To my pleasant surprise, they did!  So I ordered like this:  “I would like the Club Salad, except that I don’t want the chicken, bacon, cheese or dressing.  Then, if you could add the mango from the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and a wedge of lime, that would be great.”

I squeezed the lime over the salad as a dressing; chopped up the avocado and mixed that in too.  YUM!  It was really good and best of all, I was able to eat out and stay RAW!

Thanks, Salsa Brava!

• 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.

What seems rather amazing to me lately is the lack of illness in this house.  This is not normal for this time of year.  We’ve usually had something go through the house by now.  In fact, since going vegan back in October the only thing we’ve seen is a 24 hour fever and only my nine year old was affected.  At that time, her friends were turning up with strep and stomach flu.  All she had was the fever.  I really believe a large factor is the change in diet.

I did more reading on detox this week.  Apparently it is normal for raw vegans to go through multiple stages of detox.  One lady I ready about took 8 months for her body to completely detox.  Wow.  It comes in waves, which is manageable.

As far as food cravings, I haven’t had any significant ones.  I did notice that the family’s pizza smelled incredible last night (remember, my sense of smell is heightened).  Each week I feel more and more like I’m adopting the mentality that “food is fuel” and not entertainment.  When I think about eating something besides raw food (which isn’t often), it occurs to me that I probably won’t feel well and that my workouts may suffer.  It just doesn’t seem worth it.

We went out to lunch with friends after church.  I told the Husband not to worry about me, that I could get something to eat when we got home.  I figured I could at least eat lettuce at the restaurant.  Well, the Husband was having none of that.  He stopped off at a convenience store on the way to the restaurant and got me some cut up melons, strawberries, and two bananas.  Yes, in Colorado they sell fruit in convenience stores.  Anyway, I shouldn’t be surprised by his loving support, but I was.  I felt so special.

This week the scale moved.  I lost two pounds for a seven week total of thirteen.  I also lost 1.1 inches for a grand total of thirteen so far.  I was able to get on another pair of my jeans.  They are tight but I can get them on.  I’ve got one more pair to go.  All three are the same size, but different fits.

After almost four months of vegan (7 weeks of that raw), I’m convinced that my body responds very well to this way of eating.  Not just on a physical level but mental and spiritual as well.  Looking forward to the next week!

Let’s begin with the first week.  If you can survive week one, you will be doing great.  I felt so ugly and gross.  My hope was that things could only get better.  I wore a hat or ponytail (or both) everywhere I went.  These two photos were taken at the end of week one.  The only thing I did to my hair during the first week was rinse it when I took a shower.  Oily and flakey describes it perfectly:

Week two was not much better.  Christmas fell during week two, which meant photos with greasy hair.  I tried to mask it by hot rolling my hair but that didn’t help much.  Then, at the end of the second week, I realized that I had never washed out the product put on my hair at my last appointment (which was the day I started “no poo”).  So, I broke out the baking soda and apple cider vinegar (ACV).  I didn’t measure out the baking soda (or vinegar) but I’m guessing it was about a tablespoon that I added to a little bowl.  I mixed the baking soda with a bit of warm water and then massaged that into my scalp.  Rinse.  Then I mixed the ACV with some warm water and poured it over the ends.  Rinse.  I think I used about a quarter cup ACV.  I did this only once, all other “washings” were water only.  This is what my hair looked like by the end of the second week.  This is blown dry only with an attempt with the curling iron.  The crown is still oily.  The flash exaggerates the look a bit but you get the idea.

Week three seemed better.  My morning “bed head” is still pretty comical.  My hair sticks straight up and brings much laughter from the Husband.  I didn’t use anything but water on my hair during the third week.  Most “no poo” folks will do the baking soda thing about once a week but I am hoping to speed up the process toward using nothing by doing it every other week for now.  I’m loving not doing the shampoo/rinse thing in the shower.  My scalp is noticeably less dry and itchy.  Which is significant in this dry climate that I live in.  Here is what my hair looked like at the end of week three.  It’s still oily at the crown, although not as bad.  Clearly it is beginning to curl better.  My hair has always had difficulty holding a curl so this is a wonderful change for me.

Let’s see, week four seemed significantly improved.  I did end up repeating the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine once.  The ends looked a little dry to me when I blew it out.  I scrunched it a lot during the fourth week and let it air dry.  I decided to just blow out my hair for this photo.  No curling iron, no flat iron.  This looks “normal”.  The flash shows a bit of separation at the crown still but the Husband tells me that it only shows up on the camera with the flash now and not in real life.

During the fifth week I went back to water only.  I’m still amazed at the amount of oil in my hair but I’m beginning to think that what I found “normal” before was not.  I think I kept my hair in a perpetual state of “dry”.  I really thought that my face would breakout more with all of the oil it comes into contact with now, but it is actually clearer than it’s been in years (this probably has a whole lot to do with eating raw).  It was during week five that I got my first hair compliment and it came from someone who had no idea I hadn’t washed it in almost five weeks.  I forgot to take this photo until the end of the day, whereas all of the others were taken right after showering.  The curl is looser than it was but clearly, it’s still there and it’s bedtime!  My hair was blown dry and curled with a curling iron.

At the end of week six I did the baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine once.  I think I’ll do that again at 8 weeks and then attempt to go three weeks in between.  I can’t really say that my hair is “normal” because I think it’s better than normal.  It’s thicker and shinier.  It holds curl better.  It’s easier to style.  It doesn’t have static (hated when it would cling to my face).  I’ve gone six weeks without spending a dime on shampoo or styling products.  Yes, that’s right, there are no styling products in my hair.  Once again, I dried and curled my hair for this photo… taken yesterday.  I was trying to curl it a little differently than I usually do.  I don’t really like how it turned out.  Still, would you ever guess that this is hair that hasn’t seen shampoo in six weeks?

Most people, like I did, would think that your hair would stay in a perpetual state of week one if not shampooed.  Clearly that isn’t the case.  This morning, as I run my fingers through my hair, I do feel a little oil on my fingers.  But oily doesn’t mean greasy.  Our natural oils are there for a reason.  They are supposed to moisturize our hair and protect it.  Even the Husband (who by the way, is the only person in this house still on shampoo), admits that my hair looks good.  He has even complimented me on it without prompting (you know, “so honey, does my hair look alright?”).  And he isn’t the only one, I received two more lovely comments during week six.  One gal didn’t know about the “no poo” and the other did.

So, what made me embark on this journey?  It wasn’t so much the chemicals in the shampoo, although that was one reason.  Mainly, I just wasn’t happy with the condition of my hair on shampoo/conditioner/styling product.  I felt like I had to add more and more stuff to get anything remotely close to what I wanted… and I still wasn’t happy with it.  I wanted to see if my natural oils could do a better job, and I believe they have.

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!

“What do you want to hear?” asks my darling man.

I knew the answer to the question before I even asked it because that last sip clearly had dirt in it.  Just a couple of days before, we purchased some spinach that looked like it was bundled in the mud.  I was only washing the leaves as I used them so the rest of the bunch was still dirty.  We use the question “what do you want to hear” a lot at our house.  The Husband loves this response because it’s guaranteed to get a smile out of me even if I want to say something like, “why on earth would you serve me muddy spinach!”  Of course, I use it too.  “Honey, did you remember to wash my running socks?”  Uh oh.

I wonder if Cain’s first response to God when asked about his brother’s whereabouts was actually something like, “What do you want to hear, God?”  Saying, “I’m not my brother’s keeper,” is basically the same thing though.  He’s trying to hide, to deflect, whatever he can do to avoid facing the truth.

“Saul, why do you persecute my people?”

“What do you want to hear, God?”

“Adam, Eve, why are you hiding?”

“What do you want to hear, God?”

“Jonah, how did you end up in the gut of that fish?”

“Um, what do you want to hear, God?”

Don’t think for a minute that God needs us to answer these questions so He will know the answers.  He already knows the answer… which is why we deflect the question.  Silly humans that we are.  We cannot hide from Him so why not confess and let the forgiveness pour over us?  If you’re wondering God’s response to the question, “What do you want to hear, God?”  It is simply, and in His most Fatherly, loving, compassionate, understanding, beautiful, comforting voice…

“The truth, Beloved.”

It still amazes me that He loves us even when we’re offering Him muddy-spinach lives.

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.  ~ Romans 5:8 (AB)

I thought I would try some cooked food after the first thirty days, but I haven’t yet.  I am considering some vegan spring rolls for dinner tonight though.  My main concern is that I will regret eating them.  At the same time, I’m curious to see if they still taste as good as I remember.

I haven’t tracked my food since ending the challenge.  I’m basically eating the same things but have increased the fats slightly (nuts).  I still don’t eat any more than 1 oz per day but I have had them more often.  I did take one Advil this week.  One of those pomegranate seeds became a weapon in my gums.  I was shocked by how painful it was.  I couldn’t concentrate on anything except that so I took an Advil.  It seemed to take affect almost instantly but it also wore off really fast.  Clearly things aren’t staying in my system as long as before.

I got my first “no poo” hair compliment on Wednesday.  Of course, I didn’t tell her that I haven’t washed my hair in five weeks.

My week five numbers and my 30 day numbers overlap a bit.  I did lose 2.4 lbs since last Friday, for a grand total of 11 pounds in five weeks.  I also lost another 1.4 inches since Friday, bringing my five week total to 10.7 inches (chest, waist, hips, right thigh, right arm, right calf, right forearm).

Sticking with eating raw was rather difficult this week.  My brain kept trying to talk me into eating other stuff.  Hopefully this is just a phase.

Well, on to week six!

In thirty days I dropped 10.4 pounds on the scale.  The tape measure showed a loss of 9.7 inches (chest, waist, hips, right thigh, right arm, right calf, right forearm).  Yes, that’s only measuring one side of my body, so it stands to reason that my left side reduced in size as well.

Here are my food stat daily averages:

Calories: 1842.2
Carbs: 89%
Protein: 5%
Fat:  6%
Fiber: 54 grams

I also did a fitness test at the start of the challenge, which I repeated today.  I did not do exercises specifically to help increase my results.  In hindsight, I shouldn’t have done the final test after a “long run” day.  My legs are still recovering from the spinning (intervals – ack) and running workouts, as was evidenced by all the shaking.  Even so, here are the results:

Resting heart-rate:  decreased 5.97% (decrease is good in this instance)
Vertical Leap:  increased .83%
Pushups:  increased 28.6%
Toe Touch:  increased 150%
Wall Squat:  decreased 11.5% (this was one of those that was affected by my tired legs)
Bicep curls:  increased 5.13%
In & Outs (crunch type things):  increased 53.6%
Heart-rate maximizer:  Ok, so this one is really difficult to judge.  The reason?  Because I think the first time I did the test I was sprawled out on the floor afterward while the kids took my heart-rate over a period of minutes (which brings it down rapidly).  Today I was sitting so it wasn’t falling as quickly.  I guess the key indicator is my peek heart-rate, which was 3.07% lower today.  So, I’m going to say that this has improved based on that fact.

As I’ve noted throughout the challenge, overall I am functioning better.  Sleep, cycles, digestion, skin, hair, nails, energy… they are all improved.  I have felt a bit of a lure to cooked food today.  My body knows the challenge is over; it knows the accountability of checking in daily is done.  Still, I kind of feel as though I might be trading the positive changes just for the sake of “eating” something that tastes different.  I am having difficulty sorting through those thoughts.  I feel like the broken places are being restored and rebuilt.  Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.  It’s really difficult to explain.  I feel… “free”.  This doesn’t mean that I won’t eat cooked food (might eat dinner with my family tonight even), but right now, I’m planning on it being the exception and not the rule.

While this challenge has come to an end, my life as a mostly raw vegan is just beginning.  I greatly appreciate those who have followed along with me on this journey.  Knowing that you were reading kept me accountable on so many occasions.  May you seek God’s face in whatever He calls you to do and may He bless your efforts as a result.

The Food

• Breakfast – Green Smoothie (12.5 oz Bananas, 7.5 oz Berries, 3/4 cup Apple Juice, 3/4 cup Coconut Water, 3.25 oz Kale, 1 oz Spinach)
  
• Morning Snack – 1 Banana
  
• Lunch – Ate @ whole foods…. dried mango, dried apples, .58 lbs strawberries, raspberries, blackberries & pineapple, 1 serving RAW coconut water.
  
• Afternoon Snack – Was out shopping for fabric, skipped this meal
  
• Dinner -  Green Smoothie (12.25 oz Bananas, 8 oz Berries, 3/4 cup Apple Juice, 3/4 cup Coconut Water, 4.5 oz Kale)
  
• Evening Snack – 12 oz Apple Juice
  
• Water – 50 ounces
• Calories – 1,700.4 (Carbs 91.3% / Protein 5.5% / Fat 3.2%)
• Fiber – 46.5 grams!

The Exercise:

• 3 minute warm-up walk followed by a 41 minute run.

The Results:

• So far, I’ve lost 8 lbs and 7.5 inches.  For more information, check out my Week 3 Summary.  Tomorrow I will post an end of challenge summary.

The Effects:

• Today was a busy day.  I’ve got to make a skating dress for my daughter by next weekend so we ran errands today to get supplies.  I wasn’t in the mood to workout but I told myself that I would be glad that I did.  I was right.  It felt really good to hit the trail… well, until the sun vanished behind the mountains and the wind picked up.  Fortunately, the Husband was able to pick me up at the trail head so I wouldn’t have to walk home in the cold.
• Yes, it’s the last day of this challenge.  I contemplated “going out with a bang”; but, since I plan to continue, I didn’t want this to feel temporary.  So, business as usual with my last meal of the challenge being a green smoothie.  This is rather fitting I guess since I began the challenge with one.
• I’ve got another busy day tomorrow, but I should be able to do my fitness test and post my numbers.
• I do have pictures for today but WordPress doesn’t seem to want me to upload them.  I’ll try again tomorrow.  For now, it’s late, I’m going to bed.

Final Summary>>

The Food

• Breakfast – Green Smoothie (9.25 oz Bananas, 7 oz Berries, 3/4 cup Apple Juice, 3/4 cup Coconut Water, 2.5 oz Kale, 2 oz Spinach)
  
• Morning Snack – 1 Apple, 1 small Banana
  
• Lunch – 8.75 oz Bananas, 4.5 oz Strawberries, 1.5 oz Kiwi, 3 Clementines, 1 oz Clover & Onion Sprouts, 1 Medjool Date
  
• Afternoon Snack – 1 oz Cashews, 1 Orange, 1/2 Fig
  
• Dinner -  Green Smoothie (11.5 oz Bananas, 7.5 oz Berries, 3/4 cup Apple Juice, 3/4 cup Coconut Water, 2.5 oz Kale, 2 oz Spinach)
  
• Evening Snack – I don’t know yet.
  
• Water – 50 ounces
• Calories – 1,936.1 (Carbs 86% / Protein 5.9% / Fat 8.1%)
• Fiber – 59.9 grams!

The Exercise:

• One hour indoor cycling class.

The Results:

• As of Friday I’ve lost 8 lbs and 7.5 inches.  For more information, check out my Week 3 Summary.  Although it’s been 4 weeks now, I’m going to do my final numbers of the challenge the morning after day 30 is complete.

The Effects:

• I have mixed feelings ending this challenge.  Some relief and some panic.
• The higher calories make a difference.  I have more energy the day after a higher calorie day.  I’m slacked even more on water lately.  I’m not really even sure why.
•  I’ve noticed some… for lack of a better term… increased mental clarity.  And then there are the strange things like being in a restaurant, seeing the manager walk out of the back, having his name pop into my head (I had never seen the man before) and then reading his name tag to see if it was indeed his name… which it was.  I seem to have a whole lot less “white noise” in my head.
• Other things that have increased in sensitivity are hearing, smell and taste.  The bad part of this is loud noises are louder, stink is smellier, and… you get the idea.

Go to Day 30>>