JAMAICA!I haven't yet been in Jamaica a full day. I had grand plans of getting up early and going running this morning. I did get up to go (at six thirty), only to realize that I had left my sports bra at home. That pretty much sent all plans of running, playing beach volleyball, going to the fitness center, etc. down the tubes. Yay for my friend who brought one, but had no plans to use it! I am going to get it from her, when it is a more reasonable hour, so definitely running this afternoon, or tomorrow morning.

The humidity took me by surprise. I opened the glass door to our balcony, expecting a cool morning breeze, perfect for jogging. I couldn't believe when I was met with a wall of humidity, more intense than I have ever experienced in south GA.

If you have been watching the Olympics, you know that the Jamaicans have been obliterating most of the other track athletes. I am hoping there is something in the air here that will make me very fast too. :)

And, I am happy to report, that I have not fallen off the wagon, food wise, here on vacation. I thought the temptation would be huge to eat junk, especially since it is all inclusive, and I can eat as much as I want of whatever I want (alcohol included). Last night there was a big jerk dinner on the beach, with flame throwers, drums, men on stilts, and lots and lots of food. I was wondering if it was just going to be mostly meat, but was happy to be able to fill my plate with six different varieties of grilled vegetables, which were delicious. For lunch, I had a simple caesar salad. For breakfast, half of a yogurt parfait (it tasted like aspartame, blech). I did have three mango girly drinks yesterday, which was a lot. Most people were completely plastered by five o'clock, whereas I felt fine...so I am guessing that most people had a lot more to drink than me. And while the drinks were good, and nice to have while lying on the beach in the sun, I probably will not have more than one or two more for the rest of the trip. I could really take or leave it.

While I am definitely wanting to have a fabulous time, and to enjoy myself, and am NOT going to spend my time here counting calories and worrying about every bite, I do not want to sabotage the work I have done at home either. I had expected to really struggle with eating while here, but honestly, this warm tropical atmosphere just makes me crave fresh fruits and veggies.

I had also anticipated just lying in a beach chair for the duration of the trip, resting, reading, soaking up the sun, talking with my friends. But now that I am here, I really want to take advantage of the time I have without my children and do really fun things that I can't do much at home. Here is my must-do list so far:
-snorkeling
-running the paths around the resort (apparently it is very dangerous to go off the resort property)
-playing beach volleyball
-swimming in the ocean
-swimming in the pool
-taking the resort horticultural tour
-having dinner on the mountain (don't know much about this, except it is supposed to be amazing)
-and perhaps take a reggae dance class!

So, the hubby just left for a day of golf. I cancelled my spa appointment (mani/pedi compliments of the hubby's company) in favor of doing some sightseeing with Matt's boss's wife, Donna (I want to see the REAL Jamaica!), then some swimming in the sea (the water is so clear! I am amazed!). I tell you, I could almost cry, I am just soooo thrilled to be here!

*Creative commons image from heather0714 on flickr.com

THE PLAN

5K evening run through City Market In October.

4.8 mile trail run in November.

10K Savannah River Bridge Run in December.

New running shoes are broken in.

Ipod workout tracks updated.

Motivation high.

ADDING EXERCISE BACK IN...

I have missed running this summer. But not enough to actually do it in this heat! Truth be told, I have been lazy. I mean, I could have run early in the morning, when it was only 85 degrees outside.
Anyway, after running/walking/biking at the beach, I am ready to start running 3x a week again. I have been looking online, and have found several 5K's coming up near me this fall. I need to send in my registration(s) so I am locked in and motivated! I am using this plan again, starting with week four, to work back up. I hope to increase my time as well. I ran my first 5K in just under 31 minutes. I stopped and walked several times during the race. I would like to run my next race, probably around the end of September, in 27 minutes, which would be just under a 9 minute mile (I hope to eventually work up to a 7 1/2 minute mile). I am a pretty fast runner, for short distances, but it is my endurance that is lacking, so that is what I will be working to improve over these next six weeks or so.

As usual, I am eating a very healthy diet, but just too much of it. I am still working to reduce my portions. Self control in the food department is a little lacking:::sigh:::

I went running for 30 minutes this morning. As soon as we finish dinner, I am putting the kids in their jammies, loading up the oldest two in the jogging stroller, the baby in the Ergo, and am walking the neighborhood until bedtime. Hopefully it won't be miserably hot.

WHAT I ATE TODAY

-Large salad
-Vegetarian Quesadilla
-Chips and Salsa
-1/3 piece of red velvet cake (would my husband PLEASE finish off this cake already?!)

Not a great eating day. I didn't eat that much, but what I had wasn't the best. The salad was OK, but the quesadilla and chips and salsa definitely weren't healthy. We ate at the mexican restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. I wanted a margarita, but didn't get one. Then, I got home and wanted something sweet. I really wanted peaches, but we were out. I should have just brushed my teeth and gone to bed. Instead, I ate red velvet cake, which I didn't really want and wasn't that good. I immediately regretted it. Darn.

WHAT I ATE TODAY

-Blueberry muffin (substituted wheat for white flour, and applesauce for oil)
-Salad (lettuce, broccoli, and cucumber with balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
-Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
-1/3 piece of red velvet cake
-Blueberries
-2 chicken nuggets, 4 fries (gross!)
-2 peaches
-1/2 cup of hot tea with honey

I didn't eat very well today. I didn't eat a huge amount of food, but I am definitely seeing some pitfalls from today...namely, sugar, or items that turn to sugar. I wish I had skipped the cake, nuggets, and fries. I don't know what I was thinking. The muffin wasn't too bad, with the substitutions I made, but it still wouldn't fall into the "health food" category. Also, my salad wasn't very colorful. I definitely need to restock my produce...it was slim pickings around here today. That for tomorrow...

IT'S THE BIG ONE, ELIZABETH!

The unthinkable happened tonight.

I forgot to eat dinner.

Well, I did have a bowl of peaches and a cup of hot tea with honey (I know, sugar, sugar, and more sugar!), but that was it. I just got busy getting the boys bathed, read to, and in the bed...hosing off poopy diapers, folding laundry (while watching Project Runway), etc. and I just FORGOT TO EAT.

I am pretty sure that has NEVER happened to me before.

FEELING GOOD...

Thanks, Susan, for the kick in the pants to blog over here again! I have been meaning to, but time has gotten away from me. I weighed this morning, and was so excited to discover that I lost two pounds last week! Yippee!!!

I started out last week, counting points and calories and measuring food. But, as the week went on, that fell by the way side. I know that doing all of that really helps me keep tabs on how much food I am eating, but it also takes all the joy out of food. It makes eating feel like an accounting job. I really love the joy of eating and cooking and always somewhat resent the intrusion of that from having to count everything. So, I am very flaky about it...sometimes I count, sometimes I don't. This week I didn't, yet still lost two pounds. Thinking back over the week, there are two things that come to mind that were very helpful for me.

1. Eating my big meal in the middle of the day. Last week, lunch was my biggest meal of the day on most days, and I often didn't eat it until two or three in the afternoon. This was good for a number of reasons. One, I ate lunch when I would normally have a snack, so that was skipped altogether (the snack). I had the rest of the day to burn off my big meal, and then ate very lightly in the evening. Some nights I just had a bowl of bing cherries, or fresh peaches. I felt a lot better when I went to bed too...not full. It was nice.

2. Staying busy with my hands. This week, I picked up embroidery again (thanks to this post from Aimee). I ironed. I folded LOTS of laundry. I worked in my garden. I made a ton of pasta sauce and canned it. Keeping my hands busy kept me from sitting and munching mindlessly. Having handiwork to do when I was watching a movie with Matt kept me from snacking. And, I was very mentally engaged with other thoughts and ideas that I am working through, studying, and praying about. So I wasn't THINKING about food as much. I think this was really key.

I still haven't done any exercise since the last time I posted. It is just soooo hot! Even early in the morning, it is sweltering. But, we just got our Wii back from being fixed, so I will probably do the Wii Fit a few times this week. I still want to pick back up with running also, one of these days.

So, do any of you that have lost weight have any tips to share? Anything that worked really well for you? I would love to hear any thoughts you have. I am going to try to repeat last week by staying busy and not eating much at night. I'll keep you posted!

HERE I AM...ALL 159 POUNDS OF ME...

So, it's depressing to have to turn my ticker thingy back to 159...right back where I started, what, two months ago? I still have 30 pounds to lose. There are so many different ways I could go about this, so many different opinions and thoughts on weight loss. You know, I have been here before. I have been at this weight, and have lost those last 30 pounds that haunt me. I know it can be done, and I know I can do it. It's just a matter of actually doing it.

This is a mixed bag for me. One the one hand, this is one of the most frustrating, unexpectedly hard areas of my life. I NEVER had a weight problem, until I had children. I was always the skinny one growing up. I was athletic. I was healthy. I ate good foods. But, every time I am pregnant, I pack on the pounds and it is excruciatingly hard to get them off...and it seems to be harder each time. But, on the other hand, I admit, this extra weight hanging around DOES serve as a constant reminder of so many good things that I have in my life...money to buy food, good foods to eat...we have abundance. And I am really thankful for that. But, it is time to enjoy the abundance in moderation.

I eat really well. By that, I mean that I eat really healthy foods, for the most part...there are the date night indulgences and such, but day to day, I eat really well. I eat a high raw diet because that is what I enjoy eating. Lots of fresh fruits, salads, hummus, etc. But, I am not a raw foodist. I really like my cooked foods too, especially home made breads and vegetables. Roasted vegetables are so yummy. I don't drink any juices, cokes, coffees, etc. I do have sweet tea sometimes, if we are at a restaurant. I don't eat much dairy. I eat very little prepackaged or processed foods. Of course, I do have my weaknesses. Homemade caramel popcorn and oatmeal cookies being two that come to mind. I don't have them every day, or even every week, but I do have them often enough that they qualify as weaknesses. :)

The exercise aspect has been severely lacking this summer. I have gone to the gym with Stacy pretty often...sometimes we have really worked hard. But I don't go regularly and I haven't been running. I am just not willing to run in 95+ weather and I haven't been disciplined enough to get up early and go. Here is the thing about me and exercise. If I am going to the trouble of working out, especially at the gym (getting the kids dressed, paying the money, driving to the gym, etc.), then by golly, I am going to make it worth it. And I will bust my tail while I am there. Like, running for an hour at 10% incline doing a 8 minute mile. And then doing an hour step class. But, I don't do it regularly.

Anyway, here is what I am doing now. I am going to post regularly again, at least until we go to Jamaica (mid-August). Probably not every day, but several times a week. I am only going to record my weight once or twice a week. I get too discouraged when I weigh every day and see those small fluctuations. I am going to continue to count points, mostly for portion control. I really eat off the Core plan (fruits and veggies, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean meats), but will use the Flex plan for the portion control. I will continue to eat high raw, and am also going to try to eat less sugar and foods that turn to sugar. As for exercise, I think I may try to start running in the early morning, twice a week. And, one day a week, probably Saturday morning, go to the gym with Stacy for step class and yoga.

As always, this is ever changing, depending on what else is happening in our lives, and what is working and not working food wise.
And, I am not going to be a martyr about this. Yes, I REALLY want to lose weight, but it is not the end all, be all of my life. A few things, weight/health related, that I am thankful for:
-That I have already lost 50 pounds! Yay!!
-That I live in an area of the world where delicious, fresh produce is readily available for a reasonable price
-That I do not have any serious health problems. Other than my struggle with losing the rest of this weight, I am very healthy.
-That I have been able to carry and deliver three healthy children
-That my family and friends love me, whether I weigh 130 pounds, or 220 (my weight when I delivered my second child. Yikes!)

Time to get back on board...

and start taking my weight loss seriously again. It isn't going to go anywhere on its own.
Starting Monday, I am back in business.

Day 27
(updated throughout the day)

Points Goal: 22

Lots of fresh fruits and veggies!!!

Today I ate:
-1 serving cheerios, 1/2 c. milk, 1 fresh peach (4 points)

Day 26

Points Goal: 22+6 exercise points (optional to use)=28 points for today

Focus on eating as many fresh, raw fruits and veggies as possible. What cooked I do eat will be simple, and made from fresh ingredients.

Today's Exercise:
One hour step class that kicked my booty (this earned me 6 additional WW points to use today)!!!

Today I ate:
-3 cups of fresh blueberries (3 points)
-1 serving of Belgian Butter Crisp Cookies (3 points)
-Whole Wheat Spaghetti w/ homemade pasta sauce: tomato, garlic, basil, and olive oil (4 points)
-Breyer's natural ice cream, w/ homemade cherry sauce: bing cherries, butter, dark brown sugar, balsamic vinegar (6 points. Yikes!)
-Veggie Sub from Subway, handful of cheetos, 2 sips of sprite (8 points)
-Hot tea and 1 graham cracker (2 points)
-Movie theater popcorn w/o butter, 4 twizzlers, some of matt's sprite (? points)

Day 24

Today's Exercise: 1 hour of Bodypump

Today I ate:
-Blueberries (lots and lots of blueberries!)
-Fresh Cherries
-French Bread w/ EVOO
-Handful of Goldfish
-Baby Carrots dipped in (a very small amount of) ranch

Day 23
(updated throughout the day)

Today I ate:
-6 inch sub (ham on white)...not something I would pick, but I was really hungry and it was what was available. I ate it thankfully!
-LOTS of blueberries
-1 ear of corn on the cob w/ butter and salt. First ear of the season. Man, it was sooo good and summery!
-French bread w/ olive oil
-small handful of dark chocolate chips

Day 22

OK, I am back and ready to get down to business. I am going to start recording everything again, and aiming for mostly raw every day. Let me be frank here: the goal was to do 100% raw for 30 days, so that I could really experience the effects of raw food. I have yet to make it even one day completely raw. But, I am able to do raw until dinner (and dinner being cooked vegetarian) without much trouble. I don't know why dinner is such a hurdle, but it is. Well, actually, yes I do. At the end of the day, I am tired, the kids are cranky, and I want food that comforts, not more lettuce. Now, what I should do, is find raw foods that I find comforting, and make those. But honestly, I just don't want to.

I have made huge dietary changes in the last few months, and now enjoy eating a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. This time of year, when south Ga is busting at the seams with fresh produce, I don't want much else. But I don't always want it raw. I mean, I don't want to feel guilty about having corn on the cob with butter and salt!! That is summer food at it's finest! One of the elements of raw food that I first found most compelling was the lack of guilt I felt when eating it. Well, HELLLOOOOO, I was setting myself up for failure and guilt by making my goal 100% raw! I am just not there yet. Maybe I never will be. I don't know.

I do love food though. I love to prepare it, I love to buy it, I love to read cookbooks. And I most especially love to see people enjoy what I have made. So, I am going to continue to celebrate food. I am going to enjoy this season of abundance. I am going to focus on making delicious, healthy foods out of the freshest ingredients I can find. I am also going to take a break from the scale. I am going to pay attention to portions and will probably count points. But, for awhile, I am just going to focus on how my clothes feel. I am tired of defining myself by the number on the scale. I will continue to record what and how much I eat, how much exercise I get, and any thoughts, recipes, etc.

Some of you may see this as progress, as a more healthy way to view this aspect of my life. Others may think I am flaking out. But, this is just a learning process for me, just like every other aspect of our lives, and I never claimed to have all the answers.

Today I ate:
-handful of Sugar Babies (3.5 points)
-Blueberries, honey, and gRAWnola (3.5 points)

Today's Exercise:
-1 hour of walking, pushing 80 pounds in the stroller :)

Day 16

It is difficult to find time to post here at the beach. The computer is in the master bedroom, where two children sleep. So finding a moment between their naps, and my children being settled enough for me to get online for a few moments, it isn't really happening. But, don't let that make you think that I am not being mindful! I am actually doing MUCH better with my eating here than I had anticipated. I am eating lots and lots of fruit, and my children are too. In fact, my friend Alison, who is here, has said that she has been more inspired to start incorporating more fresh fruit into her daughter's diet, after seeing the way my boys eat. So that is encouraging. Progress, not perfection...that is the goal.
I am not getting as much exercise as I was hoping, but I am definitely not sitting on my rear end all day!
Anyway, I will start being more detailed when I get back home, as well as recording my weight again.
For now, I am just trying to make wise choices when I eat...choosing fresh fruits and vegetables over chips and cookies (mostly).

Day 12

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: N/A (I am not checking my weight today b/c I am afraid it will be higher than yesterday and I don't want to know. Plus, I am not going to be over-zealous and take the scale to the beach. So, until next Sunday, my weight won't be recorded. But I want it to be lower when I come back, so I am going to try to do really well at the beach with what I eat, as well as portions. More later!

Today's Exercise:

Today I ate:
-grapes
-apple
-pretzel
-2 chocolate chip cookies
-carrots
-dried fruit roll
-spaghetti w/ marinara and turkey meatballs

Observations:

Day 11
(Updated throughout the day)

Woooo Hoooo!!! Finally, I am starting to see the scale move! Apparently, I was eating too much before. Who knew? :)
I felt soooo great when I got up this morning and I just KNEW I would see a difference on the scale. Adding to my euphoria after seeing a loss, as my hubby was walking out the door this morning, he said "you are getting really skinny, hon!". Well, skinny might be a stretch, but it made me really excited that he could see a difference.
It is amazing how I can go from feeling so low to having a mountain top experience in just a few days. This couldn't come at a better time, either because I will be a lot more motivated to do well at the beach...I don't want to come home and find that I let all my hard work go down the drain.

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 156.5!!!!!!!!!

Today's Exercise:

Today I ate:
-24 oz. Smoothie: strawberry, banana, spinach, water, honey, ice (214 calories, 1 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, 4 WW pts)
-1 serving of Cheez-its (160 calories, 8 grams fat, 4 grams of protein, 4 WW pts)
-2 cups blueberries (162 calories, 1 gram of fat, 2 grams of protein, 2 WW pts)
-Marshmallows (280 calories, 0 fat, 0 protein, 6 WW pts)
-3 cups of salad (leeks, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, spinach, sunflower seeds) with raw dressing (apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil) (250 calories, 20 grams fat, 6 grams of protein, 2 WW points)
-French bread dipped in olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt (725 calories, 32 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, 12 WW points)

Observations:
Oh, hey, it has been about an hour since my last confession...it's about that time isn't it? :) This is only a partial confession because, even though it is about as far from raw as one can get, the french bread, dipped in olive oil w/ sea salt and fresh ground pepper was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every crumb. It doesn't help that during this 30 day raw food challenge (it is beginning to be hard to say that with a straight face, considering I haven't even actually made it one full day on raw) I am reading the Italian section of Eat. Pray. Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Reading about Gilbert eating her way through Italy brings back vivid memories of the amazing foods that I enjoyed during my (all too short) four days there, back in 1999. I LOVE the culture of Italy. The language, the passion, the incredible foods. I love the sense of community.

I really need to find some yummy raw recipes that don't require crazy ingredients. Right now, I pretty much just have fruits and veggies at my house. I want to make some kind of fudge balls or something b/c there are times, like today, that I just want something more SOLID. Like bread. Or chocolate. Or bread and chocolate.
I have had 30 WW points (for my weight, I should have 22 a day, plus the 35 flex points a week) today. I have had 1950 calories and only about 45-50% of the food I have eaten today has been raw. Not great.

Transitioning

I am living proof that transitioning from a SAD (standard American diet) to a 100% raw diet is very difficult. There are so many reasons and factors about why we want the foods we want and old habits are hard to break. Anyway, I don't know if I will ever reach 100%. I mean, good grief, I can't even go 100% for a day!! But, in the act of TRYING to eat raw, my food habits have changed drastically over the last three months and a "bad eating day" now looks like my "best eating day" three months ago. So, even though I have days that I don't do well, I have to look at the progress I have made overall.
If you are interested in starting to eat more raw foods, or just want to eat better, here is part of an article from Angela Stokes at Rawreform that you might find useful.

Try not to put yourself off going raw by thinking of the big changes - take things slowly, be kind to yourself and don't punish yourself for 'mistakes' - no-one's demanding you must be 100% raw now or indeed ever . The first thing to consider is simply introducing more raw foods into your current diet.
A great tip for beginners is to eat just fruit before lunchtime - perhaps three different acid fruits for breakfast - e.g. pineapple, grapes, plums or nectarines, then snack on something with slower-release sugars like an apple or banana mid-morning to see you through to lunch. Most people find this an easy step towards being raw, as they bargain it off against eating their normal fare the rest of the day; as they get used to it, they realise the health benefits and want to continue increasing their raw intake.
I remember reading in the Boutenkos' 'Raw Family' book that after a few months of eating raw, the packets and products in supermarkets begin to look like toys - I find this to be true - only one area of supermarkets starts to look real - the fresh produce area and I often wander past the other aisles in amazement at all the many brightly packaged things for which I have no use.
Useful transition foods: cottage cheese, sprouted wheat bread, cooked hummus, vegan pesto, all kinds of gluten-free products (esp. pastas and muesli), carob treats, steamed vegetables, cooked gluten-free whole grains such as quinoa or millet.

Day 10

I have lost half a pound a day for the last two days that I have been logging my foods into FitDay. I am now paying more attention to the Quantity as well as the Quality. Hopefully, the weight will continue to drop off steadily. I am a little afraid to get excited though. Today, I AM GOING TO EAT 100% RAW. It will be the first day I will have made it completely raw in my 30 day challenge. And the challenge is about to get A LOT HARDER.
On Saturday, I am heading to the beach for a week with my kids, two of my friends and their kids, and two babysitters. As I have already discovered, it is HARD to eat well at the beach. Especially with all the yummy food, the margaritas, the free time to just sit and nosh, etc.
The good thing is that I will have a lot more time to exercise. Running on the beach, walking, riding bikes with the bike trailer on back, swimming, etc. I am looking forward to being more physically active next week. I still haven't picked back up with running...the hardest part is just getting up and getting my shoes on. I know I will love it once I start up again.

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 158

Today's Exercise:

Today I ate:
-Blueberries
-Blueberries, gRAWnola, honey
-1 chicken nugget
-2 fries
-4 (!) granola bars (not raw)
-sunflower seeds
-grapes

Observations: This is soooo hard!!!

Children and FoodI have seen a huge improvement in my children's diets since I first started going raw, three months ago. All three of them enjoy a green smoothie almost every morning. My five year old loves salad. My two year old could happily be a fruitarian. My one year old will eat anything. I have been cooking mostly vegetarian at night. I make them raw "ice cream" for an afternoon snack several days a week, which they LOVE. I have eliminated almost all drinks, other than water, from their diet, and they no longer expect to have juice or milk with their meals. They do still eat plenty of junk though. My husband's Cheez-its, chips, cereal, cheese, etc. There is still plenty of room for improvement in their diets.

I have thought a lot about how I should handle eating issues, such as not wanting to eat what I have made for dinner. I want my children to have a healthy relationship with eating. I don't want them to eat, just because the clock (or Mom) says it's dinnertime, but at the same time, I want to have a family dinnertime. And, if my children don't like what I have made, I don't want them to go to bed hungry, but I don't want them to think this is a restaurant either. I understand that children's tastes change often...my children were on a huge PB and Honey kick for a month...as of yesterday, none of them liked it. What is a Mama to do?

Lately, I have implemented a few "food rules" around here, which seems to be working well for now.

1. They may have any fruits and vegetables they want, any time of day. They do not have to ask. If they are hungry, they may go in the kitchen and get an apple, or banana, or carrots without asking permission first. This applies mainly to my 5 year old, since the others are still too small to help themselves.

2. If they are not hungry at dinner time, I will leave their plate out and they may eat it later.

3. However, if they do not want what I have prepared, they may not have anything else, other than fruits and vegetables, until the next meal.

I am still thinking through this, but for now, this seems to be a good solution.
How do you/ did you/ will you deal with children and food in your home? What do you do about picky eaters?

Day 9
(Updated throughout the Day)

Last night, I went to have drinks with some girlfriends, after our children had gone to bed. Obviously, alcohol isn't raw...but I hardly ever spend girl time like that (ie. without children), so I wanted to go, despite the temptation. The girls had martinis, Long Island Iced teas, pina coladas, etc. And the appetizers...oh, the appetizers!! The appetizers looked amazing. I thought about compromising with Bruschetta (it would be at least partially raw, right?), but said to myself (in my head): I want to lose weight more than I want to eat Bruschetta! And the bread basket...yum. But when the waitress came, I was able to ask for nothing more than a cup of hot tea, with honey. She looked at me, surprised. I guess people sitting in the bar area don't usually ask for hot tea. :)
When it was all said and done, the social aspect was what I wanted, and it was just as (well, almost) enjoyable as if I had been eating and drinking with them. i did feel a little like the outcast, as they drank their martinis and giggled, but it wasn't as hard as I would have thought, mostly because they all knew why I wasn't partaking, and were/are very supportive. That makes a big difference, doesn't it? Having support, especially when you are feeling weak? At one point, Charlotte, across the table, caught me looking longingly at the bread basket, and sweetly pulled it from the middle of the table to her side. Good girlfriends like that are invaluable.
I am going to be writing more about this food topic in my Bringing the Beach Home Series over at Happy at Home.

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 158.5

Today's Exercise:

Today I ate:
-1/3 banana
-1/4 c. sunflower seeds (not raw)
-Handful of Cheez its
-Belgian Butter Cookies
-1/2 piece of roasted veggie lasagne
-green beans
-gratin potatoes
-3 chocolate covered espresso beans
-Blueberries
-small handful of candy

Observations:
Wow. Not only did I completely fall of the bandwagon today, it also ran over me...and backed up, and ran over me again.
I am getting tired of coming on here and confessing. I could sit and write about how this all happened...all the mistakes I made that resulting in my eating spiraling out of control, but it is beginning to feel a little "been there, done that" on here...
Today was day 9 of my raw food challenge and I have yet to have a day that I ate completely raw. Well, the day is done now, I can't take it back, only learn from it. Onward and Upward!

Day 8 and Week 1 Weigh In

Week One Weigh In ::sigh:: I had hoped this would be a little more exciting but, it is what it is.

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 159

Today's Exercise:

Today I ate:
-20 oz. smoothie (mango, banana, honey, ground flax seed, spinach, water, ice)
-Cashew Butter and Honey Sandwich on wheat bread (not raw)...left over from my children's lunch
-Natural "fruit roll up" (organic fruit, no sugar added)
-Large Salad with lettuce, spinach, cucumber, carrots, tomato, leeks, sunflower seeds, and raw dressing of honey, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar
-3 pieces of bacon (I know, I know!!)

Observations: Sooooo...new development. After a week of very healthy, (mostly) raw eating, and not losing an ounce, I have done a little investigating today. I have been wondering if I have been eating too much food. As you can see from above, I have not eaten very much today, at least I don't think so. I have been mildly hungry most of the day. I plugged EVERYTHING that has entered my mouth into fitday.com (very cool website, you should check it out). Not only is this website a calorie counter, but it also tells you how much of your daily intake of vitamins, minerals, protein, calcium, etc. you have had, and how much of each is in the foods you ate. And it has a nifty pie chart to show you what percentage of your calories are coming from carbs, fats, etc. According to other online calculators, I should be eating about 2000 calories a day to maintain my weight, 1500 a day to lose 1 pound a week.
Venture a guess...how many calories do you think would be in the foods that are in BOLD above? Looking at that list, mostly of fruits and veggies, I would guess around 700...and I would think that is a generous guess!!
Well, I was WRONG. I have already had 1236 calories today. Just from that little bit of food!! Crazy. Did not see that coming. Apparently, I have been eating too much. I am going to take a couple of days from last week and plug them in to see how many calories I was eating last week. And I am going to be plugging in the raw foods I eat this week and try to stay around 1500 calories. We'll see what that does to this darn baby fat!

Oh, and random fun fact...did you know that Jason Mraz is a raw foodie? He is one of my favorite musicians, so I thought that was kind of interesting. He has a raw food blog...but be warned, it does have some language.

Day 7

I think on most blogs, people tend to only show the best sides of themselves. People want to read things that are encouraging, motivating, etc. I know I definitely try to keep it positive on my other blog and highlight the good and the happy and the simple, rather than the struggles...though I do talk about those too, from time to time. However, for me, it is different with food blogs. There, I want to hear reality. I want to see success, but I also want to know that other people are just like me, struggling, having to fight for it, yet persisting anyway. So, this blog probably seems to have a much different tone to it than my Happy at Home blog. I don't have split personalities, I am just filtering differently. :)
I admit, a large part of me only wants to record my triumphs, my feelings of excitement, my weight loss. But that isn't a very accurate portrayal of who I am, or how this is going all the time. So, with all that being said, please bear with me on days like today.

As you can see below, as of today, I have GAINED 1/2 a pound. I don't get it, I really don't. Except for yesterday, I have written down every bite of food that has entered my mouth for the last seven days. I am feeling very, very down about this today. I am sure a lot of my discouraged attitude today is because of the three hours of sleep I am working with, coupled with very cranky children (who have had about as much sleep) and a loooong to-do list.
The scale is bumming me out. I had three different people yesterday tell me that they could tell I was losing weight...that they could see a big difference. And it was people who I am not close to, but who see me often. And, I feel thinner. I really do. I felt the best yesterday that I have felt in a looooong time. So, what could it be? The only two things I can think of are:
-Weaning. Maybe I am eating too much food, now that I am almost done nursing. Maybe my body is holding on to fat during this transition. I don't know. Does anyone have any thoughts about weaning and weight loss?

-I have been doing light yoga and strength training (lunges, squats, planks, push ups, etc) for the last two weeks and have been "feeling the burn" about 3x a week. Could this be why I feel thinner but weigh more? I can't imagine that I have put on two pounds of muscle in the last two weeks, but maybe (?)

You know, what it all boils down to is this: it is a total bummer that I am not losing weight and is a big area of struggle for me right now. I am trying very hard to lose weight. But God is sovereign in this, just like he is with every other aspect of my life. I must be faithful with what I have been given, taking responsibility to take care of myself, but beyond that, have to trust that this is where He has me right now. Complaining and whining about my situation just shows a lack of faith. And, in the big scheme of things, this is just a small bump in the road. So, it is time to pull out an old exercise that always brings things back into focus (thanks, Mom, for reminding me to do this!). Here is a short Gratitude list of things that are RIGHT in my life. I am going to choose to focus on these things and be thankful, while continuing to make wise food choices.

Today, I am thankful for:
-My hubby, for getting my oil changed, so I don't have to sit in a mechanic's waiting room with three children
-My mom, for reminding me to be thankful, and for keeping my kids for a while today, so I can work on my to-do list
-My baby, cranky though he is today. He is almost one and is one of the highlights of my life. How could I not have known him a year ago? Crazy.
-Wonderful friends. I have received two emails today, that have encouraged me and challenged me with truth. Becky H. and Sara J., THANK YOU.


Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 159.5

Today's Exercise: None

Today I ate:
-Fresh blueberries, gRAWnola, honey
-Blueberries
-1/4 apple
-1/2 piece of pizza
-2 cupcakes
-Fruit salad (blueberries, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, apple)

Observations: I wasn't very hungry today, until Bauer's birthday party. I really didn't eat very much today. My very favorite food of all time is fresh blueberries, and I was able to pick just enough off Mom and Dad's bushes to make a meal today. I could eat blueberries in everything, they are SO good! And, lucky me, they are one of the healthiest foods available and are chock full of anti oxidants!
Social situations are definitely a pitfall for me. For the party, I made a huge salad, as well as a fruit salad that I should have doubled because everyone loved it, ordered pizza, with cupcakes for dessert. So, 50% of the meal was raw. I did eat a lot of the fruit salad, but completely ignored the regular salad. I didn't actually eat a piece of pizza...just nibbled on some of the left over's on my children's plate (a mom's pitfall, isn't it?). But the cupcakes did me in. They were chocolate! I rest my case...

Day 6

Hmmm...I didn't get around to recording what I ate today. We were very busy with church things, and I try to spend less time on the computer on Sundays (at least until night time). All my meals were raw today, but the in between times weren't good. I am learning a lot about my food habits though. Yesterday at the birthday party I started thinking: the only reason I really wanted that food was because everyone else was eating it. If it had been a birthday party with all raw foods, I would have been equally as tempted. It was just that I wanted to EAT.
And, I have noticed, that when I am really and truly hungry, not eating for some other reason (boredom, stress, etc.), pretty much anything sounds good...but when I am eating for a reason other than hunger, I want something specific, a "craving", if you will.

Anyway, this whole raw food thing would be so much easier if more people around me were eating raw too. Food is SO SOCIAL. But, because everyone around me is eating junk, it ends up feeling like its me versus them. And I am the freak. :)

And another thing. I am getting really, really, REALLY frustrated with this weight thing. I mean, give me a break!! I have been trying to lose this weight for three years! I am eating raw fruits and vegetables!!! What else can I do?! Argh!
Well, I can up my exercise, for sure. I am going to focus on adding more exercise in this week. It is just so frustrating when so many gals around me can give birth, and be back in their regular clothes in two weeks...while I have to watch every bite I eat and still not lose weight. I just don't get what i am doing wrong.

Anywho, sorry for the rant. This is me being transparent. :)

It is technically day 7 (it's 3:30 AM) and I am going to really focus on eating well today and getting more exercise. Tonight is going to be another challenging night, food wise, as my family is coming over to celebrate Bauer's first birthday (a few days early). I am going to be serving a lot of raw foods, so maybe it won't be too bad. I think I am going to make some of those fudge balls that Sara was talking about in the comments from yesterday (thank you Sara, you are too good to me!) to munch on while everyone else is eating cupcakes.

I may take a break from the scale for a few days after I do a one week weigh in tomorrow. Maybe I should only weigh once a week. That way I won't get frustrated when the scale reflects the natural day to day fluctuations. I am going to think about it.

But for now, I am going to bed....

Day 5
(updated through out the day)

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 157.5

Today's Exercise: 1 hour Wii Fit

Today I ate:
-My weight in frozen grapes
-dried fruit
-salad: lettuce, broccoli, carrots, onion, red bell pepper, sun flower seeds (not raw), w/ raw dressing (honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt)
-1 piece dark chocolate (not raw)
-1 caramel
-1/2 piece of birthday cake
-3 cheetos
-4 pieces of pepperoni
-gRAWnola, honey, almond milk

Observations:
OK, the good news is that since I am trying to do this 30 day raw shindig, I am eating much better than I would otherwise. The bad news is, that I didn't do very well over the week-end. We went to a birthday party with hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, soft drinks, potato salad, cole slaw, cookies, and birthday cake. I came out relatively unscathed with 1/2 piece of cake and 3 cheetos. But then, tonight, the hubby orders pizza!!! I only ate 4 pieces of pepperoni (not slices of pizza, just the pepperoni), and found myself highly grossed out. That has never happened before...so I am considering that progress. :)
On the bright side, my worst day now looks like my best day a few months ago.
Definite progress.
Onward and upward!

Jeans...suggestions?

I needed some humor this morning, so I decided to try on all my jeans. I am currently wearing a 12, but they are getting pretty loose (yay!!). I don't have any pants in a 10, but I do have 2 pairs of jeans in a size 8, which I can't wait to wear again. So, just for kicks, I tried them on. The good news: I was able to get them buttoned and zipped. The bad news: my muffin top was no longer singular. Not A muffin top. More like a baker's dozen muffin top(s). Hmmm. So, I can see that in just a few pounds, I am going to need a pair of size 10's. I want to buy two pairs of pants. One of them being jeans. Here is the criteria. Dark wash. Not high rise, but not low either. A slight flare in the leg. Not very expensive. Do you have any suggestions?

I am thinking I will buy them when I hit my pre-Landing weight (152 pounds), or, when I hit the 140's. Maybe in the next couple of weeks?

Let me know. What are your favorite jeans?

DAY 4
(Updated throughout the day)

I am going to spend part of the morning preparing some raw foods to have on hand for whenever a hunger pang strikes. I need to cut up and freeze my mangos, wash and freeze grapes, cut up some carrots and bell pepper, etc. So far, I have really only wanted simple raw foods...fruits and veggies in their natural form (or frozen), other than the occasional afternoon "ice cream". When I want something a little different, I may make some sun dried tomato hummus, which is yummy, or maybe this taco salad. For now though, there are so many variations of salad and raw salad dressings, that I am happy with that. Plus the many flavors of green smoothies. When I am hit with a craving or want something sweet, I have satisfied myself with frozen grapes, raisins, "ice cream", or hot tea with honey.

I really need to get back to exercise. I want to pick up running, which I have dropped for the last few weeks. I have done 30 minutes on the Wii Fit, which surprisingly, can get you breaking a sweat pretty fast, if you want to, a couple of times this week.

Potential pitfalls today: dinner for the family (either tacos, or crab legs and corn on the cob) and carnival food (we told the kids we might take them to the little carnival in town). Funnel cakes are my nemesis!

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 157.5

Today's Exercise: 30 minutes on the wii fit

Today I ate:
-10 ounces smoothie (strawberry, banana, water, spinach, honey, flax seeds)
-grapes
-raisins
-1 waffle fry
-strawberries, gRAWnola, honey
-steamed veggies and rice
-salad
-bag of cotton candy
-4 bites of funnel cake
-4 pieces of caramel
-frozen grapes

Obervations:
Well, I guess I can change "potential pitfall" to "actualized pitfall"...yea...the carnival was definitely trouble. I did OK at dinner, considering that there was not a raw item on the menu. I had the steamed veggie plate with rice. Water to drink. As for the cotton candy and funnel cake...well, there just aren't any excuses. **sigh**

Day 3
I am so excited to see a 1.5 pound loss on the scale!! It makes me soooo much more motivated to be really mindful about my eating today. Yesterday went great, except for the one teensy piece of french toast and I am hoping to be 100% today. Charlotte and I are going to make that yummy salad again from yesterday, so I am really excited about that. The hardest part for me today will definitely be dinner. I am making tacos for the family. I am going to make a walnut "meat" for myself, and have it on salad. Hopefully, it will be satisfying enough to ignore the tacos! More later...

Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 157.5

Today's Exercise: ---

Today I ate:
-16 oz. Smoothie (raspberry, banana, spinach, honey, ice, water, ground flax seeds)
-same salad as yesterday. Wasn't as good today, but it was nice to eat with friends!
-Raspberry "ice cream"*
-3 fries**
-2 chicken nuggets**
-2 bites of key lime bars**
-lots of frozen grapes
-salad
-hot tea with honey

Observations: OK, so I didn't make tacos tonight. The hubs and I ended up having a date night and we went to a movie and dinner with some dear friends, the Barnes. So, I bought the kids Wendy's, which they haven't had in some time. I was RAVENOUS, and in a period of, oh, 30 seconds, I had wolfed down 3 fries, 2 nuggets, and 2 bites of key lime bars before I came to my senses. I threw out the rest of the bars, I was the only one who liked them anyway, and I am not supposed to be eating them!! So, that is my 30 seconds of shame for the day. BUT, I do think I (mostly) redeemed myself because...
we went to the movie, and the hubby asked if I wanted popcorn w/ butter and sprite. NO!!!! So, I munched on frozen grapes through out the movie. And, because I didn't want the junk, Matt didn't get it either. I handed him a handful of frozen grapes and he looked at me skeptically...then said "hey, these are really good!" and ate half the bag. That, my friends, is some serious progress. Then, the four of us went to Longhorn. It was late, almost 9 pm, so I didn't want to eat too much. I ordered a side garden salad, without croutons, cheese, or tomato, dressing on the side. I asked them to add extra cucumber and bell pepper. I always dip the end of my fork in dressing, and hardly use any, so I allowed myself the honey mustard, which is my favorite. I also ordered a hot tea with honey.
As we were eating, I looked at everyone's food...steak, sauteed mushrooms, salmon salad, hamburger, fries, bread and butter...and at my small salad and realized that none of what they were eating was tempting to me. Nothing on the table was more appealing than my little plate of salad. And it was so nice to not feel controlled by food!! I enjoyed my salad, then sipped my hot tea as everyone finished their meal. I enjoyed the fellowship and the conversation and the tea.
And, a big difference I notice between cooked and raw food, is even if I eat a healthy meal of cooked food, I usually leave the table feeling too full and kind of tired...like you want a nap. I never feel like that with raw food. The salad was satisfying and took away the hunger but I didn't have that kind of icky bloated feeling.
I am kind of liking this raw food thing...I am not doing perfectly, but I am feeling great about the progress I am making. I don't know that the scale will reflect well for me tomorrow, since I did eat that fried junk and I didn't exercise, but I do feel really good physically and mentally.

DAY 2 (this not-great picture was taken with my phone of the lovely bowl Charlotte gave me, with the last few bites of yummy salad)
Starting Weight: 159

Current Weight: 159

Today's Exercise: 30 minutes on the Wii Fit

Today I ate:
-1/3 slice of country wheat bread (from the bakery) french toast*
-salad of lettuce, carrots, greek olives, leeks, and a delicious raw dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and honey**
-Lots of frozen grapes!!
-Apple
-16 oz. smoothie (raspberry, strawberry, banana, spinach, honey) Yum!
-GRAWnola (sprouted, deydrated grains), with almond milk***
-raisins

Observations:
*I know, I know!!! Obviously, NOT RAW!! What is wrong with me? OK, I know what is wrong with me...I am a BIG TIME mindless snacker. I was on the phone, cooking breakfast, took a bite...and another...and another. Man, it was good though.

**Charlotte made me the most delicious, wonderful salad. We were at the Raptor's Center and having a picnic. And, Charlotte, being the sweet friend that she is, made me this wonderful salad and served it in the most beautiful wooden bowl, which she GAVE ME!! She is a great friend. **Love you!!!** That salad was delicious. And it is so much easier to eat raw, when others are eating what you are eating...and when they are supportive. So THANK YOU, Charlotte!! You are too good to me!

Today has been a much easier day of eating for me. For one, I stayed busy and occupied all day (Charlotte and the kids came over and we moved furniture...our favorite past time, when we are together! Ha!). And, I wasn't in the kitchen all day making yummy food for everyone else. I can see that is going to be a big obstacle, unless I figure out raw foods to make for myself that are just as yummy and enticing as the cooked food I am making for everyone else.

***This gRAWnola with raisins, honey, and almond mylk was delicious! It was so satisfying, and a nice change from fruits and veggies. The gRAWnola is sprouted grains (wheat, barley, lentils, etc.) dehydrated. The almond mylk is not homemade, so I am sure it has been pasteurized, and thus not really raw, but it was great in a pinch and is so delicious! I hope to make my own soon.

DAY 1

Today is day one of my personal 30 day raw food challenge. I am looking forward to seeing how my body changes over the next 30 days. Hopefully, at the end of my 30 days, I will have an "after" picture to post that looks significantly different than my "before" pictures! :)

One of the things that really drew me to raw foods, was the lack of guilt. No feeling bad over that milkshake, those chips. If you are eating a raw foods diet, all the foods you eat are healthy and fresh. Just eat it, be thankful for it, and move on!! Even the delicious raw ice creams are nothing more than pureed frozen fruit. But, as much as I enjoy a way of eating that is simple and freeing, sometimes (type A firstborn personality here) I want to have rules and guidelines and checklists to follow. I am fighting the urge to put those boundaries on this 30 day challenge. Despite my best attempts, I do have a few guidelines that I will loosely follow.
I will eat whenever i am hungry, regardless of the number on the clock.

An exception to this will be evening. I will do my best to not eat after 7 pm, so my food has the whole evening to digest.

I will try to exercise before breakfast, when possible.

I will not create awkward social situations or hurt feelings over my diet. If we are at someone's house for a meal, I will eat what they have prepared, and will be thankful for it. I will not feel guilty about what I eat in those situations, though I will make the best choices possible from what is available.

TODAY'S STARTING WEIGHT: 159

EXERCISE: 30 minutes on the Wii Fit :)

WHAT I ATE:
-Tropical Smoothie (pineapple, mango, banana, ice, water, ground flax seeds, spinach) 12 oz
-3 Handfuls of frozen grapes, my current snack love
-salad with mixed veggies
-key lime bar*
-salad
-roasted veggie lasagne**
-pound cake**
-wheat bread (1/2 piece)**

OBSERVATIONS:
*12:58: The key lime bars, left over from our Memorial Day cookout, were on the counter. I was talking on the phone to my mom, when I suddenly realized that I was standing at the counter with a spoon, eating the key lime bars! Arghh!! I was so caught up in the conversation, that I was eating without even meaning to! This mindless eating is another bad habit I want to kick to the curb. Already, only half way through the first day, I have spit cooked food out of my mouth at least three times. A chip, grabbed off my 5 year old's plate, discarded cheerios from the baby's high chair. Key lime bars while on the phone. I didn't mean to eat any of it, nor was I thinking about it when I did. It was there, I was preoccupied, and I ate it. Just shows me how often I am not fully present. Hmmm. Food for thought.
**Well, day one was certainly not clear sailing. My parents and Matt's parents ended up coming over for dinner...they brought apple pie and pound cake. I resisted the apple pie. I made roasted veggie lasagne, a huge salad, and wheat bread from the bakery. Yeah, I have my work cut out for me with this raw for 30 days thing. Dinner is definitely going to be the make it or break it point everyday, because I am cooking for the family. I can see that I am going to need to find some fabulous raw recipes that make me excited about eating dinner. Or, I am going to have to cook things that my family likes but that don't appeal to me. Roasted Veggie Lasagne will not be one of them, b/c I LOVE it. Here is the recipe, in case you are curious.
So, this is supposed to be a raw blog, and after three days, I have already posted two recipes for cooked foods....wow...this is going to be harder than I thought.
But, all things considered, when I did eat cooked food, it was small portions. If I hadn't been trying to eat raw, I would have been pretty happy with how I ate today. I would say I ate about 75% raw today...it's not 100%, but I can do better tomorrow!

Perspective..

Articles like this haunt me. It is impossible to even comprehend what is happening to hundreds of thousands of people at this very moment all across Africa. As I am writing this, countless mothers are watching their babies die of starvation, and are helpless to do anything about it. I can't even begin to imagine facing something like that.
I have an entire blog dedicated to learning to eat better, less, making wiser choices. I feel so self absorbed. No, correction...I AM so self absorbed. Every day since I read that article, a week ago, I have thought "how could I ever overeat again, knowing what I know about what is happening in the world? How can I complain about having weight to lose, when I know that people are starving right now?" It feels so heavy. I want to do something, anything, but the need is so much greater than anyone can fathom. Yet, I know that the magnitude of the problem is not license to ignore it.
So, I take little, feeble, insignificant steps. I have given up meat. The cost of grain around the world is soaring. It takes a lot more land and grain to raise a cow, than it does to raise crops in the same amount of space.
And I pray for those people who are suffering so horribly. This article from John Piper was encouraging.

I was talking to our Pastor's wife yesterday, who also struggles with food issues. She said that the food crisis in Africa doesn't change the personal struggle that she has with food. Obviously, what the people in Africa face is a level of hardship that most of us will never know. But we were not born into that. And our struggles, though tiny, by comparison, are real too. Making wise eating choices is hard. Not running to food for comfort is difficult. We don't have to be ashamed that our struggles exist, just because they aren't as big as someone else's.
I really appreciated her perspective, because I do feel so, so guilty about struggling to eat healthy, delicious fruits and vegetables rather than junk food, when so many struggle to even find water.
I ask myself: "What impact does my overeating have on people in other parts of the world"? Alone, very little, I am sure. But what about our nation? We are a country of overeaters. How does that impact people in Ethiopia?

So, while I struggle with what I eat and the emotions that go with it on a day to day basis, I also struggle with with the bigger issues of having so much while others have nothing, of being thankful, of keeping a proper perspective, of taking responsibility to do what I can, no matter how small, regardless of how great the problem.

Why Raw?

You might wonder why I, or anyone else, would choose to eat all raw foods. You might think it seem very radical, or weird. Or restrictive. I know I thought all of those things when I first heard about the raw/living foods lifestyle. But then, I read Alissa Cohen's Book, Living on Live Foods where she addressed the idea that eating raw and living foods is "radical". Essentially, she asks the question "Why do we think that eating foods in their natural state is radical, but we don't think that taking prescription medication or having to have surgery (for various preventable illnesses) is radical?" Eating a raw foods diet has been known to cure many diseases, including cancer, candida, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, etc. Is is more radical to be put to sleep and cut open, or to eat fresh fruits and vegetables? When it was put that way, it made a lot of sense.

I have done many diets. Weight Watchers, South Beach, low carb, low fat, blah, blah, blah. Many of them did help me lose weight. But none of them changed the way I felt on the inside. None of them curbed my cravings. None of them gave me more energy. Raw food does. I didn't have any real health problems to start with, but even I noticed a radical change in my body. My hair was shinier and softer, my skin was clearer, I had more energy on less sleep, my PMS symptoms disappeared, and I lost weight.

One of the main arguments people offer up against the raw food diet is "how will you get enough protein?". There is protein in plants. And, I would have to ask, where do you get your protein? From meat? What did that chicken eat? Or that cow? Were THEY meat eaters? No, they ate plants! So, obviously, you don't need meat to have protein. I am just cutting out the middle man! :)

If you want more information on the raw food diet, check out some of the links on the right.

Excuses, Excuses

I am not officially kicking off my 30 days raw until Tuesday, yet I am already making excuses and justifying having "a little cooked food" every now and then. Wow. I know it is going to be hard. There is so much wrapped up in our food habits besides food. Emotions, cultural and societal rituals and expectations, habits, etc. When I started eating a high raw diet, about 10 weeks ago, that was one thing that really surprised me. I would consider myself to be a pretty stable person...no major drama in my life. I don't have any childhood trauma to work through. I have a healthy marriage. So, when I was warned that eating raw would bring lots of "issues" to the surface, I just kind of brushed it aside. And sure enough, within just a few days, I begin to see so many "issues" that I didn't know I had. How I use food to comfort myself, when I feel tense or stressed or tired. How much I eat just because others around me are eating, or because the clock says it is dinner time, even if I am not hungry. I eat for so many reasons, other than for nourishment.
Another thing I really love about eating raw foods is that there is so much less to think about! I have used Weight Watchers very successfully in the past and think it is a great program. However, one thing I didn't like about WW is that I thought about food all the time. Counting and banking the points, planning ahead, looking up foods, etc. The more I thought about food, the more I wanted to eat. With raw food, it is all good for you. If I am hungry, I can get an apple or make a smoothie. And ENJOY it, without worrying about how many calories are in it. Because the more raw you eat, the less you want junk. Your body craves more and more of the good stuff. And you don't overeat. Portion control seems to happen naturally. It is weird. It is like your mind and body resets itself in regards to food.
I am going to have to keep reminding myself of all this, and how good I am going to feel because right now, 30 days is seeming like a looooonnnnng time. And all I am thinking about is what I WON'T be eating...rice and butter and bread and sugar, oh my. I am going now to drown my worries in a mango spinach smoothie...there are those darn food issues again!

Stats and History

Age: 27
Height: 5'5"
Ideal Weight: 125-130
Current Weight: 159.5
Background: I have given birth to 3 children, ages 5, 2, and 1 (in June). I started out my first pregnancy at 132, which at the time, was the heaviest I had ever been. I gained 55 pounds during my first pregnancy, and the day I delivered, weighed 190. I only nursed for 3 months. At the end of 3 months, my weight was 164. I joined Weight Watchers, and 9 months after I had given birth, I weighed 135.
Over the next 2 years, my weight crept back up, and when I got pregnant with my 2nd son, my weight was 152. I gained 65 pounds during that pregnancy and on D-Day, weighed 219. Yikes! I nursed my 2nd son for 10 months, and at the end of that time, weighed 164 pounds. That same month, I became preggers with baby #3.
I gained 45 pounds with baby #3. 4 months after he arrived, I was back to 164 pounds. I didn't lose another pound for 6 more months. In fact, I gained back 4 pounds, to end up at 168. 10 weeks ago, I was turned on to raw food by my friend, Sara. I immediately started drinking green smoothies every morning and incorporating a lot of raw foods into my diet.
The changes were remarkable. My skin cleared up. I had more energy on less sleep. My cravings subsided. PMS symptoms disappeared. And I lost 12 pounds! And then I fell off the bandwagon. The end.







...Just kidding. I gained back several pounds. I am currently at 159. And am recommitting myself. I really want to change my lifestyle. I want my family to be healthy. My kids eat pretty well, and their diets have improved a lot since I have started incorporating more raw foods. My husband still eats really poorly. Since I started raw 10 weeks ago, I have become almost entirely vegetarian (with the exception of some occasional seafood). I have also given up most dairy. I still eat a little cheese and butter but no milk or yogurt.
I think it will be easier to go 100% raw now than it was 10 weeks ago, now that I have given up meat and dairy. I am going to really miss these though. Man, they are good. You should try them.

My plan for the next 30 days is this. To eat 100% raw. All raw, all the time. I will probably slip up some. But that is OK. It is a process. I will post here every day, recording what I ate and how I felt. I will be including pictures, recipes, and links. Maybe a video or two. My hope is that by having this site to be accountable, that I will do better than if I just did it on my own. Plus, after the 30 days are over, I will have this documentation to look back and see what worked, what didn't, and to learn from my successes and failures.
What do I hope to get from this? First and foremost, I want to live a healthy life. As the person in our family who provides the food and nourishment, I need to be a good example and prepare foods that will keep my three growing little boys (and one grown hubby) as healthy as possible. Secondly, I want to lose weight. I would like to be at 130 again. I am in the process of weaning my baby, and hope that with that, and eating raw for 30 days, I will be a lot closer to the 130's than I am now. Thirdly, I want to feel my best. I want to have clearer skin and more energy. I have lots to do (like everyone else!). I have 3 small children. I have a house. I have a hubby. I have friends and family. I am homeschooling. I want to have energy and vitality to do it all!

30 days. I can do this.

I just saw Bunny Berry's 40th day post, and weigh in. She has lost 16 pounds in 40 days. I am going for it. All raw for 30 days.
It's not a long time.
And I am posting before and after pictures.

Of me.

In a bathing suit.

I thought it was only fair that I warn you.