Hi Everyone,

This will be my last entry. I've started a website on the raw food lifestyle called La Vida Raw. Going forward, you can find me there. Thank you for your support on this blog and please continue to follow me on www.lavidaraw.com.

Live Vibrantly!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Happy New Year! I'm so excited about 2010. 2009 was really rough for me. Too many negative things happened in my life. There will be some big changes for me and I'll keep you posted. By then end of the month, I'll be posting my blogs elsewhere. I'll let you know.

As for my raw vegan life, it's still there. Winter has been hard being 100% raw but I'm high raw. I suppose I could be all raw in winter except that with all that I'm juggling, I just get tired and....lazy. :P That needs to change. What I've done so far is convert my balcony into a cool storage area. My fridge is small to store all my fruits and vegetables, so I store my pineapple, mango and oranges on the balcony to slow down the ripening process. It has helped me quite nicely. I drink warm, caffeine-free tea and have increased my greens.

I've been going to bed early and getting up early, as early as 4am. It's been great. I need some me time and I find that 4am allows me to meditate and devote some me time. I encourage you to try it. I used to go to bed at 11pm or midnight. I've been to bed as early as 8pm. I don't watch tv that much anymore. The only show I watch , I tape all week and then save for the weekend. I still am a movie freak and that won't stop. However, that is saved for the weekend.

It's 9:16pam and it's way past my bed time. Hahaha. Talk to you soon.

I Cut My Hair

I did it! I cut my locks.

The Pity Party's Over!

I did a water fast because I needed some clarity. I've gotten it and I feel a lot better for it. I have a positive outlook about what's going on with me. I have fallen in love even more with my children. I'm becoming more of a conscious raw eater. I'm excited again about losing the weight, transforming my body on raw. I've been praying more and staying closer to my Lord, Jesus Christ (That's right! I said Jesus Christ with no shame! Amen-ah!)

I am ready to cut off my locks. I'm not sure how my pumpkin head is going to look bald but I'm excited for the change. Just thinking about cutting off my hair makes me feel liberated. I never realized how much femininity and hair is tied and even I felt affected by it. Not that I would feel less than a woman without hair, rather the idea of losing my hair with the possibility of no recourse. It's scary. I still have no idea what's going on and I'm not impressed with the doctors I've seen who seem reluctant to refer me to a dermatologist. I wish I could have more control over my health and stop depending on doctors with their prejudices...especially about black hair. It's frustrating. I'm going to look at other alternatives, but I'm still going to cut my hair. Maybe I'll look good rocking a 'fro.

Struggling

I'm going through a challenging period right now. I'm not at my best. I feel extremely awful and I feel I can't juggle all my activities at once. It's hard. I'm worried because I'm losing my hair and I don't know what the root of the problem is. I went to the doctor and they took blood tests. The tests came out positive. In other words, I was not lacking in vitamins nor do I have a thyroid problem. What is it, then! The stress has made me eat more cooked food than ever and I've gained more weight. I'm angry at myself and I'm scared. I usually don't care about long hair, short hair but the fact that I'm losing hair really scares me. I sometimes burst into fits of tears. I may just have to cut my locks, shave my hair.

I think I'll go on a fast to detox my body. Words can't describe how terrible I feel.

Clif Bars

I was shopping with my children for their basic needs and I saw a sale on a dozen Clif bars for $9.99. All of a sudden I began to pick up two boxes. I was justifying that I need the bars for my upcoming 1/2 marathon race yet I knew I should not be purchasing those bars. In the past I would love Clif bars, especially the carrot cake, chocolate chip and the peanut butter crunch. The chocolate chip and the peanut butter crunch was there. Oooh, what temptation. I put two cases in my cart and was roaming around while my children were chatting. I began to talk to myself to get to the root of why I had to buy those bars but really didn't want to. Finally, I convinced myself that as a raw vegan, I need to make my own bars. They'll taste better and be better for me. Then I thought to myself (because I need to really budget my money) that I would be better off spending $20 on good raw vegan/natural health propaganda and then this chemical crap. BINGO!! My head snapped back to normal and I left the boxes at the register.

Raw Vegan= 1

Cooked = 0

Changed my mind

I can't seem to give up totally on the 811 diet. I love my fruits. Now that the seasons are changing, I'll have to discover season-appropriate fruits like peaches and figs right now. I've increased my greens and I've felt better.

811?

I've been dealing with a lot of stress and weight fluctuation. I know a lot has to do with my not being a 100% raw...it has been between 75-100. I've had a lot of traumatic experiences in my life and I'm just trying to deal with it in the right way. I think right now, I don't want to be on the 811 diet. I need to find the right kind of raw diet. High fat for me is out because it will just store as fat. I won't be doing dehydrated stuff but I think I need to increase my greens and lessen my fruits because I'm just only interested in eating fruits like mangos and pineapple and nothing else. I feel like a buffalo and I'm tired of feeling this well. It doesn't help that I work in an office on my ass. Ugh! I haven't given up on my raw food business and I think this period that I will certainly overcome will be inspiring to others.

On a positive note, I'm moving to an area that has wonderful parks and will allow me to be more active. I changed my shifts at work so now I don't have to do 12-hour days 2x a week. I want to spend more time with my family. Things are changing...baby steps, baby steps. I need to surround myself with more raw foodists.