RE: 40-day self-transformation

HI Steve ! I've been on the rawfood journey for 5 plus years now, and have been at 100% for alot of that time, and had great success with Gabriel Cousens' Rainbow Green Live-it. I was extremely disciplined, rebounding daily, mountain climbing, etc., and then began somehow to get hooked (feeding my emotions, and probably the dying fungal population in my body) on smoothies with bananas and almond butter in them. That started in February and I now weigh 30 pounds more than I did a year ago. (However I look pretty good, as the weight has gone on evenly except in my belly). I've also been eating some organic corn chips an amy's pizzas for the past year, and have recently re-committed to tryi8ng to be 100% raw. So, today I am begining a 40-day program of sungazing, rebounding, meditating, yoga, some fasting, etc., and am wondering whether you can suggest anything that you think would contribute to this. I'm looking for advice / support in figuring out what I need to do in the way of what to eat / drink / etc., to bring my weight back down and conquer the addiction to sweet, creamy, thick dessert-like foods. I have also noticed that since last year, only when I'm overdoing sweets, that my upper arms hurt, and also my knees on occasoin (nothing like this ever happens when I'm 100% raw) (hmmm, ave I answered my own question ???).... IAlso, what do you recommend for a 56 year old menopausal woman to increase libido, and bring hormaonal levels up ? Thank you, Kathleen

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Hi Kathleen, In my opinion, you are at a critical point in your raw food journey. Firstly, I am a 39 year old man, not a 56 year old woman. I am happy to give you my insights, but it would be wise to seek those of a woman experienced in raw foods as well in your particular situation. If you don't know of any, I can perhaps refer you to some. 1) READ: http://www.naturaw.com/raw_food_diet.html 2) When you say you had great success on Gabriel's program, what exactly do you mean? What is your definition of success in this situation? A question to ponder is: If you were extremely disciplined, was that good? If you have to be so disciplined to follow something, it could be an indication that something is out of balance for your particular situation at this point in your life. From one perspective, a 100% raw food diet is a fast from our existing human situation, culture, society, etc. We all arrive with this human legacy of the way things are and have been. Sometimes, one must non-judgementally accept things as they currently are and release any negative thoughts and/or emotions concerning the state of affairs before one can move forward and transcend in a natural way. I love what HRM (sungazing expert) says about food. 3) You can get fat on raw foods. That is ok or not ok depending on your viewpoint, self-image, values, and current health condition. Do you feel better at your current weight? If yes, why change? If not, then change. The great thing is that you have total command over the whole situation and can choose as you like. If you are living in a very cold climate, you might want to be heavier. Or, you might need the weight to buffer yourself from an uncomfortable emotional or social situation which may need to be looked at closely or changed as you have already mentioned. 4) It could be as simple as adding a few ingredients to your diet! Experiment! Try other superfoods like cacao, goji berries, bee-pollen, maca, mineral supplementation, etc. 5) If you feel you have a fungal problem, seek fungal removal remedies! There are many! Herbal Cleanses, water or green juice fasting with heating herbs, Sunshine, Enzymes, Pro-biotics (eat them by the handful at every meal!). Seek somebody who can do a live blood and mineral analysis on your body. 6) Do you have a history of food/weight issues or disorders? I am curious. Why do you feel a need to recommit to 100% raw? If you are "trying" then you are "lying" to yourself about committing... Just because "nothing like this ever happens when I'm 100% raw", does not logically or scientifically mean that you can't find health and balance on a diet other than 100% raw. You have yet to find LONG TERM balance on a 100% raw diet from the sounds of it. But, it can be achieved, you probably just need more knowledge, self-experimentation, patience, flexibility, etc. Revisit # 1) ABOVE. 7) "So, today I am begining a 40-day program of sungazing, rebounding, meditating, yoga, some fasting, etc., and am wondering whether you can suggest anything that you think would contribute to this." -- What are you planning to eat during this time? Without knowing, It is hard for me to suggest anything other than the following: Eat plenty of superfoods, liquids, and minerals. Stay accountable to somebody. Do fun things. Get your mind out of the picture as much as possible. In other words, stay in your sacred heart which is at the center of your soul and your connection to the love that you are and God. Be of service to other people somehow during this time. Have massive gratitude and admiration daily for something in your life. Let forgiveness of others and self be in your thoughts and heart daily. Sungaze. Innocently perceive everything without judgement, filters, preconceived ideas, etc. 8 ) Libido...want more...eat concentrated protein. Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Royal Jelly, Maca, etc. In the mid-nineties I was eating about a cup of bee pollen a day for a period of time, and was experiencing 2-3 wet dreams per week. If you are not opposed to animal products, eat some meat, eggs, dairy, fish, etc. either cooked or uncooked. Be careful of microorganism overload if uncooked. Try to eat wild game only if possible. Or, eat organic animals that have been raised in a very humane manner!! Do sexually stimulating things...only you would know what those are!! NOTE: My wife just started eating more protein and taking "THE ULTIMATE MEAL" a raw vegan supplement highly concentrated in protein and her libido has increased SIGNIFICANTLY! 9) Protein increase will probably help you lose weight. That is why the "south beach" diet amongst other similar diets are so popular. In my opinion the 4 food groups are sugar, salt, fat, and protein. Your body is always moving from needing one to another in a natural way. If you stay away from one, eventually an imbalance will occur...Do you find yourself overeating one of the above four in order to try and satisfy a craving that has been set up due to a prior mental rule that is in place which doesn't "allow" one of the others in the group? It's nearly impossible to accumulate enough mental knowledge in the course of a lifetime to understand 3000 million years of biological evolution. This boils down to "listen" to your body, feelings, and emotions... BTW, the fifth critical element is water of course... 10) Diet is RELATIVE! It is dynamic! It serves many purposes and changes according to MANY factors including age, sex, health condition, altitude, season, etc.. Follow your heart and not your mind when choosing your diet in the moment. Your heart is your higher intelligence. Just increasing the frequency of your sacred heart will refine your diet (done through love, service, sun gazing, etc) ...If this is too hard to do in the beginning...don't give up! Keep practicing and you will find you gain in time! In the meantime learn to muscle test or use a pendulum to determine what your body needs. Hope this helps! Steve

posted by Sacred Steve at 8/30/2005 02:40:00 AM