Thursday, April 26, 2007

Days 35 and 36: Unexpected Advice and Yummy Yams

Day 35 (Wednesday): I started the day with an avocado in the morning (just felt like having one), and didn't eat anything more until about 3:30 p.m. when I began to eat the cut-up fruit I'd brought from home (a red pear, a green apple, a juicy orange and half of a mango). I "feasted" on those throughout the afternoon.

The reason I had such a long break between meals is that this afternoon I had my first of six hydro sessions (euphemism for you know what). I received some unexpected advice from my 'hydrodoc' (who is stunningly beautiful, btw -- so healthy looking it's scary, white-white-WHITEs surround her sparkling hazel eyes, her skin is flawless and she's slender as a reed. Her disposition is upbeat to the max, ever encouraging and positive (without being obnoxious). The advice was that I was eating too MUCH uncooked food for just starting out! She said I'd see faster results (in terms of cleaning out my system, increased energy, weight loss, etc.) if I introduced some cooked food in the evenings, mainly vegetables. In other words, to do the raw thing more gradually.

She said my body was a bit in shock due to the drastic change in foods, and the body will tend to go into survival mode then, SLOWING down in metabolism, as well as detox, weight loss, etc. She likened it to putting too much soap into a dirty load of laundry without adding adequate water to MIX with the cleanser and disperse it better to all the 'clothes' ... said that all the live food was the "soap" but that when a system is toxic -- and anyone eating the SAD diet has a toxic body -- one needs to keep eating some cooked foods, along with the larger amount of raw, to keep the bod from going into this near "shock" and slowdown. (I remember hearing in one of my lectures that this was crucial in transitioning, but somehow in my zeal, I'd forgotten it. Another bump in the road, but at least it's corrected.)

So in the evening, she recommended I have some steamed or roasted veggies (she highly recommended yams) and a piece of fish if I wanted it. That's exactly what I ended up having: an assortment of roasted veggies mixed with some orzo (which was really good) and a slice of poached fish over mesclun greens with some grape tomatoes. I got it in the evening caff here at work (many work-a-holic lawyers here often eat breakfast/lunch/dinner at work; sad really). After eating all that fruit in the late afternoon, I couldn't finish the dinner, so I had the rest later at home.

It was great to connect with Joyce (my hydrotherapist) again. She remembered me from about a year and a half ago, but didn't recognize me when I walked in the door. I cut and colored my hair since then and had some necessary (but lovely) dental work done -- which was why I'd discontinued going to her in the first place ... I couldn't afford both). She is very excited about my transitioning to healthier eating/living and told me I could call her anytime I had questions, etc. I'll be seeing her weekly for the next six weeks. (It's what is recommended if one is going to make this transition on a fast-track, which is what I want to do, because going too gradually will be a stumbling block for me. If I ease into this too slowly, I don't think I'll stay as focused and committed as I want to stay. This is true for me. Every person is unique and people have to figure out what's best for their own bodies.

Day 36 (Thursday): Early in the morning at home I made a banana-blueberry smoothie with a splash of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and brought an assortment of fruits to nibble on throughout the day (pear, green apple, a 1/2 pint of blueberries). Feel like going light today so won't have a salad until late this afternoon. Feeling a bit full (maybe from eating the volume of cooked food I did last night)? Actually, as of about 11:30 (when this entry is being made), I haven't eaten much of the fruit.

So all in all, I'm pleased with how yesterday went and how today is going.

Check out the new video clips on the right -- Fast Food Nation trailer and behind-the-scenes making of the movie. I'm going to see about getting the DVD for my ever-growing "Go-Raw Library."