ReCleanse – Day 2 (Flavour Fail)

Diary This morning, to my surprise, I did not feel full! Not like the day before, even though I had eaten so much volume in food! Though my weight went up by a pound, but I’m not doing this for …

Cooked Vs. Raw Experiment

So I’ve been watching a lot of videos, and I’ve heard from Freelee herself that RawTill4 is the most recommended, completely raw vegan is the most ideal, but eating cooked starches is a good third. I also watched a few videos of people who have stopped following Freelee as I was curious as to what they had to say.

For one, I found that the things they were complaining about were either things that were taken the wrong way from her videos, or they clearly didn’t watch all of her videos to understand as much as they should have. The other thing I noticed is they would break away into their own ideals which is fine. I’m not saying Freelee is a god, but I think her nutrition information is great. There is scientific back-up, real life testimonies, and basically everything that makes common sense. I don’t always agree with her views on everything, but there is no denying she is passionate about what she does, and that’s awesome.

So for a bit of an experiment, I decided to try having one meal of fruit in the morning, and then turning to cooked foods starting from my morning snack. I did it for two days, stuck with my normal vegan foods, just the cooked versions. Well, I can assure you I’m returning to RawTill4 tomorrow.

Here’s why:

Basically, I feel fatter, and I feel bloated, and it doesn’t go down as quick like it does with fruit. Cooked food requires more energy to digest and is less hydrating. I feel that. I go to the washroom much less frequently, and the hydration levels are lower. I feel the difference. I’m not hungry, I’m not starving, but I don’t feel as “fresh” either. I miss feeling lighter. I miss feeling “fresh”. So tomorrow, I’m going back.

If you ever experiment with this, let me know how it worked for you! Leave your story in the comments below.

Now That I’ve Got It – A Typical Vegan Day

As many of you know, my original transition to a vegan lifestyle was a little rocky at first. I wasn’t always consistent, I had a few trips that made eating vegan very difficult, and I definitely had some struggles sticking to my Raw Till 4 principles. However, the time has come where I can honestly say I’ve been successfully following a vegan lifestyle and eating on point with the RawTill4 principles for the past couple weeks. Can I just say I’m in love?

(Check out this post to see all the positive things I have to say so far:) Success of Going Vegan (Approx. 2 Weeks Solid)

So here is what I eat in a typical day for those that are wondering.

Waking Up: Water. Get the hydration started.

Breakfast: Watermelon (a whole one), or pulpy pure Orange Juice (about 2-2.5L), or 1 Honeydew, or 1 Cantaloupe, or 6-8 Banana Smoothie (bananas, water, coconut sugar)

Lunch: Banana Smoothie (bananas, water, coconut sugar), or Freelee’s Datorade (20 dates or more blended with water and coconut sugar until milky consistency), or Apples (like 8-10), or Pears (like 8-10), or Stone Fruit (peaches, plums, apricots, etc… eat lots!), or DragonFruit (a few), or Mango (8-10)

Supper: This one varies because it’s cooked! If I’m going out, vegan pizza, vegan burritos, vegan burrito bowls, vegan Indian food (love it!), vegan burger, or this awesome stir fry place we have called Mongolie Grill where you load up a bowl as much as you want from the stir fry bar (veggies galore!), and they do it up on a large open grill, served with your choice of rice or noodles (I always pick coconut rice). If I’m eating in, tonnes of potatoes with lettuce and sweet chilli sauce, or rice and seaweed, or pasta with low sodium pasta sauce.

Snacks: Dates, or bananas, or any fruit I have (strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, etc…)

Honestly, I’ve never felt so satisfied! I eat as much of the item as I want. The key is that I try not to combine my breakfast and lunch meals (eat multiples of the same fruit), I keep my melons to the morning, and I don’t drink with my meals (or at least I’m 97% at doing this). It’s all about the rate of digestion. Look it up and try it out!

Not Enough Water?

Have you had trouble really understanding why you aren’t losing weight? Working out really hard but doesn’t seem to make a difference? You need to watch what you eat!

One of the leading causes of “hidden” weight gain is simply what you drink. There is so much sugar and carbohydrates in pop, juice, and especially alcoholic drinks that you often consume more calories in what you drink than what you eat. Scary isn’t it!

One of my biggest challenges was the simplest fix of all: Stick to drinking water! Everybody knows that the Canadian Food Guide asks for 8 glasses of water a day. This is so important! But what I’m going to say, is a minimum of 8 glasses. It is good to get in as much water as possible! If you just cut out drinking everything, and stick to drinking water, it will create such a change! The benefits to drinking water are incredible!

 

Now, when I was little. I hardly ever drank water. I’m sad to say this now, but I was probably lucky to have a glass of water a month. Yes, one glass of water in one month. I avoided it like the plague! I would drink endless amounts of juice, some pop, a fair share of milk, and all of the other “bad” drinks. Talk about crazy dehydration! Luckily, from other foods (such as fruits and vegetables), I was getting enough “water” content to survive without looking or testing at the doctor’s as unhealthy. 

I must say though, I never realized how important water was. There are days when I CRAVE water like crazy. Some days, sadly, I don’t get in enough water still because I forget to drink it throughout the day. So here are some tips on making sure you are getting in enough water each day.

1. Have one 2L water bottle, or two 1L water bottles on hand at all times. Carry these with you to work, at home, wherever you may be. This way, you will know that when they are finished, you will have your 8 glasses of water finished that day.

2. An extra bonus with method #1: Use a permanent marker to label certain hours of the day on your water bottle so that you know by what hour you should have drank so much water. This helps prevent overloading you body with too much water at one time. 

3. If you still find it hard, set timers on your cell phone to help you remember.

4. If you like room temperature water, just carry around the bottle with you.

5. If you like cold water, keep a large bottle in the fridge at all times. This will make it easy and convenient to get cold water at all times.

There are many more methods than these, but these ones specifically I have found very helpful in making sure that I have water. I particularly like cold water, especially in the hot summer. So I always have a 2L bottle in the fridge, and often carry another bottle around with me so that I am sure to have water no matter where I am.

Just one more tip: I have found that I actually eat less when I am getting in the proper amount of water. Sometimes, our body feels hungry when really it is telling you that it needs water. My suggestion is that if you feel hungry, and especially for those that have just eaten, drink a glass of water first. Wait for 10-15 minutes and see if you still feel the same way. Sometimes, you will feel completely satisfied, all from a glass of 0 calorie, highly-hydrating glass of water. And your body will thank you for it too! Of course, if you still feel hungry, and it has been awhile since you’ve eaten, go ahead and eat! But don’t forget to drink your water!