RAW CAN ROLL CAFE', GETTING MORE GREENS AND MINERALS, ADYA CLARITY, HAIRLOSS, ALKALINITY, AND VITAMINERAL GREEN

Howdy Doody,

We went for raw lunch today to Raw Can Roll Cafe' in Douglasville, PA! WOW! Holy Shlamoley, that was seriously THE most delicious raw meal i have had in FOREVER!

www.RawCanRollCafe.com

I got the Meditteranean plate with hummus, tabouli, salad with tahini vinaigrette, some flax crackers, and jicama potato salad. Kawabunga! Cliff got the hummus sandwhich. He missed the real "bread." We shared the guacamole appetizer which came gorgeous and with the crunchiest spicy corn chips ever, unreal, and I had a peice of the mango cashew cheezecake for dessert. Can you say frickin' fabu? And STUFFED! Big portions...and such unreal reasonable prices, i couldn't believe it.

Have you been there? GO THERE. NOW!!!

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I worked 4 days in a row at Arnold's Way Raw Vegetarian Organic Cafe', where i've been working for about 4 years now. My doggies were KILLING me on my feet for 9 hours a day in a ROW, but it was a great 4 days.

We had some people in from Boston who said, "We've been around the country to raw food restaurants, and this was the BEST raw meal we've ever had!" Wow!

I'd made them the Burger Bundle (a raw burger wrapped in nori, inspired by how All The Way Live serves theirs), and the Toona Gorilla Wrap. I pride myself on my raw toona! Good enough to be world famous, i am telling you!

Very nice praise indeed! But after that meal today at sweet Sherryl Chavarria's place???? Raw Can Roll has us BEAT by MILES!! Beautiful, cozy, clean, modern, amazingly awesome food, inexpensive. Wowza.

_ _ _

I did pretty well with my food the last 4 days! No out of control behavior. Wowy kazowy!

I also have begun to concentrate on getting more greens in, drinking more green juices, taking green supplements like spirulina and vitamineral green, trying to get pumpkin seeds, and beets in, which were all suggested in such great comments by my amazing readers! THANK YOU!

I also just to happened to be gifted a free bottle of a natural supplement from dr. caffery's office (more later about him) with zinc and magnesium in it, so took that today, on the advice i need more zinc. I'm hoping all of these changes will help with the hair loss.

I should clarify, the hair is not coming out in "clumps," as i apparently said. I should have said it comes out in handfuls...like if i run my fingers through my hair??? uy. Lots of hair between my fingers, each time. Probably NOT a thyroid problem.

_ _ _

Susan and Mark Aman were in last night to Arnold's Way.

They are doing AMAZING on their mostly raw diet supplemented by natural supplements, and the daily sardines/quinoa breakfast prescribed by their holistic dr.

The rest of the day, Susan and Mark eat raw salads and fruit snacks.

The dr. (dr. caffery http://www.functionalneuro.com/ ) tests their blood monthly to see how they are doing. Caffery said to Mark, "You are both coming along marvelously. You continue to improve. And your hormones, Mark, are the most balanced of any male patients i have, it is astounding." Mark is feeling TREMENDOUS and he and Susan are elated to have found this holistic medical dr they have been seeing for more than half a year.

Caffery advised them, however, that their iron numbers are low. He asked them how they feel about supplementing their diet with a steak every so often. Susan loves meat (as i do), but Mark has not had meat in 25 years. He is open to the idea, however, BECAUSE he has seen what POSITIVE results he is getting by following Caffery's other recommendations.

If our aim is to feel good and be healthy, then why judge the route they are taking?

_ _ _

When Cliff and I were following Anna Inez's diet - fruit smoothies for breakfast, gluten free starches and salad for lunch, fish and salad for dinner, my urine tested DARK GREEN and BLUE on the PH Test Strips we keep in the bathroom.

However, in eating just 'regular gourmet' raw....my urine tested barely green this morning, really the strip stayed YELLOW.

I was MORE alkeline eating fish and quinoa than i am eating cashews (acidic). And my hair wasn't falling out then.

Discouraging. Interesting.

The reason I gave up the Anna Inez way was because i kept binge eating on leftover fish and quinoa and leftover gluten free pasta.

If i could only have some self control.

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Man, o, manoshewitz, i love meat. I bet a nice steak would stop this hair loss! The ONLY reason i stopped eating meat was because i could eat an ENTIRE BRISKET myself! Maybe i'm barking up the wrong tree with this raw, i don't know.

Nevertheless, i stick with it because I think there is quite a lot of merit to it, but like Susan and Mark, it is apparent my diet needs modification.

_ _ _

A dear customer, Claire K. was in to Arnold's the other day, and we had such an amazing conversation. Claire, who has been extremely ill her whole life, had heavy metal poisoning, but never knew it until her blood was tested recently and her holistic practitioner said her heavy metal numbers were through the roof.

He suggested she try Matt Monarch's Adya Clarity (click here for info: http://www.therawfoodworld.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=1004657&zenid=0jpjclpjm3krq9n80n9ddf5n80 ,
Claire is having great success using the product, seeing her heavy metal numbers go down and feeling so much better. "It is as if there were two parts of my body, the left and the right, and they were at war, and now, they're one."

The one drawback to taking the Adya Clarity, she says, is that as soon as she takes it, it completely knocks her out and she needs to lie down.

Hm. The Vitamineral Green i've recently begun taking, is doing the same thing!!!

AFter I take it, i feel ZONKED and need a NAP!! I'm following the dosage recommendation to start with a teaspoon, but that is strong stuff! At work on Friday, i felt AWFUL most of the day from taking it in the morning.

But i'm sincerely hoping it will add some minerals to my obviously mineral-poor raw diet. When i read the bottle, it seem to state it is high in minerals.

Click here for info: http://www.healthforce.com/shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=6&category_id=1

This morning I took it, and zonk, 20 mins later, i went out like a light until almost 10a.m., and then felt in a sleepy-fog through most of the day. It was only until after 3pm that i began to feel TREMENDOUS! Happy! Depression lifted! Positive! Energetic! Motivated!

WOW! Maybe it's working??

What an interesting raw journey!!

xoxo michelle joy

MICHELLE RESPONDS TO A READER

Hey there,

I woke up super early this morning. I didn't eat a lot of fruit yesterday and had surprisingly good energy at work and didn't sleep much last night. I'm very intrigued by this.

After reading Angela Stokes' FAQS page, which i posted yesterday, i must say i felt very enlightened as to why i might be losing hair, experiencing stalled weight loss and depression.

I ascertain from the FAQS that Angela's advice would center around focusing the raw diet on greens (juices, salads, spirulina) and fat (avo, nuts, seeds), instead of on fruit, and taking regular colonics in such cases for hairloss, stalled weight loss, depression.

I received a passionate comment from Debbie who disagreed strongly with this prescription. I wanted to respond fully. My comment had too many words so i thought i'd make it a blog entry.

Thanks Debbie for your point of view and your passion. I appreciate your response, but am curious to investigate Stokes opinions/prescription more.

Here is Debbie's comment and my response below.

Wishing you a wonderful joyfilled day.

xoxo michelle joy

_ _ _

Hi Michelle,

I think Doug Graham (you're favorite) was very clear that you will have problems if you eat a lot fruit with fat. It seems he knew what he was talking about. If you look at what 80 10 10'ers eat every day and what Angela eats every day (she puts this in her blog), it's a no-brainer for me. Angela practically starves herself.

I'm feeling fantastic these days eating tons of fruit, some greens and NO NUTS, OILS, OR AVOCADOS. I have no hair loss, lots of energy and don't feel the need to pay someone to stick something up my butt (although I turn 50 this year and so my doctor says i should have a colonoscopy, so I guess I will pay someone to put something up my butt).

I just thought you should have a second opinion before you start spending money. Next thing, you'll be buying all kinds of supplements and you still won't feel great. You need to cut the fat out of your diet. JMO

Fruit is what we are meant to eat - just look at Megan.

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Hi Debbie,

Is this Debbie of "Adventures in the Raw?" How ya doin? Last i read, you were not blogging and doing the paleo diet and feeling good but still desiring to be a fruitarian. If this is you, i'm glad you made it to fruitarian land! You sound ecstatic with it and like it is really working for you. I'm happy!

I hear what you are saying loud and clear. It is what i hear all day at work surrounded by fruitarians!

Let me address your points.

HAIRLOSS: I WAS losing my hair when i was working with doug graham and eating all fruit and a little greens. Frankly, i didn't like it then and i don't like it now. He didn't seem to have an answer for it and said it was genetic and that i should buy a wig.

My hair grew back on cooked over this last year. I don't know what to say about that. The way i'm seeing it, i must have been getting nutrients on cooked that i was missing??? I don't know.

Sure, Megan eats all fruit and doesn't lose her hair. She never had an issue with hairloss eigher. On the other hand, I ate all fruit and did. Hairloss may be one of those issues that affects individuals and not everyone as a whole, i'm thinking? Hairloss has been an issue of mine since high school days. I've always been thinning. Recently, it started to come out in handfuls after 11 weeks back on raw.

Instinctively, i started adding in Spirulina. Call me crazy, but i think it's working. Stokes advises Spirulina for hairloss. Wow, i thought, when i read that. That was my idea, too.

When i was at OHI, i took Barley Green 3x/day, juiced wheatgrass a few times a week (when i could stomach it) and drank green juice weekly. I should start that up again.

DOUG GRAHAM: Yes, you are correct, Doug Graham is not my favorite guy, but i don't see that as my fault. I would have been happy to adore him! I tried! It was really his arrogrant personality, lack of caring and lack of emotional sensitivity while we worked together that was hurtful. I wanted to love him. I'd run to my email to see what he said and would be devastated. On many occasions, i was in deep emotional detox and his lack of comfort was startling.

I've since talked to a fruitarian who knows Graham well and said he is renowned for doing poorly with counseling women, and is insensitive to women's issues in general. This fruitarian said women have more success working with his wife, that she is more sensitive and nurturing.

I would agree if a person needs comfort and nurturing as i apparently do, Doug Graham is not the person to give it.

STOKES RECOMMENDATION: The reason i'm so intrigued about what Angela suggests is because it sounds familiar. At OHI, we only ate watermelon for breakfast, no other fruit, ever.

And i had colonics regularly during my 8 mos there.

And my diet was mostly sprouts, greens, green juices, fermented foods, and fats - soaked seeds in seed cheeze and lots of flax crackers.

I did so well on this plan, losing all of that weight, 140 lbs, so quickly, in 8 mos.

I also exercised so much. I rarely felt depressed or lacking for motivation to exercise!!!

I'm intrigued because now i've been eating ALOT of fruit, mixed with a lot of fat, which i know is a bad mix, but wasn't sure which way to go with it. I didn't realize there is the Stokes option of getting rid of so much fruit and not seeing the fat as a bad thing. That she sees a diet higher in fat and greens as BETTER than a diet high in fruit is a radical concept coming from Arnold's Way, where Arnold prescribes fruitarian for everyone.

I try not to judge. I find it INTERESTING! Raw is certainly controvertial.

On a lot of fruit now, mixed with fat, I'm depressed, don't want to exercise.

Yes, I could go the 811 route and cut out all of the fat, but I've been completely resistant to doing that.

I'm going to decide to respect that resistance, investigate Angela's idea, and see what happens.

I think i'm just off balance. Stokes talks alot about miscombining. I think i've been doing a fair amount of that, eating something nutty followed by a huge banana shake. My energy goes way way down. So, maybe it's not necessarily that i'm eating "too much fat," but that i'm miscombining so poorly. Yesterday at work, i puposely focused on juices and fat and didn't eat much fruit to see what would happen. Much to my surprise, I was shocked to have energy all day and a distinct feeling of depression lifting. That was interesting to say the least. I also didn't need to sleep much.

When i think of Dustin Kellogg http://www.dustinkellogg.com/ , with his amazing raw chef wife, http://www.therawseed.com/, Meredith/Padmapani makes the best raw food i ever ate, I come away amazed. How did he lose over 100 lbs eating gourmet raw? I have asked this since DAY ONE of this blog.

I come to understand MAYBE the reason why? He didn't eat a lot of fruit.

From what i know, Dustin didn't exercise formally at all, juiced greens every morning, skipped lunch, and ate gourmet for dinner and some raw snacks later and didn't eat a lot of fruit.

FASCINATING!

Since i love gourmet, i've always been dying to get to get to a place of guilt-free gourmet eating. It fits my personality. It's so creative. It's so delish.

You always wanted to be a fruitarian. I never did. I always wanted to eat gourmet!

I understand the 811 philosophy, lived it for a short while, had multiple spurts of doing it for weeks on end, but i never wanted to do it fulltime. There was difficulty for me to indulge in gourmet raw with 811 because I'd gain weight immediately and in huge amounts.

Why was this happening??? I didn't understand why. At OHI, i routinely indulged in gourmet raw, felt like i was in heaven, ate it 1-4x/week, and the weight dropped off of me, and when i ate gourmet raw meals, my weight would go up 3 lbs, instead of 25-35 lbs like it would after 811.

I didn't eat a lot of fruit at OHI.

Also, when i ate gourmet raw at OHI, i rarely felt compelled to. After 811? I was like a fat sucking machine. It was like a horrible backlash. Many people on fruit at Arnolds feel that way about fat. When they taste it on 811, they want to dive into it and eat every fatty thing in sight.

The highly effective time in my life on raw at OHI....intrigues me continually. What was i doing to make it work then and why doesn't it now??? What i was doing there is closer to what Stokes prescribes.

COLONICS: Colonics don't really bother me philosophically. I was educated in raw on them at OHI. I think i did find benefit from them, so i'm not turned off to the idea of trying them again. Alot of raw foodists believe in them.

FRUITARIAN VS. OTHERS - I'm so glad all fruit and no fat is working for you and you are able to maintain that lifestyle long term, feeling great and not suffering any ill effects like hairloss or loss of energy. That is awesome!

I can honestly say with all my heart, i never wanted to be a fruitarian, and since i was introduced to raw on a totally not-fruitarian raw diet and did so well on it, 811 has never seemed like "the answer" to me.

Megan believes it is for her. I'm so glad! She is finding terrific benefits and is feeling great!

I also know another fruitarian who is suffering horrible effects from all sweet fruit. She is a mystery to Arnold, who advocates sweet fruit. She followed his prescription and did worse and worse, breaking out in a full body hives. She since visited Anna Inez, the raw healer i went to, who is a Natural Hygienist. Anna Inez put Joy on celery juice and took her OFF of ALL sweet fruit. Almost overnight, the hives dissappeared.

I also have another friend, Susan Aman, who has since added canned sardines into her and her husbands mostly raw diet...and they have never felt better. Susan and her husband were advised by their holistic dr to cut out so much fruit. As a result, they focus on greens, green juice, fat, and sardines. They say they are experiencing sky rocketing health as a result. They eat cooked quinoa and sardines for breakfast! Who am i to judge? Their holistic practitioner tests their blood monthly. When they were eating all of the fruit and felt poorly, Susan was losing her hair, too, and her nails were brittle like mine, their blood was so lacking, the dr said their health was, on a scale of 1-10, a 2. They have since climbed up the ladder on the scale. They do take some supplements. I don't judge, i just say, wow!

I don't know if there is one answer for everyone. I see a lot of variation of results at Arnold's Way.

WHAT ANGELA EATS: I do see what Angela eats daily and it's true, a lot of her calories come in the form of liquid - coconut water and juices.

And i saw her eat in person at her wedding and she eats very slowly, very deliberately and yes, small portions. Matt, her husband, advocates eating less and less food for good health, whereas Graham suggests eating more and more. Their viewpoints are radically opposed.

The fact that Graham was telling me to stretch my belly with 50 nectarines at a time so i wouldn't be hungry...seemed nuts. I don't know. It didn't appeal to me.

Angela seems to eat one gourmet meal a day, and she does have some fruit it seems every day.

When i was in OHI, i would eat 1x/day if i had a gourmet meal and just walked and walked and walked. My energy felt great.

OVERALL - I understand the philosophy 'we are supposed to eat fruit, we were made that way.' Well, at OHI, we ate ALOT of fruit - just not SWEET FRUIT. We ate lots of cucumber, tomato, peppers.

Frankly, I'm interested to experiment eating more greens, taking more Spirulina, beginning to juice again, let go of the vigilant fat counter....and see what happens.

I'd rather not judge...just experiment!

If i feel horrible, the hairloss doesn't stop, i gain weight and get more depressed, i'll listen to that! My tooth sensitivity has also been awful on all of the fruit.

Stokes says we can become "overly acidic" eating too much alkeline fruit. I'm curious to find out what that means!

I'll let you know if i feel better or worse!

Best to you,

xoxo michelle joy

ANGELA STOKES FAQS PAGE

Hi Folks,

My new blog friend, Jamie, forwarded the below internet info page to me, which is incredibly enlightening, and specifically germaine to issues I am facing today as a return raw foodist: HAIR LOSS, STALLED WEIGHT LOSS, LACK OF ENERGY.

As you know, since returning to raw foods 11 weeks ago, my hair has been coming out in handfuls. A very frightening ordeal. After reading the information linked below, specifically the section entitled , "Is Hairloss Common For Raw Foodists?," I come away with new information regarding the possible cause of my hair loss (too much fruit, not enough greens/fats).

INTERESTING, especially since at OHI, we did not eat fruit past breakfast EVER and I experienced no hairloss there.

_ _ _

I have also been hoarse for the past 4 or 5 days seemingly without cause. August allergies? After reading the article, i am seriously considering that i may be experiencing some kind of a candida issue. Angela also states a possible reason for allergy flareups is TOXICITY and suggests PROBIOTICS and COLONIC ENEMAS.

At OHI, i did colonics weekly and I lost 140 lbs in 8 months.

In 11 weeks back on raw, i have not lost more than 30/40 lbs. It fluxuates depending on my level of activity and on how much emotional eating i do.

This has been discouraging.

_ _ _

Along the same lines, the possible cause for my feelings of depression and lethargy (at times) may also be due to a build up of toxicity and acidity. Angela, again, suggests COLONIC ENEMAS. Makes sense. If the system is overloaded, we feel blah. Who wants to exercise then?

_ _ _

THANK YOU
I'm very grateful to Jamie for forwarding the info and I will consider it thoughtfully. It seems to make sense!

I thought you might like to read through.

_ _ _

ANGELA STOKES FAQS PAGE
Angela started the RawReform.com website in 2004, sharing her story of raw-markable transformation and a 160 lbs weight loss. She has been answering peoples’ questions about raw lifestyles ever since and shares her answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions she has responded to over the years.

Here are just SOME of the numerous topics covered in the link found below.

HOW DO I GET STARTED EATING RAW? WHAT DO I EAT EACH DAY?

COULD THE RAW LIFESTYLE HELP ME WITH MY HEALTH CONDITION?

WHAT ABOUT LOOSE “SAGGING” SKIN AND STRETCH MARKS?

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT CANDIDA?

WHY AM I NOT LOSING WEIGHT WITH A RAW LIFESTYLE?

FOR WEIGHT LOSS IS IT BEST TO GO RAW OR DO A JUICE FEAST?

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN FROM?

IS HAIR LOSS COMMON FOR RAW FOODISTS?

I AM DIABETIC – HOW DO I GO RAW?

WHICH JUICER IS THE BEST?

I’M JUST STARTING OUT RAW – IS A JUICE FEAST A GOOD IDEA?

WHAT ABOUT VITAMIN B12?

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY ‘ALLERGIES’?

IS IT OK TO EAT A LOT IN THE BEGINNING OF GOING RAW?

CAN I JUST EAT MORE RAW FOODS AND BE HEALTHIER?

HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD I CONSUME DAILY?

CAN YOU COMMENT ON TEETH ISSUES WITH A RAW LIFESTYLE?

HOW DO I EAT RAW ON THE ROAD?

WHAT HAPPENS IF I GO FROM EATING JUNK FOOD TO 100% RAW OVERNIGHT?

RECOMMENDED STARTER APPLIANCES?

DIFFERENT CLEANSE SUGGESTIONS?

HOW DID YOU START EATING RAW AND IS THIS A PRACTICAL LIFESTYLE IN TERMS OF FINANCES AND TIME?

DID YOU EVER EXPERIENCE ANY WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAUS?

IS IT GOOD TO DO A COLONIC AT THE START OF A JUICE FEAST?

WAS IT THE TYPES OF FOOD YOU ATE THAT LED YOU TO BE OBESE?

DO YOU HAVE ANY GUIDANCE FOR HEALING IBS?

CAN I BE 80% RAW AND HEALTHY?


ANGELA STOKES FAQS PAGE LINK: http://www.therawfoodworld.com/blog/?page_id=1097

xoxoxo michelle joy

FOCUSING ON OUTPUT INSTEAD OF INPUT

I took an hour's walk after work tonight.

Usually, i just go home dog tired after work and plotz on the sofa.

But I seem to have arrived in a new wonderful cycle of movement and energy. The hour walk Cliff and I took on the Atlantic City boardwalk yesterday did me so good. First of all, it felt so good, and secondly, it seemed to have positive effects on my body, such as decreased reflux, increased digestion, increased mobility and increased energy. At work today, even though i ate a fair share of nutty things, i had so much energy!

I want to keep up in this direction. I know how exercise is, if you let it go a day, suddenly you don't "feel" like it, so i want to keep on this new positive train...and not allow myself to get derailed.

It occurred to me that focusing on exercising can only do me good:
-It will burn calories.
-It will rev my metabolism.
-It will help me lose inches and tone up and look better, even if i don't lose pounds.
-It will allow me to eat the raw foods I like, like the raw burger from All The Way Live, guiltfree. -It will help me to be more in tune with my hunger levels, since it will probably make me hungrier, my signals will be louder.
-I'll get more restful sleep.
-I'll have more energy.
-I'll be less stressed.
-I'll sing better as I'll be in better shape.
-I'll probably lose weight.
-I'll gain strength.
Etc...Etc...Etc...!

My tendency is to overeat at times and to eat sometimes when i'm not hungry, so, why keep feeling bad about failing there, constantly. Why not focus elsewhere?

If i stopped obsessing about INPUT (what goes in the mouth), and just did the BEST i could daily to eat when i am HUNGRY and stop when i am FULL, and switch my focus to OUTPUT (the energy i'm putting out), I'd feel less guilty all of the time and i'd feel more easy going about raw. Every little thing i ate wouldn't be such a disasterous big deal. I'd be burning it up! It sounds like a good direction to me!

METABOLISM
When i came home from OHI and began working at Arnold's, I had been working out DAILY for 8 months, walking and swimming for hours a day!!! My metabolism was SUPERCHARGED! No matter what i ate raw, pie all day, raw bread all day, i didn't gain ONE POUND for an entire year! I was in a blissful state with raw where I could eat "whatever i wanted," and never gained a pound, due to increased overall fitness.

DIETING/BINGE EATING
There was a time on this blog when i lost a lot of weight quickly by cutting out the fat and salt on 811. The only problem was, i couldn't and didn't WANT to maintain the strict 811 way of life - I binged OUT...on gourmet raw chronically. I couldn't get enough of it when i ate it, because i knew i "couldn't" have it again soon.

What's more, I would routinely gain 20-30 lbs on these binges. I suppose my fitness level and metabollism must have been DOWN during this time for FOOD to have such a disasterous effect on my WEIGHT.

This feeling that every little thing i ate was going to HARM me DISASTEROUSLY and cause me to GAIN WEIGHT IMMEDIATELY was terrible for me psychologically.

I've since come to believe that raw "dieting" doesn't work for my particular psychology, in the longrun, since it creates that backlash effect (binge eating) and I only gain the pounds i lost quickly....right back quickly, anyway.

A NEW WAY
During these 10 weeks back on raw, i decided i wanted to discover a better balance for myself, a lifestyle instead of a diet, that considered my obvious need for food pleasure. Why DENY that?

This new raw lifestyle, about 50% gourmet raw, 50% fruit, focusing on HUNGER/FULLNESS, and now opening the door to that crucial component of SERIOUS exercise, seems a saner option for me. Not so black and white. I don't have to be so....ANAL and OBSESSED about food, nor so FEARFUL about IT or my WEIGHT.

Binge eating has also SO severely decreased over these 10 weeks. This is just so much better for me in the long run for me.

FOCUS ON FITNESS INSTEAD OF WEIGHT
Weight loss hasn't been super fast, 40 lbs in 10 weeks. And seeing that trend...sends me looking in another direction. I could always do BETTER with food, but seem to be doing as well with food as I can, so let's look elsewhere, i told myself.

Stop beating a dead horse (diet focus) and just EXERCISE!

Yesterday, an hour, today, an hour, hopefully tomorrow an hour. I'm certain that with the increased exercise, I am going to be seeing better results. How could i not?

POSITIVE EXERCISE ATTITUDE
How silly of me to neglect exercise, negatively thinking, "it won't help."

Just look at Megan's body and you see how much she's changed in a year, from twiggy to shapely and you'll see how much exercise helps.

Just look what it did for me at OHI when i lost 140 lbs in 8 months walking my butt off, still eating gourmet raw several times a week.

INPUT/OUTPUT
How much energy we expend is a very important part of the whole equation. Energy in. Energy out. Naturally, we have to hit BOTH targets optimally to really kick losing into overdrive.

But with my eating disorder to consider (I don't want to flare it up with strict "dieting,"), until i can fundamentally REDUCE my food intake or adjust my raw food choices sufficiently to produce better weight loss, I'm going to focus on OUTPUT. I seem to have more control in that area, anyway, so why shouldn't i focus there?

I have a feeling that placing my focus on exercise more and allowing the focus on the food to go, I'll end up being being happier, more relaxed, and, paradoxically, more "in control" of my food than ever! Sometimes you have to "lose control" to gain it. Getting more and more into fitness and moving, and relaxing about food is going to be....wonderfully FREEING! I'm excited to see where this new idea leads!

xoxo michelle joy

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T EAT HEALTHY ON THE BOARDWALK!

Street vendors on the Jersey Boardwalk sell endless treats like....pretzels, hot dogs, pizza, salt water taffy, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and the like...

So if you're RAW, what do you do? Give up and give in???

No way!

I want to share with you HOW EASY it is to STAY RAW AT THE SHORE!

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TAKE FOOD WITH YOU and NEVER LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT YOUR COOLER and freezer packs!
We're back from 2 lovely days at the Jersey Shore...and I'm 10 WEEKS RAW, today, pooped from so much exercise and sun, and excited to share with you how easy it is to stay raw at the shore!

Driving to visit friends staying in Sea Isle City, NJ, Cliffy and I stopped at a wonderful FARMER'S MARKET and picked up some fresh picked corn, fresh Jersey tomatoes, tree ripened ripe peaches and plums, cherries and cukes for my seashore meals.

We stored these in our COOLER with BLUE FROZEN ICEPACKS.

We had also brought with plenty of romaine lettuce with us from home in the igloo.

_ _ _ _

BRING YOUR OWN DRESSING
I never go away without taking my bag of raw salad dressing fixings: raw vinegar, celtic salt, garlic powder, olive oil, a bag of germinated dried sunflower seeds. (I usually use agave in my salad, brought it, but didn't use it this trip!)

Between produce, salad fixings and raw dressing ingredients, all of that would keep me pretty well covered for the weekend.

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KEEP A KNIFE, DISPOSABLE PLATES AND SILVERWEAR in your car....always!
When we got to our hotel room, I had a luscious salad of romaine with fresh ripe Jersey tomato and germinated sunflower seeds dressed in raw vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder and a little celtic salt on a disposable plate. I keep a pack of these in the car at all times. They come in so handy!

This salad was surprisingly fantastically delish. Sometimes SIMPLE is just the BEST. I finished my meal with a sweet corn on the cob, raw. Yum!

_ _ _ _ _

PRACTICE GRATITUDE...AND ENJOY!
The beautiful summer shore day was turning out to be a spectacular one when we reached our friends at the beach. Slightly cool breezes with a moderately hot sun. We swam and frolicked in the ocean for hours, layed out and got sunburnt and bit by green flies (!!!), chatted, visited, enjoyed! The hours went by like wooosh.

We snacked on fruit that we brought in our bag with us when we got hungry!

Laying on my big beach towel on the beach, the sun kissing my skin, cool breezes gently blowing sand in my face, the transcendent sound of waves lapping, I noticed a feeling of supreme contentment and relaxation, and a distinct departure from THINKING ABOUT FOOD.

I said to Cliff, "You know, the whole time we were on the beach, i didn't think of food ONCE?!!!"

Later, I went for a lovely walk with Teresa on the Sea Isle boardwalk. So nice!

I bought Teresa's parents, our lovely hosts, some yummy seashore fudge!

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A TASTE ALWAYS TURNS INTO A BINGE
The fudge looked SO GOOD when we opened it up back in their apartment! Why didn't i bring some raw chocolate with me?

Good thing i rarely crave cooked anymore, cause this looked GOOD, but i know what will (eventually) happen if i indulge, so I don't. What amazes me is the lack of the impulse to grab for it. Amazing! My stomach doesn't growl for cooked food anymore and my impulses are under control. It's been 10 weeks raw!

For dinner at Peg and Joes, the most accomodating friends i have, they always have raw choices available, i enjoyed fruit salad for appetizer, 2 more pieces of raw corn that they supplied!, fresh tomato sliced and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh basil that they supplied!, 1 flax wrap eaten plain, yum, that i brought, and more yummy fruit salad for dessert.

I did feel a little sorry for myself at dinner time that i "couldn't" (choose not to) partake of the cooked yummies offered, especially the pepperoni bread and the olive focaccia, but i know where it would lead, so i soon forgot about it. Believe me, if i would have indulged, i'd have had a hard time forgetting about it! One bite and i'd want to eat the whole thing!

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SELF DEPRECATION can work!
Make fun of yourself before anyone else can!

Peggy is so accomodating with raw, but she still doesn't really 'get it.'

At one point, I made the following comment when she was looking at my raw flax wrap like it was an alien....

"Oh, it's like a flat bread made from flax seeds. Wanna taste?"

She didn't.

I said, self depracatingly, "You'd think I'd be rail thin for all of this effort!" and laughed it off.

She sympathized with me then, instead of judging me. At least she can be impressed I stick to something "crazy," even if she doesn't understand it.

_ _ _

FEEL YOUR FEELINGS, BUT DON'T EAT
It is a constant frustration - the dichotomy between being the fattest person eating the leanest, and the normal people eating the "fattening stuff," only they're not fat. This often gets to me, but i sit with it, and it soon passes.

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KNOW IF YOU ARE AN ADDICT
Just as an alcoholic finds it almost impossible to control his liquor, i find it difficult not to binge on cooked, but normal people tend not to get it.
After I explained to Lucille why i was eating RAW corn, I commented, "I'm....ehh, i'm just not NORMAL with food."

"Yes you are," she replied.

No i'm not.

I've been to 4 Hospital Eating Disorder Units.

I corrected her. "Well, actually i'm NOT. I've been heavy my whole life. I think i've been thin ONCE in my adult life, but it was very short lived. If i didn't do raw, i'm convinced i'd be one of those fat people stuck in bed."

Realizing how much BIGGER i COULD makes me feel like not such a huge fat failure health freak faking her way through raw.

I'm a success! THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE, and Thank GOD, for today, they are NOT.
_ _ _

BACK UP YOUR ARGUMENTS WITH EVIDENCE
Later, I commented to Peg, who was having a hard time understanding the raw choice, "You see that bowl of chips there? If i'd eat one, i'd have to eat the whole bowl. It's easier for me not to eat any than to torture myself with one."

It's difficult to have to EXPLAIN myself to people. RAW in social situations can be very CHALLENGING.

I find the BEST way to cope is to explain what RAW does for ME. I am NOT trying to push it on ANYONE. I say, "I really find it just helps me CONTROL MYSELF." Adding some weight loss accomplishment to that seems to drive the point home. "I've lost about 40 lbs of the weight i gained, so i'm happy about that." People usually drop it if then....

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ORDER SMART
In the evening, i was a little hungry. We passed a smoothie vendor with real cut up fresh fruit in a large refrigerated display case. Ahha! THIS is the best kind of place to order a smoothie, i have found! ....From a Mexican vendor, who has REAL fruit, and not just boxed fruit juices. This is how i ordered:

"Hi there! Would it be possible to get a large smoothie with just cut up fruit, ice, and plain water? No sugar syrups, no yogurt or dairy, no powders?"

The young Mexican girl, answered, making a face, "It would really taste bad!"

I smiled and said, "That's okay, that's just how i make it at home, i'll like it!"

She succombed and made me a smoothie with water, ice, strawberries, mangoes and a banana.

It was fine!

_ _ _

KEEP HYDRATED
This morning we awoke early and went out to go for a walk on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

Dissappointingly, I was having a terrible time waking up and finding the energy to walk. I sat and looked at the water.

"Cliff," I observed, "i think i must be dehydrated, because my mouth is dry and i have absolutely NO energy."

We headed to Starbucks for 2 supersize herbal iced teas, unsweetened. I drank both and they did the trick.

Back out on the boardwalk, i felt like a new person. "You know, half of the time that you feel TIRED and like you have no ENERGY and you drink a coffee, you might just be dehydrated. I feel so so so much better after those drinks!"

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FOCUS ON OUTPUT (EXERCISE). INPUT (FOOD) TAKES CARE OF ITSELF IF YOU PLAN AHEAD!
We walked from below the Tropicana all the way to the Taj Mahal and back! That was more than a mile each way! And that was just the ONE walk we did that morning!

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AFTER YOU LOOK AT SHRUNKEN HEADS, YOU WILL FEEL NORMAL
After a fabu visit to the RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT Museum, I ate a breakfast of 1 peach and 1 plum back at the hotel room!

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GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD, AND FOCUS ON NATURE.
After check-out, we drove to Brigantine, NJ, to explore! We went seashell hunting and I enjoyed lunch on the beach - I had a salad of romaine, tomato and germinated sunflower seeds, with my same dressing as the other day, and a fresh raw corn. Scrumptious!!

I'm telling you, this has become one of my alltime favorite lunches!

MICHELLE'S FAVORITE "BEACH" LUNCH
On a disposable plate:
-Shred up 1 head of romaine
-Sprinkle celtic salt on it, about 2 pinches
-Sprinkle raw vinegar over top, about 1 Tbsp
-Sprinkle cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil on top, about 1/2 Tbsp-1Tbsp (you don't need much)
-Sprinkle 2 handfuls of dehydrated germinated sunflower seeds on top, about 1/2 cup
-Cut up one fresh ripe tomato and put on top
-Sprinkle garlic powder over top, about 1 tsp

Smoosh salad together to get dressing distributed and...enjoy with a disposable fork!

Follow with an ear of fresh raw corn!
YUM!

*I usually add agave to my dressings, but since i ate this salad with sweet fresh picked raw corn on the side, i didn't need a sweet element in my salad!

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BUYING LOCAL IS EVEN HEALTHIER THAN BUYING ORGANIC!
With fresh summer produce at it's peak, it really PAYS to BRING your own food...because there is nothing more DELISH than LOCAL PRODUCE!

Would you rather order a dissappointing salad OUT and have a plate of watery iceberg lettuce and pale pink tomatoes staring at you????

BRING YOUR OWN STUFF! Buy AT THE PEAK OF FRESHNESS! BUY THE BEST RIPEST LOCAL STUFF YOU CAN GET! It has the MOST nutrition! It has been determined that local produce has MORE nutrition than ORGANIC when it is shipped from a distance. There is nothing that beats FRESH PICKED LOCAL PRODUCE!

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KNOW THE RAW PLACES TO GO FOR A TREAT
Later, in Ocean City, NJ, we visited a favorite healthy spot called BASHFUL BANANA for a scrumptious banana whip. What a wonderful raw treat!

Slurping my whip from a spoon, I said to Cliff, "You know, this just makes me feel NORMAL to be able to have a TREAT at the shore like everyone else!"

http://oceancity.patch.com/articles/bashful-banana-who-says-you-cant-eat-healthy-on-the-boardwalk

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VISIT THE FARMERS MARKETS!
Dog tired for all of the walking and swimming, we drove home! On the way home, we stopped at the same FARMERS MARKET we'd stopped at before to pick up more fruit for home - a fresh ripe watermelon, a cantaloupe, more plums, nectarines and peaches.

_ _ _

So, what is the moral of the story?

If you: *plan ahead and *pack your special raw stuff, *always bring your igloo and freezer packs, * always bring a knife, *always bring disposable plates and utensils, *visit farmers markets and buy local, *when buying food on the boardwalk, be vigilant about ordering smartly and pro-actively, *focus on making your own food instead of eating out - it tastes so much BETTER!, *focus on gratitude and enjoying your vacation and forget about food - "FOOD IS FUEL, NOT ENTERTAINMENT", *don't give into temptation, not ONE BITE, *notify friends of what you can eat, but ALWAYS COME prepared (I always bring a bag of food with me), *know how to defend your choices for the inevitable 20 questions about raw, *stay honest with yourself and others, *feel your feelings and learn to make peace with discomfort, *keep hydrated and exercise so you can continue to feel well, *maintain your sense of humor and laugh at yourself, *focus on nature and learn how to get out of your "head," - this is a crucial skill...an eating disorder is afterall, a mental illness, we must know how to observe food thoughts/obsession/guilty, etc..., without getting sucked 'in', *know where to find good raw treats...and most importantly, *STAY COMITTED....It is EASY to STAY RAW at the shore!

xoxo michelle joy