*After The Cleanse*

[NewDirection]

I am extremely pleased with myself for finding this information -

I am "busy" online doing some more Raw kitchen shopping - and just found
this very interesting little tidbit on the Excalibur Dehydrator:

*The 5 tray model is not appropriate for raw food as the temperature gets too high.

Learn something new every raw day....

[NewDirection]

I'm really quite bad about asking for help but I really need some support here.

I love raw. I believe in raw with all my heart. Nothing, ever, has made more
sense to me than this lifestyle. I have invested waaaaay way more money
in a raw lifestyle than I should have, but feeling so good about
it I justified it saying it was an investment in the rest of my life. I am still
reading Victoria's 12 step book - though I haven't had much time over the
last week.

Yet -

I keep messing up. I don't understand how I could feel so passionate about
raw - then stupidly cave and eat a roll... or - something vegan yet cooked..
or any of the other things I've been messing up with.

I feel terrible immediately and for at least a day afterward. I have turned into
the BIGGEST wench since my eating habits became not quite crap but far
from great. I keep getting headaches, my tonsils hurt every morning, I have
zero energy...

I am frustrated. I am upset.

I guess what I am looking for is somebody to tell me they were stupid and
messed up trying to go raw too. I just need to hear some words to make
me believe that I will be able to do this, that this is a common situation
for post cleansers trying to live raw...

Thanks for giving me a place to vent. My better half, while supportive,
simply doesn't understand why this is such a big deal to me - or why I am
being a completely untolerable b***h.

I just want to go back on the cleanse. Life was easy on the cleanse.

[mtmouse]

NewDirection,

Awwwwww! {{{{{{{{{{{hug}}}}}}}}}

It sounds like (1) your body is being kind of hard on you, and (2) you're being kind of hard on you!

I've been kind of out of the loop lately, but have you checked our 30-Day Raw Challenge thread? If you haven't, I think you'd feel a lot better reading it. The whole thing isn't too long, and you can follow our progress (and challenges) as we went through it. And you can participate even now, if that will help you commit!

But the fact is, most of us aren't 100% raw. I know of two who are (or at least were), but most of us are somewhere on the spectrum. I think it's far more important to be kind to yourself than to put an artificial limit on there that you aren't ready for yet.

So maybe cut yourself some slack? Don't expect quite so much so soon? Start playing around with it?

However, if you regularly find yourself eating foods that actively make you feel physically bad in addition to the emotional guilt trip you then go into, then (warning: risk of shameless self-promotion!) something like EFT could be very helpful for you. You can download a free how-to manual at my website (below) or at www.emofree.com. We often have emotional drivers that get in the way of our attempts at change, even when what we choose keeps us miserable.

So take it as slow as you need to, and just keep choosing what's good for you in addition to the other stuff, and see if you can start appreciating what you've accomplished instead of where you still need to improve. And come over to the Challenge thread. Lots of support there!

[NewDirection]

Thank you Kathy for your reply!

I will read that thread and check out your site. I know I will never be perma 100% raw vegan because - well - I am madly in love with Feta and to give it up for the rest of my life would cause much heart ache! lol

I do want to be very close to 100% though, so I am ready to receive any and all suggestions on how to beat the habit loving demons inside. I have to keep telling myself 20+ years of severely bad eating habits are not going to go away overnight - regardless of how passionately I feel about it. People who smoke for 20 years, or abuse alcohol can't simply walk away without struggling a bit - and food isn't an optionall substance!

I am feeling better today. Not great, but not quite so hopeless.

Thank you again for taking the time to reply. Be well!

[mtmouse]

Sure thing!

I figure it's a process for us all. So we might as well enjoy it!

Of all the various food plans I've ever tried, I actually feel the best with raw (well, I follow the blood type diet and so I always do that no matter what else I do, but after that). At my "best" I usually eat all raw all the time at home, with an occasional piece of salmon or meat and an occasional bite of rice or piece of bread. I don't sweat it. And when I go out, I eat what appeals to me.

However, I don't feel physically bad when I go "off". I just maybe don't feel quite as good. Even so, it gets easier and easier to choose it, so it really feels like a choice. (Except for now, because I ate almost all cooked (and almost all bad for my blood type) on a recent vacation, and now I'm definitely having trouble getting my food and my psyche lined up again for raw. But I will!

So just keep putting your best foot forward and give yourself a break!

[Res]

Where are you all?

Happy Holidays Buddies . I need to get back on track. No need to explain I'm sure.

I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all.

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Where are you all?

I know I'm a royal newbie - but I have been thinking the SAME thing!
I hate to post because the whole page shows up as me... visual proof that I talk too much!

Quick update: Still reading my Raw books. Still eating tons of veggies and a decent amount of fruit. Cutting my nut consumption back cause I realized they are becoming something of a problem. Living pretty raw with the exception of steamed broccoli (such a love of mine... mmmm). I've gained back 4 of the pounds I lost - which considering I lost 27ish on the cleanse, and I've been off of it for nearing a month eating WAY more then my fair share of nuts, and I've not been able to get to the gym very often with shopping, decorating etc - I'm more than okay with 4! My Excalibur is embarrassingly still boxed in my office. I would like to use time as an excuse, but really I think I am afraid of it. Ha ha.

Anyhow - my reason for popping in today is because I (sadly) just made my first green smoothie! (Yes I'm a dork that feels she must report things like this! )

I was getting ready to go shopping and taking inventory of the vegetable supply and noticed I had a huge bag of carrots that I'd forgotten about in all the holiday madness. I decided to juice em to keep them from going to waste and allow me to buy some fresh ones.

Then I decided to make some orange juice cause the carrot just wasn't satisfying the old palette. One thing led to another and I was throwing handfuls of spinach and strawberries into the Vitamix and viola! My first green smoothie! Spinach, carrot, strawberry, & orange.

The taste? I might just be REALLY hungry this morning - but I am loving it. I got so carried away that ended up with a whole blender full but it's disapearing quickly. I let my 6 year old help with the process - and even though he was afraid of the blackish brownish goo in there he wanted to try what he had created - and he has now polished off two glasses.

I feel like this guy right now!

Okay. Done with my dumb tangent lol.
Have a most wonderful day all!

[Res]

Anyhow - my reason for popping in today is because I (sadly) just made my first green smoothie! (Yes I'm a dork that feels she must report things like this! )

HAHAHAHA, you're so cute!

Congrats on the GREEN SMOOTHIE thing. Kathy will be glad to hear it.

Yeah it's slow going around here. Things at work are so busy for me and I don't really have time to respond from work anymore. When I get home from work the last thing I want to do is be in front of a computer. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I sure miss everyone and that's enough to get me back here putsying around.

I'm glad you posted. Take up the entire page. Take up the entire thread!

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Soooo todays smoothie is not the success that yesterdays was.
Buuut I am also willing to admit I might have messed it up lol.

When you make smoothies with gignormous leafed greens ie: red chard do you cut off the stem? I didn't. I figured - well it won't kill me and I'll ask about it later lol.

I used the whole bunch, 1 cup strawberries and 2 cups fresh oj.
Not tasty. ha.

But I'm slurping it down and will try again tomorrow. I bought lots of different greens yesterday, and scared as I might be - I'm gonna try 'em all!

Side note: Yesterday's smoothie wasn't the greatest to look at -
but todays honestly looks like sludge from the mean streets of NYC or somthing.
Blech.

[mtmouse]

NewDirection,

LOL! Been there, done that!

The stems don't matter. If you've got a Vita-Mix, they'll disappear. If you don't, you'll feel them in there and you might want to cut them off in the future.

When I make a smoothie that doesn't taste so good, I just keep adding stuff until it does. More fruit (apple, pear, pineapple, watermelon--which I froze this summer!), maybe some agave, some vanilla.

And a little beet will turn the green/brown sludge into a gorgeous bright magenta! Makes a huge difference.

Anyway, you're doing fine! Keep experimenting. And if it goes down, it'll be good for you!