley, kale, and romaine today.

Lunch: orange bell pepper, green beans with raw mole sauce, raw sour kream, salsa verde and for dessert: raw cacao chia pudding (the best!)

Dinner: not sure yet but maybe some fruit or smoothie and soup, something like that

Having a great raw day and hope you all are, too!

siren

01-18-2009, 06:52 PM

Day y13 for me.

I haven't posted in a while, just been busy but I am still going strong. Yesterday I had some family visit and had to do a lot of cooking so took a couple of bites to taste cooked food :( other than that I'm doing really well and trying to up my water and my greens. I will not quit. I am looking forward to adding variety into my diet as of now I've pretty much stuck to the basics.
Just had orange, bananas, cucumber, tomato, collards, carrots and blended some of that into a smoothie had apple in there as well as my whea tgrass, spirulina and chlorella.

TanjaJo

01-18-2009, 11:15 PM

Day # 18 is almost done and over with! I didn't eat as much as I probably should have today, especially considering I did a 4 mile run on the treadmill tonight. I had a big salad after church. Took a nap after that (2.5 hours! and I was o-u-t!, what the heck?)

V juiced some carrots for us about 7:00 pm. After that did the run on the treadmill. Then we had my green juice "cocktail" about 10:00 pm. I seem to be looking forward to this at night. Especially if I feel I haven't eaten enough. We do 4 apples, a cucumber, parsley, and a bunch of celery. I think that's it. Then we split it. So going to bed tonight with that pumping through me. Oh, and ate 5 dates.

Looking forward to tomorrow! Glad to see the posts from everyone that's hanging in there.

bowie

01-19-2009, 02:14 AM

welcome to day 19

SekhemNefer

01-19-2009, 02:30 AM

I haven't gone to bed yet, even though it is 2:30 AM. When I wake up, I will start my Smoothie Feast which I hope to do until May.

shine72

01-19-2009, 08:35 AM

I haven't gone to bed yet, even though it is 2:30 AM. When I wake up, I will start my Smoothie Feast which I hope to do until May.

That's pretty hardcore! Go SekhemNefer! :D

I'm drinking my superfood shake right now! A great start to a great day! :D

ncadotte

01-19-2009, 09:26 AM

Had a big glass of fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast. It was really good! I have to go shopping again though, I used my last few oranges... :(

marysmit

01-19-2009, 11:50 AM

I made a couple kinds of kale chips last night. They are great this morning. I have become a real kale fan, hard to believe. I had a fruit shake with spinach this morning. I plan on making Fetticine Alfredo some time today. Oh and had a big glass of blended grapefruit. I want to go waking outside but it is only 29degree and I don't like to be cold.

contessa20

01-19-2009, 02:09 PM

Day 22 and having an awesome day!

This morning I wasn't hungry again so I didn't eat until 11:00. Before then I spent 90 min. doing step aerobics with the Wii Fit Freestyle (almost 12,000 steps) while watching tv.

By the time I had finished that I was pretty hungry so I had 2 cabbage wraps with enchilada mix & tomatoes inside plus 3 clementines. Yummm. Then a little bit ago I had a really good nectarine.

For dinner tonight I think I'll have a big fajita salad with a slice of banana pie. If I get hungry between now and then I'll make a green smoothie or some juice.

About an hour ago though my husband called to tell me that he finally got hold of my 9 yr. old son's doctor's office to get the results from his neck ultrasound from December. The nurse told him that she was ordered not to give us the results; the doctor wants to talk to us personally. :eek: I'm kind of freaking out a little. The doctors have NEVER told them not to give us results before. I haven't been too tempted to eat junkfood to soothe myself though.

TanjaJo

01-19-2009, 09:54 PM

Hello Raw Friends,

Pretty uneventful day. Woke up, wasn't hungry right away. Made green smoothies for V and myself around 10:00 am. Ate 2 oranges. Made the Waldorf salad tonight....that's about it...

Had a bad headache, so only ran 2 miles on the treadmill, then walked one more mile for a total of 3.

Gee, tomorrow is day #20 already?!

We'll be heading to the grocery store first thing in the morning, as I'm out of bananas for our green smoothies, and out of a lot of other things. I will get the last two or 3 ingredients I need to make the raw Cheez-it recipe! I feel like a kid in a candy store just because I get to go to the grocery store. Wow. How weird is that?lol....

Oh....ordered some raw cacao today and maca. I just can't wait to try to make some of these wonderful chocolatey recipes I'm hearing about....I saw somewhere coconut and chocolate pie of some sorts...doesn't that sound great?!

Not going to have my green juice concoction tonight as I'm too full from the salad. So I'm hitting the hay early tonight, and looking forward to a bright, raw and wonderful day tomorrow! Good-night all.

bowie

01-19-2009, 11:10 PM

welcome to day 20

TanjaJo

01-20-2009, 08:12 AM

I'm still here!! Just anxious to get chores done, and get to the grocery store. Have nothing to make my green smoothie with! Have a happy raw day everyone!

Kalimelle

01-20-2009, 11:02 AM

greeting, challengers!

so, i'm trying to hook up with the tremendous surge of energy here in DC surrounding our new president, and i'm taking this opportunity to spend the next 100 days going raw!

i've gotten myself very well set up and have been eating mostly raw for the past two weeks. today so far i've had a green smoothie (parsely, spinach, mango, an orange, half a lime, 2 soaked dates and some water), lots of water, and a few carrot/flax pizza crackers.

my goal isn't to be 100% raw as i plan to include nutritional yeast, maple syrup, miso, dried herbs and spices, and other natural "whole food condiments" in my diet.

my starting weight was 154.5. i don't have a set goal weight, but i really do want to use this challenge as a time to deal with my emotional eating. i hope that by choosing raw foods i'll be able to more clearly identify my triggers and learn to work through the uncomfortable feelings in other ways.

thanks for your support! rawk on!

~kali

marysmit

01-20-2009, 11:17 AM

Had great breakfast of blueberries, strawberrie, banana and an apple with almond milk, yum. Sometime today I'll have fettcine alfredo. 2/3 our goal yeah!

janicejourney

01-20-2009, 11:54 AM

I am still here :) 100% raw except I caved and had some coffee the last two days. I have been really tired for some reason. I am enjoying a kale salad right now and had a banana earlier. I have dropped 4 lbs!! I am feeling thinner and my face is showing a little bit of a change. I will be super psyched if I lose 5 lbs this month and then 5 lbs next month. The first time I went raw I actually lost too much weight and it turned me off because everyone was saying I looked too thin... I did get down to 113 at 5'7" which didn't look good. I got great advice though after that which was to build muscle as when the weight melts off if there is no muscle one will look way too thin. The next time I went raw I ate lots of green smoothies and did yoga and looked fantastic and my weight came back to a healthy level which for me is in the mid-high 120s. I still am carrying some extra fat on my thighs and back from gaining 50 lbs during my pregnancy and am so psyched to see it finally start to melt off.

My cravings are changing and I am not wanting as many complex foods or nuts as I did the first two weeks. I am totally on for February and really am enjoying this process. This has been a great group to be a part of!

contessa20

01-20-2009, 12:01 PM

Day 23 here! I can't believe I'm just 7 days away from the 30-day mark!!!

So far this has been a great day. I started off with a banana and 2 clementines for breakfast, then I did an hour of step aerobics and had a slice of banana pie and 2 cabbage rolls for lunch -- one with fajita mix and one with enchilada mix. For dinner I made up some fettuccni alfredo and will, maybe, have a salad along with it.

I'm feeling really good today.

rawchic

01-20-2009, 01:47 PM

good morning
I had a nice long holiday weekend and neglected getting online at all.
This morning I had 4 bananas wrapped in red chard leaves. Not sure why I thought I needed to eat all 4, but oh well.
then I had a grapefruit and I have some cantaloupe in the fridge for later.

tonight I'm making zucchini noodles with sun-dried tomato marinara and mushrooms. A friend of mine is coming over for dinner. This is my first time making raw food for anyone so I'm freaking out a little bit. My friend is vegetarian, but not vegan, and doesn't know anything about raw food. Hopefully she will like it!

Have a great day

TanjaJo

01-20-2009, 10:50 PM

Rawchic, hope your meal turned out great for your friend.

Today, didn't get a chance to make the green smoothie 'til about 1:00 pm. Then had a few clementines. Had a salad around 7:00 pm. I was using a little coffee grinder to make the raw ceasar salad dressing, and the grinder blew up on me. sort of. Something inside fell apart, and there was little plastic pieces in my dressing. I didn't let Vern eat it, and I was super careful eating my salad. then I dumped the rest. Made me sad, because that was about the last of my pumpin seeds.

Kind of tired, so no work out today.

bowie

01-21-2009, 12:44 AM

welcome to day 21 (your third week)

polycute

01-21-2009, 12:52 AM

I just wanted to post that even though I didn't get a chance to login and say hello - I'm still in the challenge and going strong as of day 19! Now to go to day 20 to post before it's too late!!

polycute

01-21-2009, 01:20 AM

I'm still in and today, day 20, was by far the most challenging day of the challenge thus far.

Long story short: I was unprepared. And in the raw lifestyle, being unprepared is tantamount to starving yourself until you can find something to eat which was sort of impossible given my crazy schedule today.

Lesson learned. I guess we all have to go through this at some point in our journey in order to remember to be better prepared. I now have some food prepped and ready for tomorrow.

Luckily, I stayed raw today but most of the day was spent starving since I was nowhere near a fruit or vegetable. It was a really hard day and I brought it on myself by making assumptions about time and availability of certain food items that just didn't happen at all.

Other than that, I'm pleased with the day's events and feel relieved to have a new president and kali, welcome to the forum and I'm so inspired that you are starting a 100 day challenge.

nHisTYME

01-21-2009, 06:03 AM

Hello All,

I've not posted in the The Monthly Raw Challenge yet due to a very busy work schedule, However just to let you know, I also have been 100% (living foods) RAW since Jan 1st AND Love it!

I've been having a RAW food potluck and food prep gathering at my home with about 4 to 7 friends who have been very interested in this RAW food diet & lifestyle. We've had 2 gatherings since Jan 1st.

We've made Raw Cheese burgers with onion bread, sprouts, tomatoes, seed cheese (OMG! So good) Also made Raw Taco's (taste just like Taco Bell and 100% raw living food!!) and Rawvaloi, (I'm not good at the spellings) Raw Canady, Raw soups, Raw spagetti, Raw cookies, Carrot cake, apple pie, Spring rolls with an amazingly delicious dip, and Chocolate Ice Cream, and Blueberry Icecream, and Tahini, and Tabouli, and sooo many more foods. (I took pictures of some of the foods) Some of the receipes came out of a good book called; RAWvolution - Gourmet Living Cuisine by Matt Amsden. Another good book was The Raw Food Gourmet - Going Raw for total Well-being by Gabrielle Chavez. My fav book is the one by Matt Amsden, lots of color photos of the foods and easy well layed out receipes.

Now I must confess, I am not much of a food prep person being a Single-guy who is a business Owner, I just have not had the time to prep and create and play with making alot of RAW food receipes, but I have a good friend in my town who is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING with Raw food. She will drop by my business once in awhile with a couple of 100% RAW Cheeseburgers (to surprize me) or a couple of RAW Tacos, or maybe some fresh Famous onion bread with seed cheese (Yum!) which has made going 100% RAW a pleasure! I am thankful to have one or two local friends who are into Raw foods. Especially my friend Jorn, who has been making some amazing raw food dishes for several of us here in my town.

BTW, these friends got into RAW foods after seeing the difference in my health and appearance before-and-after. We are now starting a small monthly RAW food get together in our city and have had 2 gatherings and they are growing. My dad has started the HA diet 6 months ago and is doing great with it. He has been teaching a Nutrition 101 class at his church for the past 12 weeks and about 6 or 7 people have started the HA diet 85% Raw 15% cooked and they have already had amazing results, but I needed to more to 100% Raw, because I just seemed to be eating way too much cooked. I am glad I went 100% Raw!

I got into RAW foods with the Hallelujah Diet & Lifestyle which is Great! Then after 3.5yrs of doing that I found I was just eating way too much cooked foods and my remaining Arthritis in my hand and foot was still lingering on at times, So I switched to 100% Raw living food. I can tell a big difference now. The Arthritis is getting much better and I have lost another 10 pds effortlessly! I weigh 167 lbs now at age 45. I eat like a king everyday!

I still struggle to get excerise in but I know as soon as things get caught up at my business, I'll have time to excerise like I want. Right now I'm still losing weight and I do not get much excerise (which I know I need to daily excerise).

Anyhow 21 days of RAW food! LOVE it... I'll try to post more... I just do not get much time to get on this forum. However I do check in from time to time. I am going Raw this entire year. I want to excerise and tone up, especially my abs. I want to see 100% all arthritis gone. (which I know that will happen soon). I already am getting many compliments from friends who say they can see a glow in my face, and I just look brighter and healthier and younger.

Sorry to be so long here, I just wanted to check in and let the group know that I'm in the challenge too! It's your Health and worth it....

Nothing Tastes as good... As Good Health feels!

I've learned that for almost every addictive cooked food out there - there is a RAW food substitue for, sometimes it even tastes better!

The Raw Cheese Burgers and RAW Tacos have been HEAVEN!!!! I feel like I'm not even on a diet when I eat them and I do not feel guilty or overly full or sluggish after I eat them, I eat until satisfied, all I want... and I still gain no weight.

RAW food is absolutely amazing!

Raw For life-

Danny
nHisTYME (Profile name)
New Bern, NC

nHisTYME

01-21-2009, 06:47 AM

BTW, if you have not seen this DVD it is amazing!!!

It's called "Raw for 30 days" (just like what this challenge is...) they reverse Diabetes with a group of people (type 1 and type 2)

http://www.rawfor30days.com/

I have watched the entire DVD several times and shown it to groups of people...

I highly recommend it... VERY very encouraging!

Also I LOVE this online video for encouragment.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3xOU2tLl7g

-Danny

shine72

01-21-2009, 11:25 AM

Twenty-one days, that equals 3 weeks! :D You know what that means right? That means if you've done this for the full 21 days, it should now be a habit! :D

Breakfast today was a Strawberry Creamsicle. Heavenly, but not very warming. ;)

I'm about to chow down on a nummy salad for lunch. Haven't figured out dinner just yet, but I will. :)

Have a great day everyone!

polycute

01-21-2009, 11:56 AM

Yeah! 3 weeks! Today is much better than yesterday.

I have pineapple, red leaf lettuce, kale, garlic, lemon, pistachios (raw from a farm!), pumpkin seeds, yellow squash, tomato, cucumber, jalapenos, bananas, avocado, pears and a few other things to play with today.

I plan to prep everything today so I have food for today, tomorrow and possibly even Friday.

Maybe a pina colada type dessert with coconut, a huge salad for sure, some squash raw "pasta" with a marinara or pesto sauce, cucumber salad, etc.

It should be fun. I'm 3 pounds up for some weird reason. I think my body is adjusting to the loss. I was 7 pounds down at one point and I'm still 4 pounds down today.

It's slow in terms of weight loss but I enjoy being raw and the food is so flavorful and alive, that it seems easier to eat this way than to be on a conventional diet.

Breakfast: strawberry banana smoothie
Lunch & Dinner: not sure yet - about to go play in the kitchen with knives, blenders, food processors!

We're 21 today!

rawchic

01-21-2009, 12:02 PM

started this morning with a cantaloupe smoothie. Then I made a green smoothie using only green veggies. This was a first for me, and I'm happy to say I liked it! I blended 1/2 a cucumber with 4 stalks of celery, a big handful of fresh parsley, and 1/4 lemon (okay, so that's fruit, but not sweet fruit). I finished the whole thing and I'm already thinking about making another one with the other half of the veggies (I was hesitant to make too much in case I didn't like it).

marysmit

01-21-2009, 12:04 PM

Started today with banana, blueberry, strawberry and spinach thick shake. The fruit was all frozen. I may do the mushroom, avacado and brags thing to day. Can't believe It is day 21 yeah for us. I'm the same with the weight loss it zoomed off me at first then put some back on and now I'm slowly going down again. Overall I do think I feel my body changing shape for the better with the removal of toxins. Better health is awesome. Have a great day all.

contessa20

01-21-2009, 01:33 PM

Day 24 for me and I'm feeling great!

So far today I've done an hour of step aerobics, drank a HUGE pineapple/coconut water/spinach/parsley green smoothie and ate some fettucini alfredo. I've got to say, I really liked the alfredo when I first tried it but I'm just not in love with it. Today my stomach is kind of flip-flopping after having eaten it. Oh well.

Hopped on the scale though and I've released another pound. WOOT!!!

This morning I snagged Ani Phyo's spanish breakfast scramble recipe off the net and am hoping to try it soon. I'm out of a couple of the ingredients though so I think it'll have to wait until the weekend.

Tomorrow is a work day so I'll need to pack my lunch later. I'm thinking some cabbage rolls would be good.

janicejourney

01-21-2009, 02:50 PM

Feeling great today. I am a little frustrated though. I soaked some Ojibwe wild rice and was so excited to try a raw recipe that called for soaked wild rice. After doing some research it seems that all wild rice is heated and cooked in the grain form so I was soaking and ate something cooked based off a raw recipe book recommendaion... what the??? Anyone else have information about this? Otherwise all raw. I am thinking I will be replacing vinegars in my dressings with lemon or lime to be more raw but my warm herbs teas are something I am putting my foot down over. 1 more pound to reach my monthly weight loss goal! Loving raw food and wanting to continue this for as long as it feels so right.

Kalimelle

01-21-2009, 03:24 PM

great job everybody!

contessa----is everything ok with your family? i hope that the news from the doctor wasn't too bad.

as for my third day, it's going great! i've got so much more energy and am really not very hungry at all. i had a banana for breakfast, some green tea (not raw, but organic, warming, and health-giving, so i'm leaving it in) and a serving of raw almonds. Later I snacked on some carrot/flax pizza crackers, and had a lovely lunch of raw veggies dipped in a DELICIOUS raw spinach dip that I invented last night. i rounded it out with some raw quinoa tabouli---just sprouted quinoa with mint, parsely, tomato, lemon juice and a drizzle of EVOO. i'm munching on the rest of my raw veggies right now b/c i'll have clients until 8pm and have resolved not to eat past 7, so that means i should be proactive about keeping myself nourished now so that i can give my system a rest at night.

the big victory of the day? my co-worker brought me some chocolate back from europe and i'm not eating it! i've got some raw cacao/maca truffles that i made at home that i can have tomorrow if i really want.

i've got to make it to whole foods without being tempted by any bits of cheese to taste that they usually offer! wish me luck.

contessa20

01-21-2009, 04:00 PM

contessa----is everything ok with your family? i hope that the news from the doctor wasn't too bad.

Thanks for asking, Kalimelle!

The doctor said that the lump is a lymph node and she is 99.9% sure that there isn't anything "ominous" about it. She is referring him to an ENT specialist at A.I. Dupont Children's Hospital just to make sure though. The appointment is Friday 2/6. I'll post about it on my blog after we hear back.

marysmit

01-21-2009, 08:27 PM

I'm so excited I just made a salad dressing with cucumbers, cashews, braggs, green onions, pineapple, cilantro, ginger and braggs seasoning. Yum.

TanjaJo

01-21-2009, 10:19 PM

Kalimelle, thanks for the quinoa tabouli idea. I got some quinoa soaking 2 minutes after reading your post. I love tabouli. This should be interesting.

Started out with a 2 mile run. got it over with right away in the AM, as I knew we'd be cutting firewood today, and I would not have a lot to give to a run tonight.

Made a green smoothie this morning without any spinach, as there was none at the store yesterday. Got a big head of green lettuce to use for the green smoothie, and DID NOT LIKE THAT! I want my spinach!

Had a salad at supper time, and now am drinking my green juice that I enjoy before bed time. Especially when I think I haven't eaten enough in the day. Juicing makes me feel better about that.

Trying to not get on the scale anymore than once a week.

Oh....made my own raw version of Annie's Goddess dressing today. Really good. I used to enjoy that dressing so much.

Great to see those posts of people still hanging in here.

Have a wonderful raw day tomorrow.

bowie

01-21-2009, 11:46 PM

welcome to day 22!

shine72

01-22-2009, 08:45 AM

I'm up, haven't eaten yet though. About to head down and make some almond mylk! :D Then I think I'll have a superfood shake!

Hope ya'll have a GREAT day 22! :D RAWK ON! We're more than 2/3 the way through! :D

rawchic

01-22-2009, 10:27 AM

I made sweet potato pancakes last night and had them for breakfast this morning with sliced apple. They were kind of like hash browns - yummy!
This is where the recipe came from (I added a little red pepper and mushroom):

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/a-raw-food-recipe-for-potato-pancakes-the-renegade-health-show-episode-229/

polycute

01-22-2009, 11:36 AM

A little discouraged today. Gained another pound overnight which brings my total loss to only 3 pounds in 22 days. Yikes. Not sure what I am doing wrong but I honestly believe it's that I am not eating enough! I've cut out most nuts and fats and have noticed an increase in my weight ever since.

I'm ready to add them back in, if this is the case.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Breakfast: a very small orange, a very small banana, a parsley smoothie made with 1 pear and 1 tablespoon of raw almond butter (it was quite good!)

I just discovered parsley for smoothies. It's super inexpensive and tasty! I know I am late to the parsley party but at least I made it.

Is there a forum for raw weight loss? I must be doing something wrong. I am drinking plenty of water. Just not sure what is going on.

100% raw, feeling ok even though the loss is slower than molasses.

I still love raw food better than cooked!!

Kalimelle

01-22-2009, 07:01 PM

polycute----

3 lbs in 22 days is actually great! it's still true that the slower the weight comes off the better for maintenance, and 3lbs in 22 days is about 1lb per week, which is a safe and steady rate of loss. i know it can be frustrating when you hear stories of folks with TONS of weight dropping off in no time at all, but you're still making great progress. and you can't gain a pound of fat weight overnight when you're eating sensibly (3500 calories=1lb, and i KNOW you didn't binge on over a whole day's worth of food last night!)

as for me, today i've had:

~2 huge green smoothies: one with mango, banana, parsely and one with kale, mint, pear and apple
~lots of raw brazil nuts (maybe 1 cup)
~romaine salad with cilantro/tahini/lemon juice dressing and a tomato
~a raw chocolate macaroon
~a generous tablespoon of raw almond butter

i didn't feel hungry earlier on in the day, but i think i was short on calories so i was craving the density of the almond butter and salad dressing by the end of the day. feeling great, but having a hard time with my boyfriend who is afraid that i'm acting "crazy" because i got myself a vitamix and a dehydrator and am going close to 100% raw. it's hard....i do have eating disordered issues in my past, but things feel different this time. i don't know how to get him to be on my side. :-(

TanjaJo

01-22-2009, 09:45 PM

Hello friends!

Polycute, I feel for you....I think your body just needs time to adjust. That's what I'm attributing my weight fluctuations on. I just have given up on the goofy scale. I feel better, and I know I'm sticking with it, so things are going to come off. And we're going to FEEL GREAT. I would like to weigh less so I don't feel I'm abusing my body so when I run on the treadmill. Right now it would sure be nice to not be carrying around an extra 40# for that reason.

My maca and raw cacao came today. I had a banana/cacao smoothie whipped up in no time. Wow! I made V one when he got home from work. I put coconut and whipped Brazil nuts in his, as well as the bananas in his smoothie. I figured he needed the extra calories. He really thought it was good. It took him a while to get used to. He says it looks so much like a chocolate shake that that's what he was expecting.

Ran 3 miles on the treadmill tonight, and did a cool down of half a mile.

Today I ate two clementines for breakfast. Had a salad around 11:00 am. Then my cacao/banana smoothie around 4:00 pm, and now drinking down the juice I made with 2 granny smith apples, half a bag of cranberries, 1 cucumber, half a bunch of parsley, half a bunch of celery. Not the greatest...but I know again I didn't eat a lot and I need the nutrition.

Have a great evening, and a wonderful raw day tomorrow. Day 23 tomorrow...wow.

marysmit

01-22-2009, 09:45 PM

Congrats everyone. Well I seem to be craving things over and over. Made banana, blueberrie and strawberry icecream twice today. Had my cucumber drsg with veggies, couple apples and banana. Two dates with 4 almonds. Bowl of three berrie mix and almond milk. I'm making corn tortillas tonight in the dehydrator. And by request a bunch of Kale chips tomorrow for company. Can't believe it's day 22. Yeah for us.

bowie

01-23-2009, 03:33 AM

welcome to day 23

janicejourney

01-23-2009, 09:16 AM

Polycute:

Hey, I think your instincts about not eating enough are probably right on. I am one who has lost a lot eating raw and, I never tried to cut calories or fats. I am now down 5 lbs without trying to eat fewer calories and I don't have very much to lose. Just follow your raw cravings and don't worry about fats or anything like that. Eventually your cravings will change but to try to curb them I think lead to feeling you are on a "diet" which is not necessary in order to lose weight with eating raw foods :) HTH! Janice

rawchic

01-23-2009, 11:20 AM

last night I ate out at a raw restaurant - I had a coconut smoothie, a thai salad, and a piece of cacao pie. yummy!

I tend to eat more fruit than veggies. This weekend I'm going to try flipping that and eating more veggies than fruit. Just trying to experiment with how it makes me feel. I very easily overeat fruit - I'll have 5 or 6 bananas in a row - but I don't tend to overeat veggies. We'll see how it goes...

so today for lunch I have a salad w/ spinach, parsley, zucchini and tomato. no fruit for lunch.

Have a great Friday!

TanjaJo

01-23-2009, 11:55 AM

Morning! Well, almost afternoon. Had a 3-banana and water with cacao and coconut smoothie. Well, most of it. I want to save some for later.

I made the raw quinoa tabouli this morning, and had a little bit of that. Thanks for the suggestion on this the other day Kalimelle. Yummy!

Not hungry. Hoping to get on the treadmill again tonight. We'll see how the day unfolds.

Good to still be here with you all.

polycute

01-24-2009, 01:41 AM

I'm here.

Had a green smoothie for breakfast. I can't remember for the life of me what I put in it but I think it was kale, banana and....pear?

Lunch: kale and red leaf lettuce with serrano peppers, a sunflower based dressing

Dinner: went to a Chinese New Year Party so I brought my own raw dish of sliced bok choy, daikon, green onion and mushroom salad with an orange/ginger dressing (orange juice and pulp, ginger slices, sunflower seeds, garlic, chives, acv, water, sesame seeds). Everyone liked it!

A vegetarian friend of mine had raw spring rolls at the party! I couldn't believe my luck. Red bell pepper, pea leaf?, enoki mushroom, mung bean, cilantro and lime. All raw, very delicious.

I lost 1/2 pound by eating more yesterday. It seems so counterintuitive to everything we've been taught about trying to lose weight but it's true! You really do have to feed your body and listen to it.

Thank you to janice and kali and everyone for their advice. I'm in this for the long haul despite the slow loss. I know all the other benefits will do me a world of good. :)

bowie

01-24-2009, 01:41 AM

welcome to day 24!

contessa20

01-24-2009, 05:37 AM

Day 26 here. I was so busy I forgot to post here yesterday. It was a good raw day. I had a cucumber/Brazilian melon smoothie, fajita salad, banana w/almond butter & honey and 3 clementines. No exercise though because I was at work/school for 12 straight hours.

marysmit

01-24-2009, 05:44 PM

ate berries and almond milk for breakfast. Survived church potluck which is mostly vegan but not raw with bringing my own fruit and drsg. There were a couple great salads. A little girl saw my apple, so that took off. Now I'm having a shake with spinach, lots of blueberies and few strawberries and a banana. Taking food for the road tonight. Have a great 24th all.

contessa20

01-24-2009, 08:21 PM

Day 27!!!

Had a GREAT day today! DS9 and I spent the afternoon on Main Street in town where the Co-Op (health food store) and juice bar are located. After buying DS9 some SAD pizza I went to pick up what I needed from the Co-op. I got big bags of sunnies, flax and cashews plus a jar of raw chocolate sauce.

By that point I was pretty hungry and ready to go next door to the juice bar for a salad. Instead though I decided to take a peek at the grab-n-go section at the co-op just to see if they had any raw foods. To my surprise they actually had a few items from that raw food delivery place in Pennsylvania. I picked up a slice of pizza (AWESOME) for lunch and a mediteranean wrap (didn't love it) and slice of chocolate cheesecake (DELISH) for dinner. It was WAY expensive but it was worth having some prepared raw food out somewhere instead of just eating plain salad.

So, all in all I ended up eating 2 clementines, 2 bananas, slice of raw pizza, half of the wrap and the slice of cheesecake today.

janicejourney

01-24-2009, 09:40 PM

Still going strong! I actually have felt like I am fighting a cold all day. Really tired and weak feeling, hope I feel better after a good night sleep as long as my baby is on board with that too. I bought 5 young coconuts from our local wholefoods grocers. Loving them. Had a chocolate, coconut, banana, cashew, shake with some water to thin it down a little. YUMMMM.

TanjaJo

01-24-2009, 10:38 PM

Started the morning out with a banana/cacao smoothie. About noonish had 1/4 c of pumpkin seeds, and two clementines. When I got home from work made myself a banana and blueberry smoothie. Tonight for a snack had a clementine, and an orange.

I've been getting really quite chilled a lot lately. And sort of moody. I don't like that much. I was hoping for an improved state of mind after the period was done.:confused: Maybe it's just this awful cold weather. I really do not like it one bit.

:confused:

Good to read the posts for the day. I like catching up with everyone. Have a lovely evening, and a great raw tomorrow.;)

bowie

01-25-2009, 01:01 AM

welcome to day 25

Kalimelle

01-25-2009, 09:53 AM

hey everybody,

well, it's day 6 for me, and i got on the scale this morning to discover that i'm down to 151.5 or 152.5 (my scale sometimes plays tricks with me!) from 154. that's in just 5 days of raw! i've been eating lots and lots of food, and i feel so much less hungry/food addicted than i felt before.

i need to find some better soup recipes though. the ones i've been improvising haven't been so tasty. i'm still learning how raw flavors combine together.

another cool development is that my boyfriend, who's initially been fairly negative on the whole raw thing, is eating more and more raw---mostly because that's what i'm fixing. this morning i opened the fridge and he'd taken all of the raw pasta with him to the hospital (he's in medical school...talk about a collection of unhealthy eaters!), and last night we had a feast of raw pasta, cut up veggies and sunflower pate, and butternut squash soup with apple, sage, and dulse.

thanks for all of your support.

contessa20

01-25-2009, 04:19 PM

Day 28! Today was rough. The in-laws came up and everyone ordered in for lunch. There was all manner of pizza, subs, fries, garlic bread etc. etc. The smells were KILLING me. I planned for this last night though and made a up a batch of fajita mix and chocolate pudding for myself. I kept thinking how great I felt eating my own food and how awful I would feel if I gave into what everyone else was eating. It was hard but I did it.

Food today:
2 clementines
banana
raspberries
1/2 raw tortilla w/fajita mix
fajita salad
raw chocolate pudding

TanjaJo

01-25-2009, 04:22 PM

Kalimelle, congrats on the weight loss!

I'd be keeping track of mine on here, except the hubby checks in on this once in a while.:eek: lol I will tell you this though, I caved this morning and got on the scale, and it's been 25 days and 8.2 lbs gone!

I haven't been too excited about eating anything today. I made the waldorf salad after church and we sure enjoyed that. I've got some bananas in the freezer right now to make a banana cacao smoothie for supper. Then I hope to juice my green drink tonight, if I'm not too full.

Probably won't run on the treadmill either as we're going to go load the MIL's basement up with firewood here pretty quick. That's work out enough for me today.:rolleyes:

Seems as if this thread is getting threadbare:confused: I miss everyone and the ideas.

TanjaJo

01-25-2009, 04:27 PM

I planned for this last night though and made a up a batch of fajita mix and chocolate pudding for myself.
Food today:

Could I get the recipes for these two items some time Contessa 20? That sounds good.

I've been lucky so far we've not had a lot of eating events around us that I have to contend with.

Glad you stayed strong!

contessa20

01-25-2009, 04:43 PM

Could I get the recipes for these two items some time Contessa 20? That sounds good.

I've been lucky so far we've not had a lot of eating events around us that I have to contend with.

Glad you stayed strong!

Sure thing!

Fajita Seasoning Mix
1 T. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 T. chili powder
1 T. salt (I use slightly less salt)

Add about 1 cup of olive oil to this and mix it thoroughly.

Thinly slice 2 large bell peppers, 2 large onions and 2 large portabello mushroom caps.

Pour the olive oil seasoning mix over the sliced vegetables and let them marinate overnight.

I eat off of this all week, inside of cabbage leaves, over salad etc. etc. etc.

Chocolate Pudding

I got this recipe from Raw Food Real World.

2 C young coconut meat
3/4 C room temperature coconut water
1/2 C maple syrup
1/3 C agave
1/2 C cocoa powder
2 Tb. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Whirl in blender until smooth and chill in the fridge or freezer.

For this one I used just agave instead of the maple syrup since that's not raw. I used carob for the cocoa powder and added a scoop of raw fudge sauce to make it a little richer. It didn't come out very pudding-like so I stuck it in the freezer and let it semi-solidify before tossing some raspberries on top. Very yummy.

TanjaJo

01-25-2009, 06:27 PM

Thank you! I have a bunch of portabellos in the fridge...been going to look up a recipe to use them in. Looks like the fajitas will take care of that.

marysmit

01-25-2009, 07:49 PM

right now everyday seem tougher. My fridge froze all my veggies. I juiced most of it after it thaw. The juice turned out ok, but I needed the crunch of my veggies. So today I did my favorite berries with almond milk. Kale chips the cheesy ones. I made chocolate mousse for lunch out of Alissa cookbook, yum. I planned to eat it all for a meal but way to rich, only ate about a third. Had some more for dinner. Thanks for sharing the fajita recipe I've also been wondering about it.

bowie

01-26-2009, 12:22 AM

welcome to day 26!

polycute

01-26-2009, 01:16 AM

I'm here. No time to post. But here. Just a few more days now! We're almost there. It was fairly easy but there were definite ups and downs.

tvillemom

01-26-2009, 07:32 AM

Hey all! I'm still here. I've missed posting because of a very busy weekend schedule! I am planning on a five day liver cleansing juice fast. I'm not sure if this will work, but the plan also says that you can have raw veggie blended soups, so I think I will have that 1 meal per day.....it will only have avo, tomato, and a couple other veggies in it.

I am feeling great, and happy to be near the end of the challenge this month.

I am reminding myself that at the beginning of the challenge, I told myself that I would treat everyday with the same excitement as I did on Jan. 1st. I'm trying to keep my attitude fresh, remembering what someone else said (I think it was here) "it's not what you are taking away from your diet, it's what you are ADDING to your diet" I like that attitude.

Peace to all.

Food plan for the day:
green tea with 1/2 lemon juiced...warm water only
beet/carrot/celery/gingerroot/lemon/cucumber juice
green juice with spinach/apple/celery/lemon/ginger/cucumber
tomato/avo soup

Hopefully I will post later.

Ravani

01-26-2009, 10:18 AM

Yippee! Day 26 (day 35 for me). I'm so glad that I'm still 100% raw. And I'm grateful for this forum. I don't post much because I don't know what to say; but I appreciate reading everyone else's posts and recipes, etc. I still don't like the food that I'm making all that much. I do, however, very much like feeling lighter. It's not that I even have much weight to lose; I just couldn't bear that feeling of not easily digesting my food -- like I was carrying around a bowling ball in my abdomen.

My 50th birthday passed on Saturday. I have really been excited about this for months now. It feels like a rebirth somehow. My husband made pizza, picked up BBQ chicken wings, and had soda and brownies. (Even as a sad eater, that would not have been my choice for a birthday dinner.) His brother and sister-in-law came, and they either did not know or forgot it was my birthday. I ate nori rolls and cried for 5 hours after they left. But I stayed raw. I'm planning on having a party for myself in May. (Long story, but my sister just passed away a month ago and I didn't want to put myself through the stress while I was grieving.)

Anyway, I don't want to complain overly long. My actual birthday felt sad, but I was recognized by other friends and loved ones, I stayed committed to my well being and will celebrate myself in style and in due time.

Thanks to you all for being here and for all the posts that help me so much.

Ravani

contessa20

01-26-2009, 01:49 PM

Day 29 here and I've been an eating fool today!

So far today I've eaten:

Mexican Breakfast Scramble over spinach
5 clementines
raw chocolate pudding
squash *spaghetties* with spinach dip on top

I feel like I haven't stopped eating today but man, every single bite has been absolutely DELISH!!! Truly, I just love Raw food.

I did an hour of step-aerobics this morning too. I always feel so energized after a good workout.

In the dehydrator I have some breadsticks and pizza crust (all the same recipe, just differently shaped) that I can't wait to try with some maranara sauce tomorrow.

TanjaJo

01-26-2009, 02:21 PM

Ravani...so sorry about your birthday not turning out. They just seem to lose their magic these days. Still seems a bit weird that they just spaced that out. What a bummer.

Wendi...I've been reading about the liver cleanse. I am just worried about that night where you're supposed to go to bed and not get up or anything for the night. Seems like I always have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, or let the dogs out to pee at 2:00 am (like this morning) or something. I really would like to try it. Just a bit worried. Or maybe I'm thinking of the master cleanse or whatever? Think it may be one in the same.

Cris, you are always so creative with your "cooking". Especially working and everything. You are doing a great job.

I had serendipitous "chunky monkey" ice cream for breakfast this morning! lol....I was going to make the banana cacao smoothie, and just had a little water with the frozen bananas and the cacao nibs and it blended up just like ice cream. So I had a bowl of ice cream for breakfast! I have to get some more raw walnuts and then it can be real chunky monkey.

I had a salad for lunch, and just tried making the ice cream again but it didn't work, so I've got more bananas cut up out on the porch waiting to feeze.

I'm working on plastering a little addition we built to our house to put in an old wood cook stove. Looks cool. That'll come in handy now that I'm not cooking anymore, lol.....I am going to check the temp. on the thing when we get it installed and going and see if I can do some dehydrating by it or on it or near it somewhere.

Glad to see more people today!!!! Yeah.

rawchic

01-26-2009, 02:30 PM

good morning! Today I made a salad w/ romaine, kale, apples, and celery. It was simple and delicious! I had two plates of it already.

I'm going to yoga in an hour and then I'll probably have a couple more apples.

For dinner, I'm going to have some raw tomato soup and some flax crackers.

I'm so excited - we're getting our dining room table chairs delivered today!!! We moved in August, and have had a table with no chairs this whole time. It will be nice to be able to eat at the table instead of on the couch.

Have a great Monday!

janicejourney

01-26-2009, 05:48 PM

Ravani, I am so sorry about your sister and 50th(!) birthday not turning out.

I had terrible gas last night. I think it was from the buckwheat pizza crust I made. It was the only new ingredient I have introduced and it didn't digest well. They were sprouted correctly and everything too. Funny how when I eat raw I never really have gas issues anymore and so when I do get it, it is really obvious that I ate something that didn't agree with me. I have more pizza in the fridge too.... don't want to waste it so I might give it another go. I also put some shallots on it, which while good tasting, I think too strong in flavor when raw (for me). I have decided to take this to a 90 challenge... woot! I have made my goal of 5 lbs released so far. Now 5 more and I will be a happy camper!!! Every Monday the manager buys lunch for the counselors and it is usually pizza or subway or... but I have not caved once! I think it is because I have a big fabulous salad with awesome dressing that is so yummy and filling I don't feel I need any more food. I have altered my favorite dressing to be almost 100% raw. Tahini, lemon, Nama Shoyu, agave, and a splash of Ume plum vinegar. So good!

bowie

01-27-2009, 12:28 AM

welcome to day 27

rawchic

01-27-2009, 10:35 AM

I feel like I need to reset my body, so I am starting a fast today. I'm not sure how many days I'm going to do. The longest I have done before was a 3 day water fast. I felt really good after it, but I didn't break the fast well. I jumped right back into eating "normally" without transitioning. I feel like it un-did all my efforts. So this time, I want to try it a different way.

I'm thinking I will do water the first couple days, then switch to juice, and then to smoothies. Maybe I'll do three days of each stage, so 9 days total.

I'm looking forward to knocking all the junk out of my system!

tvillemom

01-27-2009, 01:06 PM

Good luck rawchic! I always tend to go overboard with eating when I break my fasts! (my longest has only been a 10 day MC...and the other was an 8 day juice fast) I think maybe next month I am going to do a 10 day MC. I like the MC, I feel better, maybe it's because of the salt water flush and tea that you drink to help "clean you out". Anyway, good luck.

Ravani: I am sooo sorry that your birthday was forgotten! I'm glad for you though that you feel like you are having a time of "rebirth". I have felt the same way this new year! I am so much more dedicated to keeping it raw this time!

Today's food so far:
tea
granola (so much for the fast for my liver....I was way too hungry yesterday...this is why I might do a MC next month!!)
now I'm getting ready to eat some clementines!!! I LOVE CLEMENTINES!!!

I will probably have juice for dinner....a green veggie juice.
AND then juice tomorrow morning. I'm running out of veggies and supplies to the next 2 days have to be planned out.

See ya!

janicejourney

01-27-2009, 04:52 PM

Wow, we are almost at the end of this challenge! I am feeling leaner. I could see a difference in the mirror this a.m. when I looked at my naked bod. Last night I had a few bites of the raw pizza and was like "ewww" and didn't finish. I enjoyed a young coconut all by itself instead and with the delicious water, was totally satisfied. I think I'll do the same today. I no longer feel tired or low energy either. I think I had a little detox action going on last weekend. Pretty sure I will be ending the month with 6-7 lbs gone. And I am feeling fantastic :)

contessa20

01-27-2009, 05:32 PM

Today is day 30 for me! Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

All total I lost 7 lbs., 1 shirt size and 1 1/2 pants sizes. I'm pretty excited about that!!! The detox acne that I had is pretty much gone too and I haven't had to use my asthma inhaler in weeks.

Today I didn't exercise but then again I never sat down at work either. I was on the go all. day. long.

I managed to get in a kale, dandelion, banana & pineapple green smoothie for breakfast and a bowl of Mexican Breakfast Scramble w/spinach and baby tomatoes for lunch. I have a pizza in the dehydrator for dinner and I think I might have a bowl of mixed berries & kiwi too.

This has been a wonderful 30-day journey. I'm excited to start my next 30 tomorrow!!!

Fern

01-27-2009, 08:08 PM

27 days, wow, I feel like I just started! I am going for 60 days as my first goal, so I'll be posting next month as well!

Today, lemon water, plum, banana, Lara bar, a great salad with tahini dressing, a few cashews, and a wonderful marinated salad for dinner that has been steeping for a couple of days.

I have been getting to the gym regularly for the first time EVER. I am amazing myself. But I truly feel that all this good stuff builds on itself. Eating right makes me feel better, helps me have more energy, makes me want to go to the gym, which makes me feel even better, repeat. I am loving this.

Today I am dehydrating more burgers, soaking and dehydrating nuts coated with shoyu. YUM

Congrats on a great month everyone!

TanjaJo

01-27-2009, 10:09 PM

Oh this laptop is infuriating at times. I just had a post and somehow it got deleted.:(

Anyways, did 3 miles last night on treadmill, and 3 tonight. I stepped it up a notch tonight by running about 1 mile at a really fast (for me) speed of 4.5.

Had the delicious banana and cacao ice cream for breakfast. Had a bunch of clementines, two mineolas (? - new for me, never had them before) an orange, some flax crackers. I am drinking my green juice right now.

Does anyone have a favorite spot to download music? I have a Sony Walkman MP3 player. Don't know if that matters or not, but I don't have an i-pod, so don't know if I can do the Apple thing or whatever. I need to get some new blood in the Walkman. It's been over a year since I've added anything new. :eek:

Day 28 already tomorrow. Unbelievable. :D

bowie

01-28-2009, 12:30 AM

welcome to day 28

contessa20

01-28-2009, 09:59 AM

Today is day 31 for me!

I slept in this morning since school was canceled due to the snow and ice we got overnight. When I woke up I really wanted something chocolaty. I decided to make some chocolate pudding with raspberries on top. YUMMMMMMM!!!

I find it absolutely amazing that when you just listen to your body and give it what it wants instead of depriving it because it's not the "right" thing to eat at the time, you actually eat less and feel satisfied much more easily. Last weekend I bought a jar of raw fudge sauce. Now, on SAD I would have devoured that in 2 days, tops. On raw though, my body is nourished and I feel completely satisfied without gorging until I'm sick. When I made the pudding this morning I felt completely content with eating one small pudding bowl of it and putting the rest in the fridge for later. My body is satisfied with a healthy version of what it wanted and 3 hrs. later I'm neither hungry nor thinking about when I'll finally get to eat that other bowl. Raw food just blows my mind; it's as simple as that.

Today I need to get some chores done and then I think DS9 and I are going to have a "National Treasure 1 & 2" marathon. I love snowy, cuddly days like this.

Have a simply rawsome day!!!!!

Exercise
60 min. shoveling ice from driveway

Food
chocolate pudding w/raspberries
1/2 Brazilian melon w/blackberries
Mexican salad - spinach, cilantro, red peppers, yellow peppers, red onion & corn w/olive oil, lemon, lime, chili powder, cayenne, salt & pepper dressing

rawchic

01-28-2009, 11:28 AM

Contessa20 - that is great about not using your inhaler!!!

Fern, that's so cool that you are excited about going to the gym. I love how raw impacts all areas of our lives...it's not just about the food.

TanjaJo - you can try downloading music at Rhapsody.com

I'm on my second day of water and I'm feeling really good. I went to bed early last night and slept really well.

It was pretty easy to get through the first day. My tummy grumbled a little bit, but not bad. I went out to happy hour with some co-workers. I planned the happy hour two weeks ago, so I didn't realize I was going to be fasting. I didn't want to cancel though since I was the one who organized it. And why shouldn't I be able to hang out with people without drinking/eating?

Anyway - it went really well. We got to the bar and I just got a water with lemon. Everyone else ordered food and drinks - they asked me why I wasn't going to have anything. I simply responded that I didn't feel like it, and that I just came to spend time with everyone. (I didn't want to get into the merits of fasting...too much info to explain to a big group of people). After that, people dropped it and conversation went on like normal - no one payed any attention to me just drinking water.

I think it shows that as long as we don't act like anything is wrong, and that we don't have anything to hide or be embarrassed about, then other people aren't as put off guard.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner with a couple of friends who are in from out of town. Again...bad timing for when I decided to fast, but they called last minute. Oh well - I'm still going to stick with my water. I can explain to them that I'm doing a detox - it's only 2 people, so it's easier to have that conversation.

polycute

01-28-2009, 02:44 PM

rawchic, you and I are on the same wavelength.

I really want to end my first 30 days of raw on a high note so yesterday morning, I decided to go on a fast, too!

Today is day 2 and I feel pretty good. I'm hoping to go until Friday which would be my 30th day of all-raw. And the last 4 days (crosses fingers) of water fasting.

I feel that I really needed to fast and detox a bit more. Since my weight isn't moving, I was 2.5 pounds down in 27 days of raw as of yesterday - it could mean that my digestive system needs a break. I'm hoping this fast will give me some sort of breakthrough.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE BEING RAW like you would not believe! The food is so incredible and vibrant. My son was asking me about MSG yesterday and I told him the truth - that's it pretty much in everything and hidden in most processed foods. He asked how to avoid it and I told him to eat raw foods. I'm introducing him to some raw foods every day but it has to be gentle as I'm not an expert at nutrition (given my 30+ years of bad eating habits). But he's a natural for carrots, grapes, apples, bananas. And even salads!

Once I'm off this fast, I'm going to attempt a chocolate (raw cacao) and banana shake for him and see how he likes it. I'm also thinking raw honey might be good for him.

And on Sunday, I've got a fun vegan super bowl potluck to attend. I planned on making raw vegan chili, living fries, guacamole and possibly a chia pudding.

I don't think the crowd will mind the raw dishes at all! I chose these dishes because I think they go really well with the "Superbowl" theme. Pretty funny!

Alright everyone, we're doing great. I'm especially impressed with those of you who've lost a lot (tanjajo), who are on fasts (rawchic and ....oh...me!), and those who have inhalers and aren't using them (contessa).

Really remarkable! Looking forward to day 29 tomorrow and even if I decide to break my fast, I have plenty of raw food to make sure I finish this month the way I started it!! :p

janicejourney

01-28-2009, 05:53 PM

Last night I hopped on the scale before bed... usually not a great time to weigh in but I was at 129!!! I haven't seen that weight for 1 year!!! This makes 7 lbs lost. WOW!

Congratulations to those who have lost and those who haven't lost quite yet but are sticking with it. Also good luck to the fasters :)

Not feeling like salads the last few days, weird.

I haven't had a green smoothie in a while either, but plan to this weekend or maybe tomorrow morning. I am daydreaming about cacao too, but don't have any with me. I think I will mix some in with my coconut tonight. mmmm

TanjaJo

01-28-2009, 10:06 PM

Thanks for the music download ideas, Rawchic!

Everyone is doing so good! It seems like the morale is really up on this thread. And the fasting, that's amazing. I want to try that, but will wait until I finish the 30-day challenge, until I start thinking of the fasting. I just don't want to go through another painful detox, so I think I'll keep up the raw a while more before I attempt a fast.

Contessa20, how nice for you to have one of those wonderful snow days off! I know how a day like that feels.

Polycute, I think your son will love the banana/cacao shake. I've been having banana/cacao ice cream about once a day now. Vern and I both love it. The lady at the store commented when I went in and bought 5 bunches of bananas! She thought I must be making banana bread, but I told her about the raw food diet. I don't feel really any super energy or anything from the cacao, like some people talk. But maybe we don't eat that much. Just once a day.

Congratulations Janicejourney, on your weight loss! Wow, 129. That's amazing. That's my goal weight. But I've got a long ways to go. You must feel SO great!

I was listening to an interview on Rawkin radio with a gentleman who lost a lot of weight. Something they brought up was stretch marks. I was relieved to hear that what little he did have of stretch marks (after losing a LOT of weight in one year) were disappering. That's encouraging.

Some really encouraging and entertaining stories on there, if you have time to check it out.

Oh...today, drank carrot juice. Took 3 peeled clementines with us shopping. Had a salad around 4:00 pm. Had the banana/cacao "ice cream" tonight around 9:00 pm, I gave half of mine to Vern though because I get so full so easily.

Have a great day # 29 tomorrow. I'm so excited about this, and happy to have you raw friends on here. Thanks so much for the support, and information and just being here. - T.

bowie

01-29-2009, 01:47 AM

welcome to day 29

rawchic

01-29-2009, 10:14 AM

polycute - I hope your fasting goes well! That is so cool that your son asked you about MSG. How old is he? Oh my gosh, I'm so jealous that you get to go to a vegan superbowl party!!! your raw dishes sound great - I'm sure everyone will love them.

janicejourney - congrats on the weight loss! That is so exciting :)

today is my last day of water fasting. I'm feeling okay this morning. I didn't sleep as well last night as I did the night before. Not sure why, but I just kept waking up.

I'm looking forward to having juice the next three days. However, it's going to be expensive. I don't have a juicer at home, so I have to go to the juice bar. It's like $5 a juice, ouch. Oh well - my health is worth more than money!

Although, I have heard of people blending a smoothie and then straining it through a nutmilk bag and drinking just the juice. I guess that would be another option. Has anyone tried that? The only thing is that I feel like I would probably use $5 worth of produce anyway, so is it really any different than just going and buying a juice? hmm...

TanjaJo

01-29-2009, 12:04 PM

I heard of someone trying the straining thing. I think that would definitely be a good option for you. I think maybe Fern tried it? Not sure if it was her, but I think so.

We (vern and I) had a big glass of green smoothie today. We've got carrots soaking to juice later. And I've got cut up bananas in the freezer (for ice cream later!! woohoo!) and I imagine I'll eat a lot of clementines today. And oranges. Not sure if I"ll fit a salad in. My little coffee blender broke (the one I chopped nuts in) and I feel crippled as far as what I can make now. But I'm sure I'll do fine.

Well, I know I swore I'd not weigh myself as much and I caved. But I am down 10.6 lbs. now. So I am kind of glad I did. Another 6 lbs. or so and I'll be at the lightest I've been since I tried WW last year. I will be so excited to get below the 150 mark. I am only 5'1" so definitely need to lose.

We are giving some pet chickens away (to a pet home) so after I send Vern and Bridger off to take the chickens to their new home, I'll hop on the treadmill. I gave myself a break last night, but I'm eager to get on today.

Hope everyone's doing well.

Oh...Vern wanted to know what I wanted to do to celebrate my 1 month raw. He was thinking of taking me out to eat Chinese (gasp!) I can't imagine what goes through a man's mind for the life of me. I told him a great back rub would suffice! Nice of him to think about me though. I'll be staying raw, thank you very much.

Okay..bye bye. Have a great day.

contessa20

01-29-2009, 12:45 PM

Day 32!

Busy, busy, busy at work today! I'm feeling great though. I'm thinking I want to make a big 'ole taco salad for the Superbowl this Sunday. Yummmmm!!!!!! I guess I need to get on top of making some corn chips and such though.

So far today I've had:
cucumber, beet, carrot, apple, kiwi juice
1 mini raw pizza
bowl of kiwi, blackberries & clementines

rawchic

01-29-2009, 01:51 PM

thanks TanjaJo - and CONGRATS on the weight loss!!! Woo hoo :)

polycute

01-29-2009, 04:06 PM

How many of us are still in the challenge this month? I can't wait for February when lots of new friends join us. It's inspiring to me and it's also great to read about what everyone is eating and doing.

My son is 9 years old but he's going on 29! He's a really cool kid - wants to save Darfur, spearheaded recycling at his school, loves most fruits and some veggies and he's incredibly smart (smarter than I am, really!). I just fear the teen years because I know kids change and get mouthy. :eek:

I'm still on the water fast but I'm really ready to get off it. I had to do some shopping at the store for my boyfriend and my son and for the raw vegan super bowl dishes I plan to make. And it happened, I spotted very delicious looking dates. Oh, I just wanted to eat one so bad!

So I think I'll stick with this until Saturday and then break my fast with a GS.

My weight is all over the place. I think I lost 6lbs total this month. It could be my scale - I get a sketchy reading.

Still, if it's 6 lbs, I am pretty happy. I'm also thinking about doing the liver cleanse sometime soon.

I simply can not wait to get back to raw. But I'll stick with my fast today and tomorrow. I committed myself to 4 days.

Anyone affected by the crazy snowy weather which knocked out electricity? I hope not?

I've often thought about living without electricity ("off the grid") and how it could be done. I did see a hand crank food processor at the thrift store the other day. And you could certainly juice oranges and grapefruits pretty easy. But how would you make smoothies? It'd be tough though I know lots of people who say all you need for a good raw lifestyle is access to plenty of fresh produce, a good knife and a cutting board.

Have a great Thursday everyone! We're almost there and I hope to see all of you in for February. We are all in for February, right? ;)

tvillemom

01-29-2009, 05:40 PM

Hi everybody! I am feeling great. I have lost about 5 lbs. this month...but gained them back (I think eating too many nuts/granola). I am going to do better the next few days, and into the next month.

Anybody continuing on into the February challenge??

I'm going to be adding gs to my "diet" everyday. I hope to buy some spirulina or other type powder to add into them. Anybody have a favorite??

TANJAJO: We are about the same weight and height. It will be fun to have someone who is the "same" trying to lose>

Take care.

contessa20

01-29-2009, 07:11 PM

My son is 9 years old but he's going on 29! He's a really cool kid - wants to save Darfur, spearheaded recycling at his school, loves most fruits and some veggies and he's incredibly smart (smarter than I am, really!). I just fear the teen years because I know kids change and get mouthy. :eek:

Your son sounds a lot like my 9 yr. old son.

I've often thought about living without electricity ("off the grid") and how it could be done. I did see a hand crank food processor at the thrift store the other day. And you could certainly juice oranges and grapefruits pretty easy. But how would you make smoothies? It'd be tough though I know lots of people who say all you need for a good raw lifestyle is access to plenty of fresh produce, a good knife and a cutting board.

I've always wanted to do that. I have a few hand-crank appliances that I love but, to be honest, I don't use them for my raw foods. You can buy kits to transform your electric appliances into pedal-powered appliances. I've seen it done with blenders so that would definitely be an option for smoothies. Brings a whole new meaning to working for your food, eh!?!?!

And yep, I'm TOTALLY in for February! I'm already thinking about what I want to make for myself for V-day. If I'm going to make DH something special I may as well make something special for me too.

TanjaJo

01-29-2009, 09:34 PM

Wendi...That will be very nice to have someone with a similar body type and weight loss goals to do this with. As far as green smoothie suggestions, I am sticking with spinach for my greens. I tried romaine and about gagged. It was horrible (but I drank it because of $$). I usually like strawberries, and almost always bananas, and pineapple is good.

So we're going to continue on through February, but we will stay on this same spot to check in, right? So when they start the February 30-day challenge, whoever is keeping up will keep posting there? I don't want to lose anyone.

Good night everyone. Good to chat with you today. -T.

bowie

01-30-2009, 03:20 AM

welcome to day 30!

rawchic

01-30-2009, 12:44 PM

Yes - I'm SO in for next month. It makes me sad how many people we lost this month. Must have been a New Year's thing.

I love dates too, but they are addicting for me. Last weekend I bought a small container of them and ate the entire thing. One of the reasons it lead to my fast this week. The store I normally go to sells them in pre-made containers. I realized I am going to have to stop buying those. There is another store about 5 minutes farther away that sells them in a bulk bin. Next time I have a need for dates, I will go there and only buy a few at a time.

This morning I had a big delicious juice! This is my first day of a 3 day juice fast. I had a bunch of produce left over from this week since I water fasted the last three days. I took it all to the juice place. I asked the girl to make me a juice in a regular cup, and then pour the remainder into a mason jar I brought with me. Since it was all my own produce, I didn't think she would mind. She was happy to do it and even added a couple of other things to it. She only charged me $2 since I hardly used any of their ingredients. How cool!

So I put the mason jar in the freezer, and I'll take that with me skiing tomorrow. I'll leave it in the lodge (I have a locker) and by lunch time it should be defrosted. Then I can get another juice when we get back to town.

Last night I let my husband know my plan for the next 6 days. Earlier this week, I told him I was water fasting and he asked how long I was going to do it for. At that point, I hadn't really decided yet, so I just said as many days as I felt I needed. So last night I told him I was going to juice the next 3 days and do smoothies the following 3 days.

He is already familiar with my making smoothies, so that was nothing out of the ordinary. But he hadn't seen me juice before (because this is my first time doing it) so he had questions about that. Basically he asked what kind of juice, so I showed him the juice bar web site with all the different types. Then he asked if that was going to be enough for me while skiing, and I said yes. And then that was pretty much it.

so now I'm looking forward to a weekend filled with tons of yummy juice :)

This morning (and for tomorrow) my juice had: apple, pear, celery, cucumber, romaine, kale, spinach, and lemon. SO tasty!

I'm drinking water through the rest of work today, and then I'll get another juice on my way home. I'm thinking I'll try their "Energy" juice which has: carrot, strawberry, parsley, apple, ginseng, and bee pollen.

Tomorrow I'll have the leftover mason jar, and then I'm going to get the "green goddess" which has: cucumber, celery, kale, fennel, and ginger.

Sunday I'm going to get the "Belly rub" with apple, fennel, ginger, and mint. And then "granny's garden" with carrot, golden beet, celery, cucumber, kale and ginger.

At least that's what I'm planning...I could change my picks depending on what sparks my interest at the time. I probably won't be on the computer this weekend, so I figured I would type it all out ahead of time.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for putting a smile on my face every day. Hugs to all of you :)

p.s. I haven't mentioned weight loss at all because that wasn't the main focus of my cleanse. However, I realized you may be curious, because I always am when I'm reading other people's posts. So here you go: I have released 8 lbs over the three days. I'm back to exactly where I was three weeks ago before I went on my bender. Woo hoo!

IamLoved

01-30-2009, 05:33 PM

Hello,
Haven't been posting here because I started a fast on Jan 14th and wasn't sure if it went along with the challenge or not (?) But I am still all raw and very ready to commit for another month. I plan on fasting for at least another 30 days. Looking forward to taking measurements and everything on the first of the month, but I will post the monthly weight loss tomorrow when I know the results of the entire month!
:)

TanjaJo

01-30-2009, 10:47 PM

Rawchick...skiing?!!! OMGosh! My BFF is an avid skiier, but much to her dismay, I bounce down the hills, lol....all of those juice combinations sound really cool. I'll have to try them out. That was really nice of that juice lady to do that for you, and also quite ingenious of you to think of it!

Alisha, what a fast! Good luck. That sounds amazing. Certainly don't see why you wouldn't be in the challenge. And it will be great to have you for another month.

I started out the morning with a salad. Then lost track of time (I was in such a fog today it wasn't even funny), and ended up eating clementines and one mineola. Tonight had half an avocado and dipped it in the raw marinara I made for ... well, just because I wanted to. That's about it. Also have some raw brownies made up to take to work tomorrow. OH...and raw potato pancakes in the dehydrator. I am anxious to see how those turn out.

I did 3 miles on the treadmill tonight. I felt like I had wings. Which was weird considering the fog I was in earlier, I didn't think I'd have it in me. I did one of the miles in 12 minutes (that's 5.0 on the treadmill!) and I do believe that's a first, to do an entire mile at that speed. I did say a few prayers to get me through it though, lol....

Good night and have a lovely day tomorrow. -T.

bowie

01-31-2009, 04:56 AM

welcome to day 31

contessa20

01-31-2009, 06:56 AM

Acck, forgot to post yesterday!

It was a pretty good day. I ate:

fudge sauce, almond butter & banana on cinnamon flax crackers
1/2 Brazilian melon w/blackberries
a little mixed fruit
dandelion, kale, banana, kiwi, strawberry green smoothie
5 nut stuffed dates
about 3 clementines
big Mexican corn salad w/just a little dressing

I didn't love the cinnamon flax cracker concoction thing though. I think I was hoping for more of a Nutella creation but I just wasn't feelin' it. Too sweet and too heavy. I did get in lots of walking though. I don't think I sat down more than 15 min. total while at work.

I've been getting headaches in the evening lately. I'm pretty sure I'm not drinking enough water. I need to really remedy that because those headaches have been kicking my butt.

This week I was asked to join the "Friday Breakfast" crew at work. Basically, we alternate weeks bringing in some sort of breakfast food for about 10 people. I know the easiest thing for me to bring will be a big fruit salad but I'm wondering what else I could do in addition. I'm the only raw vegan, all the others are standard meat eaters.

contessa20

01-31-2009, 08:17 AM

Day 34 today and feeling good! I'm a little hungry this morning but really can't think of anything I want to eat. I've got some carrot, cucumber, celery juice in front of me and I think I'll pick up a banana and orange when we go to karate this morning.

I've got my corn chips in the dehydrator all ready to make me some nachos for the Super Bowl tomorrow. Woot!!!!! I need to pick up a few things at the health food store & farmer's market first though.

According to the scale I released another pound this morning. That's a total of 10 lbs. since Christmas. The jeans that I was fitting into albeit a little snugly are starting to be a little looser everyday. That's exciting.

I do need to make a more conscious effort to drink more water everyday. The last couple of days I've been sporting a nice headache in the evening, which, I think, is from dehydration.

Edited to add: Ooooh I just ate my first persimmon ever and it was DELICIOUS!!!!! It tasted a lot like a Medjool Date. :::drools::: I'm totally kicking myself because I only bought 3. Should have gotten a whole box.

polycute

01-31-2009, 10:48 AM

I completed 4 days of the fast. So I'm breaking my fast this morning with a GS. It's my birthday so I think I'll go to the raw cafe and celebrate with an easy lunch and a sweet treat.

I'm down a total of 8 pounds this month. Only 2.5 lbs were from raw and the rest were while I was on the fast. Though I was down about 6 or 7 lbs on raw so it could have been much easier to release that weight while I was fasting. In any case, I'm happy though I'm a little alarmed about my digestive system and body if it takes a 4 days fast to get weight moving.
I must have been incredibly toxic. The funny thing is before raw, I really thought I ate like a monk. It turns out...not so much.

Have a great Saturday. We made it! It's the last day of our challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in February!

Green_Woman

01-31-2009, 11:22 AM

I haven't been posting, but I have been 90-100% raw all month and I LOVE RAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D

janicejourney

01-31-2009, 04:40 PM

We did it!!!

I am on for next month. It was so much easier then I had thought it would be.

I found out a cool trick for making flax crackers less slimy tasting with dips etc.... I added 1 cup flax and 1 cup raw oats and soaked with 3 cups water. They are super crunchy, Next time I am going to do 1 cup flax an 1/2 cup oats and see how that does. I also always add some chia seeds for good measure and whatever else sounds good at the moment. Play with it and see what you guys think. Maybe we can come up with a new recipe :)

February goal is another 5 lbs and then March maintain or no more then 2-3 more lbs.

I juiced a bunch of stuff that was in the fridge that needed eating and blended it with some apples and a pear and some greens. I should have plenty for the whole weekend.

Yesterday I intentionally slipped at lunch and enjoyed it, but felt super tired all day afterward. No sick feeling or anything though.

TanjaJo

01-31-2009, 05:00 PM

Still raw...day 31 is it?! I didn't eat much on the mail route today. I brought a ton of stuff, and only ate about one clementine and some of the raw brownies. So got home and just now made myself a salad. Mmmm.....but now I'm full. I actually had to force myself to eat something because I just am not hungry. Maybe now's a good time to go on a fast? I don't know.

I hear rumblings that I may be joining the ranks of the jobless! I don't much like my job, but I've been trying to be grateful for it, and the paycheck.

Don't know if I'll get on the treadmill tonight or not...just depends (especially how long the salad wants to hang in there).

Cris, congrats on the weight loss. I hardly drank any water today either, but I rarely do when I'm on the route. I'll have to make up for it tonight.
I've never had a persimmon either. Now I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

Green woman, good to see you here! Haven't checked your blog lately, guess I'll see if I get time tonight.

Polycute, that sounds about like my body. I absolutely have to RUN to lose weight. Not just walking either, I tried logging on the miles for years just walking and never lost anything. It took running to make the weight come off.

Have a lovely day (what's left of it). T.