Cheaters Never Win... (Day 22)

Dear Diary, 

Yep, its true... I cheated! It felt so good at the time, but the second it was over; I regretted it. We went to a Wedding last night where I somehow had the strength to eat a raw salad (w/ papaya seed dressing) only, but just couldn't resist the Tiramisu. It was decadent, delicious, and dreadful all at the same time. I regretted the indulgence as soon as I licked the last bit of cream from my spoon.

Therefore, 'punishment' is in order. I feel like I need to set some stricter guidelines for myself, although don't feel 'ready' for an all-juice cleanse (just yet). I am going to Detox Transition Level 2. Let me back up for a second... I did the Detox Transition when I first bought/read Natalia's book a few months ago, and I am a Level 3 (or at least I was a Level 3). But, as always, I am in need of something more. I need more 'rules' or I feel like I can easily make 'excuses' and leave the door open for cheating. Therefore, I am going to Detox Level 2 for 7 days. I am going to strictly follow the menu from The Raw Detox Diet book. 

"A Level 2 is not necessarily overweight but wants to get as lean as possible and obtain vibrant health." Yep, that sounds like me! "To be successful at Level 2, you must appreciate the kitchen and shop for fresh produce regularly." Uhh huh, that I can do! "A good candidate for Level 2 is a young person that raised on natural foods or an athlete who has not used drugs or steroids and has not consumed large amounts of animal protein." Hmmm, okay I was not raised on natural foods; as my Mom thought that vegetables from a can were acceptable? And I am no athlete, but a Yogini! I can say with confidence, that I am no drug/steroid user and have not eaten many animal proteins in the past 6 months. Did I say I was searching for something 'more'... Well, I think this just might be it! Lastly, it says "Level 2's should also be willing to do some colon therapy..." Something I have never done before... But, I made my 1st appointment! Don't worry I will refrain from blogging about the 'details' of my experience! It is definitely going to be a challenge, but I am ready for it! Cheaters never win, but sometimes get a second chance! 

*I have a feeling I will be making a new best friend at my local Farmer's Market... As I am going to be visiting every couple of days and taking home boxes like this... 

Unfaithfully Yours, 

Maggie 

Guest Blogger (1)

Dear Diary,

I am thrilled to announce our first guest blogger.  Here's what Kristy has to say:

Another RAW Convert

Okay, I have admit it. A large, yet not even 50% of the reason I decided to embark on the RAW DIET book by Natalia Rose is vanity. After I cut down to almost nil on breast feeding my daughter, which happened to overlap-lap with the Holidays with my family that coincides with putting a lot of bad food (i.e., cookies, processed food crap) being waved in my face and at the same time my husband opened a new business and is gone all day 6 days a week and I almost stopped running, my midsection, that damn middle part of my body that loses fat last and gains it first, reared its jiggly ugly head again. I also had noticed that although I had been eating a lot more veggies in my life over the past year - almost overhauling my pescatarian diet with an all roasted veggie dinner with (maybe) a salad every night, I hadn't been eating raw veggies or fruit! I must be killing off all the good stuff by roasting it all to death. 

Did I mention I've been a vegetarian for 20 years now, did a two year stint as a vegan in college (with a lot of fake soy meat and margarine!!!) and a pescatrian for the past 8 years. My husband and I having already nixed a lot of processed food in our lives, no high fructose corn syrup...but I was starting to think I needed to take it one step further to really be healthy. Just after the New Year I bought the RAW DIET book on a whim.

Inspired by my sisters and "aunt" in-laws (the glorious ladies Rebecca, Maggie, and Deb who write this Naked blog), I have been keeping on with this raw experiment for the past two weeks. Reading the blog gives me more support than they can imagine. Sometimes when I am pulsing walnuts and garlic in my food processor and checking the recipe again in my already finger-stained and dog-earred RAW book, or shoving a piece of Romaine lettuce that I cut a little too big into my juicer for my Green Lemonade, I picture my beautiful in-laws like a montage all chopping and juicing in their own kitchens. Scenes spanning from Maui to St. Paul to St. Louis. And I laugh when I think of Deb juicing onto the counter-top (Deb, a rookie mistake, been there and done that!)

But Julienning veggies! Seriously! The first night I attempted a RAW dinner,after putting my daughter to bed at 8:30pm,  I placed my cutting board on my wood floor in front of the tv and I sat down behind it chop. It took me a whole 1 hour episode of Celebrity Wife Swap to get through three medium carrots and one red bell pepper preparing the raw Veggie Spring Rolls (I am looking to improve my eating health and life, not my taste in TV) The rolls were delicious and husband approved. I decided then to actually read more of the book and came across the information about tools that help with the chopping. Order mandolin, next on list.

I am not an all or nothing girl. I get no satisfaction in being in control of things, and I love making food fun. I have tried to make food just fuel, and that takes a lot of joy out of my life and doesn't work for me. My goal is to conquer a few new recipes each week and make my "new normal", as Becky calls it fittingly, a lot more RAW. I just want to become more aware. At least by being enlightened by this book and following it lightly I am aware when I am reaching for a handful of my daughters Organic Cheddar Bunnies. Since I already consider an egg and a piece of sprouted grain toast I ate ths morning a Super Cheat, I know I've already made progress. I have been basing my recipes mostly on what ingredients I have left over and so far, I have to say, recreating these raw meals makes me feel more like a cook then I ever have! So yummy and satisfying.

My husband thinks so, too. The guy who once told me with his sincerest Midwestern manliness  "I do not cook" , crushing my dreams of chopping garlic and prepping hippy vegetarian meals with my husband in a lowlighted kitchen with jam-band music in the background ...and this really was a vision I had... happily and carefully and beautifully sliced long thin slices of carrots and cucumber and rolled the nori into perfect RAW sushi rolls. See honey, no cooking!

Actually, he has really embraced this new lifestyle, and is participating! We have both been religiously green juicing in the morning and I have been eating fruit for breakfast and usually a raw salad for lunch.

What baby-step do I incorporate next?  An afternoon juice session? Yes, that sounds fun.

-Kristy
www.kristywalkerphoto.com 

So, dear diary, doesn't she rock?!  This is the coolest!  Can I tell you a secret?  I hope she writes again.  I know that I, for one, need all the support I can get.

TTFN,

Becky

Getting In Touch (Day 20)

Dear Diary,

We seem to be tracking some of the same experiences here. I'm struggling through food combining (or not combining) just like Becky and, like Maggie, I'm grappling with the issue of not being difficult. Miscombined meals now leave me feeling over-stuffed and sluggish. Sometimes even properly combined meals leave me feeling that way, depending upon what they are. 

I realize that in the last week, I've transitioned without even trying, into juicing until lunch. I had a few false starts with this, but now I only want juice until lunch. This means about twenty ounces of Green Lemonade, followed by the same amount of carrot/citrus/apple/ginger sipped throughout the morning. This give me tons of energy and allows me to stay focused through long hours of class without being weighed down by a 'stick to your ribs' kind of breakfast - you know, the kind I was afraid to give up. Lunch has become a fresh salad with raw vegetables, sometimes with a sprouted wheat wrap, sometimes not, and fruit is my afternoon snack. I always feel good up to this point, but this is where things can get dicey. 

When dinner is simple, like a fresh salad followed by a raw vegetable dish and a piece of fish or a baked sweet potato or squash, I feel great. Not that I can eat the same thing for dinner every night, but this is my 'feel good' dinner. I seem to have trouble going out to any of our favorite restaurants, though. This is kind of a problem, which leads me to that same struggle over 'not being difficult'. 

I really thought I could float along and keep going out to dinner on Friday night without making a fuss, but now I'm not sure how to do that - or if I even want to. Maybe date night wants to take on a new look, like inviting friends over to share a dinner with us instead of going out for food that others prepare.

So, here we are, entering Week 4, and I feel like some really important things are happening, despite the challenges - or maybe because of them. I certainly don't feel like I'm 'there' yet, but I'm reminded that this is a process and I'm going to have plenty of ups and downs and false starts. I'm reminded that this is a process of discovery, of uncovering and of 'getting in touch'. Hearing that I'm not the only one experiencing these things, leads me to wonder if this, too, is all part of the 'process'.

Until Wednesday,
deborah