DAY 21

DAY 21

_____________

LBS Lost: 8 pounds as of DAY 21! I had a goal of losing 10 lbs going into the Challenge, but have to admit, I really didn’t do much working out, so I’m pretty happy about 8 – Was probably the most effortless 8lbs I’ve ever lost!

Exercise: <none>

How I’m feeling: Excited to eat some cooked food! I’m hoping to take with me some of the new recipes I’ve tried, and stick to eating as clean as possible. I got a compliment this week that my skin looked like it was ‘glowing‘. WHAT! I’ve never heard that before, so I attribute it to fully the 21-Days-Raw! I could tell about halfway in that my skin had a smoother texture so it was nice to have someone else notice.

Cheats: <none>

______________________________

All-in-all, this was really a great experience and I’d likely do it again! I think next time it’d be easier to stick with if I had a family member or friend going through it with me.

The one downside I found of eating Raw is trying to be social and eating out with non-raw friends. It’s really hard to find raw options at most restaurants (at least in my little three week experience) unless I want to eat lettuce, tomato, cucumber salad with oil/vinegar everywhere I go

That being said, one thing I was surprised by is how much variety is actually in a raw diet – when you make things yourself! Aside from Storm & Jinjee’s plan, I did lots of searching online and found so many fun recipes! Some I still need to try (Like this one —> Raw Mac)!

My Advise to Anyone Thinking about doing the challenge or starting it!

1. Look up Raw Cashew Recipes! Those have been my favorite! Raw Cashew Cheese and Cashew Tacos were both amazing!
2. Be aware of your protein, and just make special note of how much of it you’re eating. I kept track of my daily protein intake and did feel like I was lacking a bit in that area. In normal non-raw-challenge life, I’m vegetarian, so I still eat things like cooked beans, lentils, and tofu for protein, without some of those staples I did find getting protein a little difficult. (Not saying it can’t be done! Only saying it’s something you have to make a point to get in every day in with this diet!)
3. DON’T just go out and buy everything on the shopping list before DAY 1 without looking through the menu! I did this and didn’t use a lot of my produce since I didn’t like a few of the recipes. Look at the menu before the week starts; make a new shopping list for yourself customized with YOUR week one plan. There’s a chance you won’t like everything on the menu. Or, in my case, had to make substitutions because I didn’t have certain appliances, like a blender.
4. Write down everything you eat everyday as suggested in the overview! It does help you stay on track when you write everything down AND for some extra accountability, share on a blog, OR if you’re really brave, share your blog with your Facebook friends so they can follow along with you on the challenge!

…. now I just have to figure out what my NEXT food challenge will be!

stay tuned: Instagram Handle: cdanie11e - follow!