Lunch Bags...

Ok, so when I was out shopping the other day I saw the coolest lunch bag ever! It looks like a purse! I wanted to find a picture online, but I couldn't find the exact one that I am going to get (the one I am getting is brown/tan, I think). But anyways, this is a different picture. I think it's really cool! It's an insulated lunch bag (like a cooler!) so I can bring all my raw lunches to school, and not look like a dork carrying my lunchbag around! The university I go to has really crappy parking, so it's not easy to walk back to my car in the middle of the day, so I tend to take my lunch with me all day. My backpack has a built in cooler (it's actually why I bought it lol) but it's really small, so this will be better. And the best part is that it's only 20 bucks. Can't get much better than that!

Family Support.....

So I told my mom a few weeks ago that I was going raw, and she is very supportive of it. My dad on the other hand, has never really been supportive of anything "diet" wise that I try. Probably because he has seen me fail so many times! He knows that I lost most of my weight on weight watchers, but when I was losing that weight, I was practically eating raw, and I didn't realize it. My weight watchers leader was actually a raw foodist, and she would give us all types of tips (banana ice cream instead of real ice cream, etc.) and she is super awesome! So anyways, today I told my dad that I am going raw in the new year. He was actually supportive of me! He even agreed to read my books on raw to understand it more. His only worry is that it is a "fad" diet. I told him it's not a fad diet, and if it was, at least i'd be getting lots of fresh fruit and veggies! He is also worried about me not getting enough calcium and protein, but I explained to him where I would be getting it from. He was also worried that I just wouldn't stick with it. I told him it would be a slow transition so I wouldn't feel deprived and so I wouldn't detox too badly (I have heard of lots of people losing their hair and I REALLY don't want that to happen to me!)


So YAY for family support! I know for a lot of people out there who transition to raw, not having family support is a big downer, so I am lucky to have a family that supports me (we'll see how understanding they are when I am using my juicer at 6 am!).

Stocking Up...

Well, today I got my dehydrator, and I am really excited to use it! I found some recipes for breakfast bars I would like to try, as well as a recipe for "tortilla chips" that looks so yummy! I have always loved making homemade salsa, so these will be good to have with it!

MMMM!! This looks so yummy! The recipe for the tortilla chips can be found at goneraw.com

How I Feel/How I Want To Feel.....

As I get ready to go raw, I've been thinking about how I'm feeling, and how I want to feel.

This is how I'm (sick of) feeling....

Bloated, irritable, agitated, sad, nervous, emotional, sensitive, fat, unhealthy, miserable, stuffy, sluggish, stuffed, annoyed, grumpy, depressed, slow, short tempered, angry, scowly, unsatisfied, unlovable, gassy, tired, etc.

Living this way isn't living!!!!

This is how I want to feel.....

Alive, vibrant, healthy, glowing, radiant, joyful, fresh, rejeuvenated, smiley, happy, satisfied, special, loved, comfortable, thin, awake, energetic, succesful, beautiful, natural, etc.

Cheers!

My Story

So basically I thought I would tell you my story, so you know a little bit more about me.

I don't think I've ever really been happy. I've been satisfied for parts of my life, but not REALLY happy. I think eating crappy foods has made me feel like this, but there is also another side to it. I know I'm not supposed to be heavy. When I was younger, I was thin. I wasn't really a heavy child. I started gaining weight when I was 8 years old. I was in 4-H and spent a lot of time at the fair, eating hot dogs and cotton candy. I gained a lot of weight that summer. At the end of the summer, I became a vegetarian (my sister was one, so I of course wanted to be one too). Effortlessly I lost the weight. The thing is, I didn't even realize I was chubby until I looked back at pictures of that summer. I went back down to a normal weight.

I remained a vegetarian for 8 years, but over those 8 years I slowly started to gain weight. I was eating a "white" diet, as my dad called it. Potatoes, Pasta, etc. There was no COLOUR in my diet! Also, my portion sizes just kept growing and growing. I was fairly miserable throughout highschool, as my weight just kept going up. I let my size rule my life. I didn't, and still don't, feel comfortable in social situations. People tell me I'm pretty (and I think I am too!) but I know I'm fat. Currently I'm 188 pounds. My highest weight was 208 pounds. I lost those 20 pounds when I signed up for weight watchers a couple of years ago. However, counting points isn't really my style. I kind of need a system where I can eat whenever I want, and eat as much as I want (within reason, of course).

I have been reading many blogs and success stories/testimonials online of people who eat raw, and I want what they have! I just want to feel vibrant and alive. I'm tired of not having the life that I want and deserve. I'm so excited to be starting this lifestyle, and I hope that it changes my life.

Getting Started

Well, soon I will be going raw. Probably not 100 percent - more like 70 - 80%. I've been thinking about going raw for awhile. I've been doing a lot of reading on it and it just makes so much sense. I want to lose 50-60 pounds (I have lost 20 pounds already). I also just want to feel ALIVE! I want to be healthier and happier, and eating healthier is the way for me to do it. Eventually I want to incorporate more exercise into my life as well. I used to be fairly active, but have become quite sedentry lately. I'm 24 and I feel like if I want to change my life, this is the time to do it. So this is about it. I plan on going raw early in the new year. It is just a little hard right now with all the family/holiday dinners. Right now I am just doing a little more research, purchasing supplies, etc.

This is my first blog, so I really don't know how it's going to go. I hope that it helps me stay focused and committed. I also hope that in the future I can inspire other people to change their eating habits.