Day #4 100% raw success!

b: blackberries
s: banana
l: usual salad -- grape tomatoes, pepper, lettuce, cucumber, flax seeds, cauliflower, seaweed, raw hummus, 1/2 avocado with vinegar and pepper
s: apple, melon
d: same salad as above, orange
s: apple and some raw nuts.

I was tired, so I swam 50 laps instead of the usual 66.

Final exam tomorrow. Not sure if I will swim, but will definitely eat raw!

Apple? how was day #5?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2007 04:14AM by optimist4life.

Great job, optimist!

Well today will be day 5, since I ate some steaming soup last night! I went for an hour run and was literally frozen when I got back, and the family I'm staying with had hot soup for dinner. I dont feel bad about it, and I look forward to more delicious raw food today.

I will write tonight when I have consumed all my raw meals .

Hi Apple:
Sounds good. Sometimes we just need a bit of warm food on a cold winter's day :-).
Day #5 100% raw so far for me...a banana, box of blackberries, and green tea.
164.2 again. I guess I really did lose 1.8 lbs, but maintained it for today. I am going to skip food before bed and see what the result is on the scale tomorrow am.
Have a good day!

Great hearing from you, Optimist!

So I have stayed raw today despite being home at the HOUSE OF TEMPTATION, lol. I am staying with a family right now and after eating cooked food last night I felt like emotionally eating more today, and I was at home all day since I don't teach until this afternoon...

BUT I STAYED RAW (thanks to willpower and knowing I would have to report to you!).

It wasn't easy considering I did not have much fruit in the house, but I did have a few apples, a banana, and a few too many raw nuts so far today (again, the nuts kept me from cooked food so I dont feel bad at all)...

I cannot wait to go to the store and pick up pineapple, apples, bananas, grapes, raw tahini, and fresh squeezed OJ! And romaine and tomatoes and maybe some zucchini or something that I have not had in a while. Maybe a chocolate coconut lara bar for a treat...OH and more green tea!

Can you tell that grocery shopping is the best part of my day? lol

So the plan is either fruit or a salad tonight, depending on what I'm in the mood for. I'll try to update later! Have a great remainder of your day!

Sounds good :-). Glad that I am helping to keep you honest.

For lunch I had a big salad and an apple. This is getting easier each day, like the longer I stay raw the less it even occurs me to eat non-raw things. Also, I have noticed that I can taste subtleties in food much better than I could before, and I get excited when I have an especially crunchy apple! Here's to looking at food in a whole new way!

I agree that the longer we stay raw the easier it seems, last night was truly an exception because I was freezing. I, too, have more refined taste buds now and am picky about my fruit! I used to be able to eat sub-par apples but now no way!

So just finished up my meals for day 5. Only had tomatoes with a little romaine and fresh guacamole tonight, followed by some grapes and figs. Not too much of an appetite.

I JUST found out that the family I've been staying with for the past three weeks has a blender now. I was wishing they did, and now I can make a green smoothie tomorrow AM. I love those! I'll try to post real meals tomorrow.

Random food day because of my finals:

a banana, box of blackberries, usual salad w/ avocado, apple, 2 odwalla bars (wanted a lara bar, but couldn't find one), 2 glass of wine, 3 clementines, sprouts and organic salsa

No workout today because of my 4 HOUR FINAL!!! 6-10pm, killer!

Spinning tomorrow am and back to the study grind...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2007 05:40AM by optimist4life.

Amy
So glad to see you here, as I am a new person also and I think I know you. We talked about your competitive swimming ...etc..the other day at your work. I am an airbrush artist... and from upstate NY also.
I have learned so much from the great inspiring people here on this site just in the last few days. Can't wait to learn more every day...take care!
Sandy

Hi Apple: Just checking in. Didn't make spinning because the class was full, so I did 50 min on the elliptical machine and 15ish minutes of core exercise and stretching.

Not hungry at all! Lately I haven't been very hungry -- just eat out of habit, I guess. Today I think I am going to listen to my body and just eat when I am hungry and what I am hungry for.

I just ate a box of blackberries and will likely have a salad for lunch and for dinner.

I am going to a friend's engagement party tonight, so I'll be sure to eat a big salad before, so that I won't be tempted to eat anything non-raw.

Hi Sandy, Sorry but I dont know you. I grew up in upstate NY but do not live there anymore. Glad to hear you are enjoying the site though, and feel free to check in!

Optimist, great to hear from you. Good luck with finals. How far along are you in law school? I dont really miss studying, lol.

Well today has been a lovely raw day. I got up and did some lifting/swimming and my meals have been so far:

B: Pineapple, strawberries, and raw pecans and almonds.
L: Raw Oat-Cocoa-Banana Smoothie...as I said I was so excited to discover the blender...and this was delicious.
D; Either a salad or a green smoothie.

Now I'm drinking green tea and continuing job search/interview prep. Will check in later!

hi apple & optimist apple, thanks for inviting me to post my meals here!

optimist, i am in awe of your dedication to working out! you really impress me! i feel like i've gotten lazy lately...this cold & dark weather is no fun to work out in.

apple, that's great that you discovered the blender! i couldn't live w/o my smoothies, they are so good. your lunch today sounds fantastic!

so here's my day:

breakfast/snack: banana
brunch: smoothie w/ 2 bananas, almost a pint of strawberries, lots of frozen mango, frozen blueberries & 1/2 c. OJ
pre-run: 2 bananas & an apple
*ran 4 miles, then did some sit-ups, bicycles & abs pilates moves*
snack: 2 tangerines! just what i was craving!
dinner: big huge salad w/ 2 romaine hearts, 2 plum tomatoes, half a red & yellow pepper, carrots, cauliflower, cucs, and raw apple cider vinegar

i am stuffed now but will probably be hungry later since the calories are pretty low for running 4 miles...so i have an apple and maybe also a banana planned for later, if i want it.

i feel like a bum b/c i am doing nothing this weekend! my friends are either out of town or working their butts off (a lot of them are freelancers and go from film to film doing various things, so they often work weekends). but hey i had time to clean the apartment today and grocery shop... i also got some organic lotion & body wash today, it didn't make sense to be eating all organic foods but putting chemicals on my skin!

good luck w/ the job search, apple! i have a feeling i'll be doing the same pretty soon

Fun, group posts!! This will make it a lot more fun to check in every day :-). It makes it so much easier to stick with a plan when I know I can check in with both of you each day :-).

Meow, I am happy that I can inspire you with my work outs. You inspire me with your discipline regarding food.

Apple, your food today sounds delicious! I am glad that you were excited to discover the blender and are making good use of it. Sounds like you are really doing great!


My food routine has been thrown off the past two days. Looking forward to getting back into my normal rhythm tomorrow.

Today was:
gym -- 50 min on the elliptical and core training/stretching
b: blackberries
l: random vegetables -- kale, yellow pepper, carrots, celery with sprouts and flax sees, a bit of olive oil and brags vinegar with raw tahini (I was SO stuffed after only a few bites, so I put the rest in the fridge for later)
s: banana. 2 lara bars (I can't buy theses - they are WAY too moreish. Pretty much the only raw food I have no control over).
d: tomato and cucumber salad, a few bites of cooked broccoli and tofu (at my friend's engagement party. There were very few options so I just nibbled a bit on this cooked food). Since the broccoli was still pretty crunchy and I only ate a bit of it with the tofu, it wasn't terrible. I left about 80% of my plate untuched (rice, cooked carrots that looked softish) and pretty much just ate the broccoli and tofu.
s: I was STARVING when I got home since I ate so little for dinner so I had the rest of my salad from lunch and an apple.

Tomorrow my roommates are throwing a Hanukah party. I'll probably be at the library all day, but will come home in the evening for the party. My roommate is making latkes, but I am sure I won't have any. My plan for tomorrow is to get back into the normal routine -- blackberries, big salad for lunch and dinner, fruit, green tea, and water throughout the day.

I haven't weighed myself in a couple of days, but I just feel more lean and healthy. My clothes fit better and my energy is good. It is weird, sometimes I just don't feel hungry at all, like I can barely force myself to eat a salad. Then at other times I am STARVING because I didn't eat much all day. Is my body just now trying to adjust? It is really confusing to listen to my body tell me it is not hungry at all one minute, only to have it catch up with me the next meal when I am so hungry from not eating earlier. Have you both experienced this? it is a really weird feeling and nothing that I have experienced before.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2007 05:40AM by optimist4life.

Good morning! Well, I am back up to 165.2. At least it is less than I started at, but I am amazed how easily my weight fluctuates. If I stick to my 100% raw plan with few nuts and (NO LARA BARS!), I lose immediately. If I cheat at all (eat too many nuts and dried fruits or eat cooked food), I gain immediately. I guess it is good to see the direct impact of what I am eating/not eating, but I am kind of frustrated that I can NEVER be flexible, or it will show up on the scale the very next day.

Anyway, I got kind of a slow start today because I went to bed late last night. Don't know if I will make it to the gym today, but that is okay because I plan to exercise every day next week.

Food so far: box of berries and some almonds, red pepper and two stalks of celery with raw tahini. I am going to the library for a few hours and will bring a pear, apple, and banana which I will probably just eat there. This evening I plan to eat a big salad before the party, and then just drink some red one once the festivities begin. No latkes, chocolate coins, or sufganiot (donuts) for me! Wow, traditional food for Hanukah is SO unhealthy!!

Hi Optimist and Meow!

Sounds like you are both doing great. I have had a few non-100% days here...nothing major, just the occasional bread or cereal, and today it was mashed potatoes. I plan on getting back to it when I go home this Thursday, but for right now the family I'm staying with likes when I eat with them and I feel awkward not having anything....excuses, excuses, I know. but also I am in the middle of major job changes right now and I'm just proud of myself for how well I've been doing.

Today was:
Pre-Run: Fresh OJ
Post Run: Banana, Cocoa, Oat smoothie and a little non raw cereal
Early Dinner: Salad and those damn mashed potatoes my family was pushing on me.
The rest of today will certainly be raw! If I get hungry I have plenty of fruit to snack on

Oh, and I also did a 70 minute run with a few walk breaks in there...it was great

hola chicas

apple, wow, nice run! i remember when i used to be able to do 7 miles...actually it was just a few weeks ago! but now by legs are not happy when i do over 4! i am hoping with 811 i'll be able to build back up if i want to, since it's a diet geared towards athletes.

optimist, i used to get super hungry sometimes, too. and i still do have times when the thought of food makes me sick! i think it depends on your digestion...like i know in the morning, i can't eat much b/c my body seems to still be dealing with food from the previous night. if you eat a meal that digests quickly, like watery fruits, then you might get really hungry soon after eating. it could also be your body still adjusting. for me, the feelings of intense hunger definitely tapered off and now i feel pretty balanced. but i found that when i'm really hungry and need something substantial, either a couple of bananas or dark leafy greens always do the trick.

just another normal day here... it was nice & sunny here with very blue skies, so i took a walk up in the hollywood hills and admired the view of the city. you can see all the way to the ocean from up there! it's really crazy seeing a huge metropolis all at once...it makes me feel so small.

food:

-2 bananas
-2 strawberries & a handful of grapes while putting away my farmer's market stuff..then a cup or so of grapes afterwards. mmmmm.
-smoothie w/ 2 banans, 1.5 c. strawberries, 1 c. frozen mango, a handful of frozen blueberries & a splash of oj
*50 minute power walk w/ killer hills...then i felt like killing my butt & legs some more so i did 20 mins. of "buns & thighs" pilates. good stuff!*
-banana & apple...then one raw cacao-goji energy bite (craving chocolate due to my period...hey at least i kept it to one!)
-insanely huge salad w/ arugula, romaine & mixed greens, red & yellow peppers, carrots, cauliflower, cucs, 2 tomatoes, 1/3 of an avo, bragg's raw ACV

no more food tonight... my goal for the week, aside from following 811, is not to eat after dinner b/c i know it clogs my digestion to have food in my stomach at night.

so fitday says that's 1234 calories, 284 g. carbs/20 g. protein/18 g. fat or 80% carbs/7% protein/13% fat...good enough for me.

goodnight girls! hope your mondays are as painless as possible

Hi Apple and Meow -- sounds like you are both doing great!!!

Well girls, I have some bad news. I totally fell off of the wagon. I think I need to start again at day #1.

This was my day:
-blackberries & some nuts
-red pepper and tahina
-apple
-banana
-big salad at the hanukah party & lots of cut-up veggies
-several glasses of wine.

I did manage to get in a workout -- 20 min on a stationary bike, 10 minutes on the treadmill, and about 30 minutes bike riding to and from school.

However...after the Hanukah party I ate bad, bad stuff. I don't know exactly what caused by bad food binge. Was it that I was tipsy and inhibitions were down? Feeling stressed about finals? Having bad food around?
Anyway, I don't feel good about it at all. Maybe it was that I was hungry and didn't eat enough during the day and, especially before the party. Anyway, now I feel awful. I am really starting to see a pattern of my behavior -- good that I am keeping track. I do quite well starting on Monday and throughout the week. Then by Friday or Saturday I usually have some social thing that causes me to eat something cooked (i.e. the cooked food at my friend's engagement party) and then I have less willpower the rest of the weekend and feel bad by Sunday night about what I ate over the weekend.

I'll probably start off great tomorrow, Monday, do really well throughout the week and struggle with the weekend once again. This is a bad cycle that I see in my food habits that I really need to work to break. I know that habits are like programmed into your neuropathways and are very, very difficult to break. This past time I made it to Day #5 100% raw. Monday-Friday. Saturday I ate a little cooked food and this evening I went way off of the deep end. So, my goal for this week is to keep up with what I had been doing -- good all week and then stick with raw through the weekend all of the way to Monday.

Monday will be Day #1 100% raw...again.

Meow, it seems like you effortlessly stick to your raw habits. How do you do it? How do you handle social situations in which there are all sorts of bad foods around. A couple of days ago I felt like I didn't even want any cooked food. However, after having a couple of glasses of wine, suddenly all of that bad food seemed really tempting. Maybe I should just stay away from alcohol completely until I am sure that I won't eat any bad food when my inhibitions are down. I am trying to think of what I could have done differently tonight to avoid binging on all of the bad food that now lurks around my apartment. I think what I should have done, and what I can do in the future, is to have a full meal -- a big delicious salad before people even come. Then brush and floss my teeth and not eat at all at the party.

So my goals for this week are as follows...

Every day eat;
berries for breakfast, a big salad for lunch and dinner and a few pieces of fruit throughout the day. Also keep up with my workouts.
Also, no food after 8pm.
I am fully confident that I can do this Monday-Friday. I know the weekend will be challenging, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I will focus on M-F. I think the only challenge that I will have during this time is not eating after 8pm.

Thanks for your support, and sorry for the bad news :-(. Hopefully next weekend will be better.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2007 04:52AM by optimist4life.

Wow, i feel awful! Such a contrast from alst week when I felt wonderful after eating 100% raw for only a few days. Just another testament to why raw is the best way to be. I am sold...now it is just a matter of sticking to it!
I think I'll have just water until noon.

Hello ladies!

I have GREAT news...I am 99% sure that I will be spending the next few months in THAILAND. I am so psyched about this, I almost want to thank my bosses for laying me off because that is how I stumbled upon this awesome opportunity. Not only do I love to travel, but Thailand is a great location for raw foods - helloooo fresh, tropical fruit!

Optimist - I think your getting back on track plan sounds great. I have to do that myself after consuming way too many cooked foods this weekend! Today has been great so far. I had 2 breakfasts split up before and after my AM class. They consisted of (in total between the two):

Meow - I, too, admire how effortlessly you are able to stay on track. It also seems like you dont eat that much, but I know you are listening to your body! I feel like I eat so much more than you. I guess I am taller (5'9) and possibly work out a little more? I shouldn't even compare myself to anyone, I just have to do what is best for me!
B: apple, banana, green grapes, 12 oz fresh squeezed OJ, and a raw food bar

Plans for the rest of the day include:
L: Fruit, most likely clementines and a banana or 2
D: Either a smoothie or a salad.

W/O either a run or a walk when I get home, whatever I feel like.

Wow, Apple, Congrats!!! That is awesome!!!

Also, thanks for your encouragement. I woke up with a food and alcohol hangover -- awful!!

I haven't eaten anything yet today and am still not hungry. However, my professor invited me to a holday party for lunch. There are lots of veggies and salad, so I will just eat that.

Plan to go to spinning later this afternoon. Will keep you updated about the rest of my day.

I just ate lunch at the small holiday party -- salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers. I think it had olive oil and vinegar or something along those lines as dressing. Also had carrots, bell peppers and celery.

I will probably study for my Crim Pro all day and the go to spinning class at 6pm. After spinning I'll have a salad for dinner, and that will be my food for the day.

I will be leaving for Chicago in 9 days and for Israel in 13 days. I KNOW that I can stay 100% raw until I leave for Chicago. I think the best thing for me to do will be to set mini-goals for myself, with particular attention paid to my challenging times. So here are my mini goals:

-Today: spinning and a big salad this evening -- no food after 8pm.
-The rest of the week: every day: box of berries in the am, salad for l & d, fruit throughout the day -- no food after 8pm.
-Get through the weekend 100% raw & stay raw until I go to Chicago.
-Stay raw during my time in Chicago all of the way up until I leave for Israel (
I think it will be a bit more challenging in Chicago to stay raw because my grandmother will probably try to feed me other things. However, she also tends to be good at listening to my food requests. I'll even offer to go grocery shopping, and make big delicious salads for everyone).
-Stay raw in Israel (I will be on an organized program that will be providing food to us. However, I told them that I am a raw vegan, so hopefully there will be food for me. Also, the hotel breakfasts in Israel usually tend to have lots of fruits and vegetables. Israelis eat salad in the morning! So, I'll likely just eat salads for breakfast and take some whole fruit for the day so that I can eat that if there are no raw options throughout the day). I will be in Israel until January 7th, so when I get back I will be well into the New Year raw!!

You know the stages of change model for behavior change? Pre contemplation, contemplation, plan, action, maintenance? Well that theory says that it takes 6 months for a behavior change to become permanent. Like, I remember when I gave up soda. I actually can't even remember the exact date but probably about a year ago I gave up all soda (I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke). Now, it doesn't even occur to me to drink soda. Like it is no question, even if there is only soda to drink, I won't drink it. This is how I would like to be with cooked food some day -- that it won't even occur to me to eat it at all. I am confident that I will be able to do it, it is just a matter of identifying my weaknesses and planning ahead so I will know how to handle the situation before it strikes.
My weak times are (as you already know, but it helps me to spell it out again):
-in the evenings
-weekends (usually a small amount of cooked food sets me off, so I must know that I can't even have a bit of cooked food or I will be off track for the whole weekend).
That's about it actually, just evenings and weekends. I have total control of my eating 95% of the time. It is just those specific times that jeopardize my raw efforts. So, it is about baby steps with a larger goal in mind.
6 months from today is June 10. I plan by June 10 to be in maintenance of my behavior change to 100% raw.

Hey girls. I have been really hungry all day- kind of funny b/c just yesterday I told optimist that this doesn’t happen to me anymore! I’ve just been eating more than I usually do. My bananas are unfortunately not ripe enough so I think they’re not satisfying me like they normally do.

Thanks both of you for saying that I seem to be sticking to 100% raw effortlessly! Actually I don’t really think about it much. I don’t seem to have cravings often at all, except for raw foods like mangoes, bananas, greens & oranges! Cooked food just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve never been a big food person so maybe that’s why? It’s not like it wasn’t a little hard at first, but so many people talk about their cooked food “addictions” and how they go through withdrawal, and I never experienced that. My body seemed to adapt really well to raw foodism. I think I was totally mentally ready for it, and while I did slip up a few times, I knew the benefits would outweigh the drawback of no longer eating cooked foods that I liked. I would say to both of you- keep perservering! Also, if you’re ready to go 100%, join the monthly challenge on www.rawfoodtalk.com! There’s a new one each month and it’s full of support and positivity. I’m doing it now.

So something kind of cool- I got my period yesterday and I had very few of the PMS symptoms I usually have, and NO CRAMPS AT ALL!!! This is kind of a miracle for me, usually I get pretty awful cramps. So, sorry if it’s TMI, but I was excited about it!

Today was/will be:

*25 mins. abs pilates & push ups/dips at 6 AM b/c I felt like it!*
-smoothie w/ 2 bananas, 1 c. strawberries, 1 c. frozen mango, some frozen blueberries & a splash of OJ
-banana, 1 c. grapes
-2 bananas, 1 apple
-banana & apple…maybe another apple later as well since I’m more hungry than usual today!
*hopefully a short 3 mile run*
-salad w/ romaine, arugula, mixed greens, red & yellow peppers, carrots, cucs, tomatoes, cauliflower, raw ACV; 2 small tangerines

I’m not going to bother adding up calories as I know it’s well within the boundaries of 811. Also I’m so hungry right now, I’m not sure if I’ll make it out for that run today! Anyway I’m at work so I’ll comment more later!

Hi Meow:
Thanks for your feedback. Lucky you that it was so easy to transition! Regardless, I admire you, and definitely look at you as a raw food inspiration .
Also, very cool about the no PMS. I am sure Raw Foodism is just full of unexpected pleasant bodily surprises :-).

Well, I am WAY back on track and ate much less today than usual.

This was my day:

-that salad and cut-up veggies for lunch
-50 min on the elliptical machine
-a small bag of cut-up celery
-3 fruit kabobs -- each had one piece of cantaloupe, one piece of honeydew, one piece of pineapple, and 1/2 of a strawberry + a few grapes
-a small salad that I could only eat 1/2 of. It consisted of baby romaine, yellow pepper, 1/3 avocado, cucumber, sprouts, and brags raw apple cider vinegar
I brushed my teeth and am done for the night :-).

I don't know how many calories that is, but I am sure it is way below 1,000. Most of the time raw is easy for me too, it is just those few moments of weakness that throw me off. However, I feel VERY BACK and learn something new each time I fall off the wagon. I am confident that this week is going to be 100% raw, all of the way through the weekend!

Also, I am proud of myself for only eating half of the salad. I could have definitely finished the whole thing, but I simply felt full so I stopped and put the rest in a Tupperware in the fridge for later :-). Going to try to make a habit of stopping well before I am full. No reason to stuff myself -- even on vegetables :-).

I think I am going to try to do spinning tomorrow at 6am. I haven't gone spinning in awhile and miss it.

Meow - how great about the no cramps! I am experiencing a benefit of raw right now - it is nearly 11pm and I am not tired in the least bit, which for me is amazing because I get up at 5 every week day to teach my super early class. In the past with this schedule I COULD NOT get less than 8 hrs of sleep/night and I was always trying to find time to nap during the day. It's amazing how much better raw makes me feel in terms of this.

Optimist - sounds like you had a great day. I really appreciated what you said earlier about the stages for behavior change. What a great point!

So things are going well for me...Thailand plans are almost finalized, and I just made my reservations to see my boyfriend over Christmas. We are in a long distance relationship and have been for over 3 years. He is considerably older than me, and between that and the distance people think we're a little crazy. But I honestly love him to death. Me going to Thailand is something that I want to do now because I am young and have the opportunity. He is supportive and people also think that is crazy! We just have a great relationship...and I cannot wait to see him over Christmas (haven't seen him since October)...sorry to be all sappy I am just excited about things right now.

So the rest of my meals were good...I stuck to fruit for lunch and a salad for dinner. I also had a choc coconut lara bar as an afternoon snack. No workout today - I generally take one day off/week and for the past few weeks it has been Monday so it made sense to keep up the tradition. Will definitely be either running or swimming tomorrow though...I have so much energy I feel like I could run now!

Apple: Everything sounds great! I am glad that you are feeling so well on raw. Your life sure does sound very exciting, and I wholeheartedly support your decision to go to Thailand. Sounds amazing. And how lucky you are to have a boyfriend who is so supportive of your adventures :-).

Well, I went out with a friend and had one glass of red wine. He kept on asking me if I wanted to eat something and I had to keep on saying no. However, it all worked out well in the end. I got home and didn't even want to eat anything :-). I am definitely going to overcome this night eating habit. I hope tomorrow is as great as today, food-wise. I feel really good about it.

It is kind of late now, so if I can't get up for spinning I will swim at some point throughout the day.

Good night girls, looking forward to updates tomorrow :-)

Well, I just got back from that 6am spinning class which I managed to wake up for despite my late night.
Apple, I totally agree with you. I need much less sleep raw!
Also, when I woke up I felt fabulously empty from not eating the night before. The benefits of going to bed on a mostly empty stomach far outweigh the instant gratification of night eating. Now it is just a matter of sticking with it. I think I am going to also try to focus on drinking more water before I go to bed. I have been waking up kind of dehydrated, which makes morning workouts tough.

The plan for today is:
b: box of berries, maybe the rest of my salad from last night because I am pretty hungry
l & d: salad
maybe a bit of fruit throughout the day. However I didn't really snack much throughout the day yesterday and felt great. I am going to try to focus on cutting down the amount of fruit I eat when I am not really hungry.

I am feeling super energized after my 60 min spinning class and core workout. Think I might go swimming mid-day as a study break.

Okay, off to school...

good morning sunshines!

apple, i am so excited for you about thailand!!! will you be teaching there? think of all the amazing fruits you will get to eat every day! that is like a raw foodie's dream and it's great that your boyfriend is so supportive and understanding, too. good news all around!

optimist, you continue to amaze me w/ your workouts! spinning at 6 AM- good for you! i am lucky if i can get out of bed by 6 to do some light pilates twice a week! hahaha. also, do you think it might be a good idea to only set ONE goal for yourself at this time- just to stay 100% raw? and let yourself eat whatever raw foods you want, when you're hungry for them? although i totally agree w/ you about not eating at night. when i eat dinner late (like last night) i wake up feeling icky and full and nauseous (like today!).

sooo i'm just checking in! sounds like everything is going well today! i had a really fun run last night, i just felt like sprinting, so i threw in a bunch of sprint intervals and even sprinted all but one of the hills and it felt great! now i'm off to work for a super busy day. i feel gross this morning b/c i ate dinner at around 8:15 last night. i need to try to eat right after my workout at night so that i'm done by 8 at the latest, but it's tough b/c the cats need attention when i finally get home. or i could just eat less...i have to admit my salad was huge last night!

anyway i hope you both have a great tuesday, and i'll post my food later!

Hello there ladies!

Meow, your work-out last night sounds like it was great! What a wonderful feeling to know that you have pushed yourself to the limit! Maybe next time you could have a little dinner like an hour or two before your workout and then a smallish dinner when you get home later that night. Yeah, night eating can be a killer!

Thanks for your kind words about my workouts. However, I look at working out the way that you look at food -- I don't think about it that much. Working out is just on my daily to-do list, so I figure out how to fit it into my day no matter what. If I skip a workout it is because I made a conscious effort to do so (and lately I haven't even been following through with taking days off -- I just miss it so much and feel sad/yucky on days that I don't exercise), rather than being too tired, needing to talk myself into it, etc. I guess that since I do exercise that I very much enjoy, it doesn't feel like work at all. It feels like a fun physical break from sitting in the library and studying :-). I actually also swam a mile today as a study break :-).

So here is my day so far:
-blackberries
-the rest of my salad + the rest of the avocado
-5 almonds
-a bowl of melon
-banana
-salad -- lettuce, cucumber, red and green peppers, purple onion, celery, cauliflower, a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
2 cups of green tea.

exercise: 60 min spinning, core strengthening and stretching, swam a mile!

Will likely have another salad for dinner and another serving or two of fruit.

Meow, maybe you are right. I should focus on staying raw and then can alter the amounts and what I eat later. Maybe I'll do that monthly raw challenge and re-evaluate what I have been eating on the first of each month. I can reduce vegetables or fats or whatever I decide on the first of each month rather than trying to do it all at once. After all, this is a lifelong journey, not a quick fix!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2007 08:29PM by optimist4life.

Well, it is 8:11pm and I am done with food for the day :-).

Here is the grand total:
-blackberries
-the rest of my salad + the rest of the avocado
-5 almonds
-a bowl of melon
-banana
-salad -- lettuce, cucumber, red and green peppers, purple onion, celery, cauliflower, sprouts, a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
2 cups of green tea.
-blackberries
salad -- lettuce, cucumber, red and green peppers, celery, cauliflower, sprouts, a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
banana & some grapes.

I probably could have done without the banana and grapes after dinner, but I want to be sure not to eat anymore today. Being hungry when I get home is always a bad idea, so I figured it would be good to really feel full after dinner so I will be satiated until tomorrow.

Meow, I am going to take your advice and just eat whatever I want as long as it is raw (mostly fruits and veggies, try to stay away from the nuts). I figure that once I am able to stay 100% raw for a couple of weeks without breaks, I will be able to then re-evaluate what (if anything) I want to cut out of my diet.

Maybe I need all of this energy considering how much I work out. Who knows.

Meow & Apple: do you mind that I write like 3 posts for each 1 of yours? Sorry to take over this string, I just really like to do a catch-up several times a day to keep on top of my eating and exercise constantly. Let me know, though, if you want me to write only one a day here or something since we are all sharing the string :-).

Anyway, looking forward to hearing your updates from today :-).

hi again! i have to say i really like this thread and checking in w/ you girls each day!

optimist, i think you should post as many times a day as you want! it's always good to hear what you have to say, and if it helps you stay on track then go for it! also, i think it's great that you enjoy working out so much- i know so many people that wish they loved to work out! i like it most of the time but sometimes i really have to make myself, lol.

here's my day today:

-2 bananas
-fruit salad w/ grapes, strawberries & an apple
-2 bananas & an apple
-banana and a cup of OJ
-one brazil nut & 2 almonds while making dinner, then lots of carrots, a tomato, cuc slices & cauliflower w/ "lower fat" raw hummus (used half the tahini i usually put in)

i got really nauseous and dizzy today around 4 pm. i'm not sure why- i think i ate enough, b/c that's about how much i usually eat by that time. i also had no appetite anyway so i don't think i was hungry. my body does weird things sometimes! oh, no workout for me today, i'm resting & watching "superbad" b/c my friend at work burned it for me today and i haven't seen it yet!

i'm estimating that my fat grams are at about 20 today, which is probably a little too high but i'm not aiming for perfection, i'm aiming for something i can be happy doing for the rest of my life! i'm trying to do overt fats only every other day, and today was my overt fats day. i wish i didn't eat those raw nuts b/c i could've had a handful of carrots to hold me over til dinner, but oh well, 3 raw nuts is not going to kill me!

later girls :-)