80/10/10 (811) question

[laughter4u]

Hi everyone!

I am a rookie to this raw world so please forgive my ignorance and thank you for letting me learn from you. I am confused and would welcome some advice. While I understand that this new lifestyle I am embarking upon is a lifestyle change and a marathon rather than a sprint, I still want to get this weight off. I am 30 lbs. overweight and now have the time for me to pursue this desire.

I have read Dr. Graham's 80/10/10 (811) and think I want to begin there for a month and then transition into something more realistic for life. I have abused my body for years with sugar (i.e. chocolate) and would have shot it up if I could!......Not really. I want to be kind to my body and I thought this might be a good approach. Any enlightenment would be helpful and thanks!

[Veganforlife]

Hey! Welcome to you! You've come to the best place for inspiration, information, and fun.
If you don't have Alissa's book and DVD, I suggest purchasing them. Powerful tools (the best out there, I know - I have 'em all) for learnng about raw. She outlines a 30-day raw challenge. Here is a link to some basic info too.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

And this link provides info on her 30-day raw challenge
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/index.html

Welcome to the raw world baby!!!

[Frecs]

Well, ulimately you have to do what you feel is right for you. That said, I wouldn't recommended using the 8/1/1 as a transition step. In fact, I wouldn't recommend 8/1/1 at all, personally. I would recommend that you do Alissa's 30 Day Challenge to get started on the right track. If you want to be more conservative with your fats than some seem to think Alissa is, then I'd say set a target of 20% fat (your body needs good fats coming in as it clears out the bad fats) rather than 10%. In fact, if you actually read Alissa's dietary recommendations, she isn't saying go hog wild with the fat -- just not to make your beginning phase so restrictive that you can't succeed.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.

[Revvell]

I want to be kind to my body and I thought this might be a good approach. Any enlightenment would be helpful and thanks!

If you REALLY want to be kind to your body, following Alissa's approach will do that. Restricting food that one's body needs is NOT being kind, it's being welll, restrictive. As a child, did you think being restrictive was FUN? Did you think people were KIND when they said to be quiet, stop laughing, stop being joy-filled? Same here. Give your body love by allowing it to decide what it wants, when it wants. What I just got is how people will indulge in all kinds of foods ~ and overeating ~ and then, their solution is to "restrict". They go from on extreme to another. For most people, just eating raw foods is restrictive (it's actually not. It's quite the opposite). Why add more stress by restricting even more?

As VeganforLife says, get the book and dvd's, join in the 30-day challenge and see how fun eating raw can be WITHOUT unnecessary restrictions while bringing your body to it's ideal weight and health. You may also want to read the mission statement here. This site is for Alissa's approach to health and is in support of that, not 8-1-1 or any other.

Be well,

Revvell

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Laughter4u and welcome to RFT!

Well, I want to just kinda cut to the chase here - Alissa started a thread in this same forum called "New rules for posting" - I think that it's a good idea to take a gander at that so you'll understand her expectations for the forum. She designed RFT to be a forum that was an off-shoot of her book, "Living on Live Food" and Dr. Graham's 811 approach is very different from her approach.

One of the main things Alissa teaches in her book and dvd (and what her approach is all about) is that when a person is new to raw, they should just eat raw...no restrictions and no restraints lest you find it too restrictive, too boring, no fun, etc. and end up quitting. I'd suggest (if you don't have it already) getting a copy of her book (see this review here: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21157&) and read it.

Basically her approach is FREEDOM! Freedom to eat raw and have fun with it and then once your body has gotten adjusted to eating raw and the lighter-than-cooked-food feeling that comes along with it, THEN you can start tweaking and finding what "method" of raw works better for you... if you need to start cutting back on fats, eating more or less fruit, etc. and that way you have allowed your body to focus on getting accustomed to not having cooked food any longer WHILE not feeling deprived.

So, in essence, RFT won't get into too much of a major discussion about the 811 method of eating raw so if you have specific questions regarding that particular approach, it's best to visit Dr. Graham's discussion group. I understand that you are wanting to only start off with that and then get into a more realistic approach (I guess this could be assumed to be something more like Alissa's approach) and we would be more than happy to support you but we just don't want new members feeling as though they have to be restrictive with their raw eating by putting too much focus on that particular approach to raw. Many people have lost a lot of weight just by eating raw, period. Some may eventually find that they have to cut down (not out) the fat intake and Alissa even addresses that in her book but YOU may find that you lose weight by going raw without the restraints!

[Rawkinlocs]

Geez guys! Okay so it took me a while to draft up this post and here you all have said pretty much what I said already and beat me to the punch...there weren't any replies when I started typing! :rolleyes:


:D :D

[laughter4u]

Wow!......you all are wonderful and such a blessing. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because, after being I am so exasperated from all the conflicting information, I think I finally found an answer. THANK YOU!

The word that resonates best with me right now is "Freedom" and from the sound of it, you all have found it here. I was getting confused and by no means meant any disrespect to any other "method" or way of living raw. It didn't feel right to me, however that doesn't mean it is not the way for anyone else. Your guidance into freedom and peace is what I need right now.

Thank you, thank you, my new and enlightened friends! You have given my a great gift today.....Now can you do anything about speeding up the mail so I can receive the book already?

Tammy

[hypnocmt]

As someone who has tried both...I strongly recommend starting with Alissa's approach. On 8-1-1 I felt like I was opbsessed with food (as in deprived beyond belief), and like monitoring my intake was a full time job. I was weak, and my skin was like parchment paper. No thank you. If it can't be fun, I should at least feel good, right? Alissa's approach is both fun, easy, natural/intuitive, and enlivening. It also is wise, in that it does not reinforce BAD eating habits, and disordered relationships wiuth food. Just the opposite, it heals the body and our mindset about it and our FUEL. Quality fuel, quality engine.

The initial transitional phase is like taste-bud bootcamp- DISCOVERY!

Find new flavors and preparations of healthy foods that you can fall in love with. Experiment with recipes until your find 5 or 6 that you feel can be your foundation meals.

Once you discover, as we all do, how much richer, flavorful, and energizing this kind of food is....then you can start refining...deciding whether you have a body which thrives on more fats...less fats...more fruit..less fruit... smoothies....salads...or just grazing on stuff which is simple and garden/orchard-fresh. Every single on of us has a unique profile in this regard. Experimenting is a much more reliable way to find YOUR best combination...your key to unlocking your personal potential for vitality.

Best of luck. IT WORKS!!!

[tanawana]

I was about 4-5 years 8-1-1 myself. Looking back, alot of it was a mistake and a poor choice I believe. It got me into raw which was good and doing it a way I could carry on year after year where other raw food train of thoughts fell short. But, I think Alissa has a more common sense approach that works better for all people. Learn to eat this way and adjust and find what you need or what works for you. Be flexible. Then again, this is me. :)