A VERY BUSY DAY!!

Good morning,

It's bright and early on Saturday morning. Yesterday was Day 6 on "banana island." I'm feasting on bananas exclusively per my coaching with Dr. Douglas Graham.

It occurs to me that some of you might not be familiar with 80-10-10 or Douglas Graham. 80-10-10 is the name of his latest book, i believe, and it explains the ratio of raw vegan foods he believes creates perfect health: 80% fruit, sweet and non sweet, 10% protein, 10% fat.

Where do we get fat and protein from in a simple raw vegan diet? Nuts, seeds, coconut, durian, avocado, leafy greens.

Dr. Graham's website is: www.foodnsport.com. I suppose you would say that Dr. D is most well known in the raw and the sports worlds. He has trained, using his diet, Martina Navritalova, and other Olympic sports figures. And here he is working with ME!

My mother would say in Yiddish, "Fer Gelt kann man kriegen," which means, 'for money, you can buy.' It's not cheap working with Dr. D, and i barely have the money to scrap together to pay him, but we've worked out an installment plan, and i just KNOW this is RIGHT. You know how you know, when you know?? I just KNOW.

Yes, it's extreme. But so am i.

And sometimes, radical measures are necessary for radical people.

This feels SO RIGHT!!!!

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Good news! My mom had her first day in Rehab yesterday! She is settling in. It's going to be an adjustment, but she is already so much stronger, before she even got there. With an assistant's aid, she's been getting up and walking with a walker to the bathroom several times a night. Bravo, Ruthie!

The Rehab is in a Jewish Retirement Home. So, yesterday, we (i sat with her) enjoyed a Shabbat service in their synogauge together, and a real Shabbos meal including gefilte fish and challah and grape juice. I was crying i was so happy.

Two worries about my mom. Some congestion is back in her chest. It concerns me greatly what's she's eating, flesh protein and plain old regular food, and i know this causes mucous, but i have to let go of it, at least while she is in rehab. When she comes home, and i move in again, we can try to clean up her diet, but if she so chooses. If.

And, the anti-anxiety medication they have her on is making her demeanor somewhat flat. It's really freaking me out. On the one hand, it's great not to have the combative, resistant, rebellious mom we thought we'd have in rehab, but, still, it's strange. There i am kvelling over the synogauge and the meal and am a bundle of nerves the whole day, anxious and scared as anyone would be for their mom, and she's all cool as a cucumber - VERY UNLIKE her. "How are you, Mom?" "Fine," she answers.

Fine.

I said, "Mom, we were in synogauge, then you had a shabbos meal, and i'm there crying. My mother hasn't eaten in almost 3 months and this is her first shabbos meal, and you're all oddly flat...it must be the 'BuSpar.'" (the name of the med). She gave me a strange vacant Stepford Wives smile. And there is a strange vacant look in her eyes.

Yes, my nervous, hyper, anxiety ridden mother....is CALM, but at what cost?

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EATING IS A CHOICE

MJoy: Dear Dr. D, Today was a tough day! I knew instinctively that i would be held up today and would find it hard to eat lunch. Today we were moving my mom to the rehab. So, this morning, after i had like 6 bananas, i felt like maybe i should eat more so i wouldn't get hungry in 2 hours. I just thought i would prevent a premature hunger later when i'd be busy. So i ate 6 more small bananas, and man, did i feel sick, like i wanted to lay down right away, but i felt better within 15 mins. Breakfast was at 7:30a.m. and i didn't eat again until 9:00pm at night!

Having eaten this x-lg breakfast turned out to be wise because i didn't get a chance to eat lunch. I did have a bag of 20 bananas with me, all day. I just didn't have the time or the inclination or desire to break away from the goings on with my mom to eat. I kept figuring i'd eat later. Later turned into leaving my mom's new rehab at 8pm and not eating dinner until 9pm. I felt hungry all day, but just let it go.

Dr. D: When you KNOW you CAN eat, that food is AVAILABLE and you can CHOOSE to eat it when you are READY, you are eating out of choice rather than compulsion, you have come far, Michelle.

MJoy: Although today was not ideal - not enough meals, i managed through a very hard day. In one respect, i felt very much like any "normal" person who was pre-occupied and unable to break away from work or activities to eat. They feel hungry, but eat later. And that's what i did. In that way, it was very cool. I didn't NEED to eat just because i felt a little hungry. I also experienced no energy dips or feelings like i needed a nap. Mentally i felt good. I was busy. Physically, as i mentioned, i had a good amount of energy, very good, in fact. i don't feel dizzy anymore.

Dr. D: You are doing so well in so many ways, and having all the right insights.

MJoy: I awoke at 4:15a.m. and have been up since. i just couldn't fall back to sleep. i can't believe i made it through such a long intense day so well lacking sleep and not having eaten most of the day. That must be the power of raw at work here. Increased energy and decreased need for sleep digesting less.

Dr. D: Well done. Stay on the Island, Michelle, but on Day 8, if you would like to "discover" celery, be my guest. Continue eating bananas as per our plan, but add in "as much celery as you would like, whenever you would like to have some." OK?

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Wow, something new! Celery! Celery. Celery? Uy vey!

xoxo michelle joy