Good afternoon everyone!
Topic 1:
We received a good question the other day in regards to do we take any protein supplements? We have discussed this topic a few times on our blog here and here.
Going along with our 60 day challenge and the Insanity workout program we have incorporated some plant based proteins back into our diets. Along with garbanzo beans in the form of socca 
The only ‘protein powders’ we eat are Vega products. We find Vega products to be the only ones our stomachs and bodies like. Also, Lori and I have been eating a few nuts here and there (mainly in any desserts we make).
We are trying to increase our ‘protein’ but mainly in the forms of dark leafy greens, spirulina, and hemp seeds (we are not huge fans of hemp protein powder due to taste- we have the seeds). After each insanity workout we replenish our bodies with spirulina, maca, and either hemp seeds or Vega. That is it!
We prefer to give our bodies pure, natural, easy to digest, and non-acid forming foods back into our bodies after a hard workout. Lori and I have played around in the past ( when we were in college) with whey proteins, protein bars, peanut butter, soy, and even meat. And from our personal experience we did not change physically, we did not gain more muscle mass, we only felt more sluggish and heavy. Nowadays we have realized that those so called ‘protein’ sources made us sick and depleted our energy levels. Now that we eat more natural sources of protein we could not be happier. We have energy each morning to push hard through the insanity workouts! We know our good friend Averie would agree with us!
Please play around with different ‘protein’ sources to find the one the makes YOU feel your best!!! This is what we have found to work for us!
*warning: to our guy readers you do not have to read the rest its girl time
Topic 2:
Ok enough of about protein… lets get to a more fun topic Hormones! HAHA!
I wanted to give you all an update on how Lori and I are doing with our hormones. As many of you know we are suffering from hormonal issues (mainly due from going off the pill).
Well this past Monday I got my period again. I have been off the pill for over a year now and got my period a few months ago (back in February) but never got it again till now. Lori is coming up to her year of being off the pill but has not gotten her period yet! We are still following the food plan that we described before but we have added having donq quai powder (helps with hormones).
I still do not think I am back to being ‘normal’ quite yet but I know I am on the right path to get back to balance. Lori is still holding on, she struggles everyday with staying positive. Her face is still breaking out everywhere but she is has gotten on a new face product that seems to be giving her some relief. She will talk about the new product when she gives it a little bit longer to work.
Sorry for the not so upbeat post today but we get a lot of emails and figured we would just address these issues on the blog. As you all know Lori and I try to be as honest as we can with our personal issues with our health and hope to shed some hope in others that you are not alone.
If you have any more questions please just send us an email.
Other News:
Check out Jackie’s post on making socca! YAY!
Also due to Gina’s inspiration it is great to see more people jumping on the Insanity Workout band wagon like Jenn, Megan, Gabriella, Lori and Katie ! We can all help motivate each other. I am sure there are others out there doing the Insanity 
good luck to you all!
And for those of you who are doing other 60 day challenges, keep us updated, we love to hear how it is going!
Till next time,
Michelle
Pure2Raw Twins
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I so agree that you need to find the protein that works for you. I’m on the Vega products myself and really like them so I’m sticking with them. Stay strong about your hormones..they will level out! It took me a long time to feel “right” after coming off the pill but it will happen. I wish you both all the best:)
Great job on your 60 day challenge so far..what a workout!
I feel ya on the hormonal acne – this week is probably the best my skin has looked since going off the Pill over a year ago. I hope it lasts!
Ok, spirulina – will I ever acquire a taste for it? I can just “tolerate” it now, but want to learn to like it one day!
Andrea, spirulina can be an acquired taste, but for some reason we just love it
I am sooo looking forward to the day that my skin clears up!!! Thinking happy thoughts for us both! xoxo
Oh yes, gotta love the pill! LOL, I went off a few years ago (right after I got crohn’s because I didn’t want to be on anything else) and I got my period like 3 times that year. I wasn’t normal for a good 2 years, it’s horrible. I hope your cycles straiten out soon. Maca helps!
Thanks Lauren!! Yes we love maca ; )
wow thanks for being so honest!! ahh going off the pill was TERRIBLE- i felt so shaky and passed out! BUT i love being off of it! my period still isnt quite normal tho!
I’ve been off the pill for almost 2 years (will be in August) and I’ve only had 3 periods. It takes a LONG time for your hormones to adjust properly. Supporting your adrenals will be a HUGE help!
It’s incredible how much information you can find out there about what is appropriate for protein. In the end though- your approach is what I emphasize most when people ask me what protein sources to go after. It has to fit your life and YOUR BODY!
You two are doing so awesome with Insanity! I’m just about to enter month 2 and I won’t lie…I’m scared and excited all at once!
Just a lurker here wanting to give you some encouragement re: going off the Pill. After being on the pill for 10 years, I went off it about 2 years ago (when I was 27) It took a good 18 months to adjust and I finally fell into a “normal” cycle a few months ago. Have patience, know that your body will correct itself- now I’m as regular as clockwork and love knowing my body and my cycle. Good luck!
hi friends! love that you girls focus on plant-based proteins and vega makes such awesome products
glad you’re liking insanity so far! i can’t believe how many people are on the insanity bandwagon- it’s awesome! month 2 is seriously ridiculous. it makes me feel so out-of-shape, it’s bizarre
hope your week is going well!
love you!
Thank you guys again for introducing me to socca, my life will never be the same! haha
I love plant based protein, it just makes me feel so good! Hemp and spirulina are my favorite. Haven’t tried Vega products yet, I’ve been meaning to after reading Thrive.
hey ladies! i love your protein choices. every time i go to whole foods and see that vega stuff, i think of you.
like you guys, i LOVE being off the pill. i know i’ve asked before, but have you ever tried chaste tree aka vitex? that’s helped me become regular. the tincture is especially effective!
idk what yr talking about skin probs… all the pics i’ve seen of you two are lovely.
I have talked to Averie aboout this a lot too. I have been trying to up my protein, and I got some Jay Robb brown rice protein. I hate it, and I don’t think my body is liking it much either. I’m almost out of it, and I may have to give the Vega a try next. Otherwise, I just use the dark greens and I love spirulena too! Does maca have a lot of protein? I use that in my smoothies too, so that’d be great if it does!
Good luck with all the hormone stuff. Our bodies are sometimes so mysterious.
Hey Katie, we do not use maca for a protein source, mostly for stress recovery after working out. It does help with recovery.
Thanks for the post and the update. I can sympathise with you guys because I’m having hormone issues too- no period since I came off the pill almost 9 months ago, bleh. I’ll keep my fingers-crossed for you both xxx
Thanks for being so honest about your experiences! I’m currently on the Pill because it’s really the only convenient birth control option for me right now (several factors, including allergies, play into this), but it’s interesting to read about how much it messes with your hormones! Love your take on protein powders too- plant based sources are always the best!
I went off the pill back in November and have been struggling with acne (and candida) ever since. (I had acne really bad before I went on it.) I had been sticking to an anti-candida diet — high raw, lots of veggies, including fermented, coconut kefir, coconut oil, little to no fruit, etc. I recently read “The 80/10/10 Diet” by Dr. Doug Graham and he has a theory that candida is actually caused by high fat, not high fruit. I decided to try it out just to see how it would affect my skin (the main problem I have from candida). It has only been two weeks, but my skin is nearly flawless. I’m in shock! I haven’t been following it perfectly — I’ve had some Sun Warrior protein as well as some superfood (Dr. Schulze brand). After nearly six months of endless breaking out and avoiding my favorite thing in the world (fruit!), I can’t believe how good my skin looks. I have been 100% raw before, but I always had higher fat, so maybe that is what my problem was. Anyway, I just wanted to pass this info along. Not saying it is the right solution nor am I saying it is something I will always follow, but it is an interesting experiment and I’m very happy with the results right now.
Thanks so much for sharing your progress on the blog! It is nice to know I am not alone in my birth control/acne struggles.
Jessica, thank you so much for this comment!!!!!!!!!! We have heard about the 80/10/10 and have given it some thought. We are playing around with our fats as well. Oh isn’t the body such a fun thing sometimes
We have just started bringing healthy fats back into our diet because we thought we were low on them. But still not sure what to think. We still plan on having a little bit of coconut oil. We will see! Thanks for your support. And yes it really helps to know that we are not alone!!! Good luck 
This fat thing is interesting. I will also investigate this further. I have always suspected that nuts were a problem for me, but I wonder about other fats…
so sorry that you’re still strugggling, lori, with the hormone stuff..hang in there hon!
xo
i break out too…well not so much break outs, but i have all these little tiny bumps on my face…i can’t wait to hear about lori’s new product! sorry to hear you both are having hormone issues, i was fine after i went off the pill!
i hope it all works out soon!
<3