Hi - I am the new Amanda - with an inspiring story to share.

[juicingmatters]

Congratulations!

It is always cool to read about people who have discovered the true benefits of raw...

Great job!

[Redheaded Vegan]

Amanda! I don't even know you and I'm super excited for you! Congratulations! What you are doing is such a beautiful gift to your body. And you ARE an inspiration. I'm only 4 days into my raw food journey, and it is so great to read about other people's experiences. Keep it up! You deserve all of this happiness!

[Mayaya]

Just read your post and ...congratulations!!! This is a wonder what you managed to do. Keep going. I'm just starting raw (the 30 day challenge) & I'm going to learn a lot and get motivated.
I wanted to tell you something. I saw a member telling you about yoga & I agree with it. And then I saw you saying sth like you are hard on yourself. So, talking by experience, I want to tell you a word that you might like to search for: Reiki. Have you tried this healing? It deals about loving ourselves, knowing ourselves, excepting ourselves. I read a lot about these stuff and believe that we should see ourselves in a holistic way. Food cures mostly our body, reiki mostly our soul. But they connect and benefit our whole system. Reiki lets you breath with comfort and gets rid of stress and bad thoughts, if you allow it. It can also bring up any bad thoughts, bitterness and reasons of any problem (health or soul -they are the same for me), so you can heal them, just like nutrition does through your skin. Don't get me wrong, I don't advertise anything AT ALL. I just believe that health means mainly nutrition, movement and self-knowledge -all together, and since my first reiki experience was -not afraid to say- an apocalypse, I thought to spread the word.

Love & smoothies :P

[Chincha]

Wow, that gave me chills... So inspirational!

I congratulate you on making such a wonderful intuitive decision! I hope you all the best in your journey

[trenchchic]

Sounds like you've changed your ENTIRE life --- for the better!!! Congratulations!

BTW, I'm with you on the whole, "I've got no raw food friends here." I don't either. If it wasn't for the Internet, I'd feel like the only raw foodie in the whole wide world.

Do you have Living on Live Foods yet? I just got my copy, there seems to be some wonderful recipes in there.

Congrats again!

[thenewamanda]

Thanks to all of you for your feedback! It is keeping me on the straight and narrow, trust me! Some days can be really challenging lately as we are moving into the winter months, which have always been hard for me. It's the lack of sunlight that really affects me sometimes. I have had a long, long, long and dysfunctional relationship with food and I need to break that cycle permanently. So... my juicer will be here by Friday and then I am onto a long-term juice fast. I know it will be expensive for me as I don't have a job right now, but I really feel that it is the right path! And good things will come from positive actions.

trenchchic - I don't have that book! I will have to look for it. :) I do definitely feel as though my ENTIRE life has changed.

Mayaya - I am very interested in Reiki and I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I have actually thought about learning to practice Reiki as I have a background in massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, etc. but I have found out the hard way that I am too sensitive to be doing any body work. I will keep you updated about that and yoga too - the couple of times I have been to yoga it has been a very powerful and positive experience.

[Mayaya]

I agree with you. Ecxactly, the couple of times I too have been in yoga it was awesome! Felt like a baby afterwards, like being the most relaxed and strong person. Wish I had your background! Everything helps, and I am convinced that raw can also do the trick in wellbeing :)

[hippie]

Amazing story, I love it!

[streetsurfer]

It's a pleasure to meet you Amanda! I hope you don't mind that I spent a short while in prayer for you and your future employment, among other things. Judging by the strength and confidence you exude I can tell you'll be going places! Thank you for opening up your life before us....it is a great inspiration to me, reminding me I need to stay the course.

[thenewamanda]

streetsurfer - Not at all! Whatever positive energy you have to send me, I will accept gratefully. Thank you for the post; I'm glad to know I can be an inspiration to others.


I'm down 49 pounds today so that feels amazing! And my three-month anniversary isn't until next week! I am five days into my 60-day juice fast and feeling surprisingly okay with it! Although I do have fleeting thoughts of food, they are becoming less and less frequent. I definitely feel the detox effects but am making a strong effort to stay hydrated and eat (sorry - drink!) at regular intervals. Only made one juice that made me throw up (too much kale) and I am having so much fun with my juicer - the Omega 8006 in case anyone's curious. I'm a bit of a kid at heart so watching the rainbow of juices and pulp come out of this machine is wayyy too much fun for me.

[OCGirl]

Wow. I am just in tears. What a beautiful story. Sounds like there is a very special reason you are on this earth, and I am so happy for you and the joy you are finding.

[mariahigg72]

Wow, that is an awesome story. I can relate with the weight part! I have turned to raw foods the last six months and have lost 45 lbs.! Yeah. Thanks for sharing,
Maria
http://www.choose-raw-food.com

[thenewamanda]

Just a little update - I just passed my four-month anniversary and I am down 59 pounds and feeling great. Well, not at this moment, as I have an ear infection I am trying to get rid of that is really annoying me, but otherwise great.

I hope you are all doing well over the holiday season...I know now that staying raw can be a struggle in the cold weather. If definitely can be for me. I am keeping myself warm with tea.

I will upload some progress shots sometime soon when I am feeling brave!

Love to all of you and thank you all for your support and input.

[Traceyraw]

WOW you are doing great. Keep up the good work. I like miso soup. Miso paste very warm water with cut up spinach and carrots. Let them sit then drink.

You can make warm soups in the vitamix. There are some recipes under the recipe section. Hopefully they can get you through the cold.

[RawDad]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I enjoyed reading it.

For the Ear ache...
"using raw garlic mixed in olive oil is a traditional treatment for earaches in India; you can find prepared garlic drops in natural health stores. Although applying garlic oil into the ear canal may be the most direct method, if you've never tried this before, it's best to first consult a naturopath or a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine. Duke also warns that you should not try this treatment if you have a perforated eardrum" - http://www.livestrong.com/article/52...ear-infection/

hydrogen peroxide may help!