Beginning Raw Vegan Weight: 425
Beginning Blog Weight: 277
Weight Yesterday: 256
Weight Today: 255 3/4
Today's Loss: -1/2
Total Blog Loss: In 16 days, 21 1/4 lbs! Only 1 3/4 lbs to meet my goal of 23 lbs lost!
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Two images of me in the high 380's on vacation in canada! I need to get some more current photos!
I feel quite satisfied with 1/2 lb loss from yesterday! Yay!!! I am so close to my goal of 23 blog pounds lost. Feeling very satisfied with myself this morning!
I ate 1/2 avocado yesterday. The 2nd day only that i've eaten fat in over 2 weeks. For 2 weeks i've been simple vegan raw/fat free/salt free. Maybe adding a little fat helped??? That's contrary to what i was always led to believe about the best way to lose weight, but if it did, that's okay with me! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, fat here i come!
What did 1/2 avocado do to my fat overall percentage as i am attempting to follow 80-10-10? Let's go see! http://www.fitday.com/ is a FABULOUS resource for 80-10-10ing. You insert into the food log everything you ate, and Fitday tells you your percentages! How fabulous!
The goal for fat is 10% or less. But, as Pat Umble reminded us, if we eat too much fat one day, just eat less the next. Aim for an AVERAGE of 10%. Good advice! According to http://www.fitday.com/ :
Beginning Blog Weight: 277
Weight Yesterday: 256
Weight Today: 255 3/4
Today's Loss: -1/2
Total Blog Loss: In 16 days, 21 1/4 lbs! Only 1 3/4 lbs to meet my goal of 23 lbs lost!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two images of me in the high 380's on vacation in canada! I need to get some more current photos!
I feel quite satisfied with 1/2 lb loss from yesterday! Yay!!! I am so close to my goal of 23 blog pounds lost. Feeling very satisfied with myself this morning!
I ate 1/2 avocado yesterday. The 2nd day only that i've eaten fat in over 2 weeks. For 2 weeks i've been simple vegan raw/fat free/salt free. Maybe adding a little fat helped??? That's contrary to what i was always led to believe about the best way to lose weight, but if it did, that's okay with me! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, fat here i come!
What did 1/2 avocado do to my fat overall percentage as i am attempting to follow 80-10-10? Let's go see! http://www.fitday.com/ is a FABULOUS resource for 80-10-10ing. You insert into the food log everything you ate, and Fitday tells you your percentages! How fabulous!
The goal for fat is 10% or less. But, as Pat Umble reminded us, if we eat too much fat one day, just eat less the next. Aim for an AVERAGE of 10%. Good advice! According to http://www.fitday.com/ :
I had 1547 calories yesterday and 17.2% fat and 20% protein.
80-10-10 suggests we take in 10% of our calories as protein, and 10% as fat (and 80% as sweet and non sweet fruits), so I had double the protein needed, and almost double the ideal fat suggested. The 1/2 avocado added over 17 grams of fat, and the 4 bananas I ate yesterday added almost 2 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein.
Bananas have been a BIG topic of discussion of mine on this blog. Bananas have more fat than regular fruits and significant protein. I know on http://www.rawfoodbootcamp.com/ we were STRICTLY forbidden from eating more than 1 banana a day to lose weight fastest, and this could be a reason why. Also, i know bananas are known to be a higher glycemic fruit. I love bananas so much, i have really fought the bootcamp advice.
Let's see what rawfoodbootcamp says about bananas:
Bananas have been a BIG topic of discussion of mine on this blog. Bananas have more fat than regular fruits and significant protein. I know on http://www.rawfoodbootcamp.com/ we were STRICTLY forbidden from eating more than 1 banana a day to lose weight fastest, and this could be a reason why. Also, i know bananas are known to be a higher glycemic fruit. I love bananas so much, i have really fought the bootcamp advice.
Let's see what rawfoodbootcamp says about bananas:
Only 1 Banana? (from www.rawfoodbootcamp.com)
We actually almost had a banana war at Boot Camp. Dr. Graham advocates bananas as a source of energy. People at camp love their bananas, but we have found that for most of us with weight issues, more than one or two bananas a day stops or stalls our weight loss. Dr. Cousens has them on his high glycemic index list, yet from our research we have found them to be moderate. That doesn't seem to matter with the weight loss. Even those who were staunch supporters of unlimited bananas in the end conceded that they thought it was the large consumption of bananas that was stopping them from losing weight. We try and limit our bananas to one or two a day while losing the weight. This can be upped when doing heavy exercise like running a marathon. Remember we are here to lose weight and to do it healthfully. At RFBC we do not advocate one guru or raw theory over another. We read and study them all and find what is best for us as individuals to lose weight and gain health. Everyone is different, we respect that. The low fat is mandatory at Boot Camp, as are the no high GI fruits. The majority of Raw Food Boot Campers follow a high fruit low fat program. This is what worked and still works for me and many have found it is what works for them as well. Others are afraid of eating so much fruit and opt for a more vegetable based program. Whatever program you choose, what matters is that it work for you and you find your way to a healthy trim new life. Once you get there we'll start working together as a team to help you maintain it.
I'm going to aim to reduce my banana quotient! I'll need to go grocery shopping and fill up the fridge with more fruits to chose from. If Carlene at boocamp says less bananas help obese people to lose weight easier, with all of her experience counseling and guiding the morbidly obeses, who am i to dispute this?
I would like to lose a little faster. With all of this hard work, I expected to be able to lose 23 lbs in as many weeks as it took to GAIN it! If reducing bananas and replacing them with another fruit to fill me up works, i'm for trying it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I would like to lose a little faster. With all of this hard work, I expected to be able to lose 23 lbs in as many weeks as it took to GAIN it! If reducing bananas and replacing them with another fruit to fill me up works, i'm for trying it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
PIANO RECITAL REPORT: Well, the piano recital went splendidly! The children and young people played beautifully, the snacks afterwards got almost all eaten up - very satisfying for me to know since i prepared them, the parents were all elated, the kids were proud of themselves, and Cliff, the proud 'papa' to all of those kids, felt content and happy with how well they did, and how well he came through as 'Emcee.' Yay, success!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
FEELING MORE LIKE A 'NORMAL' PERSON
An essay about feeling better and looking better!
Lately, as I continue on my raw journey with 80-10-10, I am beginning to feel more and more like a 'normal' person, and less and less identified with the supersize person I used to be!
Yesterday morning i had such a moment where I felt free and easy and 'normal'. The Manayunk Bike Race was about to begin, and Cliff and I excitedly got out early for our morning exercise - Cliff on his bicycle, and me, walking, so that we could catch the first part of the race before having to get ready to go set up for his kids' piano recital. Standing amongst the other onlookers, I had such a sense of 'belonging'. I didn't feel embarrased or ashamed of being in public. I loved just blending into the crowd and not having people stop and stare and gasp and snicker as they did when i was a super super size person.
I'm also 'feeling' more normal, in that, my health and fitness level are reaching levels more associated with 'normal'. I walked up and down Main Street before the race began, and really am noticing not just how my level of fitness has just improved drastically since losing 170 pounds, but also how drastically it has improved in these short 2 weeks since i began walking daily. What used to take an hour to walk, now takes closer to 35-40 minutes. That's VERY significant improvement. I am moving so easily now.
That ease of mobility and that eager adventurous spirit to explore the outdoors are something I had been missing since my days at the raw retreat where i walked all over Lemon Grove, CA daily. Returning to a life focused on the pleasure of walking and exploring is a new normal that i am so anticipating continuing.
Just catching my reflection and liking what i see is becoming a 'normal'. The norm used to be catching a glance and being filled with self hatred and hopelessness. Now, I see my reflection and notice in my green camoflauge army pants that the legs are quite loose, that my belly looks flatter, my body looks leaner, I'm looking SO much better, and for that to be a daily occurance, for THAT now to become the new normal, feels wonderful.
I also am not afraid to be around children anymore. At the recital, in a pretty feminine skirt and top, i really felt good, just like everybody else, not abnormal, or freakish, or afraid of the reaction of small children. At only 100 lbs overweight now, I'm not that different than alot of other folks out there. Being 50 lbs overweight is commonplace and i'm only double that now. No wierd looks from kids. People and children seem more receptive to me, more friendly. Maybe I'm friendlier, too.
I'm also so much more able to do regular chores! After the recital, we needed to clean up the church and i was able to help out, when at 425lbs, i would no doubt have just been forced to sit it out. I was able to vacume that church after everyone left without stop for at least 20 mins with so much gusto! That was really some work out, and produced quite a sweat! What was so neat, was there was an amazing ease to my mobility that i don't remember having. I get tired at night earlier with all of the walking i'm doing, but I have a lot of energy!
I'm more able to enjoy a social life, too! After the recital at the restaurant, deciding where we would sit, I didn't have to worry about the chairs not fitting me, like I used to. I have such a breezy easy attitude about going out, and fell like I just fit right in like everyone else. I'm no longer 'handicapped' like i was before. I can sit anywhere! We sat outside on armed patio chairs and I was free to enjoy the cool breezes and not have to be stuck inside making due sitting in a booth to accomodate my former girth.
In one way, I'm not normal, and probably never will be. I made my food order like a raw food pro explaining exactly what i wanted and didn't want (dry salad, no dressing, no cheese, no croutons, lemon wedge). I'm totally non-chalant and unemotional about it. No feeling sorry for myself, no regrets, no temptations. That i do not eat cooked 'normal' food like everyone else is a little abnormal.
But in eating THIS way, in making this ONE sacrifice, I am returning myself to the land of the living, enjoying life and all it has to offer. Accepting my limitations with food, I am able to eat a meal...and JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE...NEVER OBSESS ABOUT FOOD ONCE THE MEAL IS OVER. That freedom from cravings makes me feel COMPLETELY and BLESSEDLY 'NORMAL'. Hallelujah!!!
I also don't have to bag out on other fun social times like i used to. After eating, Cliff, his friend, Eric, and I all took a walk on Germantown Avenue to find a bar Eric wanted to check out. Again, there was that same breezy, easy quality to just picking up and walking 'normally' like everyone else, keeping up with them, even walking FASTER! You have to understand that as a 425 lb person who formerly could not even walk one block without tremendous back pain and discomfort and wheezing, this is an amazing feeling.
I've even begun to feel more like a 'woman'! I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I truly notice men holding doors open for me wherever i go, and never remember that happening before. I'll be walking to a store with a man in front of me and i'll say to myself in disbelief, 'no, he's not going to hold it open', and he does! I'm not thin yet, but i think i'm looking better, maybe even more attractive, and men seem to be noticing me more.
In giving up 'regular food,' and by exercising and embracing the simple raw vegan lifestyle, i've been given a rare opportunity to heal my body, lose weight naturally without gastric bypass, and escape a life of hellish immobility and hopelessness, and be born again into a life filled with endless possibilities, fun times, interactions, engagement. I'm only halfway to my weight loss goal, but I am on my way to living a life of 'pure raw joy'...and that's the only 'NORMAL' I want from now on!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
FOOD/ACTIVITY
BR: 1 hard peach, ugg, 3 ripe kiwis
DRINK: 1 large herbal iced tea, water
EXERCISE: 1 hour 10 minute walk, alot of it, uphill. What a workout!
LUNCH: 1/2 medium watermelon
SNACK: 1 apple
SNACK: bowl of green grapes
SNACK: bowl of green grapes
DINNER: medium salad of baby romaine, red onion, ripe red tomato with salt free/low fat dressing made of: 1 tsp raw tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon, garlic powder, black pepper. Sprinkled with 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes. 2 ears of corn.
* * * * * Banana/Fat Update: No bananas today. Was cranky. Uy. And hungry frequently. Wanted to try a banana free and fat free day just to see what would happen with my weight. Held out, and then gave into a salad with a Pat Umble inspired 80-10-10-ish dressing. We'll see how it goes in the A.M. weigh in!!!
More later!
Yesterday morning i had such a moment where I felt free and easy and 'normal'. The Manayunk Bike Race was about to begin, and Cliff and I excitedly got out early for our morning exercise - Cliff on his bicycle, and me, walking, so that we could catch the first part of the race before having to get ready to go set up for his kids' piano recital. Standing amongst the other onlookers, I had such a sense of 'belonging'. I didn't feel embarrased or ashamed of being in public. I loved just blending into the crowd and not having people stop and stare and gasp and snicker as they did when i was a super super size person.
I'm also 'feeling' more normal, in that, my health and fitness level are reaching levels more associated with 'normal'. I walked up and down Main Street before the race began, and really am noticing not just how my level of fitness has just improved drastically since losing 170 pounds, but also how drastically it has improved in these short 2 weeks since i began walking daily. What used to take an hour to walk, now takes closer to 35-40 minutes. That's VERY significant improvement. I am moving so easily now.
That ease of mobility and that eager adventurous spirit to explore the outdoors are something I had been missing since my days at the raw retreat where i walked all over Lemon Grove, CA daily. Returning to a life focused on the pleasure of walking and exploring is a new normal that i am so anticipating continuing.
Just catching my reflection and liking what i see is becoming a 'normal'. The norm used to be catching a glance and being filled with self hatred and hopelessness. Now, I see my reflection and notice in my green camoflauge army pants that the legs are quite loose, that my belly looks flatter, my body looks leaner, I'm looking SO much better, and for that to be a daily occurance, for THAT now to become the new normal, feels wonderful.
I also am not afraid to be around children anymore. At the recital, in a pretty feminine skirt and top, i really felt good, just like everybody else, not abnormal, or freakish, or afraid of the reaction of small children. At only 100 lbs overweight now, I'm not that different than alot of other folks out there. Being 50 lbs overweight is commonplace and i'm only double that now. No wierd looks from kids. People and children seem more receptive to me, more friendly. Maybe I'm friendlier, too.
I'm also so much more able to do regular chores! After the recital, we needed to clean up the church and i was able to help out, when at 425lbs, i would no doubt have just been forced to sit it out. I was able to vacume that church after everyone left without stop for at least 20 mins with so much gusto! That was really some work out, and produced quite a sweat! What was so neat, was there was an amazing ease to my mobility that i don't remember having. I get tired at night earlier with all of the walking i'm doing, but I have a lot of energy!
I'm more able to enjoy a social life, too! After the recital at the restaurant, deciding where we would sit, I didn't have to worry about the chairs not fitting me, like I used to. I have such a breezy easy attitude about going out, and fell like I just fit right in like everyone else. I'm no longer 'handicapped' like i was before. I can sit anywhere! We sat outside on armed patio chairs and I was free to enjoy the cool breezes and not have to be stuck inside making due sitting in a booth to accomodate my former girth.
In one way, I'm not normal, and probably never will be. I made my food order like a raw food pro explaining exactly what i wanted and didn't want (dry salad, no dressing, no cheese, no croutons, lemon wedge). I'm totally non-chalant and unemotional about it. No feeling sorry for myself, no regrets, no temptations. That i do not eat cooked 'normal' food like everyone else is a little abnormal.
But in eating THIS way, in making this ONE sacrifice, I am returning myself to the land of the living, enjoying life and all it has to offer. Accepting my limitations with food, I am able to eat a meal...and JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE...NEVER OBSESS ABOUT FOOD ONCE THE MEAL IS OVER. That freedom from cravings makes me feel COMPLETELY and BLESSEDLY 'NORMAL'. Hallelujah!!!
I also don't have to bag out on other fun social times like i used to. After eating, Cliff, his friend, Eric, and I all took a walk on Germantown Avenue to find a bar Eric wanted to check out. Again, there was that same breezy, easy quality to just picking up and walking 'normally' like everyone else, keeping up with them, even walking FASTER! You have to understand that as a 425 lb person who formerly could not even walk one block without tremendous back pain and discomfort and wheezing, this is an amazing feeling.
I've even begun to feel more like a 'woman'! I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I truly notice men holding doors open for me wherever i go, and never remember that happening before. I'll be walking to a store with a man in front of me and i'll say to myself in disbelief, 'no, he's not going to hold it open', and he does! I'm not thin yet, but i think i'm looking better, maybe even more attractive, and men seem to be noticing me more.
In giving up 'regular food,' and by exercising and embracing the simple raw vegan lifestyle, i've been given a rare opportunity to heal my body, lose weight naturally without gastric bypass, and escape a life of hellish immobility and hopelessness, and be born again into a life filled with endless possibilities, fun times, interactions, engagement. I'm only halfway to my weight loss goal, but I am on my way to living a life of 'pure raw joy'...and that's the only 'NORMAL' I want from now on!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
FOOD/ACTIVITY
BR: 1 hard peach, ugg, 3 ripe kiwis
DRINK: 1 large herbal iced tea, water
EXERCISE: 1 hour 10 minute walk, alot of it, uphill. What a workout!
LUNCH: 1/2 medium watermelon
SNACK: 1 apple
SNACK: bowl of green grapes
SNACK: bowl of green grapes
DINNER: medium salad of baby romaine, red onion, ripe red tomato with salt free/low fat dressing made of: 1 tsp raw tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon, garlic powder, black pepper. Sprinkled with 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes. 2 ears of corn.
* * * * * Banana/Fat Update: No bananas today. Was cranky. Uy. And hungry frequently. Wanted to try a banana free and fat free day just to see what would happen with my weight. Held out, and then gave into a salad with a Pat Umble inspired 80-10-10-ish dressing. We'll see how it goes in the A.M. weigh in!!!
More later!
xoxox Michelle joy
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