Tom’s Raw Foods Blog

I officially gained one pound this week, at least by the way that I weigh myself. I went from 209 pounds to 210 pounds.

The world has ended! ARGH! I’m getting FAT again!

Not really; I have a solution for the issue. I’m going to exercise more so that I burn more calories.

Yup, I’ve gone completely off the deep end.

I like to eat and always have — except now I’m eating stuff that’s good for me. I like what I’m eating and it’s doing wonders for me. Just this week my hands have finally stopped being quite so dry (although they are still drier than normal) and I could swear that my eyesight is getting better. I’ve been wearing progressive lens glasses for some time now (for the uninitiated, “progressive lens” is a nice way of saying “bifocals”!) and just this week the reading part of the lens has gotten blurry, forcing me to try to find a new focal point for the stuff I’m reading — while the regular part is working fine. Coincidence? Who knows — and I’m certainly not about to make any claims about a raw food diet being able to cure vision problems. At least not yet.

But getting back to the food: I still enjoy the smell of cooked food, but now that I’m 43 days into an all raw food diet, I’m not really tempted to eat any cooked food. The desire to even try a small bite or a small taste just doesn’t seem to be there any more. I do admit that I sometimes look at a couple of things and may want it for a moment, but the mere thought of putting that into my body is like the reaction you’d get from your mechanic if you tried to pour a pound of sugar into your car’s gas tank. Absolutely not! Perhaps the desire to eat cooked and processed food is finally passing for good!

But as I read more in Dr. Graham’s “The 80/10/10 Diet” book, the more I realize just how good this diet is for me. I can almost picture my body taking the simple sugars that I’m providing it as it quickly and efficiently — with the least possible amount of effort — sends that nutrition directly to the rest of my body, where the cells can easily take it and use it. No longer do I lose energy in trying to digest, process, and eliminate cooked chemical cocktails composed of cruddy content (don’t you love alliteration?). Instead, I have good energy and get to eat great food all day long.

Even the weird pains in my back seem to be subsiding. I’ve had “discomfort” about half way between my neck and waist on both sides of my spine for the last few weeks. While I’ve had back problems in the past, they have always been in my lower back — nothing has ever bothered me in this spot before. It’s been weird, but I’ve read in a couple of places that back “discomfort” can be a sign of detoxification. Therefore I’ve pretty much ignored it (except for doing some exercises to stretch and use those muscles) — and sure enough, it gets less intense with each passing day.

So this “fatboy” — who gained a pound this week — has more work to do. The desire to be more active seems to increase with each passing day, and that’s a good thing, because I have no intention to cut back on my eating. If anything, I want to eat more.

I’d write more, but it’s time to take a walk to the store to buy more bananas…

Smacznego,
Tom

I received a copy of Dr. Douglas N. Graham’s book, “The 80/10/10 Diet” for my birthday yesterday.

If you are even thinking about your health, much less about trying an all raw foods diet, get this book. I should have purchased it back in January when I was first exposed to an all raw foods diet. It would have saved me a lot of time.

I have received lots of help along the way (thankfully), but nowhere have I seen the 80/10/10 plan spelled out as concisely as Dr. Graham does it in his book. I consider this book to be an essential part of any raw foodist’s education and growth.

Today I learned that what you eat is only part of the picture; there are a lot more things that you need to do to ensure a healthy life. One of them is adequate sleep — and it’s late in my part of the world… So I’ll cut this short.

But do get “The 80/10/10 Diet” book; if you’re at all interested in ways to obtain the best health possible, you’ll want it. I’m glad that I have it.

Smacznego,
Tom

It’s April 23, 2008 (at least in my part of the world; if it isn’t in your part just yet, wait a few minutes…!).

Today is my 50th birthday. My wife asked what it feels like to be 50, and I’m happy to report that I feel just as good as I did yesterday (when I was “only” 49) and MUCH better than I did four months ago. Less weight, more energy, colds aren’t bothering me nearly as much — you name it, I probably experience it — as long as it is something positive.

So why is The Big 5-0 so great for me? Because today is also The Big 4-0 — forty days on the all raw foods “diet”.

Yes, Ive decided to use the “diet” word. Here’s why.

First, the definition of “diet” is “food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health” (source: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=diet). Of course, I’ll disagree with their example, i.e. “Milk is a wholesome article of diet.” It isn’t, unless you are a baby cow…

So when I refer to a raw foods diet, I’ll be referring to the food and drink I consume, the quality of that food (as compared to formerly edible material that has been chemically altered by the applying of heat in various form, which is what most people consume) — and most definitely its effect on my health.

I won’t be referring to definition number 3, i.e. “…a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight”. That kind of diet is for people who aren’t serious about changing their lives. This is a serious blog; I don’t waste my time fooling around with stuff that’s not going to produce the change I want. While I am losing weight, it’s just a nice side benefit that helps contribute to my overall goal of living a long time so that I will be here — and be healthy — for those that I love (and that includes my blog readers).

So diet refers to what I eat and the effect it has on me — it’s not about limitations or short-term changes.

Next, I want people who are looking for help to find my blog. Why? Because I like to help and encourage people (while remaining honest about what it will take to succeed). I still haven’t reached all of my goals, but then again, I currently plan on doing this for the rest of my life, if not longer! That does not mean that I’m 100% stuck on this; I’m always open to something that will improve my health and odds of living a long, prosperous life. And I want to do this so that I can help people.

And a lot of people looking for help will search on the term “diet”. There’s no point in trying to hide from them, is there? I want them to find this blog; I want them to read my story from the start and hopefully realize that if I, with all the doubts that I had, can do it… SO CAN THEY. AND YOU.

So “diet” it is — and isn’t.

I’m happy to report that this blog is encouraging people. I’m glad it is, and that’s why I do it (plus I enjoy writing). One person in Roger Haeske’s paid forum (the link is to the right of this post) left a message to let me know that my blog helped encourage him to give the 80/10/10 raw diet a try. Thanks for sharing that; I do appreciate it.

And as always, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a comment anytime you like.

Here’s hoping that I’m still making blog posts 50 years from now, on April 23, 2058.

Smacznego,
Tom