The One Month RAW Challenge

[TeePee]

Ginger,

Have a great vacation. THen... come home and focus on YOU!!! And what you want!

[Sim]

Told ya somebody'd disagree with me!

OOOhhh,Kathy...it's so much fun to disagree with you!!!

[Sim]

That's so great, Nance!

And don't feel bad--we're all bankrupt on this thread, LOL!

I'm going to order my Vita-Mix next week! I've been on the fence about it for months now and it's time. And maybe I'll be off my cleanse by the time it gets here.

Oh Kathy...you don't know HOW broke! Uh-oh...about to get your Vitamix? I can't wait to hear all the recipes that you don't follow and that turn out better than anyone's anything! You better keep sharing, kiddo, because I made the pizza before I went on this cleanse (only two more days to go to get to 41!!!!) because of your advice and like Res, I couldn't keep away from them until they were all gone. Thanks a lot. Just a warning: my Vitamix came very quickly after I ordered it (I actually got it from the Vitamix company...AND I told them I wanted free shipping AND they gave it to me!). And I haven't opened it yet...two more days....

Nance~ Good deal! Our new toys are the best!

TeePee has a new niece!!!! TP, make sure she goes raw when she gets older! Congratulations, girl...tell your sister we're so happy for her!

And Res~ what you say is truer than true...we allow all our old tapes to play in our heads, even when we know that our "new" selves are better...the memories of food and meals shared is a hard movie to compete with...so we have to make new movies. I don't know where my strength came from, but this Passover, I made our regular foods for my large family, all the faves, but I made NEW Passover foods for me, which I shared with anyone who wanted to try them. I was making NEW memories of times shared and you know, I didn't feel sick afterward, I was not constipated, I was able to breathe, unlike all those years when I actually looked forward to the miserable "food hangover" after a holiday, any holiday. Why do we allow miserable memories connected with food to be source of laughter and comfort? I don't know, but I can tell you that Res is right on when she spoke of the "memory" of the cheese pizza versus the beauty and flavor of the new pizza. I like the thought of "reprogramming" and the following question: Do I want to eat every substance that I've been used to, that's always seemed so delicious, but that will make me ill by the time I'm a "golden ager" (or before) or do I want to "reprogram" with other delicious albeit different foods, be happy and satisfied, and live a long and healthy life? Easy answer; I watch my beloved dad taking 15 pills every day for all his ailments (and he's only 80, not that old by our new standards) and I've vowed not to let that happen to me. Now, I may get hit by a bus or something before I reach that age, but at least my arteries will not clog and my liver, kidneys, and pancreas will be in smooth working order. Ladies, we really need to get together to visit in person...these are all huge issues that we're all pondering and I love, just love the way all of you address these things, small comments at a time, then bigger comments, then bombshell comments. There are few people on this side of the world (CT) that ponder out loud like we all do, from Kathy's down-to-earth, funny but sharp as a tack statements and advice to Res' remarkable insights to TeePee's sunshine, to Nance's and Ginger's own journeys, to my own awakening and development. I guess I've been meditating a bit this morning and just wanted to say "Thank You" one more time to all of you and to the Powers-That-Be for leading me to all of you. Have a beautiful Sunday, my light-shiners.

[mtmouse]

I DID IT!! I DID IT!! I DID IT!!

It's Vita-Mix time!

It's funny--a couple of months ago I found a section on the VM web page for reconditioned units with the same warranty and extras as new and the VM 5000 for $369, so I bookmarked the page. I wasn't going to get the "dry" blade because we grind grain (to make bread for DH) in our Champion and I didn't figure I'd need it (I do the kneading in the Cuisinart). But then last night I watched the videos on the site and I got more intrigued about grinding and kneading in one container. Anyway, today when I looked at the reconditioned units on the site, they were $349! And with the dry blade it was $429.

I knew that Sim had asked for and received free shipping. I figured I'd go for that too, though I wasn't sure they'd allow it on the reconditioned units. Anyway, I decided to order the one with the dry blade, ask for free shipping, and downgrade to the $349 unit if they wouldn't give it to me.

But they did! So now I don't know if I'll ever use that (does it grind flax seed?), but my Cuisinart may be on its last legs so it may certainly come in handy at some point.

They're shipping it UPS ground and say it should arrive in 7-10 days. If so, it'll probably be right around the time I start eating again! I'm awfully excited! (I bet that came as a big surprise, LOL!)

[Nance]

I DID IT!! I DID IT!! I DID IT!!

It's Vita-Mix time!

They're shipping it UPS ground and say it should arrive in 7-10 days. If so, it'll probably be right around the time I start eating again! I'm awfully excited! (I bet that came as a big surprise, LOL!)

WoooHooo! Take photos!!

[mookie47]

ok guys, I already fell off the wagon before I even officially got on. I was raw for about 3 days and then as I mentioned I started not feeling very well. I do think I was detoxing as my tongue started getting coated. Anyway I gave into a craving of steak and mash potatoes of all things! I usually only crave meat about once every two months. I am still waiting for Cohen's book and dvd (my mail is slow as it first goes to my husband's office). I had a very delicious raw breakfast this morning and I will try to stay raw. So here I go again!

Nance, I was curious how long you have been raw to go down two sizes? and

Sim, where in CT are you? I am in NY very close to the CT border.

Sending Love and Light to Ginger...

Best wishes to everyone and again, thanks for being here.

[mtmouse]

Mookie,

Don't be so hard on yourself! Choosing to eat raw (or mostly raw) isn't like being on the cleanse; it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Just adding more raw foods into your diet can help. And the occasional slide off isn't the end of the world.

Like you said, you can just start up again. Maybe over time you'll realize that you like eating raw best and will stay there 100% of the time. Maybe you'll end up somewhere in the middle. But know that you're still doing a lot better for yourself than you used to!

Now, when we did the actual challenge, we all (I think there were three of us, LOL) stayed raw the whole time (except I only went 28 days, I think). We did that for a specific reason: to force ourselves to "think raw" and learn to handle challenges and try lots of new recipes. That's a whole different thing from gradually switching your focus from cooked to raw.

So stop beating yourself up and instead, start thinking "how do I feel after eating that? what does my body feel like eating now?" and so on. And respect yourself!

[charlottebird]

Hi Everyone!

Well, I have NOT been eating as much raw foods as I would like and I can feel the difference!

I have my dehydrator now and am going to try some pizza recipes this week.

I have noticed that it really takes major planing to figure out how and what needs to be done to get your raw meal ready to serve. It's just a bit more adjusting but once I get the hang of a few dehydrator recipes then I will know what to expect.

I like the idea that you can prepare the crusts and freeze them. Thanks for the suggestions there and now I am going to get have to get Cohen's book. I have some great recipes in the The Strive Diet book but it isn't completely raw-food-only.

Oh ,thanks again for posting all your insights, observations and experiences. It's encouraging to us 'rawbies' (raw food newbies!!)!

[mtmouse]

Charlottebird,

Really, we're all rawbies here! Except for Sim and TeePee, who I think have been all raw since about January, the rest of us didn't try it until our challenge, which was just a little while ago. So you really aren't very far behind!

It's really fun to have a bunch who are all trying new recipes and sharing about techniques (and, yes, expensive tools!) and approaches and questions. We have a lot of fun here!

And of course I shouldn't be here right now, but don't tell anyone!

[Nance]

[QUOTE=mookie47]Nance, I was curious how long you have been raw to go down two sizes? [QUOTE]

Hey MOOKIE47 . . . I have not gone raw yet, I am on Day 42 of MC . . . I plan to EASE off the MC in a week or so to broth and fresh juices, no solids until after July 7. I am slowly collecting the stuff to do raw right wswith . . . so I hope to be a permanent fixture on this BB!