I’m still here, still raw, and I’ve sure learned a lot. Here is my update.
Weight Loss
My weight loss rate has definitely slowed down. I started the trial at 198.6 and by day 6 I was down to 192.4. This morning I weighed in at 191.8 for a net loss of 6.8 pounds on this 30-day trial. After my initial glorious weight loss, I expected to lose weight faster, especially since I have a lot to lose. So I was really surprised when the weight loss stalled. For a few days the scale didn’t move at all, and I was becoming discouraged. Steve told me there would be days like this, though, so it helped me keep going despite seeing little progress.
Previously, while on my high protein, high fiber, low fat vegan diet, I was losing about a pound a week, but even that stalled after a while. I have always understood or believed that just going raw was enough to trigger a massive weight loss, but I’m seeing that it may take some refinement. In the “food” section below I’ll talk about what I’m eating and perhaps those of you who have been raw for a while can tell me what I may be doing wrong or what I could do to help myself lose weight faster while still maintaining satiety and sanity. 🙂
Detox Symptoms
Oh man, from Monday until Thursday I have been on a serious emotional roller coaster. I warned Steve on Monday to watch out for me and my moods. He understood completely as his experience with juice feasting caused an angry, emotional, belligerent detox that was somewhat frightening to behold. I think mine started with my weight loss discouragement. I became depressed, deprived, and started feeling sorry for myself a little. I also started getting massive headaches that put me in an awful state, but these came in fits and didn’t linger. I started feeling happy again on Thursday.
Psychic Abilities
Yeah, something interesting is definitely going on now. My clairaudience has picked up noticeably. Now when I tune in to the guides I’m able to hear entire pieces of information without having to wade through metaphorical symbols. I still get the metaphors (that’s part of my clairvoyance) but the clairaudience has definitely picked up. Its like a got a boost to my antenna.
Blood Sugar
Oh there have definitely been some blood sugar changes, that’s for sure. On Monday I was scheduled to be the toastmaster at my Powerhouse Pros meeting which, if you’re not familiar with the structure of a toastmaster meeting, means I’m running the meeting for about an hour before someone else steps in. I had my material and theme all prepared, but about two hours before the meeting I had to lay down for a short rest because I was feeling very tired. I checked my blood sugar and it was 113, which is pretty low for me. I’m usually in the 140 range. After the nap it was 99, and before I left for my meeting it was crashing at 84. I grabbed some almonds and dates to snack on in the car, but when I arrived at my meeting I was nauseous, shaky, and sweating. I almost had to bail because I figured there was no way for me to speak coherently for an hour, and be witty, charming and funny as well. My fellow diabetic friend rummaged in her purse for something I could eat to help raise my blood sugar, but all she had was a non-vegan protein bar. I got up to do my speaking. It took about 30 minutes for me to feel normal again, but I made it through.
The next day, something similar happened at the same time of the day, around 4pm, my blood sugar started crashing. Lucky for me, this time, I was at home and was able to eat to bring it back up. I looked back on what may have triggered the low blood sugar reaction and I guess it’s my usual lunch, which is veggies or salad, with some fat, but nothing sweet. I have to shrug on this one until I can figure this out better.
My morning fasting glucose is usually 105 but lately I’ve seen as high as 150-160 which is way too high. So I feel like I gained some ground during the daytime, but lost ground in the morning. I’m going to have to figure out a way to keep the blood sugar more stable throughout the day.
The Food
So now let’s talk about what I’m eating (and not eating). I generally eat fruit for breakfast. A banana, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries, or apples. Something along those lines. For lunch I’ve been eating a big salad with some new dressing Steve made, along with cut up veggies dipped in almondaise. I might pop a date afterwards for something sweet. Around 4pm I usually eat again. Some thai slaw or more fruit. And for dinner I’ve been enjoying a small salad and then capping off the night with a banana almond shake. I munch on tamari almonds or dried fruit when I get the munchies.
I’m not feeling deprived calorie-wise. I’m enjoying the food I’m eating, though there isn’t as much variety at the moment as I’d like. I need to get in there with some new recipes.
But let’s talk about deprivation, cravings, and all that good stuff. This week the cravings for non-raw food kicked in. It was Tuesday and I really wanted a piece of bread. It’s all I could think of for a while there. And on Wednesday I wanted roasted butternut squash. I started having dreams about eating vegan cooked foods like vegan cheese pizza and a veggie burger with fries (and I’m a master lucid dreamer so I can make it happen!). If I found myself out driving I really had to stave off the craving to pop into Subway and get a sandwich or stop by Taco Bell for a bean burrito (no cheese). But what saved me was running in to Whole Foods and making a salad at their salad bar, and grabbing the peach passion raw cheesecake. It’s hard to feel deprived when you’re eating cheesecake. I sometimes felt like Galadriel after Frodo offers her the ring in Lothlorien.
I am really committed to staying raw for the full 30 days. I’ve always wanted to know what a raw food diet would do for me, and I believe I need at least 30 days to figure it out. I may not end up fully raw afterwards but I’m committed to seeing how 30 days on the diet works for me. Maybe in January I’ll adjust the diet to be closer to 80-10-10 or maybe I’ll stay 80% raw and add a little cooked food in, like veggies, whole grains, and beans. The gloriousness of the 30-day trial is that I don’t have to decide that right now. I just have to get through another 19 days. Phew, that doesn’t sound so bad. 19 days. I can do it!
Exercise
I’m still exercising but not as often as I was before. The headaches are getting me down a bit and having a bit of extra sleep is helping. But I’m going to step the exercise back up and see what effect it has on my health.
The Kids
I’m loving watching the kids eat healthier. Emily is running around eating raw nori sheets (seaweed). Both kids are eating fruit salad for breakfast a lot. Yesterday in their lunches they got a sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and some raw nuts. It was about 65% raw. That’s a lot better than it used to be. Emily really digs on the coconuts, and my picky son, Kyle, is broadening his horizons a little and trying new things. They both love the shakes I’m making them too.
I know that no matter what I decide to do at the end of this trial, it has taught me so much about keeping things real, keeping it raw, and keeping it natural and healthy. But right now I’d kill or die for a bowl of hot black bean and veggie soup.
