I'm sorry for the lapse in blog entries... right after I started this blog, I found a site called Raw Food Rehab, and I have been participating in the 11-week GO FRESH Initiative that started on April 1.  It has really been going great!  I lost 6 pounds the first week and another 3 pounds as of Friday, April 15th, so I'm down 9 pounds so far on this new adventure with a 100% raw foods diet.  Woo hoo!  :)

I have been blogging over at that site, but will try to also maintain this blog as well.  If you have not checked out the Raw Food Rehab site, I would really encourage you to do so.  It was started by Penni Shelton, author of several raw foods books and a very warm and lovely person!  She's created a great community over there, and the support is awesome!

After allowing myself to get completely derailed last year on my quest to eat 100% raw foods, I am beginning again.  It's hard not to feel disappointed and angry with myself, especially since I gained even more weight over the last year.  Clearly, the cooked food thing is a powerful addiction and I just want to be free of the hold that food has over me.

I joined Weight Watchers on January 1 and successfully dropped 27 pounds between January and the end of March.  However, I have not been eating great, despite the weight loss.  I have been drinking 1-3 cups of caffeine a day, with half and half and sugar, and just smaller portions of the same old junky foods that I am addicted to.

Goals for this first week:

• eat 100% raw every day
• exercise minimum of 15 minutes per day, probably starting with walking
  
• drink lots of purified water
• sleep at least 7-8 hours per night
  

Current health challenges:

• osteoarthritis in right thumb and wrist
• fibromyalgia
• overall joint pain and muscle achiness
• large vision-obscuring "floater" in left eye
• low energy
• frequent headaches

I have a family history of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, and if I don't make some significant changes, I know I will be in for more trouble. 

I'm mentioning all the challenges so that I can monitor progress and improvement in my physical condition by changing my diet to whole, raw foods. 

I will update with a new photo and measurements at the start of each month, as well as chronicle my daily food intake, and experiences associated on my journey.

I went shopping today and stocked up on lots of fruits and veggies.  I have selected several recipes from Cherie Soria's wonderful book, The Raw Revolution Diet, which I think will help make the transition during this first week a bit easier.  I am dreading caffeine detox, but hopefully, it will not be as difficult as the last time I gave up coffee.

All throughout this past year, I remained on several raw foods email lists, most notably Philip McCluskey, www.lovingraw.com.  I had already been seriously thinking of going back to raw foods with the coming of the warmer Spring weather (cold weather has always been a challenge for me with raw foods), and then Philip posted an article that really made me stop and look at myself.  He featured the story of a woman named Mimi Kirk who is 72 but looks like she's in her late 30's!  She has been a vegetarian for 40 years and a raw vegan for the past three years, and she looks FABULOUS!  It really hit me that a woman who is in her early 70's is healthier and looks better than I do! 

So, inspired by the hope that I can make a significant difference in my health, I'm going for it again... 100% raw, as of today, 1 April 2011.

I would sure appreciate support and constructive comments from anyone who is also on a 100% raw or high-raw diet.

Thanks!  :)