Balancing Act

The cravings I have fought for years...are gone. Bye-bye MSG addiction!
I can finally drive by Wendy's and Taco Bell and all of those other death-by-drive-thru joints and not drool. I know. It's amazing. And yesterday my daughter came home from work with a quesadilla from the aforementioned hot spot and sat down right beside me, ate it...and nothing. I didn't want it. So that's big.

The one thing bothering me is that I want eggs. And trust me this is crazy weird because I've never been big on eggs. If I eat two a year that's a binge. So to be thinking about how many ways there are to prepare eggs is just plain odd. For me, that signals that I'm missing something essential... a little research, and I'm guessing protein... even more basic essential amino acids...

I remember when I was vegan, I started every single day with a protein shake and after looking at my fitday stats and seeing my average daily intake of protein is hovering between 4 and 5%, sooner would be better than later. Honestly, I would probably be fine between 10 and 15%...for basic daily function...but I've already lost so much muscle mass and core strength from the Rheumatoid Arthritis I don't want to lose even more. I'm also interested in really building my personal yoga and hiking goals.

At one time (when I was teaching) I did four one-hour yoga sessions every other day and a single yoga sessions on the odd days. And I miss it! Seriously. Although I have no interest in teaching again, just being able to get through a daily workout would be awesome. The other thing, is that I am really doing well with mile-long daily hikes and it looks like I will be able to increase the distance (half miles at a time) to reach my daily goal of 3-5 miles. This would be primo amazing. And I can't do that on 4-5% protein a day.

Commencement of protein shake research begins...

Today, I settled for what was in the pantry (a sample pack of RAW-brand protein powder) and it was all right. Actually, drinking it created a feeling of supreme joy. I could feel my body soaking in what it needed. I know it sounds corny, but when you get intuitively connected to what your body tells you. You just know.
As for the protein shake itself, I've had better...I've had a hell of a lot worse.

I'm also looking at a product by the Amazon Herb Company based on a recommendation from the RawBrahs for Amazon Power Shake. After reading the promo material it sounds very promising and I'll be ordering it immediately. If it doesn't make my body feel as happy as the RAW-brand did, I can always make a trip to the healthfood store to get it, but I'm hopeful it will be even better...  

I made the announcement on FB that I'm down 40 pounds... not my goal, not my intention...but losing enough weight to get into my size eights again, in addition to being able to hike and yoga again is an added bonus. I am more convinced every single day that being on a raw food diet is hugely responsible for the improvements I'm seeing in my health.

I've had no pain pills in seven weeks. Not one. Not even after an exhausting day of working Faire. Yes, I've used my cane on three occasions to get back up the hill to the parking lot after a day on my feet bartending, but that's okay.

My guts are happy. I won't go into the horrifying details of how I know they are happier, but trust me...the difference is night and day. And I have had set backs...days when I've gone off the raw diet because I thought I needed pasta or chicken or pizza ...or whatever the excuse of the moment was, but I paid with days on the couch doubled over regretting every bite.

Right now, I'm just working on the nutritional balancing act, trying to keep the fats under 10% and get the protein back to 15-20%...

If you are trying to "go raw" I'd love to hear your story...