Frustrated!

[tweety]

Hi Everyone,
I am having some frustration with what my body is going through now.
I am 29 so this year I will be 30 and i am also healing from a bad accident last year. I feel like i have so many forces working against me and i am juggling so much in life and in my body that i cant keep up!

I started going raw in October of last year but that didnt last long with the holidays and cold weather that came up. Now I have started doing more raw foods lately and other dietary changes but I am very frustrated that I am not seeing faster results.

I am not a 100% raw foodist, it is not practical for me now as I dont have a car (i am recovering from an accident last year) and i work in a fast-pace corporate job.
BUT! I have a system down at home where i take 2 days throughout the week to cut up fresh veggies and make my breakfast, lunch and snacks everyday. Lots of things are in tupperware and pre-packaged so i can have fresh food at hand. I cant afford a dehydrator yet.
Sometimes this gets very tiring with the same ol routine. i just want to buy lunch and go out for Sushi!!!

Here is a snapshot of my overall diet, but not all foods are consumed in the same day:

- 1 cup lowfat cottage cheese w/ grapes
- Walnut Veggie pate Lettuce Wraps (carrots, mushrooms, onions, walnuts,
sundried tomatoes, red pepper, herbs/spices)
- homemade guacamole
- carrot sticks & celery w/ hummus
- miso soup
- steamed broccoli & carrots w/ olive oile and paprika
- fresh juice from my juicer
- crackers
- water
- tea
- Clif Bars (1 a day)
- walnuts & almonds
- fresh fruit: grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas
- plain yogurt
- organic dark chocolate
- Wild Salmon & Free Range Chicken

now i know some of you are adamant about the whole 100% but i cant use any preaching here cause everyone is different. I am switching to Teechino (herbal coffee) and tea to get off the coffee, coffee destroys my skin and thats one of the reasons why im cutting it out.
i am fatigued now, so this is hard.
i also get what i call "grease attacks" and where i crave fatty french fries and bacon in the morning from our cafeteria. Plus I smell McDonald's wafting their aroma in the city next to the Public Transit stations.. BLECH!

i have been feeling overall better, but something is not right. its different than the first time i went Raw. i dont know if there is an imbalance or i am just having adverse reactions from cutting out coffee AND trying to cut down on my smoking. I did not smoke at all much the first Raw transition, but now i only smoke at least 1 a day and it is a clove and my cravings are decreasing.
I notice with the Raw Foods that i crave smoking LESS.

i also ride my bike and deal with plantar faciitis on the feet so i cant jog.
I have become acustomed to eating more raw so this is not just a fad for me.
My goal is to slim down back to my small size, but my body is going nuts and im not noticing too many big signs in dropping weight...

I have at least 2-3 bowel movements a day so no problem there. do i need more protein? i feel a craving for eggs and chicken again to satiate my appetite and im just tired.

thanks all for listening. im needing a vent now. any advice or motivation is helpful... sorry for the long post but i didnt have time to focus on writing a shorter one.


tweety

[lauralee]

how much weight do you need to lose?

are you possibly near your optimal weight so that's why you're not losing?

[Rawkinlocs]

Cutting out coffee and cigarettes will definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms and cleansing on a deeper level than what you may have previously experienced.

Cravings are just that...cravings. If you can try and not give in to them, they will go away. You don't have to be all raw, but just keep in mind that when you keep cooked food in your diet, you run the risk of it causing you to crave more of it.

The more you incorporate raw, things will pan out. But you probably will not feel as optimally as you could until you release a bit more of those cooked food items - not trying to "preach" to you, just stating an honest possibility.

Also, it is possible that your weight is not doing what you want it to do at this time is because your body is currently trying to focus on healing and recovering.

[tweety]

is it ideal to want to be 130 when I was 25?
I know my body is changing as a woman going into her 30's, but i want to believe that it is possible to attain no matter what!

I used to weigh around 130 to 135, currently i am weighing about 160.

i know that this is not my optimal weight because i put on at least 10 lbs more on after my accident. im thinking i may need more detoxing and completely getting off the coffee because that messes with the adrenals and stress hormones like cortisol levels, etc... i also get cystic acne as a result.

oh gosh did i just post my own answer here?:p

[tweety]

Cutting out coffee and cigarettes will definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms and cleansing on a deeper level than what you may have previously experienced.

Cravings are just that...cravings. If you can try and not give in to them, they will go away. You don't have to be all raw, but just keep in mind that when you keep cooked food in your diet, you run the risk of it causing you to crave more of it.

The more you incorporate raw, things will pan out. But you probably will not feel as optimally as you could until you release a bit more of those cooked food items - not trying to "preach" to you, just stating an honest possibility.

Also, it is possible that your weight is not doing what you want it to do at this time is because your body is currently trying to focus on healing and recovering.

Thanks Rawkinlocs! Yeah you dont sound preachy :D... i think i am just more hard on myself than anything. you are right, i know i am healing on a deeper level, in my mind i am ahead but my body has to catch up!
i am changing my mindset to be more positive also and focus on the good things.

i am healing and im grateful for that. i am just getting impatient and the weather is still cold, and right now the fresh Basil herb in the store is just awful!

Do you think it looks like i have too many "cooked" foods in my overall diet?

oh and i also forgot... i have a Spiral slicer so i am having Raw Pasta w/ tomato and fresh parsely and garlic.. YUM!

tweety

[Rawkinlocs]

Nah...I mean, "too much" or "too many" is really all relative. And from what you've listed, they aren't the worst foods on the planet although I'd really consider removing/replacing those couple of dairy products (cottage cheese and yogurt) if at all possible, but that's just me.

I mean, we're here to try and encourage you to eat as much raw as possible and it seems you are doing that...what is possible at this time for you. No one here can MAKE you go 100% raw...we're not here to police what you eat, but to encourage and inspire you.

But at some point, your body will probably need to be freed from the little bit of cooked food in order to REALLY get down to business. But take your time, there's no rush...this is your journey and you have to do the very best that you can with where you are in it. Just eat as much raw as you possibly can each day and I believe that more and more, you will find your way to eating less and less cooked food or you may one day just get to a point where you say "enough is enough" and just get right to all raw straight away.

But yeah, getting those ciggys and that coffee out of your system is a huge step and will definitely only benefit you in the long run...so congrats on making that decision to eliminate those!

[Apasaraw]

I'm with Rawkinlocs...I felt an amazing difference without Dairy products. As you transition maybe try adding more leafy greens too...they really helped me with cravings BIGTIME. I use fatty dressings so they felt heavier in the beginning (tahini or avocado etc)

Rawkin has also mentioned a book in other posts called Green For Life which has really changed my diet/life. I give it out to people now...greens contain so much of what is essential for our bodies and the things you may need if you leave Dairy. (calcium!)

You're doing really well transitioning...the raw will outweight the non-raw over time. It's all about little changes adding up to the big ones.....good luck! :)