Trying raw mixed with vegetarian

[Ambug]

Hi everyone. I am 50, live in Las Vegas, NV with my husband and 2 kitties. I am venturing into the raw foods lifestyle along with being vegetarian. I keep falling off the wagon so to speak and keep giving into my cravings for things like donuts, cookies, chocolate bars, cheese,etc. Those are tough to give up.
But I am also tired of being a big blob, 100+ lbs overweight, in menopause so it's a little tougher shedding the weight..I have persistent scaly rashes on both legs, weird little skin tag thingies i wish would disappear, they seem to be spreading no sure if it's from food or products i use.
I can't seem to go upstairs without stopping to catch my breath..my heart hurts something fierce when walking from the parking lot into the store..fun things like that. :(
I keep hearing how raw foods will make me lose massive amounts of weight, feel great, my skin will glow, my hair will be soft as silk,etc.

I already eat raw to a degree..lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. And i juice fruits and veggies and make some pretty incredible tasty juices. I love the green smoothies and have them often.
I snack on fresh oranges, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas,etc.
But i also like steamed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, potatos, yams, mushrooms, most anything that can be steamed, i'm there. :D

I am still new to alot of this. I just hope to learn much more in here to stay on the healthy lifestyle of raw foods added to my veg foods. Yes, i like something hot once in awhile like soup, and brown rice with veggies and tofu. I think slowly transitioning is better than trying to go at it full force, and besides, i know that jumping in full force will result in being sick and spending lots of time at the toilet. ;)
Thanks for letting me join and thanks for reading. :)

~Amy~

[Frugal Raw]

Greetings Amy! I wish you the best of rawesome health! I only really got serious about raw foods on August 1, 2007 at 265.6 pounds at 41 yrs. old. I'm turning 42 next Wednesday, and my current weight is 189.6! It can be done! Best wishes on your transition!!!

[jacsam]

Just want to wish you the best of luck and give you my best advice in starting out.....get Alissa's book and DVD....they're incredible for information and motivation. Yeah, there are soup recipes in it.

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW........Welcome to MY World.

[Ambug]

Thank you FrugalRaw, Jacsam and Spicyful. :)
I will definitely buy Alissa's book and check out the DVD. I did buy a book called "Raw food detox diet" by Natalia Rose, but some of her idea's in her recipes call for splenda! :eek: So I really wonder about her agenda.
And she talked too much about cooked foods. Which I am trying to get away from for the most part.

I am definitely interested in raw soups. I will give them a try as the recipes i keep finding for them sound quite delicious!

I wonder about some foods though..most recipes do not call for potatos and corn. Is it something about the starch content? I like the taste of raw corn from the cob. I dont like the taste of raw broccoli or raw cauliflower, so that's why i prefer them steamed.

Well, thanks for the nice welcome. :) I will utilize everything in here, and later on post some before and after pics.

[tanishamarshall]

Hi Amy,

In my opinion and in my opinion only I think slowly transitioning is better, some people end up jumping to 100% only to slip up over and over again. But for me and what's for me isn't for everyone, I have been able to maintain raw better by allowing myself to eat what I craved and now I am really high raw. Reason being after a while your taste buds will change overtime so what taste good to you know won't. My advice, if you want it is to include 32 oz of green smoothie if you can, that will help to stop cravings and will help to get your taste buds on the right track and in no time your favorite cooked will start tasting bland.. Plus make a ton of your favorite raw foods and keep them handy. I believe what Natalia is doing is giving those who have a hard time going raw a way to transition, she isn't promoting cooked but a transition plan, I think you should do of course what works for you.

I have read time and time again that it is really dangerous for us to go 100% raw for a long time and then slip back into cooked, if you decide to go raw be ready to stay but that is just my opinion and the opinion of other raw foodist which have been raw for over 8 years.. well not me but the ones I have heard this information from.

I know some people are extremist and they can only be one way or another and that is fine, I believe it's important to find what works for you.

Most of all be forgiving of yourself if you slip up it's all apart of the process and as long as you keep moving towards raw you will push away more cooked food.

One last thought. Before when I use to go on diets, I would jump right in and just do it and it never last long, I didn't understand how important it was to make it a lifestyle. I would just do it to lose weight and then go back to eating regular. I decided with raw that if I wanted to make it a lifestyle, I needed to take my time, learn about it and really start working on my mindset. You can change your taste buds with raw but how you think is another story, your mind can mislead you and it has to be worked on as well it is a huge part of the puzzle. This is why I say go raw in steps so that you can start working on your though process which could take some time to change.

Also per Alissa her advice is to just go 100% and I think that is great, but you may struggle, just keep your head up.

See you around.

[Frugal Raw]

Ambug - I use raw corn OFTEN!!! I love it! It's great in salads and salsas, and I also use it (and frozen corn when I can't get fresh) to make raw corn chips/tostadas. Potatoes I haven't figured out yet, although I've heard if you have a spirooli, you can make potato chips in the dehydrator, too!

[StarFire]

ALOHA and WELCOME to RFT!! I use corn too! I love corn! You've gotten a lot of good advice here... DocSharp has lots of very valid points...

but bottom line is .. you must follow your heart and trust your intution (and Get Alissa's Book - that will REALLY HELP YU!!)...

many of us here - jumped in 100% and have experienced some amazing benefits... but as Doc says.... you also have to be patient with yourself...

and yes... know that there is a 'mental' aspect to all of this... Because all in all... this isn't just 'another DIE'it' ..... it's about a change in LIFEstyle....

it is possible to lose 100+ pounds...

check out Morn's blog... (but remember it took her over 17 months of dedicated and diligent working towards this goal)

https://home.comcast.net/~morn/mornsum.html

and VeroP also just recently posted that as of her 1 year anniversary raw - she has lost 100+ pounds... so it can be done... you just gotta work at it!
trust the process ... and give yourself the time you need to adjust, change and find your path....

blessings on your journey!!

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

[SuzyQ]

Amy,

Do you use essential oils like Udo oil (florahealth.com) The man that produces this is Udo Erasmus, nice grandfatherly looking gentleman. It is a combination of omega 3,6, & 9. Or you can take flax oil by itself. Whenever I eat cold-pressed essential oils I lose weight and I keep it off. I use it to make salad dressing and smoothies. You can also just take a spoonful of it, but I like to put in things. You can do a search on Udo Erasmus as well. Just to clarify, the oil must be cold-pressed, kept cold and eaten cold. NEVER heated!