Hello Metabolism I'm Carolina, the person you will be tormenting for the rest of her life. Yesterday I was hungry ALL DAY. I'm not complaining, it just means my sluggish metabolism is waking up again. Same scenario today. The way to work around this is several smaller meals. I am starting that tomorrow. I also realized I need to add more live and less dehydrated stuff. I am dehydrating to keep me from getting bored, but have to remind myself that a lot of the dehydrated stuff is full of fat and calories. Some might say good fat and calories, but for someone who needs to get her body working to lose weight again needs to first lose the weight, then she can indulge!
I was searching for a link for a friend and came across this site. http://rawfoodswitch.com/. It's perfect! She sends out recipes every few days and you can take a coarse on how to transition! If you join her mailinglist you also get a couple free recipe book pdf's.
Yesterday Salar and I went to Kensington/Chinatown to stock up on veggies etc. It was a perfect day. Sunny and filled with busy happy people. The gorgeous weather will do that. I am trying to get into a habit of going to Chinatown twice a week to stock up. I also need to pick a day every week and make up my dressings and sauces for the week. If I pre make stuff it will make life sooo much easier.
The next things I am going to dehydrate though, just to keep things interesting are raw falafels, cookies and I need to tweek my larabar knock off recipe.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Day 3 of the Raw Challenge
Ok... I told myself I wouldn't do this till April 30. Though I know even then they still won't fit.... grrr...
I was looking through my closet, pulling out clothes for tonight and there they were staring at me... my skinny jeans... the jeans I could get into 2 years ago.... against my better judgement, I tried putting them on... and um, well, you know the end result.
HAVE I GAINED THAT MUCH WEIGHT! Apparently, I have.
Being raw isn't just to lose weight. For me it is a change in lifestyle, just like becoming Vegan. It is also about my health. The vain part of me just wants to fit in those damn size 8's again. Weight isn't just going to fall off and as Janis is always reminding me, you lose weight first, the last place you gained it. I have to keep reminding myself this is a journey that I have to have patience with. I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and be a size 8 again. Deep breath.
I am looking forward to my shopping trip to Kensington and Chinatown tomorrow. Salar (who is doing the raw challenge with me) and I are going to stock up on lots of fruits and veggies. For around $20 I leave with two bags full of goodies! I plan on doing this twice a week. Being raw doesn't mean having to break the bank. It can be done on a budget. The entire point is to be eating living foods.
I've shoved the jeans to the back of the closet again... they are staying there till April 30. I know they still won't fit, but at least I will know if I've made any progress with the weight loss part.
I was looking through my closet, pulling out clothes for tonight and there they were staring at me... my skinny jeans... the jeans I could get into 2 years ago.... against my better judgement, I tried putting them on... and um, well, you know the end result.
HAVE I GAINED THAT MUCH WEIGHT! Apparently, I have.
Being raw isn't just to lose weight. For me it is a change in lifestyle, just like becoming Vegan. It is also about my health. The vain part of me just wants to fit in those damn size 8's again. Weight isn't just going to fall off and as Janis is always reminding me, you lose weight first, the last place you gained it. I have to keep reminding myself this is a journey that I have to have patience with. I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and be a size 8 again. Deep breath.
I am looking forward to my shopping trip to Kensington and Chinatown tomorrow. Salar (who is doing the raw challenge with me) and I are going to stock up on lots of fruits and veggies. For around $20 I leave with two bags full of goodies! I plan on doing this twice a week. Being raw doesn't mean having to break the bank. It can be done on a budget. The entire point is to be eating living foods.
I've shoved the jeans to the back of the closet again... they are staying there till April 30. I know they still won't fit, but at least I will know if I've made any progress with the weight loss part.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day 2 of the Raw Challenge
I'm obsessing about coffee! I don't think it is the caffeine that is the issue. I think it is the ritual. Every morning before I go to work I get up, make fresh juice, shower then have a cup of coffee. On the weekends, I walk the dogs, come in and have 2 cups while I read the paper. Coffee is part of my daily ritual. How do I change this.
Today after cleaning my apartment, I went for a walk. Even with my to do list only partially done. I couldn't pass it up, 25 plus degrees and the 2nd day of April. Unheard of! The issue, I would normally stop and get a coffee to accompany my walk. As I walked past the coffee shop it took everything in my not to stop and grab a cup of java. But I didn't.
When I got home I realized in order to stay raw, I have to ensure I have variety, so I started dehydrating. I dehydrated the usual nut loaf from the Matt Amsden's Rawvolution. I also made raw tart shells and faux lara bars (which are amazing by the way) and tart shells from the Raw Chefs blog, http://therawchef.com/therawchefblog/fennel-cherry-tomato-balsamic-crust-tart-with-macadamia-cheese (sign up for the news letter)
Some of my favourite blogs need to be shared with others!
http://www.rawmazing.com/
http://www.therawdessert.com/
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://www.simplyrawrecipes.com/
http://www.aniphyo.com/
Today after cleaning my apartment, I went for a walk. Even with my to do list only partially done. I couldn't pass it up, 25 plus degrees and the 2nd day of April. Unheard of! The issue, I would normally stop and get a coffee to accompany my walk. As I walked past the coffee shop it took everything in my not to stop and grab a cup of java. But I didn't.
When I got home I realized in order to stay raw, I have to ensure I have variety, so I started dehydrating. I dehydrated the usual nut loaf from the Matt Amsden's Rawvolution. I also made raw tart shells and faux lara bars (which are amazing by the way) and tart shells from the Raw Chefs blog, http://therawchef.com/therawchefblog/fennel-cherry-tomato-balsamic-crust-tart-with-macadamia-cheese (sign up for the news letter)
Some of my favourite blogs need to be shared with others!
http://www.rawmazing.com/
http://www.therawdessert.com/
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://www.simplyrawrecipes.com/
http://www.aniphyo.com/
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Day 1 of Raw
April 1 isn't just April Fools Day -- it is the first day of the 30 day raw challenge! I have everything ready, am hoping to do some dehydrating tonight and tomorrow, that seems to be the only thing left. I am fortunate to have my friend Salar also doing the challenge with me, it always helps to have someone else to do this with.
I've been Raw off and on over the last 3 years, a 6 month stint at one point. I am hoping that the challenge is just the beginning of being 90/95% raw on a permanent basis. The 6 months that I was raw I remember felling fabulous, then due to major life changes I fell off Raw. Now my life is completely back in order and I have no excuse.
Raw does come with it's stigma's. Many don't attempt this diet for several reason:
~too time consuming
~too expensive
~having to dehydrate
~won't be satisfied
None of the above have to happen. If you do things like cut up veggies ahead of time, shop in places like Chinatown or discount grocery stores and stick to live foods rather than pre made raw or dehydrated raw, you can do it cheaply. You don't have to have all the fancy tool to be raw, though I personally do suggest a couple good knives, and at the minimum a blender. For me over the years I have bought all the tools, so am lucky enough to have all the things I need... again another reason I have no excuse to fall of Raw again.
Though I won't be able to post every day, I will check in from time to time to let you know how things are going.
I've been Raw off and on over the last 3 years, a 6 month stint at one point. I am hoping that the challenge is just the beginning of being 90/95% raw on a permanent basis. The 6 months that I was raw I remember felling fabulous, then due to major life changes I fell off Raw. Now my life is completely back in order and I have no excuse.
Raw does come with it's stigma's. Many don't attempt this diet for several reason:
~too time consuming
~too expensive
~having to dehydrate
~won't be satisfied
None of the above have to happen. If you do things like cut up veggies ahead of time, shop in places like Chinatown or discount grocery stores and stick to live foods rather than pre made raw or dehydrated raw, you can do it cheaply. You don't have to have all the fancy tool to be raw, though I personally do suggest a couple good knives, and at the minimum a blender. For me over the years I have bought all the tools, so am lucky enough to have all the things I need... again another reason I have no excuse to fall of Raw again.
Though I won't be able to post every day, I will check in from time to time to let you know how things are going.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Having a fat day!
Ever have one of those no matter how gorgeous someone tells you are you still feel like a beached whale? Yup, am having one of those days...
Today I had my 1 of 3 cooked meals for the week. I am allowed 2 more and that is it. I need to start pushing myself harder to prepare for 100% raw. I am also down to 1 coffee a day, rather than my two in the morning. Now to get off coffee all together.. UGG, really not looking forward to that.
Yesterday I was ill, fever, sore throat, exhausted. I slept pretty much all day. I woke this morning feeling tired still, but sore throat and fever gone! I think I am running myself down again. I always spread myself way too thin and though I have gotten better, it needs to stop. I keep giving my time up to others and HAVE TO STOP! If last weeks snub taught me anything it's that I am not appreciated at all. So going forward all my time will be spent on writing and having fun. I am no longer volunteering my time to anyone. Enough is enough!!!
Right... we were talking about me being fat. Since I started getting back on track with raw, I have lost 2 inches around my middle. The rule of thumb is you lose weight first, the last place you gained it. That is my tummy and waist area. My ass is another issue. I know I need to start working out again. It truly is the only way I will ever lose the huge bootie. I will always have a bootie, I could just use with a smaller one. Raw can only do so much, if I want to see permanent results I need to start working out and consistently. I know in may I said I was doing the yoga challenge, but I think I need to start it in April and combine both the Raw Challenge and the Yoga Challenge. I think what I need is someone to kick me in the work out pants and motivate me to get physical again... ya... that's the ticket...
Time to go chop up my fruits and veggies for tomorrow.
Today I had my 1 of 3 cooked meals for the week. I am allowed 2 more and that is it. I need to start pushing myself harder to prepare for 100% raw. I am also down to 1 coffee a day, rather than my two in the morning. Now to get off coffee all together.. UGG, really not looking forward to that.
Yesterday I was ill, fever, sore throat, exhausted. I slept pretty much all day. I woke this morning feeling tired still, but sore throat and fever gone! I think I am running myself down again. I always spread myself way too thin and though I have gotten better, it needs to stop. I keep giving my time up to others and HAVE TO STOP! If last weeks snub taught me anything it's that I am not appreciated at all. So going forward all my time will be spent on writing and having fun. I am no longer volunteering my time to anyone. Enough is enough!!!
Right... we were talking about me being fat. Since I started getting back on track with raw, I have lost 2 inches around my middle. The rule of thumb is you lose weight first, the last place you gained it. That is my tummy and waist area. My ass is another issue. I know I need to start working out again. It truly is the only way I will ever lose the huge bootie. I will always have a bootie, I could just use with a smaller one. Raw can only do so much, if I want to see permanent results I need to start working out and consistently. I know in may I said I was doing the yoga challenge, but I think I need to start it in April and combine both the Raw Challenge and the Yoga Challenge. I think what I need is someone to kick me in the work out pants and motivate me to get physical again... ya... that's the ticket...
Time to go chop up my fruits and veggies for tomorrow.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Pushing the envelope...
Pushing the envelope... what the hell does that mean and why do we say it when we are pushing ourselves to the brink...
anyhoooo
I woke up sick today... yesterday I was out and got wet. It was raining and windy and an umbrella was useless... so... soaked right through. It started with a head ache, which I blew off as either stress or from the shitty weather we are having. No... no it was the beginning of something else. This morning I woke up with a sore throat. I was suppose to be going to see King Tut. Instead I am going to be on my couch, under my quilt, praying the fever and sore throat are gone by tomorrow. Sick or not I have to go to work. Hopefully switching back to a mostly raw diet will put an end to sore throats and colds.
It is two weeks till April 1 and the beginning of the raw challenge. I have two weeks to get rid of all the cooked food in my fridge and to get myself off coffee. I am about 80% raw right now and starting tomorrow am working up to 90%. My goal is to be down to 3 cooked meals and off coffee by next weekend. Then the last week of March have my final two cooked meals. I am already gathering recipes and rereading all my raw books and in the last week of March am going to start dehydrating things like fruit, nuts, nut loaf and Larabars.
I LOVE Larabars! LOVE LOVE LOVE them, but they are way too expensive, so... I went looking for recipes and found a few. One of my goals is to not buy prepared raw food rather, make all my own. It is actually super easy to dehydrate all your own stuff, it's just the waiting part. The best way to avoid frustration is start dehydrating a few days before you run out of stuff. I don't want to have too much dehydrated food in my diet, but it is a great way to keep variety. Eating just raw veggies, fruit and nuts can get boring after a while and the occasional bit of warmth helps.
A few people have asked me if eating raw means apples and salad all the time. Absolutely NOT! You can make tonnes of raw dishes that aren't just salad, such as raw soup, desserts (raw strawberry pie!!!!!), lasagna, spaghetti, nacho's, falafels, brownies, it's endless. Though many of these dishes do take a bit of time to prep, I tend to make a bunch at a time and refrigerate it, especially things that are made in the dehydrator.
Ok, back to my juice and under the comforter....
Larabar
http://www.cleaneatingonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:larabar-recipe&catid=39:snack-recipes&Itemid=59
http://www.recipezaar.com/Lara-Bar-Copycat-Raw-Food-347784
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/homemade_larabars.php
http://www.bradybunchmom.com/2008/03/more-raw-recipes-mango-pieapple-pie.html
anyhoooo
I woke up sick today... yesterday I was out and got wet. It was raining and windy and an umbrella was useless... so... soaked right through. It started with a head ache, which I blew off as either stress or from the shitty weather we are having. No... no it was the beginning of something else. This morning I woke up with a sore throat. I was suppose to be going to see King Tut. Instead I am going to be on my couch, under my quilt, praying the fever and sore throat are gone by tomorrow. Sick or not I have to go to work. Hopefully switching back to a mostly raw diet will put an end to sore throats and colds.
It is two weeks till April 1 and the beginning of the raw challenge. I have two weeks to get rid of all the cooked food in my fridge and to get myself off coffee. I am about 80% raw right now and starting tomorrow am working up to 90%. My goal is to be down to 3 cooked meals and off coffee by next weekend. Then the last week of March have my final two cooked meals. I am already gathering recipes and rereading all my raw books and in the last week of March am going to start dehydrating things like fruit, nuts, nut loaf and Larabars.
I LOVE Larabars! LOVE LOVE LOVE them, but they are way too expensive, so... I went looking for recipes and found a few. One of my goals is to not buy prepared raw food rather, make all my own. It is actually super easy to dehydrate all your own stuff, it's just the waiting part. The best way to avoid frustration is start dehydrating a few days before you run out of stuff. I don't want to have too much dehydrated food in my diet, but it is a great way to keep variety. Eating just raw veggies, fruit and nuts can get boring after a while and the occasional bit of warmth helps.
A few people have asked me if eating raw means apples and salad all the time. Absolutely NOT! You can make tonnes of raw dishes that aren't just salad, such as raw soup, desserts (raw strawberry pie!!!!!), lasagna, spaghetti, nacho's, falafels, brownies, it's endless. Though many of these dishes do take a bit of time to prep, I tend to make a bunch at a time and refrigerate it, especially things that are made in the dehydrator.
Ok, back to my juice and under the comforter....
Larabar
http://www.cleaneatingonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:larabar-recipe&catid=39:snack-recipes&Itemid=59
http://www.recipezaar.com/Lara-Bar-Copycat-Raw-Food-347784
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/homemade_larabars.php
http://www.bradybunchmom.com/2008/03/more-raw-recipes-mango-pieapple-pie.html
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Is Raw Baby!
April 1 is more than just April Fools Day. It is the day I am starting my 30 day Raw Challenge. I am making every effort possible to return to the Raw Foodist lifestyle. 2.5 years ago I had made the 6 month mark of being almost 100% raw but then fell off the wagon. I had a lot of change happening in my life and it made it hard for me to stick with it. Now I regret stopping.
When I was I felt amazing. I had lost weight, I had zero cellulite, my skin looked amazing, I had the energy of a teenager, but mostly I was eating 100% all natural food. Yes, being raw takes a lot of preparation. But that little extra work is well worth it. I have started preparing for the beginning of raw again. Currently I am eating raw for breakfast and lunch and only allowing cooked for dinner. Even then I am trying to stick to as much raw as possible. I am also sprouting and starting to dehydrate again. Today I took the time to clean out my freezer and am finishing off the cooked food that is in my fridge. Once the Raw Challenge is done, my plan is to stick to a 80/90% raw diet and when I do eat cooked food it will be food I prepare from scratch.
The hardest thing for me is going to be giving up coffee. I love coffee and not just because of the kick it gives me, it's the flavour, the smell, the ritual. I can do it, I have before and going without coffee for one month isn't going to kill me. Nut or shut up as they say!
Spring is on the way and it is time to start shedding the layers. For me it's time to shed those last few layers of unhealthy things I was doing to myself. For anyone else interested in kicking their health into a new level, I am posting links to some awesome raw food sites below.
Websites
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/starting-a-raw-food-diet.html
http://www.rawrose.com/ (amazing cookbook - use it quite often)
http://www.rawbc.org/raw_recipes.html
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/raw-food-recipes.html
http://goneraw.com/
http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/RawRecipes.htm
http://www.therawdessert.com/
http://www.rawmazing.com
Books
Raw Food Revolution Diet
Raw Food Detox
Green for Life
Sprouts
Cookbooks
Raw Food Made Easy
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen
Rawvolution
Raw Food for Busy People
When I was I felt amazing. I had lost weight, I had zero cellulite, my skin looked amazing, I had the energy of a teenager, but mostly I was eating 100% all natural food. Yes, being raw takes a lot of preparation. But that little extra work is well worth it. I have started preparing for the beginning of raw again. Currently I am eating raw for breakfast and lunch and only allowing cooked for dinner. Even then I am trying to stick to as much raw as possible. I am also sprouting and starting to dehydrate again. Today I took the time to clean out my freezer and am finishing off the cooked food that is in my fridge. Once the Raw Challenge is done, my plan is to stick to a 80/90% raw diet and when I do eat cooked food it will be food I prepare from scratch.
The hardest thing for me is going to be giving up coffee. I love coffee and not just because of the kick it gives me, it's the flavour, the smell, the ritual. I can do it, I have before and going without coffee for one month isn't going to kill me. Nut or shut up as they say!
Spring is on the way and it is time to start shedding the layers. For me it's time to shed those last few layers of unhealthy things I was doing to myself. For anyone else interested in kicking their health into a new level, I am posting links to some awesome raw food sites below.
Websites
http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/
http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/starting-a-raw-food-diet.html
http://www.rawrose.com/ (amazing cookbook - use it quite often)
http://www.rawbc.org/raw_recipes.html
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/raw-food-recipes.html
http://goneraw.com/
http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/RawRecipes.htm
http://www.therawdessert.com/
http://www.rawmazing.com
Books
Raw Food Revolution Diet
Raw Food Detox
Green for Life
Sprouts
Cookbooks
Raw Food Made Easy
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen
Rawvolution
Raw Food for Busy People
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