Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Breakfast
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Banana, fresh, 1 large (8″ to 8-7/8″ long)	125	1	32	1
Clementine, 6 serving	210	0	54	6
	335	1	86	7
Lunch
Clementine, 4 serving	140	0	36	4
Banana, fresh, 2 small (6″ to 6-7/8″ long)	186	1	47	2
Honey, 1 tbsp	64	0	17	0
	390	1	101	6
Dinner
Banana, fresh, 1 small (6″ to 6-7/8″ long)	93	0	24	1
Honey, 1 tbsp	64	0	17	0
Iceberg Lettuce (salad), 4 cup, shredded or chopped	31	0	7	2
Radish, Fresh, 6 oz	27	0	6	0
Cucumber (peeled), 0.5 cup, pared, chopped	8	0	1	0
Ken’s Steak House, Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, 2 Tbsp, 2 serving	160	12	14	0
Sunflower Seeds, without salt, 2 oz	330	28	14	11
	713	41	83	14
Snack
None
	1,437	43	269	28
	1200 – 1550	32 – 56	163 – 236	60 – 127
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Today, we went to town, ’cause Hubby’s Truck needed a new battery. (Damn those unexpected expenses…)
On the way, we talked about the transition a little more. I think we have decided to go ahead and use what we have now (at the house) and incorporate some of the raw into our diet. Then, when all of the SAD (Standard American Diet) crap is gone, we will begin the 30 100% full low-fat raw vegan trial. (Now, I know that vegans differ about the use of honey – - some are okay with it – - some are not. We will be on the pro-honey vegan team…LOL!!)
The last time I was on the raw kick, I purchased the book Living in the Raw Gourmet by Rose Lee Calabro. I thought that is how you are suppose to do it. There were several problems with my method before and one of them was trying to make a SAD meal using raw foods twice a day. I was spending SO much time in the kitchen – - with minimal results. It also used many ingredients that I don’t have on hand, difficult and/or impossible for me to get (in any sort of convenient way, in any case.) Like I said before, I also was “limiting” what I was eating – - and had no real idea what I was doing. What I HAD read made sense – - and I was so excited to get started – - I just jumped in with both feet – - unprepared for the reality of this way of life.
Today, I found Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes by Angela Elliott. It has more “common” ingredients; however, most of them are higher in fat – - so we will use this at a max of once per day. Since the meals are simple, we could use them for the basis of our evening meal, as that is when your body handles the fattier parts best (you have all night to work through the digestive process – - WITHOUT – - having to worry so much about stressing your body or mind functions.)
The first big change that we will make is to remove deep-fried foods from our diet. The next time I shop (this weekend), I will plan for raw breakfasts smoothies. I will also add more fresh fruit and veges to me and Boo’s lunch meals. We will use up the drinks in the house (coffee, tea, kool-aid and soda) and then will go to water (with lemon/lime/orange added, if desired). That may not seem like a big deal – - but, it is essentially removing one habit and reducing another (caffeine and sugar, respectively). Then, we will work towards a 90 percent or more raw dinner. The last big step is getting James’ lunches raw – - and once that happens, we will go completely raw for a minimum of 30 days. I am hoping to have this all done no later than October 15, that way, the 30 day trial is over before the “holiday” and winter season starts – - and if the Hubby and the Kid go back to cooked foods, they won’t feel like they were deprived. LOL!!
We also discussed doing weight/measurements/pictures – - and he and I both agree that since this MAY only be a temporary thing, it would be best to have some sort of record to show us whether or not it made a difference. I do want a good record of this – - so I will blog about all those interesting statistical bits of information – - along with how things were for the day (emotions, energy levels, things that were easy/hard, etc. I also think that weekly photos will help to show us HOW our bodies are changing to the diet. I will probably post my photos – - not sure if he will want his posted, though. We’ll see.
We stopped by one of the grocery stores with a bigger produce section than where we usually shop – - just to kinda check out prices and see how we can make this work with our budget and our goal weight caloric intake minimums (mine is 1200 and Hubby’s is 1800). Since most of what we will do is basic fruits and simple salads, it should be fairly easy to do some of the figures once I get a basic “menu plan” established.

Oh, I thought I would share this too….
We decide to go out to eat – - our little hearts were set on Chinese cuisine – - but, neither of the two places which offer good food were open. So, we decided to take a last dip into the deep-fried foods and went to LJS. He gets about three-quarters of the way done with his food and says that all of this talk about raw has actually made him notice the texture and stuff of the food more than before. At one point, he popped a fry into his mouth and almost gagged on, what he said was a mouth full of “wax-y feeling gunk that just coated his tongue.” EEWWW!!! I told him that sometimes knowledge is not power – - really, being ignorant (and blissful) is sometimes the desired state of being. It’s hard for me to justify my actions (especially to myself) when I know something to be “true.” Does that make sense?
Anyway, I better work a little bit more on the proposed menu plan – - so, I will call it a night.

So this morning (and I use the term “morning” loosely), Hubby and I discussed my desire to go Raw again. He is very supportive of anything I want to do – - but, this time, I wasn’t just asking for me – - I was asking for him.
See he has complained for a LONG time about some ailments which I think are all diet related. I can only imagine how he would feel if he wasn’t married to me, right now. When we first met, he was buff – - ’cause he was chosen to participate in the 100 mile march in Germany. Pretty much all he had done for months was train, train, train. I think we met about six months to a year after the march. At that point, he was still pretty trim – - but, his eating habits were REALLY bad. He ate meat at every meal – - with lots of weight producing (but yummy, as I understand) stuff. Since we have been together, he has gained weight – - but his blood tests are LEAPS and BOUNDS better than they were. (Over 100 points less in the Bad Cholesterol ). In any case, what I asked him was if he was game to go 100 percent raw vegan for 30 days. (Long enough to detox and get a good idea of the benefits – - plus enough time to really determine if those symptoms are dietary related.) He said he would give it a try. YEAH!!

My biggest problem is trying to decide if we should ease into it or go full boar. (Either way is fine with me – - and Boo – - ’cause we are home all day; however, it is hard to incorporate all this newness with a truck driver who usually eats his lunch, in his truck, out in the oil field.) If we ease into this, he will suffer less intense, but longer detox symptoms (headache, being tired, head fog, etc.); he will be able to use up what we already have (coffee, soda, meat, etc.) while practicing the art of eating in the raw; he will probably not see the positive changes as easily, since it will be gradual. If we just make the change, his detox will be more intense – but not as long; the results will be more immediate. Tough call.
I have also been thinking about some goals I may want to pursue. Here are some of my ideas (in no particular order):
1) Stop drinking tea. Replace this with water with a citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange).
2) When I make this change – - I don’t really want to go “slowly” – - I find it is better for me to just do it. If I extend “habits” out – - they just continue. If I stop cold turkey – - I am usually more successful. So, by mid-October, I would like to be 100 percent Raw Vegan (Low-Fat Variety).
3) Start some sort of exercise “program” – - walking, jogging, or bicycling….
4) Use the NON-Gourmet Raw style – - basically I would just eat whatever I wanted (fruits and veges) without much fuss.
5) Although I am not focusing this journey on body weight, in order to plan my base caloric intake, I will need to decide what my “ideal weight” is. (Which is them calculated at 10 percent of your target caloric Intake. For example, if I wanted my ideal weight to be 150 pounds, the LOWEST calorie intake would be 1,500 calories.) So, I will have to decide if I want to do this in steps, too – - or just declare a weight and move on.
6) Put together some sort of daily or weekly accountability of helpful statistical information: all foods eaten, caloric/fat/protein/etc. Intake; weight, measurements, etc. just to give myself (and others) a visual idea of what this really does to me. (I also figure that it will serve as a record if I decide NOT to continue with the Raw Lifestyle – - and then, if I later wanted to pick it up again.)
7) I would like to practice with the Gourmet stuff every now-and-again – - perhaps once a week or so??

I have so many “blonde moments” that I am ever so thankful that I am a natural blond, thereby giving me a “valid” excuse when I am a dumb ass. Ha ha ha….Just Kidding!! Today’s “blonde moment” came when I was in the kitchen and suddenly realized all of the STUFF I wouldn’t need if we were to actually convert 100 percent. My goodness, the majority of my kitchen would be EMPTY!!!

Alright, so, I am gonna go back to bed and hope to get some sleep. Later ya’ll!!