Raw Food Rehab Experiment - Take 2

OK. Again, I know it's been a really long time. I fell off the wagon multiple times and finally kind of gave up for a bit. But I didn't give up totally and that's the point of this post.

I have just signed up to participate in Raw Food Rehab this time becoming a member of "The Vault - Rawk Star Lockdown". It is an 11 week initiative starting Sat 7/10 and ending Fri 9/24. There is a higher accountability for members of The Vault that I think I need right now.

My plans are to incorporate daily yoga into this program. I will be talking about my food choices on this blog and discussing yoga related stuff on the other one.

Stay tuned w/ me for the next 11 weeks. ;))

Day #10

Beginning Weight: 207.5
Today's Weight: 204.0
Goal Weight: 150

Yeah!! 10 days down!!!!

I couldn't help weighing myself this morning. And lo and behold I am down 2.5 lbs from yesterday!!

I believe that there are several reasons for this:

For one, I know I've committed to writing down my food choices and this makes me think twice about what I put in my mouth.

Second, I have been without dairy for 4 whole days now(!!)

Third, and probably most significant, I have been back to the Bikram studio for 2 super-duper sweat-drenched workout sessions this week!!!

I really believe that getting back into the studio is key for me. There's something special about practicing in 105 degree heat with 20-30 like-minded students and a competent teacher to guide you through those magical 26 postures. Of course, I do like practicing yoga at home, too. And I will continue alternating studio/Bikram days w/ home practice/Baptiste days. So far I think that cross training w/ different styles of yoga is making me stronger. At the very least it is giving me a good variety. And that makes it a lot easier for me to practice every day. ;))


Yesterday's Food Choices
32 oz green smoothie
w/ spinach, mint, strawberries, bananas, coconut oil
8 am - home
chai w/ almond milk
blueberry muffin
11:30 am - Starbucks
6 red/yellow mini sweet peppers
2:00 pm - work
chopped veggie wrap
4:00 pm - Salad Creations

Today's Food Choices:
glazed doughnut w/ chocolate frosting
cafe mocha w/ soy milk
9 am - The Patisserie
1 banana
10 am - work
fruit salad
w/ pineapple, melon, & grapes
11:30 am - The Patisserie
special fresh veggie roll
1:30 pm - Safeway
1 slice double fiber bread w/ peanut butter
6 pm - home

Day #6

Wow. Almost a full week into this raw food experiment and 101 day yoga challenge. Penni decided to change the name to "Raw Food Rehab" - which I think is a more catchy title.

I have done yoga 6 consecutive days! 3x Baron Baptiste video and 3x Bikram audio cd. And tomorrow I go back to the studio after a 3 week hiatus.

Today also marked my first day of no dairy. Yesterday I decided that I am going to give up dairy cold turkey for a full year. Now I'm probably going to have to play it by ear as far as items that contain dairy as an ingredient. And I may have butter occasionally. But definitely no cheese and no milk, or really *any* obvious dairy, for that matter. I know that I can do this. I gave up diet soda for a full year and now it's not even an option for me. It's time to give dairy the boot as well.

I am planning to make a couple of Alissa Cohen's recipes tomorrow. Maybe I will post a couple of pictures if they turn out well. I want to have yummy raw food choices on hand so that it's easier to stick with the program.

Anyway, so far so good. I will be weighing in tomorrow so we'll see just how good. ;))

My Big Fat Raw Experiement

So tomorrow I will begin Penni Shelton's "Big Fat Raw Experiment". She will be advising a group of us guinea pigs as we embark on a 10 week journey into cleansing and weight loss through eating raw foods.

The backbone of my meal plan will be:

32 oz green smoothie every morning
Big raw green salad at lunch
20 oz raw juice in the evening

I will also be trying some of the raw recipes from Alissa Cohen's book, the Pure Jeevan e-book, the Raw Fu website and, of course, from Penni's website. I am going to try to eat high raw for the duration of the experiment.

The timing is perfect because I was already toying with the idea of doing 101 consecutive days of yoga starting June 1st. Now I've decided to go for it and to combine a high raw diet with the yoga.

My weekly workout schedule will be:

Bikram - 4x per week at the studio
Baptiste - 2x per week at home w/ dvd
Bikram or Baptiste - 1x per week at home w/ dvd or cd

I had such a great visit with my family but I ate and drank a little too much. And I got my ankle tattoo, so I haven't been doing yoga. I guess that I should be happy that I only gained back 5 pounds because it could have been a lot worse. ;))

Today's Weight: 207.5

Here are my starting measurements taking fully clothed and wearing a bra:

Bust (around fullest part): 42"
Waist (around smallest part): 37"
Hips(around fullest part): 48"

I promise that I will post before pictures in the next couple of days.

MC Day Eight

The cleanse is still going well. I didn't have lemons to make my lemonade yesterday morning so I bought the MC Lemonade premade from Umeke Market. They clearly used bottled and not fresh lemon juice. As a result I felt kind of tired and cranky and wanting to eat all day. Weird. Today I made my own lemonade and I feel fine. Proof positive that it DOES matter that you use the correct ingredients and not cut corners.

I didn't do yoga last night because I was feeling so low energy. My skin kind of smells funny today. Probably detox or build up of dead cells. I plan to do yoga tonight - so the sweat will help flush it out. I am also going to begin dry brushing every morning so that my skin can better release all the toxins that have built up.

I did some research on the internet and I found a tattoo similar to what I want to get when I go to SF. I will be sure to post it once it's finished. I hope to lose12 more pounds so that when I gain back a few from having food in my system again, I'll still be at or very close to 40 pounds down from my highest weight. ;))

My recent progress:

Day Seven (5/7/09) - 204.0

Day Eight (5/8/09) - 202.5

That makes 15 pounds lost in the last 8 days!!!

TOTAL OF 33.5 POUNDS RELEASED!!!!!!

MC Day Six

Still doing great. SWF every morning. Green/peppermint tea mixture when I get to work. MC lemonade throughout the day. Monday I went to Jamba Juice during lunch and got a 2 oz wheat grass shot and a 16 oz carrot juice. I won't do that every day, just when I feel like I need a pick-me-up. Yesterday I had 4 oz of Kombucha, Gingerade flavor. YUM. I am actually really liking the taste now. Or maybe I am just glad to have something different from the lemonade.

I did Bikram's beginner series at home the last 2 nights. It's a totally different experience from going to the studio. It's a lot less intense without the heat. But I am also able to focus better without the distraction of the mirror or the other students. No dizziness or fatigue. Overall I feel really, really good.

My progress over the last few days:

Day Four (5/4/09) - 207.0

Day Five (5/5/09) - 206.5

Day Six (5/6/09) - 204.5

That makes 13 pounds lost in the last 6 days!!!

TOTAL OF 31.5 POUNDS RELEASED!!!!!!

MC Day Three

OK. I totally backslid on both my eating habits and my yoga program over the past couple of weeks. It started because my blender gradually stopped working and I could no longer make green smoothies that were palatable to drink. (I've got my eye on a couple used Vita Mix machines on ebay to replace it, though.) Then I had friend and family visitors back to back so what little free time I have was spent going out to eat, going out drinking, and doing fun tourist stuff. Unfortunately, most of my good intentions went out the friggin window.

Not to worry, I am back on track. In fact I am on Day Three of a 15 day Master Cleanse. I want to wipe the slate clean. I also want to get down below the 200 lb mark before my trip. I know that it's doable I just need to focus. I am doing the Salt Water Flush every single morning. I will do yoga at home w/ Bikram's audio cd in the evening at least 10 out of the 13 days left before my trip.

I didn't begin with the yoga right away because I thought it would be better to give myself a few days to get into the swing of the fast before adding exercise. The first couple of days are the hardest and I wanted to make it a little bit easier to stick with.

I'd also like to incorporate a couple swim sessions next weekend and I'm scheduled to get body wraps on Day 7 & Day 14 as well.

Here's my progress so far:

Day Zero (4/30/09) - 217.5

Day One (5/1/09) - 214.5

Day Two (5/2/09) - 212.0

Day Three (5/3/09) - 209.0

That's 8.5 pounds lost so far on this cleanse!!!


I am drinking plenty of the MC lemonade and pure water. I am also having green tea once a day and herbal teas as needed. I feel good physically but have a very short fuse emotionally. Things just seem to annoy me a lot more than usual. But I think that's because I am used to stuffing my emotions with food and can no longer do that.

When I am finished I plan to get back to my green smoothie routine and will most likely eat a high raw diet. The month of May is my new beginning into Raw Foods. I've built the foundation of yoga and now it's high time to quit slacking and commit to eating well once and for all.

Day 6: Green Smoothie Challenge

The challenge is still going really well. I was running very late this morning and didn't have time to make a green smoothie. So I brought fruit with me as a substitute. But I did have a big salad for lunch and veggie juice later in the day.

Today's Weight: 208 lbs

My weight is up a bit but I am still happy with my progress. I know that fluctuating a few pounds day to day is completely normal. In this case it could be in part that I didn't eat enough calories yesterday throughout the day before going to yoga. And I also didn't have nearly enough fruits and vegetables. But the biggest culprit is most likely that I had sushi pretty late in the evening, with wasabe and soy sauce - so a lot of sodium. I find that I lose better when I do yoga in the evening and then just have juice or fruit after instead of a full meal.


Yesterday's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
strawberries, kale, spinach, mint & apple juice
(11am - home)
Kona chocolate chip pancakes
(3 pm - home)
1/2 a dynamite roll
1/2 a veggie tempura roll
1/2 a spicy veggie roll
1/2 a regular veggie roll
(9 pm - home)

Today's Food Choices:
2 apples
3 clementines
(10am - work)
32 oz green/peppermint tea
(throughout the day - work)
wild Alaskan salmon salad
w/ spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes,
sunflower seeds & vinaigrette dressing
(12 pm - Salad Creations)
8 oz Kombucha
(4pm - work)
carrot, apple, beet , ginger juice
(7pm - Jewel or Juice)

DAY 4: Green Smoothie Challenge

I can't believe how well the combination of green smoothies, fresh juice and Bikram is working on my body. I started this challenge at 217 cause I gained about 6 pounds back from eating badly and not going to yoga for almost a whole week. So I knew that the weight would come off quick because it went on pretty quick.

Today 1st thing in the morning I was 208 and then a few hours later after yoga I was 206.5(!!!) Holy freekin cow - that is 10.5 pounds in 4 days(!!!!!) Faster than the Master Cleanse, faster than juice fasting. This is "Biggest Loser" weight loss and those guys work out a minimum of 4-6 hours a day. It's the kind of weight loss you'd expect from a weekend of doing a bunch of speed, dancing like a maniac every night, and not sleeping for 3 days straight. Not that I'd know anything about that. LOL.

The thing that gets me the most is that I am not at all depriving myself. I even had a big veggie burrito for lunch yesterday w/ black beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, salsa - fried on the grill and then covered in enchilada sauce. I'm only having one actual "meal" during the weekdays, but I feel like I am still eating plenty of calories.

I read somewhere that a 90 minute Bikram class burns 1400-1500 calories at my weight. So I am definitely burning off a lot. But still, this is pretty dramatic. Really, I am completely blown away. Hope I can keep this up. Just another 10.5 pounds before I go to SF and I will schedule to get my tattoo. I am certain that I will achieve that and probably even more in the next 4 weeks. ;))

Thanks for listening to my rant. I am pretty gosh darned fired up right now. In case you couldn't tell.

Today's Weight: 208 lbs - before yoga

Today's Weight: 206.5 lbs - after yoga

THAT'S 10.5 LBS LOST IN JUST 4 DAYS!!


Yesterday's Food Choices:
32 oz green smoothie w/ pineapple, banana,
red leaf lettuce, romaine, mint & orange juice
(9am - home)
20 oz green/peppermint tea
(11 am - work)
veggie burrito w/ black beans, rice,
lettuce, salsa, guacamole & enchilada sauce
(1 pm - Taqueria Ramirez)
Dove milk chocolate w/ almond bar
(3 pm - work)
carrot, apple, beet, ginger juice
(5 pm - Jewel or Juice)
16 oz green smoothie leftover
(9 pm - home)

Today's Food Choices:
1 apple
1 banana
(10am - home)
32 oz green/peppermint tea
(11 am/12:30 pm - during yoga)
Naked Juice "SuperFood" green smoothie
(1 pm - home)
4 clementines
(3 pm - home)
1/2 a dynamite roll
1/2 a veggie tempura roll
1/2 a spicy veggie roll
1/2 a regular veggie roll
(5:30 pm - Sushi Man)

Day Zero

So... Tomorrow begins my quest. I'm jumping into this a little bit earlier than the rest of the Global Juice Feasters because I've got a couple of events coming up in March and I want to be well into my journey by then.

I guess, the question is: Why a 92 Day Juice Feast? I've done several fasting regimens in the past but ultimately returned every time to the dairy rich, processed vegetarian diet that led to my weight gain in the first place. Not this time. I want to give my body plenty of time to detox and I want to give my mind plenty of time to process the physical & emotional changes.

I first stumbled upon the concept of "juice feasting" when I was researching a raw food diet for my 14 year old dog. She was diagnosed with heart disease and a little over a year ago began to deteriorate very quickly. It seems that the valves to her heart had been leaking fluid into her lungs for years until it finally got to the point where she could hardly breathe. Almost overnight she went from being a little bit stiff and tired to barely able to get up to go outside. And I had never given her grocery-store variety dog food either. I was buying the good stuff. I had read about the benefits of raw food for humans here and there over the years but always thought it a little extreme. Now I had to do something extreme because my old girl was fading fast. I switched her to Natural Balance frozen raw canine diet immediately after reading about it. And I am happy to report that after about a year on raw I can really see the difference. She still has a chronic cough and she's a little tired & stiff. But she's not debilitated anymore and she's still with me. I expect she'll have a good quality of life into her senior years. There was even a month when I went back to her previous food due to the Natural Balance raw food being discontinued and her symptoms got worse again. I found a new manufacturer of raw pet food, Primal Pet, that is stocked here in Hawaii and got her back on schedule quickly.

Sorry for the long-winded intro. But if this sort of thing can work for an old dog going through a pretty severe health crisis, then why not for someone who is healthy to prevent those problems from ever developing? And it was in these online searches for resources on raw food that I came across Angela Stokes Raw Reform website. I was amazed by her before and after pictures and could totally relate to her personal story. Many of the emotions around food that she describes are ones I know far too well. But I guess I wasn't ready yet. Then one day at Borders Bookstore I picked up Natalia Rose's book, "The Raw Food Detox Diet" and read it cover to cover the same night. I went on to read Carol Alt's "Eating in the Raw" and Alissa Cohen's "Living on Live Foods". I went back and read through Angela Stokes' old blogs documenting her own 92 day juice feast and all three of her e-books. But, apparently, I still wasn't ready.

About the same time that I first started really studying the raw food lifestyle I also tried Bikram Yoga for the first time. This specific style of yoga was popularized by Bikram Choudhury in the sixties and seventies. It's a 90 minute series of 26 postures done in a hot and humid room. Pretty hardcore, but I absolutely love it. It feels like a shower from the inside out. My practice has not been consistent over the past year, but that is something I plan to change during this 92 day experiment. I will probably not be going to Bikram studio classes because I think that experience may be a little too intense for me during the feast. However, I am committed to do the series at home at least 3 x per week for the next 14 weeks. ;))

Anyway. That's my lead in. It all begins tomorrow. Friday, February 8, 2008. That day will go down in my personal history as THE day I stopped reading about it and thinking about it, and began to actually LIVE it for myself.

Aloha and thanks for reading.

Ellen