This Is Really Hard!!

[ilovebanannas]

Okay, so the diet isnt nessisarly hard, but living this way I am finding harder then I thought. I have attemped all week last week to be 100% and was only 2 days. The other days, I found that usually at dinner I was eating at least something cooked. My husband is in sales, so we eat a lot of dinners out with clients. We have also been going to some get togethers with family and friends, and the food looks and smells so fantastic that I CANNOT RESIST! I know that I have week will power..... I will say that the rest of the days I have been good. I eat raw for breakfast, lunch and snacks. DINNER is Hard! Does anyone have suggestions about a good plan of attack....HELP!

[jnoelj]

I try to eat something right before the "dinner hour". Before I fix dinner for everybody else, I will either juice a bunch of greens, or fix something with an avocado in it. That way, I don't even feel tempted to eat anything cooked. I have only eaten at a restraunt once, and ordered a salad with no dressing ( I brought my own), so that wasn't so bad. As far as smelling cooked food - now that don't eat it, I don't really enjoy the smell as much as I did as long as I'm not hungry! Key point - don't let yourself get hungry! :D

[rawpriestess]

the most important thing is to love your life,


then eat raw, and if you can eat a ton of raw good food before you go out to dinner, I love pineapple, and if I eat a ton of pineapple then go out to dinner, then I find I don't want what is on the plate.

[Red Willow]

I'm not good at denying myself anything--I think it ultimately backfires. So I eat whatever I want, even if it's cooked. The trick is, the more you eat raw, the less you will want to eat cooked. Do what you can and enjoy the food you're eating.

[Sooboopa]

Ilovebanannas...

here is another idea.

You could transition.

This is a smooth transition...

Day 1
Cooked Lunch (medium) &
Cooked Dinner (medium)

Day 2
Two thirds of a cooked Lunch &
Cooked Dinner (medium)

Day 3
One third of a cooked Lunch &
Cooked Dinner (medium)

One Week

All raw...plus a cooked Dinner (medium)

Two Weeks

Cooked Dinner (every 2nd night) (medium)

Remainder of the Month

Cooked Dinner (every 3rd night) (medium)

Two Weeks

Cooked Dinner (every 4th night) (medium)

Remainder of the Month

Cooked Dinner (every 5th night) (medium)

Two Weeks

Cooked Dinner (every 6th night) (medium)

Remainder of the Month

Cooked Dinner (every 7th night)

All raw from hereon...

Basically in a bit over 3 months you are completely raw. You may want to keep a cooked meal a month / fortnight / week or whatever, if that's what makes you happy...or you may want to go 100% raw...

I think this is better than going 100% raw...then binging...then 100%...then binging...

The cooked Lunch and Dinner should be acceptably healthy vegan... Any cooked meals you want to add on top of the transition plan are really whatever resonates with you... For some that may be some chocolate once a month...others pizza... The idea is, the more raw you get, the more likely you will no longer want any cooked food...

Some people can go 100%. Some can't. For me, the jump out of my comfort zone is too intense, and so is the resulting physical and emotional detox. Even Gabriel Cousens says it is better to transition gradually...

There is no right or wrong way... If one doesn't work, then try the other...

[Mona]

The first week is hardest because you still think of yourself as a person who eats cooked food. Let it take some time to get used to the idea. You will have some grief about the things you liked the most. Then it will pass and you will see that the other people have their kind of food and you have yours, and that it is a good choice you have made for yourself. You have built up a relationship with cooked food for the last 20 (?) years and it is hard to say goodbye. But if you stick with rawfood you will have a new relationship that doesn´t hurt you, that gives you energy and cares for you.
And eventually you feel better choosing that.

Someone here said that it´s kinda like trying to say goodbye to an old boyfriend who isn´t good for you. I think it´s an interesting thought!

What do you think?

[DavidZaneMason]

Eating well is not about 'will-power' and involves very little 'discipline'. Its about identifying what you truly WANT....and are MOTIVATED to do on a daily basis. If you truly WANT cooked food...eat it with awareness. If you truly want to eat healthy food....have the courage to go slow...and at a level that YOU are comfortable with naturally.

-David Z. Mason

[koolkidz]

I've had the same struggles. I have been 90% RAW and so far that is somewhat comfortable for me. I don't want t o be totally comfortable, becase then I will be eating way too much cooked foods. But I have been eating 2-3 cooked meals a week. The rest has been RAW. And like you it is always dinner. Breakfast and lunch aren't hard for me. Dinner is dificult everyday.
But like the others said, I believe the more RAW I eat, the more I will want. That seems to be the case anyway. And I have noticed that the cooked foods I have eaten taste great for about 10 bites. Then I no longer want them. And I usually finish with some raw salad or something. I believe my "need" for cooked foods will diminish as I feel the benefits of RAW!

Good luck!

[chilove]

Hi there!

I think that many people struggle with staying on
track in the evenings because in our culture, the most
importance is typically placed on the evening meal. It's
usually when we get together with family and friends. We
feel a need for more entertainment and stimulation out
of our evening meal due to habit. I would suggest that
you plan ahead and have everything you need on hand to
fix something raw that you really, really like for dinner to replace
the cooked food that you are used to. Find a few filling, satisfying
raw recipes that "hit the spot" so to speak.

I also think it is harder to avoid eating things we'd
prefer not to in the evenings because we are typically
at home, with less "busy-ness" to distract us. We
often feel the need to fill this time with food to
distract us from just "being" with ourselves. You might
want to do some work around this issue.

Thats my theory anyway. :-)

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[FinallyRaw]

I think we make it more difficult on ourselves if we think that we need to be 100% raw from the getgo. There is another forum that doesn't even allow the talk of what percent raw each other is, because it's not all about that.

It about getting the most benefit you can out of raw whether you are 50%, 75% or even 100% raw. And as you see the improvements and health benefits then you will keep adding more raw each week on your own.

The last time I went raw (yes I strayed but I'm back) I was never 100%! And I was ok with that and still considered myself a "raw fooder". I was anywhere from about 80-95% depending on the day/week.

But I got tremendous benefit from that. In less then 3 months I lost 35 lbs., I had more energy then I've ever had, my skin was cleared and glowing, my eyes were vibrant and my self esteem went through the roof. And I was never 100% raw.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't shoot for 100% if that's what you want, I'm just saying don't stress about it if you aren't right away.

Just sit back and enjoy the RAWsome ride.........you're doing fine.

:D