Staying Motivated

I've been finding the best raw recipes from this awesome book.  Ani Phyo's recipes are easy, fun to make and really really yummy.  She also has some wonderful advice for someone like me, just starting on the journey towards a more raw diet.  This book is great for raw foodists as well as the average Hey-I-Could-Stand-To-Eat-A-Little-Healthier type person.

Ani's Raw Food Kitchen

Here are a couple of documentaries that have helped me
get even more motivated about my weight loss!

Food Matters

Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead

Weigh In - Week 13

This week has been a whirl wind as we have family staying with us.  However, I've been pretty careful about staying on my eating plan.  In the past two weeks, I dropped a total of 7 pounds.  So, on the heels of last week's big weight loss and the also the loss from the week before, I was expecting another big week.  But no.  I think that my body is actually adjusting to this new way of life by holding onto the weight this week.  But I don't see this as a problem.  I'm happy to allow my body some room to re-structure itself.  When I stepped on the scale this morning, the digital dial couldn't decide if I'd lost a pound or not.  It kept blipping back and forth.  Maybe I lost a half pound.  Who knows.  For our purposes, I'm going to say that I maintained my weight this week.  I didn't lose and I didn't gain.  So today, nothing.  Just a healthy stable body.  Good enough for me, eh?

Pounds lost this week: 0

Total pounds lost: 22

The "I Did It" List

Stuck to my eating plan.

Tried three brand new raw recipes - they were a hit!

Went swimming with my three year old.

P.S.  On a separate note, my husband lost another 2 pounds this week while eating on my diet plan.  So his total loss since July 1st is 13 pounds!  Isn't that awesome?

Walking Feels Good

Even in the stinky, record setting Dallas heat, walking feels good.  I have to remember this.  It's been a week since my last power walk and no doubt the heat has been getting me down.  Today, my Dad was with my kids and said, "Go take a walk".  Nice offer and a great suggestion.  That's what Dads are for, right?  I left my iPod at home and just listened to the sounds of my neighborhood (lawn mowers, car traffic, birds, buzzing bug life, and kids in the school yard.)  The other sound I heard was my own breathing, somewhat labored yet strong and slow.  Yep, walking sure feels good.

On the Menu

For the past two weeks, I have been eating pretty close to the plan outlined by Natalia Rose in her book about eating raw.  Her meal plans are already pretty loose and free, allowing for all sorts of substitutions and creativity.  I thought I'd share my menus from the past few days just as a sample of what I'm eating these days.  Keep in mind that my meal's prior to embarking on this journey were heavy on dairy, sugar, meat and bread products.

                   MORNING                       AFTERNOON                      EVENING

Mon:         Green Lemonade                Cantaloupe Curry Soup          Big Vegetable Salad
                   1/2 Watermelon                                                                 Glass of Wine

Tue:           Green Lemonade                Veggie Salad                           Maple Glazed Salmon
                   Fruit Salad                          Dates and Pecans                    Veggie Side Salad

Wed:         Green Lemonade                Veggie Nori Rolls                    Big Veggie Salad
                  Whole Cantaloupe               Raw cabbage slaw                  Glass of Wine

Thu:          Green Lemonade                 Summer Gazpacho                 Rawsagna
                   1/2 Watermelon                  Carrot Sticks and Dip             Cashew "Cheese" Cake

Fri:            Green Lemonade                 Big Veggie Salad                   Poached Tilapia
                   Whole Pineapple                 Lara Bar                                Veggie Side Salad

Raw Lasagna

So I hope this gives you an idea of the menu I've been enjoying.  If you'd like recipes for any of the dishes listed above, leave a message below and I'll post them! 

Weigh In - Week 12

Happy Monday everyone!  I had another great week of eating on the Raw Food Detox Diet plan.  Tomorrow I'll share last week's meal plan, but today I'll just say that eating this way is starting to really take shape in my household.  While preparing these raw meals takes a little more planning and a slightly higher grocery bill, the benefits far outweigh the costs.  I haven't been doing a whole lot of exercise.  Most of my weight loss in the past two weeks has been due to my new meal plan.  When this crazy Dallas heat subsides, I'll probably have more impetus to get outside and start moving.

Pounds lost this week: 3

Total pounds lost: 22

The "I Did It" List

stuck to my eating plan

went for a 2 mile walk for the first time in 3 weeks

did not eat ice cream (this isn't as hard as it used to be)

drank green lemonade every morning as a coffee substitute (and I feel GREAT!)

Rewarding Myself

I've been feeling really good this week.  Usually when I feel good and have had a productive week, I reward myself with food.  A frothy coffee, an ice cream cone, or a treat of some sort.  However, I haven't done this since starting on this weight loss journey.  When I feel like having, as Pooh Bear says, a little smackerel of something, I abstain.  The thing is, I've spent years rewarding myself with food.  Do I need to replace it with something else?  Is the weight loss the reward in and of itself?  Is rewarding oneself a selfish act that should be dropped altogether?  The thing that was so cool about rewarding myself with food was that it felt great, I had a little time to myself while I consumed the treat and it was usually relatively inexpensive.  So, I'm a little lost now when it comes to this issue.  Your thoughts?

Despite the Heat

I put on my tennis shoes for the first time today since July 23rd and headed out the door at 6:30am for a two-mile power walk.  Why haven't I been walking?  I've been either traveling, on surgery and recovery duty for Charlie, and its been 108 degrees or more.  But today, at 6:30am, Dallas was a cool 89 degrees, so I seized the moment and went for a much needed walk.  It felt great to move my body.  It wasn't as easy as it was three weeks ago, but it wasn't too difficult either.  My muscle memory kicked right in and I could hear a little inner voice saying, "Yeah - let's do this!"

On the food front, I've been preparing lots of raw or partially raw meals for my family and for the most part, I've had no complaints.  I'm enjoying lots of yummy salad variations and cold summer soups.  Sometimes I have some ill-combined meals, but mostly, I'm sticking to the chart.  My husband just stepped on the scale last night and mentioned that he lost 6 pounds in the last month, largely based on the food shift in our home.  Yay for the hubs!

Walking it OFF!

Weigh In - Week 11

Its been a good week.  Charlie is healing beautifully and so am I.  I'm still on track and making mostly good choices about how I nourish my body and spend my time.  The best thing to come out of this week is that I've been more diligent with my eating plan.  (What is this "eating plan" you speak of?  ... click HERE.)  I've been eating more raw meals, which mainly consist of fruit vegetables, raw blended soups and gazpacho, dried fruits, nuts, salads with homemade dressings, and fresh juices that I concoct with my super duper new juicer!  Mostly, my weight loss can be contributed to the little things, saying no to Starbucks, passing up a second helping of carbs, switching out whole sprouted grains for the refined stuff, downing a glass of water when thirsty instead of a Snapple.  Its the small acts that make a big difference.

Pounds lost this week: 4

Total pounds lost: 19

The "I Did It" List

switched out coffee and cream for Green Lemonade every day

switched out sugary beverages for water

infused more raw vegetables into my diet

was mindful about my intake and ate when I was hungry

I did not eat ice cream

Raw for the Morning

Last night, Charlie slept through a full 9 hours through the night.  Genius!  So, with a few more brain cells and a good night's sleep, I broke out the small kitchen appliances for a morning of eating raw.  I started my day with 18 ounces of Green Lemonade and a banana.  I'm trying to start every morning with a large glass of green juice.  Then for lunch, I made a yummy cold summer Cantaloupe Curry soup.  Both recipes came from Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet book.  I've included the recipes below if you want to give them a whirl. 

Green Lemonade

1 head romaine lettuce or celery

5-6 stalks of kale

2 apples (I used organic fuji)

1 whole lemon (you don't have to peel it)

1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger

Process the veggies through a juicer admitting one vegetable at a time through the mouth of the juicer.  The fiber shoots out of the juicer into one container and the spout ejects the fresh juice into another container.  Makes one serving.  Stir it and drink up!

Green Lemonade

Raw Curry Cantaloupe Soup

1 cantaloupe

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve well-chilled in a bowl or if you want to be super fancy, a chilled cantaloupe half.  Serves 4.  (I didn't have any masala so I omitted it.  It still tasted awesome.)

Raw Curry Cantaloupe Soup

I care. I really do.

Do you know what I'm looking forward to?  Being able to blog here more frequently.  In order for that to happen, my sweet Charlie needs to fully recover from surgery and reestablish a good sleep cycle.  My son has been doing beautifully this past week and I'm blown away every day at his resilience and vigorous come-back.  My husband and I are none-the-less, totally wiped out from the sleepless nights.

Luckily, I'm maintaining my summer weight loss.  I'm not losing necessarily, but I'm not packing it on either.  I've spent the week eating healthy meals, with at least one fully raw meal a day.  I've also been making good use of my juicer, in an attempt to flood my system with live enzymes and fresh nutrients.  I have to say, I do feel better.  I'm still exhausted from the sleep deprivation, but I have energy stores when I need them. 

Why am I not losing any weight if I'm eating healthy meals?  It's amazing how one mindless snack a day can jeopardize my weight loss.  There usually comes a point every day in the past two or three weeks where I black out for a minute and eat a handful of chips or grab a small frothy coffee drink or finish off my kid's macaroni and cheese.  These little trespasses keep me from losing.  They are badly timed, ill-combined and usually lacking in any kind of nutrient.  So, finding ways to successfully push through these snacky moments will be paramount in the coming month if I am to break through.

One really wonderful thing to come out of this surgery, besides my son's continued health and recovery from Craniosynostosis, is that I'm better able to prioritize.  When you've got a sick kiddo, things become very clear.  Menial tasks and petty bull-honkey take a back seat.  I'm happy to have a clear vision for the weeks ahead and a big part of that vision is reconnecting with my walking / exercise schedule and fine tuning my eating regimen.  Thanks again, all, for still being here, reading my blog and supporting me in my journey.

Weigh In - Week 10

This was a crazy week, because of my son's surgery.  You can read all about it HERE if you are interested.  Otherwise, suffice it to say, I didn't do a lot of walking or exercising.  However, I did eat well and except for some chocolate mouse cake (my son turned one on Thursday), I pretty much stuck to my diet plan.  So after three weeks of stasis, I lost one pound!  Yay!  Also, I picked up a juicer this week because I want to start making my own veggie and fruit juices. 

Starting next week, I'll be moving my "weigh ins" from Sunday to Monday.  My husband and I have decided to make Sunday our tech-free family day.  So, our computer sabbath will begin next week with no internet or email on Sundays.  I think it will be great all around.  One whole day to focus on our kiddos and fun creative play. 

Pounds lost this week: 1

Total pounds lost: 15

The "I Did It" List

stayed within the bounds of my eating plan

ate out at Bliss Cafe - a raw food restaurant in Dallas

acquired a juicer to make healthier beverages

tended to my son during his surgery and recovery

Hospital Food...

... is not for me.

I'm in the hospital tending to my son, Charlie, who is recovering from a very successful craniofacial surgery.  These past two days have been some of the toughest of my life, but Charlie is doing beautifully and my husband and I are holding up.  One of the ways in which I'm staying focused and present through this shitty time is to eat well.  Last night I had an all raw meal consisting mostly of veggies.  Today, I've had two big yummy veggie salads and lots of water.  We have happily avoided the hospital cafeteria, which is filled mostly with fried foods, soda machines and cookies.  I feel exhausted emotionally, but because of my healthy food choices, I feel alert, focused and prepared for a long night with my sweet baby Charlie.