Go Raw, Lose Weight?

Like many people, I'm strolling around with unwanted pounds and like many of those same people, I LOATHE DIETS AND I LOATHE BEING HUNGRY & DEPRIVED!  So I've decided to be my own experiment on a brand new "diet" and I have the glowing redhead Judita Wignall to thank for being the catalyst.  I just ordered her colorful book, "Going Raw" and she says that simply by going 100% raw she dropped 15 unwanted pounds in 30 days.  Sign me up!

I realize that it is a crazy, outlandish amount to lose in such a short period of time, but who would be bothered by losing weight fast?  I chalk a portion of this rapid loss up to water weight and another portion to toxins being flushed out of the body quickly after being introduced to nutrient rich whole foods like raw cauliflower and the like.  The more I read about raw food, the more sense it makes to me.  The very least, I think, it is great to incorporate a jumbo size portion of raw into your diet and you'll start feeling the difference.  I do!

Also, worthy of mentioning—the founder of Planet Raw and the amazing raw chef, Juliano swears that you can eat until your heart's content, as long as it is raw, vegan, and hopefully organic.  He says you cannot get enough of the good stuff, and for him, that ranges from raw olive oil to raw macadamia nuts.  He's watched people lose weight by eating only his raw cheesecake all day.  I love this man!

At first, I thought a raw diet sounded like an alien endeavor, something not for me as I conjured up images of cold, uninviting salads of turnips and cabbage.  But oh, how wrong I am!  Judita's "cookbook" is filled with delightful and enticing recipes.  Some are a challenge to make and others are quick and easy and satisfying.  Juliano also has a brilliant cookbook (RAW), but the list of ingredients in many of his recipes would make any ambitious kitchen-dweller faint.

Where was I going with all this?  Oh, yeah....my new diet!  So far, I've been eating about 75% raw per day for about 3 weeks and I've lost 2 pounds.  OK, I'm WAY behind Judita, but I'm also enjoying wine with dinner ( I'm not sure if that factors into her day), I'm not 100% raw (yet!),  and I've rebelled a few times and have had mac n' cheese from a box.  Judita does not mention what she ate during those 30 days or how much she exercised, BUT none of this matters since she simply states that after "one month of eating 100 percent raw I lost 15 pounds, eliminated arthritis, and lifted my depression."  And that's good enough for me!

I have to admit that I've made my raw journey a bit easier by investing in a Vitamix high-speed blender and Excalibur dehydrator.  These are two great pieces of equipment, essential, in my opinion, to do a lot of yummy raw food, but totally not necessary, especially if you're really creative in the kitchen.  For weeks, I was without these items and I did fine with my Kitchenaid blender (sauces to smoothies to soups), a sharp knife, and lots of imagination.  I'd whip up a raw cheese with cashews, slice up an avocado and throw this into a cabbage leaf with a variety of chopped veggies and herbs and voila, I had a "burrito".  In thought, the cabbage leaf sounded awful to me, but it was shockingly satisfying and not the least bit cabbagey.  I also have to remind myself that to poo-poo something before I try it is silly and short-sighted, potentially robbing me of new great possibilities.

I hope to go 100% raw in the next few weeks (eating whatever I desire, as long as it is raw, vegan, and mostly organic) and really put Judita's weight-loss statement to the test, but for now after 3 weeks of spring rolls and banana deserts with raw cacao and never once feeling deprived, I'm pretty happy with my 2 pound weight loss.