DAY EIGHTEEN

DAY EIGHTEEN

Smoothie – almond milk, dates and banana

Tub of strawberries

Salad – pre packed salad from Morrison’s with chilli olives plum tomatoes and small tub of hummus

Mixed nuts from Sainsbury’s

Naked juice from Sainsbury

Two mangoes

Today was another very difficult day being away from home and being raw.  It was my sons partner dad birthday and it was a real west Indian knees up, where they kept offering me rice and peas and chicken and even though I kept saying no they kept offering, and I must admit I was staving but kept my resolve only problem is I had no idea what I fancied to eat so I wandered around Victoria Sainsbury before getting on the coach and picked up the mixed unsalted nuts and naked juice which turned out to be not so naked.

While I was on the coach I did some research and it turns out that the Naked drink was pasteurized which means that it was sweeter that it should be and it has been robbed of most of its goodness, but I waited till I got home and drank it anyway along with two large mangoes and it must be my tummy is shrinking cos I felt full to bursting after that.  Tomorrow will be exciting as I get my first batch of organic goodies and my easy sprouted too.

DAY SEVENTEEN

DAY SEVENTEEN

Tea – lemon and honey

Tub of grapes

Smoothie, banana, couple of almonds, blueberries

Smoothie – almond milk, two bananas, dates

Salad – pre packed salad from Morrison’s with chilli olives plum tomatoes and small tub of hummus

Mixed spiced nuts from Nandos

Salad from Nandos – Mediterranean salad with sun dried tomatoes olives, avocado, one pineapple ring

It was even more difficult surviving on raw as it was my granddaughter’s birthday and you know what that means, eating out, cake and alcohol.  I tried my best though and only slipped up with the drink I had at Nandos and it was a mango concoction.  I even resisted the cake which was a first for me.  To my surprise though one of my sons was eating a salad with his chicken and his partner had a Caesar salad so I didn’t feel like the odd one out.  Its difficult Travelling when you are raw and next time I will plan better and have a kit ready and set up to go. 

                                        

I think it would have been easier staying a hotel with a fridge as I would not have got the twenty questions and with my family looking at me strange for my food choices.  I also had a chat with my sons partner about addictions and again with my niece and that there is all sorts of addictions and food I guess is less known one, and I am hoping I have broken the cycle for myself.

I got hiccups for the first time in years and it freaked me out, thankfully when I drank some water it went but I am wondering if it was the chilli on the olives that started it off.

DAY SIXTEEN

DAY SIXTEEN

Juice – celery, cucumber, carrot, apple, ginger, lime.

Smoothie – spinach, frozen bananas, frozen mango

Banana

Tub of grapes

Rainbow salad, with plum tomatoes, olives with chilli pepper and honey and mustard dressing from Morrison’s

Pineapple chunks

Dehydrated mixed nuts

Dehydrated almond crackers with hummus

Tea – lemon and honey

My eating habits are strange today as I was Travelling, I had my juice before I left and had my smoothie while on the coach.  After that it was a long while before I could eat, when I got to Campbell before I went to get my nails done I stopped at the MacDonald to try get a salad but all their salads had chicken everything in them so I decided to get nails done and then go to the supermarket as I will be staying with my son until Sunday.  My sons family think I am strange with what I am eating but I am highly motivated and determined to keep going and not to give into temptation, I can feel myself getting smaller and smaller and I can’t wait to get home to get back in the gym.  I didn’t meet my friend after all I was so hungry that I decided to go back to my sons where I promptly downed a whole tub of grapes followed by a Hugh salad and then I felt better.  We are going to try again on Sunday but what with me needing to be on the coach by 6.30 it will be a tight thing.  It has really brought it home to me how hard it is to eat raw when you are around people that don’t understand.  Think when I get back I def. got to find some raw friends!

I also found out today that the father of my boys has a heart condition bought on by addiction to drugs, I got to thinking maybe I had/have an addiction to food especially the wrong kind

DAY FIFTEEN

DAY FIFTEEN

Tea – lemon squeezed in water

Juice – carrot, celery, cucumber, Beetroot, apples, ginger and half of lime

Large smoothie – spinach, bananas, Blackberries and chia seeds

Four kiwifruit

Large salad – three little gem lettuces, plum tomatoes, two pieces of spring onion, green and black olives, topped with pesto dressing made with large handful of basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, squeeze of lemon and salt

Large smoothie – almond milk, two frozen bananas, dates

Today I am preparing for my weekend away, its my granddaughter’s birthday so am going to stay with my son.  The plan is, Friday I get on the coach and get off at Eltham, take a bus to Woolwich, get my eyebrows done, then take a bus to Campbell to get a pedicure and manicure and from there will go to my sons house.  My friend says he is going to call me to out for a drink not sure if that is going to happen.  Saturday I will be working remotely from my sons house until 3.30 then go to dinner, that is going to be fun lol.

I am going to cut up some pineapple for tomorrow I am packing some crackers, chia seeds, mixed nuts from the dehydrator, I am also bringing a blender with me and will do a juice and smoothie for the road.  I know that we are doing nandos on Saturday so already picked what I am going to have but my Friend wants to meet up Friday night so that will be interesting.

I am not sure if I am eating enough, when I go to long without eating I get slightly dizzy but I am full especially after the smoothie but I have seen on videos that some people are eating sometimes ten bananas in one sitting with dates and extra fruit, I can’t see myself doing that at the moment.

DAY FOURTEEN

DAY FOURTEEN

Weight = 18st 11lbs, loss 10lbs

Tea – half a lemon

Juice – oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime

 

Smoothie – almond milk, two

Bananas and dates

Four peaches

Crackers with guacamole

Large salad -  mixed lettuce leaves, red onion, black and green olives, marinated nuts, plum tomatoes

                           

Juice – half melon blended with a dash of agave nectar

I have made it two weeks raw! And further more I have lost 10lbs, that can’t be right can it, I do feel lighter the tummy is going down and I am more active lets see what the next two weeks weight loss will be.  I thought I would make an almond milk smoothie as almonds are pure protein and would help with working out and boy did it give me energy, I spent an hour and half on the exercise machines and pumping weights and that shit felt good i don’t know why I gave it up, could have done more but didn’t want to overdo it lol.

2 week report – I don’t know why I gave up raw as I feel wonderful, I am stronger, the inflammation around my knee has gone, I now have uninterrupted sleep and best of all I am not craving anything.  I have no detox symptoms and the only thing that is the arthritis which seems to be improving everyday.  I am especially enjoying the smoothies and creating stuff for the dehydrator.  I think I am going to take it to the next level and look in to sprouting and fermenting as I am missing out on some food groups.  With raw there is four, 1 – fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, 2 – dehydrated goods, 3 – sprouts for living food and 4 – fermenting for digestive health.  Have bought a sprouter on line and have fun playing with that also got some alfalfa seeds and wheat grass too.  Have you seen the price of wheat grass in the shops, the seeds are costing me £1.50 and with  little time I can step my juicing game up and boost my health no end.

DAY THIRTEEN

DAY THIRTEEN

Tea – fresh ginger and lemon

Juice – oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime

Dehydrated cashew and almonds

Smoothie – spinach, banana and Blackberries

Dehydrated Kale chips

Tub of Strawberries

Crackers with guacamole – guacamole made with two small avocados, half a tomato, garlic, spring union, lemon juice, black pepper and a dash of hot pepper

Juice – two cups of melon juice made from half of melon with a dash of agave nectar

Nothing special happened today although I really didn’t feel like a salad so had the guacamole and crackers instead and I forgot how yummy it can be and it had a lovely kick of chilli which made all the difference.  Have saved a little of it for a snack tomorrow after the gym.  The cashews and almonds dehydrated mix was fantastic I scoffed the lot I am ashamed to say as they were so good.  Going to make some more for when I go Travelling on Friday.

  I am looking forward to getting back in the gym and pumping them weights again.  Will take my weight and check what weight I am when I get to the gym tomorrow.

  I have been on YouTube doing some research on what juices are best for arthritis and it looks like I am doing the right thing especially the citrus juice its meant to help get rid of impurities in the body and help with inflammation and all this juice is doing the job.  I must admit that my sleep time is wonderful now and I wake up rested and rearing to go!

DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE

Fruit shopping haul at Aldi

                             

Tea – fresh ginger and half of lime in cup topped with water

Juice – cucumber, carrot, celery, Beetroot, lime, ginger, one apple

Smoothie – kale, banana and frozen strawberries

Tub of grapes

Large salad – grated carrots and Beetroot, plum tomatoes sliced cucumber, gem lettuce, red onions and avocado.

Homemade salad dressing – olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, green chilli, black pepper, mixed herbs and blended with celery to make it creamy.

                                  

Hand full of dehydrated cashew and almonds

Coconut water

EXERCISE – Aqua aerobics

Today was the first day in a long time that I actually rushed to do anything and it felt great I rushed to get kitchen and bathroom cleaned and moped, I rushed to have a shower to get to the gym to do Aqua and I even rushed home so I could go score some fruit from Aldi.  I am more agile and can now walk longer distances and I can’t wait to join a walking club in Margate as there are loads and some of the landscape is so pretty.

I have an observation, I am no longer waking up in the middle of the night maybe because I still playing Paul McKenna and he never fails to put me to sleep but also the change of diet is doing its thing, I have noticed at night that if I am tired my body won’t let me fight it any more I just have to go to bed or will be sleeping on my feet.

DAY ELEVEN

DAY ELEVEN

Shopping delivered

Smoothie – spinach, banana, mango and chia seeds

Juice – 2 cups of melon juice

Large salad – romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, spring onions, black and green olives and my dehydrated onions from yesterday.

                               

Smoothie – almond milk, two bananas, little agave nectar

One litre of coconut water

Dehydrated – tray one, cashews and almonds marinated in soya sauce, hot pepper and a little olive oil, tray two and three, kale chips

I was in a liquid mood today and I forgot that I ordered natural coconut water yummy, I like to drink it straight up like it was just coming out the coconut and it taste like it too!  It expensive though so I will have to have it as a treat until I can get to Jamaica.  I had a lazy day as it was part two of dye that hair and had indigo in my hair all day it was worth it though as it did the job and dyed my roots black.  I must admit I do like the colour of the henna, it Jamila and it gives a reddish colour and it highlights great just don’t want that in the roots.

Nothing much else to report I am doing well on the life style change so far and I am feeling the benefits, no more coma and binging and I do believe that I have not craved too much I guess that is because I have a substitute for almost everything.

I can report a few uncooking fails, the flax seed crackers with the orange and pineapple pulp tasted rank lol and although I enjoyed the spaghetti made from courgettes it got a bit starchy so I will making it with cucumber next time everything I have enjoyed.

Uncooked successes, the almond crackers are to die for mainly because of the nutritional yeast making then taste like cheese and the melon juice its like drinking sunshine it is so yummy.

DAY TEN

DAY TEN

Juice – 1 cucumber, 3 storks of celery, 1 carrot, 2 pears and small piece of ginger

Smoothie – spinach, 2 bananas, blueberries and chia seeds

                                             

 raw vegan pasta - two tomatoes, half cucumber, one bell pepper, one avocado, two teaspoons oregano, one teaspoons of basil, one half teaspoon of sea salt, and a tablespoon of extra Virgin Olive oil and a little hot pepper to give the sauce a kick. I used a spiral slicer to make spaghetti with a large courgette.

Dehydrated aubergines with sauce from pasta

                         

2 apples

Whole pineapple peeled and cut

Ginger teabag

Dehydrated- flaxseed crackers and some almond crackers

EXERCISE – Leslie Sonsole walk a mile in 12 minutes

Saturday was a process, It was dye my hair day and because I do it with henna and indigo it takes forever, have to mix the henna on Friday so that it can sit all night in a warm place to release the dye, I didn’t put it on until the evening so I had to sleep with the henna in my hair as it take at least seven hours to really take, then once I wash that out its time for the indigo which takes another seven hours  and this weekend is pretty much a wash out and it’s a shame as there was a multi cultural festival in Folkestone today. Saying that though I prefer henna as it is completely natural and it strengthens the hair as since going raw my hair does seem a bit unruly and thicker too.  The last time I died my hair it was a shop bought dye that completely weakened the front of my hair which I will never do that again.  It seems I am going natural with everything lol, I think next it will have to be skin care and makeup as that is the only thing left!  Will do some research as from what I understand your skin is an organ and does absorb whatever you put on it and it would make sense to be kind to the skin too if you are going to cleanse from the inside out like what raw food is doing for me.

I have no detox symptoms what so ever, even my poo is normal now except that it is green and still Pooing every time I want to wee lol, I feel lighter and do have lots of energy, I am concerned that I am not eating as much as I thought I would be but that might have something to do with it being summer and want to drink more than eat?  Or is it my body telling me to stay hydrated?

DAY NINE

DAY NINE

Juice – 1 cucumber, 3 storks of celery, 1 carrot,2 apples and small piece of ginger

Smoothie – almond milk, 2 bananas, agave nectar

Small plate of Sweet cabbage salad

Large salad – pre packed mixed salad leaf, plum tomatoes, green olives, dehydrated mushrooms and peppers and avocado

Juice – 2 large cups of melon blended with a little agave nectar and ice

                                       

Dehydrated – aubergine marinated in water, olive oil, fresh chilly pepper, paprika and a little salt, also dehydrated some onion rings in korma seasoning

EXERCISE – aqua aerobics

What can I say it’s been a nothing day, I didn’t feel that hungry this morning so I thought I would give myself a energy boost and have some green juice.  I was not that hungry for some reason and I am typing this at 8pm in the evening I still am not getting any real hunger pangs, but I don’t want to eat for the sake of it.  I went to aqua aerobics and I really enjoyed it.  I think the Focus T25 was too much for me so I will do my walk a mile in 12 mins videos, I just don’t want to put myself off exercise.  On the plus side, headaches defiantly gone yay, dizziness gone too and I have not done the nap in the day time in ages, I have too much energy: Just left with a little diarrhea.  In the evening I was not in the mood for food but was thirsty, I looked around to see what I could blend and hey presto the melon was just sitting there in my face lol.  I just blended the melon added a tiny drop of agave with ice and there you have it.  It was so refreshing and so good I made a second cup.

I really think the Paul McKenna thing is working as I don’t actually have Hugh cravings or missing anything and its almost like my body is talking to me telling me what it needs hence the melon!

DAY EIGHT

DAY EIGHT

Water

Smoothie – kale, water, banana and frozen mango

5 conference pears

Lettuce wrap – romaine lettuce, mashed up avocado with spring onion, cucumber, tomato and pesto made earlier this week

                                                     

             

Almond pulp crackers with pesto

Sweet cabbage salad with romaine lettuce – cabbage salad made with sliced red cabbage, two sliced apples diced spring onion, grated carrot, agave nectar, currents, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper

                        

EXERCISE – Focus T25

I woke up this morning and found that I was dizzy or disoriented but that soon passed and although full of energy have Diarrhoea, thought the detox symptoms were done with but I guess not.  I did some research on the dizziness and it turns out I might not be eating enough?  Are you kidding?  I thought I was eating too much lol, it also said it is also a detox symptom.  What I am excited about is I can actually see some weight loss the sides of my tummy are sinking in!  I am not much for weighting myself but cloth size never lie so I decided to buy a new dress in a size down as it’s my granddaughters birthday so next weekend will be my first raw experience outside the home, will be traveling on Friday and back on Sunday, planning on bringing my blender, bring some dehydrated goods and buy fruit and veg, they are planning on going to pizza hut so there is a decent salad bar lol.

I am going to mix it up today, I am going to make lettuce wraps and using cabbage for the first time since going raw.  I really enjoyed my food today the cabbage hit my sweet cravings and the best thing is no headaches today.

I have started exercising today and it was hard going lol, I stopped 3 times but did surprise myself as to how much I could do.

DAY SEVEN

DAY SEVEN

Cup of green tea with honey and lemon tea bag

Smoothie, kale, banana, blueberries and chia seeds

                             

Tub of Fresh strawberries

Pistachio

Large salad – prepacked salad of beetroot, lamb’s lettuce, red chard, dehydrated mushrooms and bell peppers, chopped plum tomato, spring union, half avocado and a few olives, with French dressing

                                            

Smoothie – almond milk, banana and agave nectar

Cashews

grapes

I have made it to day 7, hooray, what a difference 7 days makes, I feel lighter, have more energy and not sleeping all the time and I want to get active now.

One thing I have noticed in the past 7 days is my tiredness has now gone completely and I am getting the feeling I should be doing more, time to get the exercise tapes out and I think I will be going to aqua aerobics tomorrow, now that my first 7 days are up I need to start exercising to burn off this excess energy.  Will start adding exercise to journal to keep me motivated.  Just had a thought it could be Paul McKenna again giving me itchy feet.  Have been listening and going to sleep to him every night for the last 3 nights and I think it’s working lol.

Had a really late night went to bed at 2 in the morning hence the midnight binge on the crackers and hummus.  Was loving my smoothie this morning, well almost midday if I am honest and it was very filling.  That is why I do smoothies more than juicing at the moment as you get the goodness and fibre in one as opposed to juicing where you get a hit of nutrients but no fibre. I also add either flax seed or chia seeds as it gives it a protein boost too and can help thicken it up.  I Always blend greens with water first, then banana or other fresh fruit (either banana my fav or if I run out, apples or pears but requires peeling unless you like the skin of apple and pears in your smoothie but I don’t), then frozen fruit to finish as it makes it nice and cold and adds extra goodness.

The tub of strawberries was fantastic I think they are my new candy or is it because they are in season at the moment?  It’s always best to buy in season as the fruit and veg taste better or are my taste buds changing too, bit of both me thinks, I demolished the whole tub in seconds lol.  I was going to save them for a smoothie but I couldn’t resist them lol.

In the afternoon I went to lay down to avoid the football and ended up sleeping for 3 hours, needless to say I woke up hungry and had a big salad but still felt like I could eat so I make the almond smoothie.

The fruit pulp crackers came out really well you can taste the pineapple and orange in it and the smell of the cinnamon is divine.