Hello Hello everyone! This is a quick starter entry and I want you to know that there will be pictures to follow.

Today day is a hard day (day 5), so I thought I would start logging me and mine. I havent really had hunger pangs until today. I've had cravings for cooked food, but have yet, until today, truly been up and down.

Let me tell you a little of myself.

I believe that I weigh 155 right now. I'm pretty athletic. But that is way too much for a girl of 5'5. At the begining of summer I was at my best and only weighed around 140. I worked out constantly and ate whatever I wanted (with in a vegan standard). I was very happy with my body and health. I went through a depression around aug. and stopped working out but continued (if not more) to eat whatever I felt at all times. I ate like I did when I was using tons of energy but without actually doing anything.

I feel like I need this. My goal is to hit a month... then I'm sure for life. I've done raw before but it never lasted more then a couple of weeks before I was back to my old habits.

So day five is where I'm at. I was so satisfied with my lunch. I felt full and was actually surprised that I was. I ate a salad packed with veggies and banana! I wonder if its because I've been reading Raw Power and spending alot of mental energy on raw inspiring materials. I want to motivate myself to stick with this but I'm sure I need to stop thinking about food.

Why is food so important?? (And yes.. I understand why it is literally.) So much is centered around food. Frustrated that I'm so hungry because I feel that I've eaten plenty for what time of day it is.

I'm off to workout with a girlfriend in an hour. That will make me feel better about what I've eaten.

I hope to have some encouragement and helpful advice. I have a friend doing this with me. But he isn't going 100 percent. He's eaten so many vegan cookies! Unfair!
I supose I've kept my coffee. I just ordered a mate gourd set to wing myself away.

welcome to the forums Keri theres lots of info here good luck on your journey !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Hi Keri and welcome ! The thing with raw as that you can eat LOTS of food - cuz most of it is very low cal (except for those avocados and nuts ) . Right now I'm eating a HUGE salad. So I'd say, if you feel hungry - eat more I was at 155 when I first went raw - and I ate as much as I wanted and still lost 25 pounds

Looking forward to your progress

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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]

Monark: I was wondering, you said you eat as much as you want. I know not nuts and avocados. However, does this include fruit (even grapes or dried fruit).

Today was a great day! (Health wise, that is.) I feel great! I woke up and road my bicycle to the coffee shop I work for in Salt Lake. I had gone to bed super early the night before due to an early shift I worked that a.m., so I woke up in time to enjoy a ride full of fall smells and soft cool air. This particular store is tucked away in a local rare and used book store. This year it turned 70! The ‘Coffee Garden’ isn’t quite as old. It’s only 14 (going on fifteen) and the store in the book store is only 7. They added to ‘Sam Weller’s’ to promote more a buy local community. ANYHOW... I woke up feeling weighed down.
You see, I did go work out and I felt amazing. I worked out super hard and felt like I really used my time at the gym efficiently. However, when I got home I ate a ton of raw almond butter with raisins and celery. (Ants on a log, yo!) I was totally craving nuts, so I ate half a jar! Oh well... The ride made me feel better and so did the sun. It was my day off so I read my favorite books and drank mate. After a couple of cups of water and tea combined with my sprint to the store I was hungry enough for an apple. Yum! I felt even better. I went on a short ride and practice my tricks (Fixed gear) and headed home to get some chores done. I’m moving so I spent the whole day moving things around and cleaning my soon to be old home. For a snack/lunch I ate a hand full of raw granola (made by GORAW) a banana and some raisins. I drank tons of well water (it’s a natural well in the middle of our city) and finished up the house. My boy came over for dinner and we made salad. Yum! The dressing was an avocado/lime/garlic/habinaro pepper paste. The salad: Kale, red/green leaf/red cabbage/cilantro. Very spicy! So good. We ate it all and I felt stuffed for only a few minutes then had a very relaxed but energized feeling. So good. I’m at the main store right now trying to motivate myself for my very late gym visit. (It’s like, 9pm. Yikes.) Then I have pineapple and strawberries cut up and waiting for me so I don’t fill up on any nuts or dates.

So, I’m not sure how much is too much and all of that but I do know that my body feels like it’s just right. So far it’s not getting harder at all. Usually it does. And this is the healthiest I’ve felt in months. I’m thinking a liver purge as soon as I feel my diet is stable in this state.

Other then than health I had a hard day. I broke up with “the boy”... AGAIN. We are very much attracted to each other and care about each other a lot but I feel like I’m too sensitive for him. I take a lot of his teasing serious and we just have personality differences. I like him tons and want to experience a bit of life with him but sometimes I just feel too hurt with him then I do with out. I hope this doesn’t affect me going raw because he was a big influence. I cried but gathered myself. Took a hot bath (then icy cold) and headed out for tea and gym.

WHEW! That’s a lot. I don’t mind if no one reads this... I feel inspired now. Thanks for the support guys!

P.S. Do I need to html pictures on my post?

Whew - what a day !!! You are doing great, Keri ! If your body feels good, then just keep doing what you are doing Don't stress too much about the 1/2 jar of nut butter Your body is adjusting so just do what feels right.

Optomist - yes, I ate as much as I wanted, including grapes and dried fruit - although I really don't eat much dried fruit - mainly just dates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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]

there is something about your writing that makes me want to keep reading and reading and reading

[www.rawfoodsupport.com] = my journal.


i hope that link works

Geez... how lazy and lethargic of me. I suppose I can't explain why I haven't been posting, but I can say that this really does mean something to me. Where am I now? I lost track. I got caught up in what "they" say I need for my body and what I want. Lately I've felt ill and I know why. Tomorrow I start a new. I stayed in reading and writing. I was going to go out and drink, but I feel like I need to concentrate on whats good for me. I clean house, read, wrote, made pie for my roommates, cleaned out my fridge, and (Dun dun duuuuhn) made salad. I haven't eaten it yet. I just wanted it ready. I don't even feel like eating for the rest of my day. I had breakfast... a banana and some left over vegan sausage and then some lunch of squash soup. But my body didn't even want it. I just felt like I had to eat, which was ridiculous and me ignoring that my system wants to halt and purge. Like I said, tomorrow is a new day. I'm just as motivated as I was before, but I feel like I know it in my heart and mind this time, rather then just another "diet". Bye for now.