Dealing with the addiction

[oceanee]

I was wondering if there has been a thread such as this in the past and if anyone was interested in talking back and forth about. I was thinking it could be very helpful to talk specifically about cooked food addiction, the benefits of raw, how to overcome when the wave of addiction pounces and all that sort of stuff.
Anyone?
Oceanee

[aliciamatheson]

I think you just started it! Let it roll oceanee...I remember when I first was raw (about a year ago) I tried to eat raw all week and then have a SAD meal at the weekend. But I found the minute I had the cooked carbs, it was like I was possessed by some force to have more and more. Carb monster.

After a few "experiments" I quickly realized this was not going to work for me.

Thanks for starting this! Alicia

[Veganforlife]

Two words:

GREEN SMOOTHIES!

For real! These really really help one overcome the SAD/CRAP addictions. Try it, you'll see. And if you do a search on this topic, you'll see many posts where folks have incorporated green smoothies into their daily meals and overcome hard-core addictions. Not only food, but smoking and drinking.
They are miracle drinks.

[NYbutterfly]

I don't feel that I truly was able to overcome my food addictions until I juice fasted. Now my cravings have vanished. I even cooked a SAD thanksgiving dinner for 6 people and tonight made 100 SAD christmas cookies without a bit of temptation on my part. NO desire for this stuff at all, whereas I normally would have binged on these foods and then most likely purged. I finally feel free. It took some time and plenty of challenges to get there, but the journey was a great learning experience.

[Lady Green Jeans]

It is hard some days and not a thought on others. I guess trusting the process and doing it one meal at a time is the best approach for me. Trying to remember that this is my choice to honor my body with the very best I can provide to keep healthy. Also remembering that eating dead animal flesh leaves me feeling weighed down and very heavy--and angry. Cooked vegan also does not feel right to me. No vibrancy at all if I weaken and decide to eat something cooked. Draining is maybe the right word.

Today coming home I was very hungry and did not have something to hold me over. I almost stopped and got something unhealthy and kicked the thought back out of my brain--made it to the store for some restocking and had a nice handful of nuts to tide me over till dinner. I feel good to have faced this and decided the best for my body.

Thank you for the great thread.

Kathy

[oceanee]

I think it is one thing to know all the intellectual reasons of why RAW is so wonderful, then there is the true knowing from doing but then...with addiction there are times, emotions, smells, joys,exhaustion, whatever triggers for each ( and we are all very different) what really makes one stay without falter?
I am all over knowing the carb addiction and know I cannot stray and I must stay 100%. If I deviate with let's say, some pasteurized lemon juice that's fine but I cannot dare test myself at a weak moment with a bagette for instance. ( Don't think I want to, as I do not ... just an example)
Now, I am not at ALL in the mindset to stray yet wonder from those farther along this journey how they have stayed the course.Being new, and on and off since the end of July, I plan on this commitment being my life choice forever.
GREEN SMOOTHIES - yes I am a believer , and perhaps it is just that simple. I am going for that ! With a slice of yoga and meditation thrown in ???
Do any of you over do raw? Like eat too many tomatoes ??? Go past feeling full, still trying to satisfy some sort of emotion? Nuts curb that for me now but I know I cannot do that for long....
I am in this for the long haul - do not make any mistake about that but addiction is addiction.......and I do really feel raw IS the cure.
Oceanee

[oceanee]

Lady Green Jeans - Well said ! It is constant , some days not a thought others serious strength. Good for you today !!
Thanks !
Oceanee

[Hannah]

Raw has definitely changed my relationship with food and with myself in general - I've been 100% raw for a little over 60 days, and its definitely been an up and down journey - I've am getting to know myself better in the process, and am beginning to truly understand my triggers. For me I've sought an escape in the past - food was one of my escapes, as was mindless tv watching and daydreaming about every possible alternate plan I could make. Now since raw, I am recognizing this pattern and facing my escapist tendencies head on - it can be quite painful, but the only way out is through and I am sure I will untangle this knot soon enough - the raw food seems to be pushing the process along :D I'm learning to stay the course and offer up gratitude for every minute of it.

[D'vorah]

To some degree, I think it's physical in nature. Google opoids in grains, for example. But for me, there's a component that's knee jerk to specific events and mindsets too. I just wrote about that tonight in my crossed wire thread. For me, it's really very hard. I wish I had the time and resources to just sequester myself at some raw retreat center for six months.

Deborah

[Eevie]

I don't know if I'm kind of "upside down" or something, but am I the only one not knowing what is meant by "cooked food addiction"? I mean I can imagine intellectually what you want to say, but I never really felt as if I had to "fight an addiction" or something like that, or that I am depriving myself from anything.
I just eat raw food because it absolutely resonates with me?!
Is this really experienced by so many people, that they have to sort of "force them" not to eat cooked?

Love,
Eevie

[EZ rider]

I just eat raw food because it absolutely resonates with me?!Thats the way I am too. The raw foods are so much more then the SAD ones that I just evolved easily. For me it felt like a fish finding water :)

[Azura Skye]

my relationship with food has really been changing recently.
I just wrote a long post on my blog about my thoughts on food addiction if you care to have a look:

www.azurastorch.blogspot.com (http://www.azurastorch.blogspot.com)

[SuBu]

I thought something was wrong with me because sad food still smells good to me, whereas it makes some of you on here ill. I have no desire to eat it, though, and I don't know if that's a mind-set or the green smoothies. I do believe Lucy about the GS. They really satisfy and make me feel different than the couple of mornings I skipped them. But I haven't figured out if I'm totally committed to raw or if I'm terrified of being ill from sad food that keeps me on track.

[Carlsbad]

Wow, I'm amazed (and jealous) that some of you don't have to fight the addiction. My struggles come and go; some days cooked food doesn't even seem like food, and other days it is a physical battle from dawn to dusk. But over the past few months I've come up with a couple of ways to handle it. I'll share them in case one resonates with someone and helps.

1. I've noticed that I start to really crave greasy junk food when I haven't been eating enough (particularly if I've been drinking a lot of juices). So now I am very careful to eat when I feel like eating, and try not to limit myself in any way (other than eating all raw). Having a heavier meal, or a couple of days of big time snacking, usually helps.

2. I try to have at least a couple of "salty" recipes that are quick to make, since a lot of times my cravings for junk are quashed by eating something salty. The nori rolls in Alissa's book work well for that, as do raw salted sunflower seeds (a company called Go Raw makes these, and they are at my Whole Foods store--they're amazing!).

3. I reason with myself, out loud if I can. I just remind myself that the cooked food won't taste very good (cuz it never does), and that it will make me really sick (big time stomach pain, bad sleep, cooked food hangover, etc). I sometimes sing "That Food is Poison" to the tune of that 90's song, "That Girl is Poison." It makes me giggle.

4. I look through raw cookbooks or raw websites to look at pictures of delicious raw recipes. This really helps, since, if you think about it, we're inundated with pictures of cooked food all the time.

5. This one may make things worse for some people, but it works for me. I have a "smell feast." I go to my local Whole Foods, which has this huge cooked food (as in hot and ready to eat stuff) section. It always smells so tempting, so I give myself permission to walk through it as many times as I want, smelling everything and really enjoying the smell, since I know the food smells about a million times better than it actually tastes. I make it an enjoyable experience, not something wistful or deprivation-esque. Then I walk over to the raw food aisle and pick out a favorite raw treat to eat when I get home. It works in other places too, like if your family has cooked something that tempts you, or if you're in a restaurant or something. I really feast on the smell and then move on to enjoying the taste of my raw food and the way I feel when I eat it. Weird, but it works.

6. Sometimes I get caught in these strange moods of despair that I will never get to eat XX again and oh poor me. For those moments, I just say, well, if I still want it in 2 months (or whatever timeframe works for you), then I will have it. Of course, by the time you have two months more of raw under your belt, you don't want the stuff anymore or you've forgotten all about it or you're strong enough by then to say no. I save that tactic for my top temptation foods, and it works pretty well.

On bad days, I often have to use all of these strategies together, but most days I just try to fully enjoy my raw food as much as possible and then I don't feel like I'm on a diet or deprived and I don't have the craving issues. I think the more you can remind yourself of the joy and freedom of eating this way, the easier it is to let go of the addiction.

Sorry this is so long, but hope it helps!

[beppa66]

Hi Oceanee,
I think for me it went something like this...I carved the food, I ate the food, felt like crap. Then said why did I eat that food? Repeat as needed. LOL

I find myself craving less and less of the SAD, but also, on the flipside - if I tell myself absolutely NO sad for you...then I crave it more.

So I've given myself permission, but rarely use it. Because I honestly like how I feel so much better when I eat raw.

( : Crazy huh?

[tvillemom]

My journey has kinda been like Beppa's, not sure how long Beppa has been on her journey, but.....I'm so hard head-ed, it has taken a couple of years.
My journey has been:
30 day challenge
Crave xx food, eat junk, feel terrible, wonder why I ate it???:p
100% raw for 30 more days....slip again
100% raw for 60 days.....slip again, and this slip lasted for about 6 months while I ate raw one day, not the next, a couple days on, a few off, and so on until I was MISERABLE.

This has led me to today...100% raw, and not focusing on SAD cravings, but filling myself with healthy foods, and NOT letting my brain "GO THERE"

Yes, I agree that for ME I have food addictions, where eating any cooked food causes me to crave other cooked foods, so I stay away.

Peace

[tvillemom]

Oh yes, I agree with you about this too Beppa: that if I tell myself I CAN'T have it, I crave it more. Even DH told me at a Christmas party recently that I could not have xx...(like POOR YOU) and I said, "I can have it if I want it, I can eat anything I WANT, I don't want that!!!" It fixed my brain real fast, like my brain heard my mouth say it, and I believed it!!! I ate my veggies, and had a great raw treat waiting when I got home!

[StarFire]

I don't know if I'm kind of "upside down" or something, but am I the only one not knowing what is meant by "cooked food addiction"? I mean I can imagine intellectually what you want to say, but I never really felt as if I had to "fight an addiction" or something like that, or that I am depriving myself from anything.
I just eat raw food because it absolutely resonates with me?!
Is this really experienced by so many people, that they have to sort of "force them" not to eat cooked?

Love,
Eevie

no -- you're not upside down... yu're one of the 'lucky ones' that does not have to deal with this issue in your life... my dh is the same way. That has always amazed me that dh doesn't react to food like i do. To him - it's just food. He eats when he's hungry and frankly - doesn't really care all that much what it is. He rarely (if ever) craves anything! :eek: and if he does have a 'craving' it's usually for his family's peppers, or scilian spaghetti like his mama made... but those cravings are few and far between.

Food addicition is a very real problem in society today. Especially in America where everything has become 'fast food' fast service' fast - fast - fast... and warped in it's very essence and nutritional value.

this is one of the most difficult addictions to over come because -- for instance... some one addicted to alcohol or drugs - can stop all drugs or alcohol and function beautifully in life. Never having to touch the stuff again... but food... we ALL NEED IT TO STAY ALIVE...

so a food addict has to approach their addiction differently - because they have to over come it - while still partaking of the very thing that they are addicted to.

RAW FOODS... and this LIFEstyle is one sure way to overcome this addiction. but it does take more time for some than for others. yes we all know that we 'feel better' eating raw... and we WANT TO EAT RAW... but for some - it truly is not that simple.

that's why I'm always saying - enjoy the ride - enjoy the freedom of making the choices you make to eat vibrant foods - and if you step outside the 'raw arena' -- don't panic - dont get depressed... ENJOY what yu're eating - and simply come back to raw joyously...

if the RAW FOODS LIFEstyle becomes a DIE'it - you will see it as something that is depriving you of SAD foods... and that's not what this LIFEstyle is about... RAW FOODS is an adventure to healing ~ to health.. and to so much more...

blessings to you that you do not have to deal with this addiction! that is so very wonderful!! nope honeygirl... yer not upside down ... you are blessed!!

rawk on!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/tha857f08c.gif

[EZ rider]

6. Sometimes I get caught in these strange moods of despair that I will never get to eat XX again and oh poor me. For those moments, I just say, well, if I still want it in 2 months (or whatever time frame works for you), then I will have it. Of course, by the time you have two months more of raw under your belt, you don't want the stuff anymore or you've forgotten all about it or you're strong enough by then to say no. I save that tactic for my top temptation foods, and it works pretty well.When I read this I thought about the way I handle buying stuff so that I eliminate impulse buying because its based on the same principal. If I get a SAD craving I now have a plan thanks to you post. :) Here's my plan: If I get a SAD impulse I will write it down on paper (short non-tantalizing name) and write the time down. Then I will write tomorrows day / date and put it on the refrigerator door. Then I will forget about it until the time and day (tomorrow) has arrived or passed and then I will decide if I really want it or if I can wait another day. If I decide I can wait (try to do this if possible) then I cross out the date and write the new date on the paper (tomorrow's date). When tomorrow arrives I try to wait a day again. I do this until the urge has passed or I have fallen victim to it. I call this the procrastination approach and I use it to eliminate impulse buying and it works fantastic for that because if I still want something in a few days its usually beyond the range of impulse buying and more in the area of a definite need. I'm betting it will work for impulse eating as well. Good luck

[StarFire]

EZ rider... brilliant -- mind if I borrow your method? ;)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/clever663.gif

[tvillemom]

I'm in! I'm going to use EZ rider's method.....from now on I will wait 3 days before I can have "X" food....then 2 more days....by then it should pass...right!!??

[EZ rider]

EZ rider... brilliant -- mind if I borrow your method? ;)Please do :)

[Eevie]

Thanks, StarFire, for your great post!
It made me think and understand better. :)
Maybe it's easy for me to say (even before raw) how easy and "natural" it is to be vegan (I actually always hated the taste and texture of meat and cheese when I was a child! If I wasn't ethically motivated, I guess I'd be a "culinary vegan" :D ) etc, but now I kind of realise that for many people it may really be a big thing!
So, I now appreciate my fellow rawkin' rawbies and there milestones here even more!! ;)

Btw: I deeply agree with your thoughts about a gentle and joyful journey! I think this is the key, to avoid making it some kind of "diet" and feeling bad when you break imaginary "rules" etc. Everything is so much easier doing it with love (and too many many people forget about love when it comes to THEMSELVES!).

(Lots of) Love,
Eevie

[oceanee]

It's interesting as we all, those with food addiction need to use certain mental exercises to stay on the chosen raw wonderful path. For me, they change and will change as I will succeed in staying raw. I need to write down certain things to review, and I have to make myself make the time as days could go by with the way my life is at the moment without the free time. I am trying hard to make the time for myself, to keep reviewing this site, plan meals ahead, and remember this is what comes first, a healthy, happy, food addiction free person. Ah -to be free of what has lurked about for several decades. I also must work hard to change the view of food. It is fuel for the body, it is a healer, and certain things I cannot ever have again. It is not an escape, a way to comfort stress or loneliness ( or whatever the current emotion of need may be ).
Sometimes it's like all the voices come out in your head, testing and I must work hard to NOT allow the voices that have over powered in the past win. Again, intellectually I know , and right now I am totally committed but somewhere I remain guarded and need to be ready to exercise the big NO, don't do that if I emotionally start to falter.
I appreciate all that everyone has so openly shared. Subu- you should never feel that something is wrong with you, a feeling is a feeling and it is your journey to place and make your story. Carlsbad- you nailed so much . Wouldn't it be fun to get inside the head just for a day of a non-food addict! Someday we will be free - right !!
I do believe that GS help plus all the raw food diminish the feelings but there are years of cooked food and cooked food experiences to undo and delete from my mind. Maybe , just changing the view to THIS IS NOW, that was then...hmmm...I better write that down !
As I start, I vow to daily write down in my food journal how I feel and words of inspiration, new tactics and review as often as I need to. It is my choice and I really want to be...oh just so free of the daily thought processes attached to a cooked food addict.
Having this site helps so much as I have yet to meet any local rawbies.
Thanks everyone,
Oceanee

[SuBu]

Oceanee--I am also a food addict. That's what's so amazing to me. After only five months I am already seeing a shift in perspective. I started a blog to help me through this and mentioned something about my view of food--well, I have written about it all over this board, actually! Food was everything to me--my comfort, my secret. And don't you dare tell me I CAN'T have something! Now I MUST have it! You know. At this time (I say that because I can't guarantee it won't resurface) I am able to control it. I am not being led around like a powerless drone. I choose what I eat. I give myself permission on occassion to eat--whatever--and I thus far have chosen to NOT! I am relishing the empowerment of that. All my life I have felt so powerless and out of control. So pitiful and weak-willed. I don't especially know if this is any healthier mentally than the anorexic or bulimic who is in control through their methods, but it's certainly physically healthier. Unfortunately, too many good memories are tied to FOODS and not the occassions themselves, or the people, or the surroundings, etc. In the beginning of this journey I kept saying I was missing some of my "comfort" foods--which would have been ALL food! I'm trying to focus on other things in my life and am beginning to work on loving myself and actually finding out who I am. I WAS my addiction--I don't know who I really am outside of that. That will take me on another leg of this wonderful journey called RAW.

[oceanee]

Hey guess what? I have a new addiction !! This site ! ( You know how they say replace with another...)
Thanks everyone,
Oceanee

[D'vorah]

Oceanee and Subu, you have both hugely blessed me today! you guys are awesome!

Deborah

[oceanee]

Hey we're in this together ! To freedom !
Oceanee

[WannaBraw]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CookedFoodAnonymous/
visit this group along with discussion here at Rawfood talk to continue to support one another living on live food for life.

[WannaBraw]

Going and staying raw has been a battle for me for 8 or 9 years. I come from a line of women with food addictions. My mom is in overeaters anonymous and she has strongly encouraged me to find a group for support. I know that as a compulsive eater I can not do part raw and part vegan cooked. I have tried that everytime that I have slipped off of raw and it just doesn't work for me. I always end up eating mostly cooked and nil raw! It doesn't work for me. I can not do that. I have to be completely raw in order for me to maintain eating raw foods. I know that for me eating 100% raw is the best decision that I can make for my overall health.

Now this is not a pity party. Nor am I feeling guilty. Actually I am
feeling incredibly blessed. I feel blessed because gathering around me
is a great group of people who are either interested or dedicated to
going raw.

I am grateful that I have this group because having raw food support group
helps me to stay strong in my moments of weakness.


Eating raw positively affected my physical health because my aches and
pains go away, I am refreshed and feel very energetic all day long. It
positively affects my mental health because I am more balanced
emotionally, my mother and husband can attest to my emotional ups and
downs and how much more emotionally balanced I am when eating 100% raw
foods.

So for anyone else who needs assistance in going and staying raw, please
let's use this group to support ourselves. It is time for me to make it
a living reality.

Blessings,

Ellyn

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CookedFoodAnonymous/

[oceanee]

Ellyn,
I'm with you - time to make a reality and no pity party either - it is what it is and we can be free!
Oceanee

[SNYong]

I've been trying to go to 100% raw for the past one week. Have been drinking a lot of GS as advised. I do feel full and satisfied with no hunger pangs.It's juz that I don't seem to be able to get pass the 'I must have some cooked food' stage. Any advice? Currently I only have a blender and a juicer, so I mainly make GS and eat raw vege/fruits.

[SNYong]

Oh...forgot to add in. Although I eat a lot of Smoothies and vege/fruit, I still find that I need to have at least a bit of cooked food every day. Will like to get over this and go 100% raw. Appreciate advice. Thanks! :)

[momma-rawma]

I don't know if I'm kind of "upside down" or something, but am I the only one not knowing what is meant by "cooked food addiction"? I mean I can imagine intellectually what you want to say, but I never really felt as if I had to "fight an addiction" or something like that, or that I am depriving myself from anything.
I just eat raw food because it absolutely resonates with me?!
Is this really experienced by so many people, that they have to sort of "force them" not to eat cooked?

Love,
Eevie

There are many addicitions in this world that some have and others cannot even fathom.

For me, I don't have a warm hot meal addiction--but I certainly have food compulsions--mainly in the arena of chocolate and cookies. I cannot explain it--but a long 20+ year history of being able to blindly consume an entire package (not gorge...but just keep having one and then another..and then another) of cookies and/or chocolate.

For me--SAD or Raw...it is something I battle with and for me the only answer is all or none..I can't just have one. So much better for me to do this on Raw--then on SAD when I am more likely to cave to a "craving" for such garbage.

For me also--this stems from a bit of ADHD and not being able to control impulses and not being able to properly govern myself.

[Rawzula]

I am a food addict too, and have been for 6 years.

I can't go part-raw, part-vegan either. I must go 100% cold turkey. Transitioning will do no good for me.

This is the only site where I have a support system. I have no support at home or from family.

My roommate is extremely unsupportive and blames raw on me getting sick a lot:eek:

Once I move away from him, sticking to raw will be much MUCH easier.

[Conscious Midwife]

Even if you don't think you are addicted do know that big buisness is puttinfg things in the works to get you addicted.

There are commercial food companies that own, formula brand names, full of crap and high fructose corn syrup.

There is such a huge campaign for formula everything from free samples in the hospitals to FREE milk thru the goivernments WIC program.

So your kiddo starts on formula, all day every day for a year and the next thing you know there is a cows milk campaign and a Mc Donalds campaign. Suddenly they are hooked the crap taste good to the babies 'cause crap is all they know.

People will wrinkle there nose at you for nursing your baby but think nothing of you giveing it cows milk out of a plastic bottle with a silicon nipple


SCHIZOPHRENIC SOCIETY thats what we are.....

[Bananapie]

Before I got into 100% I found that I could not start the day with very sweet things because they would lead to cravings for cooked and more sweets. I would start the day with green smoothies or miso soup or left over raw dinner. For me I found that balancing the five tastes seemed to help, salty, sweet, pungent (spicy), bitter and sour. When my taste buds were all stimulated I found I had less cravings for sweets. Green smoothies daily helped as well as L-Glutamine. I also like Carlsbad advise about having lots of good quality fats in the first few months. I recently enjoyed reading Victoria Butankos book, 12 steps to raw, her new addition. The two points I found very helpful were, 1. It takes about two months to really be into the swing of it and not get as many cravings. and 2. those of us that are compulsive eaters really have a hard time doing anything but 100%. Knowing what kind of eater you are can be helpful in knowing weather you can transition slowly or go in full 100% right away.

As far as my own mental mind tricks.. I keep telling myself when I am tempted that [put food craving item here] will be there. It is not going away and some day if I decide raw is not for me it will still be in the world and I can have it later. Even a year or two from now I know that these foods will be around. I don't have to have them now. I know in my heart of hearts I do not want them in my body. This and saying good buy to the relatives that were visiting over Christmas and throwing out all their junk food helps to stay on the wagon! Thanks for everyones great input on this thread.

[joyfulGIRL]

Yep, I'm an addict, too. Is anyone else struggling not only with the addiction, but with emotional eating, too?

That's a big 1-2 punch. I am really working hard to get past this. Things that have helped me in the past are strictly motivational tools, like popping in a raw food DVD to watch when I am feeling the urge for SAD, getting a new raw book and blogging/journaling daily.... But I am finding that I need a new approach.

I am also discovering that the more I dwell on what I did wrong, the less I feel like doing better. On the other hand, if I don't acknowledge what is wrong I cannot fix it. Hmmm.

EZRider, your approach is genius! Although I am not into resolutions, I will make a resolution now to start using your method! :D

[Raspberry4]

I have been a food addict for over 3 decades and have constantly turned to food for comfort. I used to get 'excited' over each new diet; carefully reading and planning, and buying, and cooking. If I could just have replaced all that with a solid committment to raw food. If I could have just not ever gone on my first 'diet' at age 11 i would be fine. However, I feel that looking back is NOT looking forward and I choose to move forward for my own sanity this time around. I KNOW and FEEL that raw is best for me and my addiction. When I avoid cooked food I am calmer and allowing myself to heal on many different levels (physically and emotionally). I am so grateful for discovering this lifestyle. I have wondered what it would be like to eat like a 'normal 'person (whatever that is) and not have to feel like an addict when it comes to food; but I recently discovered that challenges make us stronger and build character and at least I know that there is a way out of this misery and addiction. Good luck to all of us as we learn to love and nourish ourselves in a healthy and 'fruitful' (no pun intended) manner. Happiness and Freedom from Food Addiction to all of us!:)

[oceanee]

Here it is NY Eve and I am finishing up work and decided to see how the addiction thread was going.
It is always a reflective time of year isn't it?

Raspberry- Freedom, I am sure must come with RAW. Even in my short time the cravings have subsided, though I must admit I am so busy there isn't time for me to be near temptations. Yet, I think that is perfect for me as I get through the first few months. But yes, I really believe we can free ourselves from the addiction if the time is spent eating raw, concentrating on variety, using whatever "tools" work for each one of us and staying focused. I firmly believe as well that one may have to give up certain things to stay focused,be raw, not be faced with tough temptations and saying no when it needs to be said.Maybe some are strong enough , I don't want to test myself too often, not yet, not for awhile and maybe never.
This is too important to me, I am tired of how I lived before raw, being obsessed
with food every day. I guess I still am yet in a new way. I know the GS are a true healer and with the stress in my life I swear they have been my saving grace! I try and envision a time when I am thin and do not obsess so over food. I am trying desperately to hold onto that.

JoyfulGIRL- oh yea, emotional eating is a big factor for me . Tired, stressed and just recently I admitted to myself that being lonely was another one. I tried everything but it wasn't until I admitted to myself I was a cooked food addict and went raw that I feel devoted to change. It's work, some may say it is easy but it takes thought and effort. Eating raw is easy, I love that but I still must focus, plan, reread raw books, watch DVD's and participate in this site.

Happy 2008 ;) !!!
Oceanee;)

[joyfulGIRL]

Here it is NY Eve and I am finishing up work and decided to see how the addiction thread was going.
It is always a reflective time of year isn't it?


JoyfulGIRL- oh yea, emotional eating is a big factor for me . Tired, stressed and just recently I admitted to myself that being lonely was another one. I tried everything but it wasn't until I admitted to myself I was a cooked food addict and went raw that I feel devoted to change. It's work, some may say it is easy but it takes thought and effort. Eating raw is easy, I love that but I still must focus, plan, reread raw books, watch DVD's and participate in this site.

Happy 2008 ;) !!!
Oceanee;)

Yes! You're lonely, too! :p Haha...Not that I want anyone else to feel lonely, but it's awesome to know that I am not alone in feeling this way.... I rambled on and on about my loneliness and eating issues in my blog entry today... Lucky for us both that we each other and this site to keep us company. :)

Happy New Year, Oceanee!! Only 45 minutes to go here!

[oceanee]

JoyfullGIRL,
You are too funny. Never lonely on this site ! Happy New Year to you , this will be a great year for us all!!

You know, I like being alone but then there are the moments of doing everything by myself. I set myself up that way which I am feeling that the raw lifestyle will help heal and open my heart in a way I may never have. So far I am definitely releasing emotionally. One minute I am happy as a clam at low tide and the next whosh the gates have opened and bring on the boat !

Wish I had time to blog, after the snow birds head back North maybe I will !

Oceanee

[Vivafree2]

I am glad that i can find a lot to relate to - the struggle of controlling overeating and triggers and finding balance. It is a challenge everyday and on raw it is much easier to do , but i am not "cured" yet. Carbs are addictive and yes it takes a thought and effort and finally it will be easy - now it is much easier then it was in my previous attempts. And i agree - giving in to one uncooked thing leads to avalanche and cravings so ... no way back. I am fighting and i will win.

[Bananna]

I just want to say that I loved reading this thread....I may have to read it again tomorrow.
....and I dread having to buy an expensive blender for GS right now. Hmmm.
But this thread, I read sooo many posts and thought, 'oh that's totally me' ...getting excited about diets, addicted to food, chocolate, everything, it's a crazy life!
Happy New Year!
See, I have plans to start tomorrow, but I get scared immediately at the thought, Oh...now that I think it over, I think I am afraid of the failure. What if I fail? Then I will look like a drama queen quitter, mind changing, extremist, spin case....like I always do. And then....being that I actually do have a lot of 'potential', the following disappointment...not even from me, from others. I might also be addicted to being a success. And ofcourse I want so badly to be a success, and believe in raw food, if I fail....ugh, so I don't start.
This summer I did two weeks of raw, but I told everyone it was just a cleanse, or a 30 day challenge, or nothing; that I just felt like eating healthy for awhile....and it was directly related to not having to walk the red carpet hall of shame.
Is it in my imagination? Partly. But partly not! people can have expectations or wishes for each other so easily....I'm so sensitive to that.
Does anyone deal with a fear of failing?
Like I would find it WORSE to eat raw for a year and then fall of the wagon, cuz in my eyes that would be a longer fall. So I'm down right afraid. Terrified. The better I imagine myself doing, the worse I feel.
Ugh!
But I do actually love life, gosh I sound so pessimistic, anxiety ridden and dysfunctional! And I'm not THAT bad...just starting things really gets me. Always.
Sorry about the tangent...but this is a good thread and it really got me thinking...
I do love this board.
Anna

[oceanee]

Hi Anna,
So much that you just wrote could have been me a few months ago when I had had a taste of raw but fell, did it again , fell harder,and again, fell harder. I beat myself up terribly , that vicious cycle is just that vicious . Making it through the December challenge w/ some emotional detoxing feels wonderful. I felt today 1/1/08 like a positive shift occurred within me where I feel lighter with less internal baggage. SAD food does bad things to us and if you are a cooked food addict then it is doubly hard . Try and write down all the reasons you want to be RAW and go for the challenge, Just stop beating yourself up and thinking about what others think ( always easier said than done). We are so conditioned and brain washed to think it matters what others think of us. You are a beautiful person, just trying to grow, find your way and be healthy. Period. Everyone on this planet has their own things to make peace with. We are all one just trying to be better and care for each other. Right?
It'll be fun doing this together.
Oceanee

[Bananna]

Thanks for your kind words Oceanee...!
After a sleep, and some thought digestion...I feel a lot better about my ability to do this. I am still afraid of failing, but now that I KNOW that's what a large part of my problem is, somehow just makes it easier. Why I am self-sabotaging, just knowing why, seems to be making the difference already.
I had plans to start raw today. So I am going to try. Oh, just saying makes me feel it again. Sheesh. I think I might try and not even think about it, since I have this reaction all too easily.
So with that, have a good time today!
Anna

[oceanee]

Anna-
Try and tell yourself you are going to do this for 30 days ( do the challenge). It's only 30 days of your life. After all what's that in the scheme of things ? Once you notice how great you feel, how you start to have that negativity about yourself lift you just might want to continue.
Read Alissa's book, get her DVD and read all the wonderful testimonials here.
You can do it. I know once I really got going, made the commitment my attitude changed as did my will to really beat my addiction and be free. I am sure I have a long way to go but I am on my way.
We are all here for you.
Oceanee