Nov12 - 30 day raw food challenge - join anytime of the month!

[MysticTree]

Just feeling so BLAH! today. Want to curl up in bed with a hot water bottle and sleeeeeeep.

Water fasting is going ok. Hoped to go for a walk at lunchtime but raining like billy-o

[triciaRAW]

Robh - THANKS for the welcome!

I was tired and stressed and wanting to do do some emotional SAD eating last night. The first couple days are the hardest for me. But I was strong!

I made an avocado salad and then a banana Raw Almond Butter Shake.

Avocados, tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, lime juice, hemp seeds.

Banana, Almond Butter RAW, raw almond milk, figs.

This high cal Delish RAW meal definitely curbed my desires to cheat and binge on SAD food. And I woke up this morning happy and fresh and BEFORE my alarm went off. If I had eaten pizza or a big sandwich I would've woken up with a headache, grogginess, and an overall bad mood.

I love when I'm reminded how much I love doing this!

[robh]

triciaRAW, good job sticking to it! when those cravings and the temptations go away, this becomes so much easier.

MysticTree, I hope you feel less blah soon. It kind sounds like your body wants some rest (brought on for the water fast?)


Today is a typical Monday for me. I honestly don't want to work. Here I am, therefore, killing time. :)

I found a raw chilli recipe on one of the other threads. It sounds really good and I have most of the stuff. I told myself, however, that I was going to do water and juice today. Maybe I'll do the chilli tomorrow.

I dehydrated some sprouted buckwheat over the weekend. Last night, I put some in a bowl with walnuts, almond milk I made and coconut nectar. It was good. (And more affordable than the super cereal I was buying)

Those Jicama potato chips are so good. My wife came home with four Jicama yesterday. I guess I'll be making some of those us. Everyone in the house gobbles them up. They are so good that they seem bad. lol

Anyway, stay strong friends and have a good day.

[MysticTree]

I am so glad you like those jicama chips. I wish I could try them but may find turnip will work. Taking the D to work tomorrow. I have everything bar kale which one of my colleagues is supposed to be bringing.

[robh]

Yeah a turnip should work nicely. The real key is the slicing device. The slices need to be so thin that they tear in your hand if you are not careful.

Which kale chip recipe are you trying first?

[MysticTree]

Cheesy ones to start with. They are my fav. Saw some good looking mushroom patties I would like to try too.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i have never been successful making a flavoured kale chip.

is there one you love more than others? i'd love a ranch flavoured one if possible...

[PansyLo]

I had big laps in healthy food over the weekend. I suspected I would as my boyfriend was round which often equals epic fattening junk food time.

My highlight of today was a smoothy: cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, banana crushed ice, pure maple syrup and macadamia nuts. DELICIOUS!!! It's like a berry ice cream milkshake. I added the nuts on impulse but I'm so glad I did as it's deliciously creamy.

The new blender I got from my brothers is fantastic next to the old cheapy plastic thing I had. I'm looking forward to making sauce, soups, pate and other great things in it.

I have ordered a manual juicer which means I'll be able to get so much more out of my juices. Also f I don't want to eat my sprouts (I often don't to be honest, I'm better with micro greens) I can juice them and either mix with something or knock a wee glass back like medicine!

[triciaRAW]

morning: bananas and pistachios

Lunch: red cabbage, raisins, grapes, orange juice, chia seeds

Dinner: chard, spinach, celery, carrots, grapes

keepin it going!

[robh]

Aleesha, after I found these bbq kale chips, the search was over: http://therawchef.com/therawchefblog...bbq-kale-chips the bbq sauce is killer too.

MysticTree, The cheesy ones are cashews a splash of lemon juice and sea salt? The other alternative involves nutritional yeast (I like it, personally). Let us know how they come out. I am addicted the to bbq ones but a change up is always nice.

PansyLo, your smoothie sounds fantastic. Also, best of luck overcoming the negative influences on your health. I know from personal experience that having others around you that do not share the same dietary goals makes healthy living hard. My wife is actually coming around. She now snacks on nuts and dates as opposed to the "epic junk food". You aren't married and you do not have kids. Rather than having to "work on someone" for years, you have the opportunity to go find someone who already feels the way you do about health. Also, healthy people are good looking so it would probably be win win for you. Anyway, remember that you have choices. :)

triciaRAW, you are rockin'. good job. I too like to eat pistachios. Do you find that they, for some reason, seem to curb the appetite?


If you all have not noticed, I am buzzing this morning. Yesterday, I really felt the water fast was taking me in a positive direction so I skipped the juices at night and went all day on just water. My body responds so positively to the fast. It's the same positive response I get from raw food, but it's so much more intense. It's weird. It's like my mind is on fire. I can't stop thinking. It's like an ADHA kid on crack up there. Also, for some reason, I get insane amounts of work accomplished. I am always really productive in the mornings, but when I'm fasting that productive streak keeps going all day. My work involves critical thinking and problem solving. When I am fasting, those skills are sharper and more focused. I think this is why ancient thinkers like Plato and Socrates recommended fasting to increase mental effectiveness. That's not why I am doing it, but it's a nice side effect.

Anyway, my goal is to continue the water fast for the rest of the day. My personal record is 60 hours of drinking just water. My mom is coming to share a raw thanksgiving with me. She'll be here tomorrow night. That will break my fast for sure, but I may end up breaking it sooner. I'll try to get through today and see what tomorrow holds.

Oh, and a quick note on my weight. When I went back to 100% raw, I bounced right back up to my plateau (245lbs). Yesterday, when I woke up, I was 244, I think. This morning, I'm down to 241. If I can ride this out until tomorrow morning, I hope to see 239. That would be a new record low weight for me.

Keep up the great work everyone. We are doing great!

[MysticTree]

I love the vibe coming through in your post Rob. Keep on keeping on ;)

[robh]

Thanks for the inspiration Georgina. I'm suffering a bit of temptation right now, but I think I can power through it. Are you still fasting?

[MysticTree]

I'm sure you can get through. I stopped fasting this morning. I had the most fabulous salad for lunch. Best salad for ages but really not any different than often before. No idea why it tasted so much better.

[robh]

That's interesting. Maybe your tastes are changing? I've noticed that I can taste the sweetness in pecans and walnuts. I would have never called them sweet before. You posted your salad on one of the other threads ("what do you eat for lunch and dinner" maybe). I should make one like yours and see what it's like. I don't think you left any details on the dressing, though.

I broke my fast late last night. They weren't the best foods to break my fast with (raw cookies that I was making at the wife's request, olives, dates and pecans). I didn't eat much because this was just before I was going to bed. I fasted all yesterday and the day before.

I was 238lbs on the scale this morning. This is my lowest weight yet. I have never been in the 230's either. In the two days that I water fasted, I dropped 6 lbs. I think most of that was water weight from salt. I know that's it's probably going to come back. My body really wants to be at 245, but if I keep at it every week and stick to 100% raw the rest of the week, maybe I can drop that 245 slowly. We shall see where my weight goes this week before the fast starts again.

Anyway, I have some veggies that need to be juiced (celery, carrots, tomatoes). When I'm hungry, I'll probably have one of those. The high water content really makes my insides sing. I really enjoy the juices. I should, also, have a salad. I don't think I've have vitamin K (romaine lettuce) for a while. I should also consume some ground sesame seeds (for the minerals). My new fav ground sesame concoction is ground sesame seeds (3 TBS), goji berries (1 TBS), almonds (2 TBS) and a bit of raw coconut nectar (1 TBS). You can see from the quantities that it's not a lot of food, but it's very filling and very delicious. It's also packed with calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin E and vitamin A.

I dislike eating all day and I know from fasting that that my body can go with food with no problem. I think I will skip breakfast and lunch and just drink water until dinner. I'll have my juice and later my salad and finally my sesame seeds. Also I will surely snack on dates and pecans in there too.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. I hope all the folks that haven't posted are doing well. Keep up the good work everyone. Your bodies will thank you. :)

[MysticTree]

I think it was just a yesterday thing. Salad is much the same as before even though the dressing is the same.

Well done on the weight loss. Can you not go to bed earlier to avoid late night snacking? What I do is instigate fasting from 6pm to 7am every day. I just don't eat after 6pm. Simple!