Gardening is definitely a good workout !!! 15 tomato plants - wow - you'll have your own roadside stand up and running in a few short months LOL . I'm not doing an outdoor garden this year - I have too much else to get done !

I'm also guilty of not going to bed on time - I even have a pop-up reminder on my computer telling me to go to bed - and I still ignore it LOL . Ah well - I will adjust eventually .

You are doing great, Elakti !! Just focus on now and the future and don't worry about what's already past - no point in beating yourself up - just keep thinking about your gloriously healthy, happy future

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read the fre*e e-book :
101 Ways to Change the World for Animals
[www.mypowermall.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Own your own Power Mall, over 1000 stores - completely FRE*E
Receive rebates on items you already buy anyway....
[www.mypowermall.com]

hey hun..don't stress and you aren't starting over you are at a new point in your life on the raw journey...your journey never ends just has different paths you started this journey when you first got started withraws...you explored a different path for a while but it eventually met the raw path again!! so don't stress or think of failure..you just had a detour..the road was blocked!!!
you are doing great!! keep it up hun
talk to you soon
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Yeah i may boycott greys blech.Sandra Oh is my favorite part. IF she's not back then forget it.
Sleep is good. Just listen to your body on that one.
SOunds like you are still doing so well.

xoxo,
Starfruit

Thank you sweeties, getting your support was just like warm food, LOL, I mean a good cherimoya! Really, thanks.

Yeah, a roadside stand of tomatoes, heh heh. Good idea. I hope surfers are good tomato buyers. If all these plants grow and produce...Earthangel, you won't have to buy tomatoes. They are organic heirloom, should be good. Big tomatoes.

That's cute, a pop up reminder to go to bed! This computer would have to shut down and lock!

I did get to bed at 9:30! (That's real good!) and slept 9 hours...nii-iiice!

I feel so good this morning, really rested, good energy. I don't even mind going to work (just to 2:45!).


Same weight, but it FEELS different, I swear my stomach has gone down some more, where is it? Probably on way out, getting shuffled about.

I had orange juice last night at 2 diff. times. 4 oranges each (oops, 4). Wow, I adore valencias, what a flavor.

TMI category: massive bowel evacuations (good word for it) this a.m. V. good.

I notice my skin FEELS smoother.

Oh, and V.V. good thing this morning: I am so comfortably cool. Instead of toxic hot. This feels wonderful, a good temperature. What a difference.

So far I've had an apricot (yum) and a banana.

Good day, all. Stay raw and enjoy your food and your activities.
Elakti

Hey hun sounds like you are doing amazing!!! and having a wonderful day..how was work??? well i wish you could make our meetup at cilantro tonight it's at 5:30 incase you change your mind ......we will be there.....it is on 5th avenue...right after RIte aid..you will see starbucks...then there is cilantro next to the book store
well that would be yummy to try one of your homegrown tomatoes!! how amazing to offer me one that is soo sweet!!! .....
well take care today and keep that happy positive attitude!!
take care and maybe i will see you tonight
love earthangel
xoxoxoxxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Crazy thing, I wasn't even scheduled for work today, there was a mix-up, but there I was! So I just worked 3 hours and came home. That flubbed up the Cilantro thing, so I'll just have to wait til next time. Or, maybe you and I, Earthangel, can go there one day for lunch.

Home, first thing I did was eat a salad because I had only had fruit throughout day until home at 3. That in itself is an accomplishment of better blood sugar. I would not have been able to do that 2 weeks ago, or even a week ago.

That salad: red leaf lettuce (garden), tomatoes, olives, sunflower sprouts.

Worked in garden, watered. Walked the Magpie (dog).

Just ate dinner: diced celery, diced cucumber, tomato chunks, thinnest slice of red onion, kalamata olives, and sunflower sprouts. Very good. In the middle of it, I had this sudden intense urge for bread! Wow! So I grabbed a few walnuts and that took care of it! Wonderful.

So I am winding down, and settling in. Watching tennis on tv while I sit at computer.

Will probably have some orange juice later.

EA, you are at Cilantro Live at the moment. If I had a car I would have been able to join you. I am "out in the boondocks" without a car. It would take me about 2 hours to get there by foot, bus, and another bus. When things calm down in your life, we will meet either at People's or Cilantro's, okay?

I had good energy today, and felt well.

I love reading your journal btw so filled with joy
Glad your energy is returning to you
silly question what's a cheramoya
have a good night adn sweet cherry dreams

xoxo,
Starfruit

hey aww man haha you almost made it huh??? if i would of known i would of picked you up for the event!!! oh well we will get together sometime!! you are doing realy good!!! keep upthe good work and yay you for taking care of that bread craving
oh hey starfruit a cherimoya is a type of fruit it is custardy like..has a lot of seeds in it though...if you look it up on google and see the wikopedia entry it will show you a pic they are relaly good!!!
well take care elakti!! have awonderful monday!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

I woke up feeling lousy, all hot and clammy with a very distended abdomen and feeling very non rested. Feel that heaviness in my body, like my tissues are saturated with yuck. That's how it feels.

I watched movie "Million Dollar Baby"...I had wanted to see it, and was so excited it was on, even tho it went to 11. But, oh, it depressed me and I could not sleep afterwards. Not a movie to watch late when you're trying to detox. I was expecting a happy ending, but the whole movie was, although well done, dark. Not enough sleep. Tonight...

I did eat a bowl of guacamole at 9:00. It was "excitement" triggered...for the movie. An example of triggered eating, just for the sake of entertainment. It sure was delicious though.

So, today---work. And rest when I get home, and early to bed. (like before or by 10)

Only have eaten apricot, no appetite, but stomach is beginning to hurt for something. Still dealing with that, will for quite awhile, probably.

Sometimes I get mental pangs too. I wonder sometimes if I am "too old for this", as I am not a spring chick and have a lot of multi level changes to go thru and wonder....will I? can I? I remind myself of many testimonials I've read of older people successfully making it through the transitional stage (we're talking years here, not a few months). I remind myself of what I do have in my favor---no meat or eggs for decades (except eggs within pastry when I am at my worst) and that is something in my favor as far as my backlog of wrong eating goes.

Onward, get through this day, eat raw, come home and rest. I'll feel better soon. I want sleep. Sleep is huge these days, huge. Sufficient sleep or not....the difference is, well, night and day, LOL!

I must also watch the coffee. I've been better, but a few times I have had a cup in afternoon, and I notice it is much more powerfully disturbing of sleep than before I was eating raw. The caffeine used to be counteracted by massive wrong eating at night, which would knock me out. So, here is some tweaking to do. Soon, maybe, I can get rid of the coffee altogether.

Packed my food. Will eat banana now and maybe part of salad right before I walk in the door.

Cool, sprinkly rainy morning! The cool air feels good to me, I'm my own sauna. I put my glasses on to do computer and they kept fogging up! Heh, heh. I'm so dramatic and crazy, I do have to laugh!

Also want to add---I have cravings for melons, watermelon, papayas, oranges, and cherimoyas....I guess sweet juicy fruits. And water. I need to go to store for some of these things. I'll eat a couple oranges, I have those.

Try cherimoyas if you haven't yet....taste kind of like Juicy fruit gum...they are so sweet and superb! Oh, my mouth is watering for a cherimoya...or 3 perfectly ripe papayas. It is a nice change to have these good cravings. At the moment the thought of dead cooked non food repulses me.

Maybe I will stop by People's on way home. I'll call them first and see if they have my cravings in stock!

Hey Elakti - I am also - ahem...a bit ...older I'm working my way through that menopause thing - sheesh!

I've noticed that I get cravings for the bad stuff when I am feeling yucky. Yesterday at work I was feeling yucky all day - the icky poo hadn't started it's rather dramatic exit yet - and I wanted these big huge chocolate chip cookies that we sell But I resisted, and I also resisted all the bowls of tortilla chips and taco dip and stayed 100% raw

We'll get through this together !!!! Hang in there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read the fre*e e-book :
101 Ways to Change the World for Animals
[www.mypowermall.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Own your own Power Mall, over 1000 stores - completely FRE*E
Receive rebates on items you already buy anyway....
[www.mypowermall.com]

Hey hun...i know what you mean..even though i am 22 i have a ton of health challenges i am going through a lot of struggles and sometimes i just want to give up and say hey..i am young i want to be normal...( my idea of a normal teen/young adult haha) but i am struggling through this and tyring..and we can do this together all of us...that is why i am such a big advocate of support on here!! and make sure i get to everyone because i think it is the number one successful tool!! no matter how much you want to do raw and buy..if you odn't have that support of others doing it as well..it is so much harder!!!!

but please know i am here for you!! and eveyrone else on this board..and monark knows what you are going through...
(i have type 1 diabetes....Ed....cushings........anemia......insomnia...and pcos...so i have a lot on my plate i hope that helps you feel better knowing we are all going through hard stuff too)
take care and have a wonderful day!!
love earthangel
xoxooxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks for the support. Yes, EA, you do have a lot of challenges too, for your young age, and, Monark, I didn't know you are more close to my age...not that it makes any difference. Anyway, thanks for the good words and I agree that support and sharing is a good thing for us in this process of rawdom.

That said.......

I feel not so good. I FEEL weak, exhausted, sometimes nauseous (bleeccchhhh), have no appetite, feel "heavy tissues".

Bad thing/good thing: I got to work and I was again off today! I turned around and came home -- good! (Bad--such a long trip) It would've been a long hard day at work. I sure hope I feel better tomorrow.

On way back I decided to go to People's to get the food I am craving. I bought lots of expensive heavy fruit by the pound. I spent 87.00!!!!!!!! OMG OMG

I feel good having all this on hand; much has to ripen. When I got home, I ate a papaya, unpacked all this fruit, took little kid out for walk, played with her for awhile, and then ate part of the watermelon. Then I got in bed and took a nap! My little kid was content, and we both cuddled up together and slept. (Monark, I think we're synchronised with the detox, the day off, the watermelon, and the nap with our little animals).

Awake, I felt better for about 3 minutes; now, I feel utterly thoroughly exhausted and horrid. I am slightly depressed, feel very sensitive and emotional. Anything sad comes to mind and I am in tears. I saw a dog who lives a couple blocks from People's --he is old and arthritic. Tears.

My body aches like I have steel in my muscles.

I've got to go back to bed, ugh. Well, as I told myself on the bus or as I say to any of you "This detox is getting the job done, it is good". Ugh, LOL. I feel a thousand years old.

I have been 100% raw about 14 days I think, and major raw about a week before that, and a week before that.....horrid diet. Hence, my "flu". Oh, I hope I feel better tomorrow!!!!! If I can sleep at least 8 hours, if not 10.....

So there is how I feel! Raw food cleansing at work!

On a brighter side, here is a list of good food I bought (OMG OMG): 2 honeydew melons, 5 galia melons, 6 papayas, 6 cherimoyas, cherries, watermelon, raisins, bananas, 2 huge bags of oranges. I think that's it. $87.00 OMG OMG

I had to have it. Yet, I have no appetite today. My stomach feels awful though, it is making noises, yet I have no appetite and can hardly eat, so I will not unless it feels really good. Cherries and watermelon, maybe.

Ok, I'm back to moaning again so I'll sign out!


EA & Monark: Thanks again, and I hope you are both feeling better!!!!
Remember, this is all for the good...*sigh*...

Hello dear. I definitley will try one now. Do they have then at normal groceries? Sorry about the icky detox just keep remembering that you will be out of it soon and then it will be all worth it. Your melons sound soooo good. I may buy some tomorrow they sound so good.

xoxo,
Starfruit

hello Elakti!

you know what i was thinking earlier? there seem to be a lot of people who just started out on raw the same time as i did, and you know what, not only are we still here and not giving up, we are THRIVING! you are one of those people, i am so proud of your accomplishments and improvements so far! seeing everyone doing so well and conquering any challenges and struggles makes me even more motivated to stay raw. and, if anything, raw will only help you as you go through any health challenges that come your way in the future. you're doing something so great for your body, and it's already responiding positively. the detox is necessary to get to that point where you just feel so alive and wonderful! so keep it up, you are on the right path

i am with you on the whole emotional detox thing. i started crying on the way to work for NO reason! i mean absolutely none- i just got this claustrophobic feeling of intense lonliness. i have had waves of overpowering emotions lately- something will move me to tears, or i will become so distraught over the hopelessess i feel about the world...i saw a pic of a dead chicken w/ its feathers plucked and its little wings folded, and i just started bawling. i almost couldnt deal w/ the emotion. i had to DO something. so i sent volunteer applications to all the animal shelters near me. i know that has nothing to do w/ chickens but it made me think of my own feline babies and how their lives should be seen no differently as a chicken's life (in my opinion) and how all creatures deserve compassion and kindness.

whew sorry to ramble. i guess the point is to try to channel your emotions into something you feel good about, if you can. or just hug your doggie! animals are so therapeutic.

mmm your fresh fruit sounds delish, enjoy!

Hey hun...well i had a rough day too but you are doing terrific..wow 2 weeks already that is fantastic!!! keep up the good work!!! all that fruit sounds amazing!! hmm i will have to get to people's and get one of those galia melons they sound so yummy!!!
well take care hun
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Good morning---A NEW DAY!!! New me! I feel wonderful---slept 9.5 hours, went to sleep, lights out at 9:00...oh, what a day yesterday, sick! The only thing I ate throughout late afternoon and eve was orange juice, which hit the spot...watery, sweet.

I had gained back a pound and weighed 178, and this morning I am at 176...no wonder I felt so bad...my bod threw off 2 pounds yesterday!!! I am down 10 pounds, but it feels and looks like even more. Yesterday I even had major "detox tongue". This a.m., smooth! Skin is smoother. I feel so REFRESHED! Amazing, eh? Body at work.

I am so more than ever CONVINCED that we need as much sleep as we can possibly manage. This will take discipline from me, as I am used to staying up til 11 or 12 even. This is WAY TOO LATE while undergoing this transition to raw foods and going through this work of elimination and cleansing. Sleep makes or breaks my day these days, and this is the time--sleep--that the body does its healing and we owe it to our body to give it the chance. We owe ourselves sleep as much as we do fruit.

I found it interesting how much I was craving water and sweet watery fruits. Even the papaya I ate--I was too sick to really enjoy it. However, the watermelon, cherries, and Valencia oranges were very welcomed. The body uses water for EVERYTHING, every process, everything. Periodically yesterday I would get intense signal for water. I drank.

Also---strange state of mind, very vulnerable emotionally.
Meow---I relate totally. Same here. Last night, as falling asleep all these memories of past pets, and the arthritic dog I saw, and other sad stories of animals....I was crying before I fell asleep. Oh, those sad feelings, they are so painful to me, too. Your post almost had me crying.

I think we are in for a bumpy trip, this going raw is not all cherries. Lots of detox to go through.

I like this system that is going on now with me, I wouldn't mind if it stays like this, ha ha! One day of major detox and out of it the next. I can handle that! I have noticed that just before a major bad day (I've only had two) I feel pretty darned good prior to it....the gathering of strong energy to throw off toxins.

I'm so happy to be on other side of that detox, so happy to have all my good food today, so happy my body is able to do its thing, and so happy I slept 9.5 hours last night. I KNOW that if I had deprived my body of that sleep I would not feel like this right now. It couldn't have thrown off that 2 pounds without all that sleep, yesterday during day, and 9.5 hours at night! No way.

Starfruit--Hi dear. You mean the cherimoyas..I doubt if at regular stores...except once I did see them at a big Ralph's. Call around. You must try them. Also, if you see a Galia melon....

Thanks for your support, gals, and carry on!
Elakti

hey there...well glad you are on the other side of detox as well!! you soundl ike you are doing really well today!! keep up the good work!!!! yay for you and listening to your body!!
take care
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Had a very good day at work, very good energy and good mood. I finished the other half of Galia melon at the first bus stop. Later--
banana
goji berries & raisins
papaya

At 1:00: small salad (not enough!) red leaf lettuce (garden) with tomato, 1/2 avocado, baby spinach

Later: goji berries & raisins
cherries
orange

Dinner: large plate of salad: red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, red onion, cucumbers, walnuts, 3 sundried olives

Later, will have something like maybe orange juice. Or, if I get really hungry, maybe even a bowl of guacamole. Sometimes I just mash the avo and add chunks of tomato and slices of olives. I like to eat with a spoon, or use lettuce leaves or slices of red bell pepper. Oh, sounds good.

so, I plan on watching Amer. Idol and going to sleep....we'll see....

Elakti

So glad your feeling better. Wahoo. Your food sounds so yummy. Ya emotional detox on this is rough. I dont know if i'm quite ready for it yet. Maybe that's why i ate a friggin cookie today. I will be in search of all this exotic fruit yummmm

xoxo,
Starfruit

Hey hun....you had a great day!!! i went looking for the galia melons today but jimbo's were all out...i was sad..and whole foods didn't have any...so as soon as i make it out to OB i will get to people's and pick them up!!!!

hmm well keep up the awesome work...that guacomole sounded yummy i should of picked some up at rancho's tonight haha although i guess i could get the avo's and make them

well take care hun.
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

So glad you are feeling better, Elakti Hugs to ya !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read the fre*e e-book :
101 Ways to Change the World for Animals
[www.mypowermall.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Own your own Power Mall, over 1000 stores - completely FRE*E
Receive rebates on items you already buy anyway....
[www.mypowermall.com]

Good Morning---

Lights out at 10:00, but found it difficult to fall asleep, then woke up at midnight with a full full bladder! Drat! Then, could not fall asleep for a long time, touch of insomnia. *sigh* I feel surprisingly ok this morning even though I didn't get even 8 hours. I was bothered by my hip and various aches and pains.

It was hard to watch Amer. Idol because my idol is Melinda Doolittle.

Galia melon this morning. Packed a lot of food to go. Taking a lot of celery, also, to munch on way to work.

Hot and clammy (me, not the weather!). I hate that. (weather not so good either, can't wait for July and the sun)

Also taking a salad with a whole tomato and avocado, 3 bananas, dates, papaya, my baggie of goji berries and raisins (I keep them in my jacket pocket at work!), and who knows what else....I carry a mini market with me, heh heh.

I don't feel very hungry (yet!) Last night, I tried to eat something else. Made a sliced banana with soaked gojis and coconut, but only ate a little. But, had orange juice a couple of times. Those oranges are going fast. How I love them. One of my favorite favorites, consistently, always, all the time.


Not much time now on computer, will check in tonight tho'!

Elakti

The fruit I had today: galia melon, a few cherries, 2 bananas, cherimoya, papaya, apricot, goji berries and raisins (just a few).

couple ribs of celery

lunch salad: baby spinach, red leaf, whole tomato, whole avocado with dressing and 3 kalamata olives

For dinner I will have a little salad, and small bowl of guacamole with romaine leaves. I will use baby spinach, cucumbers, shredded beet (garden), and baby greens (garden) for the salad, maybe topped with a few walnuts.

Orange juice later.

I felt pretty well today. Watered garden...have to nurture my heirloom tomato plants.

People at work are commenting on my weight loss. As I said, it looks like I've lost more than 10 pounds. I am looking forward to getting back into size 12, then 10...and feeling better and better. Hopefully, there won't be any big serious detox situation. I am partly afraid of what happened the first time around...a terrible bacteria problem which caused insanely intense itching. I don't know if the bacteria was already in body or if I picked it up...whichever, they sure procreated, probably having smorgasbord of my elimination of old matter...I don't know really...just don't want it to happen again. I have a touch of itchiness on my hand, which reminds me of that awful experience. *shudder*

No cravings today. I notice today that my blood sugar level and the stomach irritation I had been feeling is much improved. The gastric irritation and awful stomach "pangs of hunger" with all the growlings and grumblings are diminishing. I can eat fruit throughout morning and delay the salad much more easily. Although if at home and working physically in garden I eat a salad sooner.

Little by little.

Step by step WTG on the 10 lbs Glad you are feeling better and the cravings are diminishing You are doing great !!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read the fre*e e-book :
101 Ways to Change the World for Animals
[www.mypowermall.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Own your own Power Mall, over 1000 stores - completely FRE*E
Receive rebates on items you already buy anyway....
[www.mypowermall.com]

Hey hun..awesome day!! keep up the great work!! you are doing fab....congrats on the weight loss and keep it up!!!
have a wonderful evening
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

All I had for dinner was the avocado, tomato mooshed up with touch of red onion and olive, on romaine leaves.

Later juiced 4 oranges for my nightcap.

This morning, haven't eaten yet. Not hungry. Progress of sorts. I am not so "famished" first thing.

Slept 8 hours.

At this moment, I feel no cravings, no desire to eat anything. I will munch on the 2 hr trip to work. I think apple and celery. Sounds like a nice combination of flavors. I like fact that lettuce and celery are neutral and can be eaten with fruit. Celery is becoming more and more tasty and desirable.

This morning--banana followed later by a cherimoya and a little later I ate an apple and some raisins. There is something about cherimoyas that is so filling to me. I think they are outrageously delicious, and I can hardly finish a medium sized one. Before it is done, after much ahhing and ohhing, I am so satisfied and FULL!

At 1:00 I had a salad of romaine, red leaf, lots of celery and tomato with a couple walnuts.

A little later I juiced 2 oranges for a nice glass of orange refreshment and took a 45 minute nap with the little kid. Something woke us up (woke HER up and her announcement woke me up). I ate a date and then a Galia melon.

It is 7o now and I just finished my last (OH NO!) avocado smooshed with tomato chunks and olive bits, eaten on romaine leaves.

This food is beginning to satisfy me more and more. I am not eating as much the past couple days, and I can go longer between meals or snacks...less snacks are needed. Blood sugar and stomach are doing better.

Occasionally a tv commercial --- so many about non-food! --- will make me "miss" something, but I tell myself "That does not qualify as food, the next commercial will be about laxatives to offset constipation or some drug to offset diahhrea and drugs to take care of headaches and arthritis, etc ad nauseum".

Tomorrow I am going to do lots of gardening, I hope. I wish the sun would come out and STAY. It teased us for awhile during morning hours and then disappeared for the rest of the day. It is gray.

I feel slightly depressed and "gray". I feel tired. I am going to take a nice bath. I did play with the little kid earlier, got on the floor at her level and played and laughed. She was thrilled. That helped.

hey darlin!! so glad to hear you are doing so well with food and getting the requirements in and not feeling hungry constantly i know that must be hard!! but you are doing great!! yay for getting on the floor and playing with the baby oh i know the weather has been a tease lately...haha i have been sad about it..and this cool guy we met at rancho's yesterday had just moved here from boston he was like is it alwasy this cold?? haha i was like no lol it isn't ..just wait it out!!!
have a wonderful evning!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Yay you are doing so well. I want to steal all your fruit yummm

xoxo,
Starfruit