For those healed by food addiction on raw...

[sungoddess]

Food addiction/ bingeing has been a major reason for my bad health. I have had times in my life when I was horrible, and times when it felt almost non-existent. I know that for me it is partially, if not all, an emotional thing, triggered by the desire to cover up emotions and give me a very temporary mood lift. I have never used alchohol or "drugs" to do this, but always have used food in the exact same way another person would use those more toxic vices.

For everyone who has said to have been healed from food addiction by going raw, I am wondering what their food addiction was like, and how long healing took. Such a burden would be taken off my back if I was free from bingeing. I have remained 100% raw for almost 4 months, no problem. But within the parameters of raw I go insane with food almost every night! And, I am eating enough during the day, I am sure.

One of the most important things I must do in my life is conquer this problem! I am wondering whether I should just wait for raw to do something miraculous, or whether I need to add something else to my life to help myself! I have been battling this for so many years!

Any insight would be so appreciated. Thanks!

[Ireland]

I'm really glad you brought this topic up. I too have been a compulsive/binge eater for decades and even when 100% raw, will often binge.

I'm interested to see people's response to this as it's something I have yet to overcome.

[rawpriestess]

when I am eating raw, I find that I don't eat very much, I usually mono eat at least per meal, sometimes all day, and I usually eat the same thing day after day, food doesn't have the same draw when it is raw.


however, when I am eating cooked in any form, I can eat and eat and eat all day, all night, and never feel like I have eaten enough.
I realize that it is my challenge, and It comes and goes, and can be very difficult

I know that I have wheat and dairy issues, and also sugar challenges.

When I do eat cooked food, it's always wheat and dairy and often sugar.

[BuddyLive]

Just hang in there, your food addiction will go away. I think mine took a while, but it did finally go away. I can't eat any cooked food at all, or it will come right back. I will eat until I almost get sick. The freedom of raw has so many blessings.

lifeonlivingfood.com

[daisyduke]

HI Sungoddess,
I overate on cooked food because I always felt like I was hungry. On raw, I only eat two meals per day. They are mono meals (one type of sweet fruit with lettuce or other greens). I eat as much as I want until I'm full. Eating higher calorie fruits (like bananas and mangoes) works better for me too. I feel like I have less cravings this way. Maybe this might work for you? Can you tell us what types of things you overeat or maybe tell us what you eat in a day so that we can get a better idea? Good luck to you... at least you're staying raw. You have plenty of time to perfect it!

[Raw Mom]

FOOD....That word has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The word could fill a million books. I stopped eating when I was about 9 to get someone's attention. Anyone's attention! My sister threatened to tell my mother. That was what I wanted! Someone just told me to start eating again. And me, being the one who always had to please, just did. I then began to overeat. It became a constant obsession. I hear you, Sungoddess, just like one would turn to drugs or alchohol. It took many years of therapy and yoga and meditation. As of four months ago, it still was with me(I'm 44). Until I went RAW. That little girl who wanted attention was still with me as an adult. I noticed it in many other areas of my life too. If I didn't have control over those emotions, at least I had control over food. I did some other work with EMDR and inner child stuff. Learned to hold that part of my little girl and tell her I am now here as an adult. That I am paying attention to her. All about getting it from yourself. Not to say there wasn't some more stuff waiting to come up when I went RAW. Oh, yeah....I had more tools now and knew where to look for answers to it. And there are small amounts of time now when I think about a cookie. And you know what I do? The ADULT ME has a cookie. And doesn't feel guilty or judged at all. And then the need goes away. One day last week? I ate a candy bar in PUBLIC!! That was growth. There is a lot of stuff happening in the universe right now. Lots of opportunities for closure. If you'd like some websites to look at, let me know. I'm not sure if we can post sites. Sending you light and love
Happy Day....... :)

[DavidZaneMason]

A great milestone in one's life is when you are bringing 'OK-ness' and space....even the the things in your life you don't agree with....while pursuing your goals.

-In other words...at some point...the problem is not that you HAVE a problem....but the story and re-inforcement and problems that you have WITH having a problem! Ha! ha! Then mental / ego construct....if you follow my thinking.

-What do you think?

-David Z. Mason

[amarryth]

i've heard that many people eat a ton when they first go raw... and a few of you mentioned that when it's cooked you can eat and eat and never feel full, but with raw you can only eat so much.. i believe it has to do with nutritional content, your body allows you to continue eating because it's waiting for the nutrition that the cooked food unfortunately doesn't have.. so my theory is, maybe all those years of binge eating were probably cooked, process food with little or no nutritonal value.. and after 4 months your body is still trying to nourish itself, make up for all that lost time. i'm pretty sure that the need to binge eat will slowly go away. i have times where i just cannot get myself to eat certain foods, like my body is saying, i've got too much of that, give me something else.... don't worry.... if you're staying raw through it, that's all that you can ask of yourself..

[Raw Magwene]

Amarryth, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the nutritional deficit or cooked food. I used to cram food into my mouth, barely chew, and eat till something was all gone. No longer.

And David, especially well said.

As long as you call it an addiction,
As long as you say you are "battling" with food,
You are resigning your power.

In our culture, once an addict, always and addict. Why would you want to accept this definition of yourself into your psyche? Why do you think AA has such a high recitivism rate.

Sun Goddess, you much watch the Secret. If you change your language, you will change your life.

[sungoddess]

I already have watched the secret and I absolutely adored it. I agree, its one of those things though that seems hard to begin. but I will! Today! :)

Thanks everybody for your responses

[amarryth]

where can i find this movie "the secret"???

[mschele]

Hi Sungoddess. Today (very ironically), I was pondering to myself, why am I trying to go raw. I realized b/c I don't like the idea of food ruling my life (via bingeing). I binge on sweets. I hate the feeling of when all I can think about is surgar and then as soon as you take on bite, thats all I can continue to think about until I have finally binged on it. I hate the way it make me feels afterwards and I hate that some people (my husband) does not understand that this is a true addiction.

Sorry, do not have an answer, but I to am in the same boat. Let's get thru this once and for all.

My goal right now is to be able to get thru one 100% raw day and then take it from there.

[toocrazy]

i say binge all you want on fruits. i truly dont mean this to be offensive, i simply mean if you're binging on raw whats the biggie? haha its all good for you eat all you want :)

[Tee42]

I never used to feel satisfied. I'd measure or do the Zone block thing to set an amount to eat at any meal and on any day. I think this was because if I tried to eat until I was satisfied I could have eaten myself into a coma and never felt satisfied on cooked food.

It wasn't immediate with raw food still, slowly but surely I began to actually feel satisfaction and in turn develop a better sense of what my body was asking for when it didn't feel satisfied. I can honestly say that I have never in my life enjoyed and looked forward to eating the way I do now and yet I never even think about limiting or keeping track of how much I'm eating and have lost approximately 2 clothing sizes.

My suggestion would be to hang in there because your body will adjust and you will become more sensitive to its messages.

[trinity082482]

My food addiction? Over eater. I was a binger too. Ive never been ana or even puked up what I ate. I loved food to much. I ate all the time. I used to eat 7 large meals a day and snacked all day long. Since being raw, I feel my tummy has decreased in the amount of food I eat big time and I dont have that constant snacking need anymore. I've been to my doctor. Ive called weight loss clinics and my doc also sent me to a nutrienist and nothing worked because for me it was all in my mind... it wasnt that I didnt know portion control.. I knew a piece of meat was supposed to be the size of playing cards.. but that wasnt filling. I had this need to have to have my tummy feeling full. Sometimes too full I felt sick and woke up with gut rott. Those days are over. My food addiction no longer controls me. :D