It has been way too long! I am so bad at keeping up with journals...But I'll try to be better!

A lot has happened this summer. I am still in Vermont...for another 4 days! Then I'm off to Manhattan, where I just signed the lease on a great apartment on the Upper East Side. It was a total steal, and it's huge compared to most one-bedrooms. I needed a big place b/c I now have a small dog AND I ended up keeping one of my foster kittens because she has medical issues, so I have 5 cats!!! Yes, I'm officially a crazy cat lady. They're all great though and they'll be so happy in the new place Little Cirrus (my dog) will have a dog park that's just for small dogs 3 blocks away from our new place, and we also have the East River walking path to walk on just steps from the apartment! It's perfect. I have been applying for jobs with the ASPCA like mad. I finally have an NYC address so hopefully they'll take me seriously.

I've been eating high raw, but I've come to learn that high raw just isn't cutting it for my body. I know that 100% raw or very close to it is what's best for me. I know that grains are horrible for my body and so are beans and cooked nut butters. I can do steamed veggies and sweet potatoes, but that's about it. I am very serious about eating 99-100% raw right now rather than telling myself it's ok to have cooked hummus or oatmeal or peanut butter as long as everything else is raw. Today will be my first totally raw day in maybe a month or two :0 I've only had an apple and about 1/3 of a Lara Bar so far but I'm not hungry at all today. I will try to update daily with my food and exercise. I've been running a lot but feeling a little burnt out, so I'm not sure if I'll be doing longer runs daily or just keeping it to shorter runs plus walking and yoga.

I'm not working anymore- my last day was last Sunday- and I'm GOING OUT OF MY MIND I'm so bored. I have a lot of packing and job searching to sort of keep me busy, but I just feel so guilty for not working! I can't wait til I'm moved in and have a job!

Good to see you again - been wondering how you've been doing and whether or not you'd moved already...

When you get here to NY you must let me know! You were so fortunate to find such a bargain in Manhattan, especially in the UES - practically unheard of. I guess that's confirmation of making the right move. I hope you're able find work as soon as possible, and wish you a smooth move and transition!

Soraya I don't know if you're still around but if you are, hello fellow New Yorker!!

I've been in Manhattan for about 1.5 months now, crazy! Everything is great, I have a decent job, the pets are doing well, I'm reconnecting with old friends and keeping up with raw foodism. I'm really really really trying to do 811. I actually just ordered the book today since I've never read it and have had trouble sticking to 811 in the past. I'm probably not doing it totally right at the moment but I'm sure I'll read the entire book in one night and then I'll be able to follow it correctly!

I've been very hungry since Saturday, and have had lots of mental energy but not much physical energy at all. After a horrible 8 mile run on Saturday morning I was starving all day, and I haven't actually felt full or satisfied since then. I don't know what's going on, 8 miles isn't even a long run for me right now. I'm hoping reading the 811 diet book will explain things and I'll start to understand what to do. Obviously I've done the raw foods thing for prolonged periods of time in the past, but eating very low fat raw vegan, to me, is like learning to eat again. Anyway I hope to have energy to run again very soon. I've been holding off on that in fear of having another crappy, tears-inducing run, and have been doing yoga and the normal daily NYC lifestyle walking instead.

Today:

-5 bananas with raw cacao powder...which I've learned is not ok for 811, so no more of that
-another banana before yoga
*60 mins. hot power vinyasa, the instructor really challenged us today and it was great!
-4 clementines, 2 bananas
-green smoothie w/ 2 bananas, frozen mango/strawberries, lots of kale, and water

Also about 2-2.5 hours of walking throughout the day.

Later will be either some vegetables (maybe a salad) or another smoothie. I'm working from 6-12 probably so who knows. I don't really want any more fruit right now though lol.

I ordered a 40 lb. case of bananas to arrive tomorrow!!! So much cheaper and easier than buying them at a grocery. I'm a bit strapped for $$ right now so I'll be eating tons of bananas.

I just got home from work, a bit early and had a huuuuge salad. I mean huge even for a raw foodie. I was craving romaine lettuce like mad all during work. I was plotting what stores might be open at midnight when I left, and where I could get the freshest crunchiest lettuce. Daydreaming about eating it right off the head. I was so happy to leave early b/c I got to go get my lettuce! I carried it home in my arms since I didn't want to waste a grocery bag, and got lots of weird looks from people on the streets. They don't know what they're missing. I was so hungry by the time I got home but even if there had been bagels and peanut butter and vegan cookies in front of me I totally would have only wanted the lettuce! I dove right into it and ate some plain, then put the rest in a huge salad with half a red pepper, a big carrot, half a cucumber and 2 tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Eeek, the balsamic is not raw and I'm sure I'll have to give that up on 811 when I learn how to "really" follow it. But I'm not too worried since veggies taste gorgeous on their own!

After the salad, amazingly enough, I still had room for 2 bananas! I was too low on calories and bananas are ok to combine with veggies, so I've heard. So I'm at about 1500 for the day for calories, which is still too low but I did eat a banana and a Lara Bar (oops) at 2 AM which I'm counting towards today, so really more like 1800 or so. I don't like counting calories but my downfall is always not eating enough, so I'm trying to make sure I eat plenty every day.

Time to take pup out, read for a bit and snooooze.

maybe contact tim van orden [www.runningraw.com] , hes a raw runner , maybe he can shed some lite on the issue for you

and welcome back !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thank you, Jodi! That is a great idea because I love both running and raw foodism but I feel like I can't have both! I will definitely contact Tim and I also hope that once my copy of The 811 Diet arrives tomorrow it can help me see what I must be doing wrong.

I did manage a very short run today of just over 3 miles. It felt fine and very fast, but not "right" or "normal." I spent the whole time thinking about running rather than simply running and letting my thoughts wander. But 3 miles is usually too short to get into the flow anyway, I was just too worried about having another miserable run to go farther from home! Maybe tomorrow I'll be more adventurous!

Im feeling pretty low-energy today and my skin is a bit ruddy. Detox I guess, which is both a blessing and a curse. I'm very lucky right now to have a full time salary on part time work so that I can just let my body do its thing. I want to read 811 and really do it right for a few weeks, and then go on a juice fast to really cleanse around Christmas when I won't be working for a few days in a row. I have a juicer now and I've never done any fasts before except for a one-day water fast which was pretty pointless, haha.

So far my meals have been:

-4 bananas and a mango
*3ish mile run, dog walk*
-3 more bananas w/ raw cacao powder...ok ok, it's done now!
-3 carrots

I'm going to have a green smoothie soon and bring an apple to work. I'll be home at 11:30 at the latest tonight, maybe earlier, and I'll have a salad of romaine, tomatoes, carrots and a cucumber w/o any dressing. I'll probably eat the lettuce first, then the other stuff. I don't think vinegars are allowed on 811 so I'm preparing myself!

I realize I'm putting all my hopes into 811. I've done so much research about different diets, both raw and non-raw vegan, and this seems like THE ONE for me. I want to have boundless energy to run! I want to BQ (qualify for the Boston Marathon)! I want glowing skin and nice abs! It seems like everyone who does 811 long term sees all these amazing benefits. I am giving it a real, fighting chance. The only overt fats in my house are olive oil which will last forever, and a non-ripe avocado which I can eat little by little if/when I want. I can't wait to read the book and really get started, I hope to see some real positive changes by Christmas!

Also wanted to add that I am off diet soda completely and have not taken any OTC headache medicine or put anything artificial into my body for a while now! Veeeery proud of myself for kicking the soda habit, especially since I still drank it during my other raw food experiences. I don't miss it at all and actually didn't experience any significant withdrawals from it. I used to wake up and want it immediately for energy. The only time that's happened in the past 2 weeks was the morning after I ate some bread with dinner! How ironic that I needed and energy booster after eating cooked junk!

Yesterday was really good, lets see if I can remember what I ate... all 811 friendly!

-3 bananas, green smoothie w/ the usual (2 bananas, kale, frozen mango/strawberries, water)
w/o: 60 mins. hot power vinyasa, and walked for about 2 hours throughout the day
-apple, mango, banana
-romaine roll-ups w/ chopped tomato, cucumber, carrots & red pepper
-3 more bananas and an apple
-2 more bananas when I realized I was low on calories!

That was about 1600 cals I think. Also got my monthly visitor yesterday and had barely any PMS symptoms and very little cramps. I can't wait til it just goes away, which it always does on raw!

This morning I had a banana...and I'm making a sweet potato :-P I have one left, but I'm not opposed to eating these once a week as my only cooked food, either. I also started reading the 811 diet last night when I finally got home from work. It's amazing to me how simple it is, and yet how 99% of people would think it's completely insane and WAY too hard! It really made sense to me, especially when Dr. Doug went through the list of different types of eaters- carnivores, those that eat roots, sprouts, herbivores, etc...and explained how humans would NOT eat almost any of the foods we do eat if we were in nature and had to forage. I totally see that I was eating the wrong foods in the past, even on raw. I'm excited to be in a place in my journey where I'm ready for this step (she says as her sweet potato steams...haha).

I'm going for a run today and then reading some more before work!

Tres interessant...I just had my sweet potato and now I'm feeling SO hot, actually sweating a little. My stomach is fuller than it's been in days, in a bad way. And I'm thirsty for the first time in days. I'm not going to say I'll never eat these again, but maybe once a week is too often. These never bothered me when I was eating more overt fats, and it's only been a few days w/o overts so I'm kind of surprised.

I'm going through detox like woah. Last night I was absolutely dead tired and had a bad headache. I attempted to go to sleep at 10:30 after work, but laid in bed tossing and turning til around 12:30. I dragged myself out of bed at 9:00 this morning, took the dog for a walk, fed everyone and cleaned the litterboxes, and then plopped back down in bed and finished reading The 811 Diet. Love it! Everything he says is pretty much stuff I've known all along but didn't want to admit to myself b/c it's so much more "convenient" to continue believing that certain foods are good for us just b/c they're vegan or raw. Anyway, I still feel like crap and I'm super cold. I wanted to go to yoga today but it's just not going to happen, I need to give my body rest. Maybe if it wasn't an hour commute each way I'd go. But I'm too worn out, apparently my body has a lot of junk to release! I think it's due to not eating overt fats this week. Haven't had any since Sunday I'm going to just let my body do its thing and instead of feeling like I "have to" exercise, just work out when I feel able. This detox should not last for more than another 1-2 weeks max. I can't wait til I have all the energy the book talks about. I really really want to train for a marathon eating raw!

Yesterday I had:
-banana, sweet potato
w/o: 5.6 mile run plus about 1.5 hours walking throughout the day
-2 mini apples, 2 clementines
-green smoothie w/ 3 bananas, kale, frozen mango/strawberries
-bowl of cut up non-sweet fruits- tomato, cucumber & half red pepper- and 5 more bananas

Today so far is 8 bananas, eaten 4 early in the day and 4 just now. They're so perfectly ripe right now! I have tons of them though so I think I'll need to freeze some, or at least put them in the fridge. I love them cold so that's no problem! I'm planning on a green smoothie before work and probably one after work, too, then SLEEP. Exercise is just dog walks (about an hour total) and walking to & from work (45 mins. or so).

Oh, and after getting my gas/electric bill yesterday, I chose to turn off my gas. They charge $19 for service & maintenance feels each month, and I hadn't even used the gas at all for the time I was billed for! I do not need to waste $20 a month. Now if only I could learn to live w/o electricity...haha.

hey girlie!!! wow i miss talking to you!!! i haven't talked to you in forever!!! You sound like you are doing well!!! I am so happy for you and proud of the hard work you are putting into getting back into all raw and 811!!! I really admire your move for your desire to help animals!! That is so admirable!!! Congrats huN!!!
I hope to be on here more and more and am trying to catch up with everyone!!!
My life has been chaotic, but it is getting so much better!! i just moved back to san diego a week ago!! So i think this is going to be much better for me!!!
I have an awesome best friend who moved with me!! she is the best!!! we are together 24/7 and do everything together!! i have her eating soooo much healthier, not vegan or raw, but so much better!!
well we are watching my super ex girlfriend so I should get off of here!
love ya girlie
sachelle
xoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Sachelle! I see you are back on the boards- yaaay! I will catch up in your journal after work girlie Hope all is well with you!

I am so happy it's spring. I had a very rough winter, went through a deep depression and wasn't sure I'd ever see the sun again. BUT as soon as the sun came out again I came out of it- SAD perhaps?- and my outlook is positive once again! I did end up doing completely 811 for a little over 2 weeks after I last posted, and it felt like a great cleanse, but it doesn't seem like something my body wants to do long-term. I had no energy and every time I tried to work out I nearly passed out. I didn't stay raw over the winter, but I did cut out wheat which ended up being sooooo good for me, I feel much better, my skin is totally clear and I don't get that "brain fog" feeling anymore. In the past when I've been eating raw, whenever I ate something cooked it almost always contained wheat and I'd break out and end up feel horrible the next day. I may have celiac, but I'm sure as hell not adding wheat back to my diet just to get tested for it!!

So now that it's spring I am committed to going all raw again. Not 811, not high fat, not one specific plan at all...just taking it day by day based on what my body asks for. I have been eating very high raw for almost a month so hopefully the detox will be relatively light! I also have a marathon coming up on May 2nd so we'll see how that goes after eating raw...

Today:

B: 3 "junior" bananas w/ raw almond butter
S: champagne mango
L: salad w/ baby lettuce, romaine, carrots, tomato, red pepper, half an avo and vinegar
S: 3 clementines
w/o: 1 hour hot power vinyasa, plus the usual walking ~1 hour to commute/dog walks
D: green smoothie w/ 2 bananas, frozen strawberries and mango, kale, and water YUUUUM!

Can't wait for yoga...but have to get back to work now!

I got sent home from work today for being "sick." I am coming down with my co-worker's cold, and made the mistake of telling another co-worker that I don't feel well. They are all huge germaphobes so they made me go home! I actually felt pretty sick when I left, and I had to go to Whole Foods & Trader Joe's which is quite the workout in NYC, but I finally got home and had lunch and I feel a little better now. I don't think I'll workout today, unless I get super antsy later and want to do some yoga here at home.

Yoga last night was AAAAH-MAZING! Everything seems to be clicking. The room was really hot (which I love), the instructor really challenged us but knew just what to say to keep us in the poses, and my body is dying for yoga lately so it felt great. I do feel a little worried though b/c I have no desire to run, and I have a marathon coming up in 2 weeks. I did all the training and now it's taper time, but I am getting worried. No runs over 14 miles for 3 weeks before the marathon makes me REALLY nervous! I guess it's kind of normal to feel pre-race jitters. I am so used to craving running, but whenever I eat raw my body wants to take it easy, especially at first, and this is more important to me than running. The running will come later, I'm sure. I have to get my solid raw foundation laid down first.

Sooo...today's food:

-green smoothie w/ 2 bananas, frozen strawberries & mango, heaps of kale, 1 c. water (soooo good)
-5 bananas, some dipped in 2 T raw cacao powder, but this brand is not good at all so I gave that up
-Lara Bar (yeah I realize these aren't totally raw. For now they're ok as they help me stay raw and my body does very well with them.)
-planning on a giant salad w/ baby lettuces, carrots, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, half an avocado and raw ACV
-planning on more fruit, either an apple or a fruit salad w/ strawberries and 1/3 of a mango

Clearly my appetite is great despite being a little under the weather!

Tomorrow is my regular day off, so I'm going to do cardio in the morning - my last pre-race "test run" to test out gear and food if I feel ok, gym otherwise - and then my sister and I are going to hot power vinyasa and following it with dinner at Otarian, a new "eco-friendly" take-out type restaurant in the Village I think. They say they're eco-friendly b/c their food is all vegetarian and locally-sourced. Clearly they would have to be all vegan to be as eco-friendly as possible, but it's a pretty cool concept. Here in the city people just LOVE to talk about how they're going green and whatnot, lol. Anyway, they have a pretty decent looking salad that I can ask for all raw, so that will be lovely! I can't get enough greens lately!

Well I 've got to change the litterboxes and vaccuum! So much for a day of rest!

I'm feeling totally back to normal today- fruit helps sooo much! I woke up feeling a little lazy, and after walking the dog and eating a mango and some bananas, decided I'd just go for a power walk rather than run. I walked along the East River path for about half an hour but was really getting the urge to go for a run. I was wearing a heavier jacket and had a bunch of stuff in my pockets and sunglasses on, but I was wearing running shorts and a tee underneath the jacket. By that time I was really close to my gym so I decided to duck in, stash my stuff in a locker and hit the treadmill. I ran 4 miles w/ 3 at tempo pace and it felt really good. It feels different than running off of cooked vegan foods & grains. I feel lighter in a spacey sense, my legs feel less grounded and my stomach feels empty even though I'm not actually hungry. Maybe it's not a bad thing, just something I need to get used to. After that I walked back, stopping in a health food store to try to find young coconuts but to no avail. I have extra virgin cold pressed coco oil, but I really want fresh coco water to drink after hot yoga and during my marathon. Apparently I need to go searching in Chinatown, maybe on Friday.

I just made a green smoothie with my usual ingredients, except I added 1 T of coconut oil. I want to start incorporating coconuts (and avocadoes, but I already eat those) rather than nut & seed fats. I couldn't finish the smoothie, that 1 T of coco oil made a huge difference. I'm so full and I had less than half! The rest will be a pre-yoga snack. After yoga my sister and I are going out to dinner. Like I said, I'm getting a salad and I'm literally drooling just thinking about it! Can't wait.

I feel really positive and content today. Like I'm on the verge of something really good, some really good life changes. I hope that's true. It's all about the energy you put out, right? I was putting out very negative energy all winter, seemingly beyond my control (of course I don't think that's true, but at the time I really didn't believe I could do anything to pull myself out of my depression). I feel like my energy now is playful and light and happy. I am going to attract good things this summer, I just know it!

I will probably post a food recap later once I'm done eating!

Well, the restaurant was a FAIL! They don't even source their food locally, it's just your basic vegetarian fare, and they say that's why it's eco-friendly. Kind of behind the times...we have like 107502 veggie restaurants in NYC already! Plus the food wasn't even particularly health-conscious, and even though their web site stated that they were accomodating of those following vegan & gluten free diets, they refused to make me a vegan salad. The girl said I could get the salad with the mozzarella balls, and take them out myself. Um yeah, because I became vegan so I could purchase cheese and then waste it. Greeeeaaaat. So my sister got a pathetic excuse for a burrito (which contained TWO beans and a bunch of white rice and wasn't even good) and I just waited til I got home to make a REAL raw vegan salad!! I was disappointed that they aren't what they seemed to be- it's a cool concept but they really have no right to call themselves eco-friendly and get a huge ego over reducing carbon footprints when they ship stuff from all over and won't even veganize dishes.

Rant over...FOOD!:

B: one of those small yellow mangoes, and either 3 or 4 junior bananas with 1 T raw cacao
w/o: 1 hour total walking, 4 mile run w/ 3 tempo miles
L: apple, half a green smoothie (half of this- 2.5ish bananas, frozen mangoes/strawberries, kale, 1 T coconut oil, 1 c. water)
S: 3 carrots & 2 tomatoes
S: about 1/4 of a lara bar (baby steps!) and a banana
w/o: 1 hour hot power vinyasa, plus also walked the dog for a good 40 mins. and walked to/from subways a couple times- active day!
D: huuuuge salad w/ baby lettuce, romaine, carrot, half cucmber, half red bell pepper, 1 whole small avo and raw ACV. Also had another carrot with a little of my raw zucchini hummus before making dinner.
S: will be an apple later if needed- probably will

I'm not going to make my raw hummus anymore- I just don't have a taste for it, it's garlicky and tastes kind of dead, for lack of a better word. I have been slowly eating it so as not to waste it though!

I'm very happy with today- I had a good run and a good yoga class, ate really well (at least, in my opinion!) and came soooo close to meeting my goal of only having fats from fruits! I will continue this goal tomorrow!

Feeling ok today. I woke up 15 mins. late, I guess my body wanted rest! I was pretty sleepy all morning til I had lunch. I've been pretty hungry today, too, so I'm just going with it!

Food:
B: the rest of my smoothie from yesterday- no time to make anything
S: 3 bananas
L: huuuge salad w/ romaine, carrots, cucumber, tomato, onion, yellow pepper, half a small avo, less than 1 T olive oil and ACV
S: 2 more bananas...
D: big green smoothie w/ the usual- 3 bananas, kale, frozen strawberries & mango, 1 c. water
S: apple

I'm totally just chillin tonight watching a movie...no workout today besides walking! My body is tired from yesterday. I'm going through some detox and woke up with a couple very tiny whiteheads near my nose. I always get these when my body is releasing gunk. It's good to get it out, so I don't mind. I usually need extra rest during detox periods, so tonight will be restful!

I've been detoxing quite a bit today, but now I'm feeling a little more energetic. I really need to work out, I'm hoping to squeeze in a quick 3 or 4 miler after work. I could NOT get up this morning!

I was craving so many cooked foods last night, especially peanut butter. It got to the point where I started thinking, how bad would it be to go get a jar of natural unsalted pb, and eat it on some bananas? But then I thought, NO, I want to get through the detox cravings and get the crap out of my body! And what would that pb do for me? It certainly wouldn't do anything good. I toughed it out by eating some clementines, which were amazingly good, and a banana with raw cacao powder. I woke up feeling good about my choices instead of wishing I could go back in time and un-do my actions.

Food today!
B: 4 bananas w/ 2 T. raw cacao powder
S: apple
L: salad w/ romaine, baby romaine, tomato, half a yellow bell pepper, half a small avo, 1 T. EVOO and ACV; 3 clementines
S: apple, half banana
D: green smoothie w/ the usual- 2 bananas, kale, frozen mango/strawberries, water; PLUS a fresh mango!!! I can't wait to eat it!

That's all for today

I'm still detoxing- woke up with an actual zit on my forehead, haven't had one of those in months! I got a lot done today but I'm really tired now, so I'm going to nap or at least lay around for a bit before it's feeding time at the zoo, haha.

I do have good news though- I think I figured out how to properly fuel my runs so I can get all those amazing energy benefits that other raw foodists say they get! Last night my body was craving some movement, so I came home, shoved 2 bananas in my mouth b/c I was hungry, walked the dog quickly and then ran 4 miles. The run was amazing, I felt like I had some force pushing me forward. I was running faster than normal, but barely breathing. This morning I was super hungry, so I ate six bananas with raw cacao powder and then waited about 25 mins. and ran. I only did 9.6 miles, since I shouldn't do double digit runs this week (tapering for the marathon), but it felt so good. I felt more efficient and like my body didn't need as much air/oxygen. The hills in Central Park felt like nothing. I totally kicked some dude's butt in the last mile, too, and I don't even know how. I'd been behind him for a while on the Bridle Path, then all of a sudden my legs just got this push or jolt of energy, like they just wanted to take off...so I did! I smoked him and continued at that pace til I left the park.

So I think the key is CARBS CARBS AND MORE CARBS, very soon before running. In the past, eating a raw fat/carb mix hasn't worked well- I feel a lot lighter and fresher on just carbs. The 6 bananas were too much for a shorter run (under 13 miles or so), but it was a test for the marathon and I think it'll be a perfect amount. I was still full when I was done running, but not at all uncomfortably full. I wouldn't have needed anything else to eat for probably 5 more miles, maybe longer. I plan on taking dates with me to eat during the race, and I'll hydrate with water with a Nuun tablet, which is a 6 calorie electrolyte tablet. So it's not raw, but it's basically just sodium, potassium, etc. which I definitely need in order to keep going.

Ok, so food for today is weird. I wasn't hungry, then suddenly I was starved, and I feel like I ate way too much but it's probably just more than I'm used to...

-6 bananas w/ 2.5ish T. raw cacao powder
w/o: 30 min. dog walk, 9.6 mile run, cleaning apartment top to bottom lol!
-GS w/ 2 bananas, kale, frozen mangoes/strawberries, water
-lots of cauliflower w/ fresh guacamole (probably too much, I'm sure I had one whole avocado's worth!)
-fresh mango!

I'm really full. For some reason I feel bad about my food choices today, but I'm not sure why? Perhaps I'm just in a weird mood due to detox or something, and taking it out on myself in this way. I plan to have a light, late dinner of a tomato, half a cucumber and 3 carrots with a little ACV since I feel I already ate too much, and too much fat, for the day, but didn't get in enough minerals. I am missing out on my huge salad today :-( I don't think I'll be hungry for it though!

Wow, I ate SO much today! Definitely like 2300 calories. That's more than I've eaten since my days of 16+ mile runs! I guess my body has some healing to do or something. I've noticed that when I'm going through some detox, I tend to crave denser/fattier foods- tonight I skipped the veggies and decided to eat a raw revolution bar for dinner (first bar in a couple days! Yay!). I still felt so sleepy. I curled up with a book and after a while my stomach was growling again...so I had an apple & banana and I feel much, much better and have some energy. I need to stick to fruits to help me get through this detox!

I'm hoping tomorrow will be a little better! I plan on having a green smoothie in the morning and bringing bananas, apples & clementines to work. I'll have a big salad with either guacamole or EVOO & vinegar for dinner. If I feel up to working out, I will, but I'm not going to push it.

I'm seriously going to bed in like 20 minutes!

I'm feeling a little better after getting 9 hours & 15 mins. of sleep! I've eaten only fruit so far and feel really energized, happy and light. My sister and I were texting back & forth earlier and she actually thought someone had stolen my phone, I was being so weird (in a happy way, lol). She then asked me if I was high...yup, high on fruit!

Today:

B: 4 bananas w/ 2 T raw cacao powder
S: banana & 2 apples
S: 3 bananas
S: banana & 2 clementines
D: huuuuuge salad w/ romaine, baby lettuce, carrots, tomato, yellow bell pepper, half a cucumber and some fresh guacamole- I'm dying for a salad!

Not sure if I'll work out today or not...I really needed the extra sleep this morning. I'll see what I feel like doing when I get home. I bought a yoga DVD yesterday so at the very least I can do half an hour of yoga after dinner.

I'm feeling great!

I am so ready for the day to be over! It's rainy and cold and I want to curl up with a movie and veg out! I think that's just what I'll do! I am feeling sooo much better today- no detox at all! No headaches, no fatigue (except for a little sleepiness due to the gloomy weather), my skin is clearing and I feel really happy. I woke up easily and ran a very nice 5 miles...got pummeled by rain and a bus splashed water all over me AND one of my cats must have peed on my laundry b/c my shirt smelled like cat pee..so I stopped at Duane Reade and bought men's undershirts and got cleaned up at work and all is well again, haha.

I haven't been super hungry today, but not not hungry either... I got my monthly gift this morning (lol) after absolutely ZERO signs of it coming!!! Yay! That's only after like 2 weeks on all raw again. Anyway enough about that- onto the food! I have some cravings for heavier foods like almond butter, lara bars etc. but had part of an avocado on my lunch salad and that helped. Looking forward to my fruity dinner!

B: 3 bananas w/ raw cacao powder
w/o: 5 mile run @ about 8:30 pace (normal pace for me, especially on a treadmill- I'm slightly slower outside due to hills)
S: about 1.5 c. fresh pineapple and a banana
L: salad w/ lots of romaine, carrots, cucumber, tomato, onions, about 2/3 of a small avocado, vinegar and maybe half a tablespoon of EVOO- just a tiny bit
S: apple
D: green smoothie w/ 2 bananas, kale, frozen strawberries & mangoes and water; 2-3 more bananas with raw cacao powder

One more hour of work and then I'm relaxing for the night!

This weather is really doing a number on me! I just want to sleep all the time and eat heavy foods when it's rainy and cold out! It's not that I'm even tired or anything- it's totally just the weather, I HATE rain and lack of sun makes me sad and lethargic. At least I worked out yesterday- I'm taking today off and calling it "taper" for the marathon, lol. I'm doing fine with sticking to mostly fruits, though I was super tempted to buy a lara bar this morning. I'm going to have a big green smoothie for dinner as long as I can find ripe bananas. The fruit stand guys aren't out in this weather so I had to pay $2 for 4 bananas from a shop this morning Oh well, it's still cheaper than most other meals, right?

Food today:

B: apple, bites of veggies I was cutting for lunch...out of food
Real B: 4 bananas once I got to work
L: salad w/ baby romaine, regular romaine, carrots, half cucumber, half yellow pepper, tomotato, almost a whole avo...and some vinegar. Trying to cut down on the vinegar so I used less, and no olive oil today! Yay!
S: apple
D: GS w/ 2 bananas, frozen mango/strawberries, last of the kale. Probably some more fruit, maybe bananas w/ cacao powder? Or a non-sweet fruit salad- tomatoes, cucumber, peppers? I dont' know what I'm in the mood for.

Great day today! I'm starting to feel really good and I'm actually a little more excited than nervous about the marathon- for now at least! At any rate, it'll be nice to have a weekend off and see my family :-)

Today:
B: 6 bananas
w/o: 5.6 miles that felt really great €:-) Haha I didn't mean to type the Euro symbol before the smiley, but it looks like a dude with a toupe, so I'm keeping it there!
S: banana
w/o: 1 hour hot power vinyasa, plus about 3 miles total of walking or more throughout the day
S: big cup of mango from WF
S: green smoothie- 2.5 bananas, frozen strawberries & mango, tons of kale and water
D: salad w/ lots of romaine & baby romaine, 3 carrots, a tomato, half a cucumber, half a yellow pepper, half an avocado and a little vinegar- trying to cut down on the vinegar and eventually stop using it. Also had the other half of the banana from my smoothie.
S: I'll probably have an apple later

I'm already ready for bed, lol. I usually run around like a crazy person on my days off trying to fit in running, yoga, cleaning, pet care and extra dog walks, then want to pass out by 7 PM!

I had a horrible migraine this morning/early afternoon...I should have known when I passed out cold at 8:30 PM last night. I don't get migraines often, but that's usually a sign that one is coming on. I stuck it out for a few hours but broke down and bought Excedrin Migraine b/c I'm at work and need to actually get things done. Took that and the headache went away, then sloooowly the extreme dizziness and nausea started to go away. I was able to eat lunch just now and I feel a little disoriented but it's getting better. Thankfully I already worked out today, so after work I can hopefully lie down for a bit :-)

My day:

S: banana
w/o: 5.5 mile run w/ speed intervals. Felt soooo good, but I may have pushed it a little too much considering the impending marathon. I am just so insanely happy that running & eating raw are FINALLY working together! I could sing from the rooftops, haha!
B: banana; green smoothie w/ 3 tiny bananas, frozen mango/strawberries, kale and water. So delish.
S: 2 bananas...trying to get the nausea to go away, unfortunately it didn't work!
L: 2 bananas & an apple

I think I'll snack on an apple later if I'm hungry, then have a salad w/ 1/3 or so of an avocado and a tiiiny bit of ACV for dinner and a mango for a pre-bed snack. I'm cutting down on the fats in preparation for the marathon, and loading up on plenty of bananas! I'm also trying to cut way down on raw cacao powder and vinegar, but taking it day by day- no pressure.

Well I'm sick of living my life thinking that some day I will have a fulfilling job, some day I'll be able to do meaningful work, but not now. I'm going after what I want. I want to work with animals and work for animal welfare. I can't keep living this life, working at a meaningless job that does nothing good for anyone, in this city where I can't breathe half the time. I'm living a total lie! I can't ignore it any longer.

I'm going to take a leap of faith and start applying for jobs at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. I may need to move home for a few months or get a second job here to save money to move out there. But I'm going to start making contacts, getting the ball rolling, and floating the idea around to my family. I think they would support me. They know how passionate I am about animals, and how working at the Humane Society shelter was so rewarding for me. They also know that I'm NOT a New York person. I'm not unhappy, but I also know I'm on the wrong path and eating raw makes you really confront where you are in life and where you should be. I can't imagine still being in NYC next winter, but I don't want to move somewhere else where I will have to take a job I don't care about b/c I can't support myself doing what I love. I think if I worked in a tiny town like Kanab, at a huge and well-funded organization like Best Friends, I could do what I feel I was put on this planet to do, and still manage to pay my rent and feed my furballs. I'm going to do some meditation on this and of course start sending out my resume for potential jobs :-)

Today has been lots of fruit so far, mostly bananas. I feel very raw today, as in my emotions are right at the surface. I have nearly cried twice out of frustration over feeling stuck, feeling like I don't care about what I'm doing at all. I need to follow my heart and things will work out.

Food:

-5 bananas
-2 bananas
-2 apples & 2 bananas I think...or 1 banana...don't remember
-will have a green smoothie w/ 2 bananas, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, kale and water, plus probably some non-sweet fruit like a tomato, some cucumber slices and some bell pepper...maybe with romaine but I'm low on $$ and trying to save it
No workout today, my body is still recovering from the migraine, and I'm tapering anyway.

I had a salad w/o vinegar (or any dressing) last night for the first time ever and it was delicious! There is no need for dressing when the veggies & fruits alone taste so good. Of course I did put half a small avo on it but even without any fat it would have been good.

OK back to work :-(

YOU EAT SO MANY BANANAS!!! How can that even be healthy? Your diet sounds like it needs more variety.

stellium Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> YOU EAT SO MANY BANANAS!!! How can that even be
> healthy? Your diet sounds like it needs more
> variety.


I hope you don't mean that in a negative way, no one should be here to attack anyone's diet or comment on it. If that's your opinion you should phrase it more nicely or just keep it to yourself.

NO, I LOVE bananas too. I see them there and often opt to keep them out of my green smoothies so I don't eat too many a day. I eat 1-3 a day. Otherwise it's a lot of calories etc, no? Eating like 10 a day seems kind of crazy, especially considering ALL the different types of food available. I was just wondering if someone had an opinion on whether or not that was a good/healthy idea or not, to eat that many.

Sorry, I don't mean to be coming at you. I understand what you mean. I always thought eating too many bananas wasn't great, probably because that means I'm not eating a variety.

Hi Stellium. Have you heard of the 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Doug Graham? That's along the lines of what I'm aiming for. It's also very natural for fruit eating animals like chimps in the wild to mono-eat one specific kind of fruit, typically bananas, rather than mixing different fruits in one meal or even one day. They almost never do that. I do take care to get a variety of foods each week and often eat apples, mangoes and strawberries daily as well as a variety of veggies and non-sweet fruits, but as bananas are cheap and higher in calories I prefer to rely on them for most of my calorie needs. Bananas are also really great running fuel. I they are the only raw food that provides me with lasting energy before a run without causing stomach cramping. For me, they are truly the perfect food!

If you are interested in learning more about how I model my diet I reccommend reading the 80/10/10 Diet I talked about above. It was an eye-opening book for me and made so much sense. Of course there are about a million different raw food diets though so to each his/her own I guess.

Anyway...

The marathon went ok. I mean it went really well in the end, but it was BRUTAL. It was 80 degrees out which warrented a safety advisory from the race directors. I was feeling great until around mile 11, then started feeling the effects of the heat. I was hydrating very well with my water bottle with Nuun and plain water from volunteers, but in that heat I knew it was going to be rough. I stayed on-pace and was in the top 15 women until mile 17...then I got so sick. I threw up, was dizzy, had to walk a bit and tried to drink some water & electrolytes. It seemed to help the dizziness, but unfortunately every sip of water I took made me so nauseous. I forced myself to run til mile 20, then had to alternate walking/stumbling with pretty slow (for me) running. I even took some watered down Gatorade at a few points b/c I was unable to eat the dates I'd brought and was in need of the electrolytes. I wanted to give up, people were puking and dropping out and ambulances were all over the race course. But I knew I'd regret quitting. This was ONE day out of my life, I had to keep going as long as I was physically able. It seemed like I was out there for a lifetime! I've never seen so many people walking during a race. I finally made it to the finish in 4:16:56. My "A" Goal was around 4:00, so considering the circumstances, I'm kind of shocked I was even as "fast" as I was. I was barely moving for the last 9 miles, but thankfully the first 17 made up for it.

The woman who handed me my medal told me to go to the medical tent b/c I looked awful, but I just wanted to find my parents and go home. It took me half an hour to find my mom. She also tried to force me to go see the medic b/c I looked "yellow," but I knew I just needed a cold shower and a nap in the hotel room. It took us 45 mins. to get to our car which was pretty painful, but finally we made it back. My lovely parents picked up a salad for me from a random pizza place, and I was feeling well enough to eat it around 3 PM, along with some raw energy bites that my mom got me. Strangely enough, just the thought of eating my usual favorite foods, namely fruit and BANANAS, made me nauseous. I stuck to heavier foods but still barely ate all day. I got back to the city around 11:30 last night and passed out!

I feel so much better today- a bit woozy but my fever is gone and around 11:00 today the nausea stopped.

I checked online to see the official race results, and I ended up getting 9th in my age group and 33rd out of 128 women. 4:16 should NOT get you in the top 25%, which says a lot about how hot it was and how awful the conditions were! It makes me a little disappointed b/c I really believe I could have met my goal if only the temperatures were lower...but at the same time, I'm ok with it. I finished as strong as I could and pushed my body more than I ever thought possible. Now that it's behind me, I feel confident that I could do almost anything! LOL.

Food today has not been my norm. I've wanted heavier foods, and the only fruit that sounds appealing is mangoes, but I can't cut them up at work so I have to wait til later. While I am aiming for lower fat, I'm just eating whatever my body wants today (raw of course) since I kind of put it through hell yesterday!

B: 2 bananas, but they made me feel icky so I had 4 raw energy bites instead of more fruit (raw energy bites are like bite-sized lara bars with seeds instead of nuts, my mom brought them for me from home)
S: apple
L: appetite returned!!! Salad w/ romaine, carrots, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, a whole small avo, vinegar and less than a teaspoon of EVOO, plus a banana afterwards
S: I have another apple here at work which I think I'll be hungry for
D: GS with 2 bananas, a huge mango, kale and water. I am also going to crack open a young coconut to sip on the water while I relax and play with my furbabies.

I may eat more if hungry, but I'm not sure what.

My dog is BEAT today after walking around at the race with my family and our two family dogs all day yesterday. She would not get out of bed this morning! Luckily for her, she gets to sleep all day while I work ;-)