Day 11 - Where Am I?

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In a dimly lit dining room we were escorted to our seats, golf clubs in tow. As if in a dream, our food came without a moment's delay...dripping with barbecue sauce...tender grilled chicken sandwiches on toasty sesame seed buns...over a bed of hot french fries. I ate with a knife and fork, of course, swirling each bite in the sweet barbecue goodness.

I don't golf. And I don't eat BBQ but once a year. Nonetheless, this is where my slumber took me last night. The food "nightmares" have begun.

Last year around week 3 of the detox I had a vivid dream that I was back in high school. I don't recall exactly what I was doing, but for the dream's entirety I had a falafel sandwich in hand, taking bites periodically.

I don't have an attachment to food...no not at all...



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Self Check-In
Aside from the dining-out gods haunting my sleep, I'm actually doing pretty well. I'll admit I was hungry yesterday, but was trying my best to stave off the cravings by having a less indulgent day than Tuesday. I ate fruit in the afternoon with my green juice shake. And when I got home I made a quick superfood smoothie before jetting off to guitar class. With my goal of eating dinner by 6, my only shot was to down this smoothie at 5:15. Going to bed around 11pm...I was ready for a snack...but I got in the bed and tried my best to ignore.

Weight: I'm down about 3 pounds, so I haven't lost much since last week. D has maintained his 10lb weight loss as well, without dipping much below that - I should mention that D cheats on the weekends, like a lot! But I appreciate him for sticking with me and eating raw at least during the week.

Skin: Overall, my acne is improving. But since my flare-ups are most often related to PMS...this would be the point in the week that I would notice an improvement regardless. The hormonal thing -- it's a bizzo. The true test will be next month's cycle, to see if my diet plays a role in continued healing and hormonal balance. I also noticed that the dry skin on my hands is less severe. Previously my hands were so dry they were cracking and flaking off like none other. I wash the dishes by hand, so this is the major cause. And I pee a lot at work, so I end up washing my hands practically every hour. However, I've noticed this week that while they are still a little dry, my moisturizer is going much farther than it did last month. Perhaps increasing my water intake has helped?

Mind: How's my head? Admittedly, this week has been a little bit of a downer. Last week I was so fired up to do raw food and try new preparations! This week I've been feeling a little rebellious, but I think it's the ebb and flow of any lifestyle change. There will be things I love and things I loathe. Of note, I feel much more focused and motivated. Our apartment is tidier, and I think I watch less TV. Having a guitar class to go to and different activities coming up in the next weeks definitely keeps my mind focusing on how good I feel, rather than all that I "can't" eat. Even amid this rebel streak, I feel good about life. I don't hate the detox, or the raw food diet. I feel like my body appreciates what I'm doing, and that the benefits will far outweigh any sweet indulgence. The word ZEN comes to mind. I don't really know what it means, but I think of peace and acceptance when I hear it. And that's how I feel today.

pH Level: The raw food diet is really rooted in making the body more alkaline or basic to help regain and maintain overall health. The standard American diet has most people swinging toward the acidic pH level, which creates breeding ground for illness. So I thought it appropriate to purchase some pH strips to really test where I'm at. I got these Phion pH Strips on Amazon.

On a scale of 0-14. Acidic = 0-7. Neutral = 7. Alkaline = 7-14.
For our purposes, most humans are in the 5-8 range, while chemicals and substances may carry more extreme pH levels. After peeing on my pH strip, I got a reading of about 5.75 = very acidic. D's reading was more like 6.0 = acidic.

D gave me this additional info regarding pH levels, I'll cite the source as soon:

"The cells of the body are designed to operate best at a perfect pH reading of 6.4 for both saliva and urine with a swing range between 6.2 and 6.6. They protect this level, and if the extra-cellular fluid carrying nutrients is too acid, the cells will not permit access, nor are they able to discharge their wastes efficiently. In the interests of accuracy, excessively alkaline conditions have much the same effect, but acid conditions are far more common among Americans because of the double whammy of 1) diets high in animal products and carbohydrates, and 2) high stress levels"

 I have a lot of work to do!


Cheers,

K