Yet another cooked food addict :(

[soulshine78]

I really want be raw I have such a problem with food. It seems like I can't ever find anyone that ever had a tough time transitioning. I just can't get thru a week or even 1 full day. I was thinking of trying some sort of a juice fast or something to TRY to control my overeating/food issues. Every day I say this is the day and then just give in and say okay maybe later, maybe tomorrowe then that doesn't happen either. I think it's just that I have been such a huge cooked food addict, then former diet pill addict that I am just having a tough time with "letting go". But I also could be making a bigger deal out of it in my brain than it really is, ya know? :confused: :(

[halikatak]

Instead of jumping into being 100% raw, why don't you take it slow and start out by having 1/2 of every meal as raw?

I have been raw for 8 days and am 99% (cuz I put sugar in my tea :rolleyes:). I find that what keeps me in line is the creativity of coming up with new things to make and eat! It's fun for me.


You should take it slow - do what works for you!
You'll get support on here no matter what! :p
YOU CAN DO IT!

[soulshine78]

Instead of jumping into being 100% raw, why don't you take it slow and start out by having 1/2 of every meal as raw?

I have been raw for 8 days and am 99% (cuz I put sugar in my tea :rolleyes:). I find that what keeps me in line is the creativity of coming up with new things to make and eat! It's fun for me.


You should take it slow - do what works for you!
You'll get support on here no matter what! :p
YOU CAN DO IT!

Thanks, I think I may be able to handle something like that, just to get thru my thick brain that doesn't want to shush!

[EZ rider]

I think most everyone of us has had at least some problems going raw or staying raw but it is doable. Look at how many of us there are that go day after day not only without SAD food but totally enjoying the live foods that fuel our bodies with health, radiance, and joy so don't give up. I think it was Winston Churchill who said "never, never, never give up". I f you get up each day and make it a new day there will come a time when your perseverance prevails.

[Antari]

Check out the 'obese raw foodists' link. A lot of us are having problems with cooked food. You may just find an answer. Good luck.

[DavidZaneMason]

In my experience/opinion.....many cannot transition to a healthier diet.....just for it's own sake.....without having some crisis (external or internal).....and some over-riding goal or dream that NECESSITATES healthy eating. It is your GOALS that will make available to you the healthy circumstances that allow that goal - not the other way around.

-David Z. Mason

[JennaBoBenna]

Hey soulshine,
I'm a serious cooked addict, and I have lots of issues with food. I've been on this raw journey for a little over 2 years, and the longest I've stayed 100% is 2 1/2 months. I can make beautiful, fantastic, great tasting food, I just always allow a little cooked in eventually and then I'm eating too much cooked. So, I just recently looked into hypnosis to help with my eating habits, and it's working! It's a hypnosis CD designed for dieters. It talks about healthy eating habits, how to resist temptation and all sorts of good stuff :)

[halikatak]

So, I just recently looked into hypnosis to help with my eating habits, and it's working! It's a hypnosis CD designed for dieters. It talks about healthy eating habits, how to resist temptation and all sorts of good stuff :)


That sounds interesting! Keep us updated on how that goes!
I tried hypnosis CDs before, but they say that some people are more hynotizeable (is that a word?!?! ;) ) than others.

I tried it a few times and I just couldn't get over the guy's voice - it was a little creepy. Maybe I need a lady voice :rolleyes:

[JennaBoBenna]

That sounds interesting! Keep us updated on how that goes!
I tried hypnosis CDs before, but they say that some people are more hynotizeable (is that a word?!?! ;) ) than others.

I tried it a few times and I just couldn't get over the guy's voice - it was a little creepy. Maybe I need a lady voice :rolleyes:

haha, funny! The guy on my CDs sort of reminds me of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, a cute little old man voice hehe :D

[inspiredraw]

Believe me, Soulshine, you definitely are NOT the only one who starts out the day saying they're going to be raw only to be very cooked by the end of the day. I can't tell you how many times I've said that I'll have this or that one last time and end up eating it again by the end of the week. :rolleyes:

I think what David said has some merit, although even the fact that I need to eat raw for health reasons has not been enough of an incentive to give up cooked. It's like when I used to smoke years ago. What got me to finally quit was not the health issue but the smell (go figure). I'm not sure I want to give up cooked entirely any way. I think I could be happy being about 85%. But I may be deluding myself into thinking I can handle it. It's like an alcoholic saying she can have just one drink a week. But I'm not giving up. I think the idea of eating some raw at each meal is a good idea.

Ciao for now!

[soulshine78]

Thanks all for the words of encouragement, JennaBoBenna where did you get the c.d from?

[meancat]

Soulshine---I'm right there with ya. I start some days with the best intentions and blow it in as little as 2 hours . Then I'm mad at myself because I don't have enough will power to make it through 1 day!! Sometimes I make it a week, but I'll tell you--some days all I think about is my old cooked favorites, especially since I cook SAD for my household.

Just hang in there and keep trying, from what I've been reading on this site the more raw you eat, the more your body will not want and crave cooked foods. I know when I eat cooked foods, I feel horrible for days afterward so right now I'm using that as my motivator not to eat sad.

Remember--you are not the only one that didn't just glide into the transition without any trouble or backstepping---so don't beat yourself up or wonder why its seems so hard for just you--most of us are having the same struggles. :o

[4forme]

I understand this more than I want to for sure! Just yesterday and today I ate something cooked, out of habbit and mentally not thinking of the consequesnces. Not even caring actually.
The stupid thing is, I ate something I am intolerant to! What in the world!!???
So it wasn't enough for me to get a massive headache yesterday as a result, that I did it again today, not realizing the connection. Upon dealing with my migraine this afternoon I finally feel like I don't want to go near that stuff again! UGH.
I just keep reminding myself it's a journey, not an instant arrival and some surreal destination. Keep walking in the right direction and eventually we will get there.
Bite by bite, have a great raw day!

[EZ rider]

What helps me to continue to change course toward raw (its an ongoing journey) is I ask myself - is this natural - is this a fuel the body was made to run on ? I am confident that the body if given the right conditions can and will flourish in radiant good health. So given that then my job becomes to support my body with what it needs to be healthy. If the wrong foods can cause health problems can the right foods cause good health ? If you think eating the right foods will support your body in good health then you may want to set your course toward making that happen. It becomes a matter of making the right choices at each step of the journey so that your goal of better health can be reached.

[maui_butterfly]

i'm slipping up right there with you. last night i popped a nasty tater tot with catsup into my mouth for no reason but to spite myself! gross!

there are a million tips and tricks, and what works for some people will not work for others. the raw food path is kind of like yoga... you can't compare your progress to the progress of the person on the mat next to you. its all about being YOU, sometimes joyfully, sometimes painfully. so don't compare yourself to anyone else, or imagine that everyone is effortlessly succeeding where you are struggling/failing. when i slip, i just get back in the saddle and move forward. NO BLAME, NO SHAME. shame does more to keep us in our ruts than anything else. the only meal/bite that is important is the NEXT one, not the last one (or the last 200).

here's some things that have worked for me:

set an intention. write it down. have a little mantra that goes with it. mine is this: "i release all blocks to my optimum health and well-being. my mind and God's mind are one." breathe deeply and let your words sink into your body.

when i am chiding myself for eating something i wish i had not, i remind myself that i ate 600x more raw food today than i did on a typical day of my "healthy" vegetarian SAD diet of 19 years. i congratulate myself on finding the raw path (how many people even have this in their awareness?!? we are BLESSED.).

this is a process of learning about yourself. consider it a grand research project! have the detachment of a scientist observing its subject, like Jane Goodall and the gorillas! instead of going into the negative self talk ("i shouldn't have! i'm lame! i'm weak! i know better! why is this so hard for me?") remain detached and observe, be interested in the proces ("isnt that INTERESTING how i just ate a piece of my daughter halloween candy and now i have a headache" "isn't that INTERESTING that i am not hungry at all, but i still am craving a taco bell bean burrito... hmmm, my cravings must have nothing at all to do with hunger! Fascinating!" )

just notice without judgement. how does the craving feel in your body? is your stomach or chest tight, do you clench your jaw, are you antsy? take some deep, nourishing breaths into those areas and try to calm them. notice your feelings before you eat cooked foods or when you're eating them... are they ones of shame, self-loathing, rebellion, self-punishment, anxiety, etc.? does eating cooked foods help make you feel more "numb" (it does for me! nothing like a big bean and cheese burrito to totally numb me out so i stop being aware of my feelings...)

learn what your triggers are so you can think of strategies to combat them in the future. do you eat cooked food when you are feeling sad? bored? deprived? for me, deprivation is a big trigger. when i'm feeling that way, i go to the grocery store and troll the produce section and allow myself to purchase whatever i am attracted to without looking at the price. it might be the most ridiculously overpriced luxury item... a $6 dragonfruit? $10 for a small bag of rambutans? organic raspberries out of season $20/pint? why the heck not? mind you, i'm on a budget and this can't and doesn't happen often, but when i need it, i allow it.

i also did a Master Cleanse right before i started my raw foods journey, and i know that helped me eliminate a lot of addictions (my starbucks latte a day habit that i had been trying to kick FOREVER and was really struggling with... completely gone after the cleanse)

you're not alone (obviously). you've got a lot of people right here with you, supporting you. the whole universe is supporting you on your journey. isn't it fabulous?!?

[soulshine78]

What great words maui butterly, I agree with everything you said, it helped too. I definitley like the comparison to yoga, as I am a huge fan of yoga, although trying to get adjusted to this new job I have it fell to the waste side but I started that back up again. I was thinking of doing maybe the master cleanse or just a juice fast to help get rid of some of my mental food addictions.

[Hannah]

Wow - Maui Butterfly really hit the nail on the head (for me anyway) ... these thought processes have been working great for me - I try to release judgement of any and all my food choices and instead just witness and watch my body, my emotions, my self at large ... its really helpful!

And I also try to use Alissa's approach, when you are 100% raw - especially at the beginning, recognizing that accomplishment and releasing judgement over your specific food choices (as long as its raw you can eat it whenever and whereever and with whatever). I won't eat this way forever, but my current rawdom is the longest I've ever gone before eating 100% without any cooked ...

Also something else that helped me to transition, was adding in foods to my diet rather than eliminating or withholding foods - so I would for instance have a green smoothie first thing in the day (and then if I wanted more for breakfast -I normally didn't- I could have whatever I wanted), then I also added in 2 green salads before my lunch and dinner meals - I had to eat them first (my rule) ... eventually I made the salads bigger and bigger and added in more fruits and nuts and soon I was ready to transition in what felt like an easy, natural manner - I hope this helps!!! Remember to focus on what you are doing well, rather than where you fall short!

[crystalmoon]

Hi Soulshine Im journeying alongside you. Ive recently had more cooked food than Ive had in ages...Ive got flu & have been craving steamed veg & hot homemade veg soup. Its not raw but its not junk so Im letting myself work through the process. I havent developed a raw strategy for illness or emotional upset/stress yet & these seem to be what triggers me going back to cooked foods. I know I need to build new neural pathways so that I reach for raw food for comfort & not cooked. I am soooooooo not at the stage where I only eat when I am hungry. LOL
Ive lost sight of the path I was originally on & have been obsessing about food way too much to be healthy. It was only August 19th of this year when I decided to become vegan for ethical/environmental reasons. Lately Ive lost sight of that being my original goal & have focussed too much on whether i am 100% raw. I am vegan & have continued to be vegan despite cooking standard food every day for my meat eating family. This is a real achievement that I only really took notice of today.
Any day I eat any raw food is a massive improvement on what I was eating like only a few months ago.
Is that the same for you?
Maybe you can congratulate yourself for every raw item you eat?
Thats what I intend to do from now on.
Hang on in there we can & will do this as and when our bodies are ready.

[EZ rider]

Ive lost sight of the path I was originally on & have been obsessing about food way too much to be healthy. It was only August 19th of this year when I decided to become vegan for ethical/environmental reasons. Lately Ive lost sight of that being my original goal & have focussed too much on whether i am 100% raw.My goal is focused on HEALTH. The raw food lifestyle supports health. IMO.

[SuBu]

Unfortunately, for many of us it began about weight loss and if the numbers aren't meeting our magic bullet mentality, it becomes difficult to stay focussed, IMO.

[EZ rider]

Unfortunately, for many of us it began about weight loss and if the numbers aren't meeting our magic bullet mentality, it becomes difficult to stay focussed, IMO.I agree with you and the best thing to do as far as health is concerned is to put the calorie counters and scales into the attic and focus on doing a good job of living the raw food lifestyle.

[goodbeets]

This has been a great thread to read. thanks, Soulshine. I have found that raw foods do amazing things to eliminate my stress but if my stress gets really ramped up (as in CURRENTLY) it is easy for me to find myself overeating raw or munching on cooked. I am working on seeing it as MY choice rather than getting angry at myself.

I just started reading a book called, "Why Women Want". The author had suffered from anorexia in her college days. She is addressing the question of our appetites and what are we not giving our selves, what are we not allowing ourselves to create or consume that is shifting us into consuming something, maybe anything! Anyway, I feel it is presenting some very interesting ideas.

A therapist once told me not to focus on falling off but on getting back on.

Good luck, at least you know you ain't rowing this boat alone!!

[soulshine78]

Goodbeets- I definitely agree with what you said and I think I just need to change my way of thinking and go more for the mindset of focusing on getting back on, I think that is great for sure! It's also great to know I'm not in this alone. I actually went out on a date with my husband for dinner to a restaurant he loves, got a huge salad and was fine and happy with it. I knew we were going ahead of time, so I was able to check out their menu online and see what my choices were. I always felt reading a lot of posts in the past that so many people made the transition so easy and had no problems, but it's great to know there is support out there! :)

[D'vorah]

That sounds interesting! Keep us updated on how that goes!
I tried hypnosis CDs before, but they say that some people are more hynotizeable (is that a word?!?! ;) ) than others.

I tried it a few times and I just couldn't get over the guy's voice - it was a little creepy. Maybe I need a lady voice :rolleyes:

Try this, I LOVE her voice:

http://www.wendi.com/thin/

Deborah

[raw journey]

I have been on this journey for a long time. Every time I "fail" I look for new tools to make it work this time. I have tried juice fasting trying to get back into the raw life style and it does reset you mentally, emotionally, and physically to start eating raw. I myself, however, always found fasting a lot easier than eating. What has and is helping me this time is Pema Chodron's CD Getting Unstuck:Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality. You can download it from iTunes for $ 7.95. It showed me all my inner resistance I developed when I thought of eating cooked food and the fear that went along with and the final surrender to what I did not want to do. Talk about misery all the way. I also listen to Hay House Radio on the internet and jump on my treadmill when the going gets rough. Don't give up, you are not alone. Lots of light and love