I am feeling much better after Monday and Tuesday feeling horrible! I threw up 13 times Tuesday night losing 5lbs, not fun. I must have caught some kind of a bug after all. As of today, Thursday I have not gained any of the weight that I lost back, although I've not been eating as much because my stomach just wasn't quite ready. I'm wondering if I will keep it off because a lot of “stuff” was coming from my intestines (a nice way of putting it) and maybe I needed to be cleared out there anyway. I don't expect to keep it off although I think I deserve some kind of reward from being that sick. We'll see. I'll update next week on that.
Today is day 4 of "No Poo". My hair was getting pretty greasy and waxy feeling so I did cave in and wash with conditioner which worked quite well. I used some of the techniques from the book, "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey, which I bought last night. Of course I wanted to see more of my hairs potential so I used a little bit of gel to help the natural wave learn to do its thing. I guess this is cheating from the whole idea of not using any product but we'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll find a gel that has more natural ingredients in it and wash with lemon next time. It's all an experiment so I guess I have to try different things right? So far I do like my hair better without shampoo.
Has your hair turned more wavy/curly since not using shampoo? Do you use anything on your hair?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
I'm Back!
I've continued to eat high raw since my last post. I have been 100% raw other than a couple of slips ups when I may have had a bite of something and this has been seldom.
For 3 days at the end of March I had cooked food. I was in a wedding party for a close friend and between the rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception I had cooked food. This did not settle so well. It is amazing how much my body doesn't like cooked food anymore. My body doesn't like the cooked food so much that I had not felt well after having cooked food then on August 1st I was feeling okay. I was up on the stage during the wedding and right when the minister says "I now pronounce you..." I passed out. Thank goodness I've passed out in the past so I knew the symptoms and what was happening so I had the chance to sit down as gracefully as I could while seeing completely black. Surprisingly, not many people noticed. Although passing out wasn't really what I had planned for the wedding it actually was a good thing it happened. It answered some questions for me.
I used to pass out if I hadn't eaten, and sometimes even if I had. I've had many blood tests done and I've always been told there's nothing wrong with me. Kind of funny how when I've been eating raw I haven't felt the urge to pass out once, I have had nothing but energy and felt great. For me, the passing out must have something to do with the cooked food. All this time my body has been trying to tell me something and I had no idea. Hopefully now that I'm back to raw after the 3 days I won’t have that problem again.
Today I haven't been feeling well, I've had wonderful things coming out both ends (TMI, I know). I made some cashew cheese which tasted great but while I was eating it I wasn't feeling quite right so I through it out. I was starting to feel better until in the middle of the night I threw up and at 4:30pm today I still have something coming out the other end. Not much substance though, haven't eaten much today, haven't felt like it. Do you think it really could have been the cashews? I guess I've only had them probably 3 times before in other recipes but in smaller amounts. I don't know what the deal is. I don't feel like I have the flu.
Here are some things I've noticed since eating raw:
- I have more energy.
- My face clears up a lot until I eat a bite of something cooked.
- My sinuses have felt clearer than EVER.
- I prefer to eat fruit over veggies although I'm much more open and curious about other foods that there is no way I would have cared about before.
- I LOVE to hear about peoples gardens. (I also have my own)
- I find myself wanting to find other ways to improve myself.
- If I ever get full I never feel the nasty I want to crawl in a ditch and not come out kind of stomach ache, it is more just the feeling of being full and that I should stop eating. I LOVE not feeling horribly full all of the sudden.
- I've lost 16lbs and I haven't had to try other than sticking with the raw food.
I've read a lot about "No Poo" and today I've tried it for the first time. So far:
- Not greasy.
- Lots of wave and not much frizz. (My hair was very wavy/curly as a baby and over the years have turned to a large frizzy afro style hair that HAS to be straightened to go in public.)
I've read quite I bit and I'm sure that I will experience some nasty greasy days; I can make it through it. My hair tends to be greasy naturally and today I seemed to get away with it feeling washed, we'll see.
My new goal is to post at least once a week. Even if nobody else reads this I need a way to track my progress and so far I haven't done so well with the tracking. I really do need something to look back on and remind me of why I am doing this and what my progress has been over time.
For 3 days at the end of March I had cooked food. I was in a wedding party for a close friend and between the rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception I had cooked food. This did not settle so well. It is amazing how much my body doesn't like cooked food anymore. My body doesn't like the cooked food so much that I had not felt well after having cooked food then on August 1st I was feeling okay. I was up on the stage during the wedding and right when the minister says "I now pronounce you..." I passed out. Thank goodness I've passed out in the past so I knew the symptoms and what was happening so I had the chance to sit down as gracefully as I could while seeing completely black. Surprisingly, not many people noticed. Although passing out wasn't really what I had planned for the wedding it actually was a good thing it happened. It answered some questions for me.
I used to pass out if I hadn't eaten, and sometimes even if I had. I've had many blood tests done and I've always been told there's nothing wrong with me. Kind of funny how when I've been eating raw I haven't felt the urge to pass out once, I have had nothing but energy and felt great. For me, the passing out must have something to do with the cooked food. All this time my body has been trying to tell me something and I had no idea. Hopefully now that I'm back to raw after the 3 days I won’t have that problem again.
Today I haven't been feeling well, I've had wonderful things coming out both ends (TMI, I know). I made some cashew cheese which tasted great but while I was eating it I wasn't feeling quite right so I through it out. I was starting to feel better until in the middle of the night I threw up and at 4:30pm today I still have something coming out the other end. Not much substance though, haven't eaten much today, haven't felt like it. Do you think it really could have been the cashews? I guess I've only had them probably 3 times before in other recipes but in smaller amounts. I don't know what the deal is. I don't feel like I have the flu.
Here are some things I've noticed since eating raw:
- I have more energy.
- My face clears up a lot until I eat a bite of something cooked.
- My sinuses have felt clearer than EVER.
- I prefer to eat fruit over veggies although I'm much more open and curious about other foods that there is no way I would have cared about before.
- I LOVE to hear about peoples gardens. (I also have my own)
- I find myself wanting to find other ways to improve myself.
- If I ever get full I never feel the nasty I want to crawl in a ditch and not come out kind of stomach ache, it is more just the feeling of being full and that I should stop eating. I LOVE not feeling horribly full all of the sudden.
- I've lost 16lbs and I haven't had to try other than sticking with the raw food.
I've read a lot about "No Poo" and today I've tried it for the first time. So far:
- Not greasy.
- Lots of wave and not much frizz. (My hair was very wavy/curly as a baby and over the years have turned to a large frizzy afro style hair that HAS to be straightened to go in public.)
I've read quite I bit and I'm sure that I will experience some nasty greasy days; I can make it through it. My hair tends to be greasy naturally and today I seemed to get away with it feeling washed, we'll see.
My new goal is to post at least once a week. Even if nobody else reads this I need a way to track my progress and so far I haven't done so well with the tracking. I really do need something to look back on and remind me of why I am doing this and what my progress has been over time.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
99.9% Raw
Yesterday was my first day eating completely raw, minus the 1 peanut M & M that I somehow just had to have. I don't even care for M & M's much and of course I just had to have it. I think I did pretty well though. This is what I ate yesterday:
3 Bananas
5 Apricots
2 Nectarines
1 Avocado
I was in a mood for fruit and when it became dinner time all I wanted was an avocado. I LOVE avocados. It was heavier than the rest of the food I had eaten, although bananas are heavier than other fruit the avocado just satisfied a need I had. After the avocado I thought I was going to need to have a salad or something more to eat by my body isn't asking for as much food as it used to. I look at the food I had yesterday and although the numbers when I look at it looks like I ate a lot just because I wouldn't normally just have fruit, it is a lot less than I would have had in the past. I normally would have had maybe a breakfast burrito or donuts for breakfast, some type of fast food or microwave meal for lunch, and fast food for dinner. I would have also had any kind of food that was around throughout the day to snack on even if it was candy I don't care for very much and after my boyfriend Will came home I may snack on his french fries he hadn't eaten. Wow, great diet huh. It is sad to even say that I would eat that much when I'm noticing that with eating healthy foods I don't even need half of that and the quality was CRAP!
After 9 days of changing the way I have been eating, 1 of those days being 99.9% raw here are my findings:
1- I have more energy.
2- I have the urge to clean; the mess around the house is driving me crazy!
3- Getting up in the morning hasn't been as much of a struggle.
4- My face has been clearing up from the random outbreak that has come in the last few months. My friend’s mom asked me what I was doing because she said my face was looking very clear and nice. That was nice having someone else notice that I'm changing.
I have had knee aches my whole life and have taken over the counter medication for it. For example I may take IB Profien and Tylenol to ease the pain. On Wednesday night my knee was hurting so bad it kept me awake until around 3am, tossing turning, aching and the pain started to shoot up my leg. I didn't take anything for it because I didn't want to put anything that didn't need to be in my system in it. What are ways to ease pain when it comes up without taking over the counter medication? Is there a way?
3 Bananas
5 Apricots
2 Nectarines
1 Avocado
I was in a mood for fruit and when it became dinner time all I wanted was an avocado. I LOVE avocados. It was heavier than the rest of the food I had eaten, although bananas are heavier than other fruit the avocado just satisfied a need I had. After the avocado I thought I was going to need to have a salad or something more to eat by my body isn't asking for as much food as it used to. I look at the food I had yesterday and although the numbers when I look at it looks like I ate a lot just because I wouldn't normally just have fruit, it is a lot less than I would have had in the past. I normally would have had maybe a breakfast burrito or donuts for breakfast, some type of fast food or microwave meal for lunch, and fast food for dinner. I would have also had any kind of food that was around throughout the day to snack on even if it was candy I don't care for very much and after my boyfriend Will came home I may snack on his french fries he hadn't eaten. Wow, great diet huh. It is sad to even say that I would eat that much when I'm noticing that with eating healthy foods I don't even need half of that and the quality was CRAP!
After 9 days of changing the way I have been eating, 1 of those days being 99.9% raw here are my findings:
1- I have more energy.
2- I have the urge to clean; the mess around the house is driving me crazy!
3- Getting up in the morning hasn't been as much of a struggle.
4- My face has been clearing up from the random outbreak that has come in the last few months. My friend’s mom asked me what I was doing because she said my face was looking very clear and nice. That was nice having someone else notice that I'm changing.
I have had knee aches my whole life and have taken over the counter medication for it. For example I may take IB Profien and Tylenol to ease the pain. On Wednesday night my knee was hurting so bad it kept me awake until around 3am, tossing turning, aching and the pain started to shoot up my leg. I didn't take anything for it because I didn't want to put anything that didn't need to be in my system in it. What are ways to ease pain when it comes up without taking over the counter medication? Is there a way?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Open Eyes to a New Life
About two weeks ago I was searching the net looking for ways to get protein without eating meat or drinking milk. I've never been much into meat, mostly eating turkey and chicken only, occasionally fish when the mood strikes. Because I'm not a big fan of meat I decided to stop eating it, which I knew was healthier. One day at the chiropractor my doctor told me that milk really isn't great for you either. Wow, that was a shock to me, my whole life I've grown up "knowing" that milk is the way to go. While on my search on the net I came across www.goneraw.com. How I came across this I do not know exactly but I decided to click on it. My eyes are now open to a whole new world. I've never been so interested in learning about health and what is actually going into my body. I wouldn't say that I'm an overweight person but I need to watch myself because if I keep on eating the way I have been I will be overweight in no time. I do weigh more than I have in my whole life, although I'm only 21 this is when I need to be careful, things are only going to go down hill if I don't take care of myself, I'm not getting any younger.
After hours of researching the raw lifestyle (from what I learned it is more than a diet) I did learn that we can get protein from amino acids. I haven't ever questioned this in the past so my first thought was, where do I get amino acids? The answer was so obvious, green leafy vegetables are a great way. I know there are others but I know that from what I have learned so far this is the best way to get amino acids which in turn give you protein. I've also learned the darker leafs are better for you. I would have never known this.
I have decided that I am going to transition to eating only raw. When I say transition to eating only raw my goal is 100%. This is not because of the benefits in weight that it will give me, which is a great positive, but for the simple fact that reading the results from those who eat only raw foods the health benefits are AMAZING! I know it is going to be hard at first to change my lifestyle but I am willing to do it. When eating my one meal a day right now that isn't raw I look at it and think of all the horrible things that have to be happening to my body. Going from eating all carbs/fats/sugars etc. everyday to eating only one meal a day that isn't fruits or veggies I've already felt a difference. The only reason that I have continued this one meal is to slowly transition. I may be doing this all wrong but making the actual change feels so right.
As of yesterday which was exactly one week of my new eating habits, I have lost 7lbs. Not only has my body already started physically changing I have felt less tired at night and when waking up it hasn't been so difficult. I have developed a headache that comes and goes for the last two days. I don't know if that is because I have stopped drinking all caffeine or if my body has started to detox a bit. I don't know if my body will detox still eating one small meal that is not raw but it feels like it may be a contributor, detoxing from caffeine maybe? I'm new to all of this so really I have no clue but that's okay with me, I'm learning everyday. I have only been drinking water and the fresh juice that I have been juicing/drinking daily, which I LOVE.
I feel like I have just moved to a different planet. I don't know about different fruits and vegetables. I don't know about the different seeds/nuts that are available. I feel like a little kid learning the ABC's. I have always known the basics because that's all that I have eaten over time. I feel like there is so much that I am missing out on.
All of the posts that I have read have inspired me in a different way. Everyone has their own story and why they began to eat raw, and how they do it day to day. Some talk about juicing, favorite foods, others giving tips on eating raw while on vacation and others learning as they go. The biggest part that doesn't have anything to do with the actual eating the food itself is the life lessons I have already learned from those who eat raw. While deciding that I would like to eat only raw food I have also learned more about myself, who I want to be and who I would like to be in the future. I have learned about being a positive influence on the world and that if I want to see a change I have to be the change. "The best way to make others happy is to be happy yourself" "The best way to make others healthy is to become incredibly healthy yourself!" "If you want the world to change, you have to change" David Wolfe. I've also learned what self affirmations are. At first I thought it was a little funny and cheesy to be honest. When reading more and opening my eyes to the idea it totally makes since. Now even just over a week into my transition process I look at something that I may want to eat although nothing looks as good at this point but the urge to grab and eat is constantly there. I tell my self over and over, "I owe this change to myself, turn and walk away!" There are so many other things that I have been learning and really each and every person I have read about has been an inspiration, thank you for taking the time to document your raw life and what it is that keeps you going and makes you happy. It really does make a difference. Knowing and learning what I have just in the short time makes me even more excited to move forward with this new lifestyle. I already love myself but I feel that this will give me a different view on myself, those around me and even more appreciation for the earth.
I have a LONG way to go. I will be learning daily. I'm hoping that if anyone reads this you will be able to give me great tips for a beginner who knows nothing but feels like I've never been called to something more, so I'm going with it. I will be trying to track my progress on here. I think it will keep me more in line having to write it down and being able to look back and see how far I've come. This is my first blog so...new life, new blog, new friends, HERE I COME!
After hours of researching the raw lifestyle (from what I learned it is more than a diet) I did learn that we can get protein from amino acids. I haven't ever questioned this in the past so my first thought was, where do I get amino acids? The answer was so obvious, green leafy vegetables are a great way. I know there are others but I know that from what I have learned so far this is the best way to get amino acids which in turn give you protein. I've also learned the darker leafs are better for you. I would have never known this.
I have decided that I am going to transition to eating only raw. When I say transition to eating only raw my goal is 100%. This is not because of the benefits in weight that it will give me, which is a great positive, but for the simple fact that reading the results from those who eat only raw foods the health benefits are AMAZING! I know it is going to be hard at first to change my lifestyle but I am willing to do it. When eating my one meal a day right now that isn't raw I look at it and think of all the horrible things that have to be happening to my body. Going from eating all carbs/fats/sugars etc. everyday to eating only one meal a day that isn't fruits or veggies I've already felt a difference. The only reason that I have continued this one meal is to slowly transition. I may be doing this all wrong but making the actual change feels so right.
As of yesterday which was exactly one week of my new eating habits, I have lost 7lbs. Not only has my body already started physically changing I have felt less tired at night and when waking up it hasn't been so difficult. I have developed a headache that comes and goes for the last two days. I don't know if that is because I have stopped drinking all caffeine or if my body has started to detox a bit. I don't know if my body will detox still eating one small meal that is not raw but it feels like it may be a contributor, detoxing from caffeine maybe? I'm new to all of this so really I have no clue but that's okay with me, I'm learning everyday. I have only been drinking water and the fresh juice that I have been juicing/drinking daily, which I LOVE.
I feel like I have just moved to a different planet. I don't know about different fruits and vegetables. I don't know about the different seeds/nuts that are available. I feel like a little kid learning the ABC's. I have always known the basics because that's all that I have eaten over time. I feel like there is so much that I am missing out on.
All of the posts that I have read have inspired me in a different way. Everyone has their own story and why they began to eat raw, and how they do it day to day. Some talk about juicing, favorite foods, others giving tips on eating raw while on vacation and others learning as they go. The biggest part that doesn't have anything to do with the actual eating the food itself is the life lessons I have already learned from those who eat raw. While deciding that I would like to eat only raw food I have also learned more about myself, who I want to be and who I would like to be in the future. I have learned about being a positive influence on the world and that if I want to see a change I have to be the change. "The best way to make others happy is to be happy yourself" "The best way to make others healthy is to become incredibly healthy yourself!" "If you want the world to change, you have to change" David Wolfe. I've also learned what self affirmations are. At first I thought it was a little funny and cheesy to be honest. When reading more and opening my eyes to the idea it totally makes since. Now even just over a week into my transition process I look at something that I may want to eat although nothing looks as good at this point but the urge to grab and eat is constantly there. I tell my self over and over, "I owe this change to myself, turn and walk away!" There are so many other things that I have been learning and really each and every person I have read about has been an inspiration, thank you for taking the time to document your raw life and what it is that keeps you going and makes you happy. It really does make a difference. Knowing and learning what I have just in the short time makes me even more excited to move forward with this new lifestyle. I already love myself but I feel that this will give me a different view on myself, those around me and even more appreciation for the earth.
I have a LONG way to go. I will be learning daily. I'm hoping that if anyone reads this you will be able to give me great tips for a beginner who knows nothing but feels like I've never been called to something more, so I'm going with it. I will be trying to track my progress on here. I think it will keep me more in line having to write it down and being able to look back and see how far I've come. This is my first blog so...new life, new blog, new friends, HERE I COME!
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