I CAN'T BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE!

ENERGY. Oh, my. I HAD....ZILCH!

I can't believe the difference!

It is only my third day raw, and this evening, I am positively brimming over with energy! [i wrote this last night] Now, you should know, i'd gotten my 'monthly' this afternoon and felt dreadful at work, but got through it, and did what i needed to accomplish at work. Then, after 9 hours raw cheffing at Arnold's Way, you would have thought i would have crashed. Instead, the cramps magically left (maybe the wheatgrass juice earlier helped?), and I actually felt inspired and energetic enough to DO MORE stuff instead of laying like a lump after work as I had become accustomed to on cooked! I went supermarketing, I came home and cooked up a storm for Cliff, did all of the dishes in the kitchen, packed away all of my finished burgers and crackers that I dried today, and practiced my Easter solos! When i was binge eating on fast food from drive throughs again, i barely had enough energy to get out of the car and go into the house and make my way to the sofa. What I also find SUPER amazing is - when i was eating HEALTHY cooked, vegetarian low fat good stuff like beans, I didn't even have THIS kind of energy. That is REALLY saying something for RAW. Raw food really AGREES with me! I have my old energy back!

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SELF PRIDE. I'd lost it at work. Today I found it!

I can't believe the difference!

Two people at work today asked me these exact words, "How raw are you?" When i answered 100%, i was positively beaming. Being a raw-eating-Raw-chef again feels so right. I feel like i'm HOME. In only 3 days, I feel like i'm back to being the ME I was meant to be. I have hope and direction for the future. I know the weight will come off again.

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FEET. Oh, my. They KILLED ME....DAILY. And every NIGHT....TINGLY jumpy FEET with shooting nerve pains so bad I couldn't find a place for myself. Painful aching feet during the day. Shooting pains at night. And swollen ankels, day AND night.

I can't believe the difference!

In only 3 days of raw...my aching feet are NOT aching after a day at work, and after working at home. And now I awake to my 4th day raw and am amazed that last night, my feet did not twitch, shoot pains, possess me to thrash constantly. It's hard to believe and fathom actually. And last night when i got undressed, I was amazed to see my thin ankles again. My feet feel NOTHING like what they had felt like on cooked, bad cooked and good healthy cooked. I can't believe THAT never has to be my reality again! It must have something to do with internal swelling / inflammation? WOW. Wow. wow. I am AMAZED.

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BINGE EATING. Oh my. It haunted and taunted me daily.

I can't believe the difference!

It's day 4 and my focus, my mental clarity is so vastly improved i can hardly believe it. I had ZERO binge thoughts yesterday, on my ride TO and FROM work when i used to get attacked regularly...and NOTHING. Something is so different and right. And I listened to my body yesterday. When it had had enough food after lunch time and my period cramping began, it didn't want any food for dinner. I'm listening.

Cooking dinner for Cliff last night was a vastly different experience than it had become. Intuitively sensing the need NOT to be alone in the kitchen preparing cooked food, I asked Cliff to help. Cooking together meant i didn't have to be afraid of sneaking a bite and starting a binge. All ALONE in the kitchen is bad for a binge eater. Having him there with me, working with me, I felt stimulated by the interaction (instead of by tasting food), and so SUPPORTED. It was beautiful.... He now has some GREAT healthy dishes he is excited about because he partcipated, and I'm still RAW!!!

Over my previous 3.5 years raw, people often asked me how i cooked for a cooked hubby and stayed raw. Well, like I did last night.

#1) Never taste. Do your best to season and ask hubby to taste test.

#2) Don't cook or stay alone with the food in the kitchen if you feel 'unsafe.' Ask for help. Oila'.

If you never take a bite, you never have to go off of your raw diet...and binge!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE!

xoxo michelle joy