I’ve been pretty pleased with my results so far. Here is an update on my 30-day raw trial.
Weight Loss
This morning I weighed 192.4, for a net loss of 6.2 pounds since beginning the trial. Six pounds in six days is really exciting to me! I hope this continues long into the trial. I skipped exercising the last few days but I went back to the gym this morning and did a one hour aerobic workout. It felt good. Usually on weekdays I’m sort of rushed because I have to get home in time to make the kids their breakfast and lunch for school, so on weekends I take a little extra time at the gym.
Detox Symptoms
You’ll remember that on Thursday I was having some major detox symptoms including mental fog and fatigue, but it wasn’t too bad all things considered. On Friday I had a few periods of unusually high fatigue, but I never lost my mental clarity. I’ve been sneezing a lot, which could be a sign of detox, but it’s not bothering me.
Psychic Abilities
Nothing new to report here. I’ve noticed a general increase in my psychic abilities, but nothing beyond what I’ve already reported. I mean, I’m already pretty developed in this area, so I’m not expecting much to change there, but still, I’ll take note of any changes and report them. Steve and I are still having increased telepathic moments, beyond what you’d experience just being in a relationship with someone for 15 years. It’s nice to be able to communicate on such a deep level.
Blood Sugar
I haven’t checked my blood sugar as often as I probably should be, but when I have my numbers are good but not great. I’m seeing improvement, just not marked improvement. I’ll test more often and experiment with it probably next week.
The Food
Yesterday I spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing food with only marginal success. I need to calibrate myself to these recipes by continuing to experiment until I find something that works. I tried making the almond nut butter balls that I successfully made a few weeks ago, but this time they didn’t form properly and it became more of a nut butter dip for apples, which was still good, mind you, but not at all how they were supposed to turn out. I also made a ranch dressing which was okay but the flavor was not strong or even noticeable. Steve suggested I cut back on the amount of water I add next time. I dehydrated 7 apples, which took all day, but I have lots now. I’m going to put some in the kids’ lunches this week, and I’ll just keep making more. I made a honey-dijon dressing that didn’t blend properly and was too watery. My cashew cream came out all oily too, instead of forming into a whipped cream consistency. Sigh. But I’m not disheartened (much). I have plenty to eat, and it hasn’t been difficult for me to stay on the diet.
A few people wrote in wanting to know how I became so overweight on a vegan diet. Three words for you: Vegan Junk Food! When Steve and I first went vegan we lost a lot of weight very quickly. Back then, there weren’t many vegan convenience foods and we didn’t eat a lot of junk. Over the years along came vegan ice cream, cakes, cookies, chocolate, as well as frozen pizzas, frozen meals, and vegan cheese. If it contained sugar, carbs, and fat, I ate it. I packed on the pounds unconsciously, avoiding what was obviously a problem, but one in which I didn’t know how to solve, so I ignored it. Today I’m paying the price. But no more. I’m fed up (literally!). I will solve this problem once and for all.
Shame and Guilt
Over the years I experienced a lot of shame and guilt every time I looked into the mirror. If you’re overweight and uncomfortable with your weight I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. But when you feel powerless to solve your problem it’s easier to just ignore it. When I took a look at my life, though, I realized that the only area of my life where I felt shame and guilt was with my health/weight situation. Something Steve writes about often is that you must admit the truth to yourself even if you lack the strength to solve your problem. That’s how I started last year at this time. I decided to take charge of my health so I began exercising regularly and watching my diet. This led to the loss of 15 pounds, but I was still making unwise decisions with my food and not getting too far too fast. Now that I’m doing this raw trial I do not feel the shame and guilt that has plagued me for years. I’m more addicted to this feeling of self-respect than I am to a veggie burger and french fries. And that’s what I believe will keep me going on the right track.
Shame and guilt are two of the lowest vibrational states you can be in. Anytime you feel shame or guilt in one area of your life, it will diminish how you feel about your life overall, even if you are confident and strong in other areas. It’s sort of like the weakest link is what breaks the chain. I urge you to challenge yourself, perhaps with a 30-day trial, to simply experience the release of that shame and guilt, which can often be a heavier weight than what you carry on your body or on your soul. Since starting this trial I have felt incredibly powerful.
The Effect on the Steve and the Kids
So yesterday as I was getting ready to make my ranch dressing, the kids came downstairs asking for lunch. I asked them if they wanted to help me make the dressing and they were very excited. So Emily did the measuring and Kyle did the pouring, and together we made ranch dressing. Hazzah! Then I sliced up carrots and cucumber and told them we were going to have an all-raw family lunch (Steve was out playing disc golf with friends at this point). The kids were excited, so of course I took a picture. Halfway through our meal, Steve came home and I urged him to come sit with us and share in this raw feast. He grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and the four of us sat down to a meal together, for probably the first time in over a month. I think I was giddy with excitement that I saw a path where we could all eat the same way for once! This morning when I got home from the gym Emily very excitedly told me she had made a bowl of bananas and raspberries for her and Kyle for breakfast. Usually it’s waffles or oatmeal for them so I was really happy and excited, and they were so proud of themselves.
On Friday night Steve nearly had a heart attack when he heard these words come out of my mouth, “Hey, let’s pick up food from the raw restaurant.” I think he couldn’t breathe for a minute there. I really dislike the food at our raw restaurant. Compared to what I’ve had while traveling, our raw restaurant really sucks (I’m sorry, it does). But now that I was raw I was hoping my taste buds had changed. So we ordered food and I brought it home. I got the raw lasagna. It tasted like wine or fermented something or other. It was nasty. I bequeathed it to Steve. Steve got the Purple Burrito which looked more like a tostada and he got Bruschetta. Both of Steve’s items were pretty good, but I wouldn’t rush out to get them myself. I also got a strawberry cheesecake which was good but not as good as the peach passion cheesecake I had gotten from Whole Foods the other day. Emily enjoyed eating my strawberry cheesecake leftovers. I really want to like our raw food restaurant so I’m going to keep trying. And here’s a question for people who have been raw for a long time… does any raw restaurant in America offer just a plain old fruit plate? It seems so obvious to me yet I’ve never seen a raw restaurant offer just a plate of fruit. Scratching my head on this one.
While shopping yesterday with the whole family my kids walked up to a girl who was passing out samples and they asked, “Is it vegan?” and she surprised all of us when she said, “Why yes it is, and in fact, it’s raw too.” That got my attention. We had a lovely conversation with her while my kids ate more than their fair share of these expensive but yummy treats. She told us she was really impressed that our kids were vegan and that we were a vegan/raw family. She recognized Steve’s name when we told her who we were.
Steve has told me that my energy already feels different to him. I think we can both see how great this trial is going for me. God-willing the weight will continue to come off, my health and energy will increase, and maybe I’ll start seeing spirits in my shower with me. Who knows? 😉
I’ll update again later this week. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me with support and encouragement. It’s much appreciated. Tomorrow’s blog entry is about a reading I did with a deceased celebrity. I’ll be going back and forth between raw trial updates and my regular blogging.
