Our results of 1 month raw!

Monday was 6 weeks raw for Greg and I!! We're both thrilled, proud of ourselves & thanking God for blessing this journey!

We weighed in at the one month mark, I took my measurements & we took photos. But we didn't have internet at the time! So I guess I'll post those stats now. :o)

Greg released 24 pounds, I released 23 pounds, and 16 inches. Not bad for one month! Here are the photos, the left photo in each is taken 8/12/07 (the day before we went 100% raw) and then the new ones are on the right & were taken 9/13/07:


It's slightly embarrassing to post such specific details and pictures too. But I guess we are what we are, and we must own it. Besides, it won't be too long before we won't be this. Every day brings more progress! When Greg weighed on Saturday, he was down another 5 pounds! I had released 3!

We got a small dehydrator on Sunday, and we're excited about the possibilities that will bring! Like raw pizza, burgers, crackers, vegetable chips, etc. It was hard when we made yummy salsa for raw tacos, but then had no corn chips to dip in the leftover salsa! We were both missing the crunch of chips!

We had searched everywhere for the cheap style WITH a temperature control and couldn't find one anywhere but online. Then, after not being in WalMart for weeks, I saw one there while looking for a large tumbler to drink my smoothies out of! I never found a tumbler, but was thrilled to find the dehydrator! It wasn't there just a few weeks ago! And I got the only one without a damaged box. When I checked out, it rang up as marked down! What a blessing! I did NOT want to go to WalMart at all, and then this was waiting for me there! Yay! We made banana chips & apple chips, which were devoured by the kids in one sitting!

Greg's still struggling a lot more than I am though with cravings and negative thoughts. The irritability seems to have passed! But he misses his cooked food & wishes there was a balance between raw and cooked. I've done so much research and I know that for me, that balance doesn't exist. Maybe it does for some people, and that's really wonderful, and very healthy! But for me, it would be such a slippery slope. But then, I was truly addicted to the SAD foods, and Greg wouldn't really qualify as addicted. I could go weeks without a salad, and live off of fast foods. Greg always enjoyed fruit & would buy it all the time. He almost always ate a more balanced diet & didn't binge like me. He still got pretty overweight though because of eating out all the time & fast foods. Not to mention desserts! I was never balanced- I was either all about health, or all about junk. So, it's 100% raw for me from now on. Greg says he's convicted about it and committed to it. He just wishes it wasn't so difficult. So he's not giving up, and I'm so proud of him, really!

I haven't had much appetite lately and I haven't been eating much at all. Yesterday I didn't eat anything all day and never even had a drink of water! I know this isn't good. I must get some calories, even when I don't feel like it. At least, I think so. Part of me wants to follow my body's cues, but I also want to get my calories and have more energy! But I must drink! What was I thinking? I didn't even realize it until around 7:30 pm or so!

I've been so tired and I'm ready to get that energy I need! I could sleep all day if I could find a way to! I keep waiting for that to pass, but no improvement yet. Perhaps it's detox? Greg has more energy than me, but he eats a lot more fruit. I suppose I should too, although it's not appetizing to me. I don't know why! I typically stick to having green smoothies, vegetables like celery, and a few nuts/seeds.

We're both feeling good though & I'm happy to not have any cravings yet. Now I need to get started on a raw pizza to make Greg happy! He thinks the dehydrator is the missing link in our raw food adventure! So, I need to master this new appliance!

Not feeling well

I realized I hadn't posted in a bit when a friend mentioned it. I suppose that's because I haven't been feeling well. Word to the wise- chew your raw almonds very carefully! I didn't, and a jagged piece got stuck in my throat Friday night. I never thought such a small thing could wreak such havoc on a body! My throat was swollen and raw for days! The glands in my throat were swollen. Everything I tried to eat, like cantaloupe or green smoothies felt like acid to my throat. I ate watermelon Sunday, and that's all. It was only thing I could eat without severe pain. Monday I was out of watermelon so I didn't eat at all, same thing Tuesday until dinner. I had to chew 3 times as much as normal to get down my celery, carrots & raw humus. Yesterday was fine, still swollen glands, but I could drink my green smoothie. Today, it hurts all over again. I just realized I haven't eaten today because of it. Man, it hurts!!!!

Greg's been feeling irritable for last week or so. He misses cooked foods. He also has lots of cravings, which I seem to have been spared (at least for now). Neither of us has wavered from our 100% raw commitment during the tough times though. I'm so proud of Greg. He's really sticking to it even though he doesn't feel very positively about it right now. I'm praying he can get a more positive perspective, only because your thoughts play such an important role in your success. It could be some detox as well though, and either way, I'm praying it passes soon for him.

I forgot to mention how we cleaned out our pantry, fridge & freezer the first week of going raw. We carried two brown paper grocery bags and one or two plastic ones to my sister's house. I don't even know how much money it all cost! I felt bad about getting rid of it all, but the money wasn't why. It's cause I'm so aware that it's not going to do them any good either, you know?

I love having a clean pantry. I also reorganized my cabinets, and that felt so good!

So, I'm going to grab some more water. Oh my throat! I don't want to see an almond again for a while! ;o)

Life is good!

So it's 2 weeks today! Neither of us has slipped up, even once! Greg did choose to have regular olives. It wasn't cheating, he thought about it & really felt like it wasn't that bad. He said as soon as we can find raw olives, he'll have those instead. And he really didn't eat many at all. He has a lot of temptation in his day to day life. Even more than I do. I'm SO proud of him for staying committed.

The kids aren't 100% when they leave our home. But they are here at home, and they've handled the transition really well. No one would know such major changes have been made! they really took it in stride! The only time they haven't been 100% was at church!

Greg & I made salsa this weekend and I attempted to make guacamole. The salsa turned out great! ;o) We had it with dehydrated flax crackers! I did eat the guacamole, but it wasn't so good. We'll be trying to make corn chips ourselves by dehydrating them in the oven on warm. It'll take a very long time! But I think a dehydrator would as well. Buying dehydrated crackers is very expensive! Hopefully, our attempt will be successful!

We both have had cravings during the last week, Greg more than I. But, we've pushed through.

Friday night was date night and we went to the "local" raw restaurant! Yummy! We were so happy! The food was yummy, the atmosphere was delightful, and we just really enjoyed the entire experience! It was worth the 45 min drive to get there! We hope to again next month as well! This was the first time we've gone to a restaurant since going raw. We have no plans to go to any other ones either. We always ate out before. We spent way too much money on it actually. We're saving money there and spending it on all this produce, raw nuts, and seeds! Once you go raw, and realize that at a normal restaurant you would usually get a salad (and have to bring your own dressing)- you realize how much your really paying for that salad, when you have those ingredients, or better, in the fridge! It's pointless! We'll go for social reasons, if we need to hang out with friends, but that rarely happens. This once a month date night to the raw restaurant will be all we need, I think! But back to the point, the food was incredible there, and it really inspired me!

Oh, we weighed in Saturday morning and Greg lost 6 more pounds! I lost 3 more! Hmm, a month ago I thought that would've been at the top of a post! It just seems like a really awesome side effect though- not the point of this! We're feeling terrific! God has really been blessing this process. Obedience to Him feels wonderful, and peaceful. I wish we hadn't waited so long to do it.

Rejoice!

So this is day 8 on the raw journey, and we're feeling really great! We've noticed positive health changes, subtle, but undeniable. We have more energy too! We've both lost 9 pounds, and we've seen great behavior changes in our 5 year old. I thought she was a terrific kid to begin with, but without all the SAD foods in her diet, she's even more amazing! Who knew?!

Greg's excited about the entire process and can't believe how simple it's been! I am too, but it's so neat to know he feels this way, when he's been a meat & potatoes guy since toddler-hood!. I think God has really blessed us for finally being obedient to the conviction he put on my heart. This week has gone so smoothly for such a sudden and extreme transition!

I don't have a raw un-cook book yet, so I'm limited to some recipes on the internet. We've mainly been eating fruits, salads & green smoothies. The most adventurous I've been is in making my own salad dressings, since those have to be raw as well. That's gone pretty good! But I cannot wait to get a great book, so we can have some variety! A Vita-Mix would be superb, we need to save our pennies!!

Greg really wants something crisp, like a cracker or tortilla chip! I know we can do that, I just have to get all the ingredients together. Doesn't seem like one store has all we need! We don't have a dehydrator, but I'm hoping we can make the oven work on the warm setting even with the door cracked? We bought so many tomatoes, and we'd love to make salsa, but I want to dip something other than celery in it! LOL!

This weekend was adventurous! We went to 2 new stores we'd never gone too before, and a farmers market we'd never explored. It was really neat, and we all enjoyed it! And we never needed to go out to eat! We packed celery and carrots for lunch, and also had a couple Lara bars to share between the 4 of us. With that and plenty of water, we were set! And it was lovely!!!

I'm looking forward to this week!

Please allow me to introduce myself...

I'm Resa, and I'm so glad to be here. I'm not a great writer, and I'm a newbie to blogging, but I hope this blog at least helps me too see the progression my family makes on this journey, and it'll give me space to put my thoughts! After all, I'm much more than just raw! I want to have a place to express everything I am, and all that I'm going through!

I wanted to start by sort of putting it all out there. The thoughts I'm having right now as we start this journey. About what's led me here & what I've gone through. I know I'll have more stuff to deal with as time goes by, but for now, if it's on my mind, I want it to be put out here. That way it's not only in my head! And it doesn't trickle out over the next few weeks! So, I hope I don't spill my guts too much for an initial blog entry. But perhaps if I get it all out there, I can move forward easier. This is where I'm coming from after all.

So, I'm 32 years old, and on Monday I weighed in at 269 pounds. My hubby is Greg, he's 35 and weighed in at 240. We have 2 daughters, ages 5 and 2. Greg and I went 100% raw overnight, we started on Monday, 8/13/07. So this is day 5! Our girls went about 98% raw starting Monday. As far as cooked, they've only had a slice of cheese each day. And they know that we're not buying anymore of that. We don't want to be too strict with them, they're kids. I know they'll have snacks with friends and stuff. I don't want them to feel weird at play dates. But we home school, so most of the food they eat is right here, and that's raw now! I do want them to know what true health feels like, so they can make the right choices for themselves! So, we're a raw family in a cooked world! It's not going to be easy, but we're not looking back!

I've been researching and learning about raw since May of last year. That's over 14 months! I knew right away that it was right for me. God immediately put in on my heart that this was the way I was supposed to live. I actually remember a specific moment about 2 months after learning what raw was, when He made it very clear to me. I was driving home from Dairy Queen, and I was waiting at red light half way home. Suddenly I felt, very strongly, not like a voice speaking to me, but almost- a very clear statement. That eating this way was a sin. Maybe not for anyone else, but it was for me. That I was either doing it God's way, or the other guy's way. Period. But, I struggled to be obedient to that. I was addicted to junk foods, and to SAD (Standard American Diet) foods in general. I would've denied it before, but realizing the changes I needed to make, made me realize just how addicted I was. I did several "fasts" (not true 'water' fasts) during the last year, but never raw. Just veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts, but sometimes cooked. I'm much better at fasting than normal eating. That's why we went 100% raw overnight. If I have any SAD food at all, I go off the deep end.

On January first of this year, I decided to go 100% raw, starting with a green smoothie cleanse. I went 4 days into the cleanse, and then found out I was pregnant. We were overjoyed! I ended the cleanse, but stayed about 90% raw, having 1 or 2 green smoothies a day. On January 19th, 6 weeks along, I had a miscarriage. It's the first one I ever experienced and it just knocked the wind out of me. I was so heartbroken. We never saw a baby, no one knows how far along that pregnancy developed. But that didn't matter to us. I literally ate my emotions, practically binging, just having no regard for my health. The knowledge of that revelation I had the summer before, that eating this way was a sin for me, made matters even worse. I felt guilty on top of all the sadness.

Over the next 6 months, I tried to eat healthier, but never attempted go raw. I had some "female issues" with periods lasting 30 days! In June I went to an OB to try and figure out what was going on with the extra long periods. And I found out I was newly pregnant!!! Because of the last miscarriage, they sent me for blood work and ultrasounds. All the labs looked great! We saw a heartbeat a week or two later! Then, on July 8th, 7 weeks along, it happened again, another miscarriage. This time was even harder because we had seen that heartbeat. We knew there was a baby.

So, for the past month, I've been struggling. Emotionally and spiritually. I refuse to eat badly in response to it though. That path just led to more misery. You know, I ate so healthy when pregnant. It's like knowing that there's life inside me gave me this incentive to put aside my SAD addiction and eat rationally! It confuses me that just my own health isn't worth that much to me! And I have two daughters who need me to be healthy. I haven't figured out why it doesn't seem the same to me, I just decided not to do it anymore. I'm done with that lifestyle.

I know this is my first day blogging, and I don't want to turn anyone off because of my spirituality, but I have to be true to who I am. I believe in God, and I'm a Christian. I'm a very spiritual person. My relationship with Him is the center of my existence! So, going through all of this really made me question a lot of things, and a lot of it, I just don't have answers for. I know I trust Him though.

I also know that back in May of last year, when I first realized there was a raw vegan lifestyle, He put it in my heart that I should be raw. He presented it to me again and again after that. Seriously- I would pray for solutions to these issues I was having, and I would have the raw vegan lifestyle put in my face each time! All the while, I disobeyed Him and chose to keep living the way I had been. I didn't want to sacrifice all the foods I loved, I didn't want to be different. I'm already known as the odd one for all the natural living type choices we make, and the opinions I have. I didn't want to be this extreme! I wanted to be able to just blend in on this one! It was put on my heart over and over that we should make this change. I just acted like a little child, kicking and insisting "But, I don't WANNA!"

Now, I'm not saying at all that God punished me with these miscarriages. But I do wonder if maybe I had listened to Him, they wouldn't have happened. The OB's think I might have a polyp in my uterus. And it certainly wasn't there before. When I had my 2 yr old I had a bazillion ultrasounds because of her position. We had the most high tech machines available. They would've seen a polyp. The doctors say they just show up, and no one's sure why. I can guess though, that if it wasn't there last summer, and I had gone raw when I was prompted too, that it probably never would've developed. Polyps have sometimes caused an increased risk of miscarriage.

I kind of feel like Bruce, in Bruce Almighty. Remember when he's driving toward the bridge and he's praying saying something about please God just give me a sign? Then a construction type of truck pulls out in front of him with all the road signs in the back that say stop, turn back, danger ahead, etc. But Bruce doesn't get it. I wonder if that was me. And then here I am, so heartbroken about my loss, and He might have been trying to show me how to avoid this back then.

Don't get me wrong, I have way too much faith to be depressed. I'm not beating myself up, etc. I'm not blaming myself, so to speak, and I'm not blaming God either. I'm just saying that I think I've learned, maybe, how to listen to Him a little more closely. Perhaps how to recognize His voice, as opposed to thinking it's a crazy idea of mine. And also, that obedience to Him is usually in my best interest. So, I'm listening. I'm obeying. I'm a little late, with a little more heartache inside, but a little more wisdom as well. I'm here. And I'm 100% raw!!!