July 1st - Day one

[bowie]

Welcome to day one!!:)

[fitbydefinition]

I am starting 30days of raw vegan tomorrow. follow my progress and see how much change is possible in 30days. I will post before and after photos on my profile. I'll try to post daily updates.

Here's my snapshot:

I'm 23y/o female, 5'5", 120lbs. On a day to day basis i eat about 60-70% raw and mostly vegan. I feel alright living like this but i know there is something better, and this is my 30day quest to see if raw food and daily exercise will lead me to it.

My roadblocks:

I have a tendency to overeat (not stopoping when i am no longer hungry)

I love sweet stuff, honey, frozen bananas (before becoming vegan: ice cream]

My toolbox:

I like to workout running and lifting weights

I have a very active job as a Certified Nurse's Assistant (CNA) always on my feet answering call bells and helping patients.

I buy whole foods and frown on packaged and canned goods

All right here I go!!!

[dread head vegan]

i am ready for the 30 day challenge!! i am going to start tomarrow:D

[gabriele]

count me in also....

[Nani]

I'm in for the challenge. :D

As of now, I am all over the place...one day I am high raw and the next I find myself falling back on cooked staples like pbj for lunch and pasta for dinner. Hmph. However I am a vegetarian, have been for nearly 13 years now, and on good days I am 100% vegan. Notice I say good days, lol :D

I am fully aware of how a raw diet is the most natural and healthiest way of eating. But living in a house with a s.a.d. husband, whom is a chocoholic, makes things a real challenge. He is fully understanding and is very supportive, but I find myself making quick food choices, which is often cooked, be it vegan....it is still cooked.

I hope to be able to come to this board for the support I need...I often feel so alone in this. I look forward to chatting with everyone else doing the challenge.....I keep telling myself to just take it one day at a time....one meal at a time. And to remember why I am doing this.....I am not depriving myself...I am liberating myself. :D

I wish everyone a happy and healthy 30 day challenge!

[cindyskylar]

And count me in, too!

I have been vegetarian since high school but am addicted to bread and cheese pizza. I was able to get away with this--controlled starch veggie scheme because I am also a runner but I gained almost 20 pounds since I got married. My husband is overweight and I am easily influenced. He is supportive of me but it isnt easy when hes cooking food and making food and Im on my own. I feel very much alone so hope I will not numb out and instead come back here.

My goal is to eat fruit in the ams, veggies in the afternoons and a vegan dinner. This is my goal for the next 30 days. This means no more white bread or beer!

The hardest thing for me will be evenings when I always want to overeat!

I am 5; 4".

My highest weight is where Im at now 130/. Which I cannot believe.
My goal weight is 115-120.

Glad to be here!

[rebbylite]

I'll take on the challenge as well. I am so incredibly fortunate to have a partner who participates and lives life on a VERY similar path as myself. I am soooo lucky. She's my mate through everything. We can do it babe!!! Whole foods only. No can's, no bag, boxes, and so on. I love veggie, smoothies, superfoods and feeling light and clean. Bring it on for July on so on. Thank you for your help fitbydefinition aka my love.

[bohemiangrl]

Count me in as well folks! :)

STATS:
Age:22
Height: 5'5.5"
Current Weight:151-152 lbs.
Goal Weight: 130-125 lbs.

I'm looking forward to this challenge. Over the course of this year, i've put on a whopping 25lbs. (eeekkk!) due to thyroid issues. I try to work out daily, primarily spinning, and also i'm getting ready to start up my runs again.

Nani, I completely understand what you are saying about being all over the place with your diet, as I have the same problem.

Cindyskylar, the evenings will be the hardest part of this challenge for me too.

Good luck to everyone.

[Seedy]

I'm in for the month. I've been raw on and off for 10 years, but only on an experimental basis. I'd like to find a more permanent 90 - 100% raw diet that I can stay with indefinitely. Oh, and lose (or as Revvell says release) 25 pounds!

Stats:
53 years old
HW: 305 lbs
LW: 145 lbs
CW 165 lbs
GW 140 lbs

B: Fruit salad, walnuts, herbal tea with raw honey
L: Gazpacho, apple, prunes
D: large salad, avocado, carrot/flax crackers

Exercise: 30 min. aerobics, 2 mile walk if its not raining again (sigh).

Seedy

[rawfigure]

I am joining in ! I have been off the board for awhile, 2 yrs. I have been slowly going from about 85% raw for a few years to a gradual slip back to healthy but cooked. I need support as I have no raw friends. I prefer to stay 100% but being realistic, about 85% raw at the least, longterm. This month I am going back to 100% raw.

[Gooberdog69]

B - peach and green smoothie with spring greens, coconut oil, strawberries and banana
S - avo and herbamere (can't seem to let go of the salt just yet)
L - green smoothie
S - raw bar
S - green smoothie
D - Salad with cuc, pine nuts, s/dried toms, olives and olive and lemon dressing
S - sultanas, brazil nuts, 1/2 raw bar. another 1/2 avo

Feel I have eaten a lot today but am really pleased that I have not wavered because the house is upside down at the moment and there is an excuse to eat cooked everywhere I look! The human mind is looking for an excuse anywhere and everywhere...it's scary. I made a sandwich for my husband earlier and it is in the fridge now and it's calling me... my mind keeps saying "don't let food go to waste"! Eek! What's worse is it's cheese and cuc on white bread!

As if the universe was trying to help me, my husband came in and said he was going to eat 'the dreaded sandwich'! LOL! Well now I don't have to worry about it going to waste! In fact, now I'm worrying that my husband is putting that crap in his body!x

[gabriele]

It's July 1st!!!

i'm sitting here drinking my first ever watemelon smoothie, including the rind, i added 2 dates, it's very delicious and "cleansing" feeling.

plan to have a big salad for lunch.

[fitbydefinition]

day 1: 118 today not looking at the scale until next week since my main goals are to lower my BF to 14% (according to my scale i'm at 23%) and to get in great physical shape (I have my first triathlon coming up!) gotta work on the swimming piece Maine lakes are still a bit chilly, but i'm doing it 2xweek currently

green smoothie for breakfast

hitting the farmer's market for greens huge fresh salad for lunch.

Good luck to everyone!

[accordingtowhom]

Hello everyone. I am a 21 year old, 6 foot tall, 135 pound male. I have been off and on as a vegan for the past three years. I have already begun this 30 day challenge with a nice bowl of Bing cherries and 40 oz of water. I am not really looking to lose weight, however, I would like to be leaner by the end of the month. I work out and have definitely researched the diet, so my goal shouldn't be that hard to attain.

Good luck to you all.

[tvillemom]

Good morning all! I'm in this month. I have been raw for 3 years, but sometimes 100%, sometimes 30%. (sometimes 0). Anyway, I'm really working on this year being the most 100% year I've ever had. So far I've done pretty good, but I've slipped alittle lately due to travelling. NOW, I'm ready to make the change at least for the next 30 days...100%,

Due to thyroid issues, I put on 30lbs. the last year....very depressing for a 5"1 woman. I've never been thin, and this just made it so much worse:( Anyway, I love, LOVE, LOVE the way that eating raw makes me feel. My moods are more stable....now if I could just get my body to release these extra pounds!!

Today's food plan:
herbal tea
chia pudding (chia, berry tea, stevia, raisins)
GS (bananas, spinach, pineapple, stevia)
Dinner...I'm going to try to make tahini in my VM..ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO GET IT RIGHT?? If I get the tahini right I'm going to make zuchini hummus and have red and orange peppers to dip in it!! YUMMY!!!

Peace to all!!

PS. Besides the 100% raw, I'm going to work out on the wii fit and 4 mile fitness walk....making sure I get exercise everyday!!

[mstrish]

I just got home from 2 weeks of vacation and stayed 50-80% raw. So, July is back to 100%. Today I will have: canalope, watermelon, salad, and fruit smoothie.

[cindyskylar]

Morning all.

So, I had blueberries for b-fast. Good, good.

But could not not have my habitual skim latte. Told myself easy does it. But think I should probably have black coffee a few days and eventually wean off--to green tea. What are your thoughts?

(Im always fighting btw being too easy on my self and too hard!)

My most difficult hurdles are people (not people but my difficulty standing up for myself--when people hurt my feelings or offend me in somewhat, I never speak up or say No when I need to). Ill need to begin practicing this if I want to eat healthy. Otherwise Ill end up using food as a drug. Planning to go to an al anon this week. The other hurdle is habit--ie that latte.

So--

for lunch: raw veggies--juice or salad and for Dinner:

husband is making dinner for me and roommate. Pasta I think and desert. I need to tell him now that Ill just make my own dinner and join them.

Ill have a huge raw salad with dressing (does anyone have good suggestions on a raw dressing? Those dressings at whole foods cant be raw!) and then a LARA bar for desert.

Thanks for listening!

Cindy

[SekhemNefer]

You know that I am in.

[shelleigh]

I'm starting today as well.

My challenges are staying raw while taking care of a non-raw family. My husband is supportive though.

B-green lemonade and banana
L-fruit salad
S-pumkin seeds and dried fruit
D-nori roll or a salad

Shel

[rawchic]

Yay for July 1! Today I am on my 3rd day of a 4 day water fast. So far I'm feeling great! It's been pretty easy for the first couple days. Today we're having a party a work and there is going to be cake & champagne. None for me thanks :)

[lizbar]

i'm in it too. today is out though. not a good start. I was going to start a juice fast today, but i think i would like to get my eating more clean and raw so the transition is easier to juice. also, i have lots of nuts, seeds and dates that need to be eaten. So tomorrow, raw baby!!!
liz

[lionette]

Im in! Just devoured a few slices of watermelon =D

[bohemiangrl]

So far today i've had kamut and 3 strawberries for breakfast and lots of water. At the moment i'm working on the 1/2 of a half of watermelon.

[boogiemonster]

Hello! I'm new here and in for this challenge as well.

We went to a free pancake breakfast this morning and I only ate the watermelon. :)

[jules88]

I'm in. A little late posting and haven't been very good today. I know what raw food and do to a body and I sooooo want that. I want and need to do it. Not so much to lose weight as much as to clear the eczma from parts of my body. I know it can be done, I have done it in the past. Of course the weight lose will be great and yeah I do need to lose some its just not the main reason. So here I go. I hope to eat simply as I don't usually care for most of the "gourmet" type foods, but I am always trying them because it is nice to have a variety of recipes to eat from as well I have been told that your taste buds change and you will find that you like things you didn't when first going raw. There you have it, I'm in for the 30 days and hopefully thirty more, and thirty more after that. You g et the picture.

Good Luck to us all!!!

[rite2bcreative]

hey, im in. i kind of started two days ago.. lol but oh well.

so far today i had 5 big bananas, a small cantelope, a small handful of raw sunflower seeds, and about a third of a small watermellon.

and later tonight ill probably have some tomatoes and romain lettuce

im not really doing this for weightloss or anything like that, just because a raw vegan diet makes sense to me.. so we'll see how it goes.

[lori ann]

I am in. Today had fruit and salad. I also had cherries for the first time this year-yummy!! also gabrlele for that watermelon smoothie do you just put in the water melon and dates and blend? It sounds good :)

[krisiw]

I just joined the forum and I want in on the 30 days raw. I was actually going to do raw for this month anyway, but this will give me a little extra motivation. I went raw for 30 days in May and June as well.

Today I had an apple and a green smoothie with apple, ginger, spinach and kale for breakfast
My usual salad for lunch
An apple and saw almonds and raisins for snack
And a few bites of raw onion dip with raw crackers
so far

[rawfigure]

Day 1 and I face a challenge that I think all of us deal with to some degree, going to lunch with friends, business and such. I had a business lunch today and my client ordered me a Fuji Apple Salad, with chicken and thankfully dressing on the side, at Panera Bread, and an apple on the side (whew). That was nice. I picked around the blue cheese, dried apple slice and tried to get mostly the lettuce ! I always am sensitive to offending clients who would not quite get the raw diet.:rolleyes:

[Redrocket]

Wow do we have alot of challengers :cool: Good luck everyone!!!
Do you rookies :D mind if a veteran (only by 30 days :rolleyes: ) joins you for my second 30 day raw food challenge?

B-banana, pineapple, blueberry, red chard, avocado, celery, chia and date smoothie

L-Zucchini lasagna

S-100% Kombucha drink

D-Finished my Zucchini lasagna and some Summer Corn Salad

S-Chocolate coconut cheesecake

[carolv]

Hi everybody! It looks like there are a lot of people joining in this month. I just completed the June challenge and am ready for July. Participating really helps me to keep on track. I first did the challenge last August which was great and I didn’t do too bad afterwards but I did stray more than if I stayed on the challenge. One month just wasn’t long enough to get these good habits to stick with me enough to resist the temptations around me.



But could not have my habitual skim latte. Told myself easy does it. But think I should probably have black coffee a few days and eventually wean off--to green tea. What are your thoughts?
cindyskylar – I think you should do what works for you. Another idea would be to find some raw drink substitutes. There are raw coffees that may help you transition off of the latte habit.



We went to a free pancake breakfast this morning and I only ate the watermelon. :)
boogiemonster – Good for you! It’s fantastic that you were able to resist and find fruit to eat.


Hi Redrocket – Good to see you in the challenge again.

32 oz smoothie with water, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, honey, lemon juice, baby spinach
pistachios
banana
salad with shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, spiral sliced beets, garlic chive sprouts, 1 avocado, sun-dried tomato dressing
corn “chips” with “taco meat” and tomatoes
raw brownie
chopped apple, strawberries, apricots, and blueberries with honey, lemon juice, and mint
42 oz water total

[bohemiangrl]

today i had: kamut & 3 strawberries, raw sesame sticks, 1/2 of a watermelon, and lots of water.

also sprouted some beans that should be ready for my big salad tommorrow.

[Scoopermom]

I am in...one day late...but I am getting started tomorrow the 2nd. I will be going to the farmers market to get all of my fresh produce. I can't wait to see the changes that this makes in my life. I have recently lost weight...and now want to concentrate on maintenance and health as my new goals. Good luck to everyone.

[fitbydefinition]

Hey Krisiw would you mind sharing your raw onion dip recipe? It sounds really good to me, thanks.

It's going to be a fun day, lots to do! I am finishing up a raw pie this morning. I made the crust before heading to work last night and i'm making the apple filling this morning, should be yummy :)

Three days ago I had my first session of colon hydrotherapy (an effusion of water into your colon for 30-45min, after which your colon in empty of prior waste matter) and i have to rave about it for a bit. The colon is 5ft long and is the last of your internal piping system, if this section of your intestine isn't working your in trouble and so it made sense to me to give it a clean and WOW what a pleasant surprise! I feel so great! after the session (in which I released more waste matter than i could believe) I felt so good light, refreshed and not bloated at all. Has anyone else ever had colon hydrotherapy before? If not you might want to consider it, I felt lighter and better than i had at the end of my 3 day juice fast and spent about the same amount of money (sessions range from $55-70) just putting out there :)

Okay guys off for a morning jog with my ipod and rawkin radio.