Ok, Ok, here goes....

My friend Shannon, another raw-foodist I originally met online told me that even though I'm still transitioning to 100% raw right now, I should get started on the blog I began & still have yet to write in...I was kinda waiting 'til I was back to 100% raw...but here goes...

{...First, a summary...} Howdy! I'm Anastazia~

I followed a variation of the Hallelujah Diet {aprox. 75% raw, cooked evening meal...only my version had chocolate allowed!} on & off over many years, which kept me fairy healthy, though as I hit my early 30's, I began experiencing the various symptoms of fibromyalgia, & various other health problems.

I've been overweight, & then obese, all of my adult life.

I alternated this with times of the typical S.A.D. (Standard American Diet), & over the years, as my weight increased, the fibromyalgia symptoms increased. It gradually became a vicious circle...I needed to exercise, & stay active, but discovered there was a fine line between moving enough & overdoing it (which I usually did!) to the point that I could hardly move for days, after what used to be a minimal amount of exercise & normal activity for me. My pain levels increased, my ability to live an active life gradually decreased.

I went 100% raw December 31st, 2005, right after learning about it, & it's power to assist the body in healing itself, & as a weight-loss miracle. I lost over 40 lbs in just over a month & a half, & felt incredible, like i was coming alive again!

Then, I went out of town to help some loved ones in an intensive way for nearly 7 weeks, & gradually put aside my raw lifestyle. I've returned at various times throughout 2006, for various lengths of time, but never long enough to feel dramatically different...in fact, the opposite has occurred....my overall health, energy, mobility, & strength has decreased, my weight has increased...almost to the place I was when I began last December! The SAD foods I returned to affected my health in a negative way much quicker than before...I crave the raw, enzymatically alive foods, but have also been struggling with craving things i do NOT want to be putting in my body anymore!

So here I am, January 2007, starting over, another year older, wiser, & more aware of what hinders me, what I need to get past to have victory, & I'm ready to get back to 100% raw!

As time passes, & I begin achieving victories along the way, I'll post my weight, before & after pics, etc. & list the physical ailments I'm dealing with, & make note of when they dissapear (as I have faith most, if not ALL of them will!)

For now, I'll just post what my weight loss is week to week, {weigh-in day is Wednesday!} & some goals along the way.

{ There, Shannon, I did it! Yer right, I needed to JUST DO IT!!!

Or, as you always say, "There ain't no TRYING, just DOING!!!" }

By the way, here's the link to Shannon's blog...check it out, I promise you'll enjoy it...she's got a great sense of ha-ha...& is a great encouragement to me on my raw journey...she's going to be an excellent Raw Food Coach very soon! http://butterflytrails.blogspot.com/ And here's Shannon, playing our piano on her last visit! {& yes, that's a treadmill beside it! Something I've moved, & have set up in an exercise area that I will NOT allow to get blocked, or have things hung on it! {Anymore!} {*Blush* (added later) ...& then i did...again!}