Me Month May

I have been thinking about doing a theme for next month called “Me Month”. Of course every month is me month, but in May I was going to strive to be really exceptional in taking care of myself. Of course if the last two weeks are any indication of what “Me Month” would look like I think I should stay far away!

My last two weeks have been rough. I was exhausted all last week and did not work out very much. I think I was fighting getting sick and I just simply got distracted. This week I found out some shocking news at work that has increased my hours. Shocking in that my job is possibly turning into a full time long term kind of thing. I love working on a project type basis and tend to not take “blue badge” full time employee work. I made a commitment to myself this year to put my health first and my career on the back burner because I needed to focus on my health. It has been very successful and I am happier than I have ever been. Except for this week when I found out I needed to start working harder. First thing I did was throw the RAW foods right out the window. I felt that I needed to take the time I would be preparing food at night and use it towards work. Next went the running. I was already used to not working out from the previous week so I just ignored that as well. Next went my meals for when I was at work. I simply stopped craving RAW during the day and started eating more cooked foods.

NIGHTMARE!

This week my stomach has been hurting from all the cooked foods I have eaten. I have more gas, acid and just general nasty feelings in my stomach than I have had in a very long time. I am not waking up happy or full of energy anymore. My dreams or visions for the future are clouded. I no longer feel in touch with myself, my energy or my surroundings. I also feel less effective at work. And all my insecurities and weaknesses are suddenly loud and very close to the surface. I feel like a raw nerve of doubt and I hate it!

This weekend I am spending some time with friends but then I am quickly getting back on the self-care train. I need to learn to prioritize myself even when the stress of life becomes strong. I need to learn to say no to family, friends and work mates. I need to make grocery shopping a regular habit so I have plenty of RAW foods when I come home exhausted and can’t think of what to do. And I need to learn that it’s ok to fall off the wagon every once in a while and that the best thing is to gently get back up and start again.

One positive note is that I did join a gym this weekend so I can start to lift weights and also use the steam room to relax in. And I am happy to admit that I have been able to notice every time I fell off the wagon that I simply did not feel as good as I had in the previous weeks and my desire was to get back to my healthier lifestyle. None of these thoughts were mean or degrading thoughts. They were loving thoughts of awareness when it came to my health.

Friends and Food

Yesterday I was reminded of a New York Times article I read a couple of years ago titled “Are your friend’s making you fat?”. I spent a good part of the day thinking about this article and my own personal journey. I was inspired and dare I say… A little jealous of Amber’s blog post about all the vegan/ raw food bloggers she got to see over the last week. I am so grateful for my friend Jen because without her own desire and interest in health, I may not have gotten as far into this whole topic/ life style change.

So I thought over how food and friends have affected my life over the last 10 years and if really thought about if I believed in what the article was trying to say. Do my friends and acquaintances really affect my food choices and my eating habits?

After spending an evening thinking about I dare say… I have to agree. …

To some parts of the article and only when thinking about my own life and my own journey. I don’t want to offend anyone nor make this a huge nightmare of a blog post but for the sake of my own journey, I have been affected by other people when it comes to my relationship with food.
But I am also affected by location of where I am living, traveling or visiting. And I am affected by my own mood and general wellbeing. There are so many factors going on but the one I want to focus on is the friendship/ relationship connection.

As I think back about my journey I see how this idea that other people affect me has happened throughout the years.
When I was living in NYC I became very small. I was around people that ate very healthy and very small amounts. I walked everywhere and I learned to say no to most food. When I lived in the Midwest, I gained weight. I was around people that liked to eat fried foods, not move very much and drink a lot. Seattle has always been a up and down city for me. I have friends that are all over the weight range. But I have noticed a shift lately. Because I am becoming so health focused I am moving towards more like minded people. It’s not a matter of judging people. I do believe you can be extremely healthy and also a larger size. But I am more attracted to people that are realistic and real about the relationship between food and how they are living their lives. This has been a natural progression and has happened slowly. I also find that people are becoming more attracted to spending time with me based on my healthy choices. I have spent numerous evenings taking friends to the RAW restaurant here in Seattle. I have been going over to friend’s houses to create RAW meals for them. I am introducing a new lifestyle to a lot of people around me while learning from already healthy people.
Last night I was talking with a friend about how I have noticed my friends that eat really healthy and do not struggle with issues with food have no emotions around food. It is not good or bad to them. It is just a neutral balance situation. I have been very influenced by this way of relating to food. It is something to be neutral about. Some days I will eat great and some days I might have a “treat” but there is no emotion around it but pure love.

I also find that what used to seem normal to me no longer does. And what does seem normal to me now is what tends to be normal to my healthier more balanced friends. There is an interesting quote from the article “Christakis and Fowler suspect that as friends around us become heavier, we gradually change our mental picture of what “obese” looks like and give ourselves tacit permission to add pounds.” So true! I have started to notice this with people around me. My mind set goes very relaxed when I am around certain groups of people and I tend to think about what I am eating. I look at things that are very unhealthy and some friends see these items as being fine. And I know the people around me feel the same way.

This does not mean by any means I will be dropping friends or refuses to see my friends that happen to be a larger size. That will never happen! I am just noticing for myself that I am influenced good or bad by the people around me. This leads me to want to be around healthier people while also being able to help my friends that want to lead a healthier lifestyle. I am never one to judge and I struggle with this issue so much myself that I totally understand where people are at on all sides of the health scale. Because I have been on all sides of the health scale.

But in truth I am finding that the healthier I get, some friends are simply disappearing. Not because of my actions but because …. I don’t really know why but I have some theories.

I have become boring to them. Without my desire to complain over unhealthy food and engage in unhealthy actives, I become less fun to be around. Unless, you want to go running with me, learn about raw foods with me, take a walk, play pinball etc. But if you want to sit in front of me and eat a burger while having me eat one as well…. You will be out of luck.

I think I am bringing up issues for them that they do not want to deal with. I am admitting that I have a problem and I am actively fixing it. But if my friends don’t want to admit to having an issue or are uncomfortable about admitting it, I am not going to be much fun around it. Unless you understand how healthy it is to face your fears and grow as a person!

Lack of similar interests. This one I understand. I am growing and my interests are growing. I want to expand my life, my mind and my body(in a healthy way). This includes change and a new direction and I am ok with this.

So far now I am just looking at this whole topic on a bigger picture scale and watching how my actions and choices change as I move towards a healthier lifestyle and while also allowing myself to change and grow as a person.

Something Old

Yesterday I was at a loss on what to wear to work. I have been losing weight so quickly that I am now only down to a couple of key items. I feel good about the weight loss and the fact that I am starting to look very healthy and happy. But I am struggling with the fact that I do not have any back up clothing to replace what I can no longer wear. That's right. I have no in between clothing!

I am not sure how it happened. I must have just given away all my in between clothing or never had any to begin with. But I am now at a loss of what to wear.

Last night I did find some relief in pair of pants I don't remember buying. I have not even worn these pants. They are brand new! I have no idea where they came from but they fit for right now. Another two weeks of raw foods and I will be falling out of them as well. But for now I have a very spring looking outfit on that makes me feel cute and that's what I am going to focus on. I will do some shopping this weekend and see what I can come up with. I don't want to invest too much into more clothing right now because I am not yet at my goal size. But things are getting a little silly for me to not buy a couple of key pieces..

And YEAH for being able to let go of the old sizes and donate them to someone that needs them. They are beautiful J.Jill and Ann Taylor pants and I loved them!

Today I am inspired by Gillian Young's blog! This month her theme is food attitude and it really struck a cord with some of the issues I have been working on lately. Gillian is working towards a more healthy and loving relationship with food. This has been happening for me as I transition towards the RAW diet. I am no longer in fear or food or feel guilty about food. I am finding balance in my relationship with food. Special occasions are becoming that, special occasions. I don't eat sweets everyday but when I do I can fully appreciate them instead of the semi-conscious feelings of guilt and disgust. My body is finally starting to be able to guide me towards healthier choices but it also let's me slip from time to time. Radishes are becoming my version of snack foods and I love that! I no longer crave fat, salt, oil or sugar. I crave the natural goodness of RAW foods. I find that this desire towards health is moving into all area's of my life. I am moving around more. I am eating less. I am making better choices in all area.

And I am truly learning to love food and to interact with it on a very healthy level.

The Life Changing Natural Diet

Another lovely weekend...... I am dragging myself today to focus on the fact it is Monday. Oh how I wish I had one more day to continue the fun I had this weekend.

Last night I was reviewing the previous week in my head and you know what I realized? I am now eating RAW 4 days out of the week!!!! This change happened without me evening realizing it. Ever since I tried to go RAW in February I have backed away from trying to push myself into something I am not ready for. Or so I thought! I did not back away but I decide to make the transition a lot more natural. I stopped forcing myself to follow rules and started to just do what felt the best for myself while I also realizing that going RAW was something I was really interested in. It started slowly, my smoothie because totally raw, I started to pack my lunches during the week and then I found when I got home in the evenings the only thing that sounded or looked good to me was a nice salad.

I still struggle on the weekends because I want to be able to hangout with friends and do normal stuff. But I saw some differences this weekend. When I went out with friends on Friday night I ordered a huge salad and loved it! It has radishes in it so of course I had to order it. I then spent yesterday early afternoon with a good friend watching a soccer game from England in a pub. I packed a handful of radishes to eat while watching the game and trying not to drool as everyone around me ate a proper English breakfast. Of course, next to my radishes the English breakfast looked so heavy and kind ...... Well, kind of gross. It is getting easier over time and I know that sometime soon I will be eating 90% RAW.

My friend Jennifer and I have been talking a lot about health and beauty. She is also going through a life changing health realization and it has made my whole process easier to have a pal to talk with. We keep talking about how we need to put our journey into a book of some sort. We both have lost a lot of weight and yet neither of us feels deprived or unhappy at all. We both eat more now than we did before. We both are starting to glow from the inside out and we both are much happier than we have ever been. Where is all this coming from? The foods we put in our bodies!!! So hopefully we can figure out a way to share our stories with every one. We inspire each other everyday and want to share this with everyone we know!

One more exciting note before I start my day. This weekend I found out that my business mentor and dear friend moved away last month. I am somewhat sad but even more excited because I just found out she moved to Oklahoma City!!!! Which is of course, the same city I am dreaming of visiting so that I can attend The 105 Degrees Academy! And not only that but I also just found out they did a TED talk there!!! You can find the information here. To receive this email and find out my business mentor just moved there was what I consider a very strong sign of something new on the horizon.

Loads to think about

I am eating RAW a couple of days out of the week, mostly while I working. I find the routine of being at work easier for me to not be tempted by the old ways. I love how I feel full at lunch yet not sleepy or sluggish. I practically jump out of bed in the morning full of energy. I am happy all day long with loads of positive energy and I feel very balanced in all areas of my life.

And my morning smoothie.... I can't say enough about my morning smoothie.

For the last couple of weeks I have been adding cherries to the mix. Yum! I also switched to Almond Milk and if I need a an extra kick I will throw in a few raw almonds for extra energy. My days have been full of radishes which as you know are my new favorite thing in the world and then in my evenings I am eating salads made up of fresh arugula from my kitchen garden. Truly Divine is all I can say!

I have had some interesting developments this week. For one, two nights this week I have broken my rule and gone out on a week night. It has been OK. I just don't feel as happy at work. I come in and just put my head phones on versus my usual bubbly self. I can feel the imbalance that has developed because I am tired after being out late the night before. And I don't feel as present with people. So next week it's back to the normal way of doing things.

I have been pushing myself to get outside of my comfort zone and this has actually included meeting someone. It's a very new thing and I won't go into to much detail but this person makes me smile, laugh and feel better all around. If nothing more new friends are always good.

I have also been having to give space in situations that I no longer feel are healthy. I am all about being present, honest and loving right now to everyone in my life. And sometimes other people are not on such a peaceful path. I want to be able to hold space for them and be there for them but I also do not want to fall into their drama or unhealthy cycles. I feel that I am accepting that I can not be healthy for these people right now but I can change the dynamic by giving people space and time to work out or at least work on what they need too. While I continue on my peaceful and very fulfilling path in life.

This weekend I will be working in the garden and spending time with good friends. Two of my favorite things. Someone commented last week that my kitchen was becoming very "green". Meaning full of live plants, veggies growing and kitchen herbs. It is quickly becoming my favorite room.

What I am dreaming about

I dream of the 105 Degrees Raw culinary school. I look at their website every day. I read blogs written by people that have attended this school and I think about how every day I know I am getting closer to attending this school! One of the first Raw books I read was written by Matthew Kenney , Entertaining in the Raw. It is a beautiful book that is very daunting to a newbie like me. But I loved the idea of what I could do with Raw foods once I learned more about how to make the food. I loved how in contrast to the hippie Raw restaurants here in the Northwest. This food was beautiful and elegant looking. And the combinations of foods made my mouth water. So simple yet so wonderful sounding. At that time I had no idea he had opened a culinary school and that I would be just a few months later longing to go there.

So besides dreaming of going to this school and being obsessed with RAW blogs, I am also busy at work in the kitchen.

I have not said much about my new job that I started in January but it is for a very large and very famous video game company. I love my job, I love the world of video games and I love my workmates…

But what I love more than any of that is being in the kitchen making RAW food. I love walking in the fruits and veggies aisle at my local CO-OP or farmer’s market and coming up with new ideas. So last night I made a Cherry Kiwi RAW pudding. I also made a glorious salad for lunch today. I also came up with a new smoothie for my breakfast, Cherry Mango Almond Milk.

I seem to be really into Cherries and Radishes right now. Nothing sounds better to me than some fresh Radishes, some blended up frozen Cherries and a lovely arugula and watercress salad! I started my spring garden this weekend. I have micro greens growing right now which if I can resist myself from eating them, will turn into wonderful Heirloom radishes. I planted heirloom carrots and 6 kinds of radishes. What did I tell you about craving radishes! It’s an intense desire. I picked three spots in my yard where I will grow fresh herbs, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and other things. I can’t wait for the first harvest! I will try to post some photos soon of all this gardening. I am so inspired by the RAW community that I can’t wait to share the love. I am even thinking about attending the Vegan Blogger convention happening in Portland this summer. What a whole new life I am cultivating!

Another amazing weekend. This one was more simple than the previous weekends but no less fun. I spent time with just two friends and was really present to both of them. It felt great to have no worries or stress. One amazing habit I have picked up in the last few months that has greatly changed my life is to not go out Sunday through Thursday nights. This time spent at home during the work week, allows me to truly have weekends of fun. I don't have to worry about cleaning or washing my clothes since I do that during the week. Instead I can let my weekends flow organically and I can just be present to whatever fun comes my way.

This weekend included making a RAW Lime Pudding! It was delicious and only had 4 ingredients. Avocado, bananas, lime and lemon zest and juice. You throw it all in a blender and ZING, you have the most amazing pudding ever. You won't miss the lack of dairy or the lack of sugar. We ate this pudding as our dinner and it was so filling. I felt amazing in the morning and loved the fact I could eat something so close to a dessert for dinner! I am already coming up new idea's for future puddings to try. I can't wait to share this dessert with more people.

I also went on a huge hike this weekend that included a large amount of stairs up a giant bluff. I was a little worried as I walked down to the beach that I would not be able to make it back up. After two hours of searching the beach for beach glass with a good friend of mine, we started the long trek up the path. Much to my surprise this climb up the cliff was easy. I sometimes forget about how much exercise I do during the week. Becoming so physically fit has made special adventures like this something I truly love.

One exciting thing that happened this weekend was I was asked by a good friend to come over and meet with her and her husband to teach them about moving towards a RAW lifestyle. They have seen the changes in me over the last six months and are amazed at how moving towards this lifestyle has totally changed not only my physical body but also how this lifestyle has changed my attitude, my energy level and even my skin(I appear much more youthful and healthy looking). Of course I agreed to share this part of my life with them. I am so in love with every change I have made in my life and get very excited about other people opening up to this level of true happiness. So in a few weeks I will have a session with them where I am going to teach them how to make a RAW dinner and then we will go for a huge walk. I am going to experiment with recipes until I find the perfect one to introduce someone who has only ever eaten processed food. Will keep you posted on this development.