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Week 1 was easier than I thought.
Week 2 was tougher, but I only had minor slips.
Week 3 - I've lost interest.
Now I certainly didn't do this raw vegan month to kickstart a raw vegan lifestyle. I did it (see first post) to kinda cleanse, watch my energy levels, and reduce my sugar intake. I also need to lower my cholesterol.
As I said a few days in, the hardest part had been all the liquids in the morning and not eating until the afternoon. But the food was very good and I was happy. Many people experience some cleansing signs as their bodies detox. Such things as headaches, stomach growls, and feeling moody. At the same time, those with more chronic issues experience good things like the reduction of swelling and changes to their bodies. The ONLY thing I noticed during week one is the loss of 4 pounds. Definitely good. But I think that the reason I didn't experience anything else might be because I've always eaten well to begin with. I rarely eat processed foods and generally make my meals from whole ingredients or I eat at places that do. I don't eat at fast food joints.
The second week was still OK, but I was now craving hot food more than anything. Surprisingly it wasn't cravings for meat, sugar, or dairy - it was for hot. So I cheated and got some French fries. I figured it was hot, but still vegan. My other cheats have been a couple of bites of seafood and hot chocolate when I got migraines - need the caffeine. In the scheme of things, I think I've done well avoiding meat and dairy and grains. Second week was harder, but I got through it.
I always have trouble on weekends when I'm bored. That's when I would cook/bake. During this diet, weekends are when the urge to cheat is the hardest.
Entering week 3 is where I've run into problems and pretty much decided raw vegan is a very difficult lifestyle for me that I could never do.
While the meals have been good, they've also gotten repetitive. What I mean is that while the meals are all different, the elements to make the meals are becoming repetitive. The same sort of "bread", "cheese", and meat substitute component are returning in different dishes. Now add the fact that the food is still raw and cold, I've gone into rebellion. Yesterday (day 14) I looked at the meal that was packed and I just couldn't do it. Again, I didn't want to go running out for a burger, so I ran to Mother and got a vegan meal there - a salad and the fried okra. Actually, I did that last week too. I ran to Thai Canteen and got a green mango salad to change things up.
Week 3 is when you are supposed to see the more dramatic changes to energy level, sleep, mood, etc. I don't know if I will experience those because of my cheating or because I didn't experience those things in week 1 either. I don't want to bail on this diet completely. I paid for a month's worth of meals after all. I will probably continue as best I can, but with the occasional hot food item or bit of seafood. That much I'm determined to do - stay away from meat for the whole month. After all, I still need to lower my cholesterol.
Meanwhile, what do I think about my overall diet at this point? Well I've learned that I can survive without meat, dairy, and grains pretty well. If I can continue that from now on, that's a win. After all, I had to have meat every day before and RARELY ever did a meatless day. I can also try to keep this willpower up enough to do less or lower sugar desserts. The test will be to see if I can convert from sweets and meat every day to sweets and meats only one or two days a week - as treats.
Less than 10 days to go.
Week 2 was tougher, but I only had minor slips.
Week 3 - I've lost interest.
Now I certainly didn't do this raw vegan month to kickstart a raw vegan lifestyle. I did it (see first post) to kinda cleanse, watch my energy levels, and reduce my sugar intake. I also need to lower my cholesterol.
As I said a few days in, the hardest part had been all the liquids in the morning and not eating until the afternoon. But the food was very good and I was happy. Many people experience some cleansing signs as their bodies detox. Such things as headaches, stomach growls, and feeling moody. At the same time, those with more chronic issues experience good things like the reduction of swelling and changes to their bodies. The ONLY thing I noticed during week one is the loss of 4 pounds. Definitely good. But I think that the reason I didn't experience anything else might be because I've always eaten well to begin with. I rarely eat processed foods and generally make my meals from whole ingredients or I eat at places that do. I don't eat at fast food joints.
The second week was still OK, but I was now craving hot food more than anything. Surprisingly it wasn't cravings for meat, sugar, or dairy - it was for hot. So I cheated and got some French fries. I figured it was hot, but still vegan. My other cheats have been a couple of bites of seafood and hot chocolate when I got migraines - need the caffeine. In the scheme of things, I think I've done well avoiding meat and dairy and grains. Second week was harder, but I got through it.
I always have trouble on weekends when I'm bored. That's when I would cook/bake. During this diet, weekends are when the urge to cheat is the hardest.
Entering week 3 is where I've run into problems and pretty much decided raw vegan is a very difficult lifestyle for me that I could never do.
While the meals have been good, they've also gotten repetitive. What I mean is that while the meals are all different, the elements to make the meals are becoming repetitive. The same sort of "bread", "cheese", and meat substitute component are returning in different dishes. Now add the fact that the food is still raw and cold, I've gone into rebellion. Yesterday (day 14) I looked at the meal that was packed and I just couldn't do it. Again, I didn't want to go running out for a burger, so I ran to Mother and got a vegan meal there - a salad and the fried okra. Actually, I did that last week too. I ran to Thai Canteen and got a green mango salad to change things up.
Week 3 is when you are supposed to see the more dramatic changes to energy level, sleep, mood, etc. I don't know if I will experience those because of my cheating or because I didn't experience those things in week 1 either. I don't want to bail on this diet completely. I paid for a month's worth of meals after all. I will probably continue as best I can, but with the occasional hot food item or bit of seafood. That much I'm determined to do - stay away from meat for the whole month. After all, I still need to lower my cholesterol.
Meanwhile, what do I think about my overall diet at this point? Well I've learned that I can survive without meat, dairy, and grains pretty well. If I can continue that from now on, that's a win. After all, I had to have meat every day before and RARELY ever did a meatless day. I can also try to keep this willpower up enough to do less or lower sugar desserts. The test will be to see if I can convert from sweets and meat every day to sweets and meats only one or two days a week - as treats.
Less than 10 days to go.
