Raw Diet Day 4

Vegetables and fruits are SO unappealing to me at the moment... but the detox is working! It's day four of this nightmare.. and I'm finally not feeling hungry after EVERY meal. Nighttime is the hardest because dinner was our best meal before because we always cooked together and it was never on the go. I miss that.. I'm ready for this to be over. Maybe 30 days is going to be reduced to fourteen. Still seems like a long time!

Morning weigh in: 125.5 - 1.1 lb weight loss since yesterday.

I've been exercising regularly but doing light work outs. I haven't been able to complete any P90X workout but I'm going to tackle yoga tonight. I'm still waiting to get over that hump of exhaustion. The headaches are gone though which means I'm over the caffeine! I'm going to start drinking organic tea/coffee after this week so I can get a natural source of caffeine without fake sugars/creams etc. 

Raw Diet Day 3

Each day gets a little bit easier.. I didn't wake up with a head-ache this morning which is a positive change! I went to the gym today and did one mile on the bike and then did all the leg exercises. I got tired really quickly so I'm still waiting to get over this hump.
Morning weigh in - 126.6 - 10 oz loss, almost another pound. I think this is starting to taper off and slow down. I'm eating ALL day long so I'm really shocked about the weight loss. If it keeps declining, I'm going to add raw fish to get more calories per day if that's what it takes. It should go up as I continue to consume over 40 g of protein and continue to work out, as muscle weighs more. So we'll see..

Raw Diet Day 2

I feel better this morning! More energy! I actually feel like going to the gym today.

Morning weigh in before food: 127.0 - 2.3 lb weight loss which is amazing because I ate a ton of fatty foods like avacado and hemp seed (which is 8g of fat per 2 tbl) and we ate ALL day yesterday. Gerard also lost 2 lbs so it's definitely not just me!

30 Day Raw Diet.. Day One

Today is day one of this adventure. I figure, if I blog about it and keep track everyday, then maybe I'll do a better job at staying on track and help Gerard stay on track with me. Because seriously, this "diet" is really just about detoxing and purification,  not about weight loss, but I have to give up all the tasties I love... no REDBULL!! No processed/artificial sugar... no meat! no dairy!! Only raw fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. The wedding is coming up on July 17th and I just want my skin to look it's best, and I want to feel my best through these next few months filled with stress. We're continuing on with P90X so I'm going to keep track of my weight and make sure that any loss is healthy, and not extreme. So here it goes!
Day one morning weigh in before eating: 129.3

Breakfast:

A shake of raw flax seeds, pea, hemp, rice, and chia seed protein mixed with clorophyll, wheat grass, barley, broccoli, and fresh kale. Add a banana, water, and ice, and it was actually very tasty! The wheat grass is very sweet so that helped a lot. We then ate big chunks of melon.

Snacks:

Apples, bananas, oranges, berries, raw sliced almonds

Lunch:

BIG salad of fresh romaine, spinach, kale, peppers, grapes, apples, mushrooms, etc

Dinner

LARGE fruit salad, so good. 

I have no energy.. I'm cranky and hungry about an hour after eating.. is this going to last??

Recap..

I've been away for too long.. Here are some things that I need to catch up on before I forget them forever..

1. The same week Bella turned 8 months old, she learned how to crawl, pull herself to standing (lots of boo boo's and tears at first), and how to "cruise".. so much so fast!
2. Bella turned 1 on March 4th!! I made her cake myself out of a vegan blondie cake mix from Earthfare and used cream cheese mixed with vanilla and banana for the icing! She shared it with her pal Logan but I was sad that she didn't dive right in. Usually those chubby fingers are in everyone's food!! 


3.  Bella took her first steps right after her first birthday! Now she can take an average of 8 steps on her own! She still prefers to hold our hand when she walks around in public and throws a FIT when we try to pick her back up. It is so adorable that she just wants to walk around in circles.. she has a huge smile the whole time. 

4. I found my wedding dress!! I can't say much more at the moment just in case Gerard reads this blog.. but it's gorgeous and actually turned out to be eco friendly, which is something I wasn't seeking out, but still elated that it turned out that way. It took two trips to Atlanta (thank you mom..!) and I actually picked a dress the first time. That was followed by an almost panic attack and I changed my mind. The second trip was much more successful, I couldn't be happier with the dress! 
5. The wedding is getting closer and school is finally coming to an end for Gerard and I'm so happy for him and for us. We're going through the process of getting his green card so hopefully he can start working soon and we can finally become more independent! I won't be done with school until December, but the end is in sight and that makes me really happy. I can't wait for this semester to be over, it will be the last one that I'll have to take on a full load. I'm so excited to move on from this poo town! 
6. We had little mice in the house!! They were tiny little deer mice that seemed harmless and it made me ill to get rid of them because at first they didn't bother us. I know most females would freak out and demand them dead instantly! But I just had a really hard time with it.. I had to use those sticky sheets which kills them, but so slowly. And my mom has a phobia of mice and Gerard was a little miss about them, so I had to do ALL the dirty work and I didn't want to kill them in the first place! But I had to think of Bella first and I couldn't bear it if she caught some sort of disease now that she roams the floors... It was hard, but needed to be done. No squeaks lately, so I guess that killing the six of them was enough to scare the rest off. 

A lot more has happened.. But I'll do better to keep track. I really like the idea that I can come back and remember everything. Love you Bella! 

NEW BLOG!

Hi all (all 4 of you! ;)) Click here to see Gerard and I's new blog where family and friends can watch our journey of planning the wedding as well as for information when the wedding gets closer. So far, we know it will in July 2010, and all family is invited. I will be posting the date, the time, the ceremony and reception site, detailed directions, where we will be registered, as well as tons of photos! Just in case you lose the future "save the date" cards or invitations, you can go to this blog and access any and all information you may need!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day ♥

Cancer in our Bathroom

So I've been doing a lot of research lately about the cosmetic products (like shampoo, conditioners, face wash, face moisterizers, lotions, soaps, etc) that contain more chemicals than in some of my basic house cleaning products. I looked up most of those big words you see in the ingredients list on the back of shampoo bottles and other things.. chemicals such as sodium laurenth sulfate, TEA (triethanolamine) Laurent Sulfate (Also DEA), DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Hydroxide.. I could go on for quite a while, but spelling these words is making my head hurt..

I have to say, maybe ignorance has been bliss.. I always read the back of bottles in the shower while I'm waiting for my conditioner to "work" or if I'm just not ready to get out into that cold air.. and I NEVER knew what these ingrediants were.. but did I question them? Nope. I lathered up some more. For my entire life. 22 1/2 years of rubbing these chemicals on my skin! And we all wonder where our cancers come from. Why do they just pop up out of nowhere. What about those people who have no chancer in their family tree? Why have their branches been shaken? Are we, as Americans, being taken advantage of? Hardly any of us, including me, keep up with the news in Europe the way they keep up with ours. Why should we? So many things are happening right here, in the most powerful country in the world, we just don't have the time to read up on many other coutries outside of the ones involved in this war. But I can tell you something, most of these chemicals have been BANNED, as in made ILLEGAL, in Europe. Thus far, the FDA regulates NINE chemicals in cosmetics.. the EU prohibits over 1,100.

I have to put this out there for those that don't know.. about 75% or more of these chemicals in our products are known carcinogens and are linked to cancer. And we absorb over 80% of the things we put on our skin, as in they go right into our bloodstream. I had put them on my baby! They put these ingrediants in baby products! I couldn't believe it.. The ones that aren't carcinogens are either linked to dermatitus or other chronic skin condtions, or can be attributed to our common breaks outs (like mineral oil, aka parrafin wax, aka petrolateum). Even the perservatives in our products are things like Formaldehyde (but they put it in a fancy labratory term).

I know I've been ranting, but I feel very strongly about this. I want to warn everyone! We don't need to use these products! I myself have been making my own. I made my own shampoo, conditioner, skin care products, body lotion and body wash. Including ones that are safe for Bella (like an organic body wash with organic lavender essential oil that knocks her out when followed with chemical free lotion laced with the same lavender). I've thrown out everything else! Everything is now all natural, and I have to say, my hair has never been softer. My skin has never been brighter. My pores haven't been this small since before puberty! And it turned out to be really easy. Anyone out there who is more interested, contact me please. Any family members out there especially, who want some of these natural products, just let me know! I'll make them for you and bring them to you myself.. I'd do anything to get rid of your toxic products!

And don't fall for the marketing gimics by the large manufacturing companies! For example, L'Oreal has put out a Sodium Laurenth Sulfate (SLES) free shampoo and conditioner "free of harsh salts and sulfates" set called "Ever Pure" .. I checked it. This isn't even close to "pure". All of the other chemicals remain. Do not be fooled people!

If you're interested in anymore information, go to this link or this one and read up for yourself. We all trust the FDA.. so why are they allowing carcinogens in our baby shampoo? And they are aware of it, believe me. Please, join me in banning these products from your bathroom, from your children, and from yourself!