Two weeks and counting..

Two weeks have passed since I changed my lifestyle to become a 100% Raw Foodist and do you remember what I said about not getting on the scale? Well, this morning I wish I had followed my own advice.
After losing 5kgs in my first week I haven't lost in my second week and so I am disappointed. Even though weight loss is not my primary motivation, it is most definitely a much wanted side-effect. I know - and I can hear all of the dieting 'experts' (don't forget I am one too!) saying this to me right now - that when you follow a traditional 'diet' you can not expect to lose weight in your second week, when you have had such a huge loss in your first week.
When I speak about a tradional diet I am referring to those where your food is cooked, but you have a variety of other restrictions to deal with. You are counting - calories or points or portions - or you are not eating certain foods together, or you are only eating your food off a purple plate, or... you get the idea. So if Raw was a traditional type of diet I would agree with you. But Raw is the way we are supposed to eat, our bodies respond beautifully and quickly. So it makes no sense to me to not have lost anything. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not expecting another 5kg loss, but most certainly at least 2.
I have to add here that normally, with a traditional diet, it is at this stage that I would lose focus and revert back to my old eating habits.
So I had two questions to ponder. Firstly, why did I not lose anything in my second week and secondly, why am I not discouraged? I know that it might seem odd to want to work out why I am not discouraged but I feel that if I know and understand my successes, then I can duplicate them and continue to be successful. This, I must admit, was the easier of the two and with a little bit of thought the answer was straightforward. It is because at no stage have I felt that I am dieting. I am not suffering from feelings of deprivation, rather I am feeling that I am able to eat whatever I want and in the quantities that I want. That whole feeling of I've starved myself, weighed everything, counting even that lose crumb of chocolate cake that just happened to fly up into my mouth while I was heroically packing the leftovers away - is absent. I've enjoyed my food and, more importantly, I can feel that my body is enjoying the food I am feeding it. So that answers one question.
Now for the second. This one I must admit was not as easy to deal with. I first went through self-doubt. Perhaps I was, as opposed to sleepwalking, sleepeating! Shock horror could it be? Could I be scarfing up cooked food, cakes and bread and cream buns in my sleep? Umm...  No.  Was I unusually inactive? No. So I tried to remember back over the week and went through everything I had eaten. And I realised... it was the greens! In my second week I have been so busy that I haven't being paying attention to what I was eating. So while I was still eating raw I wasn't conscious of the balance of my foods and have not been eating enough greens. Your greens are a vital part of your daily diet and you should try to have at least 50% of your daily intake coming from greens.
So this is the beginning of a new week where I'll be focussing on more greenery. Hopefully next week this time I'll be kissing the scale! 
Pass that lettuce!

Self Love. Guilty or not?

I really hope you are. Guilty, that is. Of self love. Now, before all the puritanical types clutch their chests and start gasping, let me clarify. When I speak of self love I am not referring to things previously thought to cause blindness and hairy palms, I am referring to the love you have for yourself. Do you love yourself? Can you answer yes, emphatically, without hesitation? Did you even answer yes? Up until awhile ago I wouldn't have answered yes. I would have thought about it, realised that yes was probably the expected answer, and then mumbled a yes. The most important, life changing epiphany I have ever experienced was about self love and how absolutely vitally necessary it is to love yourself. So what is self love? To try and help me express myself clearly, because this means so much to me and I want to make sure that you 'get it', I'm going to ask you to think of the love you have for your child. I want you to bring to mind the relationship you have with your child and hold it clearly in the forefront of your consciousness, while I run through a few things with you.  This being that you are seeing in your mind's eye, or perhaps he or she is with you now, has the power to bring you to tears of sadness or tears of joy. While you are thinking about your child I want you to answer these questions.
Has this child ever hurt you or disappointed you?
Has this child ever behaved in a manner which you found unacceptable?
Has this child ever lied to you?
Has this child ever done something so disgusting that you thought you were going to upchuck?
Has this child ever caused you to lose sleep?
Has this child weighed heavy on your heart with worry?
Has any of this child's behaviour ever caused you to question your love for her? To stop nourishing her? To stop caring for her? To ignoring what she wants and needs?
Is there anything that this child can do that will cause you to stop loving her?
And this is how I want you to love yourself. Endlessly, without limits. Take care of yourself, pamper yourself, listen to what your body tells you about what it does and doesn't need, forgive yourself.
Love yourself. 

5kgs Darling!

It's important to me that you understand that while I am looking forward to weight loss as a Raw Foodist, it is not my underlying reason for the lifestyle change. A large part, but not the only reason. Now that we understand that I have more serious and more important and more noble reasons than mere weight loss, let me say that I have lost 5 kgs IN MY FIRST WEEK!!!!!  Ta ra ta ra ta ra! And I've never felt better! Today is the 8th day of me being a 100% Raw Foodist and having felt that my clothes were no longer shrinking, I jumped on the scale. I promptly got off and checked the dials, shook it, bashed it against the bath and this time stepped slowly and cautiously onto it. The scale, she doesn't lie baby! 5kgs down! If that is not sufficient motivation and encouragement to change to Raw, I don't know what is.
But let me tell you about some of the other health benefits I have started experiencing. Firstly my relationship with food is changing. Those of you with deeply ingrained weight problems will know exactly what I am speaking about when I say I no longer feel guilty about eating. This is a huge benefit and it all ties in with loving ourselves - another blog post for another day.
My knee joints have been agonisingly sore for many months now - to the extent that I would go up a flight of stairs sideways. Just so that I did not have to bend my knees. I am now bending my knees pain free! We have a short flight of stairs from our front door to the area where we park the car and I am now climbing up and down those stairs easily, painlessly and fast. I know that it sounds like a huge benefit for a short space of time but that is what Raw Food does. Once your body realises that this is the way it is going to be, the effects are fast and furious and nothing short of miraculous!
I'm moving out of that 'sleep all day' phase and the energy is now kicking in. My brain is firing faster than it has in ages and all of a sudden I don't have enough things to do.
I find that I am expressing myself more eloquently to my children and I am managing whole days without screaming at them!
My complexion... I'm not too sure what to say here. I have taken a photo now - this morning - and will take another one in a few months time and then post the two of them for comparitive purposes. But I have lost wrinkles. Yes, I know you don't believe me - I wouldn't believe me either if I was reading this - which is why I've taken the pics. I've read that even grey hair reverts to its natural colour after awhile so I've taken pics of the grey as well. Imagine how amazing that would be!
It's not as difficult to change to Raw as you might think it would be - you can read my blog Raw Delights  - it will give you more information about the food that I am eating.
The secret is to ensure that you have Raw Snack Food close by.

Most importantly, the results so far are that I'm feeling great, feeling gorgeous, collecting heaps of energy, losing wrinkles and 5kgs in the first week darling!    

Sleep, baby, sleep.

Did I mention that initially when you start eating raw food you might find yourself wanting to sleep a lot? No, I mean really. While this can be a little bit worrying - I mean hello what happened to the energy levels? - it is actually a very good sign.
On a day to day basis while we are eating processed foods and dead flesh, we are actually poisoning ourselves. But our bodies are such magnificent things, that they just deal with it. We keep shoveling it in and our bodies just carry on, like little worker ants, and keep trying to combat the toxins and the poisins. And of course, when our bodies realise that they are unable to move the sludge through our systems fast enough, they start packing it away.
What do you do when you see a cockroach or some other creepy crawly? I am unable to kill them - the thought of hearing that 'crunch' causes gooseflesh to run - but also will not have them running loose in my home. So what do I do? I find a bottle or a pot and I trap them. And I keep them there until someone more suitably qualified to deal with pests comes along. This is exactly what our bodies do.
Those toxins and chemicals all get packed away in fat. Our bodies surround them with fat and put them on our hips and across our bellies in an attempt to keep us safe.
Stress of course plays a huge role in all of this, because when we experience stress our digestive system actually shuts down because our bodies go into full fight or flight mode, but that is a topic for another time.
Can you imagine what it must be like for our bodies when we start eating raw food? You must keep in mind that your body is the biggest workaholic you will ever come across and never, ever takes a break. I imagine that on the first day of raw food, all our little worker cells are busy gossiping like mad with each other.
"Can it be? Did you see that? OMW that was a carrot!" and so on. I imagine that the moment your body is over the shock of your new eating regime, it gets down to some serious work.
(Ask any new raw foodist about the second day runny tummy.) It gets rid of all the sludge that has been backed up for days, weeks, months and ... gosh I hope not so long back! And then, round about day 3 or 4, your body realises it has got time on it's hands. Because it's such a workaholic, it immediately starts fixing, repairing and healing. It fetches those pockets of fat surrounded toxins and throws them out. It has time to start working on those muscles and joints that have been aching. Those cells that have been riddled with all sorts of horrible things get a good scrubbing and a polish. All of these repairs, healing if you like, is exhausting. For you and your body.
So when you hit that I can't stay awake stage, do the sensible thing and go and sleep. Spread out, close the curtains, make sure you're warm and take the phone off the hook. Close your eyes and let your body do what it does best.
Wake me up for supper.

Avoid the Scale At All Costs!

I'm in my third day of totally raw and I am feeling great! So of course now is the perfect time to avoid the scale. I am really feeling good and you might think that it is too soon to have such a positive result, but that is exactly what it is like on raw food. Your energy levels soar and you start feeling 'lighter'. Not only physically lighter but more of a 'lightness of being'. That's not to say that you will totally avoid a detox reaction, but the severity will depend on the toxicity of your diet before going over to raw.  I'm hoping that because I did raw not so long ago, I'll manage to escape the detox.
I digress, let's go back to the scale. Or better yet, let's go right past the scale.
One of the most difficult things about a lifestyle change is that the results do not arrive instantly. Instant gratification issues make this difficult to deal with and I believe this is a very large part of why so many lifestyle changes are temporary.
Dieting is a classic example. The diet that you do today will only pay off next week. Perhaps only in two weeks time. And if you haven't been consistent in your efforts you could be looking at three or four weeks before you see a result.
So how do you tell somebody that they need to follow this regime and then in six months time they'll finally see what they have been working towards. "Stop smoking now. Every day you will crave that cigarette and you will feel miserable and bitter and twisted and deprived. But don't worry because in six months time you will feel great."
Oh really?
Don't look at the result you are wanting in six months time. Look at the result you are wanting today. It doesn't have to be a big result. If you normally sit behind a desk the entire day and today you took the stairs instead of the elevator, then you have done well.
So the thing to do is to avoid the scale at all costs. Ignore the measure of your success and work towards the feeling of your success!
I lie in bed in the morning, before I open my eyes, and I take inventory of how I am feeling. I count the number of aches and pains, I test the flexibility of each joint and then I check to see if I still remember who and where I am. An ache or two less and yes I know who I am and I'm feeling great! Let tomorrow worry about itself and I'll take care of today.
And if that scale's not careful, I'll stand on it!

The Fruits of my Labours

The thing about going raw is that the whole instant gratification thing is forced to fly right out of the window. If you are one of those awe inspiring individuals who are totally up with delayed gratification and actually plan your life around exercising for 3 hours before the chocolate cake,  then there is no need for you to read further. However, if you are like me and now means RIGHT THIS BLOODY MINUTE, then you could probably do with a quick going over. Of this blog, I mean.
So this is particularly for the snackers. (Please note that I do know what is important and my priorities are clearly in the right place!) A raw food lifestyle lends itself to endless snacking and continuous munching without any problems.
But every now and then there comes a time when a banana is just not going to do it. If you are serious about being raw, this is the time to watch out for.  The day has been long, the kids have redefined Oxford's version of cranky, the cat is producing an entire range of furballs and your mother-in-law is at the door.
Because I know myself so well, I know that when comfort eating is an absolute necessity, a good raw fooder ( and a good raw fooder wannabee like me) will have a back up plan.
The advantages more than make up for the little bit of advance preparation which you will have to go through. Another highlight of the comfort snacks and sweets which I am showing you today, is that non-raw fooders love them as well. Which is great if you are pleased at how blithely your kids are wolfing them down, totally unaware of all the vitamins and goodness they are consuming, but it's another story altogether when it's your non-raw friends who are throwing them back. And believe me, they will! 

These are the Spicy Pumpkin Seeds I was bragging about earlier. They are unbelievably good and are particularly soul satisfying, which I find rather odd. I've always thought that sweet was the best soul soother. Pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan, which is a natural anti-depressant and so perhaps this explains the soothing qualitites of these Spicy Pumpkin Seeds.

I've always had a thing for chocolate and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that Chocolate Pumpkin Seeds would work. Bearing in mind that the chocolate is made up of a mixture of carob and dates and you are really astounded at how good these are. My kids, who are not raw foodies - yet - can't get enough of them and will choose them over real chocolate. I know, it's gobsmacking isn't it?

The thing about these snacks is that pumpkin seeds are so good for you! They've got enormous amounts of magnesium, they help lower cholestrol, they are a natural anti-inflammatory and Ladies, if your husband eats a few - you're the one who's getting the treat!

These are Apricot Almond Truffles. They are like little cakes with jam on top, except there is nothing remotely resembling flour, eggs, sugar, wheat, milk etc etc. These are totally raw and totally good for you. The truffle is a mixture of almonds, apple and various spices, while the jam is a mixture of apricots and dates.

With these snacks to resort to in times of need, you will stay on the straight and raw!

Stress Kills.

Stress kills. Unfortunately, it really does.

From heart attacks, diabetes and certain cancers to a myriad of psychosomatic illnesses, a close examination of personality type and lifestyle, will show an individual who is unable to cope with the various stressors in his or her life.

Like the finely tuned machines that they are, if we do not make changes to enable ourselves to deal with our stress, our bodies will.

The busy executive who won’t slow down long enough to smell the roses? Bang! A heart attack for you. The wife who turns a blind eye to her husband’s infidelities? A dose of cancer is just what you’ve ordered The mother who tries to be super mom, a career woman, a friend and a lover too – how about a side helping of depression?

Learning how to manage, cope and remove stress is not a simple process. Taking a pill can help initially, but for real and lasting relief you need to undergo a Lifestyle Assessment. However, that is another topic for another time.

Alleviating stress is not a single approach, rather it is a multi-pronged approach that will have the greatest benefit. In an ideal world we would quit the job we hate, start a regular exercise routine and never allow a glass of wine or that dreaded nicotine to ever cross our lips or lungs again! Yeah right. No doubt we will win the lotto next week too!

So for many of us the problem is that we are human. And fallible. So maybe we try. We tell ourselves that this week we’re going to go for a walk at least three times. We make it twice and then something happens. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. If you’re anything like me a little bit of rain will do it.  And then we stop trying because we have failed. But really, the only time we have actually failed is when we stop trying

 I believe that every little bit helps and regardless of whether your effort is directed at your diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes you are to be commended for making the effort!

So let me show you the effort I made today. All sorts of raw goodies! Because they are raw they contain no eggs, flour sugar or anything else that is toxic to your body and your emotions. They do contain a lot of love! This is what they look liked before going into the dehydrator – I’ll add pics of what they look like when they are ready for tummies!

These are pumpkin seeds which have been soaked and have been covered in a carob and date mixture. They are going into the dehydrator and when they come out they are going to be a chocolatey snack that kids and adults will love! And of course it is super healthy! The health benefits of pumpkin seeds are so vast that they should be a staple part of your daily diet. The chocolate disguises them beautifully!

These are definitely adults only! They are spicy, hot and will bite you!

These are Jam Bites. Totally raw cookies with a totally raw jam filling. They are absolutely delish!