Week Two on Weight Watchers
What a week it's been for me.  As I write this, I don't think I've lost any weight.  I've eaten more than I should at times, and I haven't eaten many raw foods (although I just finished a lovely salad chock full of avocado, garlic, scallions and snow peas with romaine).  The good thing is that I feel great about being in touch with every little thing that passes my lips rather than just eating mindlessly.  Every time I eat I know why I'm doing it and I think of the consequences. I've tremendously decreased my snacking at work (and I wasn't even doing that daily in the first place) and limit it to coffee, roasted nuts, and the fruit from our weekly delivery of organic produce.

I'm not obsessed with the scale, but because I know that WW uses it as a measure of my adherence to their program, of course I want to see what my "damage" is before the official weigh-in.  But guess what? I am not going to let even weight gains deter me this time around.  It will take me a while to readjust to using WW points, get through my cravings and food "issues" and to segue into a high-raw diet (via the Core plan), and I expect to have weeks where I gain or simply don't lose.  If any WW weighers or leaders  give me a hard time I'm simply going to tell them that I have to walk this journey the way that works best for me, and that I'd rather take the time I need to adjust rather than quit due to not losing weight at first. 

This is a major change in attitude from my previous times on WW, where I'd quit soon after starting because I felt like a failure.  My Raw Odyssey has taught me that we each have different needs and preferences based on many unique factors, so there is no "one way" for all of us to eat- just broad generalizations. When we embark upon someone else's plan for us, like Weight Watchers, a green smoothie challenge or a "30 Days to Raw" type regimen, we have to bend our way to satisfy the requirements of someone else's brainchild- someone who doesn't know our quirks, abilities, preferences, schedule, taste -or anything!  If their program doesn't fit our needs, that is no failure on our part, yet we tend to berate ourselves and find ourselves lacking in some way. Why? That makes no sense.  I feel the same way about WW now. I know the program works and is healthy (in SAD terms, that is), but there will be an adjustment period for me and some tweaking of the program as I use it. 

The Post Modern Health Enthusiast
This recognition of individual needs and voices is a real phenomenon- it's very much reflected in the flurry of personalized products and services, and the prefixing of "my" in front of everything, like MySpace or "My VerizonWireless," etc.  So post-modern, aren't we, refusing to capitulate to authority figures or subsume ourselves into a mass of people.  We want to be heard and we see the value of personalization.  There is much value in  groups -I love my Twitter friends, the "GiveItToMeRaw" site, the idea of raw festivals, etc.  But I'm talking about taking control of a program rather than letting it control me. So it's "MyWeightWatchers" (I'm sure they've come up with that already)!  It will be a plan that fits my own preferences.

Organic Produce Delivery
Some of you may want to consider organic produce delivery services.  I'm happy with what we've been getting at my office, and if I ran my  own business and could afford it, I'd have fruit delivered for all my employees. The professionals do a much better job at picking out good fruit than I would, so there are very few duds, if any. Plus, the contents vary, so it's kind of fun seeing what's in the box every week. A persimmon? An avocado?  What kind of plum is that?  I've tried fruit I've never had before.  It's lots of fun, plus we get a free subscription to the Berkeley Wellness Newsletter.   What company am I talking about? The Fruit Guys.   There are other services, though.   

Final Words
I've been getting some great support from my Twitter friends about the topics in this blog, including my Weight Watcher's endeavors.  I was surprised to meet other people trying both methods for health. How cool is that? So if you are thinking about combining WW and raw or are already doing it, please don't be shy about sharing your experience, making suggestions, or asking questions.  Also, if any of you get organic produce delivered to your home or office, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Have a great week!

        

Those who have followed Raw Odyssey from the beginning in 2006 know I have a long history with Weight Watchers.  I have joined them over and over while eating the Standard American Diet.  I never had problems losing weight, but I always had problems keeping it off.  I finally got tired of joining them, even though I truly believe they are the best weight loss program of their type out there.  No program works for everyone, though, and I finally realized that something about Weight Watchers wasn't helping me to stop regaining the weight.  Part of the problem was their overwhelming focus on the scale, while the other is the fact that they endorse what those of us who prefer raw diets wouldn't even recognize as natural food.  I mean, look at all of the ingredients in one Weight Watchers "Smart Ones" meal:

Would you ever guess that this is Weight Watchers' "Meatloaf with Gravy and Garlic-Herb Mashed Potatoes"?  Yet, this is the kind of SAD stuff WW has us eating.  So why do I keep going back to this program?   Mainly because I do better with the accountability, and I like all of the other support - the books, health information, support meetings, and myriad tools to help with recipes, exercising, etc.  If there were a raw group like WW I would go there instead, but for now this is all I've got.

For those of you unfamiliar with Weight Watchers, they have you pay a weekly fee to attend a support group and receive helpful materials aimed at helping you lose weight. You get a food tracker and you document everything that passes your lips (including water, since that's good for you!).  All foods have Point values based on their fiber, fat and caloric content.  The healthiest foods have the lowest Points, naturally, so that you are encouraged to eat more of them.  On the "Core Program" you don't even count Points; you just stick to the foods on the Core foods list and eat until you are satisfied.  Perfect for a raw foods enthusiast, as just about every common fruit, herb and vegetable we'd eat is on the Core plan.  You get weighed every week and, during the lecture, you hear the WW Leader tackle a variety of issues related to weight loss and health. The best meetings for me are those with a lot of people (so I can hide in the back) and a charismatic, enthusiastic and creative leader who truly lets the needs of the group trump any weekly lesson plan offered by WW Inc.

So, anyway, I've spent my first week on the WW plan using the Flex Program, which allows you to eat whatever you want but requires you to count Points.  You have a certain number of Points you can consume weekly, based on things like your weight, gender and activity level. Being overweight, I can eat a lot of Points right now. I've lost 8 lbs as of today, the end of week 1.  Going raw on WW will be a challenge, so it's something I'll do gradually and will involve switching to the Core plan.  Eventually I'd like to be eating whole, vegan foods - some cooked- while on this plan.    Some raw foodists may think I should jump right into eating raw, but I have to do this my way- and right now I'm just happy to lose weight and get myself motivated!

By the way, I'm on week three of my hypothyroid medication (Armour) since starting it up again.  My hair doesn't appear to be falling out yet.  I've also continued to stay away from eating raw foods that inhibit thyroid function.  Since the variety of raw foods available to me is greatly decreased because of this, I've decided to bring back some of the goitrogenic vegetables and eat them cooked, as cooking removes the thyroid-inhibiting effect.  That means that for dinner today I'll be eating broccoli for the first time in ages! 

        

Today I listened to the interviews Oprah did with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist (brain specialist) who suffered a massive stroke in her left hemisphere in her late 30s, consequently experiencing a life-changing reconnection to a world we often leave behind once we pass toddlerhood and acquire language.  Dr. Bolte Taylor lost the function of her left brain, thereby losing her language and, by extension, her identity.  Relying on her right brain, she had to construct a new identity for herself. It took her almost ten years to regain full function of her left brain, but she has learned to balance the functions of the two hemispheres in order to create a new life for herself that is less judgmental and linear, and more creative and socially connected.

These kinds of stories are fascinating to me, and I wonder if there are insights I can use in dealing with my most challenging problems.  For example, I know that eating raw foods would change my life for the better- I've experienced it before. So why do I keep returning to my old eating habits and endangering my health?  Eckhart Tolle's writings and interviews are enlightening, as are my Buddhist readings, in that they talk about the Ego and its need to maintain an identity -and dominance -in our life.  Apparently it's my ego that identifies with food and which so fiercely demands that I go back to those damned chicken wings over and over again. Its my ego that overwhelms me with thoughts of anxiety and food-related remedies, and which keeps me from being mindfully present.  Tolle came to his awareness of the ego and the need to "live in the now" through a personal crisis which allowed him to see two selves, one of which is obsessed with problems and which constantly "chatters," and another which observes and experiences without judgment. 

Bolte Taylor, due to her stroke, came to the same awareness, but because she is a brain specialist she was able to understand the experience physiologically as well as spiritually.  Bolte Taylor explains that the left hemisphere is the most highly developed part of our brain in our society, which values logical, linear, sequential thinking and other left-brain tasks.  Its other abilities include the manipulation of numbers, the interpretation and performing of languages, the creation of boundaries and the understanding of the body's position in space. It also includes an understanding of concepts such as familial relationships and the meaning of "yes" and "no." Mental phenomena such as pride, embarrassment and judgment are other left-brained tasks, as is conceptualizing the past and future- and connecting those to our present. Bolte Taylor says that our ability to use language and to conceive of a past and a future all help us to form an identity; a series of stories about our past and our future plans. Our left brain therefore helps us to negotiate the external world and to create within that world.

The right brain has different tasks. It perceives through the senses, thinks visually. It can assess moods and the emotional content of language based on what we've been socialized to learn about speech-related behaviors such as vocal intonations.  It sees the big picture or the "context" in which events occur.  It acts as the witness or observer of events, and experiences emotions such as peace and gratitude. Because the right brain does not rely on language, it doesn't develop complex memories as the left brain does; it lives in the "now" without critical judgment. It allows the feeling of connectedness or "one-ness" with other entities in our universe.   The right brain allows us to connect to the world.

Bolte Taylor says its easy for any of us to get in touch with our right brains and to learn to quiet the analytical, judgmental and critical left-brain chatter that keeps us away from the present.  I wonder, though...  If it were that simple for us to stop the domination of our left brains, why don't we all "just do it"?  Why do we need life-altering experiences that give us glimpses of right-brain living before we have that "a-ha" moment? Why do so many people find themselves reading book after book, or going on retreats (or into therapy!) without figuring out how to have those experiences?  Maybe it is possible for each of us to learn to achieve a "cerebral balance" that will allow us to reach our full potential as joyful human beings, but I think it is unfair of those who have achieved it to claim that it is easy.

Bolte Taylor says that our society rewards left-brain thinking and trains us out of appreciating our right brain's functions.  When I read that, I thought about how I have worked so hard in my life to focus on left-brain skills even though I'm naturally more right-brained.  From childhood I have been artistic, imaginative, visual and intuitive.  Even my facility with languages, while supposedly a left-brained task, seems to stem more from my passion to be connected to people across cultures than anything else. Lord knows I am not a logical person.  I've always struggle with  numbers, sequential thinking, map-reading and other left-brain tasks. Maybe this mismatch is the reason I suffer from anxiety and turn so often to food for comfort.  Ha!  I wish the answer were that easy to come by.  But I do wonder if a better understanding of how I use my left and right brains would help me to gain control of my eating. At the very least I could use the concept as a metaphorical tool of some sort.

On the other hand, is that just me doing what I'm trained to do- analyze? Parse? Explain?  Might that be what's gotten me in trouble in the first place?

AARGH!!


Dr. Bolte Taylor's presentation can be found here.

        

As I sit here drinking my tasty coconut & raspberry smoothie I'm thinking about my recent experience at a clothing store where I was looking at racks of stuff I wished I could fit into. I so hate the clothes I'm stuck with at my current size!  I would rather hide in my house than be seen the way I look now.  I started remembering....   About six years ago when I got down to a size 10, I became visible. Despite having lived in the same neighborhood for 10 years, I started receiving attention I'd never gotten before.  Strangers held doors open for me, employees waved to me inside the grocery stores. Browsers among bookstore shelves would chat with me about their literature choices. It was like I mattered to people- I was one of them. 

As I regained the weight, though, I apparently began to become invisible again.  One day I realized that once again, few sales people wanted to come over to offer assistance, fewer people smiled at me on the street, and fewer strangers chatted with me anywhere.

I was very bitter at the discovery that a friendlier, more inclusive world was being denied me as an overweight person. In response, I began to avoid situations that reminded me of my exclusion.  No more visits to clothing stores that sell to smaller people.  No more looking into strangers' eyes with a smile or a hello.  I talked myself out of a lot of public activities, like visiting cafes or seeing movies and shows with friends (or even by myself). I've gotten to the point of not leaving my house unless I have to. The result is a boring, unimaginative life. A rut.

In my happiest moments I have usually found myself around people, enjoying the sunshine and feeling a part of the world I lived in. I was having new, unpredictable experiences that kept my mind alert and joyful.   In my saddest moments I find myself stuck in a boring rut consisting of the same junk foods, following the same routines, holed up in my bedroom with only myself for company. 

What to do?  It seems the key for my health and happiness is to get out there and live the life I hope to live when I'm healthier.  That means a little retail therapy to help myself feel better about my appearance right now. Some quality clothes and a good haircut, for example.   Next, I need to remain mindful of the reasons I want to be healthy, so rather than just imagining what I'll do as a healthier person, I think I need to start doing those things now.  I may not be able to wear the smaller sizes, but I can visit the clothing stores and stay on top of the styles that "speak" to me so I can be motivated to stay on my healthy track.  I can also visit cafes and bookstores, which I used to love doing, so that I can be around people and keep my mind alert with new and interesting things.   These are all things I've known I can do but it doesn't hurt to keep wrapping the ideas in new packages to get myself re-motivated.
 
All right, back to my coconut smoothie, and then... perhaps the movies!

        

        

Today I was back at the Asian import store buying vegetables and fruits to increase the raw quotient in my diet. I've been so off target this month it isn't even funny.  My ex is back to eating raw and is reminding me of all the insights we had when we did raw together. Like how we suddenly realized that the only reason we ate certain foods was because of the seasoning and condiments.  We wouldn't eat just boiled chicken or a steamed burger patty- no, we wanted fried chicken, cheddar-bacon burgers... It's the extras- the sugar, salt, fats, MSG and flavorings that make the unhealthy stuff we ate/eat so attractive.

Deconstructing these meals helps us to look at them differently. We ponder what part of the meal we actually want. Would we eat a bowl of ketchup with salt, pepper, mayonnaise and bacon drippings, or would we prefer those items only on a burger?  Would we eat fried, salted flour, or do we want it only when it's wrapped around chicken or steak? The Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) warned against the dangers of seasonings and fancy gourmet cooking, believing it took people away from the simple pleasures of foods in their natural state. He even debated the popular opinion that the French knew how to cook, claiming they used so many seasonings because they didn't know what good food really is!  Rousseau believed that the habit of using seasonings and flavorings led to gluttony.  I'd have to agree with him, and must say that one of the most enjoyable memories I have of eating all raw was the point at which I recognized that raw foods tasted good without anything added to them- not even my beloved Celtic sea salt.  I came to enjoy some salads with either no dressing at all, or with just a squeeze of lime, maybe some grated garlic.  I stopped using olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I did not overeat; my appetite adjusted itself.  

Once I developed an appreciation for unadorned, raw foods, I became more interested in their nutritional and medicinal qualities. I'd love to be able to put together menus that meet unique health needs, without resorting to expensive superfoods since not all of us can afford them.  My ex, who has had gastric bypass surgery, has to be more wary of vitamin and mineral deficiencies than other people do.  And I have a new friend who suffers from a potassium deficiency which causes painful cramps.  She also has high blood pressure, which appears to be a common companion of low-potassium.  Coincidentally - or not- she is allergic to several common foods that are high in potassium. 

Today I decided to visit the Asian import store for some raw foods and to buy a crate of young Thai coconuts to experiment with potassium-laden beverages for my friend.  Perhaps if she comes to like these foods and tasty juices, she can stop taking potassium pills!  She is allergic to melons, avocado, walnuts, bananas and a few other foods (apparently this combination of food allergies is not uncommon), so I have to be careful about what I make for her. For example, I think coconut water with a bit of watermelon juice would be delicious! But she loves strawberries, so I am going to try a little strawberry, coconut water and a touch of ginger- mmmm. I can't wait to experiment! 

        

I have not been "keeping raw" lately - in fact I've been binging on stuff! Luckily, I have been steady about keeping fresh produce in my diet. That's one thing that I can say about discovering raw in 2006: that it got me in the habit of eating and appreciating fresh fruits and vegetables in a way I never did before.  I know how great salads can taste without dressing, and I have gotten out of the red meat habit.  I've tried new fruits and vegetables and found new places to buy these things, so I've expanded my horizons in a few ways.  I'm also trying to expand spiritually, reading Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now and trying to figure out why I am binging these days.  I'm enjoying the little nuggets of wisdom I am getting from this book.  This month's  "O Magazine" has an in interview with Tolle, and has some good information.

This week my ex called to say that it was time to get back into raw again, so I now have a raw "partner" nearby, which is pretty cool. I've so lost my motivation. Who knows why? We went shopping and I got the usual veggies as well as fruit to put in the green juices.  I chose honeydew, grapes and cantaloupe.  I also have basil, garlic and ginger for flavoring and even got some cardamom powder. Another thing I bought was wheat grass powder. My experience with juicing and blending wheat grass was so bad that when one of my raw Twitter buddies suggested the powdered version, I thought why not? I'll try anything once. I lent my ex my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer and kept the VitaMix for myself. 

I decided to eat raw during the day today (breakfast and lunch) and to only drink juices when I got home. My juice tasted fine, despite the fact that I was expecting the worst (based on my recent experience). I used honeydew, grape tomatoes, an Asian pear (so cute!), cucumber, ginger, romaine, celery, and a little wheat grass powder. I'm really thinking that making juice and saving it for later ruins the taste for me. I can almost always drink juices right after I make them, even when I am not in love with the flavor.

When I was washing the vegetables I happened to glance at the label on the grape tomatoes and just about flipped: they put WAX on the tomatoes "to maintain freshness."  WHAT???? I felt almost as if I'd been assaulted. I already knew about wax on apples and cucumbers. I never blend my cucumbers without peeling them first if they are not organic.  But now, tomatoes? How many foods am I eating that have wax on them? I wonder how safe that stuff is to eat when all you eat is produce.

So... how do you peel a tomato?

I did a little internet research.  Apparently some produce, such as apples, produce their own wax coating.  One site says the coating reformulates after awhile even after you wash it off. Another says that "extensive washing" removes that natural wax, but then the man-made wax (some of which have additional preservative chemicals mixed in) are applied.  Why am I not surprised at the lack of clear information? Some people believe that anything that doesn't grow on the fruit or vegetable naturally is bad, while some prefer one type of wax over another. The wax found on organic produce is usually made from vegetation or insects, and must not include fungicides or preservatives. Other waxes are petroleum-based (and are sometimes referred to as "mineral wax").  I'd prefer not to eat these waxes at all.  Below are links to three sites that talk about wax and produce.

1. World's Healthiest Foods
2. Produce Marketing Association:
3. Raw Paleo Diet

        

                        
I had a fun time at 99Ranch, the Asian grocery store in Las Vegas' Chinatown.  I really like this place! It's got a wide variety of produce and sells many things more cheaply than the regular grocery stores do.  I saw lots of stuff I've never seen before - including DURIAN!  The whole ones were huge (and were frozen) so I didn't buy one.  They did have it sliced for $10 per small portion, but that was too outrageous a price for me. I did take a whiff though, since everyone talks about how it stinks. It reminded me of mildly dirty socks.

They also carried sugar plums, which I thought only existed in fairy tales (I don't get out much); jackfruit, gobo (burdock root), don qua and many other things I've never seen.  I wanted to buy some of the leafy greens but without knowing if they contain the goitrogens that so many other greens do, I had to pass on them to avoid aggravating my low thyroid condition. I bought bok choy for the first time, though, and fell in love with it (my twitter friends will attest to my bok choy love affair).  I have yet to throw it into the PowerJuicer or VitaMix, but considering how succulent it looks, I'll bet there's a lot of juice in there.

Young Thai coconuts were 99 cents - half the price Whole Foods charges (and I could have gotten a crate of 10 for less than $8).  I bought romaine for 89 cents a head. Green onions were $1 for 5 bunches, while at the regular store they are now $.99 per bunch!  So I can tell those of you in Las Vegas that you will save money, possibly more than at Sunflower Market, if you shop at 99Ranch for some items.  Nothing was marked organic, though, so keep that in mind. 99Ranch is a chain; I'd love to know if in other locales 99Ranch is cheaper than regular grocery stores.

With the temperatures approaching the 90s, I am so looking forward to my first visit to Gilcrease Orchard where you can pick your own fresh fruits and vegetables. Being a city girl, I am very removed from foods in their natural environment. I have a new friend who wants to make the trip with me, so it'll be another adventure.

QUESTION: Have you ever eaten any of the foods listed above? If so, how have you used them? Do you enjoy them? What do they taste like?


NOTE: In response to questions I've gotten, here is a little guide:

Don qua: A green melon reminiscent of squash. It is also called winter melon. It's often cooked in soups.
Gobo:      This is a root also known as burdock. It should be firm when fresh. It is said to be a blood cleanser.
Durian:   There are many varieties of this intensely aromatic fruit. My Filipina friend likes the sweeter Thai version best. 
Jackfruit:  A sweet, sticky fruit eaten raw or cooked (its sap is made into glue!)
Kobocha: Squash, similar to butternut squash.

        

When I first went raw in 2006, I'd never heard of green juices or green smoothies, but I had learned from raw foodists about fruit smoothies - that they are healthy and should be a part of a raw foodist's diet.  I made these fruit smoothies even though they were too sweet for my taste and too high in calories for my needs.  In life we do what we know how to do at any particular time, and what I knew to do in those days was to drink fruit smoothies to get a lot of natural vitamins into my diet in a convenient and fun way.  I even got artistic with them, as you can see.

I've learned a lot since then.  Today I'm more aware of blood glucose, hypothyroid and other issues that touch my life.  I've also discovered the benefits of green juices and have been trying to incorporate them into my diet without all the sweet fruit.   Unfortunately, it hasn't been an easy journey. First, I've had a hard time creating palatable flavors, and when I'd read about everyone else lovin' on their morning juices I'd feel like a weirdo with my nasty concoctions. Sure, once in a while I'd hit on a really good combination, but I think on those days my taste buds, attitude, and ingredients were in sync.  Mosts days, though, one of those was off-kilter. Finally, I hit the wall.  Green juices just tasted bad to me! When I drank them I had nasty images of what the liquids reminded me of.  I found myself pouring precious green elixirs down the drain- along with the dollars it cost to purchase those vegetables. 

To make matters worse, I had an allergic reaction to something and didn't have a taste for green juices at all afterwards, though I have been trying to drink them at least on weekends.  I increased my salad intake to make up for the low amount of greens, but I also found myself eating more processed and junk foods.  Lo and behold, the symptoms of poor health have gradually returned: worsened allergy symptoms that keep me from sleeping, feelings of depression, lack of mental energy.   I've had insomnia for the past week.

I know I have to get back to the greens and the juices, and I know the key to enjoying green juices and smoothies is flavor- they've got to be palatable.  Apples don't work- they are the wrong kind of sweetness.  Tomatoes and cucumbers are too mild, though they help cut bitterness. Mangoes are too sweet. Yesterday I bought grapes and bananas. Here's what I concocted this morning:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1.5 cups purple grapes
• 2 huge rainbow chard leaves
• 1/3 head of romaine
• 1 large carrot
• 3 large stalks celery
• 1 tbsp kelp powder
• 1/2 cup water

This made almost four cups. I strained half the mixgture and kept the fiber in the other half to make a not-so-thick smoothie.  Verdict? It is still too sweet for my liking and has too much of a banana flavor, but I drank it all! Whoopie! The smoothie was green, nicely textured, and the overly sweet taste still didn't completely overpower the wonderful flavor of "green" underneath.  Too bad I didn't have any ginger-  that would have been the perfect addition to this smoothie. 

When I was a kid I was a picky eater, and I was naturally skinny as well. I didn't think about food until it was time to eat, picked my way through my meals, and then was off to play again.  I guess I'm still picky about my food.  Too bad I'm not picky when it comes to junk food, but that's because I eat it habitually and mindlessly.  Raw foods I eat with more care and thoughtfulness, so I spend lots of time picking out quality produce and thinking about how the flavors will blend.  I find I need something between bitter and sweet, between pure juice and thick smoothie, and between mild and powerful flavoring.  Eventually I will find it.

        

This week was rough for me. My problems started with some kind of reaction to something. The left side of my throat swelled to the point where my throat was closing up, making every movement of my neck and throat - even talking- painful. Pretty scary! I started to plan how I might get myself to the hospital if my breathing became compromised, but luckily the swelling stayed with the left lymph node.  It started suddenly and lasted about 24 hours, then faded quickly.  I was afraid that maybe one of the new ingredients from the Asian import store had done that to me, but when I tried more of the juice, nothing happened (I'm either brave or reckless- I don't know).  I wonder if it was the kelp powder? I haven't tried any powder since that day. 

My desire to drink juice this week was almost nil after that, but truth to tell,  the desire was waning last week.  Maybe I needed a break, because every juice I've made recently tasted horrible- too tart, too sweet, too bland, too nasty.  Nothing I did helped, not even my lovely garlic. My taste for green juice went out the window.  I wasted a lot of money on vegetables by not juicing or blending them, but I did eat salads all week, which I'm very happy about.  I have decided to no longer buy a week's worth of vegetables in advance.  Instead, I will buy for only a couple of days or so, because the store is on my way home from work, plus is walking distance from my home. 

Most of my adult life I have planned ahead and bought foods for one or two weeks at a time.  The problem is that I would rebel or have some other reason for not eating all of the food I had and it would languish in my cupboards or rot in the refrigerator.  Sill, I insisted on buying in advance because that's how I was raised, and I thought the practice would discipline me- especially when it came to sticking to an eating regimen.  I guess these days I'm open to changing my practices to fit how I really live as opposed to how I wish I lived.  It will be an interesting experiment to have nothing to eat in the house except for what I need for the next day or so.  Whatever I end up doing, though, I don't think I'll ever kick juicing out of my life now that I've discovered how wonderful it is. Over the next week I'll have to see what it's like to get back to juicing to see how much of it I can tolerate. I will eat lots of salads if I'm not juicing.