What have I done?

[ElainaThiemann]

I just had an unfortunate cheeseburger incident. I have been on a raw foods diet for 18 days now. I have only had a few bites here and there of cooked foods. Tonight my husband grilled burgers and even though it was organic beef and I only ate ¼ of a burger, I am really beating myself up about this. Why do we as women do this to ourselves? Instead of focusing on how far I have come, I am feeling like I somehow failed. I mean I have been basically 100 percent raw after eating a fairly unhealthy diet including fast food a lot. Does anyone have any validation or support to offer? This of course is while I am PMSing and my husband suggested to me today that maybe those few bites of cooked foods are what is inhibiting my weight loss and maybe I should be more extreme.



Elaina Thiemann

elaina-goes-raw.blogspot.com

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi there! I am someone who has been there/done that!

But you already know that you SHOULD be focusing on how far you've come. I mean, there was probably a time in your life where cheeseburgers took precidence over healthy foods...now it's the opposite!

You've been eating great for 18 full days!!! That's something to be very proud of. There may or may not be times of bites, nibbles or maybe even full-fledge binges of cooked food creeping in in the process of your journey, but if you dwell on it and beat yourself up, you do yourself an injustice. Learn from it and move on...go make a smoothie or eat something raw that you just LOOOVE afterwards. Don't wallow in it, see how your body reacts to it, and just keep pressing forward!

This may or may not be the last time something like this happens, but it's all part of your experience and one day, someone else will come to you and say, "I have been eating raw and I slipped and ate a few bites of cheeseburgers and I feel just awful!" and you can smile and say, "Honey, I know what you're going through as I did the same thing...but I learned not to focus on that and to just let it go and keep going forward and I finally reached a point where no longer desire to eat that stuff and you will arrive at that point too!"

[rawpriestess]

Okay, this is how to help yourself through this.


first take two pieces of paper, on one piece, write down all the cooked food you ate in the last 18 days.

Now take the other piece of paper, and write down everything you ate that was raw in the last 18 days, I bet you can't even remember there are so many raw things, so just write down, breakfast lunch dinner and snacks, for each of those 18 days, now let's see, that is

1/4 under cooked food
and how many under raw food?
if you only ate breakfast lunch and dinner each day, it is 54 under raw food, but if you had a snack each day it is 72, so

let's see 1/4 under cooked food
72 or 54 under raw food

1/4 vs 72
1/4 vs 72

hummm, I THINK the raw wins hands down

YOU RAWK!!!!

[Gosia]

Elaina, you are doing great! Don't beat yourself up, please.

I have been a terrible perfectionist at times, and this has been only hindering my progress. Since I have learnt to be nicer towards myself, being raw has become easier.

It is very normal to relapse when one progresses to raw foods. I am in my third year raw, and I still do have occasional relapses. But I do focus on the progress, instead of on my relapses. This helps me to grow. There are so many stories, including various raw food leaders, who have become all-raw after years of being less than all-raw.

So, take it easy. Enjoy the journey. Have fun, yes, fun! :)

Gosia.

[Guydiane]

we have all been there so just keep your chin up and get back to it

[Nenyath]

I commend you! That is a long time being high on raw! And do not beat your self up like that, I've been there but it didn't help me, raw is supposed to have fun, so do have fun and focus on the possitive! One fourth of a burger does not take all you have accomplished away from you, and it is really a lot!

Fly forever free,
Nenyath