Thanks Jen, I don't go into town and I doubt they'd rush a tray into my hubbie's bus at the nearest bus stop as he drives by (he goes in and out of town all day!) so I'll befriend someone from the Mainstream Baddies shops to see if they will help.

Thank you heaps!!!  And my kitchen knives thank you too

Love
May

Hi there RGG,
Thanks for helping me.
You are such a treasure
And great fun beyond measure.

I'll have to buy a nut,
To help slim this little but.
Your recipe sounds divine,
Now I'd better get offline.

And thank you for my number 3!!!  I'm special now 

Love and hugs,
May

Hi Everyone,

I'm just bursting with questions and I guess that's normal for a newbie...

I've seen a lot of talk about coconuts on here which I did not find during my web travels which led me here.  Hehehe, sorry if that's confusing.  Anyway, I have organic coconut oil which I happily disguise in fruit smoothies along with some flaxseed meal, but am kinda getting the impression I should be eating more coconuts.  Please can you tell me what's so special about them?

And if anyone's in Perth can you tell me where you buy them?  I go to a fruit and veg wholesaler north of Wanneroo and I have not seen any in there to date.  Does Alive sell fruit etc?  I am going there on Saturday for the first time and can't wait.

Many thanks!!!
May

Hi SwamiGirl,

I was the opposite to GojiGirl in that I was a compulsive overeater.  I actually belonged to Overeaters Anonymous for about 2 years, which was great.

Anyway, where I'm heading is to agree with everything everyone has said so far - aren't they all wonderful, caring people?  One thing that comes from OA is to just delay the food you're craving.  You can tell yourself 'yes, I CAN have that, but I choose to wait until one hour's time' - or 2 hours, or 4pm, or whatever.  And when you get there you might have forgotten all about it, you might choose to delay it a little longer, or you might choose to this time have some.  But you did not eat on the initial craving so even if you have it in the end, concentrate more on being proud of not indulging the moment the desire hit.

Yes, the person who said about raw being a reward not a punishment was so right too.  (Sorry can't remember who it was and there are too many posts to find it again!)  We are all very special people, we need to feel loved and supported - there is no question that is happening around here!!! - and we need to know that we are rewarding ourselves with wonderful, exciting, healthful foods.

I've only been raw for 5 weeks and last week I forced down some awful smoothies which I really did not like and were almost making me gag.  I felt like throwing it all in at one point.  This week I shopped buying only things I love eating and am going to have a 'special me' week to make sure I'm enjoying this life style before once more trying gs.  Otherwise known as 'pond scum' according to a post I saw yesterday.  That's exactly how I felt about it I can tell you!!!

Be kind to yourself SwamiGirl.  As everyone has said, it takes time, but every day is progress even if you've learned how not to do it ;-)

Love and a huge hug!
May

Hi RGG,

Thank you for your comments on my picture.  I was looking at my wonderful hubby and wondering what on earth to do with him when it was taken.  We were in a rather posh restaurant and I'd made some comment trying to keep him in order - an impossible task - and he replied "I'm gunna get you debarked!!!"  I was trying not to laugh and he took my picture.  Then they'd brought the bill over in one of those black folders (to pretend it wasn't about money you know!) and he opened it up to find 2 mints and 2 toothpicks in there.  He gasped, slammed it shut, and then slowly and carefully opened it again to see if they were still there, grabbed one, looked around to make sure nobody saw and put it in his mouth, shoved the wrapper back in and slammed it shut once more.  Then I lost it, and everyone stared.  Why can't you have a good time in a posh restaurant?  Then David said he was going to use one of the toothpicks and put that back too.  My mascara ended up running down my cheeks and once I'd tried to recover we tried (and failed) to look dignified and leave.  So yes, I do have a sense of humour.  Anyone without one would not have stayed married to David for 32 years.

Yes I love the Mr Men books too, they are so cute.  And the 'Green Eggs and Ham' books are great too.

Princess, apparently I have a double here in Fremantle too.  Someone must have liked the mould eh?

Love
May

My son bought me a mango tree about 3 years ago - we planted it and then promptly decided to move house so it got dug up and replanted - and not in the most ideal spot.  It's about 4 feet high (or about 1.3 metres for you younger folk) and I was stunned to see a huge mango on it a few weeks ago.  So I gave the tree lots to drink, as I believe mangos need lots of water to ripen and grow sweet, and about 2 weeks after that it fell safely onto the lavender bush.

A home grown mango given to you by a son who openly loves you to pieces - and it was so warm and sweet - now that's Heaven on Earth!!!  Oh, I'm all blinky!!!

Hi Jen,

Thank you for that, I hope to go down there on Saturday then and check out what a real food shop stocks.  How exciting!!!

And thanks for telling me you made the cake differently too - that gives some options which is always nice   

As I won't see you at the shop I hope to meet you at a picnic one day soon.

Thanks so much Katie.  I have written down the ingredients I don't have and am hoping Alive is open on Saturdays so I can go down there.

I will let you know how I go for sure.

Love
May

Oh Swamigirl,

I hope I didn't make you feel too bad!!!  I'm never nasty to anyone so I can promise you I'd be kind and understanding, no matter what your ESM was like.

Poor caterpillar.  I always feel so much for things that have suffered as well and no, I wouldn't have drunk the tea afterwards either.

Thanks Guys 

So I just have to continue being the way I am (also anal, lol) and think of the little fellas in a more kindly light.  I am sure glad I did not meet your green grub RAA, blurk!!!  But I'm glad you send it off somewhere kind.

BTW I love your pic RAA - too cute.  I never could do that well after the age of about 10.  I could say it's because it ain't good for girl t.shirts to fall upwards, but I think it was because that's the age I got, ummm, large 

Good to meet you swamigirl and to hear from you again lovely RGG.

Don't know if I'm too late for this to be read, but was the middle of the cake blended, or sliced fruit?  Ditto for the topping?  And I guess the chocolate topping was on top of the berry topping?

It sounds truly delicious.  I wish I'd been there!!!

And to throw another question into the same post, what hours are Alive open please?

Many thanks!!!

Hi Everyone,

Seeking advice on yummy broccoli and the little green caterpillars that live in it.  After coming across a caterpillar while preparing my broccoli I just can not stomach the broccoli any more, as I keep wondering if I've missed one and it's still in there, lurking, ready to be consumed.  Mega yuk!!!

I know the caterpillars have a purpose in life, but ending up in my tummy is not one of them!!!

How do you prepare, and debug yours please?

Thanks heaps!!!

Hi Dani,

Thank you for the welcome and how exciting to have someone nearby     Are we allowed to say on here where we buy decent food from?  If so, where do you shop for your non-fruit'n'veg foods?  I'm talking about the 'exotic' stuff like flax seed, cacao, mesquite etc.  I'm slowly finding places around here and/or buying online which always seems to be from Byron Bay - couldn't get further away eh?

My dress size doesn't bear thinking about - especially when looked at with a tape measure lol.  I'll be happy to be a 14 and haven't been in a 12 since I was 12 years old.  So well done to you on your progress!!!

I had a big birthday last July.  It was the big with a 5 on the front, but I'm happier than I've ever been in my life so I don't care what the numbers say.

I love to walk and try to do that a few times a week.  Usually 3 - 4 kms.  But the 4 takes me almost an hour as I don't walk very fast.  Hopefully that will change as my weight drops.  And I've just taken up Tai Chi which is great fun and a great mental workout which I had not expected but enjoy.  What exercise do you do?

Do you work?  (For money that is, we all work )

Love
May

Hello Freedom,

Thank you so much for saying hi and making me feel welcome.  (I've already had a PM chat with Neet.)  I think you said you're at Murdoch Uni on your web page?  I worked there for 4½ years and loved the place but I live in Joondalup and it was a very long way to go, and I'm retired now anyway 

Yes, I'm sorry I missed the last picnic by such a short time and sure want to come to the next one.  Is it OK to bring my naughty hubby along?  He will eat raw when he has to, though I can't guarantee he won't baaaa or mooooo through the meal - he does at home if I don't give him what he calls 'substance'!!!

I look forward to getting to know everyone better too and I'm so excited about my new life!!!  I've lost 5 kilos now, in 4 weeks.  Must update my signature...

Love
May

Hi to Everyone,

I've spent a few days browsing the forums and recipes and getting to know you all a little, and decided it was time to admit I'm here and greet you all.

I've been 95% raw now for 4 weeks and lost 4 kilos - bonus, as I only started it to improve my health.  I haven't managed to quite give up the worldly salad dressings in my fridge yet, but I won't be replacing them when they're gone.  I'd suffered dreadful afternoon tiredness for the first 3½ weeks but at last that seems to be over now thankfully.

I've been a toxin eating partial vegetarian for the past 15 years or so.  Ate all sorts of junk and a tiny bit of our poor animal friends as long as they only said cluck or bubble (is that what a fish says?) but they're safe from me now.  I have had a life-long addiction to comfort food - it's all comfort food isn't it? - but after only the first week raw I lost all cravings.  I now can't stand the sight of cheese, which had been a major addiction and can now look at chocolate without wanting to eat it in the least.  Yaaayyy 

Is anyone else from north of the river?  Waaaay north in the 6027 area?