Lifestyle Udate! High-Raw Vegan!

So here we go!!!! I am super excited to give an update because most "diets" DO NOT last this long, I should be tired, hungry, pissed off, and gained weight! Nope...because this lifestyle works for HUMANS!! Are you a human? I think you are :) I don't care what your blood type is (according to my blood type I should be eating meat all day long), that we were "cavemen", that carbs make you fat, you need a lot of protein....I don't want to hear it, because I AM proof. (along with a gazillion other high-raw vegans). I went in to this journey thinking, ok...I will try for a few months see how it goes, maybe add dairy back in (I really don't care for meat, so that's not coming back), get bored with fruit, and so on...NOPE, not happening 7 months later I LOVE my lifestyle :) You cannot say it doesn't work...unless you tried it! I have done all 3- calorie counting-high protein, Standard American Diet, and the High Raw Vegan so I can compare and say what works for me.

What do I eat: I eat fruit all day! As much as I want as often as I want. Bananas have become my favorite food! I can eat anywhere from 4-6 in a sitting and about 10 during the day! I like to eat my fruit in little mono meals: 2-3 apples, followed by my bananas, wait a bit and have a few pears or a papaya! I love dates too!! Never ate them before this lifestyle...now I buy them on a regular basis! I drink smoothies, not daily, probably every other day. I eat salad or some sort of veggie meal for lunch (unless I am working then I eat a fruit meal because it gives me more energy and it's easy to pack, lol)...and I mean HUGE! My salad is a large mixing bowl or serving bowl! For dinner I have a cooked vegan meal (sometimes 2 servings)! If I workout I eat a little extra almonds about a cup (I know, lots of calories...I don't care). My total calorie count is about 2700-3000 daily!!! I don't count to restrict...I count out of curiosity! Foods I eat: anything high raw-vegan. Fruit, veggies, nuts & seeds. Cooked foods: lots of potatoes, quinoa, veggies, brown rice, we don't like pasta so we don't eat it, vegan pizza (my fave) beans, and lentils. The goal of a Natural Hygiene Diet is to eat your food raw as often as possible. I do raw breakfast and lunch, and a cooked 
dinner. 

fruit with a cinnamon date sauce, coconut flakes, and walnuts

lunch for my hubby and I!

hummus and green veggie pizza!!

Am I bored with my diet: NO NO NO! I am always excited to eat my fruit...and very bummed when we run low. I usually buy more fruit towards the end of the week, especially bananas! We run out of fruit first, veggies second, and when we are desperate we eat the packaged foods, lol. Exact opposite of most people. I have NEVER felt so good in my life. I feel satisfied after I eat, if I want more I just eat it...I DO NOT worry about eating too much fruit. I get excited when I see a new fruit in the produce isle. My taste has changed completely, an apple has always tasted good...but now it tastes incredible! Really, I smile as I eat my fruit :) It just tastes so good. Before I liked fruit...now LOVE fruit! Cooked meals are great, but I always include a salad with dinner, there's always room for more raw food!

My weight: I was not heavy or even close to heavy when I started this lifestyle...but I did watch what I ate, and struggled with sugar cravings. I would eat a high protein lunch (tuna, or chicken) and feel completely unsatisfied after, looking for something sweet immediately, and then trying to drink coffee to avoid over-eating on snacks :( I was bloated due to poor food combining and too much cooked food. I would eat dinner and think about what I would have for dessert while still eating! Now...I don't have sugar cravings. If I am out of fruit, I do eat a vegan snack (I am human), but it doesn't happen often, usually if I didn't eat enough during the day and am looking for quick energy! I have not gained a pound back since I started this lifestyle. I was ranging from 124-127, now I am 117 eating about 1000 more calories a day! My stomach is leaner and flatter than ever! I use to have cellulite, especially on the back of my thighs...almost gone :) Definitely not noticeable to others!


Girl stuff: My skin feels great, soft, and my "monthly" breakout is so much better!! I use to breakout right before my cycle and it would last forever! Now it is very minimal, and clears up fast! Speaking of monthly issues!! NO MORE PMS or cramps!! This happened after about 5 months! I really can't tell that my cycle is coming because I have no more "signs" like cramps, mood swings, bloating, etc. My cycle is so easy, no cramps at all!! REALLY!!!! I absolutely love this!!

How I feel about other diets: This is the hard part of the lifestyle...you really begin to question why isn't everyone eating like this??? I mean, don't you want to feel amazing? Have no more weird cravings? cheese now sounds like something nasty and smells awful, and bread cravings are GONE!!! If I have bread-sticks with soup for dinner, they just don't give me the same high like they used to. I haven't craved a sandwich in months. I have little desire eat bread (I used to love bread toasted, I could eat a whole loaf). I don't really like it anymore. I pretty much get giddy in the produce isle and would rather buy a cart full of fruit! Other diets just don't seem to make sense. Counting calories, limiting fruit or carbs, eating "protein" with each meal. Why??? It doesn't make you feel satisfied. I know because I use to do this. Always feeling deprived, or drinking coffee to try to satisfy a sugar craving. Gaining weight or having to limit calories to avoid gaining weight. On the standard diet...calories do count. You will gain weight if you don't monitor your calories. On a high-raw vegan diet you don't limit your calories and you don't gain weight (you would have to eat a high fat diet...just about all nuts).

My workouts: Nothing has changed besides having lots of energy :) I am still exercising the same amount. I have not lost strength, speed or the desire to move. I actually feel fine. Most people will tell you this lifestyle is not made for athletes...wrong, it actually is designed for humans...and humans are designed to be athletes! If you are not moving (a lot) you are not doing what humans are designed to do! After a workout, I love to dig in to my fruit stash! I can tell you the body responds completely different to a fruit/veggie raw meal after exercise vs a protein cooked meal...I know because I have done both. After a fruit meal, I feel hydrated, full of energy, happy, and satisfied. After a cooked protein meal I would feel full (like heavy), tired (like a nap is in order), and not satisfied at all (in search for a snack or sugar). 

no lack of energy here!

So...that is my update! I can't wait to see what I feel like after a full year! I hear it gets even better ;)

Need a lifestyle change? Feel tired, gaining weight, can't control your cravings, no energy, not exercising? Contact me to learn more about the High-Raw Vegan Lifestyle :) How to make a smooth transition, how to eat based on the Natural Hygiene Diet! It makes all the difference.