Raw Food World

Day 2 of Fast

2008-10-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

I kicked the fast off yesterday (finally). I'm down 3.2 pounds. I had 2 juices yesterday (carrot, celery, garlic clove) for a total of 198 calories. I also drank a cup of Peach Detox Tea. It's made by Yogi Teas and very tasty and aromatic.

I'm committed to once and for all getting the last of the weight off because there is a lot of leather in my closet calling my name and colder temps are just ahead.

I slept very soundly last night and went to sleep easily - both of these actions are a 180 of what I've been experiencing in recent weeks.

Today I have high energy levels yet feel calm. Having the temps cool enough to keep the windows open helps immensely.

Food Supply Under Threat

2008-08-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Starting today, your fresh vegetables may now be irradiated without your knowledge. The FDA has unleashed a new rule allowing food companies to secretly irradiate lettuce and spinach, and there is NO requirement that these foods be labeled with a warning label! The FDA is also looking to expand this to other vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and onions. Soon, ALL vegetables may be irradiated.

Why does this matter? Because irradiation destroys phytonutrients, including anti-cancer nutrients that are protecting your health right now. With this rule, the FDA is literally killing the food supply!

This is a crucial issue for the survival of America. No nation can survive the destruction of its food supply. The FDA is determined to do what all the terrorists in the world could not: Use weapons of mass destruction against the food.

The media is focusing on the angle of "this protects us from e. coli", they are NOT focusing on the issue of this is destroying our food supplies.

Contact the FDA today to let them know your feedback on this vital issue to the health of us all: http://www.fda.gov/comments.html.

Also, wherever you see a report on this issue whether it's a mainstream site like CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc., leave comments in relation to this story. Also email the reporters of your local broadcast and print media that are covering this story.

Day 8 of Water Fast

2008-08-22T07:10:00.001-07:00

I have now met the time length of my first water fast - 8 days! I am down 18.6 pounds and I'm thrilled.

I will keep going on this water fast for a while longer. I'm toying with the idea of 20 days unless my body says something different at some point.

My skin is very soft, eyes are unusually bright, I think I'm nearing the end of ketosis because very little bad breath but the tongue is still showing white, energy levels are good and sleep is great.

I've noticed over the past couple days that my liquid consumption has decreased and I understand from reading from others on various sites that is to be expected.

Day 6 of Water Fast

2008-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today is day 6 of the water fast. I had a good, sound sleep last night and even hosted a social event at a restaurant but stuck to my water with lime.

I am now down 15.6 pounds and am thrilled. I was aiming to see if the 3 pounds per day was possible and the past couple days I'm averaging 2 pounds per day. Considering most weight loss programs have a person trying to lose 2 pounds per week, I'm already 7 weeks ahead.

This water fast has been so much easier than the first one that was 8 days. By having the new scales and www.FitDay.com making so many wonderful improvements to their site, I am finding many ways to be visually inspired to keep plugging away.

I'm toying with the idea of wondering if I would be able to water fast 20 or 30 days. We shall see. But if my energy levels stay high like they have been, it certainly seems achievable.

Yesterday I went on some massive cleaning kick - detail work like baseboards, etc. Just had lots of energy to expel. Emotionally I am feeling very calm and grounded and at peace. Meditations are averaging 20-30 minutes (I never set a timer - just go with the flow).

I'm grateful that we've had a lot of storms move through and the temps are about 20 degrees lower than they have been so it's been nice to be able to open the windows to the loft and let the fresh air in.

Today my focus is organizing an area where I had placed some boxes fill with various paper stuff. I realized while reviewing one of my feng shui books that that area was my "Helpful People / Travel" section and since I'm awaiting the green light on a project that would have us seriously traveling and I REALLY want this project, naturally I'm pulling that area together. As luck would have it, it's the only area in the loft that needed attention.

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Day 4 of Water Fast

2008-08-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Day 4 of my water fast and I'm delighted. I'm down 2.8 pounds from yesterday for a total of 9 pounds since the beginning of the fast.

I stayed up too late last night reading about all sorts of health things on the web. I wanted to sleep but I decided to bathe first and use a loofah well on my body to help eradicate anything my skin is detoxing. I slept very well though I did wake up a bit slow this morning.

I particularly like the new changes to FitDay.com because now for my weight it has a graph showing the loss and right now mine is looking like an alpine ski slope! On the foods section it remembers the quantity of things you have rather than having to redo them each entry.

Many people feel they must conform to what others believe when it comes to fasting and though I am on a water fast, I do add a squeeze of fresh lime to the water and I am taking 2 tsps of raw apple cider vinegar twice a day. I am very conscientious about listening to my body. I am also having a couple cups of green tea during the day - particularly later in the day as that's when I typically get hungry.

I saw on Yogi Tea's website last night that they have a Fasting tea and I need to stop by Whole Foods to pick up some coconut oil and stevia so I'm going to see if they have that particular blend in stock. I know they carry the line but they don't carry all the blends. The tea sounds good:

Fasting
Tea for your body –Slim 78% ORGANIC
CAFFEINE FREE

A TIME FOR FASTING™
Need a little support? Look to our Fasting tea to help you achieve your weight-loss goals. We’ve included garcinia fruit to suppress appetite and help reduce fats and cholesterol in the liver. This Asian fruit, combined with red clover, supports metabolism, increases energy and aids digestion. What a healthy way to manage your weight and maintain energy naturally.*

GET THE MOST OUT OF EVERY CUP
To maintain the support and energy you need while on a weight-loss diet,* drink throughout the day (up to 10 cups). For a stronger effect, use 2 tea bags.

INGREDIENTS
Organic Fennel Seed, Organic Licorice Root, Barley Malt, Organic Cinnamon Bark, Organic Red Clover, Organic Alfalfa Leaf, Organic Gotu Kola, Organic English Hawthorn Berry, Garcinia Cambogia Fruit Extract, Organic Cardamom Seed, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Clove Bud, Organic Burdock Root, Organic Dandelion Root, Yellow Dock Root, Natural Passion Fruit Flavor, Natural Plum Flavor, Organic Black Pepper, Natural Cinnamon Oil, Natural Cardamom Oil, Natural Ginger Oil.

Day 3 of Water Fast

2008-08-16T07:25:00.001-07:00

tLast night I had some serious stomach growling but I just kept drinking water. It paid off. At the beginning of Day 3 I am down 6.2 pounds and I am thrilled!

I've read in many resources that you can loose as much weight in 10 days on water as you can 30 days on juice. When I did my 30-day juice fast I dropped 32 pounds and I've kept it off for 18 months. At this rate with the water loss - and granted it is only the start of day 3 - it would be possible to loose 30 pounds in 10 days and that would rock!

I love the changes to www.FitDay.com because being able to now see my weight loss in a graph format is visually encouraging. Something about seeing that line heading downwards does wonders whereas just seeing the actual numbers reduce from day to day was just so so.

After my first water fast a few weeks ago, I managed to go 8 days. What was most eye opening to me was how I looked a couple days later as I was back on cooked foods - my complexion looked tired, my eyes were not as "sparkling" as they had been on the fast and my emotions were just blah.

All of this just has me thinking that there must be a lot to the whole raw food / juicing / calorie restriction format that is so much better for the body.

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Social Networking Sites Make People Fat

2008-08-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

Facebook 'makes you fat' as Britons pile on the pounds

By Hannah Wood, Mirror.co.uk 15/08/2008

Facebook is turning Britain into a nation of fatties.

Millions of Britons are piling on the pounds at a dramatic rate by scoffing crisps and chocolate while online instead of eating healthy meals, according to a new survey.

A third of people said they had put on half a stone in three months and nearly half of Brits, who spend an average of two-and-a-half hours a day surfing the net, claim that they would rather miss out on a proper evening meal than miss out on the latest status updates of their friends.

And almost three-quarters said they found it hard to stop surfing once they’d gone online with the most popular time to log on between 6pm and 9pm.

Newcastle tops the list for the British city where most skip meals (57 per cent), closely followed by Manchester (52 per cent), Liverpool (48 per cent) and then Bristol (48 per cent), says the new survey by Somerfield.

In London 44 per cent admit to online addiction with social networking sites Facebook, Bebo and MySpace being the most popular pastime, followed by instant messaging to stay in touch.

Somerfield spokesman, Pete Williams, said: “Our digital habits are changing the way we live our lives and can be unhealthy.”

Day 2 of Water Fast

2008-08-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Not much to report.

I'm on day 2 and thankfully don't feel as lethargic as I did on day 2 of my first water fast.

Consuming about four 20oz tumblers of water. I do add ice and a squeeze of lime and I know some diehards say that's not true fasting if you add a squeeze of citrus but I do and the lime makes it possible for me to consume water because straight water just does nothing for me - in fact, I can usually taste the plastic in it from the container.

A few food cravings but nothing unmanageable.

I think I'm still retaining water so not much in weight loss but I expect to see some changes tomorrow.

FitDay.com Has Made Changes

2008-08-14T12:10:00.001-07:00

I like using www.FitDay.com when I'm water or juice fasting. As I began another water fast to day with the desire to break my 8-day record, I checked into my FitDay account - WOW! I love the new changes they've done to the site.

So much more interactivity and being able to track even your moods, BMI, etc.

I've got the free account and if you don't have one, you should check it out as it's a great resource tool for keeping you on track.

Day 1 of Water Fast

2008-08-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

In past juice/water fasts, I have given sporadic updates on this blog. This time around, I am going to strive to ensure I am posting daily with full details of energy levels, weight loss, etc. so that others have a resource tool to compare by.

My goal is to shoot for 10 days on this water fast. My last water fast was 3 weeks ago and I achieved 8 days. I would also like to see if it is possible to loose 30 pounds in the 10 days to see if what I have read about being able to loose as much weight in 10 days on water as you can in 30 days on juice.

My longest juice fast was 30 days (18 months ago) and I dropped 32 pounds and have kept it off.

At this time, I can easily loose an additional 30 pounds plus I am more than likely holding onto water weight as my cycle began yesterday - but the good thing to that is that I won't have any crazy food cravings like what sometimes happens before the cycle. So, this is a perfect time to kick this new water fast off!

Do You WANT To Stay Fat?

2008-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

FastingGurl31 on www.YouTube.com has a series of videos.

Her most current video is dead on accurate and I hope will be inspiring to those of you that keep toppling off the wagon...save it as a favorite and watch it daily.

Fasting & Ethanol

2008-08-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I ventured out onto a water fast.

I have successfully had juice fasts as long as 30 days, but I've never tried for a long water fast. I made it 8 days before my body said it wanted food.

I am about to embark on another water fast because I felt so amazingly wonderful fasting on both juice or water. I am going with water again because we are in the heat of Texas summer and it's hard to fast like this during the winter months because you naturally become colder.

There are some weight issues I'm addressing and I believe that fasting is a great way of proving to yourself that you can be in control and you are not a slave to any thing.

I am very grateful to the Water Fasting group at Curezone.com - they are amazingly supportive!

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On another note, I am learning much more than I ever wanted about ethanol in gasoline. My Harley, which has never had a problem during the summer months, started idling hard the other day. After speaking with a number of people, it came down to a friend of mine upending a can of Seafoam into the tank which is supposed to blow out all the carbon and eliminate any water. She fired up and all was good.

What seems to be happening is that the higher levels of ethanol in the fuel is causing more moisture in the tanks. It's bad enough on a car but on a bike you are dealing with about a 3 gallon tank so each drop makes difference. Water is heavier than fuel so it will sink and Harley's don't run well on water.

I'm making this posting because as a female with high octane toys like mine, I know first hand the kind of run around people can get. If the bike or car suddenly starts acting different, try addressing the possible water in the tank situation before anything else - you may end up saving yourself 100's of dollars.
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Back in the Saddle...

2008-08-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

After successfully completing 8 days on water, I now know I can pull it off. I have typically done juice in the past and my 30-day juice fast was amazing and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, right, wrong or indifferent, I'm shooting for another week after taking 36 hours off. Why so soon? Well, it seems that my suspicion that the bloody scales were off was correct....by 15 pounds in the wrong damn direction.

My boyfriend bought a kewl set of scales that measures fat, water, bone density and oh yeah, weight. Since he has a personal trainer and is working out to loose weight and get cut again, I had him weigh first to see if they were correct and they were. So then I got on and was horrified.

He kept telling me it was ok because he could tell I was obviously loosing weight; my clothes are getting looser and I don't have a layer of flab over certain areas like I did...but still! To be 15 pounds heavier than you thought you were is just sad.

On a different note, after breaking said water fast, I didn't sleep as well last night, I looked tired, my eyes weren't as bright as they had been last week, my energy level is "normal" but not that pumped up state it had been Wed-Fri.

At least this time, I'll know to a fraction of a pound what I weigh to see if I am indeed making progress.

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Day 8 of Water Fast

2008-08-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of Day 8. Unlike many females, I don't like to shop but I'm going to have to break down and buy some digital scales. The ones I have now show my weight all over the place.

So far, Day 2 & 3 were definitely hardest as far as energy levels. Stomach growling and thinking about food, that's actually been the past couple days. I'm committed to seeing this through though. I know I'm not done detoxing because the tongue is still white and breath is less than stellar.

The pilates in the morning seems to help jump start my energy level for the day. Still averaging 4 large tumblers of water (guessing they are 20oz in size). I am more cognizant of resting when my body starts feeling tired.

Unlike a lot where are starting a fast today because it's Aug 1 and/or New Moon, I don't seem to do well to things like that. I just mentally think, "Right, that's it, let's do this," and jump right in - which is how this water fast began. I have no set completion date and the longer I stick to it, the more I want to stay committed to it.

Day 5 of Water Fast

2008-07-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 5 of my water fast.

Sleep was good last night but I think I was clenching my teeth because my gums felt odd this morning.

Breath isn't as rank as it was 2 days ago. Powerful thirst when I awoke.

I'm down 11 pounds.

Day 4 of Water Fast

2008-07-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of Day 4. I'm shooting for 10 but I think the lassez faire approach of not having a hard deadline may be helping.

I am starting to see a few changes in the mirror, breath is still rank and tongue white but not like on Day 2. Personally, I have found that 20 minutes of Pilates is doing wonders for my energy level so I am doing that ealy in the day. Meditation seems to be falling in at exactly the 20 minute mark also.

I had a large platter filled with fuji apples, oranges and bananas that every time I sat down to my computer I got a whiff of. Last night I did some searches to find out how to freeze each - bananas were sliced and placed into Ziploc freezer bags so that when I'm ready to juice again I can toss those into the blender, oranges were just peeled and sliced, apples I read should be tosssed into a bowl of salt water before placing into a freezer bag so I used a little Sea Salt . Checked everything this morning in the freezer and all looks good - no browning at all.

I have a large tumbler that I keep filled with water and with me at all times. I'm guessing it holds about 20 oz of water and I seem to be going through 4 of those each day with no problem.

There's a water fasting discussion forum at www.CureZone.com and they've all been amazingly helpful.

Good luck to everyone else who is fasting!

Day 3

2008-04-30T09:23:00.001-07:00

I'm now down 17 pounds.

Yesterday I didn't do so well on consuming the water - only 1 liter instead of 4. Making a serious effort today to achieve 4 liters.

2008-04-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am so happy! I am down 14 pounds since Saturday!

I did flub yesterday evening and had 2 cranberry juices while out with Peter....should definitely limit it at 1 if any. Way too much sweetner. Had to go home and have some tea with stevia to get the blood sugar back on track.

I didn't hit my goal of 4 liters yesterday but managed 2.5 which is about 1.5 more than normal!

Day 1

2008-04-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today it kicked off...another 30-day juice fast. Though, truth be told, I hope I will have the stamina and dedication to stay on it until I reach my target weight.

I plan to stay focused on vegetable juices rather than fruit so I can maintain high nutrition and low calories. My weakness is tea but I do only use Stevia as a sweetner. I am also committed to drinking 4 liters of water per day.

A nice, and FREE, way of keeping up with your calories, weight goals and activity level is www.FitDay.com.

In The Begining....

2008-04-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a Texas girl born and raised. I can appreciate a good steak, love Bar-B-Q, seafood, decadent deserts, big fluffy rolls and side dishes that always seemed to have a recipe that began with those infamous words, "...Now first you take a dollop of bacon grease...."

This lifestyle must make some Atkins fans salivate. Truth be told, I thought it was normal. The true catalyst that set me off on my quest for my personal way to better living had nothing to do with greasy foods but with a car wreck.

When I was 19, I was the passenger in a car driven by, a now former friend, who was trying to show off for an ex-boyfriend. There used to be a restaurant called Cactus Jacks at the NW corner of Northwest Highway and Hillcrest. After going through the drive thru, she pulled up into a parking space and turned off the car. I undid my seatbelt and the next thing I know she's started the car and slammed it into reverse. The drinks flew to the floorboard so I leaned down to get them and when I sat back up I was frozen.

She wasn't flying down Northwest Highway -- she was flying through the parking lot of a Tom Thumb grocery store on a Saturday afternoon that had mothers and kids doing the shopping. I knew something was about to go terribly wrong and I remember thinking to myself, "Put on the seatbelt!" And that's when I saw an elderly lady in a white car pull up to Northwest Highway from the side street. I at least had enough presence of mind to turn away from the windshield and slump down into the seat. The last thing I heard were the brakes squealing.

The next memory I have is of someone shaking me and asking if I was ok. When I opened my eyes everything seemed unnaturally calm. I looked at the windshield and saw the damage and the dashboard cracked in half in front of me. My first thought was, "Oh my God, what do I look like?!" A human body can't do that much damage to a car without extensive damage.

I was helped from the car and over to the curb to sit down. I kept looking about me for blood, teeth, anything - but nothing was there. I don't recall feeling any pain, just being very calm.

At some point two paramedics came up to me and started looking me over. I recall the one of them on my right side who kept rummaging through my hair looking for an abrasion - anything. He kept looking at the windshield and looking at me. He just couldn't grasp that I had done that much damage to the car and I didn't even need so much as one stitch.

Well it turns out I was damaged -- from the windshield my jaw had been knocked out of place slightly but not enough to warrant breaking and resetting it. From the dashboard my right hip joint is now 1.5" inches lower than my left and my spine is slightly twisted to compensate. I began having excruciating headaches about twice a week. At that point, I began my 3 year battle with the American health care system and their mad insanity to medicate me.

At my height, I was on 6 prescription Tylenol, 4 Darvocets and 2 Midrin. It didn't alleviate the pain, but I was so doped up I couldn't walk let alone complain to anyone around me that I hurt. But I didn't want the prescription cocktail -- I wanted to be healed. Some orthopedic surgeon at UT Southwestern gave me the ultimate wonder drug -- Halcion (pre the damning 20/20 expose on this drug). So instead of 12 pills twice a week, I only took one daily -- but I lost my short term memory, had a full blown phantom appendicitis attack, etc. etc.

My boyfriend at the time, who had been with me pre-wreck and post-wreck, didn't realize there was a serious problem until he received a phone call to let him know that I hadn't RSVP'ed for his grandmother's dinner that night. I know that seems trivial to most of us, but if you are familiar with Charlotte's first husband from Sex and the City (wealthy, Scottish, prim & proper), you would understand why this was such a big deal. At that point he began supporting me with my doctor visits.

I finally found my way to Dr. Kenneth McBride at Medical City Dallas and an $800 plastic oral appliance (glorified retainer) that I was to wear nightly alleviated the problems. No drugs required.

I was mad. I felt like I had lost almost 3 years of my life in a medically induced stupor because it was easier for the menagerie of doctors to "tsk tsk" my concerns and just dope me up.

One of the first things I did, was swear I would never take a prescription medication ever again. I read everything from Jethro Kloss "Back to Eden" to Harvey & Marilyn Diamond's "Fit for Life". I felt in my heart that diet was the key to so much.

To be quite honest, I have kind of half-assed what I know I've needed to do for several years. I do admit to shooting for a 75% raw diet, I enjoy juicing, I abstain from white flour, white sugar and soft drinks. But in spite of all of this, and I attribute it to a sedentary lifestyle due to being at a computer so much and emotional issues, I have ballooned in weight.

So here is what I've decided to do about it:

A 30-day Juice Fast.

This blog will chronicle my adventures -- wish me luck!

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