Category Archives: Struggles

raw raw raw

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If you say “raw raw raw” really fast you start sounding like a pack of chanting cheerleaders. Since my post, to thrive or not to thrive, I’ve thought a lot about the low-fat, raw-vegan diet… and I do mean a lot. I’ve read many websites and watched countless YouTube videos on the topic. I finally broke down and bought some books. Most of the ones I found didn’t have a Kindle version, so I had to wait for those to arrive via Amazon’s “super saver shipping”. One book that did have a Kindle version was Robert Morse’s, The Detox Miracle Sourcebook.

I’ve watched several of Morse’s videos and he offers most of the information in his book for free on his YouTube channel. To me, the book was most helpful in regard to the detailed information on the functions of the human body. I’m not sure what religion he practices, but he sounded a bit “inner peace” and “new age-y” to me, he even mentions reincarnation in one of his videos (although he could have been joking). I have no doubt that, in general, his heart is in the right place. It is quite clear that he desires to help others, but I find it difficult to read his recommendations on the “ideal diet”, when it appears that he doesn’t live by it himself. That being said, I did find his book educational. The most profound part for me was the explanation of the lymphatic system (which you can watch on his YouTube channel). I already knew about acidic and alkaline ramifications, but that would be something important to know for those who haven’t heard of it before.

The two books I was waiting for via snail mail arrived a few days ago. I dove right into one of them because its basic philosophy is what I based my first raw challenge on. I’ve watched many videos about Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 diet. The first video I watched with him in it was one where he performed “superman” pushups (the video is now blocked for some reason). I called the Husband in to see it – unbelievable. Clearly he practices what he preaches. It is one nutrition plan where the testimonials of people actually doing it are undeniably remarkable. Sure, people lose weight but the ailments and diseases they recover from by eating this way are astounding. It’s further proof to me that God is more incredible than we could ever comprehend. We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.

I ordered Graham’s book, The 80/10/10 Diet, to see if I was missing anything in my attempts to go (and stay) low-fat, raw vegan. I did come across a few things I should change. Overall, I found the book informative and helpful in clearing up some questions I had. The book also further confirmed that this is something I really want to do. Graham even includes some seasonal “menus” for those needing further help (and maybe a bit of variety) in their meal planning. Since I’ve struggled with staying raw, I think this part grabbed my attention the most:

“Learning how to eat a raw food diet properly takes time, patience, and yes, effort. Although I provide a blueprint for doing it healthfully, most people find it challenging to adopt the raw diet 100% the first time out, unless they get professional guidance. It seldom occurs overnight, and in fact, can take years to accomplish.

Because our taste buds have been exposed to, and our brains have experienced the excitement of salt, sugar, and spices, we may miss those tastes initially when they are no longer part of the daily diet.” (p. 251)

This really made me feel better. I was pretty down on myself over derailing for cooked/salty food the first time… and the second… and the third. This is most certainly a process, one I plan to keep working on. Lord willing, one day I’ll cross over to low-fat, raw-vegan and stay there. I was hoping he would have some kind of formula for convincing your spouse to do the diet with you. Instead he says, “accept them where they are, and then lead by example, with an open heart… you will have far greater success if you do.” Yeah, not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I know it’s true. If it were up to me, we would remove the oven and the microwave and install shelves to hold raw fruit in their place… maybe one day (picture me daydreaming with a goofy grin on my face).

The third book I purchased isn’t necessarily about raw food. I first heard about this book while watching the documentary, Forks over Knives. If you have Netflix, you really must watch this flick. It totally transformed our belief system about food – literally overnight. The movie interviews a doctor by the name of T. Colin Campbell. I’ve wanted to read his book, The China Study, since October of last year. I began reading it today and all I can say is, “Wow!” It amazes me that this information isn’t common knowledge, especially with all of this scientific proof to back it up. I’ve talked to a lot of people over the past seven months about what we are learning about our bodies and the foods that we eat. Most find it “interesting” but not enough to alter their belief system. I am usually hesitant to say any particular diet is right for everyone, but what I’m learning has me wanting to shout, “Eat your fruits and veggies, people!” Grab a copy of The China Study and see what you think for yourself. This book doesn’t chant, “raw, raw, raw”, but it does give a great argument for a whole-food, plant-based, vegan diet. Hmm, not really sure what “plant, plant, plant” sounds like when you chant it, but I’m thinking it may just be the sound of health restoration.

to thrive or not to thrive?

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It’s been almost 7 months (in three days) since our switch to vegan. Honestly, being vegan hasn’t been as difficult as I thought. Don’t get me wrong, those first weeks we had no idea how to eat. Many of our “go-to” meals and snacks revolved around some kind of animal by-product. Cheese, turkey, yogurt… these were staples so figuring out what to eat instead wasn’t easy. It helped to get the word “protein” out of our heads. We’re all told that we need a ridiculous amount of protein. “What about protein? How do you get enough protein? You need more protein!” Protein exists in plants, I eat plants, ‘nuf said.

I’ve noticed some positive changes since becoming vegan, one being a little bit of weight-loss. My monthly cycle “good days” have increased and the “bad days” have decreased. The overall cycle is closer to normal length now. Still, I felt like things could get even better and faster. So, I decided to do a 30 day raw challenge. Unfortunately, I opted for the taste of cooked food after about seven weeks. When I read my seven week entry today, I was floored I ate that junk because I was feeling so good. I have struggled to fully return to raw food ever since. About half the weight I lost during the challenge came back and I’ve hovered there for weeks… going up, down, up, down, up… Of course, being injured off and on for the last three weeks or so hasn’t helped. Limited activity and pain turned into a bit of depression. “Boohoo, poor me…” you get the idea.

With the half-marathon looming over my head, those injuries sent my frustration level went through the roof. Seeing the Husband’s runs added to the frustration. I was happy for him but jealousy reared it’s ugly head. I was the runner in this house… just like I was the “computer geek” when we met. He’s surpassed my skills on both counts now. He’s even “published” (albeit it was his opinion of the book) and now sits at his goal weight while I struggle to accomplish both. Sigh.

I’ve learned in the past few days that I am a very insecure person. This might come as a shock to some who know me, while others will think “well, duh!” I’ve been reading So Long Insecurity: You’ve been a Bad Friend to Us by Beth Moore. I can’t even put into words how open my eyes are to the unnecessary turmoil I’ve lived with for decades. The jealousy I feel toward the Husband is merely my own insecurity flaring up. I know who I am in Christ, but now it’s time to start believing it.

Where my nutrition is concerned, I have insecurities there as well. I know people thought I was crazy to live primarily on fruit. I often wished I looked like the picture of health so that my dietary choices would be validated somehow. I wanted others to do it with me so that I wouldn’t be alone. When it comes right down to it though, I have to decide the answer to one question. “Is merely surviving enough for me?” That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing since leaving 100% raw eating… surviving. Here I sit on my sofa on Sunday morning rather than being in church. Why? Because getting out of bed is difficult. I ache all over and I’m exhausted. Don’t think for a moment that this is due to being vegan, I felt much worse as a meat eater, I just kept it to myself because I thought it was “normal”. Having felt, first hand, how good I can feel, this current state feels like waiting for death. Which is why I call it “surviving”. I didn’t realize how bad I felt until I actually felt good. The difference is indescribable.

I’m reminded of two plants that we purchased for our yard about two years ago. I intended to plant them both in the area of the yard we were landscaping at the time, but both of them wouldn’t “fit”. So, I planted one in that area and the other I planted in a part of the yard, that still today, has not been landscaped (this project is taking lots of moolah so it must be done in stages). The plant in the landscaped area with adequate water, fertilizer…etc is beautiful and produces lovely flowers. The other plant, however, looks much different. Until this spring when some green appeared on it, we actually thought it was dead. This sickly plant is still alive but it has taken much longer to show growth and hasn’t bloomed. The soil is too sandy and lacks nutrients, it is only watered when it rains/snows, and it is surrounded by weeds. It truly is miraculous that it is still alive. Both plants started out looking almost identical. The one receiving good care is thriving, whereas the other one is merely surviving the best it can in those conditions.

So, why haven’t I stuck with what I know makes me “thrive”? Because you feel worse before you feel better. Because it takes about two weeks to really start feeling the benefits. Because I feel like a failure for all the do-overs. Because I live with five other people who have no desire to eat raw so I’m fixing two meals. Because when we eat out, I feel like an oddball so I give in (hello, is this insecurity or what?!). But isn’t feeling yucky much worse than the obstacles or feeling like a “weirdo”? Yes!

Hmm. To thrive or not to thrive… that is the question.

may the wind be with you

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Every time I run, especially in the winter, I consider which way the wind is blowing. When it is cold out, I try to run into the wind first, with the hopes of having it at my back once I start sweating. This is to keep me from freezing to death. Today was warmer; so, I thought I would start uphill with wind in my face/side hoping to end downhill, wind at my back/side. With winds at 15-20 mph and gusts up to 30, I was not enjoying the first mile and a half primarily uphill (about 200 feet of elevation gain). My pace slowed as I fought for ground. During that portion I crossed three streets, which meant coming to a complete stop when cars didn’t stop. I just love the drivers who let the runners keep going. Clearly they understand what it’s like to have to stop during a run. As I’m making this trek uphill, a runner passes me going the other direction, points at me and says, “great job!” Encouraged, I only had a half mile to go before I would turn around, I could make it another half mile. The last tenth of a mile before my turn, the wind died down a bit, or so I thought.

When that turn around came, I was excited. I figured I could now make up some of the time I’d lost. What I thought was a cease in the wind was actually a shift in directions. Suddenly, the wind was full in my face, coming from the south with fury. My heart sank. Not only would I not be making up any ground, I might actually lose some more. I have clocked myself running in wind and without, there is about 1 minute per mile difference for me. I was supposed to do four miles today, but fighting with the wind was too much. I wanted to quit at two miles, and then again at two and a half. Then, biker passes me again going the other direction and says, “you’re making great progress.” So, I decide that I can at least make it to the three mile mark. Which is what I did. The moment I stopped to walk I had shooting pain in my left knee. I walked back to the house choking down the urge to vomit. I started drying heaving when I got inside.

Currently I’m sitting on the sofa with an ice pack on my knee. The husband says icing is helping his knee (he ran over ten miles today). The Boy made me a green smoothie. I’m feeling the nausea leave and my energy return. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on the run, I’m still sad that I didn’t complete the fourth mile and that my time was slower. On the other hand, the wind made me work harder, which will eventually make me stronger. I also got some sun exposure (hello Vitamin D), some cardio work, and a decent calorie burn. So, may the wind be with you… but when it isn’t, know that it’s making you stronger.

cooked food coma

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I started out last week tracking my calories. Initially I thought I would be high raw but as the week wore on, and life’s stress piled up, I gave into emotional eating. I knew full well what I was doing too. It just seemed the fiery arrows were more numerous than usual. The more cooked food I ate, the more I craved it. The more I craved it, the worse I felt. It was like a cooked food coma hung onto me. Yes, I was still vegan. Yes, that’s better than eating SAD (Standard American Diet). And yes, I realize how crazy this must sound to anyone who has never been on a High Fruit Raw Vegan diet and even crazier to those on SAD. Obviously, when I eat vegan, I feel better than when I ate SAD, but once you’ve experienced what HFRV is like… everything else just feels like sub-par. Some people think this is all mental, but it’s not. Sure, your outlook plays a role, but I’m talking about physical well-being.

For example, I’ve slowly (like really slowly) been working toward a faster running pace. This has been difficult since the concussion last fall. Running was far more painstaking and I was even dreading it (would even skip runs because of the dread). Then I went HFRV for about seven weeks straight. I have never… did you read that?  I have never had that much energy in my life. Running became fun and my mile averages were getting better each time. I would actually have to reign in my ridiculous grinning during cycling class because I didn’t want people to think I was crazy. I would catch myself almost laughing because I couldn’t believe I was working so hard and not feeling wiped out. I would leave class with a spring in my step. Well, Monday was quite a different story despite my being optimistic about the run beforehand. Last week I noticed that my running pace was the same. It had been steadily increasing. Then on Monday, despite my positive mental state, it decreased. I had to fight so much for the time I got. After a few days with this on my mind, I decided I was going back to HFRV this morning.

Well, I woke up with a fever, chills, and nausea. There was no way this was a coincidence. It was another fiery arrow… except this one made me angry. I don’t like forced rest days one bit, so I used this one to my advantage.  I rested, read HFRV, drank more water, and ate raw. I felt terrible and wanted “comfort” food much of the day, but I continued to eat raw. My calories (2,150.2) turned out lower than I would like them to be, but I feel this was a good effort for a sick day.

Most people have no idea that they are walking around in a cooked food coma. It’s normal for them like it was normal for me.

Calories: 2,150.2
Carbs: 91.6%
Protein: 5.9%
Fat: 2.4%
Fiber: 61.7 grams
Exercise: None

Accountable Again (AA)

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I did not plan that title.  When I typed it in and saw the capital A’s, I just had to use it.

Hi, my name is J. and I’m a recovering anorexic/bulimic (without the puking).

People usually associate bulimia with purging, but not all bulimics induce vomiting. I would punish myself by not eating. Of course, eventually you become hungry enough to devour a biggie size of anything… plus every other plate at the table too. Enter guilt and bloating (which helps to convince you that you have gained ten pounds in one sitting), and you know what happens next.  Yep, repeat the cycle again starting with “I’m so fat” (even if you aren’t) and starvation. I don’t fall prey to this very often anymore (praise the Lord God Almighty!), but I do see glimpses from time to time when I lose the proper focus. Which is what brings me to the true point of this post.

I posted on Wednesday about the lack of trust I have with food when I don’t track what I eat. I despise tracking my food for several reasons. I think one of them is admitting that I need help. Because of this, I must rely on God for the discipline to write down what I put in my mouth. Don’t you just love that word, “discipline”? I don’t either. Today I resumed the discipline of tracking my food.  I have not smiled much as a result.  It’s a good thing the Husband volunteered to make me lunch when I got home from my indoor cycling class. Tired and hungry, I was poised to stay “to heck” with this tracking thing (which I would regret come morning).  He made me a delicious, raw Tortilla Soup*. Crisis averted! Making it through that moment has helped me finish out the day with a little better perspective.  I’ll talk about that tomorrow though.

I’m taking things a step further than tracking, I’m also going “Accountable Again”. No, I don’t plan to list out every bite with photos (like my RAW challenge). Let’s face it, I already have to type it once into my tracker and I’m not thrilled about doing that. What I will post are my daily calorie/percentage totals. This is purely to hold me accountable to tracking. I’m not out to prove anything and won’t step on the scale for now.

*We altered the Tortilla Soup recipe by eliminating the cheese and using a whole avocado instead of 1/4. We also use our own “taco seasoning” mix instead of the packaged stuff. Because the soup doesn’t get hot enough to kill the good stuff, it’s still raw… unless you throw in those tortilla chips :)

Today’s Numbers

Calories: 1948.6
Carbohydrates: 80.8%
Protein: 5.9%
Fat: 13.3% (can we say “avocado”?)
Fiber: 59.3 grams
Approximate Exercise Burn: -549 calories
RAW: 94.7%

I can’t be trusted

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I’m staring at that title searching for words to express my feelings.  I think I’m having difficulty because I wish there were new words.  I wish they were new feelings.  They aren’t.  So, I sit here searching and wishing.

Since I stopped writing down everything I eat, I have gradually slipped back into the “feast or famine” cycle.  I cried the other day because I was so hungry.  When I actually recounted what I had eaten, it was perfectly understandable that I was hungry.  That isn’t even taking into consideration how hard I’m working out too.  However, my mind kept telling me that I “shouldn’t eat because I’m fat”.  Ugh.  Do you ever wish your brain had a “delete” button?  Yeah, me too.

Right now, I’m not sure if the phrase, “I can’t be trusted”, is even true.  All I do know is that my mind is able to mess with me less when I have the facts.  When I write down what I eat, I can point to the proof and tell my brain to “shut up”.  Eventually the accusations quiet and that’s usually when I think I don’t need to track my food anymore.

I’ve come to the conclusion (yet again) that I need to track my food.  I think it is even more important right now because of my workout routine and the half-marathon training schedule.  I’m burning a lot, which seems to make me feel ravenous suddenly.  If I’m not eating consistently through the day this becomes a big problem.  So, beginning Friday I will load up the tracker and post daily again.  I probably won’t itemize my food in the post but I’ll likely list my calories and percentages.  As for the scale, I haven’t decided if I’ll step on it or not.

I really wish I could do this without tracking.  I’m not sure if I’m more upset about the task of tracking or that I need it to succeed.

 

 

Returning to Raw

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It’s been almost three weeks since wandering away from my RAW lifestyle.  I say “wandering” because it wasn’t a total abandonment.  I still averaged around 50% of my calories from raw food.  Even though I had cooked food, we remained vegan.  So, I definitely wasn’t eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Gradually, symptoms crept back.  Things like twitching in my left eye-lid (just noticed this today), mild chest pain, bloating, unfriendly digestion with all the yucky side effects, fingernail breakage, lower energy levels, cravings, aching joints, mild acne, sinus pressure, mood swings, and headaches.  These are some of the symptoms that drove me to try eating raw, plant-based foods in the first place.

I did learn something while eating cooked food.  I learned that most of the time, the cooked food didn’t taste nearly as wonderful as it smelled.  There were many times when I would take a bite of something simply because it smelled incredible, only to end up spitting it out in the trash because the taste wasn’t worth it.  Unfortunately, that didn’t last long and the last couple of days I noticed a shift.  My sense of smell gradually decreased, but my cravings for higher fat, salty food increased even more.  One afternoon I sat down and ate an entire container of grape tomatoes.  No, not bad for you, but that’s how much I wanted salt.  You may be thinking, “Really? Grape tomatoes are salty to you?”  When you eat primarily fruit, heck yes, they taste salty!

I should be ecstatic that my massive sugar cravings haven’t returned; However, I am aware that they would find me again eventually.  And so, as of today, I am back to high fruit, raw vegan.  I’ve had a couple of green smoothies and a few pieces of fruit so far today.  If I said I feel amazing already, I’d be lying through my smoothie straw.  Truthfully, all I can think about is taking a nap.  Perhaps I should.  My eyes aren’t going to stay open too much longer whether I want them to or not.

On the Raw Side: Week 8

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I knew it had to happen at some point and it did.  Week eight was just “one of those weeks”.  The cravings for salty food were horrible.  I gave in several times to natural tortilla chips and salsa.  Once I even had vegan spring rolls, rice with veggies, and a vegan chocolate chip cookie (had spring rolls again last night despite getting sick from them).  I’ve been praying about what could possibly be the cause of these cravings and I think I have a few possibilities:

  • It’s cold.  Like really cold and snowy.  Raw food isn’t exactly warm.  On Monday afternoon I was struggling to get and stay warm.  I wanted warmer food.
  • I’ve had a slight sore throat and felt really tired much of the week.  I haven’t officially gotten sick but it definitely feels like my body is fighting against something.  Well, what do you want when you’re sick?  Chicken noodle soup (which is typically salty) and ginger ale (also loaded with sodium).  I didn’t have either, but I wanted them.
  • Didn’t get in my workouts early in the week (snow, snow & more snow… and we had a wonderful time with family in town).  I’ve discovered that I absolutely do not like running on the treadmill in my basement, which was to be my back-up plan when it was too snowy outside.
  • Crazy schedule throughout the week.  Things have definitely picked up around here and I’m not sure I like it one bit.  I was also rather stressed over my current writing assignment.  I’m not really sure why except that it was of a personal nature and consumed a lot of my thought processes.
  • Low calorie counts.  I suspect that my calories have been dropping slowly over the last couple of weeks.  When this happens, I typically end up really hungry and that always makes cravings worse.  I’m considering tracking again for a bit to make sure I’m eating adequately.
  • Possibly PMS week.  I’ve made it past day 21 (barely).  So far, no lovely monthly but she could still show early again… I’m hoping to make it to day 28.
  • My sense of smell is soooo strong that the aroma of cooked food literally makes my mouth water.  When the kids were having chili for lunch one day, I just wanted to taste it.  It didn’t taste anywhere near as good as it smelled to me, so I spit it out.
  • My fat intake was higher this week.  I don’t like how I feel after eating overt fats.  I should learn something from this.

With all of this going on, I didn’t weigh or measure on Friday.  I know that I shouldn’t rely on my “feelings” but I was feeling really bloated, really swollen, and really heavy.  No way did I want to step on that scale and see something that might trigger past behaviors (read: “eating disorder”).  So, I’m placing that number in the Lord’s hands.  At one time in my life (for years actually), I was a “weigh every day” kind of gal.  The number would dictate my day.  If it was what I wanted to see, I was happy, if not… grrrr.  Today, I’m not nearly as affected by it;  However, when I begin to feel weak and vulnerable, I immediately stop looking at the number and ask the Lord to get me past this.  The enemy whispered all kinds of “you’re so fat” comments in my ear this week.  I told him to “shut up” because “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  I do not want to fall right back into that pit.  Lord, please help me to walk in freedom!

Did I feel bad after eating cooked food?  Every time, with the exception of a cooked carrot I plucked from the vegetable stock I made.  I was even dry heaving into a trash can in my van the morning after eating that vegan cookie.  I have no desire for a cookie.  I didn’t even want that cookie.  I just wanted to see if it tasted as good as I remembered.  It was good, but not good enough for me to want another one.

I think I’m going to allow hot herbal tea in the coming week to see if this helps with my need for something warm during these winter months.  I’d rather not track every morsel of food that I eat so I’m going to be in prayer about that.  I would like for the Lord to teach me how to eat enough.  I want to rely on Him, not a “tracker”.

So that was week eight.  Not the best week but I’m ok with that.  I’m prayerful that week nine will go much better.

On the Raw Side: Week 6

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What a weird week!  You may be wondering if I ate cooked food on Friday.  The answer is, “Yes.”  The Husband and I went out for dinner.  I had vegan spring rolls, a bagel and organic tortilla chips with organic salsa (picked up and eaten on the way home).  The spring rolls tasted wonderful.  Better than I remembered them in fact.  The bagel, not impressive.  The chips and salsa were good but I really think the salt was the attraction.  The Husband wanted a vegan chocolate chip cookie from Whole Foods.  He thought for sure I would want one since I hadn’t eaten anything like that in five weeks.  I told him I didn’t want a cookie.  I eat sweet stuff all the time, my sweet tooth is satisfied.  I wanted salty, hence the chips and salsa.

Was I glad I ate the cooked food?  The answer to that is slightly more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no”.  I enjoyed the spring rolls, chips and salsa while I was eating them but that’s where the “fun” stopped.  We ended up going home early because my stomach felt bad; but, when we got home, I couldn’t go to the bathroom!  Not good.  I told the Husband that I just wanted to throw up, but I didn’t do that either.  I laid down hoping I would be running to the bathroom to do one of those but instead, I immediately fell asleep.  I was out… I mean really out.  If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I passed out.  I was like that for twelve hours.  I must not have moved all night even because I woke up in the exact same position I was in when I laid down.

I continued to feel bad the next day (oh my goodness, the gas) and then the lovely monthly shows up.  Awesome.  This means I only got a 22 day cycle.  I felt ripped off.  So, my stomach feels yucky, I’m gassy (not normal for me on raw) and I get to have cramps too – oh goodie!  Not.  Ok, I was mad.  I told God so, too.  I felt justified because of that woman in the Bible who suffered from bleeding.  I really feel for her every time I read that account  Of course, she just touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she didn’t go to him and say, “You know Jesus, I’m really mad.  I have to deal with this way more often than I should.  Seriously, all I’m asking for is six more days.  Could you just heal me already?”  I’m rather ashamed to admit that this affected my attitude for several days.  I didn’t feel like doing anything that I didn’t have to.

My workouts were fewer than usual and I didn’t get back into an exercise routine until Thursday’s TaeKwonDo class. The scale didn’t move this week. I weighed exactly the same thing as last week.  However, most of my measurements went down.  I lost another 1.2 inches in my waist, hips, right thigh, right arm and right forearm.

Thanks to my bad attitude, cramps, fatigue, gas, breakouts and a very unhappy digestive system, this wasn’t my favorite raw week.  Ironically, this was one of my best hair weeks since I stopped using shampoo six weeks ago.  I received two very sweet comments about my hair; one from a gal who has no idea about the “no poo” and another who does know.  I have taken six weeks worth of photos of my hair’s journey.  I plan to post those soon.

I didn’t eat cooked food again and I don’t plan to any time soon. Bring it on, week seven!

 

Things to Consider…

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…before you embark on a 30 Day Raw Challenge.

Eating RAW has challenges that come with the territory.  It helps to know about them and decide, ahead of time, what you will do when they arise.  Here are some important questions to ask yourself before you begin.

  1. Why are you choosing to eat RAW?  If you don’t have a solid, unchanging answer to this question, then I would strongly suggest that you wait until you do have an answer before making the move.  Also, if you cannot embrace the notion that you are “choosing” to eat this way and are not being forced to, then I would wait.  Eating RAW is not easy (especially in the beginning).  If your “why” isn’t motivating to you, you won’t make it very far.
  2. Are you willing to feel worse before you feel better?  Don’t go into the challenge thinking you are going to suddenly feel like a million bucks and that the feeling will stay with you all 30 days (or however long you’re doing it).  Depending on the lifestyle you’re transitioning from, you could have some really rough days.  It’s possible that they could even outnumber the good days if the your current diet is SAD (Standard American Diet).  You will still have a period of detox, maybe even more than one period of detox, even if you are coming from a cooked vegan diet (this has been the case for me).
  3. What will your RAW diet look like?  This may seem like a weird question but you need some guidelines.  With more and more “RAW” snack foods showing up on the market, you’ll need to know if you plan to incorporate those into your plan.  Will you eat High Fruit or High Fat?  You’ll need to do one or the other in order to get enough calories each day.  What about oil or maple syrup?  The emphasis in question number three is the word, “your”.  This will be your challenge so decide ahead of time what you will choose.  Please don’t begin without a plan.  You can see mine here.
  4. Are you prepared to be the minority?  I am a raw vegan, living with cooked vegans, in a SAD world.  What this means is, I eat differently than most everyone else on the planet, including the people in my own house.  Our society bases social interactions around food all the time.  Most of the time, that food is not RAW.  Unless you plan to lock yourself away for the duration of your challenge, you will encounter this.  Will you be willing to press through and continue with your challenge even when everyone around you is eating __________ (fill in your favorite non-raw fare)?

If you still want to move forward with a RAW challenge, here are some other things to consider, with a few tips tossed in:

  1. Fully rely on God.  You are about to turn your food world upside down and inside out.  I knew there was no way on earth I would do this without God’s help.  The reason each of my daily challenge posts is in the “Brick Removed” category is because God has brought me through the day.  Some days He encourages me with His Word.  Some days He convicts me on my thought processes (you know, the negative ones).  Some days He offers me a shoulder on which to cry, “this is hard.”  You will have plenty of opportunities to take thoughts captive to Christ, to turn difficulties over to Him and to rely on Him for the strength to press on toward the prize.
  2. Detox is not fun.  You will go through some kind of detox.  This could include fatigue, thickening tongue, smelly breath, aches, pains, headaches, nausea, bowel issues, mood swings… just to name a few.  The good news is… it doesn’t last if you press on through it.  The bad news is… it makes it more difficult to want to press through.
  3. Some people won’t understand.  It’s highly likely that there will be people in your life (or in passing) who will think you are crazy.  They may make negative comments.  They may try to tease you with cooked food… or just tease you in general.  Try to brush it off.  Don’t get upset, they just don’t understand… and that’s ok.  They aren’t in the same place on this matter; so, of course they won’t understand.  Don’t expect them to.  It might help to laugh along like “yep, I’m a fruity kind of gal”.  After all, you are what you eat, right?  On the flip-side, you’ll also have people in your life who think you’re a rock star because they, as they will put it, “could never do that.”
  4. Most restaurants don’t cater to RAW foodists.  If you are going out to eat with family/friends, eat plenty of food before you go.  That way you aren’t hungry.  If the restaurant happens to have RAW food, have some – yes, even if you already ate.  It’s not like that dinner salad is going to pack on the pounds.  This is also a good rule of thumb for parties and other social gatherings.  Be pro-active.  Don’t expect them to cater to you, do what you must to stay on target and then celebrate when you find some treasured raw food in these situations.  Or, when appropriate, bring raw food with you to share :)   Maybe you’ll convert some people along the way.
  5. Decide how you’ll respond when people offer you food.  Be positive and upbeat.  If you feel and act like a martyr, this will weaken your resolve to finish out the challenge.  It does get easier the further you go.
  6. Don’t cut calories.  Be prepared to eat a higher volume of food.  The biggest mistake RAW challengers make is to try to “diet” while raw by cutting calories.  If you’re trying to lose weight, up your daily exercise, but make sure you are adequately fueling your body.  Your body will be going through some changes during the challenge and it needs fuel to do that.  If you eat enough then you’ll dramatically cut down on detox times and symptoms.  You might also be surprised by how much you can eat and still lose weight.  I’ve noticed since being RAW that if my body says I’m hungry… I’m hungry.  It isn’t confusing hunger with emotions or thirst like it used to.  Ignoring that hunger (or passing it off as something else) is not going to help you in the long run.  So, eat!
  7. Get an accountability partner.  Find someone who is supportive of what you’re trying to do and check in with them daily.  Also, if you tell people you’re doing a challenge, more than likely they will periodically ask how it’s going.  Sometimes knowing that someone might ask is motivation to stay on course.
  8. Keep a journal.  You can keep track of anything you want.  In my challenge I have been tracking my food, calories, percentages, symptoms, weight, measurements, fitness and how my body is reacting.  Be forewarned though, if you are really pressed for time, it is far more important to plan your meals and focus on eating RAW than it is to write down every little thing.  Tracking and blogging the way that I am during my challenge can take me anywhere from 1-2 hours a day.  I usually wait till the kids are in bed (or getting ready for bed) to log my food notes and work on my daily posts; However, weighing, measuring and photographing food takes time through the day too.  I have days where I wish I hadn’t started the series doing all of that stuff… because quite frankly, sometimes I just want to grab some fruit and not think anything more about it.  Don’t over commit, be realistic about what you can accomplish day to day and focus on that.  Also, rest assured, something will come up to get in the way (sick kids, appointments, flat tire, late work nights, detox symptoms… etc).  Keep it simple.
  9. Attitude is HUGE.  If you find yourself looking at cooked food wishfully, stop yourself.  Look back at your “why” and change your perspective immediately.  Will eating those other foods help you meet your RAW challenge goals (even if the goal is just to finish)?  Probably not.  This is one of those prime opportunities for taking thoughts captive to Christ.  Allow this process to draw you closer to the Lord and you’ll reap even more benefits.
  10. Dump your old view of food.  Sometimes people have a difficult time with RAW because it doesn’t “look like” the food they are used to.  A RAW diet can be so colorful and I even find it quite beautiful.  Still, it takes some getting used to.  Years of eating cooked foods have ingrained us to believe food should look a certain way (and “stick to our ribs” a certain way).  A large bowl of watermelon will never look like a cheeseburger or Grandma’s prize winning chili, it is every bit as filling though.  That doesn’t mean you can’t get into some of the raw gourmet foods (Going Raw is a great book), but I don’t recommend attempting much of this if you’re just doing a 30 day challenge.  Eating differently is a huge adjustment, so keep it simple in the beginning.

Even with all the planning and preparation in the world, things happen.  If you “fall of the wagon”, don’t let it run you over.  Forgive yourself and jump right back on.  Progress, not perfection, will keep you headed in the right direction.  I’ll leave you with a link to a marvelous post I read today by Lysa TerKeurst.  It’s called Thanking My Quitter Voice.  It is a perfect read for those times when “it’s hard” and we just want to give up (if you’re raw or vegan, ignore the part about the chicken salad :) )  Breakthroughs are just around the corner… don’t quit!