Raw ReEvolution

Living well is living raw!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Day One of Patenaude's 21 Day Challenge

I am off the green cleanse for a total of 36 hours. Yesterday, I ate two regular, vegetarian meals and had a green smoothie of about 56 ounces for breakfast. I did my exercise and went to bed before 11pm. I was very tired.

My legs began to swell from my lymphedema and my afternoon was rough. I became a bear with the kids. I was undernourished and missing raw food.

I realize and this pains me...even though I know I have to go raw, that I must pick up the pace. I am now going to two raw meals per day for five days a week...STARTING TODAY. I am looking for RAW recipes that are quick, easy and high on flavor.

I can't go back to pain. Stepping up the RAW and picking up the pace are the name of the game today. I wish I wasn't so sad about it.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Post - Cleanse Report

Hey all,

I finished my Green Cleanse. During mid-week, I shifted from Plan B (green smoothies and raw fruits) to Plan C, two green smoothies a day, with whole foods for the third meal. Here are some figures to show that even doing what I did can be a significant improvement:

Before After
Weight
389.5 384.5
BMI
76.5 72.5
Saliva PH
7.6 7.2
Urine PH
6.0 6.6
Energy Level
1 4
Stress Level
9 6
Overall Health & Well Being
5 6
Satisfaction with life
2 5
Toxicity Score
161 94

Basically, I am closer to an alkaline state. I have lost some fat weight which will be more sustainable than water weight. I did not suffer hunger very much at all. I have improved on a variety of symptoms. My skin is clearer, my hair is softer, shinier and longer. The black circles under my eyes are going away.

I feel sexier and I have more stamina in all areas :) I can do more with my children and not need a nap.

Next step for me is Frederic Patenaude's 21 Day Challenge. It begins today. For the next three weeks I will do this each day:

1) Drink at least 32 oz of a green smoothie
2) exercise for ten minutes on the treadmill
3) Fall asleep before midnight!

As Victoria Boutenko, who spoke to us last night on Dr. Ritamarie's conference call - thanks Victoria and Dr. Ritamarie - things don't happen overnight. Good health is a process. Going from SAD (Standard American Diet) to RAD (Raw Awesome Diet) will take time. My next transition period really needs me to add support for this process. I am not going to be eating chips and pizza the rest of the day. The goal is for whole foods to be the majority of my diet when I'm not green smoothie drinking.

That, to me, is lean protein (preferably organic), lots of veggies and complex carbohydrates. No processed foods.

Progress, not perfection as the AA adage dictates.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

My Detox Symptoms

Over the past few days, I've felt:

sluggish
downright exhausted
weepy, tearful, fearful, hopeless & depressed
mad
a build up of acne
poopy but not really gassy

Gross, huh!

I've also had some phantom and real pain ... in all of my fibro points. Headaches from caffeine detox and...tingling in my hands especially when typing for a while.

I just want to cry right now. I know why I'm doing this and I know I've had good moments...yesterday, I felt pure joy and felt confident and like I could conquer the world. I've also lost almost ten pounds in four days. Yup!

In addition, I feel lighter and better overall. Underneath the toxicity, I know I am better, stronger and happier than I could ever have imagined years ago.

I'm ready for good health. I finally believe I deserve it so bring it on detox. I'm strong.

Green Cleanse

I got off the raw food wagon. Fell completely off and reconciled myself to a life without much raw. I had worked with an acupuncturist who thought it wouldn't work well with my body chemistry. Too damp or something. Then, I talked with a holistic nutritionist who...just by talking with me...decided that RAW wasn't the way to go for me. I needed more 'meat' she said.

Uh huh.

Then, I began to see an allergist who deals with hormone allergies. His treatment has been spot on on so many levels and he advocates a South Beach type of diet without cheese, tomatoes and so forth. I lost 17 lbs. in three weeks following his plan so I figured that he was onto something and decided that...well, I didn't have to go raw. I could escape it.

BWAHAHAHAHA (inject evil laugh here)

Truth is - that RAW has called me back. It doesn't matter what these people say. I know that I have to incorporate more RAW into my diet. It takes away the pain. It takes away the toxicity, which I know FIBRO is (see this ARTICLE if you don't believe me), and it takes away the mood swings. It makes me all the things I want to be.

I can't be scared of who I am meant to be any longer.

I was looking for a way to incorporate more RAW and jumpstart myself back into the movement (a double entendre, y'all if you've ever eaten RAW). I went away for the last few days of 2007 with my hubby and kids. We spent time at my in-laws and it was a freaky food fest. All the Standard American fare you could want...fried turkey, tamales, bunuelos (okay - Tex Mex fare), pasta, pizza, cookies (oh the cookies) and more that I just won't mention here as I feel sick thinking about it.

I partook of most of it, if not all. I felt gross. Sick. Bloated. Gaseous. Nauseous. Disgusting. Depressed. In pain. Exhausted.

Silently I prayed to be delivered. I contemplated the Master Cleanse. You know the Lemonade Flush. Eek!

But I didn't want to starve myself. My hypoglycemia makes me nuts if I do that. Besides, as a former actively practicing bulimic, who still struggles with the behavior from time to time, anything that isn't based on good solid nutrition IS NOT good for me.

I want health, not just weight loss. I know I need to lose a ton of weight. I began the the green cleanse, which I'll talk about a bit more below, at 389.5. I'm a biggun. Not as big as I used to be - I was once 441 - but big enough to scare small children. Seriously, you should see the way some of the kids at my children's elementary school stare at me.

When I got home, in my email inbox, was a note from Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, the Austin Health Coach. She was announcing a Green Cleanse. Immediately, I knew this was it for me.

Basically, the Green Cleanse requires you to drink Green Smoothies and Soups made with...greens, raw fruits and veggies. (Hey, it's not that bad). She bases a lot of the ideas on Victoria Boutenko's Green for Life and, of course, her own experience.

It's a detox process meant to rest the digestive tract and liver so you can improve your health. I'm in my fourth day - and sticking to the plan beautifully. I have moments of pure joy and clarity and spirituality. That's what I want all the time -- okay, most of the time. I know I can't have it all the time.

However, I'm also struggling with detox symptoms. My body is so nutty because i"m getting rid of the bad and putting in the good.