Almost one week raw!

[CJB]

Just checking in to say that as of tomorrow morning I will have made it to one week raw! This was 100% with the exception of indulging in organic peanut butter...until I realized that it definitely wasn't raw. Oh well.

I have noticed so many changes already. First off, I've lost weight. I don't own a scale so don't know how many pounds but I have a pair of shorts that at the beginning of the week I could not comfortably button and now I can with room to spare! So psyched about this!

I had a consultation with a local raw foodist who is also an iridologist. He did an excellent reading on my system and brought up an interesting issue. He said that my basic constitution is extremely strong but that my two biggest issues are a very clogged lymphatic system (probably due to the cheese..love(d) the stuff) and leaky gut. That made a lot of sense to me. I've been getting on the rebounder to help out the lymphatic and have started using hydrotherapy in the shower to get things moving. I do believe it's helping because I went for a hike today and felt some amazing changes! Usually when I would do an elevation climb, I would be a card carrying member of camp "huff and puff" before long. Today, even though there was one or two times that I did have to stop to catch my breath it was very, very different from before. This felt more "normal" where before it was extreme.

The other thing that has happened has me so excited. I'm a violinist and have been having trouble with stiff fingers. Not like arthritis, but rather like the fingers are filled with fluids. Another player described it as her fingers feeling like sausages when trying to play. I noticed today that my fingers feel far less swollen and the joints move much easier. This is a major, MAJOR improvement for me because it affects my life's work. Can't wait for the symphony season to start!

I must admit that I've pretty much sailed through the first week without major cravings...until today. They are starting to kick in a bit. I just keep remembering that cravings won't last forever...they are a temporary blip.

Anyway, just wanted to share with someone. Hope you are all having a great day!

CJB

[Rawkinlocs]

Hey there CJB! Congrats on getting through a week all raw (except the little bit of organic PB - no biggie there!)

Also, congrats on the changes you've seen so far - just be prepared for more to come! :)

I hear you about the stiff fingers. I was eating a little more cooked food than I should have at one point a month or so ago and my knees were getting stiff and it was uncomfortable to walk up or down the stairs or do ANYTHING that required bending my knees.

Now that I've kicked my raw up and doing little to no cooked foods, my knees are not stiff and painful when I bend them!

Keep it up the good work!

[CJB]

Thanks for the encouragement.

The stiff joint thing is weird to me. To think after all these years of trying so many things to fix this, and all I had to do was eat good food! Who da thunk it?

[cattzeye]

Hi CJB,

Just wanted to congratulate you on your first week raw. How was your diet before going raw? Was it a difficult week for you, or smooth sailing? I always like to hear about people's experiences when going raw, especially the sometimes drastic changes for the better, which you seem to be already experiencing. Like rawkinlocs said, this is only the beginning! There are lots of changes to come. Don't be discouraged if you start having some detox symptoms. Some people have them, some don't. But if you do, it just means that your body is expelling the bad stuff, and incorporating the good.

How neat that you're a violinist. How many years have you been playing? I don't play any instruments, but would love to someday.

Blessings to you,

Christine

[CJB]

Let's see...diet before raw...I would have to say varied. It depended largely on whether I was traveling or at home. Traveling usually meant eating badly. At home could vary from pretty healthy vegetarian/vegan fare to "forget about it, I want a pizza". No consistency. Basically, I'm starting to understand that I have major food addictions and I think that raw will really help that. I did have a big detox early in the week as I was also coming off of caffeine. I think that the symptoms had mostly to do with the caffeine withdrawal. I'm off of it now and feeling my energy becoming more normal.

As to violin...played since I was a little girl. It was my major in college and has been my profession as well. It's a love/hate thing...but mostly love. :o

Thanks for the interest and the encouragement. How long have you been eating raw? What was your experience like?

peace out....

[rawpriestess]

wow CONGRATULATIONS, I know this can be tough, and YOU are doing it.

How marvelous.

[deedub]

You go! Its great that you are aware of the positive changes your body is making. I've been 100% raw for a little over three months (except for some minor mistakes). And the improvements are numerous and I'm convinced that there are some of which I am unaware. I have a lot of faith in my body doing its thing. Talking about joints I do a lot of physical work all day and my knees were really weak and hurt a lot. I went to bed many nights with a heating pad on my knee. Now my knees never bothers me to the extent where I feel compelled to do anything about them. Sometimes I just marvel at all the positive changes that have happened to me in the past 3 months. Stay with it and I'm guessing you will be amazed, I know I am.
Peace and Blessings

[sean lee]

Wow, that's great. And you also found a local doctor that is a raw foodist, I will start looking here in sydney australia for a rawfood iridologist

[CJB]

I just want to say thank you all for the tremendous support. It is a great help to me to know that I can come to this board with questions, concerns, or whatever and know that there will be such support and encouragement. It really helps to keep me on track.

Had some serious cravings today but remembered that wonderful perk of raw foods....dessert for dinner! Made the most incredible cashew, frozen banana, pineapple and chocolate (ok, a small cheat) "milk" shake in the world and didn't feel any cravings at all. :D I love this part of eating raw!

Good night all and thanks again.

[sweetgoddess]

Congratulations on your first week raw! How wonderful to hear of the changes you have noticed already. Can you imagine that's only the beginning? Way to go. I hope you will keep sharing your experiences with us.

You will be a bundle of glowing energy when the symphony begins. :D

Many Blessings~