Deborah

I will be in Indiana until next Wednesday. 

Day 12 - Deborah

Oatmeal for breakfast with apple.  Then went to the doctor who told me my blood pressure was up and put me on medicine!  Sat at Costco's for 2 hours waiting on my prescription to be filled.  Almost lost it.  The only reason why I didn't lose it is because I bought The Girl Who Played with Fire and was totally engrossed.

Nothing for lunch.

Salad and grilled chicken for dinner. 

I have found a new series of books that I am consumed by:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (excellent!
The Girl who Played with Fire (halfway thru)
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I figured out how Charlotte is losing so much so fast.  She is simply not eating.

I think I will try that.

Day 12 - Charlotte

Day 12
I think it is Wednesday and it is Tuesday.  Forgot to pay the housekeeper.

Breakfast: Cooked oatmeal with raisins and almonds and 1/2 cup of coffee (my Starbucks dinner from the night before, water

Lunch:

Dinner:

Day 11 - Charlotte

I think it is Day 11, not sure. 

Breakfast:  I got up and had some water and a banana. 

When to Home Depot looking for tile then back home when I was told it was Monday and I was suppose to be at work!!!  Not good. 

Lunch:  I was so late getting to work at 2PM, that I did not eat lunch.

Dinner:  Looking for tile again, stopped and got a starbucks coffee and oatmeal.  Did not eat the oatmeal and had dinner with a friend of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella with salt/pepper and raw cauliflower and water. Spent the rest of the night painting a boot for a fund raising event. 

I think my mind is being affected by all this raw food.  Not sure if I am eating organic, could be I am getting too much pesticides and such.

Day 11 Monday - Deborah

Breakfast was oatmeal with herbal tea.  Plan on eating salad for lunch and salad for dinner with a few left over ribs. 

I on the other hand have not lost a pound.  It is depressing.  Especially since I am spending 6 days in Indianapolis later this week.  The national past time in Indianapolis is eating.

 

Day 10 - Sunday - Deborah

We had oatmeal with fresh peaches for breakfast.  Water for lunch.
Dinner was homemade salsa, guacamole, grilled corn and babyback ribs.  Yeah!!! 

SUN - Day 10 - Charlotte

Breakfast - Banana and water

Lunch - apple and peanut butter

Dinner -  Cannot remember what I ate or what day it is......... this is not good.

SAT - Day 10 - Charlotte

Got on the scales and lost 10 pounds as of today.  I feel better but wish my stomach would start to get smaller.
Breakfast - Banana and water - late for an art critique

Lunch - Spinach salad with red onions and tomatoes and just a smidge of goat cheese

Dinner - Jicama with cilantro and lime squeezed plus lots and lots of water

Fri Day 9 - Charlotte

Although I am losing weight and my stomach feels so much better and no acid reflux I feel I am missing something so I am asking my husband to take me out to dinner tonight

Breakfast - Banana and water

Lunch - french fries and water (yes I am slipping)

Dinner - Fresh salad greens, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and advocado with lime squeezed over it and grilled cod.  Yum. I really needed that.  And a drink with lots and lots of water.

Day 8 or 9 - Deborah - I forget which it is

Yesterday, I blew up like a balloon again after having a fruit smoothie for breakfast, carrots and raw almonds for lunch.  I bought a salad from Trader Joes for dinner but was afraid to eat for fear that I would blow away.  So we had a Class at my house and everyone who came over was starving.  We called Sylvia and asked her to bring something to eat.  Bob had cooked broiled chicken breast and steamed broccoli which is my favorite meal.  I had planned to sneak in the kitchen later and eat some.  But, much to my chagrin, Bob ate it all!  So Sylvia brought pizza.  I ate pizza.  Lots and lots of pizza. 

And guess what?  All stomach problems disappeared!  I was in heaven.

So I talked to several vegetarians who came over and they were telling me that not everyone is cut out to eat Raw.  Which I gladly clung to since I was having so many stomach problems.  AND not losing any weight.  Which I really don't understand.  Someone told me that the body processed fruits and vegetables differently than other food and you didn't have to count calories.

I have found out differently. 

So, I went to a dietitian today and talked to her for an hour.  She reinforced my thoughts that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.  It's a numbers game.  Which I understand very well.  You put so many calorie numbers in....and you work off so many calories.  The sum total of that number is subtracted from your resting metabolism.  If you have too many left, you gain weight.  If you have less left, you lose weight.

Now, I went on this Raw Diet to be more healthy (with the many testimonials of people that I would lose weight in the process).  Not true for me.  Plus I have been having horrific stomach problems.  So, that in itself, would leave you to believe it can't be that healthy for me if my body is rejecting it.

My dietitian told me I was eating way too much fruit (in my smoothies) and too many high carbohydrate count vegetables.  My body needs a higher level of protein to function smoothly.  Now I believe this because whenever I eat a diet largely consisting of meat, my stomach never bothered me.

So, I am going off raw.

I plan to eat clean though.   My perfect day is as follows:

Breakfast:  Steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and coffee.
Lunch:  Big Salad
Dinner:  Grilled meat of some kind, raw salad and cooked vegetables.

Sorry,Charlotte, but I guess I just couldn't make the cut.

Day 8 - Charlotte

Last night was the first night in long time that I slept the entire night without waking up.  Yea!!!!!
I got on the scale and lost 7 pounds.  Yea!!!!!!!!

This morning my papaya was rotten..... so I set it outside in the garden for the butterflies.

Breakfast - Green Smoothie
                  2 pears
                  1 banana
                  1 tsp of Barlean's Greens  powder
                  1 cup of Almond Milk

Lunch - Nothing but water

Dinner - Salad of artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, tomatoes and a little shredded mozzarella (not raw but needed some substance

Joined a Zoomba class although they are not dancing zoomba they are doing Biance

Day 7 - Deborah

Yesterday, I went to the Sawdust Festival and got my mind off fasting.  We had a great time surrounded by Art.  I came off my fast last night with a wonderful fresh green salad with red onions, peppers and tomatoes topped with my avocado/cilantro dressing. 

Today, I am back on Raw and I feel so much better for doing the cleanse.  I feel light and have no more stomach problems. 

Menu for the day:

Breakfast:  Peach/Plum/Bananna Smoothie with Almond Milk
Lunch:  Green Salad with red onions, peppers and tomatoes
Dinner:  Fresh Green Salad with green onions, red peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes w/Ginger Dressing

I am going to try Maca as it is reported to regulate body temperature, give you energy (not that I need that) and be a good women's supplement as a whole:  http://www.macaroot.com/

I also have been getting very interested in the whole green thing:  http://www.believeingreen.com/bigidea

Next Saturday, I am volunteering to help with the Youth Sailing Program in LA.  The program teaches inner city teenagers to sail over several months.  As a volunteer, I will work with the teenagers onboard while I  learn how to sail, also.  Check it Out.  http://www.lamitopsail.org/

Day 7 - Charlotte

Day 7 (Wednesday) and only 23 days remaining

Breakfast:  2 peaches and a glass of milk

Lunch:  Green Salad of lettuce and tomatoes, water

Dinner:  2 apples sliced with almond butter, yum!

Day 6 - Charlotte

Day 6 and only 24 days to go

Breakfast was a smoothie of watermelon and peaches with maca powder
Lunch was a salad of green lettuce and spinach, pecans, dried cranberries, apples
Snack of almonds
Dinner was watermelon and bananas
Water, water, water

I will tell you that unless you are willing to spend the time to research recipes and stock your pantry or fridge with raw foods, this is a hard diet to follow in American standards, where flour products chemical laced products are in abundance.   Even the salads you get at the fast food joints are sprayed with chemical to keep them from turning brown and the dressings are full of chemicals.

Day 5 - Charlotte

Breakfast: Got up late and the dog was sick, so drank water on the way to work.

Lunch:  Schlosky's Garden Salad, lots of greens and tomatoes, pretty good when you are hungry.

Dinner:  Green Salad with olives, tomatoes, ginger, radishes and hicama, water

Off to finish my commission art and make a grocery list for the remainder of this week.  The one thing this has taught me is that is not easy, just because it is easier to reach in and grab junk food out of the fridge or pantry.  It takes a lot of planning and shopping ahead of time in order to stay focused.  I am not use to this, I normally grab coffee and crackers and that is it until nighttime and then it is the fast food chain.

Day 5 - Deborah

Planning on doing the Master Cleanse today also. I am still fully committed to eating raw. The Master Cleanse is raw lemons and water and I believe this will help me digest the vegetables when I go back to eating Raw on Day 6. This site gives you a good understanding of what the cleanse can accomplish. http://themastercleanserecipe.org/

I believe this is what happened to me:   "The raw food lifestyle is in no way about being perfect. It’s all about individual progression – no two of us have the same body or lifestyle. If you’re new to raw, it’s so easy to get so excited, yet so overwhelmed with all the new information. I highly discourage going from a standard diet to 100% raw overnight. Besides setting yourself for disappointment and failure, your body will most likely go into a detox shock mode you may not be prepared for. Few people have had success with the all or nothing approach and I applaud them. Read a lot…there’s a wealth of information out there, online and at bookstores. Take it day by day with baby steps and always listen to your body!"

As far as Wine goes, I found this:    http://www.theorganicwinecompany.com/
As a general rule, alcohol isn’t raw except for wine and sake because they’re fermented, not cooked, at very low temperatures. But we should be mindful of the source and choose organic, biodynamic and sustainable products. A lot of wineries use animal-based resins for the filtration process and produce waste that results in polluting the environment.

Sunshine of Your Love Drink:   

2 oranges, peeled and seeded

3 - 4 carrots
1 apple
small knob of ginger
1 lemon, peeled

Push all ingredients through a juice or blender. The main benefits of this juice include revitalization of the body, good for cold and glowing skin. Beauticians usually prescribe this juice because of its extremely good effects on the skin. But the benefits are not limited to the skin. It has a cleansing and boosting effect to the whole body.

For a good basic Green Smoothie - Blend the following ingredients:

2 bananas, broken into pieces
1 peach, sliced or chopped
1 handful blueberries or strawberries
1 or 2 handfuls dark leafy spinach greens

Put all of the ingredients in your blender starting with the bananas and other fruits, followed by the greens on top. Add a cup of water or more as needed to get it to blend well. Blend until smooth.

You'll be surprised by how good it tastes!   See you tomorrow!

Master Cleanse

Days 1 through 10 (and Beyond):
■In the morning before drinking any lemonade, drink a quart of salt water (remain near a toilet).

■During the day drink 6 to 12 glasses of the Master Cleanse lemonade concoction. The lower number of 6 glasses is recommended for those seeking weight loss. The higher number is fine for those interested mostly in detoxification.

■In the evening drink some herbal laxative tea.

■You may experience dizziness, vomiting, joint pain, and weakness. You will also be really hungry. After several days many Master Cleanse dieters report entering a state of bliss that is either the result of the continuing elimination of toxins, or else a state similar to the tranquil experience that people who are starving to death have shortly before dying.

I will be BEGGING to get back to the RAW FOOD DIET!!

Day 4 - Deborah

Yesterday was a BIG MISTAKE!  Apparently the body does not like to eat clean for 2 days and then terribly the next.  Spent the night throwing up.  Feeling pretty horrible today so I am doing the Master Cleanse for 2 days to get back on track.  The Master Cleanse is Lemonade with Cayenne.  Supposed to cleanse the body good.  We will see.

This eating healthy stuff is not easy.  You'd think it would be easy.  Why isn't it easy?  

If I could just get my brain to shut up it would be great.

I read somewhere that you can do anything for 3 weeks and it becomes a new habit.  Please, Lord, let me make it 3 weeks!

Day 4 - Charlotte

Day 4 and I have gotten back on track.
Breakfast:
Yes, I am addicted to the fresh peaches and raw milk that I have bought.  I am not sure why but cottage cheese is very upsetting to my stomach but raw milk is not.  I will have to research why.

Now Debbie says RAW MILK is cheating on the diet but her WINE is not!!!  I don't think so.!

Smoothie of fresh peaches, raw milk, and some ice chips.  It is so good and makes enough for 2 large glasses.

I looked up the farm where the raw milk came from and check out their link. Very interesting and just a short drive from my home.

http://www.moojesus.com/

Lunch:
Oh I see my sister is trying the NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE.  It's a RAW FOOD DIET, not let's see how close to DEATH we can get!  Although I know she feels that way.  She is convinced she is allergic to vegetables.

Todays Lunch Salad

Spinach   (whole baby spinach leaves)            
Greens  (torn lettuce)
Corn (cut off the cobb)
Squash (shredded)
red onion (chopped)
tomato (chopped)
radish (sliced)
Braggs Ginger/Sesame Dressing

A large glass of water.  The water is the hardest thing for me to get down.



Day 4 Dinner
I decided on a nice smoothie of cantalope and almond milk.  It really did fill me up quickly and I did not finish it. So this might be my breakfast for tomorrow.

Now my husband, the carnivore had a different dinner, see below.  You would think that he would be a very large man; not so.  He is very fit and trim and works out 2 hours every day so he can eat like this.  The outside of him is very fit but not so sure about the inside.  I do give him Reiki a lot. Sometimes I just stand behind him where he does not see me and give him Reiki.


Now I had to drink this while the aroma of fried chicken was wafting in the air; and I LOVE Fried Chicken.

This diet might change the fact that I LOVE FRIED CHICKEN!


While reviewing my meals from Day 1 to Day 4, I see a trend of sweet fruit as the majority of my meals. I will have to change that or my blood sugar will be spiking the charts.

Day 3 - Deborah

I am my Daddy's Little Girl - I have his genes.  He liked to work hard and have a good time.   Today, I am giving myself the day off to go and do just that.  We are spending the day at The Taste of San Pedro.   Yeeaaaaaa!!!!

Tomorrow I will resume eating RAW.,

Day - 3 Charlotte

Day 3 is here and I bravely stepped on the scales.  Lost 4 pounds and I am convinced it must be fluid from all the preservatives and hormones in the foods from my regular diet getting washed out.  I have stocked my fridge from the farmers market this morning with pears, peaches, watermelon, squash, onions, and raw milk.

Breakfast:
Smoothie of white watermelon peaches and almond milk and a touch of raw agave honey.
Excellent breakfast and I feel so refreshed inside.  No acid reflux in days, no burning stomach since I started on this diet so the health aspects are really working and the weight loss isn't bad either.  I've decided to stick to fruits in the mornings and veggies later in the day.  I read the ingredient package of those little cheese crackers and one of the ingredients is sodium bicarbonate....now that should tell you something; just an observation.  I slept well last night and only woke up once during the night.  I am wondering if my sleep or lack thereof will be affected by this new diet.

Lunch:
After a morning of trimming the rambling rose bush in the garden and sweating a LOT, I had a wonderful lunch of peaches, cream (raw whole milk) and raw granola.... It is so refreshing!  Today is a wonderful day at home, not many of those, and I am just piddling around the house, doing reiki on myself, and meditating, painting, and having a day of peace.

Dinner:
OMG---- I really botched it tonight.  What got into me I do not know.
I ate cottage cheese with my fresh peaches and I am doubled over in pain, my stomach burns so bad and I am belching and farting and I feel horrible!  God, help me make it through the night..... where's the laxatives!

I thought since it was organic cottage cheese, the kind everyone recommends, that it would be fine.  That is what I get for trying to sneak off the diet!  I hope I make it through the night.  BAD BAD BAD

I AM SO HAPPY!!!!

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT WINE IS RAW!!!!

Day 2 - Charlotte

Today has been a little rough.  I am not so creative as my sister but I am getting better.
I started out the day with a watermelon/peach/plum smoothie, it was really good and took it to work and added a teaspoon of Maca Powder for energy, then it really stunk!  I drank it holding my nose because that was all I had to eat.  That sucked.

Lunch was nuts and water and running errands for work and picking up tonight's dinner at the store.

I came home from work with my bag full of veggies and plopped them down on the counter and I really could have thrown those babies in the skillet with a nice big fat rib eye.  I miss my meat.

This is only day 2 and I am wanting red juicy MEAT!

I was good and had my salad of greens, corn, squash and a red bell pepper and a red onion with the Braggs Ginger Dressing, which I might add is really good.  I had a huge salad and could not eat it all.

Tomorrow is Farmer's Market Day and I will be stocking up on some good food!  I can't wait to see what they have.  If I can make it past 3 days, I think I will be doing good.

I miss my coffee
I miss my tea
I miss my MEAT!!!
I 'm not about to get on the scale because if it does not read right, everything will be down the drain. But then again, it's not about the weight, it's about being healthy and more conscious of what I put in my body.  Yea, yea, yea.......

Day 2 - Deborah

I stepped on the scales this morning and was down 2 pounds!  Do you know how amazing that is?

Menu for Day 2:

Breakfast:  Strawberry/Banana/Plum Smoothie with Apple Cider Vinegar & Almond Milk
Snack:     Raw Granola and Almond Milk
Lunch:   Big Raw Salad (dark green lettuce, yellow squash, zucchini, anaheim pepper, orange bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions) with Avocado Dressing (julienne everything and mix)
Snack:   Carrots/Almonds
Dinner:  Big Raw Salad with Raw Ginger Vinaigrette (Braggs Raw Salad Dressing)
Night:  Psyllium Seeds and Water (one tablesppon in full glass of water) for digestion

Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar:


•Rich in enzymes & potassium
•Support a healthy immune system
•Helps control weight
•Promotes digestion & ph Balance
•Helps soothe dry throats
•Helps remove body sludge toxins
•Helps maintain healthy skin
•Helps promote youthful, healthy bodies
•Soothes irritated skin
•Relieves muscle pain from exercise

I took one sip of the Strawberry/Bananna Smoothie and was instantly transported to heaven!

I had some big questions floating around in my head yesterday and passed them on to my friend Rebecca,  the Raw Food Coach of Magic Carpet Cuisine, and she gave me some wonderful answers.
 
"it is possible to gain weight on a raw diet however that usually happens if someone is on the thin side. The best advice I can give you is to be open to your body and listen to the messages it is sending you. We can get cut off from that and your body is an amazing nutritional counselor. Listen to your cravings, there are healthy versions of EVERY craving. If you get stomach upset, feel bloated... listen to that signal".

She reminded me to listen to my body and honor what it is telling me.  If I am bloated, I have old toxins in my body and I need to cleanse.  If I am hungry, eat.  Drinnk lots of water, exercise and Love your Tummy!"

I can't tell you how comforting those words were on the first day of eating raw.  We love you, Rebecca!

I mean, you can actually convince yourself mentally that you are dying when, in reality, you are merely getting healthy. 
Walked for an hour today on the beach, it was absolutely beautiful! 

End of Day 2 and I forgot the Psyllim Seeds and my stomach has swollen to the size of a beach ball.  If I trip I can bounce all the way home!

BUT - I know I will feel better tomorrow.

Day 1 - Charlotte

OK, since this is new to me, I did not know what do to for breakfast so I got dressed and went to work.  No breakfast today.  Coffee, is coffee raw food? I have some research to do.  I guess I have to have something today so I spent lunchtime in SunHarvest shopping for raw foods...... ok, there is a peach, a banana, and some almonds, and oh...there is a spinach strawberry salad.  Whoopee!  I wonder if there is a food allotment on this diet because I could eat all of this right now?  Oh well, ate the spinach salad, the banana, and some almonds and a bottle of water..........now what?  I am in no way satisfied.  Hmmm.... I will definately have to learn to get creative about this food thing.  I still have my peach and that will be my 3:00 snack today.  Dinner looms in the horizon and I don't know what to do.  An apple sounds good.  We will see how it goes this evening....maybe I can meditate my hunger away. 

If someone told me to come up with ingredients for a painting, now that I could do in 5 minutes and it would be fun!  I thought I read that new projects should be started with the new moon.  I think we are on the half moon right now, I wonder if that is going to affect my progress? 

Thank God for my sister, I see she is posting good stuff below!!!!

My dear sweet husband called me at work today to ask me what I was doing for dinner because the Club was having the best meatloaf he has ever had, ever and he was bringing some home for him and Bo (my brother), thank you for taunting me at work dear.

Dinner consisted of spinach salad with an apple and pear and 3 radishes cut up.  It was quite tasty and satisfying and I actually feel refreshed and happy.  P.S. the penny is on the wall for an hour now.... whoopee!!  There is nothing better than seeing results and feeling good about yourself, I must say.  So I am off for outdoor sunshine and fresh air and then back to the studio to work on some commissions.
I feel good.

Day 1 - Deborah

Thinking about the day's menu, I have found this salad dressing online.  Planning on making a batch for my raw salads today.  Though I read an intriguing Tahini Dressing which I will have to go back and find.

Juice of two lemons (put this in first for liquid)
1 bunch of cilantro
4 cloves of garlic
1 to 2 Serrano peppers
1- 1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt: adjust if needed
2 ripe avocados
Blend adding water if needed
Pour over salad and toss well

I plan to go to a Raw Foods Store today (is there such a thing?)  Lot's of research to do.  I have to admit, I am so used to mindless eating that this will definitely be an exercise for me.  I just got off a year of Jenny Craig.  And, although I lost weight and learned portion control, I was eating a lot of chemicals from packaged foods.  So I should be going through some gnarly detox.  

My menu plan for today:

Breakfast:  Dark Plums, Almond Milk and GoRaw Live Granola
Snack:       Peaches
Lunch:       Green Smoothie (spinach, kale, watermelon, blueberries, tomatoes, apple cider, Cinnamon and cayenne pepper)  Kale is FREAKY!
Snack:       Apple and GoRaw Sunflower Flax Snax
Dinner:      Big Salad with Avocado Dressing above

Check out my friend's website who is a Raw Foods coach:
http://www.magiccarpetcuisine.com/
www.naturalnews.tv/CreativeChef
http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/

I will be reporting on the emotional aspects of the diet below:

Well it's 2:30pm and I am actually full and hungry at the same time.  I did a full hour of Kundalini Yoga which totally relaxed me but am on the hunt for (something) to eat.  Maybe I'll try the oatmeal recipe on The Best of Raw Food site.  That sounds yummie!  By the way.....I wonder how much food you CAN eat on the Raw Food Diet.  I mean, can you actually GAIN weight on fruits and veggies?  I surely hope not. Because I am hungry.

I ate a bananna and drank water and was fine.  I went for one of my marathon walks at the beach to get my mind off of it.  I believe I will be completely satisfied tonight and glad that I was able to stick with ONE DAY OF EATING RAW!!!!

Charlotte Pre-Adventure

The hardest part of going on this new adventure for me is actually telling my husband instead of pushing food around on my plate pretending to eat his dinner, then lowering it for the dog to eat.  If she doesn't eat it, then try to sneak it to the garbage disposal.  I am pretty sure of myself he will not be reading this blog.  So tonight will be confession night for me, telling my meat eating husband he does not have to cook for me (he is retired and I am not).  My pre diet consisted of Alberqurke Turkey Schlosky's and a dinner of chili hot dog with chips and water.   I actually told my husband that I am going on a Raw Food Diet for 30 days and his response is, "what!, I'm not eating raw food!".  No, not you, dear one, ME.  I am going on a Raw Food Diet.  So his eyes glazed over and back to the Astros game...... (I guess I should add, that means you do not have to cook dinner for me just to be on the safe side).......CC

New Adventure

Two sisters, Charlotte and Deborah, were so inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia" that we decided to go RAW for one month and write a blog about our progress daily. So today is a day of mental preparation for ourselves and also for our significant others.

You would think we were going on a really long journey and, in a way we are.  Just thinking of upsetting the daily dinner ritual is daunting in itself.  Questions on what to eat for dinner are suddenly gone!  What do you want to eat tonight?  Which meat should I defrost?  What seasonings should we use?  What side dishes go with it?  Do you want it broiled or grilled?  Do you want it mixed with the vegetables and/or rice?  Or separate?  Do you want it rare or rare?  What will we talk about?  And what will I do with all this extra time not spent on DINNER?

We will start tomorrow, August 5, 2010.  Since we live in separate states we will share this blog about our progress in hopes of keeping each other on track.  See you tomorrow!