Going Raw: Day 12

I've been so preoccupied today with looking up raw recipes and reading blogs that I have completely ignored everything else. I feel like I'm letting this take over my whole life and that is not the idea behind me going raw. So starting this weekend on, I'm devoting only two hours of the day to thinking about anything raw food related (not counting when I'm eating =P). I'm going to focus on other things and not just what I'm going to be eating next week. I mean, it's taken me almost the whole day to figure out my menu for next week and make out my grocery list. Is that insane or what?! Then again, I've always been like this. I do need time to figure out what I'm doing the whole week given that I don't have too much time to make a new meal every night depending on how I feel. So whatever I do make, pretty much has to last me the entire week. And I have to have easy back-ups just in case whatever I made that was more intricate doesn't last me long enough. I know that eating healthy takes work but I really can't spend as much time as I have been thinking about this.

Other than that, I should be getting my camera's computer cord so I'll be able to upload the pictures I've taken of my food. I'm pretty excited to see how they turned out.

As far as how the raw food is making me feel? My stomach was still acting up last night but I think it finally calmed down this morning. And I think that is partly because the weather around here has finally dropped below the 90 degree point. It's been in the 90s for the past two weeks! I don't even know how I survived that. I definitely don't live in Seattle for the scorching weather. I'm so ready for fall.

And finally, in the good news department: I've lost another two pounds this week. That makes it a total of six pounds in 12 days! Insane! I really hope that this is legitimate weight loss. I hope that it sticks.

And now...back to my shopping list. =P

Going Raw: Day 11

This will be a very short one as I'm in a pretty lousy state right now and blogging is the last thing on my mind.

I pretty much had to cut communication with my friend, the alcoholic. It hurts like hell. I feel like I'm abandoning him and all I want to do is cry and be there for him. Ultimately, I know it's for the best but why does doing the right thing hurt so much?

In food news: something I ate last night didn't sit well with me. It was either the smoothie I had at Custom Smoothie while I was at work (seeing as I spilled the one I made on its way out of the fridge) or the fact that I had more watermelon after dinner. I just don't learn, do I? I know I shouldn't but it just calls to me but I really wanted the kelp noodles and cashew alfredo for dinner last night. So I caved and had the watermelon. Boy was my stomach not happy with me this morning. It's just that I stop eating by like 7:00 or 7:30 and since I only have dinner at like 6:00, there's no way I can wait to digest that before having watermelon. Hmmm...I should find out how long I have to wait after eating a meal to have melon...might be useful information.

Other than that, I think I'm about to start a love affair with kelp noodles. They are by far the BEST pasta substitute I have ever had! And boy were they delish with the alfredo! I think I may just have to have them every single night. I definitely recommend them!

I feel like there's more to say but my mind is in like ten different places right now so no single thought is staying put long enough for me to write it down. And on that note, I think we'll call this a wrap.

Going Raw: Day Ten

I had my first really emotional obstacle yesterday:

My best friend, who is an alcoholic, called me yesterday and was convinced that something was happening that was definitely not occurring. He was hallucinating. I thought he had stopped drinking for nearly a month now but apparently he had started again. I talked to his mother and she's pretty convinced that he's not going to make it through this time. We're just waiting for the final, definitive blow.

When this problem first arose a few months ago, I was devastated. So of course to numb this incredible pain I was feeling, I ate. I ate a lot! I gained nearly ten pounds or so just from trying to stuff the feelings down with chips and candy and pasta.

Yesterday...I didn't feel the urge to go and buy junk. Good lord was I craving a cigarette like no other but cooked food (and junk food) were not even appealing to me. One of my coworkers took me out to Juno for dinner last night to keep my mind off of it and I got a big salad without cheese and some roasted beets (rawish, right?) but the cooked items on the menu, things that would normally tempt me when I'm upset like ravioli and grilled seafood, weren't even an option in my mind; I didn't even want to order them. I was a little tempted by the bread basket (as usual) but I managed to resist. My indulgence last night to make myself feel better was a Larabar. Which ultimately didn't really make me feel better because I found the peanut butter cookie flavor revolting. I guess that worked out to prove that food doesn't make bad things go away.

So still trying to be good to myself...even when the world isn't.

Going Raw: Day Nine (Let the compliments commence)

I had a co-worker come up to me earlier this morning and say something I didn't expect to hear. He's a very congenial guy but this was completely out of the blue. He came to my desk and said to me: "Rita, you look really nice today. I don't know what it is about you lately, but whatever you're doing is working, you look great!"

The last thing I expected was for someone who had no idea what I was doing to mention how much better I looked lately. It's only been nine days and the results are visible already? I have noticed that my cheeks are much less puffy than normal...is that because of the raw food?

I'm just finding it really hard to believe that the improvements can be noticeable so soon!

I have realized that it's easier for me to eat minimally after dinner (i.e. after dinner desserts) if I give myself a time I have to stop eating and stick to it. And knowing that I can have banana "ice cream" as a dessert in the evenings helps as well. I'll post the (ridiculously easy) recipe for it later. Then after that if I feel like it, I'll have some berries or an apricot before my cut-off point of 7:00 pm. Though I do think I need to start buying less fruit for the house. I believe I have too much variety. If I limit the fruits I have in the house to like 2 or 3 types per week (not including the staples of bananas and mangoes for my smoothies and ice creams) then I should be okay.

Oh, I tried a Larabar this weekend for the very first time and OH...MY...GOD! That was absolutely delicious! I can't believe I'd never tried these before. Now I'm scared that I'm going to have a problem staying away from them! They may just replace chocolate for me! Hopefully one or two days of relative decadence a week won't set me back too much ;)