Jan. 10

I've been running around, too busy to post.

There have been a few little tumbles off the wagon, but I'm feeling pretty great overall. I'm retaining less water, my clothes are fitting a little better.

green smoothie
raw caesar salad
Lara bar
lettuce wraps with Thai dipping sauce
raw chocolate mousse pie

Jan 5, 2010- Scott

(169.2 lbs) Reached a point in the evening where I just wanted anything but fruits or vegetables...had a beer instead.

Jan 4, 2010- Scott

(171 lbs) Not much to say. I ate my body weight in fruit yesterday. Had to pee about 50 times

Breakfast:

1/4 grapefruit & fruit and spinach smootie

Lunch:

Kale Salad

Supper:

Vegan sushi rolls & cucumber salad; lemon lara bars (dessert)

Snack:

several oranges, an avocado, a banana, more lara bars

Jan. 02

smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, mango, spinach

2 bananas

romaine salad with balsamic dressing

raw lemon bars

raw caesar salad

orange

nut butter

apple

70% dark chocolate (not raw, but not horrible. And oh my.)

Jan 3, 2010- Scott

(171.9 lbs) Well, I'm a little relieved that I didn't lose another 3 lbs. At that rate I would be -80 lbs when this was all said and done. (Granted, at 1.5 lbs lost per day I would be 30 lbs, which is a marginally better result.)

I am doing okay with it so far, but I am realizing at this stage what foods I can't have. This makes me a little sad as I have had a great relationship with some of you food groups. Goodbye bread- we had some good times, you and me. Cheese- I loved you like a third appendage. Junk food- you were always there for me in my times of need. And meat- oh meat, how I loved you so.

Monica says this is normal for me to crave foods as I "de-tox". Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Yesterday's Menu-

Breakfast:

Fruit (and greens) Smootie

Lunch:

Salad with vinaigrette dressing

Supper:

Raw vegan Caesar salad

Lara bars (dessert)

Snack:

about the equivalent of 5 oranges

1 banana

Jan 2, 2010-Scott

(172.4 lbs) I think today I finally realized what I have committed to. We went out to run some errands...I noticed every restaurant billboard we passed. Even McDonald's looked good.

Jan. 01

B-green smoothie, made by the mister, with bananas/strawberries/honey/spinach/coconut
L-spinach salad with pear/cherry tomatoes/mushrooms/sesame "parmesan"/chia dressing; handful of almonds
D-ginger-almond nori rolls
S-pear; chia pudding; apple dipped in nut butter and honey

Happy 2010!

Well, here we are, at the beginning of another new year. Scott and I were just commenting yesterday about how quickly the time goes, and how much we have to look forward to in the upcoming year.

I am so excited to start the raw journey again, and I love my husband for deciding to take the plunge with me.

My main reasons for going raw are: health, weight loss, and increased energy. I felt amazing the last time I went very high raw, and I want that feeling back!

My first goal is to lose about 25 lbs. That seems like a big goal right now looking down at it, but it would put me at the lowest weight of my adult life, and bring me into the normal weight range for my height.

I also suspect I may have an intolerance/addiction to wheat. If I'm going to overeat, it will more than likely be on bread and cold cereal. I want to nip this problem in the bud.

So, I'm raising a glass (of green smoothie) to a fresh, healthy start to a new year.

Jan 1, 2010-Scott

(175.4 lbs) So I doubt that anybody else is going to read this blog other than my wife, so I'll write in this blog as a personal journal as opposed to addressing the masses. However, I should just include a brief description of me and my reasoning for becoming a raw vegan.

I have never been a vegetarian. In fact, yesterday I indulged in Indian buffet for lunch, sushi for supper, and crab dip for New Year's snack. (I also had a steak in the fridge, but even I have limits to the amount of food I can eat.) While I consider myself a traditional eater, my wife has been a vegetarian for several years. She tried raw veganism for a month last year and loved it. However, the pressures of preparing three meals for the family (her, me, and one for the kids) in addition to the inconveniences of a move to a new home caused her to stop. I have pledged to try a raw vegan diet for the duration of our stay at our current home until our new home is built. I will re-evaluate when we are settled in. (Our estimated moving date is late March-early April).

My main reason for this dietary change is to support my wife. I saw how good she felt about herself when she ate raw foods, and if in my changing to her diet will make it easier for her to maintain a raw food diet, I will gladly do it to help her.

Of course, a secondary bi-product of this is my own health. I lost some weight in 2009 (10-15 lbs) and was encouraged. I can probably stand to lose some more. The MBI index tells me that I need to be 155 lbs to get out of the slightly obese category. Not that I am taking a huge credence to this guide, but I am going to push for 160-ish. I also suffer from migraine headaches and have struggled with a skin condition that primarily affects my face and scalp. By limiting my diet to raw foods, I am hoping to determine if the cause of these ailments is dietary in nature.

I am allowing a few exceptions, and am not going to be 100% raw. I am not willing to give up coffee or my alcohol. I am also allowing myself one day a week to eat whatever I want. I may or may not choose to use this day, but by having it makes going into this whole thing a little easier to go into, mentally.

So there you have it. I will include in this blog a daily entry that will include my menu and weight. I will post a before picture soon, and perhaps a monthly photo. I may include other related stuff as well like how much I miss my hot dogs, and hopefully how great I am beginning to feel, etc...

So this concludes my first entry. To my wife Monica: I am looking forward to the next three months. To If anybody else happens upon this blog, welcome to my ramblings.