Raw Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

So this is the orange "glass" I made from a dehydrated orange slice. Isn't it pretty? The cheesecake was quite short, more like a bar, since I used a 9"x9" pan. For this photo I stacked two layers and decorated it with the orange. I really need to get a good camera and stop using my phone!

This recipe was adapted from Matthew Kenney's which I believe can be found in his "Everyday Raw" book. Enjoy!


Raw Pumpkin Pie Cheescake
Crust:
2 cups pecans
3 Tb maple syrup
2 Tb coconut oil
 1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup carrot juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 t salt
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice

Put the crust ingredients in the food processor and pulse until you get a chunky blob. Press it into a pan and then dehydrate it for one or two days. Remove from the dehydrator and put the pan in the freezer.

Blend the filling ingredients in a Vitamix or Blendtec blender until smooth. Pour over the cold crust and then put the pan back into the freezer. When it is nearly frozen you can slice it cleanly. I like to cut it into individual servings and then store them in the freezer so they are always ready when I want one.

On Monday, September 16, 2013 I woke up weighing 162 pounds!!
That is not only an all time high but it’s more than I weighed the day before giving birth to three of my four children. I wasn’t pregnant with three of them at the same time but you know what I mean. Anyway I also signed up for a fitness/weight loss contest so...let the games begin!

Breakfast: almond milk and fruit smoothie (Wal Mart frozen blend of peaches, pineapple, mango and strawberries)

Lunch: romaine salad with 1/2 avocado, cucumber, jicama, sprouted beans and lentils, cilantro and fresh salsa as dressing

Dinner: more of the same salad
Snack: raw pumpkin pie cheesecake bars (recipe and photo above)

I walked a one mile loop with the dogs in the morning. I spun the pedals on the stationary bike while watching 3 episodes of Gilmore Girls. I barely broke a sweat and Hubby says that’s not working out but whatever.


Tuesday 9-17-13            161 pounds

B: chia seed porridge with peaches and almond milk

S: more of the same porridge

L: romaine salad with cucumber, carrot, avocado, orange bell pepper, and sprouts with avocado and salsa

S: raw pumpkin pie cheesecake bars

D: same salad as lunch

I got in the pool and swam 4,000 yards. It took me an hour and a half and I did a lot of putt-putting around but it felt really good. I thought I took it easy most of the time but an hour after I finished I could really feel it. Tired muscles everywhere. I guess that’s what happens when you stay out of the pool for months on end. (Years, actually)

Raw Day 3       9-18-13        160  pounds

B: cucumber, celery and green apple juice blended with fruit.

S: coconut chia seed porridge with peaches

L: clean out the produce drawer salad

D: more salad

S: coconut ice-cream



On days four through six I ate about 90% raw and weighed 158 this morning-down four pounds since Monday.  I'm feeling better in the pool and signed up for the Slam the Dam open water swim on Oct 5th at Lake Mead in Las Vegas. I'm excited about that upcoming race and plan to have dropped more weight by then.

The Bod Pod

This is me, smiling because I am not being strapped to a chair and S-L-O-W-L-Y lowered into an unforgiving tank of water for an excruciatingly slow, panic filled weigh-in.

This is not me but this looks just like the contraption I was in years before. This girl looks like she can handle it. In fact she probably got hers done in one try-no problemo. My chair had a seatbelt on it which really sets the imagination on fire. The chair doesn't look as scary in this photo as my chair did in real life. Or maybe it's just me?



When I was a swimmer/student at Brigham Young University back in the 80s, the entire swim team had their body fat tested. At the time, state of the art did not include mathematical equations or pinchy little caliber clips. It only meant one thing: hydrostatic testing (underwater weighing.) The dunk tank reminded me of a carnival booth where some unfortunate soul sat on on a plank and smiled until some paying customer hit the target, thus releasing the plank and dropping smiling participant into a tank of water. Being a lover of all things water related, I never really understood the entertainment factor of trying to get someone underwater. Perhaps if they were a normally well-groomed, heavily made up person who would then resurface looking extremely out of character (think drowned raccoon) I can see it. But still, it’s a stretch. 

When it was my turn I figured it would be no problem and climbed into the tank with a big, confident smile on my face. Ten minutes later I wasn’t smiling. I was strapped into a chair-like thingy and told to blow ALL the air out of my lungs before they submerged me.  The mechanical submersion process took a minor eternity and gave me plenty of time to ponder the ramifications of being strapped to a chair underwater. Then I had to hold perfectly still, completely depleted of oxygen, for a full on eternity while the the machine weighed me underwater. I was kindly told beforehand that I could raise my hand should a problem arise. I realized it would be excruciatingly embarrassing if the captain of the swim team couldn’t handle a little underwater weighing and determined not to panic. Ten seconds later my hand was frantically waving in the air with my head tilted back so that my mouth was the first thing out of the water. I would like to say that the I found the emergency ‘raise your hand’ plan quite unsatisfactory since the way up was just as slow as the way down. 

The operator asked with concern what was wrong. I had to admit that nothing was wrong and to go ahead and start over. She graciously lied about how lots of people had trouble with this as I hung my head in shame. 

I have loved the water since I first laid toes into it and I am extremely at ease while swimming. I am a total water baby. However, if I feel trapped or out of control everything changes. I have always been fiercely afraid of drowning. Being stuck underwater while my lungs burst open (or caved in or filled with water or whatever they actually do when one is drowning) would be the worst way to die. Logically I know that burning up in a fire or being gnawed to death by rats and cockroaches or falling off a cliff would probably be worse. Especially if it was a really high cliff and you had time to think things through on the way down. But what if you were chewed on by a shark and THEN drowned? Wouldn’t that be just as bad? Let me finish that little tangent by saying my irrational fears are quite irrational.

The second time going down in the chair of death I knew what to expect (oxygen deprivation, fear and panic) but told myself to just get it over with and get out of there ASAP. It took a full 15 seconds for me to raise my hand again. I did, however, get it together enough to survive the third dunking and left soon after, giddy with relief. I was also stoked with my results of 11% fat. I weighed 121 pounds and was in the best shape of my life.

Fast forward twenty some odd years where I decided to get my body composition tested once again. No dunk tanks this time. The Bod Pod works on the same philosophy but uses air displacement instead of water. The accuracy is comparable to the dunk tank, which has long been considered the gold standard. After getting into my swim suit and wearing the cap they gave me, I climbed into the pod. After it was closed I sat in the airtight pod and felt a very mild pressure in the very short time I was in there. Easy peasy. Soon after I was given a computer print out with all kinds of information including my body fat: 35%. I wasn’t stoked with those results but they do make a great ‘before’ number. Now I’ve started my ‘after’ program and can’t wait to get into the Bod Pod again. The Bod Pod rocks!

!

Green Juice

I drank my green juice in front of the waterfall this morning. Then did a yoga DVD. What a great way to start the day! The kiddos are back in school and I'm plum out of excuses. My new full time job: TRANSFORMATION! I ate raw food every day so far in Rawgust but didn't quite let go of the junk food on the side. That is my version of a balanced diet: salad and ice-cream. I've got the eat-good-stuff part down and now I'm ready to leave the junk behind. Transition time is over.

For extra incentive I entered a transformation contest with prize money. It should be a fun way to do something I'm planning on doing anyway. I've already taken my before picture and I even got my body fat tested in a bod pod yesterday. I'll tell you all about the bod pod and the contest in some upcoming posts. Until then let me just say: My starting weight is 160 pounds and my starting fat percentage is 35.7% (which falls into the 'Excess Fat' catagory.) Cheers.

Chia Porridge

This was my breakfast this morning. It was DELISH! I made a batch of almond milk yesterday afternoon. Youtube has zillions of good videos on how to make almond milk so I won't bother except to say I like it thick and creamy. I use one cup of almonds to only three cups of water. Most recipes call for a 1:4 ratio of almonds to water. Anyway.... I put about a cup of finished almond milk into a glass pint jar and then added two heaping tablespoons of chia seeds.  The black seeds are more common and they even sell them at Costco now-happy day- but I prefer the white seeds. (I usually order them from Swanson Health Products swansonvitamins.com/chia-seeds-love that company.)  Most American's don't eat a lot of black foods unless we're talking dark chocolate so you may find the lighter ones are more appetizing. I like pretty porridge.

Even though it only take 20 minutes or so to soak the chia into a porridge, I have found the easiest approach for me is to soak my seeds overnight so they are good to go whenever I want breakfast. I take my pretty porridge jar and give it a good stir and a few vigorous shakes after I've screwed the lid on tightly. Don't learn the hard way (like I did) what happens if the lid is not on very well. Chia party in the kitchen. I shake it a few more times in the next five or ten minutes while I'm doing something else, which usually means dishes because my teenagers are trained to disappear as soon as they are done eating. They hear the call of homework and can't resist. At least that's the story they give me.

In the morning I add fruit, sweetener, more almond milk or whatever sounds good. Unless of course cookies or ice-cream in your porridge sounds good, then don't do whatever sounds good. I had added raw honey and vanilla to the almond milk when I made it so I didn't bother to sweeten it any further. I soaked a small handful of gogi berries in just enough water to cover them while I went to the pool. I swam an easy mile this morning and came home hungry. All I had to do was dump the drained gogi berries into the porridge, stir it up and put a handful of blueberries on top. Cinnamon would have been great too, now that I'm thinking about it, but I was hungry and it's just a miracle that I took the picture before the porridge disappeared. You're welcome. Now go and make some yourself. 

M.A.K.E. Cafe in Santa Monica

I found myself in Santa Monica last week. Which happens to be a great place to find oneself! Colton, (firstborn son) was with me and agreed to try out this raw restaurant that I had read about. He got us there with his navigational skills which is a good thing since I have a talent for getting lost. We each ordered a starter and entree and shared that fabulous lime cheesecake pictured above. It was silky, creamy bliss. I've made a few raw cheesecakes but they always turn out heavier and denser. My new challenge is to make one like Matthew Kenney's. I have thin slices of lemon and orange in the dehydrator right now trying to recreate that beautiful stained glass effect.

Colton ordered this salad with avocado, olives, coconut "bacon", tomatoes and baby greens:

My starter was a kimchee dumpling with a ginger foam. I happen to love kimchee (many years living in Asia) and found this cute little packets delicious. Colton thought they were good but wasn’t a huge fan, which of course means more for me. Love the purple as well!

The black pepper kelp noodles had thin strips of chanterelle with snap peas, olive crumbs and pea vines.  We both liked this one very much. It was filling and creamy with subtle flavors. This could very well end up being comfort food for me.

Colton ordered the flatbread with hummus, jewel box tomatoes, fennel, capers and mint. I was worried it would be a raw “copy” version of hummus that wouldn’t compare to the original. I am happy to report I was dead wrong and once again we both marveled at how good it tasted. The flavors were just perfectly balanced.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone from a raw foodist to a die-hard carnivore. The only problem is going back to “regular” food that tastes boring in comparison. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Happy Baby

This was our first family photo in 13 years! Mom, Dad and the five of us kids (pretending we're all grown up.) We broke Mom out of the health joint and took her to Audrey's house for a fourth of July party. I think she loved having us all under the same roof.  I know I did. Top left to right: Monica, Andy, Suzy and Dad. Audrey in the middle. Me and Mom on the bottom.

After the food and and fun we hung out in the pool catching up. It was REALLY hot in Phoenix. We wanted to do a yoga pose in Andy's honor but the inflatable tube version of happy baby was all we could manage. I hope your Fourth was as fab as ours!

Optimum Health Institute-One Month Later

After one week at the Optimum Health Institute I got home with the best intentions. I slid down the slippery slope and ended up in a rebound love affair with sugar. Within a week I had gained back all but one of the nine pounds I’d lost. That is a long, hard week’s worth of work down the drain. But then again, maybe not. I do feel better and it’s easier to “be good” after my initial rebound.
I got back on my feet and was able to stay away from the sugar. The week of wild abandon was not as satisfying as I thought and I really missed my veggies. So now I’m striking a nice balance of mostly whole, raw foods and some sweets for emotional fulfillment or social situations. After spending time at OHI I’m moving towards all raw and plan to get this 30-day raw food done by the end of July.  
One positive observation: plant power in the pool. I’ve started getting some swimming workouts in and trying to get in shape. I signed up for the Utah Summer Games Master’s swim meet. I didn’t want to participate because I’ve been mostly out of the water for the past few years. (It's the old "I don't want to get into a swim suit" excuse.) The last time I swam in this meet was 6 years ago and I weighed 30 pounds less than I do right now. I decided to swim anyway just to see where I’m at. I was surprised that I swam as fast as I did and I wasn’t that far off from my times six years and 30 pounds ago.  I actually ended up with two first places and two seconds places. Both of the first places were new records for my 45-49 year old age group. Go figure! My 50 Meter Freestyle time of 33.43 even qualified me to swim in the Master’s National meet in CA this August. I’m excited to swim because the last time I went to a National meet was in Mission Viejo in 1985. So as of now I am officially in training. No more sugar, no more junk. Raw food starts now. Lets see how far this plant power will take us!

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20130622/SPORTS/306230004/Utah-Summer-Games-swimming-family-affair

Saturday at OHI

I felt good when I awoke this morning. Renee and I slugged down our wheatgrass juice like pros then got ready for breakfast. Everything is winding down and I’m excited and nervous to be going home tomorrow. I’m not sure I’m ready to leave this place and venture out in the world again but I really miss the kiddos. I can’t wait to get home to my family.

I’m still struggling with cravings now and then and I want to continue this program. I know I’m not done detoxing and I look forward to feeling really good. Most of the pain in my body is gone and I can walk with no sharp knee pain. The lump at the back of my skull had gone down considerable and is no longer tender. Not sure what it was but I’m glad it’s leaving! (I was afraid that it would keep on growing and one of my alter egos would take up residence at the back of my head-Harry Potter style. Glad that didn't happen.)

Renee, too, has seen so much improvement during this past week. She was able to stop taking her pain medication for her rheumatoid arthritis for the first time in years. She also feels like she learned so much and made some startling discoveries about her own life.

We attended the closing class then had lunch. Afterward we had a quiet afternoon journaling and setting up a life plan to help us succeed in the “real world.” Spent time after dinner visiting with the other guests then watched the “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” documentary in the evening. One day I will do an extended juice feast. Just for fun.

Friday at the Optimum Health Institute

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” - Alan Alda

Friday 5/17/13

I didn’t get to sleep until around 12:30 this morning but I wasn’t too worried about it because I planned on sleeping in. I slept well but was awakened at 5:30 am by a loud, urgent pounding on the door. I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs to see who it was. There was no one at the door. I checked the back door but there was no one there either. It was a little puzzling but I returned upstairs and went back to bed. Instead of sleeping, I remained wide awake listening to my thoughts. I had ideas, and hopes and goals rattling around in there. Intrigued by some of my thoughts, I got up and wrote them in my journal. I was able to record inspiration on how to handle aspects of my life as well as long lost goals and dreams that resurfaced after years of hiding out. By the time I finished writing it was around seven so I headed out to the wheatgrass juicing room to prepare our morning juice. 

Before Friday’s breakfast we had the testimonial meeting where people share their experiences at OHI. So many miracles occur here, it’s truly amazing. I want to tell everyone who has a health issue or who wants to get more energy or tune up their body or sort through their issues or learn to deal with stress in their life to Go To The Optimum Health Institute! I guess that would include about everyone. I would love to bring all four of my children here at one point or another because it’s a basic owner’s manual for the human body. Hubby tried out week one a few years ago and my beautiful firstborn, Asia, went with me two years ago when she was 20.

We had breakfast and then I went to a great organic gardening class taught by Dan. Lunch was a tasty raw pizza with the usual salad and sprouts. Then afternoon class and a massage. We also managed to get some goodies from the Friday lunch buffet prepared by the third-weekers. Dehydrated seed and veggie crackers and an assortment of sauerkraut. It tasted much better than it would have at the beginning of the week.

After dinner was Friday Night Live, the weekly OHI talent show. Renee sang an incredible version of Amazing Grace. What a beautiful voice she has. What a great week it’s been.

About that early morning knocking... It may have just been a dream, but I’m going with the theory that it was my subconscious mind knocking loud enough to wake me up. I’ve been asleep for way too long.

Toning at the Optimum Health Institiute

 

Vocal toning-- an ancient vocal exercise that uses simple sounds to reestablish a natural flow of energy through your body. Use this simple, yet powerful technique for creating harmony from inside out to reach a meditative state. (From the class description at the Optimum Health Institute.)

Weeks ago when Renee was at my house for a mid-journey stopover, we had an interesting conversation. She mentioned to me that from the time she was a baby she would hum whenever she was very sick or in serious pain. Although her mother found this behavior a little eerie, she soon realized that if Renee went into humming mode then it was time to go to the hospital. Renee still does it as an adult even though it seems strange and no one, not even Renee herself, understands why she does this. 

When she told me this I immediately thought of the toning class at The Optimum Health Institute. We learned about healing with sound vibrations and it seems as though Renee had done this instinctively since childhood. (That conversation was the catalyst for us going there together a short time later.)

Toning was the most unusual (new age-y) class for me because I’d never heard of toning before and it sounds a little far-fetched. When I went to the class for the first time I thought it would be a class using weights to tone our muscles. I was way off on that one-there was not a dumbbell in sight! We had a brief introduction on the hows and whys and then we were off and toning. This was a class for everyone at OHI and we had a good-sized group (50-60 people perhaps.) I’ve never tried this at home but I’m guessing it won’t be as powerful with just one or two voices.

There are eight different centers in the body, each one corresponding to different internal organs. When you make a particular sound at a particular vibrational frequency it will actually help improve different parts of your body. For example, the first center is located at the tailbone and affects the adrenal glands, legs, feet, bones and large intestines. We made the sound “ooo” as in the word “tool.” It is associated with the color red and signifies the center of your vitality/life force.

The explanation on the bottom of our handout read: “Each Center governs particular organs of the body. Using sound to resonate each center helps to ‘charge’ those particular organs, increasing circulation, energy and vitality to that area. The eighth center governs the energy field surrounding the body. Quantum physics is suggesting that possibly disease in the body originates with disturbances in the electromagnetic field. Toning 3-5 minutes at each energy center helps “smooth out” the energy fields.”

We went through all eight centers for 4 or 5 minutes with some background music that helped us stay on pitch. Or maybe it was to help us stay relaxed,  I’m not really sure.  (Renee said it was both.) At times I would get distracted from my zen state and think, “what the heck are we doing? This is really weird! Is this really doing anything at all besides making strange noises?” I tried to throw those thoughts out when they came because when my mind was clear I felt transported to a different place. I felt as though I was actually bathing in a soothing sea of sound vibrations. It’s a little hard to explain. You had to be there.

Renee and I both left that class feeling awed at what had happened. We started the class feeling tired and finished it completely calm but totally energized. No caffeine required. Take that Mr. Red Bull!

Walking Off a Craving

In my last post I mentioned how we got through juicing days with relative ease. When I reviewed what I wrote in my journal during that time I remembered struggling a bit one evening. I'm a little embarrassed to write so much of sugar cravings and my seemingly endless preoccupation with food. There are so many other joyous or thought-provoking topics in the world I could focus my attention on. I feel shallow and weak when I worry about it, but honestly, that's where I'm at right now. And it interferes with my life enough that it really needs to be addressed.

Our dinner that night was green juice. Neither of us felt hungry at all and didn’t want more juice, but drank it anyway.  
When we got back to our room I was having some serious cravings and wanted to drive to WalMart to get a treat. I wasn't hungry, I just wanted something sweet. It was a strong craving, the kind that takes over my mind and makes it hard for me to think of anything else. I was restless and discouraged. If I'm going to be honest I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I didn’t want to deal with cravings for the rest of my life. It’s ridiculous how much time and energy they take up and how discouraging I find this whole situation. There are so many other "more serious" struggles out there that I should just be grateful that mine is sugar and not something more destructive, illegal, immoral or expensive. I'm a very functional addict.

I was pacing around and perhaps even whining a bit. Renee offered some helpful suggestions to keep me from driving to Wally World and I ended up going for a walk around campus. It was a beautiful evening. I sat for awhile in the garden, focused on all the good in my life and felt calm. By the time I walked back to the room I felt better and the craving had gone away. Taking that extra bit of time to calm down really made the desperate feeling disappear. Maybe that's something I should try at home. Ya think?

I’m so glad Renee’s here with me. It’s much easier to do this with a friend- except for the lack of sleep part since we can’t seem to stop talking at night! You will all be relieved to know we have solved most of the world's problems by now. Just one more week at OHI...

Juice Days at OHI

Renee's loving her green juice

It's Juice Days at OHI! Eight meals in a row of streamlined, refreshing, green goodness. We tried not to talk about how nice it would be to actually CHEW something. We were both amazed at how "not hungry" we were. The juice is so packed with nutrients that your body really doesn't ask for more. If there were an apple or two thrown in there I may have gone back for seconds and thirds but the plain juice satisfied me. 
The food-addicted cravings are another story altogether, but I was pleasantly surprised at how tame the were after juicing. I felt hopeful that one day my life will be ruled by something more profound than my sweet tooth. 
The ingredients listed for this juice were: cucumber, celery, zucchini, chard, kale and ginger. They must stick to the same recipe because the taste is pretty consistent from meal to meal. Those participants on the regular diet had some beet and carrot thrown in the mix as well. We did the hypo diet for those with sugar issues or cancer (I always do the hypo diet since sugar is a huge issue for me). I've tried the regular juice and you'd think I'd prefer the slightly sweeter juice but I don't. The straight green is so refreshing.
The first weekers juice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until dinner. Second weekers, third weekers and returnees juice one day only. I was shooting for the entire fast since I've never actually succeeded before.
We were plowing straight through this juice fast (feast), feeling smugly proud of ourselves when the kitchen made the mistake of serving a yam soup for Wednesday's non-juicing lunch. We caved and had a bowl in addition to our juice and it was sooooooo good! I'm going to blame them because they really should know better than to serve deliciousness during juicing days. There are limits to my self control. (Way too many limits, actually. In fact, so many limits it may not even count as self control to begin with.  Debatable.) The soup portion was actually only about a half a cup so it's all good!
The kitchen is staffed with accommodating angels who filled my heart with gratitude on many occasions. They're very good at special requests or extra servings and will even email all their recipes to participants.
The juice did have a pronounced celery flavor which did not bode well with Renee. After Thursday's breakfast juice we asked the kitchen if they could make some without the celery. They said no problem and made us a special batch for lunch. It was heavenly. It never occurred to me how much better it would taste without the celery! I'm so glad Renee had that brilliant stroke of genius. We were both happily guzzling our new and improved juice and wishing we had thought of it seven juice meals earlier!
By Thursday's dinner most of our detox symptoms had diminished and we were feeling pretty good. It was so lovely to be able to walk up the hill from our townhouse without wanting to stop and rest. Simple pleasures.


Thank you, Anne Giacinto, for sending me these recipes. You're the best! (The soup we had was wonderfully spiced, almost like a pumpkin pie.)

Yam Soup
(10 servings)


6 – 8                 Yams
2 pints                 Sesame milk
1 Teaspoon            Cinnamon
1                     Avocado

Combine above ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth

You can add seasonings:

Suggestions:
Mace
Allspice
Nutmeg
Cloves
Pine nuts (ground finely)

Monday at The Optimum Health Institute

Getting ready to down my shot of wheatgrass juice. (I'm pretty excited about it.)

Licking the cinnamon from my hand afterwards to cut the green taste. 

                                      

Monday 5/13/13

Down to business. Following the program takes organization and planning. We have to drink half of our body weight in ounces of water plus 32 ounces of rejuvelac every day. There is a reason you probably haven't heard of rejuvelac: you probably wouldn't like it. It's a fermented grain drink full of probiotics and enzymes. My sister, Audrey, calls it tart lemonade and actually likes it but she is a strange and rare creature. It tastes a lot like bile to me. Renee discovered if you plug your nose while drinking it you won't think you're dry heaving. If you've calculated the total number of ounces of liquid we are to consume daily you may have already figured out we have to plan for a lot of potty breaks.

We are also expected to juice and drink two ounces of wheatgrass juice in the morning and then again in the afternoon. I find it hard to get down but it’s doable with a cinnamon chaser. The smell of the juicing room can be a bit strong but we toughed it out because around here wheatgrass juice is the magic elixir. It's easier to drink after you discover how powerful and nutritious it is. 

Renee went to the morning class to learn all the ins and outs of the program while I meditated on the massage table. I felt like a bowl of jello afterwords-it was kinda wonderful.

For lunch we had a plate of greens, sauerkraut and a flax seed cracker. I was feeling strong and craving-free so I drove to WalMart to purchase a forgotten item. My strength crumbled and I stumbled around the store struggling with the inner voices screaming for junk food. I hurried back to the safety of OHI, vowing not to leave campus again until I check out Sunday morning.

The afternoon, “Mind Body Connection” class was really interesting. At 3:30 we went to the exercise class and then stayed for the 4:30 stretch class. It was wonderful and we both felt much better afterwards. 

We are both feeling the some detox symptoms. We're tired and I tend to feel a little nauseous now and then. Experience tells me I will feel worse before I feel better. I also remember how great the better feels, and not just in relation to the worse!

Tonight was our last dinner of solid food for three days. I’ve never been able to juice before because I would get dizzy and weak and hungry. Mostly just weak in the discipline area. I came here with the goal of getting through the juicing days without resorting to solid food. It should be interesting.

The Optimum Health Institute

                              Mother’s Day 5/12/13

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting with my dear friend, Renee. (You can read her guest blog here.) I was feeling desperately helpless in the wake of her increasingly serious health issues. The world simply could not go on without her lovely song. 

I suggested she try to attend the Optimum Health Institute, OHI, to heal. We decided to get more information about it and I opened my laptop. Waiting for me in the inbox was an email from OHI with a special offer to return and bring a friend. It felt like a sign. We decided to go. We got really excited, despite my warning of the “crying days". Before we knew it, schedules had been rearranged and we were booked to attend one week, starting Mother's Day.
This will be my fifth visit in about 13 years. I always vow to go every year for my annual detox/oil change, but life has gotten in the way. I average about once every two years instead.

On May 12th, I was up by six am, excited to get there to start my detox and transformation. My morning weight was 162-ouch! I gave the offspring an extra week to make their Mother's Day gifts/cards/loving affirmations even better than planned. By 7am, I was on the road, driving to San Diego with St George and my sugar addiction in the rear view mirror (or so I thought).
I had brought fresh green juice and fruit to keep me occupied and full while driving. It didn’t prevent me from buying and eating a candy bar at a gas stop but it keep me feeling good otherwise.
I arrived and checked in just in time for lunch, which was my plan. I wanted to get in as many OHI meals as possible. I told myself I wasn’t going to fall into the “last supper” mentality that I usually do but old habits die hard. I drove off campus after lunch and ended up eating a fresh baked donut from the bakery (it tasted better than it should have due to the last supper mentality.) I also got a one-serving size container of chocolate brownie ice-cream from the WalMart run, which I ate as soon as I got back into my car. It’s a little on the pathetic side but hopefully this trip to OHI will be my starting point to a new way of eating.

I meandered around campus, enjoying the tranquility, and then unpacked and settled in. Dinner was similar to lunch- salad greens, cherry tomatoes, celery, sauerkraut, and lots of sprouts and sunflower greens. It took me 40 minutes to chew it all.

The day was complete when Renee arrived and although I knew I should get to bed early and we could visit later, it didn’t go down that way. Friendships add such a sweetness to life.

Michael Jordan and I Have a Lot in Common.

I have missed out on more than 9,000 days of healthy eating. I have lost almost 300 pounds (But have gained 400 plus.) 26 times I have made it sugar free for four days in a row and messed up on day five. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I am starting over again tomorrow! 
Thanks, Michael, for your wise words of encouragement.

The Problem With Perfection

Next month will be the two-year anniversary of this blog. The first post I wrote was, "Sugar Junkie Goes Raw for 30 Days." Then I promptly spent the next two years trying to actually go raw for 30 days. You can read about some of my MANY aborted attempts along the way. I really struggle with the perfection aspect of it. I want to do it 100% right with no exceptions. But I don't.

The problem with goals of perfection is that it's too easy for me to do something less than perfect. I am thoroughly entrenched in the rut of mediocrity and fear I will never climb out. I fail at my goals every single day. Which results in discouragement which is really ugly in my world. Discouragement usually leads to bingeing. Which makes no sense at all because you'd think if I was discouraged about eating an unauthorized brownie I would stop eating the brownies right? Yet my reaction is usually to finish off the entire pan of brownies. Go figure.

Knowledge is power and I need to remember that I always trip over the word perfection. I go down hard and fast when that expectation is around. I admire and am inspired by those who say, "I'm doing a sugar fast, or a raw food diet or a whatever they want thingy," and then just do it. Just like that. No tripping. No mulligans, aborts, do-overs or anything. They just do it. And make it look painless. 

Those people used to annoy the heck out of me and make me feel inferior. I know better now. We are all different and that's a good thing. I need to focus on my strengths (ridiculous persistence to the point of insanity) and not beat myself up over weaknesses (anything that requires me following strict rules. I struggle with rules in general.) I'm just going to do the best I can and stop saving the posts for when I do it perfectly. That may never happen.

I am trying to follow the menu from the Optimum Health Institute. That's where this whole process began for me and that's where I go to get my super powers back. Now let's see if I can follow that plan  (or something close to that) at home. Wouldn't that be wonderful? 

I started yesterday:

Sunday, February 17th, 2013    
159 pounds (more than when I started two years ago)

B: cucumber, celery and apple juice with lime (my favorite green juice)
S: lots of cantaloupe
L: salad with sunflower seeds, avocado, sprouts and sauerkraut
D: more of the same salad with cucumber, carrots and red bell peppers

Off plan: Some fabulous Sunday afternoon Snickerdoodles sent over by my neighbor and master baker, Sydney. I also made cookies and ate a few more than I wanted to. 

Today:  Monday, February 18th, 2013
157 pounds (down two pounds-it must have been the Snickerdoodles)

B: bowl of blueberries and strawberries with 2 tablespoons of vanilla cashew cream

S: ginger kombucha  (fermented probiotic drink-only 15 calories)

L: big salad with lettuce, red bell peppers, cucumber, carrot, avocado and sunflower seeds.

S: small tart frozen yogurt

D: same salad as lunch but with ranch dressing

Juliano and I

Renee (my fabulous friend), Soup and Monica (two of my three incredible sisters) and I made a quick trip to LA. We had a great visit with my brother, Andy, and then headed off to crash the Craig Ferguson party at NBC studios. I’m not much of a TV person and had actually never heard of the guy but was excited about being in the audience during a taping. After being “warmed up” and coached on how to be a fantastic audience (they bribed us with chocolate) we watched them put a show together. I’m a fan now. That Craig guy is one funny dude. Thanks, Renee, for getting the tickets.

After we checked into our hotel in Santa Monica, we explored the neighborhood. We had a great dinner at True Foods and soaked up the artistic, funky atmosphere near the pier.

Before going to California I had researched some raw restaurants in the area in hopes of trying one out. I wrote down a list of five or six and their locations but then left the list on my desk at home.

Early the next morning I was drifting in and out of sleep when I suddenly remembered that one of the raw food restaurants was located on Broadway in Santa Monica. I didn’t know which one but realized we had walked down Broadway the night before. I jumped out of bed, eager to start my quest. Monica heard me get up and offered to go with me. So, with about 5 minutes of primping (looking gorgeous in my sweats) we were off on our adventures.

We walked about ten minutes and found Planet Raw Cafe with the front door wide open, awaiting our arrival. We entered and I explained to the man on the computer that we knew they weren’t open yet but wanted to look at their menu. He kindly gave us the menus and allowed us to sit and peruse. Halfway through the menu I saw references to Juliano and excitedly asked the man if this was perhaps Juliano’s restaurant. (I have read about the famous raw food chef.) He said, “I’m Juliano” which immediently sent me into geeky fan mode.
“You’re Juliano? REALLY? I’ve read so much about you!”
Then Monica chimed in, “Picture time!” which was great because although it NEVER crosses my mind, she’s really good about getting pictures of everything. He was gracious and accommodating and spent time explaining the benefits of raw food to us. When I complained to him about my cookie downfall he brought out two chocolate coconut raw cookies for us to sample. Delicious!

Monica and I eventually let him get back to his work and made our way to the beach. I happily remembered how the ocean soothes my soul and made a note to get there more often.

Suzy and Renee were game to try the Planet Raw with us at lunch which was no small sacrifice given the abundance of incredible restaurants around.

It was a new experience for Renee to have an extensive menu in hand where every single item was gluten free. We ordered four different entrees and the avocado chocolate pudding to share. (It sounds weird but is really good.) They gave us a complimentary appetizer sampler plate and we were oohing and aahing our way all through lunch. The best part was how good we all felt afterwards. Or maybe it was the chocolate pudding. Possibly it was the kelp noodles with a wonderfully flavored, creamy sauce. It’s hard to say. But we did feel energized after eating that delicious food.

I could easily be a raw foodist if Juliano would just move into my house for while and take over the food prep!

Of course It never occurred to me to take any pictures of the food but that only means we will need to return. The sooner the better.