Hey girls! Woohoo one more day til the weekend! The weather is awesome here, I think I'll be heading to the BEACH!!!

Amy, I love raw corn! Try it! It tastes great in salads. I also have had the same experiences as you re: working out. When I'm working out more, I am just too hungry all the time and I feel off-balance. I am now trying to do cardio for 40-60 mins. 5 days a week, along with 1 yoga session and 2 abs classes. I used to do cardio 6-7 days a week for 60-90+ mins. and it was way too much for me!

Becky, congrats on being a bridesmaid! That is exciting! When are you girls doing your dress shopping? That is so cool that you're basically the same size you were in H.S.! What a wake-up call that your body is probably completely healthy and happy at its current weight. I'm proud of you for deciding to focus on health and not on the scale right now.

Soraya, that is so annoying that you're allergic to something in the B12 supplements! I take the subliguals and I don't like that they have some sort of fructose or something- I feel like all supplements give your body something it needs, and usually a bunch of things it doesn't need! LOL. Let us know how you're doing with nutritiondata. I used Fitday for a little while 2 mos. ago and I was hitting 100%+ for nearly all of my vitamins & minerals and then some! Raw is awesome!

So..today I was absolutely starving in the morning / afternoon, and now I'm not hungry at all! Weird...

B: 3 bananas, 1/2 T raw almond butter, 1 raw energy bite
S: 2 more bananas (one was huge!)
L: got a salad from a local deli - my second favorite salad in LA! Mixed greens, chopped carrots, tomatoes, cucs, green peppers & scallions, avocado, and I added raw ACV instead of their dressing. Plus an apple.
D: not hungry yet, but later definitely an apple, and maybe a salad w/ my usual veggies?

I have to admit, I'm looking forward to a bagel w/ raw almond butter this weekend! I think this 100% 6 days a week thing will work out pretty well.

Oops I forgot to add my bday: it's April 30!

Becky, I also think it's cool that you realized you are basically the same size as you were in HS - I'm sure that was a great wake up call for you!

Soraya and Danielle, I hope you have a great day!

Well today I had a great 6 mile run (I just didn't want to stop, so I went with it) and ate almost all raw. If I hadn't gotten invited out for dinner it would have been 100% but I'm not concerned. I treated myself to some raw gourmet for lunch and it wasn't as great as the past few times. I also felt extremely full/lethargic afterwords - raw gourmet is starting to be too heavy for me! I feel better eating slightly less raw and adding in the occasional rice, corn, etc. Anyway, here was my day:

-6 mile run
B: 2 mangos, 2 bananas, small spoonful of sunflower seeds
L: At raw restaurant: Apple/wheatgrass drink, carrot soup, veggie sushi, and banana-macadamia ice cream
D: My friend took me to a Thai barbeque buffet type place, where you cook food at your table. We got two separate grills because I didn't want to mix my veggies with her meat. I had two plates of fruit (raw papaya and pineapple) and then felt kind of obligated to eat some of the food you cook at the table since that is part of the whole experience...so I had a few veggies

I am so looking forward to lighter, simpler meals tomorrow. I'm actually going to Cambodia with a group so I'm going to bring bananas and grapes for the bus. They provide a buffet lunch which I'm assuming will have fruit on it too.

Amy, have a fantastic trip into Cambodia tomorrow, and thanks for adding your birthday to the list! I have to make sure I put them all on my calender (I SOOOO don't remember birthdays)!

Danielle, I have four words for you - TAKE ME WITH YOU! It's so cold here in NY...brrrrr...
I think I have looked at every available B 12 supplement known to man - no exaggeration - online, in stores, in catalogs . I definitely can't take sublinguals as most, if not all, contain sorbitol (which I found out the HARD way my body absolutely hates), and / or sucralose (same as previous), mannitol, fructose, and other weird stuff. The drops I got (from Vitamin Shoppe) were the most innocuous that I could find, and I have no idea what I could be allergic to. I have to check that label again, but I got a bad enough reaction (analphylactic) to avoid that sucker. SO...that only leaves the patch. I have to e-mail or call the company about ingredients. I'm suppoed to benefit from any supplements I take, not get sick!

Actually, I'm still not sure whether I should use nutritiondata or fitday...there's a cool thread on the main board regarding that. Shoot, I may try both for the heck of it! That's fantastic that you found you were on target nutritionally - way to go!!!

Becky, hope you're doing fine!

I'm going to leave you all now, to go feed my face! I'll problably grab a bunch of kale, half an avo. and a few cherry tomatoes...afterwards I'll treat myself to a small handful of soaked sunflower seeds.

This morning was the usual
- grapefruit and 7 oranges
- 6 mandarins
- 3 nanas and 2 cups mxd berries (smoothie)

Spent a few hours running around, so off my food schedule a bit

Have a wonderful day tomorrow, guys, and "see" you again soon!

(I'll be home having fun reorganizing my sanctuary **big grin**

IT'S THE WEEKEND!!! This week has been way too long!

I am feeling so much better than I was just a few days ago. I think my body needed a couple days of 100% raw after the cooked food I ate in VT & last weekend. I will probably have a bagel w/ raw almond butter tomorrow, but I will enjoy it, not stress about it, and get back to 100% raw on Sunday

Amy, I am in awe that you're going to Cambodia! You are visiting so many places that most people never get to see- not the usual "touristy" places at all. That is so cool! Let us know how it is!

Soraya, I hope the B12 patch ends up working. I know how important B12 is for vegans/raw vegans! PS, I used to work at the Vitamin Shoppe. It was actually really fun You mentioning it made me smile.

My day was insane but good I guess...glad it's over now though!

-3 bananas, 1 raw energy bite, 1/2 T raw almond butter
-banana & mango
-apple, 4 raw energy bites, banana
-banana
-a few carrots & pcs. of cauliflower w/ raw zucchini hummus
*1 hour arc trainer intervals*
-huge salad w/ the usual veggies & raw ACV, handful of raisins - I estimate my salads to be 150 calories, and MAN do they fill me up! It's crazy, I can barely move right now...need to eat smaller salads, lol.

And now I'm off to cut up raw meat...what a fun Friday night, lol.

I'm making it a goal to hit 1300 calories (at least) every day b/c I need to make sure I'm eating enough! I am always freezing, and lately when I go too long w/o eating I get really dizzy and faint. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with being at a low body fat %, but I also think it would be bad to consistently be under 1300 calories b/c I'll just lose more weight. Sometimes it's hard to get all that in, but I'll see what I can do!

Have a good Friday night!

Hi ladies,

Danielle, did you make it to the beach yet?? That sounds like so much fun!
Soraya, I hope you have fun reorganizing. I am so lazy when it comes to that kind of stuff...I know I feel better in an organized space but cannot bring myself to do it!
Becky, I hope you're doing well!

Well, sorry to disappoint you all but I didn't see much of Cambodia today. I basically had to go to a village on the Thai/Cambodian border so I could come back in and get my Visa renewed. This means I spent about 9 hrs on a bus and 1 hour in Cambodia, lol. I only got in a short walk and some pilates when I got home too, but the good news is I ate almost 100% raw!

B: 2 bananas and about 1 cup grapes
Snack: 2 more bananas and some raisins
Lunch: They provided a buffet lunch for us...I only had a plate of pineapple and watermelon...
Snack: Thank god we stopped at a market area on the way home because I was starving! I got a huge bag of oranges (and ate them all, lol) and some mini sweet potatoes...they roast these on the street here and I couldn't resist. They filled me up so much though!
Workout: 35ish minute powerwalk and about 20 minutes of pilates
Dinner: It's so weird but I'm still not hungry yet. I have to stay up until 1am waiting for my friend to get here though, so I'll probably make a salad at some point. I have organic greens, watercress, tomatoes, onion, sprouts, EVOO, and ACV to be used up!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Saturday!

Danielle, have fun at the beach!

I just ordered the B12 patch...we''ll gave that a go and see how it works...got a month's supply for now (one a week). The reason you may be feeling dizzy and faint is because your blood sugar level is dipping too low because of not eating often enough - I have to eat @ every two hours or the same thing happens to me.

I'm working on eating more as well - more greens and veggies especially, as I'm now getting the urge to eat them again. Not being able to stomach green smoothies sucks, because it was the only way I could take in a lot of / a good varity of greens. For instance, I'll eat romaine, spinach (a little reluctantly), kale, mixed greens (very seldom, now) and watercress, but you're not going to catch me eating dandelion leaves, chard and the like - but I'd throw all that in the Vitamix and drink my green smoothies sometimes twice a day. At times I'm tempted just make them again for a few days just to tank up... I don't have a juicer, so that's not an option...

Amy, sorry that you didn't get to see as much of the city as you would've liked, but its good that you were able to eat almost all raw.

Turns out I couldn't wait 'till today to start the re-organizing process; I found myself last night starting one thing, then moving another...I've been way too lazy about it for so long that it was driving me to distraction! I'll have a more organised space to do my yoga - I do not want anyone looking at me cross-eyed when I exercise or start chanting for 1/2 hour! - and to write / paint / draw...

Hope you're having a good day, Becky!

I'll check in later...

Green smoothies aren't gross if you mix them with fruit. No kidding, it is delicious. I had one this morning. I put in a handfull of spinach and mixed a little with almond milk until smooth. Then I put in more almond milk to 1 cup and 1 banana and 3 frozen strawberries. Drink it up!! Delicious. Try it and you will love it.

Hi Ladies:
Amy -- sorry you didn't make it to Cambodia :-(. That must have been frustrating! Glad you stayed raw though. Good job!!
Danielle -- I am happy to see that you are letting some cooked food into your diet,and feeling good about it!
Soraya -- Wow, a B12 patch sounds awesome! I actually never heard of that before. I'll check it out.

I am feeling good, and am happy on my program :-)

Yesterday I spent all day interviewing people for my research associate position for next year. It was fun to be on the interviewer side! I got a nice 3 hour break in the middle of the day, so I went over to the school gym. The pool was closed, so I did a cardio machine and some weights.
My friend had me over for dinner last night (the one who asked me to be a bride's maid). She is on a diet to lose weight for her wedding, so she served a healthy dinner.

Yesterday and today is as follows:

Yesterday:
-some fruit: melon and strawberries
** 30 min of cardio and 30 min of strength training
-salad (greens, cucumber, pepper, sprouts, olive oil and vinegar, chick peas) & a boca burger
-salad (spinach and yellow pepper), fish, brussel sprouts
No food after dinner :-).

Today:
*60 min kick-a** spinning class, core training & stretching
-2 eggs, red pepper, cucumber, a few almonds
-2 vegan boca burgers & 3 stalks of celery, a few almonds
I am going out to dinner with a friend, so I'll look for a healthy low-carb, high protein dinner.

Yay!! I am feeling really balanced and healthy. Not eating at night is becoming easier and easier, thanks to eating more protein throughout the day. I am feeling great physically, am confident that what I am eating is healthy, and am struggling a lot less with social situations. I think I have found my perfect balance, and I am thrilled about it!

Ithierga, for months I enjoyed / used to have green smoothies, but I can't anymore...they don't agree with me. And if I were to have fruit, greens AND nuts/fat together (the nutmilk), I'd be sick all day! Thanks for sharing, though!

Becky, great to see you, and congratulations on settling into the groove that works for you now; kudos also on taming the night-eating monster - that's a huge accomplishment!

I am confident you will look ravishing on your friend's weeding day; I only hope that the dress is a flattering one ( I have had two hideous ones in my time)!!!

You can find out more about the B 12 patch at [www.B12patch.com]!

Okay...so I decided to start monitoring my food intake on Fitday, and I hope that you all don't mind me sharing that here with you as well...this stuff is interesting! I was pleasantly surprised at my calorie intake level for today...I'm kinda forcing myself to eat more, right now. I wonder what my total would've been if I'd eaten what I usually do?

So, here's my food for the day:

- 6 mandarins
- juice & pulp of 1 grapefruit and 5 oranges
- Smoothie: 3 nanas, 2 cups mixed berries and 2 peaches
- 2 cups cauliflower
- 2 more nanas
- 1 romaine heart, cup carrots and 1/2 red bell pepper
- bunch kale with 1/2 avocado and 1 cup cherry tomatoes.

That added up to 2014 calories, of which 69% were carbs, 22% was fat and 8% was protein. I had a few low nutrient levels -

- Iron: not bad at 98.7% of the RDA
- Zinc (53.92%)
- Selenium (39.43%)...guess I'll have to start liking Brazil nuts! But I should be able to manage one a day!
- Calcium (75.01%)
- I knew I had to work on my D already
- and, of course, B 12.

My body feels good at around 20% fat; I tried eating a little extra in the form of sunflower seeds yesterday and felt somewhat "off". I shall have to go look at which foods are high in zinc...All in all I'm so happy that I'm doing this! It's cool knwing that I'm hitting so many targets eating this way, and I know that it's much healthier than what most of my "critics" are doing! Now, if I choose, I have an excellent comeback for anyone who wants to be critical

Isn't this an exciting journey to be on?

And I'm so gald that I get to share it with you

(all together,now...aawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww) LOL

Have a great night!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2008 11:52PM by Soraya.

Me again!

I'm maybe too excited about this - LOL - but I just added in an oz of Pumpkin seeds to my list. Funny thing is, I've been craving them lately, and I didn't know that they're a good source of selenium and zinc! Tell me your body doesn't know what is good for it!

Anyway, that innocent amount of seeds added 154 calories to my total (from 22% - 26% fat); that was a surprise! It also increased my protein from 8% - 9%; zinc from 53.92% - 71% (WOW) and put me over the RDA for iron! (98.7% - 126.99%)

Kwooooollllllllllllll...

Nutrition is SO much more interesting now...

***I solumnly swear not to do this to you everyday***

Soraya, it sounds like your diet is awesome! Look at all those vitamins & minerals! Our bodies are amazing- craving exactly what we need! Great job on all that iron. If you don't mind me asking, what do you eat that contains the most iron? I have to take an iron supplement daily b/c I become anemic w/o it. Is it mostly the dark green leafy veggies that have lots of iron? Oh, and I also think it's so interesting to see how much you're eating and how many nutrients your diet gives you...so feel free to post that stuff whenever you want to!

Also, you are probably right about low blood sugar being the cause of why I get really faint & nauseous if I go too long between meals/snacks. It seems to have gotten worse within the last month or so, but thankfully I always carry bananas or a lara bar with me!

Amy, I'm sorry you had to sit on a bus for so long! That's kind of rough. I am craving sweet potatoes, especially after reading about yours!

Becky, you sound so happy and your new way of eating seems to be working really well! That's awesome :-) You were smart to listen to your instincts instead of trying to force yourself to stick to a plan that didn't feel right.

Sooo...I got in a great workout today and it was my "cooked food" day so I had a bagel with some raw almond butter & strawberry jam. I've found that if I drink a liter or so of water while eating & after eating something cooked, I don't get as much of a headache or fatigue later on. However, I still took an hour-long nap this afternoon b/c of the bagel. It was good but I think maybe next time I need to just eat half (easier said than done though, haha) b/c it made me way too full.

Today was/is:

-banana
*30 mins. abs class, 45 mins. elliptical*
-banana
-sprouted grain bagel w/ raw almond butter & all-fruit strawberry jam- I put like 4 T almond butter on these b/c they are huge, it's insane! But good.
-apple, banana
-planning on baby carrots, cucumber & red/yellow pepper slices & a tomato for dinner
-going out for a friend's b-day and then to some bars, but I only want one glass of really good red wine...hoping I can find a good one! Cheap/bad wines make me so sick lately! I haven't had a drink since V-Day either so any more than one glass would do me in.
-apple when I get home if needed

I also for some reason had a lara bar last night after dinner. I wasn't hungry and didn't "need" it but I was up late after cutting up a billion chicken thighs for my cats (eeew) and my body was crying out for a cashew cookie lara bar! So I went with it. Was still down a pound at the gym this morning so maybe I need to do that more often!

I am forcing myself to be more social...feeling much better than I was last weekend, but I still have the desire to stay in and not answer the phone and hibernate all weekend. But that is not going to get me anywhere! So I'm going out and I will have fun, dammit! LOL.

Good Sunday to all...

Quick pass by to correct something from yesterday...apparently the kale that was included was cooked kale - I saw the word "fresh" so I chose it - ugghhhh! There are few things worse to me than cooked kale; I can't abide the taste! SO... here are my amended numbers:

Total calories - 1955: 21% fat (yea!!); 70% carbs, and 9% protein. Am still over my RDA for iron, and of course still under calcium, zinc and selenium...more pumpkin seeds today, and must grab some Brazil nuts on Tuesday when I go shopping...

Danielle, thanks for the encouragement and being excited with me! I've always had a curiosity about nutrition but this is really going to feed that tendancy! It's strange, but I feel that this is going to be a big motivator in eating / eating enough especially in those phases when I can't be bothered to think about food...I'll spend a little time looking up high iron foods and will get back to you on that - one suggestion - pumpkin seeds help! And good to hear you found a way to lessen the severity of the cooked food effects...

You must dish on how your beach trip was...and you must tell me how on earth you manage handling raw meat - you must adore your cats! I think I'd gag if I smelled raw meat now. Someone here made an egg salad a few days back, and I honestly don't know how I kept from throwing up, I was so on the brink I had to fight like mad to keep everything down!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day...'till later!

Hi Ladies:
Soraya -- glad to hear that you are feeling good on your new plan :-). The dress is beautiful and I am so excited about it :-). Thanks for your kudos re the night eating monster. It is just a matter of imagining myself coming home, putting my stuff down, and brushing my teeth. Once my teeth are brushed, I am less likely to want to eat. Also, thanks for the B-12 info.
Danielle -- good for you for getting out more! You are young -- live it up! Crazy that you are still losing weight! Yeah, maybe you should be sure to have a Lara bar each day.

Quick check-in for me.

Last night I had a piece of fish and some spinach for dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Today so far:
-spinach omelet
-soy milk, a few almonds
*swam a mile
-salad: lettuce, peppers (green, yellow, red), cucumber, chickpeas, mushrooms, banana peppers, oil and vinegar

It is already 5pm, and I barely just finished lunch, so probably have a couple of Boca burgers for a small dinner/snack later.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2008 10:05PM by optimist4life.

Hola chicas.

Soraya, don't you feel so good knowing you're nourishing your body that well? I look around at what most people eat and I'm so glad I crave apples & bananas and I've found a way to transcend the McDisgusting society we live in! Also, I don't mind the raw meat anymore, but at first it was hard. It took me literally 2 mos. of walking by the meat section until I was able to stand the smell, pick up a package of meat, and buy it! I've never prepared meat so it was something to get used to...But now I feel pretty good about it b/c I know exactly what my cats are eating (and I only buy organic, hormone-free, free-range meat) and I also feel that the meat I'm buying comes from animals that were treated significantly less cruelly than those that are destined to end up as pet food. I don't like supporting the meat/factory farm industry in any way, but I realized that through buying commercial pet food, I was supporting it in worse ways than I am now that I choose free-range, organic meats. Does that make sense? A lot of people ask me that question- how can I stand to buy meat when I'm vegan. But my cats have to eat and this seems like the lesser of 2 evils to me! They are thriving on their raw diet :-)

Becky, how do you feel about soy protein? I was always on the fence about it and strangely enough, it makes me gain weight like crazy, but I think I may have an allergy to it. Just wondering b/c I notice you're including it in your menus again!

Today was lovely! The weather was amazing! Unfortunately I didn't make it to the beach this weekend- I was planning on going yesterday and it was freezing. Today I had other plans. I shopped all day! What a workout, lol. I was very good and only bought some things I needed from Sephora. Despite trying on a million things (and loving most of them) I didn't buy any clothes! I have to start paying student loans this month so I really don't have any extra money whatsoever. I did try on a bikini at VS and came to the pathetic realization that my butt is a size XS. That means that my insanely cute bikinis that I bought last year will no longer fit :-( But other than that and my Blackberry freezing on me for 3 hours, the day was great!

B: 3 bananas, tiny bit of raw almond butter
w/o: 1 hour arc trainer (felt sooooo good today for some reason)
S: banana, 1.5 pieces of dried mango, and a raw Brazil nut
L: cinnamon roll lara bar and apple
S: 1 c. raw tangerine juice (yum), banana, another small spoonful of raw almond butter
D: salad w/ romaine, mixed greens, red & yellow peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, cucs, ACV
S: apple

I drank too much last night (1 regular sized glass of red wine & one small glass) and felt kind of gross this morning, but the night was fun! I'm so glad I stuck to wine- everyone was doing shots for someone's b-day and I think I'd probably still be in bed if I'd joined them!

Becky, WAY relieved that your dress is beautiful - LOL - and I hope that all goes well with the preparations, rehersals and the actual ceremony...How is your friend dealing with all the madness?

Danielle, bummer...sorry you didn't get to the beach after all! And you have some company in the shrinking department - yours is not the only incredible shrinking butt - and I had to buy a new winter jacket a few weeks ago (because I looked like a linebacker in all of my old ones) with money that I'd mentally put aside for other things...but it was really getting ridiculous!!!

I am SO with you on the commercial / raw pet food thing; my opinion exactly!

Another person with a soy allergy?! Don't you find it extremely annoying that the darned thing seems to be in every processed food - AND almost every supplement as well??? Ggrrrrrrr

Oh...the foods that were highest in iron for me yesterday were the kale, the romaine, and the pumpkin seeds; the latter of which contained the highest levels by far!

It was quite beautiful here as well; cold, but beautiful! I felt so good today, in fact, that I grabbed my usual walking partner (someone else's dog) and went for a brisk jaunt around the neighbourhood. I usually do NOT go walking for pleasure / exercise in the winter, especially this one, being that it is my first raw and I am more sensitive to the cold than usual...

I do feel good about my eating but this is way more than I am usually used to and I feel like an eating machine! It feels like I'm eating all the time, actually, but I think my body kinda likes it; more energetic and am finding motivation to do stuff like - organise my bedroom!!!! **cracks up** Boy do I feel full, though...

Here's my check-in for the day;

- 2 cups grapes
- grapefruit/orange juice & pulp, 3 cups
- 3 LARGE bananas
- 1 cup each srawberries and blackberries
- 3 peaches
-7 mandarins
- 6 cups spinach
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 oz pumpkin seeds
...for a total of 1654 calories: 14% from fat, 78% carbs and 8% protein. My iron was over the RDA again...whoo-hoo! As you can expect, Vit. C is wayyyyy off the charts...my body wants citrus so much, though...

I have to remember how petite I am and not look at how much other people may eat...though when I start exercising regularly again I may eat those same people under the table!!!

Have a good night, guys, and a great week. Until tomorrow....

Love and Peace...and sweet dreams!

Soraya, thanks for the info about the iron-rich foods! I'll have to get some pumpkin seeds. And I agree about soy being in everything! It's cheap so it's always used as a filler. Sometimes I think the whole soy craze is completely phoney- soy products cost next to nothing to make and yet they usually cost more than the alternative product! I don't know though, I think some people do well with soy and others (like you & me!) don't.

So I'm on again b/c I decided to follow the 8-1-1 Diet once again, but this time really try to stick with it for longer than, um, 2 weeks ;-) I'm not happy w/ my skin lately- I think I'm still detoxing the ER chemicals, Excedrin, and of course the cooked crap I ate at home, but I'd like my skin to be back to normal ASAP. It's strange, my pores are inflamed around my nose/the sides of my nose. They're a bunch of raised bumps! It's not noticeable to the naked eye but I want my smooth skin back! My energy levels are also sub-par. I've used losing weight as an excuse to eat as much fat as I want, but clearly it's not working for my body. So tomorrow I'm planning on having:

B: Smoothie w/ 2 bananas, 1 c. strawberries, 1/2 c. fresh tangerine juice
S: banana
L: 2 apples, banana
S: more fruit- may pick up some mango at Whole Foods...it's getting to be an expensive habit though!
D: carrots, cucumber & cauliflower w/ raw zucchini hummus
S: apple

I am really going to try my best to give 8-1-1 more of a chance this time. I loved how I looked & felt on it last time, but fats are so addictive, especially in winter! Wish me luck...

Hi ladies!

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple days...my friend was back in Bangkok (she traveled to other parts of Thailand then came back to see me...we had so much fun but now she's gone ...at least I can look on the bright side that I won't have to consider someone else when I think about meals!

Well, I have had little appetite lately. It's weird but I'm just going with it. I think I had about 1400 cals today which is low for me...I don't mind listening to my body though.

Interesting discussion on soy...I have found that a very little bit (like soy once or twice/week) doesn't bother me, but any more than that and I don't feel so great on it...my mom and boyfriend are the same way, actually...I think it's very common.

Anyway, sorry I don't have more comments. I feel like I miss so much when I don't post for a couple days! Here was my day today:

B: 2 bananas, a few grapes
L: 4 bananas, 2 small boxes of raisins, dried seaweed sheets (these are so addictive, I wish they were raw!)
Workout: 4 mile run
D: Organic mixed greens topped with a vegan version Thai papaya salad...I know this sounds weird but they use unripe papaya, carrots, cucs, tomatoes, and chiles, and it really just tastes like all vegetables because the papaya is not sweet...It is addictive and raw except the few peanuts they sprinkle on top!
Dessert: Mango plus a few raw sunflower seeds and raisins

Hmm I think the site's being weird b/c I don't see any of the posts from today, although I saw that the last post was written on 3/4...But anyway here's my day!

pre-w/o: banana
w/o: 45 mins. intervals on the arc trainer
b: smoothie w/ 2 bananas, 1 c. strawberries, 1/2 c. tangerine juice; 1/2 T raw almond butter
s: 2 bananas
l: lara bar & apple
s: banana
d: handful of baby carrots b/c I was starving but had to feed the cats...then a big salad w/ the usual- romaine, baby greens, red & yellow peppers, carrots, cauliflower, 2 tomatoes, cucs, raw ACV. Also about 1/4 of a mango while I was cutting it up for tomorrow, and another small taste of raw almond butter.

I'm so excited- I have fresh mango, strawberries and pineapple! It's so expensive, but worth it- eating a little bit of this stuff has opened up my taste buds and all I want is tons of fresh fruit. I'm excited to eat it tomorrow

Hope you're all doing well, and sorry I can't respond- can't see today's posts

Hi Ladies:
I too have been MIA. Sorry about that, I do want to post here. However, I must admit that I feel weird recording non-vegan things. Especially fish!

Soraya: Good for you for keeping such good track of the vitamins and minerals that you are eating!! Very impressive :-)

Amy: I hope you had fun with your friend, although I am sure it was tough to stay raw when eating with someone else.

Danielle: Glad you are mixing the fruit up a bit. I know, why do fruits have to be so expensive?!

Today I was dying for an apple. I don't think I have been getting enough raw foods lately.
So, I am going to eat 100% raw lunch and dinner for the next couple of days. I really like eating spinach omelets for breakfast as I think it makes the rest of the day easier. However, other than that, I am going to eat salads. I will actually be going to Chicago on Friday to see my grandmother, which I am pretty excited about!!
So my plan for tomorrow is:
-spinach omelet
-big salad for lunch and dinner.
I am sorry to say that I have broken my no food after 8pm rule the past couple of days, so I am going to try really really hard to stick to it tomorrow. The problem was that I was stuck at school until late and then was hungry when I got home. I think I will just need to accept the fact that I get hungry at night, and just ignore it. The best plan for me is to brush my teeth and drink a bunch of water when I get home before I do anything else. You must think I sound like a broken record...
Have a good night!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2008 04:36AM by optimist4life.

Becky, if you are truly hungry at night I see no problem with eating after 8pm. I just finished some grapes and it is 10:53 here, lol. However if your night eating is more out of habit/boredom I think it's a good goal to work towards reducing it.

Danielle, I totally know what you mean about eating fruits you haven't had in a while. That's how I felt when I first came here! I am also looking forward to being back in the states this summer when peaches, plums, and apples start to be in season...there are few things better than enjoying seasonal, local fruit!

Soraya - I hope you're doing well!

Well I'm pretty happy with my lack of appetite. It's making it easier to lose weight. I am already at a healthy weight but I feel like I could lose 5-10 lbs and still be healthy and have a bit more confidence. Reducing my exercise and not being so strict about staying 100% has really helped me find a good balance! All my cooked veggies are replacing high-fat raw foods such as nuts, avocados, etc....not that those foods are bad by any means, I just used to over-do it on them!

Okay, enough rambling...here was my day:

B: 3 bananas, raisins
Snack: watermelon and papaya
Lunch: 3 mini bananas, followed by a large plate of steamed vegetables with Chinese sauce (vegan) and dried seaweed sheets (a serious addiction for me!)
Workout: 4 mile run
Dinner: Huge salad with organic greens, yellow peppers, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, EVOO, raw ACV, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper, dark chocolate for dessert
Snack: red grapes

I feel kind of stupid- there were no other posts from yesterday before mine! Oops.

Becky, dress warm for Chicago! It'll be great to see your grandma I also agree w/ Amy about night time eating- If you're hungry, then there's nothing wrong with it (a calorie is a calorie whether it's 10 AM or 10 PM, right?) but if you just want to cut down on random snacking when you're not really hungry, then I totally understand. I snack at night, too, both from hunger and from just being snacky/exhausted/craving something sweet.

Amy, I'm glad that reducing your exercise is working so well! I eat SO much more when I'm running or working out more - I also feel more balanced when I'm not being so hardcore about working out.

Soraya, hope all is well!

Here's my Wednesday:

B: smoothie w/ 2 bananas, 1 c. strawberries, 1/3 of a mango, 1/2 c. fresh tangerine juice; 1 raw energy bite (not in the smoothie, of course!)
S: 2 bananas
L: banana, apple, 1 c.-ish pineapple chunks
S: banana, a few bites of mango
D: lots of carrots, cauliflower, cucumber slices & a tomato w/ raw zucchini hummus (made it w/ less tahini and more ground pepper- yum)
S: 3 slices dried mango, half a raw energy bite...wanted something sweet

No gym today- I wanted a day to relax. I'll go tomorrow morning before work since I'm meeting a friend for drinks/a comedy show after work.

Hi ladies,

Danielle, a comedy club sounds really fun!

My day was more cooked than usual but fine calorie wise. I went out to a Japanese restaurant with my friend and it was a nice change from Thai food. I used to be obsessed with Japanese food and I hadn't had it in a while. Anyway, here is my lame eating day (not really, just lame for a raw food forum, lol):

B: 8oz OJ, banana, raisins
L: 2 plums, grapes, salad with greens, kidney beans, and corn (starving and craving protein), plus a large plate of steamed Thai vegetables
D: grapes, then seaweed salad, miso soup, and edamame at the restaurant. This tasted so good going down but as I said before too much soy isn't the best for me

I am looking forward to more raw foods tomorrow. I also bought some beans for my salads tonight. While I like just eating raw vegetable salads I sometimes feel like I would do a little better with slightly more protein. I'm going to try the beans and see how I feel. I still plan on just doing fruit in the morning, and I'm going to try to stick to just fruits/veggies for lunch follows by small amounts of cooked food later in the day (beans, roasted corn, dried seaweed sheets, etc)

Everyone seems to be really busy lately!

Amy, Japanese food sounds good right now…maybe I’m just really hungry, lol.

I am going crazy at work today! haven’t had a spare second until now. I seriously wolfed down lunch, and just got to eat a snack now at 5:15…I need more food than that! LOL. I’m going to be here late, too.

Pre-w/o: banana
w/o: 2.75 mile run w/ hard intervals (soooo good), 15 mins. arc trainer
b: 3 bananas, 1 c. tangerine juice, ½ T raw almond butter
s: banana
l: mango, salad w/ romaine, tomato slices, french green beans, cabbage, 1.5 T balsamic vinaigrette
s: apple, half a lara bar, banana- was starving!
d: small-ish salad (can't eat a big one and then go out, I feel too bloated!)
s: glass red wine

Maybe I'm weird b/c I never crave or want protein. I almost always crave carbs, and occasionally fats. I've never really been much of a protein eater, even when I lifted heavy weights regularly...I guess it works out well for my raw diet though ;-)

Danielle, I hope you found some time to relax after work! Days like that are crazy.

You're right, everyone seems to be busy! I myself won't be on for a couple days because I am going away this weekend (leaving in like 20 minutes). My meals yesterday were good. I'm kind of lazy to post everything but basically I had a lot of fruit (OJ, bananas, papaya, grapes, raisins, pineapple), a salad for dinner with raw veggies and balsamic (I needed a change from ACV!), sunflower seeds, and I also had lentils and dried seaweed sheets. Not too bad! I also got in an awesome 3 mile interval run yesterday, and I just ran an easy 3 this morning. I am stocked with fruit for my weekend trip too!

Have a great weekend and I'll check in when I return!

hi girls! where is everyone? i had a crazy day yesterday- was in tears at work, we were so insane and i felt so underappreciated. anyway yesterday ended up being my "cheat" day b/c i had too much to drink the night before (2 drinks...which is my limit) and thought bread might help soak up the alcohol. so yesterday i ate A TON of food:

-smoothie w/ 2 bananas, strawberries, mango, tangerine juice
-2 slices ww bread w/ raw almond butter & jam
-banana, mango
-banana
-as soon as my bosses left, the other assistant and i went for the $150 macallen scotch- 1 scotch & diet coke
-couple baby carrots w/ fresh guac, 2 pcs. cauliflower w/ raw hummus, smallish salad w/ the usual veggies & raw ACV
-apple, cashew cookie lara bar

that is more than i've eaten in forever, but it actually doesn't look like much! no workout b/c i thought i was meeting a friend after work, then thought i was meeting her later, then it didn't happen at all!

today:

b: 2 bananas
w/o: 30 mins. abs, 5.25 miles in 45 mins (felt so good to run)
s: smoothie w/ bananas, strawberries, angerine juice; extra banana
s/l: choc. cocount lara bar, apple
s: banana
d: a few carrots w/ guac, salad w/ the usual veggies & raw ACV
s: apple

about to head to santa monica with my best friend to shop & walk on the strand (boardwalk type thing). it is so nice out today, i'm so excited!

Looks like it's still just me and you, Danielle! I hope you are doing well, Becky and Soraya!

Danielle, I hope you had fun in Santa Monica. My grandma lives there so I have been many times. You are right that your cheat day does not look like much at all! I am sorry to hear that you had a rough day at work. I was underappreciated in my last job (I got laid off by the assholes!) and it was tough for me, so I really do sympathize. I remember you said that you are looking into other jobs, how is that going?

I just got back from my weekend trip to Ayutthaya, which a city in Thailand with a lot of ancient temples other things to see. It was really fun, and my fruit stash plus all the fruit they were selling on the street made it easy to stay mostly raw. I did indulge in roasted corn and steamed thai vegetables those, the usual cooked for me. I had a beer last night too. It was a nice end to the day! Today has been almost all fruit except a few peanuts that I couldn't resist:

B: Pineapple/Banana/OJ smoothie (I specifically asked for no sugar and watched them make it, so it was all raw! OJ was fresh squeezed too)
"Workout": This morning I biked leisurely around the city taking in the sites. This was not hard by any means but I was on the bike for a couple hours so it has to count for something!
L: 2 bananas, papaya chunks, 4 or 5 small oranges, raw sunflower seeds and some peanuts
D: I have some salad stuff to use up, so I'll make one with organic greens, carrots, parsley, scallions, either balsamic or ACV and hopefully some tomatoes and red peppers if I make it to the store. Might also buy some chick peas to put on top if I am really hungry. I love having big salads at night!

I am also super excited right now b/c my bf just booked his flight to come visit me. He is coming for my week off in April! After being apart for almost 4 months this will be great.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hi Amy, we seem to be the only ones around lately! Ayutthaya sounds so interesting. I love exploring really old villages / cities, it's so cool to imagine what life was like so many centuries ago. I think you & I probably eat more fruit in a week than most Americans eat in a year! It is soooo good this time of year Also, that's great that your bf is coming to visit! April will be here before we know it. Has he been to Thailand before?

Thanks for asking about my job search! It's going ok, I guess, I'm somewhat hesitant b/c I'm up for a raise really soon and I need the money, but I'm still getting my updated resume out there. I'm really not sure what will happen but I do need some kind of change!

I went out to lunch w/ a friend today, it was so nice & sunny. One thing I love about LA is all the outdoor cafes. There's something so wonderful about enjoying good food & company in the sunshine! I ordered a smoothie and the guy who took my order kept trying to get me to put sugar in it- WHY ON EARTH would you put sugar in a FRUIT smoothie? I told him fruit was sweet enough w/o added sugar and he told me I was missing out on the best part. How sad. I was worried they'd put sugar in anyway, but they definitely didn't (I can always tell when something none-raw is in my food nowadays!).

My day:

B: 3 bananas, 2 raw brazil nuts
w/o: 3 mile run outside in the sun
S: half a lara bar- too hungry to wait for lunch!
L: Smoothie w/ banana, strawberries, mango & oranges
S: 2 bananas, 4 raw almonds (I miss my raw almond butter! It's so expensive though so I'm going to try to go w/o it for a few more days...)
D: early so I'm digested before the gym- carrots, cauliflower & yellow pepper w/ raw zucchini hummus
w/o: 20 mins. arc trainer, 1.5 hours power yoga class
S: a mango

Hi Ladies:
Just wanted to say a quick hello to let you know that I am thinking of you.
I have been in Chicago for the past few days and my grandmother's internet is SO SLOW! Anyway, I am feeling good and have fallen into a good rhythm of eating 4 times a day: b,l,s,d. I am feeling good about it, and have been actually quite good at making the last thing that I eat be 8-9pm. I have been chatting with my uncle and getting re-inspired about raw foodism, and I am also feeling good about the balance. He eats both raw and cooked (albeit dilligently health-concious) & he looks amazing.
Also, remember that girl from school who I told you about who is overweight, and I am helping her? Well, she and I have been journaling to each other. As much as I love checking in with all of you, I feel kind of bad posting things like eggs and fish here. I'll definitely keep you updated about my progress though.
It sounds like you are both doing really well.
Danielle: so sorry to hear that your job is making you unhappy :-(. I hope you find a better alternative soon!
Good to catch up. I'll try to be better about logging here.
Actually, once I start training for the triathlon, I will like to consider going back to 100% raw, with maybe the exception of fish to keep my protein intake up.
I hope all is well!

Good to hear from you, Becky! Sounds like you are doing well!

Danielle, no my boyfriend has not been to Thailand before. I am excited for him to see it! Also, I agree with you about outdoor cafes: I absolutely love them! A lot of the restaurants here are outside; it's great. I always have the same experience when I order smoothies w/o sugar. I get looks like I am crazy; and I always explain that fruit is sweet on its own and does not need sugar. Of course this explanation does me no good here as very few people speak English , but at least I know how to order things vegan/no sugar in Thai!

Anyway, today was a real departure from raw for me. I went to my favorite organic food store to get salad stuff and ate at their cafe. They have an excellent macrobiotic, vegan section and I got one of my favorite dishes. Then I had some cereal with dinner! Honestly, I'm not upset at all about it because I ate pretty low calorie for me (around 1600) and I was truly craving the food. I guess I just feel odd because this is a raw foods forum...but I don't think anyone on this thread will mind! Here was my day:

Brunch: (I went shopping at 10am and hadn't eaten anything yet): brown rice, okra with sesame seeds, and a vegan mushroom and tofu dish
Snack: Grapes
Workout: 1.5 mile swim (this felt amazing; I hadn't swam in a while!)
Dinner: Organic blue corn cereal with rice milk and a banana, salad with organic spinach, scallions, red pepper, corn, balsamic, sea salt, and pepper, then a few dried seaweed sheets.

I hope you all have a great day!

Hi Ladies:
Amy, don't feel bad about logging non-raw foods. This isn't a "100% raw only" forum. It is "Rawfoodsupport"! Natalie Rose, author of the "Raw Food Detox," isn't herself 100% raw or even 100% vegan, so don't feel bad about eating cooked food now and again.

I am going to eat 100% raw for the next few days. In Chicago I ate out with my family, ended up eating way more cooked food than normal, and am in desperate need of some serious detox. My plan is to eat: a box of berries for breakfast (although expensive, these are my favorite fruit to start the day with), and a big salad for lunch and dinner. Also, lots of water and green tea throughout the day. I will be going to NY next weekend, so I don't know how long I will be 100% raw for. However, definitely Tuesday-Thursday will be 100% raw -- maybe longer until I am feeling back in balance.

I am T-I-R-E-D! Time for some sleep.

Have a good night, ladies :-).