Having trouble giving up a cooked dinner

[brnfmlymom]

Hello-

I really love the idea of going 100% raw... I have been trying it for many meals off and on for the past 6 months.

Whenever I say to myself..."That's it - I'm going 100% raw right now!" I seem to do OK until around 6pm when I have to cook (vegetarian) meals for the other 5 members of my family. It was hard enough to get them used to vegetarian meals! (I started that in January). I am just so hungry by that time... I also STILL feel hungry now even though I just ate a tofu stir fry and a veggie spring roll.(cooked).

I'm pretty sure I am eating enough - personally I think I eat WAY too much! Today I had OJ for breakfast, some sprouted pumpkin seeds, a lemon Lara bar, 2 raw chocolate cookies, a big green salad with carrots and half an avocado, an apple, and then a cooked dinner! I am almost 5'11" tall, so I guess I can take in more calories (I also run and exercise 3-5 days a week)

Any advice? Oh, and I am a huge coffee drinker and I am trying to eventually cut it out - I only had 1 cup today. I drank a lot of green tea to replace the other cups of coffee I usually have.

Any tips on stopping all of the HORRIBLE cravings I have by mid afternoon?

:)

[Stina]

Well, what you're going through is normal. Keep on working on giving up that coffee; it stimulates the appetite in the long run. I hope you're doing lots of smoothies with a variety of leafy greens, as they'll help with cravings. And personally I'd recommend not fighting too hard over dinner. Feed the solution, starve the problem. Why not consider having a big salad before your cooked dinner and letting the cooked food be as healthy as possible. Then a salad, vege raw side dish, then cooked food. Keep squeezing that cooked food percentage smaller and smaller. Treat yourself to a raw dessert. Just don't give up!

[dalimeindacoconut]

The coffee addiction I worked through (use to drink 15 cups of coffee per day), transitioned to decaf coffee, transitioned to decaf tea, transitioned to just completely water or fresh mint tea. This happened over a course of 15 years. More than likely you will be able to do this sooner than me. Since going raw a month and a half into it I stopped eating processed sugar/chocolate (day 8). I was 90% raw before, why? the sugar. This addiction has me by the throat, but it is the first time since I was an infant that I have been able to work through it. I am going to have to learn how to make raw sweets. Figure out a transition meal that will help you. Changing old habits is not an easy process, but you are going through the process and that is all it is...a process.

[MysticTree]

I would recommend an all-out assault on the coffee. No caffeine in the system makes going raw so much easier in my view.

Georgina

[TheAvocadess]

For me, nothing less that 100% works. That 10%... even less can trigger cooked food addiction and keep you falling off the wagon. For some like myself, it's all or constant cravings which suck. 100% is very different than even 99%. This has been said sooo many times. For some, there is no other way.

I'm not the only one here to have experienced this. Viktoria Boutenko's 12 Steps to Raw explains the addictiveness of cooked foods. Excellent read.

[Veganmoon]

I suggest you work on giving up the caffeine first.
I have been totally raw in the past, but still allowed myself to drink caffeine.
It was a real mistake for me.
It just made my cravings much worse and eventually i would have to give it up to stay raw, either that or i would slip back to cooked.
Do yourself a favour, let go of the caffeine.
Its worth cutting back slowly, as caffeine withdrawal can be a little difficult to deal with for some of us!
Good luck

[DavidZaneMason]

My opinion:

-The key is to not stress. BE HONEST. Start out at a level you are 100% comfortable at....and have to give little thought about....and stretch from there by setting VERY SMALL GOALS and keeping them. If you can't keep them....or have acute cravings/discomfort.....you are doing too much....or too fast...or both! LOL. Failures....even noble ones.....help on little. Little successes inspire BIG changes.

-David Z. Mason

[lore-ah]

Giving up caffeine was the best thing I did for myself when I started raw. I had a HUGE Diet Coke addiction. I thought I would die without it. Honestly, for those first three days I thought I was going to die without it! I was laid up in bed and couldn't work (luckily I'm self employed).

Cleaning up my diet was a lot easier without the DC. It's funny, I had a few slip ups this past weekend when we had guests in town. The first thing I was dying for once cooked food hit my mouth was a Diet Coke. it was torture. I managed not to drink it. I made a fruit smoothie when the craving got really bad and water wasn't cutting it.

[KittyMommy]

I've avoided coffee so far in my raw journey. I noticed a long time ago that I associate coffee (regular or decaf) with starchy food, and more particularly dessert. It's a trigger for me, so I avoid it.

[Bananapie]

I found I was unable to go 100% until
A. I could not stand my health issues any longer and
B. Added large amounts of greens to my diet.

I think until I added the large amount of greens my body kept craving the cooked food. By large amount I mean I am having green smoothies for breakfast with three kale leaves and two swiss card or some combo where at least have of the smoothie is greens. Big green saled and even using greens to role up pates and such. I also find that I am eating lots and lots of food like three big saleds a day plus snacks. If I don't eat a whole bunch of raw food than I start wanting the cooked.

I also cook dinner for my family but luckily I have a hubbie that will cook three nights out of the week and that really helps. If you partner doesn't cook maybe you could prep a few in a row so yo don't have to deal with the cooked food during your evening hour.

going raw while raising a family is an added challenge give your self a pat on the back for going for it!

[meancat]

I agree with quite a few posters about just giving up the coffe 100% When I started raw --only a few weeks ago, I drank tons of coffee, when I woke up, all day and then all night at work (I work midnights).

Didn't think I could give it up--didn't really want to give it up but I knew years and years of caffine is not a healthy practice so one day I just didn't make my usual pot when I woke.

Had the worst headache for 5 days straight and felt like crap.

After getting over that withdrawal--I can honestly say when I wake up, I'm awake. It doesn't take 40min and a pot of coffee for me to feel good. (Still have issues with wanting something hot though) But I think conquering that one addiction will make you stronger to conquer the cooked food addiction.

I still have strong food addictions, but at least I'm thinking about coffee all day too! :)

Good Luck

[brnfmlymom]

Thanks everyone for all of the encouraging responses. I think I will buy Alissa's book for myself for a Christmas present. (On a tight budget, you know)

At the current moment, although I have the ultimate goal of being 100% raw, I am actually comfortable with the one cooked meal at dinner. It was a HUGE step for me to also give up my breakfast cereal with milk in the morning - it was my favorite thing in the whole world!

I found some raw chocolate cookies at Whole Foods yesterday made by a company in Ashland Oregon - My kids even like them! I really wanted something cooked at lunch today, and I ate one of those instead - YUM! Craving gone!

I love this board!

[RawRoch]

For me, nothing less that 100% works. That 10%... even less can trigger cooked food addiction and keep you falling off the wagon.

I agree with that totally....that 10% can sabotage your efforts. Also, maybe you could try preparing your uncooked meal first then prepare the cooked meal so when the cooked meal is done, everyone has a plate and your family can still eat together. Just a suggestion, hope it helps.


Tamara

[pdx kris]

Staying all raw until dinner is taking a huge step in improving your health, so major kudos to you, especially for having stuck with it for six months!

I'm wondering if someone else can cook dinner in your household? If they are eating it, I say they can chip in and help prepare it! :)

Another thing to consider if having other members of the family cook won't work, could you possibly shift your own meal times around so that you eat a large, satisfying meal a half-hour or so before you begin to prepare their dinner? Or make a pact with yourself to eat a HUGE green salad with dinner, and finish it before you are "allowed" to have any of the cooked foods?

[StarFire]

LOTS OF GREAT SUGGESTIONS! and... drink a HUGE AMOUNT of water before you start cooking. then drink ANOTHER HUGE glass of water while you're cooking... (by HUGE - I mean 16 ounces... 32 ounces... ;) ... HUGE) then... have a beautiful salad or something you can eat with the rest of the family... chances are you will be pretty full from all the water!! and won't feel much like eating a big dinner!! RAWK ON and good luck! :D

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