July 2011 - 30 day challenge - Join at ANYtime of the month!

I'm in! I have been in the transitional stage also but want to just give myself the push I need and go 100%. Because there is really no way I am going to know what the full benefits of raw are until I just FORCE myself to do this for a month. I know I can do it because I did the master cleanse for three weeks straight without cheating even once, and raw food is WAY better than that. I am excited! I will be recording my journey on my blog and also keeping a log of how I am feeling and changes that occur. I am going to be checking back in here periodically for support because I know I am going to need it!

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Originally Posted by MyRedPanda

I'm in! I have been in the transitional stage also but want to just give myself the push I need and go 100%. Because there is really no way I am going to know what the full benefits of raw are until I just FORCE myself to do this for a month. I know I can do it because I did the master cleanse for three weeks straight without cheating even once, and raw food is WAY better than that. I am excited! I will be recording my journey on my blog and also keeping a log of how I am feeling and changes that occur. I am going to be checking back in here periodically for support because I know I am going to need it!

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WELCOME!!!!:throwhearts:

Congrats on taking the plunge! 3 weeks on MC?? Wow you're tough i only lasted a day lol but being raw and transitioning to raw were the best decisions i've made and i'm loving my journey so far. I can't wait to see what benefits you experience!

Good Luck!

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Originally Posted by midesire

Hi everyone,

I would be interested to participate in this challenge.

I have lots of recipes and have researched raw food sites.

I would appreciate some help with daily menus. What do you all eat in a day.

Thank you

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Welcome to the challenge! If you need some help with menus I'd recommend having a look at some raw food books for beginners, Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" is filled with simple recipes and offers some sample menus. Ani Phyo's "Raw Food Essentials" is also great for beginners but features slightly more complex recipes. Another good resource is Raw on $10 a day (or less), they feature menus all under $10 so you really can't go wrong there :)

And if you're still looking for more inspiration have a look at some of the older 30 day challenges to see what people have been eating.

Enjoy!

Im in:woot: .have been raw on and off now for 5 years and had enough off the 'off' periods. have been eating mainly cooked vegetarian for the past 2 years and can feel my body begging me to go back raw. whats different is that im actually exicted about it this time and looking forward. Going to keep a diary this time to help me try and see what triggers me. Goodluck everyone!

Today is really my 7th day raw since I started a little early and I think my skin is starting to clear up! :0) This is wonderful for me because it makes it that much easier for me to want to stay raw. I've had bad skin since 3rd grade and I'm now 38 yrs. The opportunity to FINALLY have clearer skin would be a dream come true so I HAVE to stay at it to see what may happen. I'm even more motivated!

Even yesterday I ran out of food, didn't feel like going to the store and I was kinda hungry. The old me would have called up and ordered in some crap food. Instead I found some grape tomatoes at the bottom of the fridge and made a small tomato salad and drank a load of water before bed to fill full. I'm glad I did as this more I do not feel disgusted with myself. I stayed strong and made the right choice. Today I'm doing some grocery shopping and looking forward to bringing home some healthy goodies.

Also, I'm keeping a food diary and basically writing down my observations and feelings during my 30 day raw food introduction. I plan on continuing in this lifestyle that's why I just call it an introduction. :-)

Today is a work day and I don't care what the others are eating in that office....I'm looking forward to my tomato, avocado, red onion on mixed green salad. Yum!

Also, I've decided to put myself on a weekly weigh in schedule instead of daily. It'll probably cause me less anxiety if the scale becomes less of a factor in my life. I want my new friend to be my mirror. :-)

DearWanderlust- Congrats! I've also noticed a change in my skin it seems smoother and my even in complexion. Even this odd mole scar that i've had for years is actually turning into a scab that can fall of and finally go away. It's weird how the body starts healing itself

Morning everyone! Today is my 5th day raw and i'm excited. Yesterday was rough as it was a work out day so my body was craving more food but i wasn't able to supply when i was at my moms...this lady has a crap ton of processed foods i even offered to clean out her kitchen(and she accepted so i will be doing that soon!!). Luckily i found some salad and corn and strawberries and made a mini salad out of it and it held me over until i got home and i made myself a peanutbutter banana pudding with strawberries on top..YUM!!:eat That filled me up for the rest of the night

Today i'm gonna try and recreate that awesome salad i had at the restaurant(mixed greens, pears, currants, strawberries, pistachios, and raspberry vinaigrette) and for dinner i'm thinking of trying Alissa's stuffed mushrooms with guacamole..i saw it in her dvd last night it looked amazing!!! but depends on how i feel when i get back from work

Keep on rawkin everyone!:dance:

hey everyone!

i've been going it alone since april, and everything has been very off-and-on, so i thought i needed to get some structure and join the 30-day challenge! fourth of july weekend was also a wedding weekend (not mine!), so i was pretty good but definitely not perfect in my rawness. so i guess my 30-day challenge started yesterday.

this is my second time trying to go 100% raw, and it is definitely not working as well as it did the first time. i think it is because i have a lot more detoxing to do, as i gained *a lot* of weight in the last couple of years. i have noticed, though, that while i haven't lost much weight this summer, my skin is glowy and my stretch marks are fading pretty fast. i even got complimented on my skin in sephora the other day!

today so far:

1 green smoothie (3 big handfuls of spinach, 1 banana, 1.5 cups of frozen blueberries)

anyone care to comment on my use of frozen berries? i find they are so convenient in the summer and they really give my smoothies flavor, but i'm not sure if they are doing me more harm than good.

for lunch/dinner i hope to have salad :) i feel fantastic!

So far so good on all raw today -

for breakfast I had raw cashews plus dates blended together and a raw/living foods protein shake (raw meal) mixed with a banana, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Also some milk from a coconut mixed in the smoothie.

Lunch was fruitarian, lol - cherries, peach, apricot, pear

Snack will be a handful of raw almonds

Dinner will be a green smoothie with kale, fresh pineapple, and watermelon.

If I am still hungry I will have some soaked oats with chia and hemp seeds.

I've been laid low with a migraine that set in last night and only started to lift at about 3pm this afternoon.

I have eaten LOTS of watermelon and also had a light salad with sea spaghetti and dressing.

Every evening my bf squeezes me a big glass of orange juice so I had that too - not last though as he was away. I'm almost ready for bed except that having been sleeping all day, I'm not very tired.

Sorry to hear that Mystic :( Read a book or watch a movie? That always helps me fall asleep.

Glad to see everyone's doing relatively well - it sounds stupid but I just love the positive vibe of this thread!

Today has been rawlicious:)
B: Green smoothie with kale, spinach, some frozen pineapple and banana + ground flaxseed
Snack: Sherbet Lemonade Juice (2 apples and an inch of lemon juiced with the rind - Cannot describe how delicious this was)
L: Collard wraps with sliced veggies and pinky sauce (almond spread) + small side salad
Snack: Pecan pie nakd bar + innocent smoothie
D: Zucchini Marinara from Choosing Raw + carrot sticks and some sweet potato hummus
Then had half an apple with some chopped walnuts and cinnamon.

Question: Is anyone else concerned they're having a lot of sugar since being Raw? I've recently lost weight and not looking to lose any more but don't want to gain any either. I'm used to limiting fruits to 1 or 2 a day but since being raw have obviously upped the intake. What are everyone's views on this?

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Originally Posted by rawdanig

Today i'm gonna try and recreate that awesome salad i had at the restaurant(mixed greens, pears, currants, strawberries, pistachios, and raspberry vinaigrette) and for dinner i'm thinking of trying Alissa's stuffed mushrooms with guacamole..i saw it in her dvd last night it looked amazing!!! but depends on how i feel when i get back from work

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I demand a picture of that salad if you do make it. Do people usually post pictures on these threads? I feel like we should :)

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Originally Posted by Nad

I demand a picture of that salad if you do make it. Do people usually post pictures on these threads? I feel like we should :)

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OOH i already ate it lol but i'll be making it again i'm sure and i'll definitely snap a shot of it! I usually take pics of my food and post to my blog but i'd love to post them to the thread to share. I think it's a good idea also :)

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Originally Posted by Nad

Question: Is anyone else concerned they're having a lot of sugar since being Raw? I've recently lost weight and not looking to lose any more but don't want to gain any either. I'm used to limiting fruits to 1 or 2 a day but since being raw have obviously upped the intake. What are everyone's views on this?

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I feel the same too. I really try to up my veggie intake in a day and i've noticed it makes my stomach hurt? So i have to go back to eating more fruits and nuts. I guess it's just the old fears that we've heard when we ate the SAD way that too much fruit was bad and makes you fat but since being raw i've continued to lose 5 lbs and lost more inches of my waist area and this weird mole thing under my eye turned out to be like a huge blackhead that finally came out(i know soo gross) but it's been there for years and it never seemed like it was a balck head i always thought i was a mole(felt like a mole looked like a mole wouldn't pop)..weird!

Also i crushed it in my cardio workout today!!! Which is why i'm soo hungry lol:dance:

Today was my day 1. I've been mostly raw for a month now. Today I was planning on going 100%, but I had tuna steak in my fridge to use up. So, I was raw for breakfast, lunch, and most of dinner. I should be good to go now.

Hey, quick question. I have a 62 mile bike ride on Saturday. I replaced Gatorade with coconut water, but any other suggestions for staying hydrated and have the calories I need to burn 3,000 over a few hours? There is a breakfast and a post-ride meal, but none of it works for me.

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Originally Posted by MeredithLee

Today was my day 1. I've been mostly raw for a month now. Today I was planning on going 100%, but I had tuna steak in my fridge to use up. So, I was raw for breakfast, lunch, and most of dinner. I should be good to go now.

Hey, quick question. I have a 62 mile bike ride on Saturday. I replaced Gatorade with coconut water, but any other suggestions for staying hydrated and have the calories I need to burn 3,000 over a few hours? There is a breakfast and a post-ride meal, but none of it works for me.

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Try 'datorade' for your bike ride. Blend up three pounds of dates with water and you have a very calorie dense meal. Adding a bit of celery to it is good as well for natural sodium. :)