Why Do I?

[ShelShel]

Good Afternoon Rawbies. :)
I just started my raw blog yesterday (again), to help me stay focused.:rolleyes: Why, why do I ever leave raw in the first place? I was raw for 8 months straight, felt great, looked great and was great. I slid gradually back to SAD and my husband actually asked me if I was getting tired all the time again! My husband was noticing the difference in my ability to function.

So, Monday I began again. I've gain back 25 pounds. Ouch! But I will do my best to stay focused and healthy.

Any tips ya'll? Thanks for always being here for support when ever I need it. God bless! Raw (((HUGS)))

[Theogirl]

Shelshel, yours was one of the first posts I read when I became raw and came to this board. So thank you and also welcome back!
I've noticed that many many people report that this is not their first time raw, but are so glad to be back.
Good health to you!

[IamLoved]

Hi ShelShel,

I have felt the agravation of going on and off and on and off too. I have found that having a goal besides weight loss is the best way for me to stay focused. Who do you want to be? What are your dreams? I was all raw for 5 months, lost a bunch of weight, had a ton of energy and was just happy with life. Then I got back on the SAD yo-yo and went right back to where I had been. Now, I want that back and I am keeping that in mind when the PB&J starts beckoning to me. I REMEMBER how I felt on raw and that is the person I want to be. Also I started jogging. I love it. It keeps me super motivated too. I am doing my very first 5K on July 4th and I am so excited about that. I want to be strong and healthy and raw food brings me there. So I can either keep doing what I have been doing with SAD foods and keep being miserable and tired and fat and well, miserable, or I can stick with raw, run, jump, play, laugh, love and live my life. I choose raw.

[DavidZaneMason]

ShelShel:

I hear you. If a person has lifetime goals/passions that REQUIRE healthy eating as the right/only tool for the job....then they WILL find a way to do it! :)

A desire for health and healthy eating is not enough. One must first find the goals and passions within one's self to identify heathly eating as the tool to get you there. Without that, you'll have the tool.....and absolutely NO desire to use it! Heh..heh. Of course, even WITH the right tool...there is still work to be done!

-David Z. Mason

[Anastazia]

Hi, Shel Shel, & welcome back! I can TOTALLY relate, & you've recieved some great replies...it can't just be about the weight! But boy, is it frustrating when it creeps back on! :( (or the scale doesn't move for months cuz of the little compromises that you think won't add up or slow ya down, but they do!)

What helps me a lot is to think about where I want to be a year, 5 years, 10 years down the road...I write out my goals for those time periods, & then look at what will help/hinder them from happening...

...another thing is looking at the example I want to be for those I care about, (especially my daughter, who see's me in the daily journey!) & the consistancy I want to model...so they know that they CAN do it (choose LIFE, & live foods) & it's NOT too difficult to give up what tastes good but harms us! :rolleyes:

Also, I've accepted that I don't have it in me to do this in my own strength...but when I put God first, & ask Him for help, strength, guidance every single day with this (as well as asking Him to fill me with the fruit of the Spirit, especially SELF-CONTROL!) then the struggle ends (once again), & the determination & commitment increases!

I had a friend who used to tell me, whenever I said I was struggling with something, that it was only because God was trying to remove something from my life, & I was holding on, but if I'd just let go, & let God lead, the struggle would end...boy, has this applied to my staying raw!!! :D

I KNOW He's led me to it! & I know when I don't do it, the struggle is in letting go of what He's shown me is hurting me...

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!"
(One of my favorite verses...sometimes...)

Anyways, these are the things that work for me...
I'll be praying for you to have consistant victory!:)
~Anastazia~

[shashibala]

I have so missed your blog!!! I searched for it and it was gone! I am soooo happy to see you here! I was worried that health challenges were keeping you away. You are a great inspiration to me and I'm sure you will lose those pesky pounds in no time. Welcome back!:)

[Raspberry4]

ShelShel - thank you for your honesty. It is kind of weird but I too have strayed from my goal and gained back 25 pounds! Is that ironic or what? More importantly though, I feel like crap again and my fibro is back and my poor body aches. I also stopped exercising. Gee, not good. I am DETERMINED to start back to the right way! But I need a good kick in the pants. I know what is the best for me, it is putting it into practice that is the next step. It is like David says - I have the tools, and the desire, but I still need to use them both! (If you would like a 'buddy' to be accountable to daily feel free to email me). Good luck to you and I hope we find our way back to the raw path soon and easily. ;)

[ShelShel]

To everyone who replied to this post...THANK YOU! What inspiring words. :D

I woke up this morning happier than I've been in months. Even my husband commented on it. "I love to see you like this." :rolleyes:

Today is day five raw. I'm just thrilled to be back and you guys Rawk! Thanks for the support.

[raw_danceruk]

Great to see you back Shell!! :D

[something beautiful]

Your post really resonated with me. I had to register here just to reply to it! I too was raw for 8 months and felt amazing the whole time. I had some issues that "helped" me slide slowly back into cooked foods, and I lost everything I had gained. Yes, I gained back the weight I had lost, but you know what I mean...all the good things and the good feelings and the energy I had gained all disappeared. And the health problems ALL came back...the horribly sore joints, the wheezing, the congestion, the swollen feet....ugh.

My husband commented on it and suggested several times that I get back into raw but I couldn't do it. It took me many tries before I got past the first day. I failed so many times that I was embarrassed to say, again, "I'm going to try to go raw". So a couple of weeks ago I had a smoothie for breakfast, some fruit for lunch, and at dinner I announced that I was too tired to eat, and just wanted a salad. I had a 100% raw day on the sly - no one in my family knew that I had eaten only raw that day. The next day I did the same thing...ate raw without it being obvious that I was. I was doing it on the sly so that if I failed again no one would know, and I wouldn't have to add another failure to my list. After the 3rd day, my husband said that I looked amazing, and where did all the energy and happiness come from?

He loves me raw. LOVES it. Now that I'm on my 3rd week back to 100% (yay!), he's thrilled. He told me yesterday that while I was eating cooked food, I was pretty miserable, and I seemed to find a reason to get mad at him for something every. single. day. at. least. one. time. Since I've been raw, I've gotten mad at him once. And he deserved it ..... :p

[IamLoved]

Something beautiful....thanks for sharing your story. That is very similar to what happened with me. I kept trying and failing and then, just like you, I didn't even want to tell anyone that I was going raw again because I had tried to get back on track and failed so many times. I am at almost 5 weeks now back on raw and I feel great. I've lost 21 pounds in that time frame and I am jogging and enjoying raw. I find that I am happier too. Before on SAD I would find any excuse to go get junk food and eat amay my problems instead of dealing with things. I think that we find it all too easy to just stuff our problems with food instead of facing them and dealing with things. Funny thing too is that I am sooooooo much happoer on raw foods than SAD. It's like I am a different person and no amount of cooked food, no matter what it is, is worth giving that up!

[ShelShel]

This is so true! Why are we happier raw? I can't figure that one out, but it is definitely true for me.

Today...all day...I have been what I call STUPID HAPPY! :D LOL You know, when you have a grin that you just can't wipe off and everyone around you notices. My hubby was so happy to see me "back to my old self." And it has only taken 5 days raw to get there. Hummmm....speaks volumes does it not!?!?!!!!

I am so happy to be back here with friends of like raw minds. :p You guys Rawk! Thanks for all the support and stories. They are awesome and so inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[Anastazia]

I think one reason we're so much happier on raw (aside from the physiological reasons) is cuz we know we're building our health, instead of tearing it down...choosing life, instead of it's opposite...everything in us responds to it, & it brings us joy!

So glad to hear you're feeling & doing so good! & I've really been blessed by all that everyone else has shared here on the post, glad to know I'm not the only one who's been embarrassed by my many starts & stops...& I love it when it clicks, & returning to raw is just RIGHT on every level!

Have a RAWLICIOUS day, everyone!
~Anastazia~

[Aleesha Sattva]

shelshel, welcome back!!!

i agree, i'm much happier, lighter and joyful on a raw food diet than on a SAD one... (hence the term sad!)

you should really print out this thread for yourself whenever you want to eat some SAD food... as a reminder of where you were and how you feel 5 days raw!

congrats!!!

[rawstrength]

Shel shel shel shel shel shel!!!!!!!!!
It is so good to have you back! I was wondering what happened to you.

You must feel terrific. I had to eat cooked food for 14 days when I was in China. Going back to raw after that was like stepping from darkness into sunshine. Always remember that feeling!

[ShelShel]

Thank you Rawstrength! :D
Yes, it's that feeling that makes you wonder how you ever did without raw!!!

It's so good to be back! Thank you.

[Raspberry4]

Something beautiful....thanks for sharing your story. That is very similar to what happened with me. I kept trying and failing and then, just like you, I didn't even want to tell anyone that I was going raw again because I had tried to get back on track and failed so many times. I am at almost 5 weeks now back on raw and I feel great. I've lost 21 pounds in that time frame and I am jogging and enjoying raw. I find that I am happier too. Before on SAD I would find any excuse to go get junk food and eat amay my problems instead of dealing with things. I think that we find it all too easy to just stuff our problems with food instead of facing them and dealing with things. Funny thing too is that I am sooooooo much happoer on raw foods than SAD. It's like I am a different person and no amount of cooked food, no matter what it is, is worth giving that up!

IamLoved - thank you for posting this. This post really hit home to me. Because of what you are saying here it is stuck in my head. I WANT this feeling back again. I have been stuck in the stuff down my problems with food for a while. I want to get back to the lighter and happier feeling with RAW and the movement too. Thank you for your inspiration and motivation for me. You have given me the very reasons (weight, emotions, movement, happiness) for getting back on the right path starting TODAY! Thank you :)

[IamLoved]

Rapberry4,

Thank you so much! I am really glad that what I said helped you. I am trying to be honest with myself here too you know? I really believe that we need to have goals and that they have to go beyond the typical " I want to lose weight" I have found it to be so amazing how everything is so intertwined and I can't beleive that I never got it before. When I eat SAD I don't want to do anything except sit around and eat. No exercise, nothing healthy, it's like it takes over my life. When I eat raw I want to be outside and to play and run and move around. I just feel so much better. So alive and vibrant. It really is amazing!
Again, I am glad that what I said helped you in your journey. :D

[Raspberry4]

I feel the same way when I eat SAD - it makes me motionless because all I can do is sit after stuffing myself. It is like eating dead food and then almost becoming 'dead' - the life is taken right out from under me. I totally get that now and will remember it. PS - I made it through the day 100% yesterday :) I will look at it like this: I made the right choice to eat live food. Nothing dead for me anymore, thank you. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to choose this way (I don't want to think of it as "I don't get to eat this or that anymore"... but rather I get the opportunity to eat wholesome, delicious food!). Have a great day :)

[IamLoved]

Congrats on making it through raw!!! That is huge. Good for you. :D That is a good mindset to have, that you get to eat yummy delicious raw food. Our attitudes are so important!