Q for E: Intake Quantity?

[Guest guest]

Elchanan (and others!),

 

I'm wondering if you could comment about volumetrics, caloric intake

& maintenance.

 

Here's why I'm asking:

I've been aiming to maintain the major weight change I've experienced

this past year. I appreciate my body's natural ability to 'find' or

is it express it's true size outwardly. I am not gaining. I am

continuing to either let go of more wieght or to stay within 10

pounds as I experiment with changes in the volume or increase the

total calories I intake each day - yes, I use Nutridiary.com to check

my progress off and on as most of you know.

 

Here's some background:

I've experimented with increasing volume/calories from my previous

1200 cals per day, which allowed my body to let go of 130#s in the

past year (began offical Raw during last week of June 06). I've

tried increasing between 1500-2000 cals per day. Depending on the

items I choose to eat, of course, I feel differently. I am

especially aware of the way my body reacts to fatty raw foods

(avocados, seeds, olives and nuts (yuk now)). I love some foods

and " have to " (ok I know I choose to) buy lots of the favs which

include tomatoes, champagne mangos, pickling cukes, ripe bananas (tho

I'm not feeling them right now), watermelon or cantelope (cant-which

I used to hate), grapefruits and oranges. I could eat those little

organic grape tomatoes until they ran out - a farmer wouldn't want to

set me loose in the field! I've had a bit more avocado in the past 3

wks than usual as I was traveling though I did find fresh dates near

the end of my travels and that made a BIG difference in filling me

up, helping w/satisfaction and dealing w/the unavailabilty of RIPE

bananas.

 

How I'm feeling: right now - a bit bloated actually. Nothing seems

to be wrong. I'm really noticing my body's reaction to environmental

toxins right now. I especially notice the fact that it is very

difficult for me to find true quiet space living in Times Square with

open windows 24/7 and choosing NOT to run an A/C this year. I am

very proud of the 3 tomato plants and 4 cucumber plants growing in my

window tho! I'm realizing that the quality of air and running into

more smokers on the street are producing more headaches again as well

as blurry vision which I never noticed the connection w/this before.

(I may not be able to continue living in NYC much longer?) I

occasionally have a bit of gas, I expect it's a combining thing.

 

What are my goals: Well, letting my body do what it needs to keep

cleaning, reach it's best state and support my 'g-d spark'/soul in

the healthiest home possible. Okay, I'm not TRYing to let go of more

weight - I'm around 138#s which feels pretty good.

 

My weakest health 'thing': I'd say, activity, though I walk at least

45 minutes a day, I miss having something physically worth doing. (I

worked in large family gardens - 1 acre or more and on flower farms

in my late teens/early 20s and helped build my family's home and a

cabin w/my exhusb...)

 

Where I'm mentally at: I've been eating mono meals 80-90% of the

time and occasional salads at other times. I seem to be finished

w/smoothies and my blender. I'm not into fixing 'meals' any

longer... I'm finding that I just don't want to eat so much any more,

I'm full on less food although I'm concerned b/c when I'm full, I'm

not yet up to the caloric goals I was aiming for. On one raw group,

recently the group owner chastisted me when I mentioned that we need

to keep our caloric intake in a place that is healthy as we learn to

manuver through the stages of practicing a raw lifestyle - she

actually said I was eating too much if I was eating 1500 calories a

day or 5 bananas for breakfast. Well - I don't know what perspective

she was coming from, I do know that in my process I needed a guide to

learn how to get this far. I also know that something has changed

again and I'm not wanting to eat - I am wanting to be healthy...

 

I feel like I'm struggling to form a real question here and hope that

I've provided enough info so that you or someone in the group might

be able to give some insight into what changes I'm experiencing.

 

Thanks in advance,

Simply,

Lesa