Day 11

Date: April 11, 2012
Weight: Couldn't Check

Daily Goals:
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XMeditation/Yoga/Journal- I blame Spring Break... okay I really need to get better with my daily goals

ü  Daily Physical Exercise- Went to the gym to do a boot camp class and got Sh'bam. That'll do.
X Limited Television- Tomorrow will be different

XClean House- Honestly, it was a no-motivation day.

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw- Yessir!
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Daily Breakdown: Today was an "I give up!" kind of day. I kept trying to get things done and the laziness that is Spring Break just kept sucking me in further and further. Tomorrow, though, has officially been dedicated to cleaning which will get me up and moving and feeling a lot more organized. That is the PLAN.

Breakfast: Banana, apples dipped in raw almond butter mixed with cinnamon, agave nectar, and raisins
Lunch: Two oranges
Snack: Banana
Super Early Dinner (I was just craving it!): Lettuce wraps filled with guacamole
Dinner-Time Snack haha: A big ole thing of grapes

I swear I felt like I was CONSTANTLY eating yesterday, but looking at it on paper doesn't seem nearly as bad. Funny how that works!

Well, tomorrow I plan on being extra productive so that I'm not sitting around all day. The one problem with living where I am right now is that I don't have a huge social network like I'm used to. I don't usually want to do anything alone, I like to have others around haha... so making myself get up and go tomorrow.. while looking forward to eventually moving lol.

Effects:
Nothing new or crazy today. Though, I did feel comfortable walking around with no make-up today. My skin IS looking better. It's not necessarily the acne part... because I do still have some, but my all-over complexion has really started to even out. I'm feeling more confident and that's great!

Day 10- Pizza!...???

Date: April 10, 2012
Weight: 139

Daily Goals:
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üXMeditation/Yoga/Journal: Uh oh, bad girl. Didn't do this.

ü  Daily Physical Exercise: Went to the gym!

üXLimited Television: Spring Break's been hard haha.

ü  Clean House: Yeah, did quite a bit of this.

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw: Yup, yup!
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Daily Breakdown: Again, this is being written on the next day because I plum forgot to journal last night. It's okay though, I'll get back on the bandwagon later on this evening. Anywho, yesterday was a frustrating day because I didn't have the motivation to get anything done that I needed to. That being said, I did succeed in staying raw for the 10th day in a row! Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: Apple Pudding recipe from the Green Smoothies app
Snack: Orange Slices
Other Snack: Grapes
... I feel like there was something else in here, but I can't remember
Dinner: With the ladies!

Dinner was pretty awesome- we had gracious guests who were experiencing raw for the first time and it was a great chance for exposure! I think one of them in particular thought we were nuts (he being a chef and having to deal with "difficult" eaters a LOT), but in the end offered to host a dinner at his place haha. I think he's a tad bit excited about trying new recipes!
I brought a raw stir fry that I found on Nouveau Raw. It was delicious! There was a also a broccoli soup, some smoothie goodness, veggies with nut dips, and a salad. The highlight of the evening, though, was the PIZZA! Tina had this great idea to try making raw pizza because it's one of her vices in everyday, ordinary life, so it was on. Jackie supplied the recipe for onion crackers, Yvonne dehydrated them, and then Tina topped them with nut spread, tomatoes, mushrooms, and then a raw cheese (not vegan, so I passed on the cheese). It. Was. TO DIE FOR. I couldn't stop eating them! I've put the basic recipe below and you MUST try them. Not sure the source, but oh- so delectable.

Effects: Same old, same old. Folks told me that I looked a bit thinner and that my skin looked clearer, so that's all good signs! Now... not to get too real on everybody, but I have been noticing some effects that have to do with my history of eating disorder. I've found that I feel guilty eating nut butters and such because of the high-calorie content. I need to get over it, but that has actually been a struggle for me. I feel guilty eating the portion of this diet that gives us some meat on our bones haha. Something to work out with myself, but I just had to get real!
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Apple Pudding:
- 4 cups of apple (I put two small apples because I have an itty bitty blender)
- 1 medium banana
- 3/4 head of lettuce (I used kale cause that's what I had)
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
* I added Vitamineral Green

Blend together and enjoy!


Pizza Crackers
3.5 yellow onions (sliced)
2 T Italian seasoning
4 T liquid aminos
2 limes squeezed (Yvonne used lemons)
1 1/2 C pumpkin seeds
1 C sunflower seeds (soak & drain)
2 T flax
Extras: jalapenos, salt, basil

Basically throw them all in a bowl, work it with your hands, then dehydrate it! Not sure the time or temperature, but that information might be out there on the internet.

Marinated Stir Fry: nouveauraw.com

Ingredients:

• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced (I used Crimini mushrooms 8 oz package)
• 4 cups broccoli, broken in small florets
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, white or black
• cherry tomatoes (add when serving)

In a separate small bowl combine:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 3 Tbsp. Bragg’s Liquid Animos or Nama Shoyu
• 1-2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Pour sauce over broccoli and mushrooms and stir well.
2. At first it may seem as though there isn’t enough “juice” to coat the veggies but as they marinate and the water is drawn out of the veggies, it creates more juice.
3. You can do one of three things here; #1 You can place the bowl in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for about an hour or so to warm it up.  #2 Allow it to marinate on the counter top for a couple of hours or #3 place bowl in fridge and let it marinate over night.

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Day 9

Date: April 9, 2012
Weight:138

Daily Goals:
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ü  Meditation/Yoga/Journal: An hour of yoga first thing in the morning on www.yogaglo.com

ü  Daily Physical Exercise: The yoga :-)

ü  Limited Television

ü  Clean House

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw
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Daily Breakdown:
This is quite embarrassing, but I have forgotten to journal for two days! Ah! So this is me two days later trying to recall Monday. The one thing I can remember quite clearly ... oh wait, there's two things, but first, for a snack, I had apple slices and raw almond butter. BUT! I mix the almond butter with cinnamon, agave nectar, and raisins... it's freaking delicious! If you get a chance, try it. Also, I tried to whole idea of spreading avocado on corn, but my avocado wasn't ripe enough. Dinner really stunk this day because I kept messing things up haha. Aw well.

Effects:
Well, I lost a lot of weight! That's a plus! I am fairly certain that I've lost 7 pounds of poop, though. I say this because I'm eating actually a normal amount of food by my everyday standards (it's just healthier), but I am pooping like three times a day. I literally think that I have lost at least 5 pounds of GUNK that's been in my body... pretty gross, but liberating as well :-)

Day 8

Date: April 8, 2012
Weight: 140ish?

Daily Goals:
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ü  Meditation/Yoga/Journal

ü  Daily Physical Exercise

ü  Limited Television

ü  Clean House

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw
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Daily Breakdown: I am exempt from all daily goals and whatnot because this has been a vacation weekend! Meaning I had an interview in NYC, so had three days of not being able to journal and such. No fret, though, I stayed raw the WHOLE time and even got some of it on film! With me came my best friend Shellie from Middle School and a cooler full of fruits, vegetables, and stuff that eventually started to stink up the hotel room without a mini-frig haha. My plan wasn't full proof, after all, but it did serve me pretty well. On the bus ride to New York, the traffic was horrendous, so it took us 8 hours rather than 6. I only brought enough food on the bus for 6 hours, so I was starrrrviiiiing by the time we got to the hotel. Rest areas are NOT raw friendly. I will admit to eating a Naked juice in desperation which isn't that bad considering the circumstances.

The second day, my plan was to hit up a Jamba Juice on the way to my interview... there was one PERFECTLY placed along the route... but of course, it wasn't open at the time I needed it. I had come prepared with some snacks for the day, though, so I just dug into a banana for breakfast. Lunch, on the other hand, was awwwwwesoooooome. Richmond, Virginia does not have any raw restaurants (much to my dismay), but New York has a handful! Shellie and I visited Quintessence on 10th St. for a pricey little treat and might I say- I felt spoiled. They had raw ravioli! Explain that one! It was some kind of veggie sliced into thin, round pieces and stuffed with a spinach/basil nut cheeze. On it was a raw pesto and it came with a side of zucchini pasta and salad. It filled me UP! BUT! They had dessert so I had to try something. I went for the pecan pie- which was good, but soooo filling because it's basically made out of nuts. Nuts, nuts, nuts. So I felt pretty sick for the rest of the day and never want to see that pie again haha. My fault for eating it after a relatively large lunch, though. Great experience, in all! I even snagged a menu so that the girls and I can replicate it later!

On the way back, it was sort of the same deal... I didn't quite pack enough. Two bananas and two oranges for breakfast... then some nuts and half a Raw Revolution bar for lunch... and then starving til I got home haha. But for dinner this evening I had a banana, some pineapple, and a simple salad. Feeling good.

Effects:
Weighed myself this afternoon and it said 140 meaning that in the morning, I probably weigh less, MEANING that I might have lost another pound! I feel like I have and I think it's starting to show a bit. If this continues through next week, it should be a bit more obvious :-)

Walking around NYC was the first time I have REALLY craved other foods. I wanted everything I smelled... smell seems to by my go-to sense for whatever reason and it was torturing me in the city. Not being able to eat a bagel and cream cheese had to be the strongest draw... or just sit in a warm restaurant and eat warm food. Ehhhhh. I'm actually glad to be back in Richmond because there will be less temptation here lol.

Poo is looking a bit better! More consistency... I'll keep you updated haha.

Feeling good!

Day 5- Banana Splits!

Date: April 5th, 2012
Weight: 140.5

Daily Goals:
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XMeditation/Yoga/Journal: Morning went a little quick, so didn't get much chance. Doing this journal, though!

XDaily Physical Exercise: No time today, but walked around work as much as possible.

ü  Limited Television: Pretty limited, but not my best.

ü  Clean House: Cleaned up the kitchen and the living room

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw: 100%!
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Daily Breakdown: Today was a good day for raw. Well, my morning green smoothie had too much Vitamineral Green in it, so it was kind of gross, but other than that... :
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (Kale/Vitamineral Green + Strawberries/Blueberries/Banana + raw honey + water)
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Mashed bananas with coconut and dried cherries, amazing organic oranges
Snack: A plum and curry kale chips (store-bought... will be making my own from now on at Yvonne's for MUCH cheaper)
Dinner: Amazing meal with the ladies! I made a zucchini pasta dish from Nouveau Raw (recipe below)- it was pretty yummy considering our raw circumstances haha. Jackie brought a Spanish "rice" dish made from cauliflower and Yvonne made a tabbouleh that wasn't 100% raw with the bulgur wheat... so I didn't eat it, but it sounded yummers. I just LOVE doing this 30 day experiment with a group of people for support... I don't know how I would be doing right now if it weren't for their guidance, help cooking, and overall camaraderie. We started watching a video about the Gerson Therapy that is reeeeeally fascinating. I plan on watching the rest whenever possible.

Oh man, I almost forgot! We borrowed an old juicer from somebody and made banana splits with it! Basically, when you run bananas through this old juicer, it makes soft serve... we put that over cut-up bananas, drizzled it with honey and a carob mixture, then put toppings on like coconut and walnuts... and it was awesome! We each had a HUGE bowl because it's basically guilt-free. Oh man... I'm going to make that a regular staple in my life. Took some home and mixed it with some raw chocolate stuff... hoping for chocolate-ish ice-cream from it in the near future :-)

Effects: Okay, I'm just gonna up and say it- I have diarrhea. Yup! I was told that as the toxins exit your body, a lot of physical reactions may take place and this is my first big one. I have... diarrhea... but it should fix within a week, I believe, as my system clears out! Jackie got rashes or hives all up and down her legs when she first went raw... those toxins have to come out somehow! And it's not pretty...

Besides that I'm feeling pretty good. Tired, as per usual, but I have spring break at work coming up and I am very much so looking forward to the "break" (not really much of one actually haha). Wooohooooo rawwwwww.

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Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce
From nouveauraw.com

Recipe adapted from: Practically Raw

Ingredients: yields 2 cups =  4 servings (1/4 cup)

• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soak if hard for 20 minutes)
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes (seeded and rough chopped)
• 1 Tbsp raw agave nectar
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 medium zucchini (spiralized)

Preparation:

1. Create zucchini noodles and set aside.
2. Combine all the other ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until well combined.  Sauce should be thick.
3. Tip: you can substitute raw apple cider vinegar for balsamic vinegar for if you want to retain an all raw dish.

Nutritional Value: (per 1/4 cup serving)

• Calories: 116
• Fat: 8g
• Carbs: 11g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 1g
• Protein: 4
• GI: 3 (1-100)

Day 4- One Pound?

Date: April 4, 2012
Weight: 144

Daily Goals:
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ü  Meditation/Yoga/Journal: Journaled this morning! Answered some hard-hitting, existential questions

ü  Daily Physical Exercise: Swam 40 laps!
X Limited Television: Another fail. Tried to go out and hoola hoop, but really wanted someone to hoola hoop with. Really need to move... as in to a new place haha.

ü  Clean House: Limited, but okay.

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw: You bet!
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Daily Breakdown:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (Banana, Pineapple, Strawberries, Kale, Vitamineral Green, Raw Honey)
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Banana, Mango, Raspberries
Snack: Cut my first pineapple! Made pineapple juuuuuice.
Dinner: Spinach salad with marinated vegetables' leftover dressing, the rest of the coleslaw, a carrot, some onion, rawmesan cheeze, and garlic salt. Derish.

Finally got some exercise in! Swimming felt great. Today was a little meh though. As much as I love being raw, I'm constantly faced with the fact that I am surrounded by... not-like-minded people. Haven't found folks my age yet who like eating raw and healthy, are interested in the outdoors, care about the environment, yada yada. Most of the people in my life don't have that awareness and they are great folks, but it gets lonely here in the activism  sphere! So anyway... a lovely day for being raw, but I found myself watching TV because I just really wanted to hang out with someone. Pretty lame, but where I find myself these days. Looking forward to a chance to make some money and move out of the suburbs- not a place for a gal like me.

Feelings: I just let loose a lot of feelings up there! But erm... I'm feeling good! This section should actually be labeled "effects". I'm feeling pretty solid physically- mornings are good, mid-day is exhausting, and then I get my second wind. Have had green stool for the past two days... that's been weird... not sure if that's going to change or not because I'm eating a good amount of leafy greens haha. And, spurred by the awesome weight loss of my compadres, I saw a 1 lb loss today and felt like sharing! Though, one pound is not something to write home about because it could just be everyday fluctuation... it's something... so... yeah :-)

Here's to finding that place of happiness! For it should be here and now.

Day 3

Date: April 3, 2012
Weight: 145
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Daily Goals:

ü  Meditation/Yoga/Journal: Attempted meditation again this morning and did a thoughtful journaling too

XDaily Physical Exercise: Had to work 13 hours today, so didn't find much time. Tried to walk around as much as possible, though.

XLimited Television: Fail blog. But! It was all part of the work I was doing, not my own laziness. Taking care of a sick kid who just wants to watch Caillou... you have limited options.

ü  Clean House: I cleaned someone else's house...

ü  Of Course, Stay Raw: Yepperooni!
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Daily Breakdown: So, this morning I made my first-ever green smoothie! Basically it was kale, frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple (all that I had cut earlier and froze in tupperware), some green powder mess, and a tad bit of honey. Yummmmmmmy! And oh-so filling! Soon, I'm going to add chia seeds... and not using ALL frozen fruits, because it was a little too ice-creamy.

Received interesting news! Tina has lost 4 lbs already and Yvonne has lost 5 or 6. AFTER TWO DAYS. Wowzer. I, myself, have lost ZERO, so I'm hoping to wake up to a surprise on the scale tomorrow haha. I don't have a huge amount to lose, though, (20 lbs max) so I'm not going to get too worked up. A pound a week would be healthy... though I'd rather it be two or three ;-)

Had a boatload of grapes for snack and was then hungry an hour later (as per my usual hunger-at-work schedule... gotta work on that..), so I ate a RawRevolution superfoods bar. Lunch was two oranges and a gigantic banana... which makes me wonder if it's actually organic... A couple of hours later I was famished again and grabbed 1/2 cup of Go Raw Trek Mix from Trader Joe's. That mess is GOOD and hit the spot! Though there were 300 calories in just 1/2 a cup... gotta be careful!

Finally, for dinner, I meant to have my leftover marinated veggies over a spinach salad, but the folks I babysit for had no spinach as per usual (didn't come prepared myself)... so I just ate the marinated veggies and some strawberries! Definitely got my antioxidants for the day.

It was a pretty good day, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting some exercise tomorrow! Next week will also be a lot better in the exercise department.

Feelings: My morning was wonderful. I felt clearer and more focused than I have in a while... so I'm thinking the worst of the fatigue might be over for me? I've detoxed before and had a much worse reaction, but then I changed my habits a bit, so maybe there's just less for me to work out of my body? Who knows... don't want to speak too soon.

I felt exhausted after lunch, but that's the way I always feel at work. It's funny, because while I was in the Grand Canyon adventuring, I never felt this tired... adrenaline does a LOT of good. I need a job that boosts my adrenaline, not takes it away. *sigh* Too bad those jobs don't pay!

I also got in a bad mood at work for whatever reason, but was in a great mood while babysitting. Not sure if hormones are to blame or if I really had reason to be in a bad mood haha, but I'd love for random bad moods to cease and desist on this diet.

GAH. I really need to get to sleep for tomorrow's activities! Nighty night!