Forum

Hi, new to the forum.  I've been on and off (okay, truth? mostly off) raw for several years, and was vegan for almost a year...maybe about a year ago?  Have been on a semi-health cooked diet since then (meaning, healthier than SAD).

I've been desperate to jump back into raw, because that's what makes me feel good, but I just haven't managed it.  I think it might be because my body was craving carbs, and I wasn't getting enough of them (or enough calories).  So after seeing a bunch of Freelee's videos, I decided to give this a try.  

I admit, the brainwashing of society gives me doubts sometimes (OMG what if I damage my body from not getting enough fat/protein? How much is this going to cost me?  Will I be able to maintain this lifestyle? etc.)  But honestly, seeing F and H looking so good in their videos really inspires me, and makes me think that after so many years, they're doing something right, that certain other gurus (who wear a Mexican poncho...I suspect to hide extra weight) don't do.  

I was floored when I saw the video where Freelee says she doesn't work out all that much (I think she said every other day?) to maintain her figure.  No way!  When I saw her doing squats during so many videos, I thought "man, she must be one of those people who do that all day!"  Knowing she's "normal" about her workouts makes it really seem possible to get healthy, fit, and thin.  

I've been looking for links to hcrv before and afters for women who were obese before going hcrv.  I've seen some of F's vids, but most of those women were only 40 or 50 pounds overweight.  If anyone has links to someone who has lost 100+ pounds, I'd love to check them out!  

So far, there is good and bad on this diet.   I'm not quite 80/10/10 every day yet, because my whole family is sick, and that's causing issues.  Bad time to start a new way of eating!  But we're toughing it out.  I'm staying raw til at least 4 pm.  Last night was the only day I ate too much fat--boy did I pay for it!  

I had started to notice my face looked MUCH prettier--nothing you could put your finger on, just better.  The difference?  I wasn't bloated.  When I go raw, I lose all the water retention, and it makes a huuuuge difference in my appearance.  Well, after eating a vegan lentil salad last night (which I didn't realize until I got it home that it must have some oil in it), and tofu on top of that (again, didn't realize it had soy sauce or nama shoyu on it til I got home), today I'm puffed up like a balloon.  :(  Well, live and learn.  Next time, I make my own lentil salad, if I need some cooked food.  

I plan to be super-high-raw by the end of the week (maybe just a side dish of cooked vegan whole foods--like lentils or quinoa with dinner, but all else, raw).  I'm having a really hard time cramming in the carbs--even being a big person, I don't normally eat nearly this much, and sometimes I'm just not hungry, or I want something besides fruit.  I know I just need to plan better and get better spacing to my meals, so I can fit it all in.  

I love the way I feel so far (except this morning--after the lentils and tofu last night, I'm a bit bloated and tired).  I'm feeling happier, and fairly energetic, despite this horrendous illness we're all dealing with right now.  But I need to get more fruit in me--I have periods where I get really cranky and want to give up, and I know it's because I'm hungry.  

This is going to take some real work, but I hope in time it will all become second nature.  I know being part of this community will help.  :)