Raw Conversion Week 1 - Day 4

Long day today. Woke up last night around 2 am and could not move, but rolled out of bed (sorta), and took some advil and was able to get through it (tired of taking meds, but sometimes I just have to). Its not fun, but it could be worse, and its just a reminder to keep on moving forward.

Went to acupuncture this afternoon, overdue big time. Sore, mellow, just feel sorta good and bad at the same time, in a ho hum sort of way...... but its nice to make a dent in the build up. Drinking my H2O to help flush this through.

Food wise, pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday. With hubby out of town, I am trying to get through some leftovers in the fridge before they go bad. Made my green shake for breakfast a bit bigger, and definitely liking this version. I especially like the fact my stomach has been pretty quiet even with all the stress, especially when I eat the raw veggies (either whole or in a shake). I could get used to that.

Physically, well, long day, but I made it to work which was an accomplishment. Mentally, somewhat decent focus, got some things done, but would have hoped for a bit more progress on my to do list. Weight was 109.5, which has been about the average for the last few weeks (I am only 5 foot tall on a good day, so 104 is my ideal ideal weight I like to hold at).

I would like to say I have some funny stories to put through this evening...but alas, I think the acupuncture has silenced the smart arse in me. So just a quick update this evening unless it fires up later on :).

As a supplement....here is a phone pic of the view from my office....there are some positives to working in a cubicle.

Raw Conversion Week 1 - Day 3

Today was my third breakfast of raw foods. Actually, I had to skip yesterday, not enough groceries to make a decent green shake.

Here is today's shake recipe:

Green Smoothie (1)
2 Handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of baby greens
2 small stalks of celery (no tops, they did not have any)
1/4 to 1/3 of a peeled cucumber (it was waxed, had to peel)
1/2 of an Avocado
Small pinch of Italian Parsley
About 1/2 cup of filtered water

Was a little less then I had anticipated, probably could have made it a bit bigger. Very refreshing flavor...I kept the parsley content low until I experimented with the flavor a bit. Not a TON of flavor to the shake itself, but it definitely was crisp and refreshing. I could really get to like these, have tried them before, and just fell out of habit. This will probably be a mainstay base recipe for green shakes.

Drank shake while getting ready for work (I know...bad), between 6-6:30am. Was pretty hungry at 9 am for an AM snackie snack (yes, I eat a lot of snacks....I like to think I have the metabolism of a fruit fly....or at least one aged to early 30's). The hunger was a 'natural' hunger though as I would call it. My stomach said I was hungry, but I did not feel shaky or crashing....just hungry.

My stomach was happy with the shake, which is always nice. My hunger throughout the day was not bad, and in general, happy with the choice to start with breakfasts raw first.

Rest of my meals for the day
AM Snack - Plain whole milk yogurt and frozen blueberries
Lunch - Leftovers from night before, cooked red meats and brn rice dish, was light on the veggies in this meal (made hubby a favorite meal the night before he went away for a week). Had a small piece of 85% dark chocolate to stem cravings.
Afternoon snack - Raw cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and sliced orange bell pepper
Dinner - munching....meat and veggie based leftovers really was the theme.


Physically, my shoulder and neck muscles locked up for a very stiff, 'turn head and whole body together' type of day. Stress has been high, and now my back is really getting bad. Acupuncture appt. tomorrow, haven't had one in ages. Should help, but expecting to be sore. Going to up my fluid intake to help out.

In general, the pain of today just reminded me how much I still want to improve my health to another level. Its not locking up near as bad as it used to...two years ago I would have been out of work for the day with migraine like tension headaches. So I am completely accepting of the improvement to be able to work through the day and actually feel not so bad tonight. Still motivated to move forward on the progress though, I know anything is possible.

Task at hand - Raw diet trial...or 'too many bullet points in one post'

So here is the history and notes on my current diet:

• Spent last 3 years and change converting myself to a healthy diet. Going from SAD (standard American diet), to something a bit more easy on the bod. Numerous health problems for years drove the change, now a better mental balance maintains it
• No wheat, gluten, eggs, or soy at this point in the meal plans. Part of this due to trial and error, other parts testing positive for an allergy. GF for going on 22 months now, egg and soy free for 6 months or so.
• Also I avoid all artificial products, additives, all that jazz, and focus on simple natural items. I cook 99% of my food from scratch, and when I eat out, its usually pretty simple 'good for ya' grub.
• Progress was good on my health improvements, but has stalled. Now that I know what effect food has on me, I know I can get even further. I would also love to test the mental benefits many folks tout when switching to raw

So here is the plan:

• Include more raw foods into my diet, monitor progress
• Week 1 - all breakfasts 100% raw
• Week 2 - all lunch and snacks 100% raw
• Week 3 - If all is going well, begin 100% raw for 30 days trial
• Raw food focus will be on veggies and greens, with fruits making up small portion. Fat percentages to be determined as I see what my body does.
  
• During first two weeks, research, research, research. Set up meal plans, recipes, and keep plenty of food on hand at all times. Set myself up for success

All in all, this should not be too hard of a task. My breakfasts are tough now, because of the lack of eggs and wheat, so going to make green shakes with maybe some fruit for snacks and that actually might be easier then usual. My morning snack is usually yogurt and fruit, so might find a resource for raw milk and start making my own yogurt (always wanted to do this, its very easy). My afternoon snacks are usually cut up fresh raw veggies already, and nuts (which I will just make sure are raw). So the first week I am not too worried about. My biggest issue is going to be to see what balance of fats and carbohydrates works for me. I lean on the side of having issues with too many sugars (systemic candida) plus I don't exercise a lot, so likely will start with less fruits.

Outcome hopes:

• Improvement on health issues - chronic back and muscle pain, skin rashes, fatigue, gastric problems, chronic skin breakouts, yeast imbalances.....ect ect.
  
• Improvement on mental balance - concentration and focus issues mostly, possibly keep depression cycles at bay
  
• Improved energy levels, and ease of workout motivation
  
• Maybe lose a couple pounds, although, I really am within 5lbs of my ideal weight, so not overly concerned with that
• Be able to deal with stress better - this time of year at work is very hectic, and wears down everyone
• Finally, maybe find a complete solution to all the physical ailments that have plagued me for 15 plus years, my younger brother now for several years, and now my much younger sister who is already showing the start of similar issues about the same time I did.
  

Possible complications - solutions:

• Letting work stress and time interfere with my planning and consistency. I will need to shop often and pre-plan meals and outings. Always have emergency supplies on hand.
  
• Becoming too repetitive, need to make sure to mix it up with new recipes and options. Try new foods along the way.
• Husband is not doing trial with me, which is why dinner is the last item I will convert. My goal will be to make some dinners where I can eat very similar to him, but possibly have him grill some fish or chicken to go with his portion. Otherwise I will have on hand easy items for him to cook, and will help him as much as possible during the 30 day trial. If I decide to extend the raw diet beyond that, will discuss long term solution with him that both parties are happy with (dinner duty has been mine for a long time, in order to keep support with my frequent changes, best not to rock the boat all at once).
• Friends, family, and coworkers tend to find my eating habits already 'odd', so my plan is to not discuss my changes unless asked, or until the 30 day 100% raw trial is complete. Having successful proof of my improvements always makes these conversations easier. For some reason the general population seems to take offense to the fact that I challenge the food pushed on us by large corporations, which I find the reactions intriguing, but not something I care to focus in on during a large change.
  

So I am syked. I am going to use this blog to keep track of everything. I hope it will help me stay on top of my goals, and at the same time give me a way to look back and monitor problems or improvements. My goal is to post at minimum once a day a summary of what I have eaten, and my current physical and mental notes for the day. I haven't decided how technical I will be with the data, might change that as I see what is useful and what is not.

Lets see how it goes........

Starter spot

Here be my blog I say. For now, an array of goals and tasks I set forth for myself.....and a way to keep track of my progress. Will it stay that way? Who knows. Just going for it.

Me, I have no formal consistent writing history, I have a mind that never stops....bout damn time I combined the two. Maybe some humor, maybe a bit cynical, maybe some serious points....who knows, its all up for grabs at this point. Just want to see where this takes me.