Beginning Blog Weight: 277
Weight Yesterday: 252 3/4
Weight Today: 252
Today’s Loss: -3/4
Total Blog Loss: 25 lbs in 3 weeks and one day...and a LOT of inches!
NEW GOAL: 249 - only 3 lbs away!!
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 173 lbs
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EARLY MORNINGS
Ahhhh, it's another early early morning on the raw homefront here. I awoke at 4:15 a.m. this morning, and yeeeeees, my bowels had apparently promted my early wake up call. Bizarro.
I went to bed deadtired at 10 p.m. last night, so i'm planning on napping early today. All of this walking is exhausting me by days end. Cliff and I, the early morning daily exercise bugs, are pooped at 8, 9pm. We go to bed early and get up early!
GLENDA
I received a very nice note from my new friend, Glenda. HI GLENDA! Glenda is incorporating more raw into her life and trying to find the best way and timing to do that for herself. I'm sending you love on your journey, Glenda!!! Glenda's note really brightened my spirits this morning.
RECORDING SESSION HARDER THAN I EXPECTED
I had awoken in a kind of a duldrums. First of all it's pitch dark out, so that doesn't help to raise the spirits. And my recording session yesterday only went 'okay', so i'm a little bummed about that, but I need to accept it for what it was, learn from it, and grow.
I apparently have a way to go in learning how to control my voice under nerves and under the 'microscope' of the microphone. It picks up every awful thing you do.
Yet, there were some notes, some phrases, some sections of the 7 songs we recorded yesterday that turned out okay. But, there was more I didn't like than i did.
MYSPACE.COM PAGE COMING SOON
My goal was to record useable 'snippets' of each song to attach to a new myspace page dedicated to my wedding singing, the different shows I sing in retirement homes, etc... I think i was able to accomplish some nice phrases and sections of songs, so we'll use those for the new site. After the Raw Union http://www.rawunion.com/ , Angela Stokes and Matt Monarch's wedding, people from the festival interested in hiring me to sing will know how to find me. There will be 5,000 people at the raw wedding!
Since this will be a 'starter' page, I'm not expecting perfection. After it is up, i'll work on refining the recordings, get back in the studio and make better cuts. Recording is not terribly expensive, but I'll need to generate more funds to be able to keep doing it regularly. I think it will be important for me.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Having that big black mike staring at me really threw me. I usually focus on projecting my voice out instead of singing into a mike. I'm hoping the more and more I record, the calmer and calmer i'll feel.
The recording engineer was very kind and seemed to understand when my voice sounded good and when it didn't. So, the more he gets to know me, the more perfection we can achieve as a team.
And the more I do this, as well, the more i'll realize the cause and effect that is vocal technique. If my tongue is not relaxed, i get this sound (i didn't like it). When my tongue IS relaxed i get THIS sound (i liked it), etc...
I think this will be a learning process and an up and down thing....much like everything these days! But, success is like that. Often, it is hard won.
It would be beneficial to start recording myself at home, so i KNOW how i sound on this phrase, on that phrase, and it's not such a shock at the studio. 'God, do i really sound like that?'
My one regret is that i did not get a good opera aria cut. I'm due to see the engineer again on Monday to create the sound 'snippets' from the recordings we did make, so perhaps he might have time to do a few arias. I'll ask. It would be worth it to me.
RAW WEDDING SONGS
The amended list for what i will sing at the Raw Union http://www.rawunion.com/ keeps growing! It's up to 9 peices! The 3 Matt and Angela requested to dance to as bride and groom are totally new! Wish me luck!
In an effort to stay calm, i'm procrastinating. Bad idea. Better to be a wreck now. And phenomenol at the wedding. If i'm calm now, i'll be a wreck then.
I'll start adding 'vocal practice' update to my food/exercise section.
Here's the whole list, so far. Some of the dance tunes I may change up, but i've sung them all many times.
Ceremony:
- Ave Maria
- Climb Ev'ry Mountain
Reception - Bride and Groom dance:
- Can you feel the love tonight
- At Last
- Born Free
Reception - Slow set for dancing:
- My funny Valentine
- Wind beneath my wings
- Cheek to Cheek
- Unforgettable
RAW WEDDING UNION GOWN
Above are some dressy pics of me at the Civil War Ball at the Union League in downtown, Philadelphia, PA. This is the gown I will wear for the raw wedding, only it's falling off of me, literally. If i move, it falls down and my boobies pop out. I was probably about 30 pounds heavier in these pics. I'm going to have to wear the strap that came with it to hold it up!
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
I like my hair here in these pictures....
I'm very depressed this morning about my hair. It's something i haven't talked about at all yet on the blog, but it's become a fact of 'raw life' for me. I've lost alot of hair since 80-10-10ing. I understand this happens to many women. It also happens to many women who get gastric bypass.
It was suggested to me to eat a little bit of nut butter everyday, instead of doing 80-10-10 with zero added fats. It does seem to be a little better since then.
Candida Update: The candida issue i have, the yeast infection of sorts, burning and itching down there, seems to be staying alive with the daily fat addition.
Arnold Kauffman, my boss, THE Arnold or Arnolds Way, adamently counsels clients suffering from candida to ban fat COMPLETELY for a time until it clears up.
When i do that, I may stop itching down there, but my hair will fall out. It's not a win-win situation.
I'll need to have a consult with Arnold. I haven't really discussed this with him yet. But, he's such a wonderful friend and so willing to listen and counsel. He is amazing in that way. What a dearheart.
I've had my hair cut short this summer, and i'm not loving it. Rather than covering the thinning, the short cut exposed it more, not my intent. It's something i'm facing everyday and am trying to accept it and be 'non emotional' about. Really, why get worked up over something i can't even control.
Yet, as a woman, losing hair is...devastating. We all want to be our most attractive. Especially if we're working SO hard to exercise and eat right to lose weight. I had dreams of being gorgeous with thick rich locks of hair in going raw. I've been thinning since my high school days and i had hoped that going raw would grow more hair. Not produce even less and less the longer i stay raw.
I've heard from people that after all of the weight is lost, after a complete detoxifying of the body is complete, the hair will grow back even stronger and thicker. I will pray for this.
RESPONSE FROM DR. DOUGLAS GRAHAM RE: HAIRLOSS
Yet, the response I received from Doug Graham concerning this issue did not leave me hopeful:
Michelle,
Hair loss often accompanies weight loss, for a variety of reasons. You had to be malnourished in order to get over-fat, and now you must intentionally under-consume calories, and nutrients, in order to lose the weight, leaving you further malnourished. Granted, the foods you are choosing now are far better than those you ate in the past, but still, I hope you see my point. Hair loss often is genetic, as well, and there really is little you can do about this, except:
1. Get a wig you really like, and commit to it.
2. Wear your hair with pride, whatever hair you have on your head.
3. Wear your hair really really short, again, with pride. You are not your hair.
4. Ignore the entire situation as if it didn't matter. It doesn't, really.
When you follow 811, be sure to eat ENOUGH. It looks like you are undereating on 811, and that often leads you off of the program. You have some decisions to make about what you REALLY REALLY want. (You can't have it both ways, btw.) When you know that, your decision making will be much easier. I strongly urge you to invest in my "Making Friends With Your Food" DVD set. That is part of why I am making this response no charge. I congratulate you for all the positive changes you have made in your life. Keep striving. But, there is no diet that doesn't have consequences. You need to take great care of yourself if you want great results.
I found Dr. Graham's note depressing and cryptic. I eat when i'm hungry. How could i not be eating enough calories? If I am not eating enough calories, then everyone at rawfoodbootcamp.com is not eating enough calories. I think they eat even less than i do at 1,000-1,200 calories a day.
RAWFOODBOOTCAMP.COM REGARDING HAIRLOSS
Well, in fact, there are hairloss issues there as well:
Hair Loss from http://www.rawfoodbootcamp.com/This is another side-effect of doing this program. I did a lot of research on this and found out a few things: 1. People who have bariatric surgery also suffer from hair loss. They are put on a high protein diet, and yet they still have the hair loss. They say they think it is from the fast weight loss. 2. Hair is an excrement of the body, so if we don't have as much waste, then it makes sense we won't have as much hair. But then monkeys are raw vegans and they have lots of hair?? 3. This does not happen to everyone. 4. It will grow back, and since this is only a 28 day program, it should not get out of hand by the end of the program. 5. I am hoping that if you start with hemp seed every other day or every three days then you will not experience this problem.
I have consulted with Carlene of rawfoodbootcamp, and she herself had hairloss when she did the 80-10-10 program to lose her 100+ pounds. Although, after she lost her weight, the hair grew back stronger and healthier than before. I am really hoping for this.
I am concerned about my nutrition, and will begin supplementing with Barley Green, and Hemp Seed as Carlene suggests.
OMEGA FATS AND PROTEIN HELPED SHERYL
My good friend, Sheryl Slankey also once experienced hairloss and found a solution in keeping some good fats in her diet and adding in a protein powder:
...I think that certain fats, sugars and salt is important for us as well. When I was on a Weight Watcher’s diet and got my salt and fat intake down really low, I started to lose my hair along with the weight. So we still need fat, but it has to be Omega fats.....I buy a plant based protein powder from Holly Hill that has hemp, pea, rice and chia seed combination. I put a scoop of that into my smoothies every day.
TOTAL BODY RESTORATION
I DO know that Ann Wigmore who drank Wheatgrass juice and ate a plethora of sprouts daily experienced hair that changed from grey back to black.
So, I believe restoration IS possible, but perhaps more greens, more sprouts are necessary. Fruit is SO cleansing, it really cleans everything out, hair follicles included. Perhaps in the 'rebuilding phase', after detoxing, it will really all grow back.
STILL COMMITTED TO RAW
Yet, raw is STILL worth it to me. I feel better, stronger, 5 million times less compulsive with food, my reflux laryngitis is improved. I don't snore anymore. I don't have sleep apnea anymore. I instinctually know it's the way for me.
But, as there are many gurus in the raw world, i'll need to search out answers to my issues. I'm not really satisfied with Dr. Graham's answer.
Yes, I may need to refine my diet somewhat more, and hope to figure that all out. One day at a time.
PURE RAW JOY COMING SOON
I am hoping to soon live in PURE RAW JOY, as a skinny vocally and follicularly JOYOUS being. If not today, then some day soon.
I'll report my day later. Much love to you all. We can get this this, together.
xoxo michelle joy
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