Rushing into things

[missthomas86]

I feel like im rushing into raw because in my opinion, i know its the right way of living. I know the benefits, as i have been researching raw for quite some time now but i dont feel as if im ready to go 100% yet. At first i had a all or nothing attitude, but obviously that has changed. I dont feel like im giving up on myself i just feel like i need to do things properly. I feel like i need to nourish my body before i transition because lately i have not been eating properly. So i will be taking smaller steps to get to my goal instead of jumping right into it. Just wanted to vent (maybe i should have wrote this in my journal instead)!!!

[Nurse in the Raw]

What ever works for you. Everyone is different and we are all on different paths to raw health. Just make a plan and stick with it.

[StarFire]

I agree with stacie... its all a journey -- and we must do what works for us.

out of curiosity though... when you say you need to nourish yourself....before going raw.... what exactly do you mean? can you give us an example of what you are referring to - or what you plan on doing?

i do know when I transitioned to raw - i followed the 30 day plan in Alissas book.... and I believe it saved my life .... and as a result of the changes I made in my life -- I know it saved my marriage!

at the time that I jumped in -- I was at the worst point in my life nutritionally, emotionally, and physicially..... I jumped in because I needed nourishment!!

so -- I'm just curious as to what you mean or plan on doing.... you can tell me to mind my own business and I won't be offended though!! :D

no worries... be happy....

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/a3b44903.jpg

[Blazin'Jane]

Whatever works. I just dove in and had to go to the store about 3 times the first week. I wasn't too organized, but I just kept eating raw and now it's 10 mos. later and I feel terific.
I have a friend who is wading into RAW gradually. She's now at 2 meals/day RAW, sometimes 3, but hangs onto coffee and going out to dinner with friends occasionally. It's working for her and I trust that she'll do the very healthy thing eventually.
I agree---get a plan that you can live with and go for it.

[Marcus]

I couldn't do 100% from day one. Now, I have the 100% day here and there, and I'm increasing them as I'm able.

But I'm feeling WAY better even when not 100%.

Like Starfire said . . . No worries. ;)

[EZ rider]

Do your best and leave the rest

[missthomas86]

Ok i have been eating junk food like crazy with occasional fruits and no veggies and i know my body is pretty toxic. I dont like raw veggies except carrots so when i say nourish i meant at least consuming some cooked veggies even though the enzymes aren't present its better than continuosly eating junk. Unfortunately that has not happened. I only crave sweets and if it aint sweets then its something salty. I dont really know whats going on with my body right now. My cycle is 2 weeks past due. I have taken two pregnancy test and they both read not pregnant. Im not stressed, but have had weight fluctuation. I believe when i re-entered meat in my diet that is what threw my cycle off. (was vegan for about 2 months). With the raw lifestyle im still learning. Im still trying to figure out what is truly raw and whats not.

I just want to be at peace with myself and not think so much about this. I prayed of what i should do and i got my answer. (raw) Maybe me listening to what i was told to do will give me a peace of mind. Maybe fear is keeping me from doing what i know is right vs. doing what i know or what im used to. I dunno. Thanks you guys for the support though i appreciate it alot.

[Yana]

I;m so sorry you are going through such a tough time, I am also sorry I don't have much help to offer. I do want to comment on the sweet and salty cravings. Before raw I was constantly eating candy, other empty sweets, mostly lollipops and things, a favorite was push pops. I also ate salty everything!! Salt on anything i ate, i didn't eat much junk, like chips and such but salt on everything. i went raw 100% overnight, one day just randomly stumbled upon it all just surfing the net, one random search to another somehow led me to it. I know you are not comfortable with going 100% but I can not stress enough how it completely obliterated my need for sugar and salt, and i'm talkin 7 spoons easy in a cup of tea, probably 6 cups a day, not to mention all the sucking candies.

I hope that helps somehow, either way, you are definitely not alone!!

With love,

Yana

[spiralgirl]

Mom and sister started first and then I was still eating crap but eating raw meals with them. Three weeks later I went cold turkey 100% raw and never thought I would.

I agree with others though you need to do what works for you and will help you reach your goals.

Like StarFire I was desperate for a change and was headed for a lot of health problems.

[crystalmoon]

Hi missthomas86 I just wanted to say Hi & to share that I have had to leave the November challenge cos I just cant seem to be 100% raw 100% of the time right now...guess Im going to have to take a more gradual transition approach ...Im aiming for all raw but if i slip Im making a promise to myself today that I will only eat vegan healthy cooked foods like steamed veg...no more slips into crappy eating!!! I also just want peace with myself & am really new to being a vegan too, let alone a raw vegan ;)
It seems to have been raw cacao & homemade chocolate desserts that kick started my backslide :(
I wish for you all that you need for a successful transition. Will be thinking of you.

[missthomas86]

Thanks all and its not that i dont want to be 100% at this time its just the cost of it and not knowing what things are purely raw. For example, I bought some oat groats at the health store thinking they were 100% raw and they weren't. When i tried to sprout them they stunk and turned into mush. Im not going to say i wasted money, but i really cant affort to throw money away. I really do want to be 100% and i have tried/thought about going cold turkey because i was going to transition with a green smoothie fast. Now that its cold, i make excuses and want something warm for breakfast and usually turn to something typical like cereal, etc. Another thing is blocking tempting foods out of my mind at work. Im a nanny so the kids and their parents eat whatever they want, the same at my house and my boyfriends house. I know i need to improve my willpower and i cant really say that im trying cause id be lying. I do want to be 100% as i know it will cure my overeating/binging and i will be a much healthier person. I would love to do a juice feast including veggies but will need to get a good juicer first. Things will work out, eventually.

[Hannah]

Hey There - imho the thing about switching to raw or any making any lifestyle change for that matter - is that the individual needs to switch to new habits (or whatever) when they are ready ... my journey to raw has been 5 years in the works - I've been 100% for 45 days and I wouldn't have been able to do that if I hadn't swung back and forth and stewed about it for a bit. It took me this long to be ready to roll with it - and now I'm just going with it ... Alissa's book was a big help to me in demysitfying raw eating and living and made me feel like I could be as nonchalant about going raw as I wanted to be ... its really helpful to have rawfoodtalk as an outlet for my interest and enthusiasm, while being able to maintain myself as usual in the rest of my life - I guess I thought it was a lot more involved when I was in the exploration phase - now that I'm living it it's no big deal (sometimes anticipation is more challenging than reality). I hope I've not bored you with my ramblings. Good luck in your journey - I look forward to hearing more about it!

[EZ rider]

its not that i dont want to be 100% at this time its just the cost of it and not knowing what things are purely raw.For truly raw foods go to the produce department of most food stores and all you need to eat most of them is a cutting knife and board.

[Katelyn]

Hey missthomas -- are you on goneraw too? Your name is familiar. :)

Anyway, I found that being 100% raw was great, but that I wanted to be able to enjoy some old favorite cooked foods once in a while. I didn't really crave them per se, but I wanted them. It was a choice to eat them, not something I was caving into.

Anyway, my result was this (maybe it will work for you too): I am going to be as 100% raw as I can be, all the time (minus a few questionable ingredients, and maybe some peanut butter to get me through those dessert 'cravings' - dates and nut butter are a life saver)... BUT... my friends and I decided that, once a month, we're going to allow ourselves to prepare a meal with whatever we want (as long as its somewhat high quality... like we're not going to just binge on cookes!)... and we're not going to feel bad or worry about it. Then, the next day, its back to healthy eating until next month where we can pick one day then to do the same.

We just started it, so we'll see how it works out. The first one, my boyfriend and I went to whole foods and each picked out a small appetizer, an entree, and a dessert we wanted. It was too much food looking back (so I'll know next time to cut down on the quantity), but it was REALLY enjoyable. That being said, it actually didn't taste nearly as good, varied, vibrant, etc. as my usual fruit and salad, and of course didn't make me feel as good... but the experience was wonderful all the same.

Maybe allowing yourself a day like this will make it easier to push through cravings. Also, dates and peanut butter help me get through any sugar/salt cravings (although I really don't have them so bad anymore).

This might also help: I find that eating ONLY fruit all day (except a salad at night, which I might even forego if I wanted to cleanse on any particular day) is VERY satisfying. In fact, I find a salad at dinner tends to kickstart cravings / binging at night... which will end up with me eating too many nuts. But, fruit is entirely different. Its so varied and I can pick whatever type of taste I want at that moment and have AS MUCH as I want. So I'll have like two oranges, or maybe an apple, or some bananas, or cherries... and I always try to have one fruit at a time, then wait until I'm hungry again to have more. Usually I'm good for an hour at least. But I'm never craving... just hungry when the fruit passes. I definitely owe it to fruit that I've been able to go ~ a month 100% raw.

Just some ideas... good luck figuring out what works for you. Its definitely a difficult journey to break out of old habits, especially when it revolves around food. Its something we've done everyday (or close to it) for our whole lives. Be patient with yourself and don't get frustrated. :) There's always tomorrow, and the rest of your life, to get it right.

[missthomas86]

Thanks for the advice and yes i am on goneraw, but the site is down:( . I just bought a juicer and i am going to be doing a juice feast in a couple of days as this is how i plan to transition. Thanks again everyone for all the encouragement and advice.

[starborne]

Katelyn, I like your idea of allowing yourself one day a month to eat whatever.
Being new at this myself, I think that the best thing for me to do is to transition into this lifestyle. Interesting that you found your experience of eating cooked foods on your designated day, not quite as satisfying as you thought it might be. It's funny, because I was really thinking of doing the same thing you did, and believe that by allowing myself that opportunity, 1) I won't feel deprived and 2) the 'thrill' will be gone by the cooked food. Kinda like an old boyfriend that I was once so crrraaazzzzzy about yet knew it was a dysfunctional relationship... seeing him again after time apart, wondering "What was so terrific about *him*? I'm so glad to be a healthy relationship now! " :p

[Katelyn]

Starborne - I love your analogy! :D Its exactly like that. What was so amazing about cooked food?! Personally, I think fruit is the best <3

But yes, it is nice to be able to enjoy food like I once did... at least, in a WAY that I once did. Its not AS enjoyable anymore, but I'm hoping that one day soon I can sit down with some elaborate raw meals and enjoy those instead. :)