How many attempts ?

[Oceana]

How many attempts have you made at raw?
I seem to be on my umteeth time.
I feel really bad that I cant stay focused enough to stay on the path..

[Green Life]

Life is full of choices.

It is full of consequenses for the choices we make.

We can choose to learn from the mistakes we make or we can keep making them until we do learn.

Personally, I decided that a few attempts at eating raw and backsliding was enough for me. It only took me a few attempts, but years in between.

Nobody can compare themselves to others as we are all unique and have our own individual roads to travel...

Just know that if you keep trying, you are never a looser in the game of life.

It is only when you quit trying that you are truly defeated.



Cheers!
Green :D Life

[kellibelli]

For me...I started about a week ago or so and I screwed up last night. I started detoxing and I gave into the headaches and body aches. Here's the thing...this is no easy task at least not for anyone who enjoys eating salty, chocolately, fat-ridden, crap-ridden, yummy food that is so bad for you. I had a PB sandwich and chicken taquitos from the freezer that are my kids' food. I had a total melt down. You know what??? It did squelch the detox symptoms, but MY HEARTBURN CAME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!!! That is my personal sign that this quest is worth it...no matter how many times I flop. I just wish that everyone around my would be supportive of this. It would make it SO MUCH EASIER. I briefly mentioned it to my best friend in California and she all but came unglued. Not much of a support system, unfortunately. It's a very healthy way to live, but definitely not the easiest road to take.

[Svadhyaya]

I'm right there with you.
Since Feb, I've stopped and started about 5 or 6 times, I guess.
Two months I signed up for challenges I didn't finish.

I am so very emotionally reactive and sometimes I just cheat before I realize what I'm doing - like I go on autopilot (just this once) or something.

It isn't hard to be raw - what is hard is getting through all the awful emotional baggage that causes me to sabotage my attempts to do something right for myself.

I am tenacious, though, and will keep after raw like a bloodhound till I get it to stick.....

[jaurequi]

Everyone is different so don't feel discouraged. Even Alissa took a while to go 100 %. Some can go overnight, but it really matters more that you stay raw. I think if it takes you a while to learn the correct way for you and your unique body, then that is better than going overnight and giving up a couple months down the road.

Take your time and believe in yourself. You can do this.:D

Best,

[sport]

I seem to be on my umteeth time.
I feel really bad that I cant stay focused enough to stay on the path..
You have got to start seeing yourself and thinking of yourself as a RAW FOOD VEGAN.
That is what you are. Tell yourself that.
I do not see other food even as food. It is just stuff. Food is food and it is what I eat.

[seh97001]

I have started off and on again for about 8 years. I know, it is bad, why can I not stay on it? I don't know. I am weak. But, I will never quit trying!

[vgloveforlife]

I am high raw (90%) and that is all I will ever be. I've been high raw for four months so now it's pretty easy. I do include some cooked items in my diet such as bread, tofu etc. Yesterday I went down to my parents and had cooked pallea. I'm not going to beat myself up for this. I think it's really unhealthy to start obsessing over food like that.
Eat as much raw as you can. If you eat some cooked, don't worry about it. Cooked is not going to kill you. Who knows maybe it was even good for you..

[fiddler]

I'd say many of us have had failures. Although possible with enough motivation, I'd guess it is rare that someone can completely switch from SAD to RAW overnight without an occasional slip.

I agree with Sport!
Please consider changing your "self-talk". Instead of saying "I feel really bad that I can't stay focused enough to stay on the path", use positive, goal-seeking talk such as ... "I'm stoked that I'm continuing successfully on my raw, health-building adventure" --- or whatever talk drives you to your goal. Use your own words packed with lots of emotion! At times, I've written down such sentences on index cards. That technique really does work -- I initially got the idea from Tom Hopkins book "The Official Guide to Success".

Words really have a powerful impact on our behavior. Sure its okay to acknowledge some failure, but we shouldn't dwell on it longer than the time it takes to analyze (1) why we failed and (2) what to do to avoid the same mistake(s) going forward.

At our core we our honest. If you continually tell yourself that you eat 100% healthy raw vegan foods, you'll likely do one of two things: (1) you'll follow your self-talk and succeed in eating raw, or (2) you'll stop telling yourself that you eat 100% healthy raw vegan foods.

Hope some of the above is helpful. I just wanted to share what works for me.

Cheers,
Fiddler

[alex]

I get the impression that a lot of people on this forum think in terms of absolutes. If one is not 100% raw forever then one has somehow failed.

What helped me a lot is looking at it this way:

I think a week at a time = 21 meals. If I am 100% raw for most of them, then I am a success.. Each week I try to add one more meal that is 100% raw. If I only do 18, have I failed. Not according to me - I succeeded 18 times and there is not real reason to beat myself up over the few that were not raw or 100% raw.

Changing yourself is a lifelong task. If I succeed in going 100% raw (if that is what I really want) in five years, will I have failed - no way!!

Personally, I am currently happy with 80 - 90% raw for a variety of reasons.

Hope this helps


alex

[Frog]

I am so grateful for this thread.

Its good to see others who arent 100% raw yet - good to see others facing smiliar problems and obstacles.

Each day is a new day and a new chance to 'just eat raw for that day' - dont worry about yesterday or plan for tomorrow.

Isnt there a song or hymn? "one day at a time, sweet jesus, thats all I'm asking from you"??

I feel its the same for me - trying my best and taking it one day at a time, looking at the positive and learning from the negative.

We rock for trying and keeping on!! :D

[alex]

The recovering alcoholic takes it one day at a time.

We are recovering SAD-aholics - one day at a time!!


alex

[DavidZaneMason]

LOL! You're always on YOUR path. The only question is: are you busy perfecting THAT? Or is a person just suffering by comparing their situation to something else in their mind? The former occupation is a focus of energies....the latter often a waste of time.

-I personally made one long 2 year attempt! Ha! ha! Successful! :)

-But all that is academic. It's the PROCESS and willingness and upbeat-ness that matters. I mean really! It's not like you won't have NEW goals the minute you become all raw? Ha! ha! What are you going to do then?

-If you achieved all your dreams right now - what would you do THEN? LOL. Who would you be?

-David Mason

[kellibelli]

I may not have the support at home where I want it, but knowing that everyone here cares enough to share their true feelings in a nonthreatening way, giving great analogies and comparisons, and true words of wisdom...how could I ask for any more support than what is offered here??? You guys are wonderful and you are blessing my life daily.

[Graciebeliever]

You have got to start seeing yourself and thinking of yourself as a RAW FOOD VEGAN.
That is what you are. Tell yourself that.
I do not see other food even as food. It is just stuff. Food is food and it is what I eat.

Boy I just could NOT have said that any better Sport!

Of all the times I have had issues with food in my life, RAW has been 100% for me from day one. I am NOT braggin I am telling you that I had not other choice. For me this was the LAST thing before surgery or death and that makes for a HUGE motivation!!

Sport's quote is a GREAT ONE.

Find YOUR motivation.. it has to be WHY you do this.. It is important.

Sport, Great words, :) Thank you

[Svadhyaya]

Alex....

Your attitude is great and your view very sensible.
Thank you!!!

[rawpriestess]

It takes as long as it takes.


If it is your true path, then you are always on it, everything is a learning experience, there is no failure until you stop trying.

I have done raw about 5 times, and each time, it became easier for me to make that committment, this time, I have lost 75 pounds so far, and am bliss filled in my life.

[tglasco4]

How many attempts have you made at raw?
I seem to be on my umteeth time.
I feel really bad that I cant stay focused enough to stay on the path..


Interesting question. I believe it depends on what you mean by "raw". If you are speaking of 100% raw then I can count the times. But I don't necessarily consider it a necessity to be 100% raw. I believe being a good 75% is very healthy. Of course that doesn't mean that one eats junk for the other 25%. That is considered "high" raw in the common vernacular. The key in terms of diet is to really intake a large amount of fruit and vegetables in their uncooked state. Eat them first and often. Even if your goal is to be 100% raw and consume no cooked food whatsoever, just beginning your journey by favoring raw fruit and vegetables will give you a good foundation.

But to answer your question, I didn't really begin the journey to always be 100% raw (although I have tried it and considered staying that way during stretches over the past 2 1/2 years). But "high" raw has been a priority and I can say I have definitely stayed that way during the whole time. Its been a tremendous blessing on many levels.

Peace.

Todd

[eatyourbroccoli]

its taken me a year to go 100% and STICK to it.

stick with it.

:)

[greeninloanageles1]

Three times so far(9 months). First time I was not as serious, because my main concern was to loose weight for my friends wedding, and boy did I loose in those 3 weeks - my bridesmaid's dress was hanging on me since i did not expect to loose that much, so I did not try the dress untill that day!
At wedding I ate a lot of salad and some roasted potatoes, and that started it downhill. I thought I could be just high raw, but it would not work for me, because it was always easier to grab something ready, which was not raw. So finally in two moths I went back to 100 percent. I was very good for 6 months, and then - during the course of two weeks I had several meals cooked. Not every day, because I tried and tried to get back to 100 percent raw, but finally my very warm soup kicked me back to raw, because it burned my stomach so bad, I thought I was going to die! Other meals before that were not cooked, but cold. I just never realized, that very warm foods actually burn our stomachs, although they adjust and stop complaining.
Now I am back to all raw for 3 months, and to tell you the truth, I was so tempted today. But I did some Solution exersizes(The Pathway by Laurel Mellin) to understand my emotional reasons for doing that(and it was loneliness in being raw and other stuff), decided to feel that unavoidable pain instead of running away from it by stuffing myself with cooked food and it seems like the urge to gorge on cooked is fading...

[Tangerina]

I hope this isn't counter productive, but really I agree with raw priestess that it is all your path and what is even more important than being 100% raw is being happy... so if it makes you happy to cheat every now and then, then do it and don't feel guilty, but don't use it as an excuse to go crazy either, go back to what you know is best for you as soon as you can.... just drop the guilt, it doesn't help anything and feeling guilty for falling off the wagon is a sure way to fail... stay positive and happy!

[madmel]

what is even more important than being 100% raw is being happy

Tangerina, I think that is the best way of seeing it.

Happiness is important, no obsession is healthy.

mel