Long time lurker...

[Lorraine]

First time poster. I've known about raw for a very loooooong time now. I've tried it on and off for years, but I always seemed to go back to the cooked foods. :( I know that raw is better for me. I feel better when I eat that way, but it just never seems to stick. I've been vegan for 6 years now. While that's been great for my conscience, it's done very little for my health. I'm really sick and tired of being the fat vegan. I took a look around my apartment yesterday, and I realized that I have done pretty much everything that I need to do to live a raw lifestyle except just doing it. I have the Champion juicer, a Vitamix blender, a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator, an Orange-X citrus juicer, a spiral slicer, and a water distiller. Heck, I even went and bought a huge bamboo cutting board (1 1/2-2 inches thick) to cover the burners on my stove. All of that, plus I have oodles of raw food books, including Alissa's. I mean I have everything that I need; all that I have to do now is to make the commitment to step into eating this way for good this time.

That's the reason that I'm posting now. I feel as though my past efforts have been conducted in a vacuum. I've had no accountability. When I first went vegan, I would post a lot to message boards, and it helped me to stay focused on being vegan. I'm hoping that conversing with people here will help me to do the same for this transition to raw.

Today was my first full day raw in a while, and I'm planning to join the 30-day challenge for May.

[StarFire]

Aloha and Welcome to RFT!! You've definitely come to the right forum for support!! You really are well prepared to finally take control of your life and truly transition to a LIFEstyle of RAWmacious health!! I'm so excited for you! A wonderful adventure lies ahead!!

blessings on your journey!

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

[Frugal Raw]

Welcome!! I wish you the best of rawesome health!!

[shashibala]

Welcome! You will love raw! The 30 day challenge is a great way to get started!
Best wishes to you!:)

[spicyfull]

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

[TrailBerner]

It was *so* great to read your post, Lorraine, as I've also been lurking for years and am hoping to find the support and structure I need to transition more fully to a raw vegan lifestyle.

Wishing you great success and happiness,

Mary Ann in MA

[islesgirl]

Welcome Lorraine! Great to know that you recognize that you feel better eating only raw food. I am like you in that I just "lurk" when I know I'm not doing what I should be (eating just raw) I am ready to make a sincere start again tomorrow - hopefully we will stick with it from now on, right? All the best in your quest for excellent health and happiness.

[Conscious Midwife]

Gotta LUV the LURKERS;)

Glad you came out and more glad to have you both as a part of the MAY CHALLENGE!

WE can do it , WE really can.:D

[jacsam]

I think most of us were lurkers at one time or another. WELCOME!!!

[Lorraine]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. :D To my fellow lurkers, I believe that our time is now. We have to seize the moment. I'm a little scared, but I'm also really excited. The goal for me right now is to immerse myself into the raw lifestyle. I'll have this board to post to; I have plenty of books to read. I've also amassed an impressive collection of raw vegan food porn on my computer. I may even get adventurous and go to a raw meetup or something. My exercise routine will mostly consist of Bikram Yoga which I've been doing on and off for the last couple of months. It should really help with the detox if I stick with it more regularly.

I think that pretty much covers all the bases for a good start on my raw focus month. I'll just have to take it day by day.

[Jerseygirl]

Congrats on taking the next step Lorraine and posting! I look forward to seeing how this journey plays out for you. Much success!

[mountaintop]

It is the best decision you can make for your health. Welcome!

[Lorraine]

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I wish everyone doing the May challenge much success. Thanks again for the welcome. :)

[gritsnla]

You have laid out a great roadmap of what you want to accomplish. Welcome to the board from another "seed"!!