Be prepared!
Note to self: if you run out of wholesome food, you will fall off the diet wagon!
As I've mentioned before, weekends are usually the hardest days for sticking to any diet plan, and it's even harder when you run out of the good stuff: fruits, veggies, root vegetables, etc. This past weekend, not only did I run out of my raw food stash by Friday, but I didn't restock until Sunday afternoon, by which time I had enjoyed a scrumptious lunch of super-rich Ghanaian food and some tasty treats like chocolate thrown in for good measure. Way to go.
I've been on the raw till dinner plan for a little over a week now, and I will honestly say that I do feel lighter and a tad more sprightly :). Of course it isn't enough time to give a true account of the effects of this eating plan but I'm sticking with it for now and not getting bogged down by my slight hiccups along the way.
The most important thing for me is that by eating this way I'm adding more fruits and veg to my diet and avoiding a lot of junk. Hopefully, I'll reap some great benefits over time. I know I'll never give up cooked food and I'm quite alright with that, but at least I'll have a better balance of healthier choices in my diet.
In reading about raw food plans and all the different variations (80-10-10, high fruit, low fat, juicing, etc), I've also come across quite a bit of information from people who believe that raw food diets are dangerous. For someone like me who is still having a cooked meal every day, these warnings might not be directed my way, but there are some compelling arguments out there as to why raw foodists should be wary of potential long term dangers of raw food diets. Deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium and B12, are often cited, as are premature aging, dull, saggy skin (after the short term youthful glow that many raw foodists rave about), dental problems, hypoglycemia, osteoporosis, abnormal sleep patterns and other side effects. As excited as I was to read the success stories of people who lost massive amounts of weight on raw food diets, I was equally perturbed to come across such disdainful accounts of poor health from others who had also adopted the raw food trend and had reverted to a more traditional yet still healthy style of eating balanced diets with some cooked food. The saying "everything in moderation..." comes to mind. It is a bit frustrating to think you might have found "the answer" only to discover that certain ideologies have been refuted in favour of other methods, which also face similar scrutiny. I suppose it just means that we, as individuals, have to find the right balance for ourselves.
Let's face it, there's a diet out there for virtually every person out there, so how come so many of us are overweight? It's because just as we all have different vices, hereditary influences and societal factors that lead us to gain weight, obesity does not have a "one size fits all" solution. With this RTD plan, I'm learning more about the benefits of adding more fresh foods to my lacklustre eating habits and slowly taking out the bad. Hopefully, it will work. I'm also trying very hard to be patient. That's the toughest part for me. I'm an instant gratification type of woman, at least when it comes to weight loss. It's obviously more encouraging to see positive results in the shortest possible time, but I know that it can take a while. One of my best friends recently informed me that she has lost 100 pounds over the past two years. She looks absolutely incredible and I couldn't be happier for her. It also made me think that if I had stuck to my guns over the past couple of years, maybe I too could boast of that same feat. hmmmmmm.
January 16, 2014 is only two years away...
As I've mentioned before, weekends are usually the hardest days for sticking to any diet plan, and it's even harder when you run out of the good stuff: fruits, veggies, root vegetables, etc. This past weekend, not only did I run out of my raw food stash by Friday, but I didn't restock until Sunday afternoon, by which time I had enjoyed a scrumptious lunch of super-rich Ghanaian food and some tasty treats like chocolate thrown in for good measure. Way to go.
I've been on the raw till dinner plan for a little over a week now, and I will honestly say that I do feel lighter and a tad more sprightly :). Of course it isn't enough time to give a true account of the effects of this eating plan but I'm sticking with it for now and not getting bogged down by my slight hiccups along the way.
The most important thing for me is that by eating this way I'm adding more fruits and veg to my diet and avoiding a lot of junk. Hopefully, I'll reap some great benefits over time. I know I'll never give up cooked food and I'm quite alright with that, but at least I'll have a better balance of healthier choices in my diet.
In reading about raw food plans and all the different variations (80-10-10, high fruit, low fat, juicing, etc), I've also come across quite a bit of information from people who believe that raw food diets are dangerous. For someone like me who is still having a cooked meal every day, these warnings might not be directed my way, but there are some compelling arguments out there as to why raw foodists should be wary of potential long term dangers of raw food diets. Deficiencies in vitamin D, calcium and B12, are often cited, as are premature aging, dull, saggy skin (after the short term youthful glow that many raw foodists rave about), dental problems, hypoglycemia, osteoporosis, abnormal sleep patterns and other side effects. As excited as I was to read the success stories of people who lost massive amounts of weight on raw food diets, I was equally perturbed to come across such disdainful accounts of poor health from others who had also adopted the raw food trend and had reverted to a more traditional yet still healthy style of eating balanced diets with some cooked food. The saying "everything in moderation..." comes to mind. It is a bit frustrating to think you might have found "the answer" only to discover that certain ideologies have been refuted in favour of other methods, which also face similar scrutiny. I suppose it just means that we, as individuals, have to find the right balance for ourselves.
Let's face it, there's a diet out there for virtually every person out there, so how come so many of us are overweight? It's because just as we all have different vices, hereditary influences and societal factors that lead us to gain weight, obesity does not have a "one size fits all" solution. With this RTD plan, I'm learning more about the benefits of adding more fresh foods to my lacklustre eating habits and slowly taking out the bad. Hopefully, it will work. I'm also trying very hard to be patient. That's the toughest part for me. I'm an instant gratification type of woman, at least when it comes to weight loss. It's obviously more encouraging to see positive results in the shortest possible time, but I know that it can take a while. One of my best friends recently informed me that she has lost 100 pounds over the past two years. She looks absolutely incredible and I couldn't be happier for her. It also made me think that if I had stuck to my guns over the past couple of years, maybe I too could boast of that same feat. hmmmmmm.
January 16, 2014 is only two years away...
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