I ate an Odwalla bar, which is delicious and (seemingly) healthy. However, I think it has some cooked stuff in it. Not sure how I feel about Odwalla bars.

Went to spinning this evening -- I LOVE IT! I get so much happy energy from all of those endorphins. When I go spinning in the am I am usually too tired to push myself too hard, so evening spinning classes are definitely the way to go when I have time.

Okay, food check in for the day:

br: box of blackberries & almonds
l: 1/2 of my big salad
Sn: odwalla bar
sn (before spinning): orange juice & a few carrots
d: big salad -- I ate the rest of my salad and added more greens, flax seeds, carrots, and taboule. I was FULL, but needed the energy from burning all of those calories spinning
s: some grapes

Feeling good, and looking forward to my first raw thanksgiving dinner.

I plan to spin in the am, eat my usual breakfast, maybe skip lunch, and then have a raw thanksgiving dinner. I bought a bunch of fruit to bring, so I won't miss the pie!

Thanksgiving started off going well -- made a HUGE salad that everyone liked, and ate only that. Also had a few of my sister's sweet potatoes -- I figured they were okay because at least they were vegan. I decided to have a few bites of pie, which just led into a downward spiral. It was way better than prior years, but I definitely didn't stick to being raw. Not sure how I feel about it -- one one hand, it was only a day. On the other, it could set me back a few days. Well, I am back on track.

Yesterday I went for a long bike ride and ate mostly raw.

Today:
spinning class in the am, followed by a big, raw salad. I am back.

I guess falling off the wagon once for the holiday is okay, at least I am right back on track only 1-2 days later.

It's awesome you just picked yourself up again, the holidays can be rough for most everyone!

thanks for your support!

My food goals to continue are as follows:

1. no food after 9pm
2. not eat when I am not hungry (ask myself "am I really hungry or just eating because it is there"?)
3. eat 3 raw meals (fruit/almonds, big salad, big salad) and maybe one snack of fruit in the afternoon.
4. continue my exercise - try to do spinning and swimming a mile each day (or at least one of those each day)
5. drink green tea and water throughout the day.

I am feeling good about my new habits overall, I just want to make a few minor changes to help with my weight loss (namely not eating after 9pm, not snacking more than 1x each day, and stopping eating before I am full).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2007 09:13PM by optimist4life.

Last night I went over to a friend's house for dinner. I ended up just making a big salad, and bringing it over there. I also had some of her salsa from Trader Joe's, which was delicious and raw. I am thinking of making salsa like that.

I had 2 flax seed chips. They were good, as well.

Didn't eat at night :-).

Today I went to spinning at 10am
then I had brunch with my roommates -- a Greek salad. I substituted hummus for the cheese.

I don't plan to eat again until dinner -- big salad of course.

Maybe if I get hungry I'll run over to the grocery store and get a couple of pieces of fruit.

Well, I was hungry and didn't make it over to the grocery store. So I ate a Kashi bar instead. Not great, not terrible.

Overall food and exercise for the day is as follows:

Food:
noon salad with hummus
4pm kashi bar
Starbucks Soy Chai
7pm salad from a fastfood place (i am pretty sure the dressing had sugar in it -- won't get dressing next time)

Exercise:
hour of spinning

Today was good food-wise. DK if I will eat when I get home. I think not, so I can continue the trend of not eating at night.

Tomorrow, back to the usual.

I am getting kind of frustrated with the fact that I haven't really lost any weight since I have been eating raw. I think it might have to do with eating too many raw fats -- nuts, olives, olive oil, etc. and eating at night. I'll try to cut back on these two things and see how it goes. I think I also cheat too much -- a piece of chocolate here, a soy chai there. I bet it adds up. Will also keep a fitday log so I can see how many calories I am eating.

Today I have eaten:
br: 2 boxes of blackberries (I was hungry!) and about 30 almonds
l: salad -- mixed greens, celery, carrots, peppers, flax seeds, olive oil, and vinegar
s: 3 pieces of caramel -- couldn't resist (I am having sugar cravings lately) &
banana

I haven't yet exercised but plan to go to spinning later.

Weight: 167
At 5'9" I am at the very top of my healthy weight range. But, I would feel much better somewhere between 130-140lbs. It is getting really frustrating though because I eat really well and exercise like crazy. I think I might have a hormone problem or something -- I don't think it is normal to eat and exercise the way that I do and to be unable to lose weight. Any ideas?

This evening I swam a mile.

Had a very stressful evening on a variety of levels and gave into my cravings when I came home -- had egg whites with sprouted wheat bread (my "healthy" comfort food) and some OJ. Also some chocolate. I know that finals are going to be tough, since this is the most stressful time in school. Immediately following finals, I will visit my family in Chicago for a week and then will be off to Israel for 2 weeks!!

I feel pretty fit and toned, despite my dissatisfaction with the numbers on the scale, and would love to feel thin when I see family in Chicago as well as family and friends in Israel. I think I will just need to have a day-by-day game plan.

I am going out to lunch with my PILPG research team tomorrow at an italian restaurant. So my food and exercise goals are as follows

6am -- spinning
go to grocery store and buy berries, vegetables, and ingredients for raw hummus
make raw hummus and cut up veggies for the day
breakfast: berries and green tea (no nuts!)
lunch: eat a salad at the italian restaurant
brush and floss
dinner and evening: eat as many cut-up vegetables as I want and some raw hummus (this is my maiden voyage with ram hummus, so I am excited!)
When I get home: brush, floss, and retainers -- no food.

I have this photo of me from camp when I was 14 that I look at in order to motivate myself to get that thin again. However, I was looking through some photos from this summer, and realized that in this one photo I have of myself from Geneva (in August of this year), I look almost as thin as I did in that photo when I was 14. I don't think I have gained any weight since August, so maybe that is actually what I look like! I always ask my friends if I really look like that thin photo from Geneva in August. They say "yes". Today I downloaded those two photos next to each other, looked at them, and realized that I really don't look much heavier now than I did in that camp photo 14 years ago. I am more filled-out woman-wise (in a good way :-)), but the rest of my body looks about the same. I think that, rather than focusing on numbers on the scale, I need to be proud of how fit I am (since I work out like a crazy person). I notice that I tend to fall off of the raw wagon when I feel like I am on a downward spiral. However, if I am already doing well and believe it, then there will be no need to fall off of the wagon.

My goals are to continue to be diligent with my exercise regimen (which I have no difficulty doing) and sticking to my plans to eat raw each day. I feel best (physically and emotionally) when I do so.

Now it is just a matter of believing in myself, ignoring the numbers on the scale, and sticking to my plan.

I am happy that I have been so good about exercise -- I seriously do spinning for an hour, swim a mile, or do both 6-7 x per week. I love it, and have noticed that my body is more fit and toned. My college roommate was here a few weeks ago and, when we were changing in front of each other, she commented that I seem more fit and toned now than I did a few years ago in college. That my body looks "fantastic".

Now, it is just a matter of sticking to my raw food plan. I have some days where I do really well and other days not so much. I just need to be sure to stay consistent with my good days and really stick to it. So, making my plan for the day the night before, and sticking to it is probably my best option.

Here is the plan for tomorrow again:

6am -- spinning
go to grocery store and buy berries, vegetables, and ingredients for raw hummus
make raw hummus and cut up veggies for the day
lunch: eat a salad at the italian restaurant
brush and floss
dinner and evening: eat as many cut up vegetables as I want and some raw hummus (this is my maiden voyage with ram hummus, so I am excited!)
When I get home: brush, floss, and retainers -- no food.

Better go to bed so I can get up for spinning!

Well didn't exactly stick to the plan since some things came up. However, I am doing well raw-wise.

So far this is my day:

br: few bites of an apple, mango
s: melon
l: salad -- greens, tomatoes, capers, asparagus

I swam a mile. For dinner I plan to have carrots and celary. Might have a piece of fruit if I get hungry.

Ate a banana, a few peanuts (tasted bad so I threw them away), and green tea for a snack.

Like clockwork, I get hungry for a snack at 4pm. 1 piece of fruit and tea usually tides me over until dinner.

I'll eat that bag of carrots and celary that I brought to school for dinner. Will probably buy another banana before class, so I can eat that later if I am hungry. Probably won't go home until midnight because i am still working on my Civ Pro outline.

When I get home I plan to not eat anything. I am OUT of vegetables at home, so dk what I am going to do about salad tomorrow. Maybe I'll go to the grocery store before class to get vegetables so I can make salads for the rest of the week. Argh! Wish I had a car!

Okay, time to summarize my day since I don't plan to eat anything else

am:
few bites of an apple
mango
melon

swam a mile

lunch: salad -- greens, tomatoes, capers, asparagus

snack: apple, a few peanuts, tea

dinner and evening:
celery & carrots
salad -- lettuce, red and green pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers -- a little olive oil

now I am sipping decaf green tea

I hardly had any fat today (much less than normal anyway) and very few nuts. I actually feel fine -- not full and not hungry. I think I can handle this low fat/low nut plan

well, I was very hungry when I got home since I ate way less than I normally eat.

so, I gave into my late night craving. But it wasn't bad

I had:
sprouted mung beans
a few pine nuts
a couple of bites of my roommates "chile sin carne" (this was the only not raw thing that I ate)

I still feel pretty empty and good. However, I am wondering if I will ever be able to give up this night eating habit. Any advice?

This am I ate melon and had some tea, yum!!

I think I am going to take a day off from exercising. Haven't had a day off in a long time and I need a rest.

It is that time of the semester where I don't have time to go to the grocery store or to make my own food, so I am just going to get a salad at a local salad bar for lunch. Not ideal, but raw nonetheless.

hey! your food looks delicious & so healthy. i think if you are hungry at night, it means you're not eating quite enough during the day, so i'd suggest eating a bit more- denser fruits like bananas and avocadoes fill me up really well. in fact, bananas are my go-to food when i am really hungry, but don't want to get too full after eating, or when i need energy before a workout. you are very active & burning tons of calories, and it seems like it probably catches up to you at night. what works for me at night is eating light, sweet fruit if i'm hungry. things like apples, melon or mangos are great snacks b/c they have fiber & water and won't leave you feeling heavy.

i agree that it's strange that you haven't lost weight on a raw diet, but i'd say wait til you are closer to 100% raw and then see if you start losing. you probably have a lot of muscle as well, so you may not have much body fat to lose.

did you like the raw hummus? i made some last night, too- it's so good & so easy to just cut up some veggies, whip up a batch of raw hummus and dig in!

Thanks, Meow for your kind words and support. Maybe I am just meant to be at this weight -- I am in my healthy range. However, I really think that I would look and feel better about 20-25 pounds lighter (140ish). At 5'9" that would still be well within my healthy range.

Meow, I haven't had a chance to make the raw hummus yet. I am studying for finals, and feel like that is taking over my life! I do plan, however, to go to Whole Foods tonight, so I'll pick up ingredients for raw hummus and see how it goes. Will let you know.

Food so far for me today has been:
Br: melon
l: salad -- greens, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, olives. I just used vinegar and not olive oil
s: 25 almonds, Odwala Bar (not so good, but I was really hungry for some reason)

I have a banana, apple, and blackberries. Will probably just eat those throughout the rest of the day and that's it. I am going to see if eating the bulk of my calories in the early afternoon, and only eating fruit in the afternoon/evening will help jump-start my weight loss. If not, any ideas from anyone? This is getting really frustrating!

Had blackberries and some almonds for a snack.

Decided to go swimming today -- will go in about an hour.

Then I will probably be v. hungry after, so I'll eat my apple and banana.

Well, I went swimming but only 1/2 a mile because I felt really tired -- that's 34 laps. Not terrible, but not my usual spunky self. I think I am feeling down now that it is really getting cold and finals are quickly approaching.
I am glad I went though -- I haven't taken a day off of exercise in over 2 weeks. I really was planning to take the day off today, but in the end I really wanted to get moving. Most likely I will be taking a day off or two over the weekend since I will be visiting my sister in NY. There is a gym at her school, but I dk if I will make it there.

Anyway...
After swimming I ate the apple and banana.

I had a date (with a man, not the food), but got there early so I shopped at Whole foods first -- got ingredients for raw hummus as well as fruits and veggies for the next couple of days. I bought 2 Lara bars. Have never eaten them before. However, I was still hungry and ate both of them before my date-- yeah I am not ready for that type of "moreish" food. I need to just stick to the basics until I really get this raw thing under control. I know that I tend to be a compulsive eater, so I better stay away from dessert-like food like that.

Made the raw hummus (thanks to meow) when I got home and dipped a few carrots in it. It is okay. However, I lived in Israel for a few years, so it is tough to think of that as "hummus." Maybe I'll call it zucchini dip or something. Anyway, I liked it but can't expect it to taste like hummus.

Tomorrow I plan to eat:
br: berries (skip the almonds)
l: big salad
d: veggies and raw hummus

I think for the next few days I am going to skip the nuts, oils, and snacks to see if this helps jump-start my weight loss.

Wish me luck, I could really use your support!

Thanks!

This am so far:

b: blackberries & 10 almonds (yes, almonds. However only 10 of them, which is far fewer than normal)

Plan for the rest of the day:
lunch: salad
dinner: cut-up vegetables with raw hummus

snack if I get hungry at some point: banana

swim a mile

Okay, so food so far for today (I know, it is funny that I repeat myself, but I like to do an inventory throughout the day)

breakfast: box of blackberries and 10 almonds
green tea
swam a mile
lunch: big salad -- baby romaine, broccoli, peppers, sprouts, olives, carrots, seaweed, raw hummus (with vinegar & pepper as dressing, no olive oil)
10 almonds
green tea

I plan to eat cut-up veggies (in the school fridge waiting for me) -- celery, carrots, broccoli with raw hummus for dinner during my study group session that starts at 6pm

I might have a banana for a snack later at night (also in the fridge), but I am feeling really full from lunch still.

So, final food and exercise summary for today:

breakfast: box of blackberries and 10 almonds
green tea
swam a mile
lunch: big salad -- baby romaine, broccoli, peppers, sprouts, olives, carrots, seaweed, raw hummus (with vinegar & pepper as dressing, no olive oil)
10 almonds
green tea
dinner: celery, carrots, broccoli with raw hummus
snack: nuts, 2 bananas, 2 pieces of sprouted wheat bread (cooked, but still not so bad)
decaf green tea

and i swam a mile

Reflecting on my food today -- breakfast is a breeze and it is very easy for me not to eat until lunch.
today at lunch I ate WAY longer than I needed to. It was all healthy and raw. However, I let myself get too full. I guess I justified it by the fact that it was only vegetables. However, there is no need to let myself get so full. I think I am going to start to bring a smaller salad in a smaller container for my lunch salad. I like to eat the whole thing, but don't necessarily need to.

happy friday to you, optimist! i love your username by the way don't worry about a big raw meal now & then- your body can process and use everything in raw foods, and all that nutrition will leave you absolutely glowing with energy!

my advice if you wish to lose weight is to try not to focus on it! i know it may sound counter-intuitive, but instead of thinking, "i'll eat this food for weight loss," or "i'll run 3 miles b/c it'll help shed body fat," think, "i'll eat this food b/c it's full of vitamin C and my body is craving it," and "i'll run because my body is asking to move and expend energy." i think if your weight is constantly on your mind, it causes you to stress about it too much. if you're not living in "diet mode" you can listen to what your body is asking for instead of what your mind thinks you should be doing to lose weight. does that make sense?

have you gone through detox yet? for me, i have gone through some rough detox this time around and i never fail to shed body fat following a detox period b/c the toxins are stored in body fat, so the fat cells are broken up/moved around to get the toxins out. if you haven't detoxed yet i'm sure it'll come- for some people it takes months on raw before detox happens. you could also try a juice fast or short water fast to speed this up if you want, but be prepared b/c detox is not fun!

do you like sweet, light fruits? i notice you eat lots of veggies, which is wonderful. i think if you also add a few more pieces of cleansing, watery sweet fruits like apples, melons etc to your day it may help initiate weight loss. but again, eat what your body is asking for. if it's not asking for these types of fruit right now then don't force yourself to eat them. it'll tell you what it needs- learning how to listen is the hard part, but you can always trust your body's signals, especially when eating a pure diet!

i am so sorry for writing a novel, i am just long-winded today! lol. have a great friday!

Thanks so much for your support, Meow! I really appreciate your feedback, advice, and support. I think your idea of adding sweet fruits to my diet is a good one. I do eat berries, bananas, etc. However, I don't eat a ton of melon, apples, or oranges. I could definitely add these in. I also noticed that you tend to eat an apple after dinner most days. I think that might be a panacea for my night hunger pangs. Fruit + tea/water at night might help me avoid eating nuts (which is usually what I am dying to eat at night).

Right now I am visiting my sister at Columbia in NY. My mom is also here visiting from Arizona. It is great to be with both of them and I am glad that I came. However, I am a bit stressed out about studying for finals while I am here.

Yesterday I ate berries for breakfast, lots of veggies throughout the bus ride to NY (carrots, peppers, celery, and broccoli). When I arrived in NY at about 3pm, I was STARVING so I bought some bananas at a corner market and ate those. That helped a lot.

Then Shabbat dinner came...there were no raw foods and I was still quite hungry. So, I ate what there was (vegetarian of course) -- broccoli soufflé, potato casserole, and eggplant with spinach along with hallah. I justified it by thinking "I am going to eat 2 cooked meals a week," which is something that Natalie Rose suggests. However, almost immediately I felt so, so tired! Like I had to go to sleep right then and there even though it was only 7:30pm! I didn't eat a lot of the food either. I couldn't believe how awful that cooked food made me feel! I think it was probably the most cooked meal that I have had in over a month. Yes, I have eaten a bit of cooked food here and there, but never a whole meal without some veggies! Well, of course, I felt guilty and awful about it. I think the 2 cooked meals a week is a bad idea. However, what could I have done in that situation? Brought my own food? Eaten before and just not eaten there? I don't know. I find those types of situations the most difficult. Usually if I am going to a shabbat meal I can bring a big salad to share, so I just eat that. Or if I am hosting, even better! But those kinds of planned meals it is tough to know what to do. Oh also, my sister was the one in charge of planning the whole meal and I think she would have felt bad if I didn't partake. UGH this is so difficult! Well, one good thing about last night was that I didn't eat after dinner. I just hung out in the evening with my mom and sister. I had a wonderful time just sitting and chatting with my Mom and sister. I really do love them so much and am sad that we all live far away.

Anyway, I showed my mom that picture of me from camp when I was 14. I remember when that photo was taken I had just joined Weight Watchers with my mother. During that time, every night when I got back into my bunk I would go home and log all of the food that I had eaten. When I look at that photo, I feel so sad for that little 14 year old me, who was just staring her bad body image issues. I was so thin! I can't believe my mother allowed me to join Weight Watchers! I was objectively a thin 14-year-old who was just starting to get some curves. I look at myself next to the other girls that I was in camp with and was way thinner than most of them (and this was before teenagers were overweight -- '94). I asked my mother why she had me join Weight Watchers at that point & showed her the photo. My mom and sister both agreed that I looked really thin then. Then I said to myself, what will I be saying about 28 year-old me when I am 42 (in another 14 years)? Probably the same thing -- how I wish I could appreciate my body at the time, rather than in retrospect. I just feel so much sadness about how much time and energy I have wasted worrying about my weight when really I have never truly been overweight. Actually, I have gone to the gym religiously since I was 14!

The funny thing about this whole bad body image thing is that only my very close friends know about it. I think to the rest of the world I come off as successful, confident (which I really am, generally), happy, and optimistic. I think that I truly am all of these things, and that is what shows on the surface. I have had many people tell me in a variety of contexts that I exude confidence, that I am the most beautiful woman in the room, that I fill a room with light when I enter. However, I fee like my bad body image is like this dark secret that always casts a hidden shadow (that nobody knows is there but me) on the rest of my life.

Well, I think this whole raw thing is a combo of issues. Meow, I really appreciate your advice that it is better to focus on my health rather than my weight. I know that I physically and emotionally feel much better and happier when I eat raw. I know that I am doing what is right for my body and I physically just feel much better. So, now it is just a matter of figuring out how to (1) get over my body image issues and focus on health rather than weight (2) figure out the practical issues of how to handle situations such as last night without hurting anyone's feelings or drawing too much negative attention to myself.

Well, at the moment I am sitting in the Columbia library ready to study for the next few hours for finals while my mom and sis are still sleeping. This am I had some coffee (I am SOOOO tired!) a little bit of cereal (I was really hungry from not eating at night -- which was a good thing) and a banana. I plan to eat raw the rest of the weekend and then go back to my usual routine (minus snacking at night -- except for maybe an apple).

Now who wrote a novel?! Thanks again, Meow, you support my raw efforts both directly by writing to me, and indirectly by inspiring me with your raw journey.

Oh, to answer your question about detox. No, I haven't experienced detox yet but I think it is because I haven't gone 100% raw yet. That is the goal. Once I tackle situations like the shabbat dinner from last night I think I will be able to truly go 100% raw. Also, what do you think about the Lara bars? Are they raw? I think I am going to stay away from them for now until I am really settled into my raw habit, then I can maybe slowly add them in for a treat.

If you are still reading wow! I would love to hear your feedback...

hey hun! i'm so glad you are getting to spend some time w/ your family! i live far away from mine, too, and it's hard, especially at this time of year.

about the shabbat dinner, that is a really tough sitation to be in. i haven't been raw for very long, but in that time i've never been in a situation where there's absolutely no raw food- usually there's at least salad or a fruit plate! there have been office parties, but since i'm vegan i can't eat birthday cake or ice cream anyway. that makes it a lot easier, actually! i guess in a situation like the dinner, your course of action depends on how comfortable you feel explaining yourself to the other people there/how well you know them, and if you think any feelings would be hurt if you didn't eat their food. you said your sister was in charge of the dinner, so it's probably best that you ate what she served- one cooked meal won't set you back too far, and you would have felt bad if you hurt your sister's feelings! i guess what i would have done if i knew there wasn't going to be anything raw would be to bring some raw food, like a big salad or veggies & raw dip, to share with everyone. that way you aren't setting yourself too far apart! what i've found as a vegan and a raw vegan is that a lot of people see food as a big bonding thing and when you don't eat what they eat, they feel threatened or distant from you. but that's just what we have to deal with if we want to eat this way! the benefits outweigh the negatives!

i have very similar experiences as you re: body image issues. for me, it started at 10 years old, and i can remember the exact moment- on a family trip to montana, i looked in the full length mirror in the hotel room and suddenly decided that i was FAT. the thing is, i was always on the thin side of average. i started "dieting" right then. my mother actually encouraged it! at 15 i developed severe anorexia that almost killed me, and i struggled with recovery/going back to various eating disorders til i was 20. i'm 22 now and i finally feel like the ED's are in the past- raw has been extremely therapeutic. but i do still struggle with my body image, and i, too, wonder why the hell i had to waste so many years of my life hating my body, shutting myself away and keeping secrets from everyone, all because i thought i was huge but was never even close to overweight! i think body dysmorohic disorder is a real issue. i chose to recover w/o therapy but still to this day, i feel only loosely recovered b/c i still compare myself to everyone around me, i still feel extremely self-conscious, and i can't just throw clothes on and go out w/o making sure what i'm wearing doesn't make me look "fat." i am moving towards something better, but not 100% there yet.

about the lara bars, yes, they are raw. i think my body thinks they're cooked, though, b/c i crave them and have eaten them even when i haven't been hungry. my goal is only 2 laras per week!

oh, and i think your plan of having fruit & tea at night is perfect. you don't want to overload your body w/ heavy foods before you sleep. fruit always works for me



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2007 03:50AM by meow.

Hi Optimist,

I really appreciate your last message. I think a lot of people underestimate how difficult it is to stay raw in social situations. So many people act like 100% is the easiest thing, when it reality sometimes raw food might not even be available!

For newbies like you and me, I think you did the right thing by eating. I probably would have felt guilty if I did not eat, and you are probably the same way. I experienced this yesterday when I went out to eat and didn't make enough specific requests so my salad came w/ cooked veggies. My long, long term goal is to become comfortable enough with myself as a raw foodist that I can freely tell everyone who I am, why I do it, and they wont expect me to eat anything else or have my feelings hurt. For some reason I dont feel fully comfortable talking about this with others yet, probably because I'm so new at it. I always choose raw when it's available, and I've been doing great. I refuse to beat myself up over the occasional cooked slip-up.

Amy

Amy and Meow:
I can't tell you how much your positive feedback and support help me. Thank you, thank you! It is really helpful and meaningful to have support like this, since it is tough to come by in my "real" life.
Amy, I think you are right, the occasional "slip up" is really minor, and really not going to jeopardize the rest of our raw efforts.

Today I bought a bunch of apples at the farmer's market and am excited to bring them home, adding more apples into my diet.
For the next 2 weeks I don't really have any social plans that will put me in an uncomfortable food situation (except maybe a hanukah party that my roommates are throwing. However, since it is at my home I can easily provide raw alternatives for myself and others).
Other options that I have thought of, Amy, are to maybe eat a big raw meal at home before going out with friends and then maybe just order a drink or a small raw side dish. Most restaurants have at least a raw salad or something. Also, I have gotten to the point where I am REALLY annoying to waiters (think Sally from "When Harry met Sally". But then I just say what she did, "I like what I like," and I am going to be paying for it, so I should get what I want, right?!!

Amy, I am really looking forward to following you on the rest of your journey.

I spoke with my father on the phone today after my sister told my father, "Becky only eats salads," and my dad was like -- "I am worried that you aren't getting the nutrients that you need." I asked him, "like what?!" he said dairy products --- LOL!!! I told him, "Who told you that, the dairy industry?!" We went back and forth about that. Finally I said, "I don't know why you aren't being more supportive, you are the one who told me that I need to lose 30 pounds!" He denied it, but I reminded him about all of the mean things that he has said to me about my body over the years. Gosh, parents can cause so much pain to their children just by making little comments that they forget later.

Well, at least being raw gives me something else to focus on and sort of a sense of control over the whole situation.

So...after going off of a strict raw diet for the weekend, I am eager to get back right into the swing of things.

I have only 2 more weeks (finals) in DC. Then I will be off to Chicago to visit family and then Israel for 2 weeks!!!!

So the plan is as follows:
2 weeks: follow Meow's advice and do 100% raw (with no exceptions other than green tea)
Food will be:
b: berries
l or d: big salad
l or d: cut-up veggies with raw hummus
2 snacks: banana during the day, apple b4 bed
green tea throughout the day and herbal tea at night

I can't decide if it is better to eat a big salad for lunch or dinner. I am going to experiment with doing a big salad at lunch and cut-up veggies with raw hummus for dinner. Then I'll switch the two meals. Will see which is better. I have a feeling that it will be better to eat the big salad for dinner, so that I will feel less of a need to eat at night.

exercise: I plan to do my normal routine -- shooting for both spinning and swimming a mile each day, but probably only succeeding in doing 1 of those due to time constraints.

I'll keep you all updated, and will look forward to reading about your progress as well.

Day #1 100% raw (again) off to a good start

am: 2 apples
swam a mile (had a fantastic swim where I really pushed myself).
melon
salad -- greens, carrots, red and green bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. Only ate half, so will probably eat the other half for dinner.

I also have 2 bananas and a box of blackberries, which I will probably eat throughout the rest of the day.

Just had a banana, yum!

It is strange, I can totally tell that I ate cooked food this weekend -- like I am feeling lethargic and even feel like I gained some weight. In one weekend?! Crazy! Anyway, It is 100% raw for me. There was some trail mix on the salad bar (nuts, dried fruit) that I might have taken in the past. However, I didn't take any out of fear that it was cooked (probably was). I am going to be 100% raw and completely avoid anything that even has the slightest possibility of being cooked. See how many days I can go, if not forever!

Great Job, Optimist.

Today is day 2 of 100% raw for me, and minus the cooked veggies on Sundays it's been over a week, but obviously I am only counting 100% days.

Tea doesnt count, right? I love green tea.

So, here is my summary for Day #1 raw:

b: 2 apples
swam a mile (had a fantastic swim where I really pushed myself).
s: melon
l: salad -- greens, carrots, red and green bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. Only ate half, so will probably eat the other half for dinner.
snacks throughout the afternoon (hungry from swimming): banana, pear, box of blackberries
d: the rest of my salad -- greens, carrots, red and green bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower.