DAY ONE

today i used this little contraption called the vidalia chopper and chopped up my apple, celery and kale before putting it in the blender. i don't have a fancy vita mix so my blender will have to do for now and by chopping things up pretty fine first should help keep it going for awhile. i like the smoothies. oh, i also added frozen berries. i realize they are not really raw (or the water disrupts the molecules..?) but it made for a great smoothie!

i did really well on that today and i also ate half an avocado and a few walnut. the walnuts probably aren't truly raw. they came from costco...

i also had a smartmonkey bar. was surprised to find a raw food bar at wild oats. i hope i will be able to find a few more transitional foods there because i failed this evening by eating some oven baked fries. ugh! i wanted something savory and blah, blah, blah. excuses excuses.


please feel free to comment or suggest.

i haven't personally met any rawfoodists. i have just been getting books from the library and found it very intriguing. it seems like a way of life that really makes sense.


xoxox

~karriebean

welcome abord. keep up on the raw eating you can do it. In my opinion life is so good raw my skin is so good and I have great energy. I have been losing weight and I just noticed my eye color looks brighter. Life is so much better raw. dont sweat the eating frys just keep working on more raw foods. I think you need to look at the amount of calories you are eating because sometimes when you dont get enough calories you will tend to crave other foods. keep striving for the raw and you will get there

hi pampam. thank you for the welcome and the encouragement. i pretty much know it is going to be trial and error for awhile. today is leaning more toward the error side....

...my blender went out today. bummer! i tried to use my hand blender/smoothie thing and it certainly didn't work as well as the blender did as far as getting things smooth. i am chewing my smoothie quite a bit today.


smoothie ingredients today:
kale
celery
carrot tops
banana
frozen berries
water
spirulina



ate an apple

more later

xoxo

I did'nt know we could eat the carrot tops. sorry to hear about your blender I wish I could hand you my spare one. I got a good one at a yard sale this summer and it is very powerfull. Maybe you can find one at a second hand store. I think the oster brand is a good brand. good luck and keep striving for your goal you will find being raw so freeing in many ways keep up the good work. I think chewing some of our smoothy is a good thing for our digestion any way.

i read about carrot tops being way more nutritious then the carrot root in The live food factor book. some goes for turnips and beets. i would have never thought to eat them either but she had a lot of good info in that book. i love the library! the live food factor book is a great one to read if you haven't checked it out. i also just read green for life. that is what got me thinking about green smoothies.

i think i might be able to fix my blender....i think the blades are gummed up. it is old and seen better days, but i don't have the funds to replace it. great idea about used. i actually checked craigslist for a vita mix. there is an older one for 125. good price i think but still not affordable. but the blender blades for the one i have run about 15 bucks. much better!


~~~~~~~~~~~

ate a grapefruit

~karrie

ate a quarter of an avocado and some pita chips...

pita chips not raw.


not perfect but certainly better than usual.

~karrie

today i had a great smoothie! i borrowed my sisters blender and i didn't have to chew it at all!


smoothie:
kale
frozen berries
banana
spirulina
water


avocado
banana
apple

1/2 smart monkey bar

oven potatoes
spagetti, cooked bad spagetti
french bread




good lord! i blew that, didn't i?

i find that it is super easy to do raw during the day. but at night, this is when i get weak and give in to cooked cravings. there must be a reason for this. i think in 'the live food factor' she mentions something about this. i am going to read up.

i think part of it for me is feeling like i am losing something. (hello? bad health...) i think cooked food is comforting. warm food is comforting.

but i am still pleased that i am being more thoughtful in my choices and can be aware of what raw food is as opposed to cooked. raw food is life. cooked food is dead. death.


~karrie

I am the same way -- eat well all day and then want to be bad at night.

I would suggest pre-making a big, delicious salad for yourself. That way instead of preparing food in the evening, you can just grab the big salad and eat away. Be sure to include some sprouts (for protein/carbs), as well as olives (for good fat). Eat until you are full. Then brush and floss -- call it a night except for tea and water.

That is what I do, and it seems to work out well. Have a game plan for your weak times, and it will help pull you through them. Decide beforehand what you will eat.

Good luck!

thanks for the hints optimist4life. i know that i will get to the point that i want. i just know that it is different for me now. i have read too much information to just toss it aside and not care.


food today.

SMOOTHIE
kale
celery
berries
grapefruit
water
spirulina


half a grapefruit


i have noticed my skin is breaking out some. i usually have nice skin so it is sort of a bummer. but i know the pay off will be good!

ate a grapefruit
tangerine
small zucchini
one carrot


one cup pasta
one slice french bread....dang!


i need to get some raw peanut butter. i was totally craving PB but there was none to be had here.

i went really light today.

apple
avocado
2 carrots
smart monkey bar
popcorn

Karrie, If you are posting all that you are eating, some of your craving might be that you are hungry!! What you post doesn't seem like enough food to sustain you. Try adding a big salad. Maybe a few soaked almonds or seeds.

David

hi david,

yes i am posting all that i am eating. it is strange because really i haven't been too hungry. i have been eating the cooked food more out of comfort than hunger. the smoothies are big though. 32oz.

i think too i am hoping to see a big change on the scale and i know that by not eating enough i will get the reverse of what i want. i didn't gain it overnight (though it seems like i did), so i won't lose it overnight...


today i ate,

smoothie~
kale
carrot tops
one whole apple
celery


handful of pistachios

gonna go get a cheese quesidilla (sp)and some guacamole...probably shouldn't eat the dairy...


i did have a burst of emotions today. sort of strange because my emotions have been pretty even keeled lately. felt sort of sad and weepy.
also noticed my skin is breaking out. whitehead pimples. i never get whitehead pimples.

i went for run/walk today to help me clear my head. felt good. i enjoy exercise and know that it is super good for me to feel good in all ways. 25 mins.

~karrie

Just popping in to say hello!!

Have you got any equipment ? A food processor?

Just if you do I have a few ideas for you for evening meals

You could prepare a raw mezze

olives, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, peppers, humous and cashew cheeze

or

zuchinni pasta with marinara sauce topped with sundried tomato

These things are filling and dense, playful- give you some fullness and also a real feast to look at and enjoy.

Enjoy all the seasonal foods also, I find this helps and the colours lift my mood- pomegranates, permissions(sharon fruit), butternut squash, in season oranges and satsuma, local apples ((again depends where you live!!))

Anyway just some ideas, you are doing well with your smoothies.

RAW-K on

xxx

hello rawdanceruk!

i just saw the pictures you posted of the food you have been making. i am on my way over to your place for dinner! ~wink~

i do have a little mini hand held thing.




other then that, just the blender. i will need to be watching the ads and for some equipment.


i was just discussing produce with my mom yesterday and it is amazing how the proces have changed. pomegranates 2 for $6! i won't be buying any. too rich for this kid.

smoothie today~
kale
2 whole apples
spirulina
celery

banana
hummus
pita bread

I just got some spirulina and have not made a smoothie yet with it. I am hesitant to try it because it smells. Its so verry green. How much do you use in your smoothie?

pampam,

i use about a teaspoon. once in the smoothie it's fine but you are right about the smell!

food today...
apple
bread
cheese



so this is the weirdest thing. i had the strongest craving last night for a mcdonalds filet o fish and fries. i haven't eaten any animal flesh i am thinking around 7 months or so. it was very odd to have that strong of craving. and for mcdonalds on top of that.

Karrie,
Cravings are odd, indeed. I haven't had any flesh foods in nearly twenty years and, even now, will have an occasional craving for a sausage and the "frying oil" smell of MacDonald's or similar fast food joint can trigger those cravings. I feel fairly "safe" that I will not succumb to the cravings and I am convinced I would be quite ill if I did. Now, if only I can gain the same clarity about sweets!

Good luck on your quest.
David

Raw4Life

hi david!

thanks for posting about your odd cravings. that makes me feel better that you, with 20 years veggie, still get them. very true about the sweet tooth! hahaha


today i had

smoothie~
kale
celery
apple
banana
blueberries
blackberries
spirulina
(berries were frozen)

oven baked fries


i have to say that i am not doing as well as i wanted to on this, but did i really believe i could change a lifetime of eating habits/ways overnight? ease up on yourself ms. bean. you will get to where you long to be. single steps get you there.

Hi karriebean, you're doing great! I can relate to some of yours and itchy's posts, and being aware of these abuse/control probs helps quite a bit. Having caring people witness and understand just who the crazy people are helps a lot too, which is what many of us did NOT have growing up.

Hugs!

hey aqua. thank you for the encouragement! it is tough to understand boundaries when they were taken from you. bleck! i hate it. life is quite the journey....


well i have pretty much blown my raw food diet the past few days. but tomorrow i am back on it.

i was pretty happy with myself yesterday though. i went out for a run/walk for 40 minutes prior to eating a plate full of carbs. my sister was super cool and made a bunch of thanksgiving foods vegetarian. but it was cooked... hehehe

i do notice though that eating cooked foods makes me feel bloated. makes my stomach feel stretched. i don't dig that. also noticed the difference in the bathroom. raw foods means regular and easy. cooked means maybe today and with a lot of strain. i am ready to get back to the raw life!

Dont be disheartened, draw a line after thanksgiving and make a freh commitment!!

Pomegranates 2 for $6... shocking..I can get 4 for £1!!!

Have a good weekend hun

Raw_dancer xx

On the topic of why we tend to binge/etc at night, once I read an article that said it is the dim lighting's effect... maybe try putting some kind of halogen lamp in your kitchen so every time you turn it on it peps you out of the eating SAD food mood?

Last night I was shocked that after a night out on the town with friends I came home and didn't even think of binging on SAD (normally the little voice shows up, and I either ignore it or appease it!) I think it's cause everything I did last night gave me confidence, and that confidence made me happy... hmmm there's gotta be a link between that and my binging. From now on if I get that impulse I'm gonna go paint, etc so I feel good about me instead of crappy, and kill those craving demons. Maybe next time you feel a craving for SAD food try to go do something you can be proud of (hobby, art, exercise, etc), and it might disappear?

Weezo, I think that is an excellent point! Replace the eating behavior with a hobby. I have gotten into piano-playing instead of eating at night. Another trick is to be reading a good book -- rather than bee-lining it to the fridge, just pick up that book and start reading as soon as you go home.

It is good to know that I am not the only one who is in a bad habit of eating at night. It has really been a lifelong struggle. I have also noticed that the times in which I have lost the most weight have been when I don't eat at night on a consistent basis for one reason or another. Good to keep in mind!.

Sounds like you are doing great!

i haven't pulled myself back on track yet..................

damn it!

Karrie,

Any of this (also on my thread) sound familiar?

Besides the inflation of "tomorrow," the following rationalizations get me into trouble:
Well, I've already blown it today, I might as well have.....
Well, I rode 'x' kilometres today, I could have this ......
I'll do a fast _____________, so until then, I'll be "flexible."

Let's get seriuos TODAY!
David

Raw4Life

david you are awesome! your post made me smile.

it's like you are in my head or something... ~wink~


TODAY baby!

~karrie

You can do it!! 100% for a few days again..and you will feel invinsible..and you will be

Come on back, Karrie!
David

Raw4Life