Britt's Daily Raw Vegan Accountability Thread
 

There isn't much activity on this side, but I was inspired by another Britt, who has an accountability thread on the support forum, and I wanted to start my own.

I began the raw vegan lifestyle this past Monday, April 3. I have tried to transition into raw veganism a few times before but failed. I know this was due to the fact that I was eating very little variety of food - mostly fruit salads, cucumbers, and romaine - and I wasn't feeding my body properly. I also didn't have the means to purchase a lot of quality organic raw ingredients like nuts and avocados, and I didn't have tools that make raw vegan eating more enjoyable like a high speed blender and dehydrator. I now have the means and the tools! SN: I know I won't be using the dehydrator TOO much because I do prefer to eat my fruits and veggies in their original forms, but I think it will make a huge difference for when I am craving some variety.

My ultimate desire is to become a lifelong raw vegan, though I know I might need to eat some cooked vegan foods on special occasions. So my realistic goal is to eat a raw vegan diet 90% of the time, which would allow for around 36 days per year where I might consume cooked food. The goal of this thread is to track my grocery hauls, what I am eating, how I am feeling, and to hold myself accountable to only sticking to those 36 days per year.

I'm excited to start this journey on the right foot this time, and I am so happy already with my decision not to give up on trying.


ETA: As of 4/26/17 (after much trial and error!), I have transitioned into a different WOE to accommodate increased activity that is both affordable and sustainable:
Daily: Vegan bulletproof-esque coffee in the morning, small raw snack/mini-meal to break fast when hungry, one cooked vegan meal, and one raw post-workout snack/mini-meal
The week of period: 100% raw food intake with little to no exercise
This plan does not constitute a high raw diet, but I will continue to track here since I still aim to get at least 30% of my calories from raw foods on a daily basis and 100% raw foods for at least one week each month.

Today is Day 4 of being raw!

I don't know how much I weigh, but I know I am definitely losing some weight. I was able to zip up a skirt I couldn't wear two weeks ago, I am using a tighter belt and watch loop, and my face and body are MUCH less bloated. My eyes and skin seem brighter, but that could also be because the sun has been shining really nicely for the past few days.

The biggest and best changes by far are the fact that I am regular and getting the best sleep of my life! I have suffered with constipation my entire life and because constipation, colon cancer, and other colon diseases run in my family, I thought that was just my "normal" and to be expected. I would be lucky to go twice a week. NOPE. Since day 1, I began going at least twice a day. It is an absolute 180!
I have also been a lifelong insomniac, averaging 1-3 hours of sleep per night when it got really bad (usually in 3-month stints), but overall getting about 5 hours per night. Both the length and quality of my sleep have improved dramatically. It no longer takes me hours to fall asleep. I don't toss and turn and wake up every few hours. I am still a light sleeper and will wake up on occasion but the amount of time awake has decreased significantly, and I am currently averaging 7 hours and 43 minutes per night, which is UNHEARD of for me! I am so happy!

Over the past 4 days, I have been eating between 11 AM and 8 PM, and I have been consuming pretty much the same foods: a green smoothie, 1-2 pieces of raw fruit, a raw fruit and nut bar, a big salad with raw dressing, raw cucumbers and peppers, some type of raw noodle with a creamy sauce made from avocados or coconuts OR avocado lettuce wraps, banana nice cream, and dehydrated kale chips on occasion. I got all of my supplies from Whole Foods.

I will be going grocery shopping again on Saturday and will post what I buy, how much it costs, and the recipes I will be using for next week.

I weigh in on Sundays, so I will have that updated as well.

So far, I have experienced nothing but positives from eating this way, but if I come across a struggle, I will post it as well.

So far so good!

I had so many praises on Wednesday, but yesterday was a totally different story! I got HORRIBLE sleep last night, and it was the first time all week I had cravings for junk food. Thankfully, they weren't strong, but I went to the store today to try to make up some raw recipes of foods that I tend to crave. My period is due tomorrow, so I am thinking that is probably the culprit for the sleep and cravings.

WHOLE FOODS HAUL - $154.27 (This is unusually high because I purchased a lot of pantry staples this time)
3 bags kale chips
2 bags unshelled hempseeds
1 bag sea salt
1 container grape tomatoes
1 bottle blue agave
1 bottle coconut amino teriyaki sauce
1 bottle apple cider vinegar
1 container spiralized sweet potato
2 bananas
1 head of romaine
1 bunch of collard greens
2.35 lb bosc pears
1 baby watermelon
1 pineapple
1.21 lb medjool dates
1 bunch green onions
1 sweet onion
4 kiwis
2 orange bell peppers
6 champagne mangos
1 bottle vanilla extract
1 package sundried tomatoes
1 avocados
1 package celery hearts
1 cucumber
1 tube Tom's toothpaste
1 fruit and nut bar (to keep in my bag for emergencies!)

Everything purchased was organic and raw.
I bought more fruit than I can eat in a week because my fiance likes to steal it, and I am hoping it will last me for at least 10 days or so. I also won't be buying kale chips or sundried tomatoes in the future now that I have purchased a dehydrator. My pantry staples should last at least a couple of months, so that's good, too!

What I will be meal prepping tomorrow (or tonight, if I want to get it over with):
Mac & cheese: https://www.naturallyashley.com/mac-n--cheeze-
Collard greens salad: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/raw-c...-greens-salad/
Kimchi noodle salad: https://www.forksoverknives.com/reci...-noodle-salad/
Raw tortilla soup: http://www.thefullhelping.com/raw-tortilla-soup/
Raw corn chips: http://shinewithnature.com/raw-corn-chips/
Chocolate tart (with my own raw crust): http://www.tasteslovely.com/healthy-...aleo-vegan-gf/
Hemp milk: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2012/...hemp-milk.html
Sweet onion dressing: http://www.rawblend.com.au/sweet-onion-sauce.html
Hemp ranch dressing: http://runplantbased.com/2016/09/hemp-ranch-dressing/

I've finally been here long enough to get a siggy! :carrot:

My period didn't come today as expected, but I am pretty sure it will come tomorrow, because I am constipated today despite ingesting a CRAP ton of greens. My cravings have also been RIDICULOUS today. I literally want to eat everything I see on commercials, even stuff I haven't eaten in years.

I made the sweet onion sauce (delish!) and blended it with a bunch of greens and other raw veggies to make a salad soup that was super filling. I think I had one cup of it, and I was full!
I ate some leftover guacamole topped with chopped onions, tomatoes, and corn.
I also made the chocolate avocado tart (good, but wayyy too much vanilla! Next time I will use a 1/2 tsp like my gut told me to when I made it!) and had a piece of that as well when the chocolate craving would not subside.

So far so good otherwise. I am going to continue to power through these cravings. I usually have them leading up to my period and on the last day of my period. So I just need to get through today and Thursday (if it comes tomorrow like I think it will), and I should be good for at least a couple of weeks until ovulation. Oh, the joys of having a uterus.

Finally got to WI and I'm down to 160! Pretty excited about this, since I think I am likely at least 159 considering my lack of BMs since Friday morning and my oncoming period. I can't wait until my scale will finally be completely accurate!
Today will likely be a lazy day. I think I am going to hang by the pool with my green smoothie and a book for a while.
Happy Sunday (if anyone is reading this)!

ETA: I made this YUMMY hemp dressing instead of the ranch I was planning to make because I am out of dill and parsley. SO good! Hempseed is such an amazing little powerhouse! I am excited for today's salad.

For whatever reason, my period STILL hasn't come (I'm not pregnant) and the constipation has made me so uncomfortable that I will be having my first non-raw food day to consume a cup of coffee, which I hope will get things moving along. It's been about 3 days since I went, which was normal for me even just a couple of weeks ago. Now, it is unbearably uncomfortable. I don't know how I went so long being irregular. I really, really hope this works!

ETA: I got some relief from the coffee, but I still feel a bit backed up and stomach feels super full. So far I have been able to eat a few chunks of pineapple. I would've eaten at least twice by now on a regular workday. We'll see how the rest of the day pans out. I really hope my period comes at some point today so I can get further relief without having to resort to more coffee.

ETA2: Coffee and pineapple did the trick! Bloating and backed up feeling is gone and appetite is back in full force! Yay!

I'm out of the 160s today!!!! :cheer:

I have not seen the 150s in TWO years, so I am VERY excited and proud of myself! I am also 20 pounds down from when I began my new journey in November (though I fell off for about 2 months of that).

I am fairly certain my period will begin today, but I also felt the same way yesterday, so who really knows? I'd really like it to come today so I can be done in time to get an accurate official WI on Sunday.

Yesterday, I had:
A cup of coffee
~1/2 of a pineapple
A champagne mango
1 bag of kale chips
Raw sweet potato noodles with garlic pepper sauce

I ended up having to abandon some of the recipes I had planned because my list in the Whole Foods app erased, and I went off memory and forgot to get enough tomatoes. It's no biggy though. I have plenty of ingredients to throw things together when needed, like the sauce for the noodles.

Today's "plan" (not really a plan - just what I have packed. I eat according to what I want at the time):
Watermelon "smoothie" (check)
A champagne mango (check)
Green juice (check)
Raw collard greens salad (check)
1 bag of kale chips (check)
Raw tortilla soup and corn chips

I am also beginning a B-12, zinc, iodine, and selenium supplement that I found today. I really don't know if it is raw or not, but I know it is vegan. I am not going to count it against me either way because I really want to make sure I am getting everything I need to maintain my health.

Period finally came today, which explains why I have been SO hungry! I could not get enough of the kale chips I was eating, which is so funny because I just saw it listed as a food that helps with period cramps. It's also very interesting that my body began very specifically craving all of the fruits and vegetables on that list late last week. I wasn't even planning on buying a pineapple at all, but when I saw them, I could NOT resist. And then I ate a big portion yesterday because I woke up craving it. Same goes for celery! I don't even like celery, but I picked it up for a recipe and have been craving it nearly everyday since Saturday. How wild would it be that our bodies are smart enough to be attuned with an oncoming cycle and signaling to us the exact foods we need for comfort? How awesome would that be???

I was not hungry enough to eat everything I packed yesterday, but man... last night's cravings were IN-TENSE! I wanted lots of fries with something creamy on top allllll night.
I woke up with cramps this morning, but they are actually not as severe as they usually are. I am usually in tears and will stay in bed until the last possible minute before forcing myself to work. Today there is definitely a lot of pressure and discomfort but not unbearable. I don't know that I have been eating raw long enough to contribute this to that, but I will see what happens over the coming months. If the pain continues to decrease, I am definitely SOLD.

Ugh I am really struggling! My cramps are not as bad as normal but they are still making it hard to be at work. And I really just want something warm and comforting to eat so bad. I need to muscle through these cravings. I know I will likely need to use one of my non-raw days at the end of the month for a gala I'm attending with my fiance, so I don't want to give in now. Especially because I know it will be VERY hard to indulge just today without going crazy on cooked food for the rest of my period. I'm still just starting out and I want to give this a fair shot. I absolutely am loving eating this way, it's doing amazing things for me, and I don't want to stop the momentum.

WOW!
Sorry for all the period talk lately, but I now feel significantly better. I have always had a VERY heavy flow since I began having a period at age 8. I was always someone who used overnight pads and would usually have to change them out after about an hour and a half. Tampons never lasted longer than 2.5 hours, and when I began using a Diva cup a few years back, I could usually make it 3-4 hours before needing to dump it. I put mine in around 9 AM as usual before heading to work, and I have mostly been hunched over at my desk most of the day. I went to the bathroom quite a few times since I drink so much water but didn't see the need to dump it. Well, the pressure in my pelvis was becoming so severe that I just wanted to take it out. I went to remove it and not only has the pressure reduced significantly, but the cup wasn't even full after 6 hours! I still have pressure but I am wayyyyy more comfortable. If raw food has remotely ANYTHING to do with my period being lighter and being able to move to exclusively pads (I use the reusable Lunapads!), I am absolutely sold. This one side effect alone is more than enough for me to stick with mostly raw for life. I really hope that is the case!

Today's eating:
A very large banana
A champagne mango
A very large bosc pear
2 big salads with hemp dressing

It's been a rough couple of days stress-wise, but I am so proud to say that I have not binged!
I've been doing well and feeling well, but I am experiencing another bought of constipation. I had another cup of coffee yesterday, which makes 2/3 of my non-raw food days of this month. Unfortunately, it did not work as well this time. I have been reading a lot and have found that most people suffer with this when they jump straight into 100% raw cold turkey, which is what I did. Instead of becoming dependent on coffee, I am going to try making romaine smoothies everyday, which I read is good for constipation and honor the fact that I was feeding my body crap and it needs time to process. I haven't suffered any other detox symptoms, so maybe this will just be the one I have for a little while. If I don't have a complete elimination after that, I am going to make a concerted effort to get more exercise in, which I am really not wanting to do right now. But I definitely don't want to be full of crap all day either! I hope to see progress soon!

Today ended up being an unintentional cooked food day. It started off fine with a nice green smoothie, but then I grossly underestimated just how hungry I would be after running 2 miles and power walking 6 after breakfast. I knew this race was coming up, but I didn't think it would be a big deal. I was WRONG. I was famished when I got home. When I ate my normal raw foods and was nowhere near satisfied (probably because I am all out of the high-fat, high-calorie foods), I ended up eating some Thai rice noodles, which definitely worked to give me enough calories. I'm happy that I didn't binge! This was obviously a one-off learning curve type thing. I now know that jumping into heavy activity after long periods of non-activity requires that I need to have some avocados, coconuts, and dates in the house. Overall, I am feeling okay, but I may fast tomorrow. I definitely want this to pass out before I pile more food on top. I will likely still need to use a cooked food day at the end of the month, but I will definitely balance it out next month or in the months to come for the rest of the year.

Whoo hoo! The constipation is finally clearing up! I am going to try to clean out some more this week by focusing on eating things that can help: pineapples, romaine, coconut oil, etc.

I'm down to 158.4 today!
I started out at 179 in November, so to be almost 21 pounds down is awesome. It definitely took much longer than when I was concerned with crash dieting, but I have tried new WOEs and new workout plans and all kinds of things trying to find my way, and I have still been making progress even though I have not been perfect. It seems like a pound a week works for me, and maybe that should be my aim, but we will see.

Speaking of changing WOEs, I am thinking I will start increasing my activity soon because I really miss the benefits and my eating has been in better control than it's been for a quite a while. Increasing my activity means I will need more calories than what my usual meals provide (which I learned on Sunday!), so I may be switching to a raw until dinner WOE once that happens. I know there are ways to get enough calories eating raw to offset exercise, but I think that will be too expensive for me at this point in time. I can get a 5 lb bag of organic calorie-dense rice that will last at least a month for the same price as 3-4 avocados that would only last a couple of days. So I am thinking of just having a small cooked vegan meal at the end of the day after working out. And since I know it only takes a short period of time for raw eating to positively impact my period, I will likely lower my activity and eat a completely raw diet the week before it comes. I am hoping this will work out! It definitely seems more affordable and more sustainable. I will cross that bridge when I get to it, though.

Down to 157.4 today!
Now that I am truly in the 150s, I am going to stop weighing so frequently. I do NOT want to see those fluctuations and let it impact my mood.
I am really missing exercise! I am really trying to hold out until the end of the month because I really need to focus on my eating without dealing with the pressure of also feeling like I have to be killing it in the gym, but I would kill for more activity. I am going to try to just take a leisurely long walk after work today to see if I can get away with being more active without needing to eat a lot more calories.

Mini Whole Foods Haul - $52.91
3 bags of kale chips
1 bag of dehydrated berries and seeds
1 pint of strawberries
4 champagne mangoes
1.4 lb peaches
1 banana
1 pineapple
1 bag of sour warm gummy candy (for the fiance)
1 family-sized box of spring mix
1 cucumber
1 raw fruit and nut bar

This is more along the lines of what a typical shopping day is like with the exception of some convenience foods that I would usually make myself. This will be a busy week, though, so I figured it's okay to splurge some. No fancy recipes this week beyond making another batch of sweet onion dressing. I am keeping it simple with green smoothies for breakfast, fruit and kale chips for snacks, and big salads for dinner. I want to get through all of the leftover groceries I have in my fridge.

Nope. I definitely am hungrier when I move more. This SHOULD be a big "duh" moment, but I really thought I would have to work out with a lot of intensity to trigger noticeable hunger. Definitely not the case. I went for the walk and was hungry. I ate an Amy's vegan gluten-free burrito.
I am not ready to give up eating a high raw diet, but I am also really aching to exercise. Not quite sure what the remedy would be just yet. Possibly only eating the small cooked meal on workout days might be my best bet, but that would be somewhat annoying because I don't like to use the microwave and would need to prepare a meal while starving. Man... this eating thing can be so annoying!

New plan Whole Foods haul (all organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and frozen)- $58.58
1 box of black bean pupusas (2 servings)
1 box of veggie korma
1 margherita pizza (3 servings)
1 supreme pizza (3 servings)
1 bean and rice burrito
1 teriyaki wrap
1 box of macaroni and cheeze
1 box of pad thai
1 box of chana masala
1 box of veggie lasagna
1 box of tamales (2 servings)
1 box of aloo mattar

Since I suffer from BED, buying pre-portioned foods seems like the best option to transition onto this new plan easily. I love cooking, but I find it hard to cook the right portions as the only vegan in the house unless I am making something easily portioned like spaghetti. I prefer to not have leftovers since I am also firmly against using the microwave. Having single portioned food that I can put in the toaster or regular oven will eliminate that. I am going to look into making my own freezer meals, but that will probably happen next month when things slow down.

4/20
Exercise minutes | calories burned (per Fitbit): 30 | 190
Breakfast: Nibbled on one serving of vegan sour gummy worms while grocery shopping (this was before I made the plan... oops!)
Lunch: Strawberries and peaches
Dinner: Pad thai
Snack: A medjool date

4/21
Weight: 157.2 (from now on, I will weigh on Sundays and Wednesdays)
Steps | exercise minutes | calories burned: 12,931+ (rest will just be around the house) | 61 | 331
Breakfast: Orange, peach, and strawberries
Lunch: Green smoothie
Dinner: Lentil patties on top of romaine with baked fries and a raw cookie dough ball

I had dinner at a popular organic vegan restaurant here, and it was absolutely amazing! My new goal is to hit 30 vegan spots before turning 30 as a vegan 30x30 challenge. It will help get me out exploring more, which I absolutely loved doing today. I always forget how much I love this city, and I don't want not getting to fully enjoy it to be a regret when I move like every other place I've lived. It's nice to pull myself away from working or being lazy around the house. I know I do much better being outside (I LOVE the outdoors), and this gives me more motivation! I walked the 2 miles to the restaurant, ate, and then walked about 1 mile to the waterfront to read. I walked the rest of the way back after reading, and I am now settling in for what will likely be an early night.
I am SO proud of myself for eating something absolutely delicious and not binging. I ate a few bites past that feeling of comfort, but I didn't even finish my food, which is absolutely unheard of for me! I truly enjoyed the meal and feeling like I was eating like a "normal person." My goal next time is to stop as soon as I get that feeling. I also want to continue this trend of walking to new places. There's a restaurant near my job that I will walk to for my next outing.

I haven't been checking in because I've been so busy! Everything was going perfectly fine until last night. I binged :(
I'm looking to restart today, but I wasn't very hungry this morning and forgot to bring my lunch. I will probably pick up a salad, but I'm not sure where I can get fruit that I like quickly. The grocery stores near by are soooooo slow.

TMI: I am also experiencing more constipation, which is super annoying. I am used to the waste being stuck somewhere along my digestive track, resulting in not going for a few days at a time. Now I can feel all the movement, but the waste is getting stuck at the end and won't come out! It's such a miserable feeling because it's just there and won't move! UGH. I may end up going to a doctor. I had an incomplete elimination this morning, but I need all this junk cleared out!

I had a lot of success with OMAD when I was working on reducing binges, so I am taking that up again. Intermittent fasting just works really well for me with controlling my appetite. I am thinking I will have my meal between 12:30 and 2:00 each day since that is when I tend to get hungry. If I eat enough then, I am not hungry at all for the rest of the day.

So the new new plan starting today (ugh, this is so annoying, but I know I need to count it as a learning experience):
Eat a 50/50 raw/cooked meal once a day on workout days (ie. huge salad with lots of raw veggies with rice and beans on the side)
Eat 100% raw on rest days according to hunger (it's too hard for me to get enough raw calories in one meal)

Steps | exercise minutes | calories burned: 10,028 | 30 | 110
Meal: Moe's salad with black beans, rice, and extra romaine, tomato salsa, and guac + a handful of chips
Not the best choice food-wise, but relatively good in a last-minute bind since I forgot my lunch.

Lesson learned from yesterday: I need to have a meal post-exercise. I was starving after my short workout yesterday and ended up eating A LOT again because of it. So I either need to start working out in the morning again, or I will need to make dinner my mealtime. I haven't yet decided which I will implement, though it will most likely be the latter.

I binged again today :( OMAD is not working like how it did in the past.

OMAD doesn't seem to work as well when half of my meal is raw since it's still not enough calories. As a result, I started off my day with a bulletproof coffee made with vegan butter and a scoop of vegan protein powder. I am still very full from this morning and pretty sure I can make it a few more hours before I will get hungry. I forgot how effective BP coffee is! I will probably have my salad, exercise, and then eat the cooked portion of my food.
If this works out, I will likely keep this up for a while to see if I can make it work for the remainder of my weight loss journey. If so, I will likely create a new thread since my proportion of cooked to raw food will not constitute a real raw vegan diet. I definitely do plan to go completely raw the week of my period, however, just to reap those benefits. I'm hoping this is the key to getting enough calories (and protein!) to support increased exercise without feeling deprived. I don't want to continue sacrificing being active.

Yesterday went well with my new bulletproof coffee plan. I ended up getting hungry before I could exercise, so I needed to eat a small snack post-workout in addition to the salad and meal I brought to work. I am down almost 3 pounds today post-binge, so that seems like it was okay. I am going to keep going with this and see how it works out.

Yesterday's stats:
Day 1: 4/26
Weight: 162.4 (up 4.6 lbs from 4/23 after 3 days of binging) - now 159.8 on 4/27
Steps: 7160
Exercise minutes | calories burned: 25 | 150
Intake
~10:30 AM - Vegan BP coffee with vegan butter (will be replacing with organic coconut manna after my next grocery store trip) and one scoop of Vega protein powder (will be replacing with Plantfusion powder for better flavor and texture)
~4:00 PM - Spring mix salad with raw onion dressing
~ 6:00 PM - Gluten-free vegan pasta with tomato sauce, small spinach salad, 8 vegan gummy worms
~7:40 PM - Workout
~ 9:00 PM - 1 vegan gluten-free black bean and corn pupusa and a small piece of gluten-free vegan blondie

I am walking in a 5K today around 7:00 PM, so I will likely need another post-workout snack tonight. I am definitely planning to work out in the evenings from now on, so this schedule/pattern seems like it would be okay. I have lots of raw snacks, so I am going to make sure my pre-meal and post-workout snacks/mini-meals are raw from now on (ie. pre-dinner salad and post-workout kale chips or vice versa). I think that will be the perfect way to maintain a good raw and cooked food balance. It isn't a high raw diet by any means, but I think any way that I can fit in raw food is only going to benefit me more.

Day 2: 4/27
Weight: 159.8 (next WI will be Sunday)
Steps: 15,187
Exercise minutes | calories burned: 66 | 424
Intake
10:00 AM: Vegan BP Coffee
2:30 PM: Small spinach salad
5:00 PM: Vegan pad see ew
9:00 PM: Snack bag of Lay's original (should've been something raw, but this is what was given to me after the 5K, and I tore into it on the metro ride home)

Feeling really good after the 5K - I wish I could afford to enter one every week.
I'll be out of town on Saturday and Sunday, so I need to figure out a good plan for those days. I have a Starbucks card that I need to use, so I will likely try to get some coffee with lots of coconut milk to replace the BP coffee. I likely won't be working out, so coffee and one large meal should hopefully work well enough.

Day 3: 4/28
Weight: 158.6 (I couldn't resist - next WI will be on Monday when I am back in town)
Steps: 11,367
Exercise minutes | calories burned: 63 | 329
Intake
10:00 AM: Iced vegan BP coffee made with hemp milk (left out protein powder and butter - will definitely add more protein next time)
12:30 PM: Spring mix salad
2:30 PM: Kale chips
5:00 PM: 1/2 of a vegan gluten-free supreme pizza and 3 vegan gluten-free cookies

I have recently adopted a high raw vegan diet hoping to address some health challenges. I'm glad to know there are others that are doing the same thing