May 2012 - 30 Day Challenge - Join at any time of the month!

[LexieW]

I'm really glad to see it's not just me who's yo-yo'ed back and forth with varying degrees of raw. In the last two years I've never been less than 50%, but until May I hadn't managed 100% for more than a day or two at a time. In May, I got up to six days.

It IS a progression for a lot of people. It's like quitting any other bad habit or addiction - cold turkey works for some people, others need programs and small changes over time. The point is, we KNOW that raw is the way to go. And we're working on it.

I'll say this - I struggle with beating myself up a little when I make bad choices. But I tried something different in May - I started thinking "you know, I could have [insert cooked food here]. It's totally up to you, you can have it if you want it. But, you know what it will do to you, even if you don't feel it at first. Do you really want it?"

It worked... until I got slammed at work and caved under stress, haha. But I'm back at it!

[MysticTree]

Is there a June thread?

[PansyLo]

^ Nope. Is Aleesha away?

Regular members can't start new threads in this section.

@LexieW: Everyone is totally different. I do find it easier to go in very heavy, then ease down. I think I'd find it easiest to take on a challenge like a detox fast. I think if I keep trying to ease into something I'll just never get there. When I first went raw in February I went 100% almost right away, within a matter of days as I gathered information and it worked really well for me until I ran out of money and took on an internship as well as my job (all while preparing to move home) so I became super busy and just couldn't keep up with being raw.

I think I really am a cold turkey person. I like to just into the extreme then get the relief of loosening up after I've gotten used to the extreme lifestyle.

I don't know much about fasting though. What juices are best for detoxing? I've honestly not even been all that good at juicing so far, I ended up going off it a little because the last few things I've made haven't tasted great.

[MysticTree]

Bf is missing bread but until we get some sunny weather or a generator and a dehydrator there is nothing I can do. This morning I made him buck wheat and almond porridge with banana, strawberry and honey. It was quite a success. I processed the almonds through my juicer which minced them up well and added some water so it was not quite almond milk but sort of! I think I love my juicer; it's so versatile. When we ever have electricity again I really want a masticating juicer that I don't have to hand crank :)

[snowshoe]

Yesterday I made 9 trays of crackers/bread. Ground sesame, chia & flax, whole flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrot pulp, curry powder, coconut, raisins, some tiny apple and pear pieces. My best batch yet!

[Տara]

Hello all, a newbie here! :)

Since there's no June thread yet, I figured it was okay to write in this one.

Eating raw has been something that has been popping up in my reality over and over again during the past few years - I've always eaten better than average, and really well during the past five years, but even though I've often felt like I've already found the diet that suits me best, I've never been able to forget about raw foodism and have kept reading about it over the years despite not following a raw food diet.

I've eaten 100% raw two times before - for 35 and 45 days. I had some problems with how I felt during those trials, which is why I went back to my usual (healthy) diet, but I've kept feeling that I should give raw another try, so here I am. :) My plan this time is to keep it simple, eat mostly green smoothies because my digestion is quite terrible at the moment and smoothies seem to agree with my body the best. I feel like I need to do some kind of a cleanse and leafy greens should do the job, detoxing, alkalizing, nourishing and energizing my body. :)

My main motivation for doing this is health and well-being in general, and I'm also interested in the amazing energy, mental clarity and raw food "high" people often talk about - I'd love to experience all of those - but I wouldn't mind losing a few kilograms as well. I don't really have much weight to lose but I feel like the extra fat I do have has been there to store toxins, if that makes any sense, so I feel like I'd be healthier without it. :)

I'm so glad I found this forum - the atmosphere seems so encouraging and warm!

[LexieW]

Welcome, Sara!

[robh]

Hello raw friends. I am back. :)

I have been away because around my birthday I fell off the wagon and was really mad at myself and ashamed, honestly.

In hindsight, I this is the first place I should have come. Not only could I have used the support (I was weak and hovering around 80% in the days that followed), but I also skipped out on you guys. I know how nice it is to login and see messages from people that care about what you are doing.

Getting on a positive note, I am back at 100% and committed.

Breakfast:
Chia “oatmeal”- 3 tablespoons of chia seeds, raisins, Crazins, agave and a little water
3 bananas,
1 orange
1 peach

Lunch:
2 bananas
1 apple
1 peach
Almond Chia Porridge - 3 tablespoons of chia seeds, 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons almonds, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, water and a pinch of salt

Dinner (salad):
Romaine Lettuce
Carrots
Creamy sundried tomato dressing
Crazins
raisins
Sesame seeds

LexieW, nice to see that you are still around. :) how are things? I remember you had some challenges with eating raw around your bf's family?

PansyLo, welcome back to raw. Making a tasty juice is hard. When I was doing it, I treated it like medicine. Slam it down and chase it with some water.

MysticTree, greetings. I always see you in the other threads on the forums. Mind if I ask how you are using a computer if you do not have electricity? I sure hope your bf isn't sitting next to you cranking it while you type. :) All jokes aside, that's pretty cool that you guys are off the grid (literally).

Տara and other new folks, welcome.

I only read a couple posts back. I wanted to comment on the "raw high."

I identify my raw high as feeling uncharacteristically happy. If I am honest, I am typically more serious than happy. Therefore, when I feel gitty for no reason, I know the cause (my rawsome lifestyle). I too noticed that my stress levels are low. Over the weekend, I had to drive in downtown Philly (something I hate). I found it very odd to feel calm, collected and even relaxed in that situation. It was nice.

Also, I broke my record lowest weight. I hit 258 this morning. woohoo

I am no longer doing low fat raw vegan. I google why I had a decreased sense of smell. It turns out Zinc helps you smell. I found one of those diet tracker things (cronometer). I put in my low-fat fruits and salad diet and found that I wasn't getting any zinc, very little calcium and very little vitamin E. I added almonds, sesame seeds and chia seeds and nutritional yeast (B12).

I can smell again. Also... you are all a bunch of ladies so this may sound lewd (but I'm going to type it anyway). My sex drive has increased. My wife actually turned me down the other night (a first). I read someplace that a raw food diet can have that effect, but never experienced it until now.

Anyway, as a result of the added almonds, sesame seeds and chia seeds, I get about 28% of my calories from fat. I also notice if I eat the fat with the fruit throughout the day, I stay full and don't feel hungry. On top of all that, I'm still losing weight.

Sorry for being away so long. Hope you all can forgive my pride.

[MysticTree]

mobile phone for surfing. Good to see you back.

[LexieW]

Great to see you, robh!

I haven't had to deal with any family visit challenges lately, but I'm doing really well. However, I've discovered that I'm not eating enough - I just get pretty wiped in early evening, which I think means I need to snack more during the work day. Soaked almonds and some extra fruit has been correcting that.

And don't worry about sounding lewd - you weren't. Increased sex drive is wonderful and healthy!

I'm really curious why there isn't a June thread by now... we're pretty much halfway through the month.

Oh, robh - what do you make with the nutritional yeast? I just bought some for the first time this weekend and tried a bit by itself... not exactly tasty.

[nancy talor]

keep your daily diet is very important to keep healthy.

[snowshoe]

I sent our moderator an email. I find this to be unusual...

I'm really curious why there isn't a June thread by now... we're pretty much halfway through the month.

[robh]

LexieW, yeah, nutritional yeast is kinda funky. It's yellow, smells a little like a health food store and the taste has a sort of cheesy quality to it. I am not sure why, but I have grown to enjoy it. The cheesy, creaminess is a welcome change. I like it with savory, non-sweet stuff like mixed in my salad or mixed into the asian sauce I make. The flavor plays nicely with a tiny bit of salt. I have also put it in smoothies, too. Basically, a tablespoon or two is my vitamin B12 for the day. I just squeeze it in wherever I can. There are loads of recipes for it (raw cheese-its, I think?). I have yet to try any of them, though.

Also, LexieW, on feeling wiped in early evening. That used to happen to me as well. I would feel great and energized early in the morning but in the afternoon and early evening I would feel like I was running out of steam. I later figured out that it was one of my detox symptoms. When this happens do you feel irritable and grumpy too? If this is happening, you can eating something to ease the detox symptoms (works for me anyway). It sounds like you're doing that.

snowshoe, yeah posting in the may thread mid-june is a bit odd. :)

Yesterday went well for me. Today is going to be the same. Have a good day everyone!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Is there a June thread?

^ Nope. Is Aleesha away?

Regular members can't start new threads in this section.

Hello all, a newbie here! :)

Since there's no June thread yet, I figured it was okay to write in this one.

Sorry folks... no one let me know I forgot to start a new one until this morning. Please feel free to shoot Cathy or I a note if it's forgotten in the future. I'll get it started now.

in light,
Aleesha
Admin

[Aleesha Sattva]

I sent our moderator an email. I find this to be unusual...

And thanks for the note... ;)