Weightloss

[Fischer]

Hey everybody!

I think it´s amazing with the people that just eat more vegetables and fruits and dropping pounds like crazy. I´ve been trying since the beginning of summer (may-june) to loose weight. It´s not working, and I want to know what´s wrong. I´ve been eating frpm 50 - 100% raw each day and sometimes I´ve been better and some days worse.

On an average day I start the day with fruit or green juice or a green smoothie. For lunch I have a green salad or fruit. For dinner a cooked meal with vegetables and quinoa. Or without the quinoa. I´ve been including coconutoil and avocado. Minimizing the nuts and eating some pumpkinseeds and sesameseeds. Fruit in the evening.

Mostly I eat a banana in the morning, and apples, apricots, nectarines, oranges, and so at work in the day.

I also take long walks and run from time to time. But, Once a week or so I have so strong cravings for junk. Candy, chocolate, cakes...I always end up giving in to these and then I feel so bad the day after. Sick! Probably I do this so often that the weight don´t come off. It´s like toxicating myself once a week. I have promised myself from this day that I WON´T give in to these cravings now for a month and try to stick as much as possible to raw.

Do you have any tips for weightloss other than "stick to raw" or "excercise more". Specific foods to avoid? Because, if I only eat raw and all I want...I end up eating like 4-5 avocados and bananas per day. And a lot of sweet fruits. Thats strange, I can eat so many avocados. It´s like my stomach never gets filled up. I never get tired of them.

How would u do it if u wanted to loose weight most effectively?

Thought of drinking more juices...also.

Many says that stress is not optimal if you want to loose weight, and I think I have some internal stress over work and the future. I recently graduated from university and is looking for a job. And kind of worrying about weight all the time, and I really tried not to think about it, but I do very often. Get frustrated about it and feel sad. Not enjoying life. Maybe thats a cause to it also.

Well...I´m happy for tips on this topic!

// Fischer

[dakinimind]

I really admire you for going raw living in Sweden. Aldrig i livet kunde jag har gjort det!! Kanje du behover mer protein? The hemp might help. I've added raw cacao to my smoothies and have found I'm less hungry.

[Fischer]

Thanks! :D I´m sick of living a life with lies. And I really want to "clean up" my body and achieve the health that I was supposed to have from birth :)

I´m gonna try to avoid sugar and this stuff and include more protein from hemp. And see...

[srsarri]

well I dont know if this has happened to anyone else but, when I started I didnt lose weight until I went almost 90% ... The cooked foods threw my body off, and since I was eating a lot of fruits and veggie calories the cooked meal usually threw me over the top.

I dont usually count calories (unless im not 100%, its a total difference, remember, 1 avocado has almost 300 calories) but I do keep a log, Most days 100% I usually go well over 2000 calories and still lose weight.

You need to find a good balance for your body!

A

[Veganforlife]

I think you answered your own question and really know the answer. You are not going to release all the weight you want, gain the energy, and become healthy until you DO go 100%. You're still caving to SAD/CRAP foods. That will undo all the good your body is trying to do.

GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fischer]

Thanks guys!

I also feels like it easier to stay on "the raw road" when I do it 100%. Some days I really feel like eating all I see. And some days like this I just had green juice for breakfast, an apple for a snack and watermelon at lunchtime. Then a banana and an small orange in the afternoon.

I usually never go over 1000 calories a day when I´m 100% raw. Maybe I´m eating too little the raw days and then the weekend comes and I get cravings just because I eat too little in the weekdays?

God, it feels so strange when I´m talking to my friends and they say they loose weight on the regular eating behaviour....like on bread, pasta, meat and dairy. I have a friend who lost weight eating noodles and drinking red wine and eating other shitty food. I sometimes get so angry for having a body who just won´t change. But hey!!

Im gonna se positive on this..I will use the raw way to loose weight. Not any other. I also want to be an healthy individual! Keep on fighting I guess...

I will try to do 100% raw for a longer time to see if somethings happen.

// Fischer

[ShelShel]

When I started raw...I did it gradually. Working up to 100% during the week and eating what I wanted on the weekends. Then I started making it just Sundays....then one meal a week out with the fam...until I was completely raw. During that time the weight came off slowly in the beginning and much more quickly at 100%. Like it took the first ten pounds probably two months. But I lost the rest of the 60 pounds at about 10 a month. The closer I got to completely raw I could really see a difference in my mid-section. I carry all my weight here and in my arms. (Goodness how I would love a Jennifer Lopez booty! But I digress. :p )

And as I went more raw...I felt better and better and more energy. (This was just the opposite from how I felt in the beginning where I could barely function from fatigue.) As I felt better...I started walking. 30 minutes to begin with all the way up to 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening.

Raw changed everything for me. But like anything else...it does take time and a stick-to-it gotta change-your-life forever type of attitude. Or you do what I've been doing for the last year and yo-yo between both worlds. Gaining and losing your weight and health. :o

Good luck...you can do this. Just today I began 100% again. It's worth it and my body will be so happy I did! So will yours.

[raweater]

Fisher, when you say you have a cooked meal with vegetables, are the vegetables cooked? Vegetables are the last thing you would want to cook, you're almost better off not eating any than eating them cooked, as they loose all the benefits when cooked, so cooking vegetables makes as much sense as burning your paycheck once you get it. One recent study found that ONLY 3 SMALL portions of raw cruciferous vegetables PER MONTH reduce the risk of some cancers by 40%, and if the vegetables were cooked, had no effect at all on cancer risk.

Minimizing nuts will not help with wieght loss and would probably in fact go agaisnt it. If the nuts you eat are raw have as many as you want, they will not cause weight gain and will in fact help to loose weight (the exact opposite is true if the nuts are roasted). I eat 4000 calories a day, 3000 of which are from nuts, and do not gain any fat at all (only muscle since I workout). I did notice if I eat roasted nuts, my fat level skyrockets rapidly, so it's critical that the nuts be raw or you will gain fat.

I notice most of what you eat raw is fruits and vegetables, but these are about 90% water, which is why you need raw nuts which have only full nutrition and no water. I could never, ever live on just fruits and vegetables, I'd be eating 2 bathtubs full a day since they are almost only water. The reason you are wanting cooked things like cake is almost certainly due to your lack of raw nuts, if you start eating raw nuts, you will no longer want those cooked foods.

Instead of cooked cake, make this nut based one which will help ypu loose weight:
1 1/2 cups walnuts
dash salt
10 pitted fresh dates (or soaked 20 minutes if dried)
1/3 cup cacao powder
1/2 t vanilla, optional
2 t water

Put in a food processor and process until smooth, then shape mixture into a cake.

You can eat as much of this cake as you want and will not gain weight (the opposite is true for the cooked cake).

It's also critical to understand that the cause of weight gain is not fat, sugar or calories, those are all myths. The true cause of weight gain that I found is empty calories, this means food that has calories but no nutrition, which almost all cooked food is, because cooking destroys the nutrition but not the calories. It's the nutrition that satisfies your hunger, not calories, so if you eat cooked food your hunger will not get satisfied properly causing a calorie excess which leads to weight gain. Raw foods will fill you up much quicker and prevent the excess calories which lead to weight gain.

[ViolinCyndee]

Minimizing nuts will not help with wieght loss and would probably in fact go agaisnt it. If the nuts you eat are raw have as many as you want, they will not cause weight gain and will in fact help to loose weight (the exact opposite is true if the nuts are roasted). I eat 4000 calories a day, 3000 of which are from nuts, and do not gain any fat at all (only muscle since I workout). I did notice if I eat roasted nuts, my fat level skyrockets rapidly, so it's critical that the nuts be raw or you will gain fat.

.

This is SO interesting! I cannot believe you eat 4000 cals/day without gaining! That is amazing! I was also starting to think that I was eating too many nuts, but this is reassuring to know.

I have to admit to not being 100% raw yet--I only started just this week. I guess I am still addicted to cooked food, and am not ready to give it up 100% yet..

That is not saying that I will not ever become 100% raw, but I feel proud that I only had one cooked meal since Monday. I did notice that I did lose a few pounds since Monday, but after that one cooked meal, I gained a bit back already... :rolleyes:

[raweater]

The reason I eat 4000 calories/day is because I burn most of them by doing weightlifting several times a week and biking several times per day (in the summer). And I do gain muscle weight (which is what I want, I want to get back to 160 lbs and possibly 175 after my 160 goal), it is fat that I don't gain (my scale measures body fat and my fat remains stable while my weight is going up, meaning I am gaining muscle weight, and it is visibly apparent in my body also). I'm also only about 75% raw.

Edit: At one point I was raw and not exercising (big mistake, I lost 40 lbs of muscle) and at that time I was only able to eat 2000 calories/day and then I was packed full. It's only by spending large amounts of energy lifting heavy weights that my body started needing 4000 calories/day to satisfy it's hunger and that my muscle mass started to come back, I've since put on about 20 lbs of muscle and am about 95-98% vegan (I do have raw eggs every now and then for vitamin B12 and supposedly raw cheese, but I heard it's heated during processing, I'll probably try to quit the cheese as it does seem to cause a few health problems).

[ViolinCyndee]

The reason I eat 4000 calories/day is because I burn most of them by doing weightlifting several times a week and biking several times per day (in the summer). And I do gain muscle weight (which is what I want, I want to get back to 160 lbs and possibly 175 after my 160 goal), it is fat that I don't gain (my scale measures body fat and my fat remains stable while my weight is going up, meaning I am gaining muscle weight, and it is visibly apparent in my body also). I'm also only about 75% raw.


OH ok... I don't do all that physical activity, and have been staying around 1000 cals/day. I would like to lose a few pounds.

But... hopefully, the nuts will still not be a problem--for weightloss I mean, since I don't work out like that..

[raweater]

Exercise is an important part of being healthy, my latest recipe cook says 70% of the benefits of eating raw are wasted if you do not exercise.

I noticed when I started exercising again since being raw I started peeing very very dark, I can only assume it was stored toxins that could only be released by exercising. After a few days/weeks of exercising it returned to normal color.

You also don't need to do heavy weights or weights at all if you don't want to, but some form of exercise is needed to remain healthy.

[Fischer]

[QUOTE=raweater;442098]Fisher, when you say you have a cooked meal with vegetables, are the vegetables cooked?

Minimizing nuts will not help with wieght loss and would probably in fact go agaisnt it. If the nuts you eat are raw have as many as you want, they will not cause weight gain and will in fact help to loose weight (the exact opposite is true if the nuts are roasted). I eat 4000 calories a day, 3000 of which are from nuts, and do not gain any fat at all (only muscle since I workout). I did notice if I eat roasted nuts, my fat level skyrockets rapidly, so it's critical that the nuts be raw or you will gain fat.

I notice most of what you eat raw is fruits and vegetables, but these are about 90% water, which is why you need raw nuts which have only full nutrition and no water. I could never, ever live on just fruits and vegetables, I'd be eating 2 bathtubs full a day since they are almost only water. The reason you are wanting cooked things like cake is almost certainly due to your lack of raw nuts, if you start eating raw nuts, you will no longer want those cooked foods.

Thanks for all the response!!

When I say cooked vegetables I ment that I maybe put some carrots in the frying pan and some broccoli over a steam boiler and have that with raw vegetables. I know that is stupid in a nutriotion way of seeing it. But much better than eating rice and bread I think. Or other processed foods.

God, I wish I could believe you when you say that raw nuts will help me loose weight. I´ve tried to include them before and always I noticed it on the scale. I think some peolpe are better without them and some can eat quite alot without gaining anything. I work during the day so the excercise I get is from long walks or running in the evening. Tried to get up earlier to walk in the morning, but then I have to get up at 4.30 5 in the morning and it´s so hard!

But, from tomorrow I´m going 100% raw, I will try to include some nuts and see how it goes. Just to see if it makes any difference when its all raw.

But as I recently read in the book "The hippocrates diet" by ann wigmore, she wrote about what to eat if you wanted to loose weight and it stood that you should cut back on avocados and nuts and fatty food and eat more vegetables, sprouts and fruits.

What do you think of coconut oil? Some say it´s speeding up weight loss if you eat it between meals? Like a tablespoon just as it is?

Tomorrow I start the day with a green juice maybe 20 ounces. Then I eat watermelon throughout the day some raspberries and strawberries, and for dinner I have a salad with a lot of greens and some coconutoil, some pumpkinseeds. Fruit in the evening. What do you think?

// Fischer

[Fischer]

I´m crappy with the quote thing. Sorry for that guys =)

[raweater]

Coconut oil has been shown to cause weight loss. Also, I'd recommend trying having raw nuts daily for many a week before deciding if it works, you won't magically loose weight after eating nuts just one day, it will take time.

[wiccedfae23]

Now im not suggesting binging by any means but your better off eating 3 avocado's than giving into the "junk" cravings. Have you tried making any raw deserts. I am a sweet aholic and the banana ice cream and date nut torte have been getting me by. its hard to be 100% raw if you are still feeling deprived! i also agree that you did answer your own question. sometimes we have to put it out there to others before it clicks in our own head.
.... Also i am psyching up to do the August 30 day challenge perhaps that could be a great starting point for you as well? ;)

[Fischer]

Yes!

Thanks! ll be glad to announce that I´m starting today and will be raw until my birthday the 30th of august.

I´ve been thinking of buying dates and having the ingredients at home when the sweet craving gets to me. Then I will try the date cocoa thing :)

I feel other than weightloss that I want to get rid of the cravings for sweets, the one that is unbearable...the one that get stuck in your mind and don´t leave.

And I will eat enough in the day so I don´t compensate for it at night.

Yeah, I know I answer my own questions, but as you say sometimes you have to get it out there and have some response to it just to know that you thinking right. I think my problem first lie in that I´m not consistent about it. I keep it up for a couple of weeks /week and then fail when I give in to my sweet tooth, and eat bad foods. And then I just destroy what I built up.

Im so tired of it :mad:

But day 1 has just begun and I´m excited!

[Sternenhimmel]

I gained 4 kilos with the raw food diet :mad: .
When I go back to cooked food, I tend to loose weight. :confused:
I think raw food is assimilated differently by the body...

[Fischer]

Well that was not very nice to hear. If the raw diet don´t work I´m seriously gonna fast for the rest of my life...!!! :eek:

[Eva]

Hey Fischer -- it's simple: eat raw, include green smoothies, love yourself, and listen to your body. You're not hungry? Don't eat! You're craving an avocado and lots of oil? Have it! You're craving sweets? Have a date nut torte or some tasty raw treat, maybe watermelon, whatever.

Just listen, and stay raw. I promise you your body will do lovely things with the weight.

For me -- I have had the experience where I crave oil like crazy and want 3-5 avocados in the same day. It's always in periods that my weight goes down (just a little bit as I don't really have a lot of excess weight). Sometimes I want only light foods, and the thought of oil or an avocado seems disgusting. I run with it and eat a canteloupe for breakfast, watermelon for lunch, a salad for dinner -- or WHATEVER (that's only an example.) Always, always, I just listen and trust my body and STAY RAW. It works so well. I'm so healthy and vibrant. I was only a small amount heavier before raw -- but I am just SO HEALTHY and HAPPY and FIT now! :)

I hope that helps. Don't be scared of nuts -- but don't snack on bags of them because you want something crunchy for emotional reasons! :)

[ViolinCyndee]

I gained 4 kilos with the raw food diet :mad: .
When I go back to cooked food, I tend to loose weight. :confused:
I think raw food is assimilated differently by the body...

wow.......... :(

Even though I have been mostly raw for a week, I DID have 3 cooked meals this week. I definitely noticed that my weight went UP when I ate cooked food--even in this short period of time!

So.. for me: raw definitely seems to be the way to go. I do have 2 events this weekend where I will be eating cooked food, but from now until Saturday night will be nothing but RAW.

[Zella Juice]

I wasn't losing anything on 100%. I was having cold pressed olive oil on my salad. But I was not able to cut that out and I definatly was not cutting out the avocados. I just let my body tell me when I was ready. I kept drinking my fresh juice and green smoothies and not caring about what I ate as long as it was raw.

After a month (I was 100% raw for three months last year so this might have been easier for me)..but after a month I was strong enough to go without the oils. I even cut out the coconut oil...just in case. Some weight came off but not as fast as when I first went raw. I ran out of bananas and had to have my blended greens in my juice for a few days and realized how much faster my digestion was. I decided to skip the bananas for a few weeks and I started detoxing like crazy. I noticed acne and my body getting rid of lots of mucus. And the weight finally started coming off again.

I am still rockin' the juice with blended greens. I miss bananas and sometimes have them for a treat but not every day. As for the fattening stuff...I have a couple avocados a day and sometimes a few nuts. I don't make myself suffer. If I want some nuts I have them. I don't want to restrict myself from anything raw but if I feel strong enough I try to cut a few things out. It has been working for me and I can't believe I went from a size 18 to 14 since starting raw. I wasn't raw the whole time but I kept drinking juice and having green smoothies.

As far as those girls who are dieting on low fat stuff and having bread..they might be losing now but they will gain it all back. And still won't have a healthy eating Lifestyle to have for the rest of their lives. I am sure most the people on here have tried those diets. They are not long term and they are stuck in what I call the "vicious bread cycle" where you always need more bread to make you feel satisfied.

Hope this helps.

[Fischer]

Thanks!

I try to stay positive and just think of how healthy I am anyway when I´m eating this way. But at the same time it´s so hard hearing everybodys version of their "raw-beginning"...while some people loose a huge amount of weight fast and others gain or don´t loose any. It makes me depressed just to think about it..

But I also know in the back of my mind that I have to relax and take it easy. Try not to think about the weight. But I do really want to get fit again and enjoy life, right now I feel as the weight is something that stops me in everyday life. Even If it´s not so many kilos. But anyway.

I will try to stay positive and give it time. But you know you get tired of waiting for results also, when it seems that nothing is working..

But I´m just on my 2nd day raw now...:D

How much did you eat in the beginning? The first week and so?

Some books say one thing to do on a raw diet to loose weight and other books say different. I guess that I have to figure it out myself, but as in every other aspect of life we want that a little fairie coming and give us the recipe for success immidiately. Maybe it´s ment to be =)

//Fischer

[patchouli]

Fischer,

I attempted a raw way of life two summers ago for weight loss--and was so bitter when my weight didn't budge! Yes, I was faithful to being raw--but gave up when the scale stayed the same. "I don't care!" became my mantra--which reflected my true inner self.

Until I started caring about ME, truly understanding that every person--including me--is a gift, I held onto my protection, my blankie, my comfort--my fat.

For two years now, spiritual detox has been more important than what I eat. Toxic relationships, self-doubts, self-defeating games--all were addressed. The time for cleaning up my physical house came two months ago in June when I started eating raw foods again. Since then, my body has released 15 lbs. of toxins.

"Many says that stress is not optimal if you want to loose weight, and I think I have some internal stress over work and the future. I recently graduated from university and is looking for a job. And kind of worrying about weight all the time, and I really tried not to think about it, but I do very often. Get frustrated about it and feel sad. Not enjoying life. Maybe thats a cause to it also. "
My heart goes out to you as you struggle. Don't give up--we all have our own journey to strength and peace. Don't misunderstand--I do not pity you, but empathize with your frustration regarding weight and stress. I believe that raw (true) eating and raw (true)thinking go hand in hand--if only I'd known this two years ago, maybe my weight loss journey could have started then instead of now. Oh, well, at least it's happening!

Peace

[Zella Juice]

Nice post Patchouli, someone just posted on another raw forum these words of wisdom....

"You are what you eat.

You are what you think."

I am going to remember those words and eat well and think well.

[StarFire]

... Some books say one thing to do on a raw diet to loose weight and other books say different. I guess that I have to figure it out myself, but as in every other aspect of life we want that a little fairie coming and give us the recipe for success immediately. Maybe it´s meant to be =)

//Fischer

she did ;) :D ... and her name is ALISSA COHEN!!! (and believe me ... she is a tiny little fairie!...POWERFUL GODDESS... but tiny!!)
Do you have Alissa's book -- Living on Live Foods... ??? in it she has a 30 day plan that is very easy to follow, the recipes are simple yet very delicious... it is a wonderful way to get started on the path to raw and living foods... you will love all the amazing desserts and vast variety of foods you will be able to eat... It's how many of us got started... and it's very VERY simple to follow...

good luck to you!

[rawstrength]

Congrats on all that you are doing to improve your health. Especially the green juice. I think that it is totally awesome that you get so much greens in :) .
Keep making gradual changes in the direction of 100% raw, and keep gradually fitting in more excersize, even if it is just bringing a CD to work and dancing during a coffee break for 10 minutes. Every little bit helps.
The weightloss will come, in time. And raw will give you so much more than just weightloss, I can assure you that :D .

[Fischer]

Fischer,

I attempted a raw way of life two summers ago for weight loss--and was so bitter when my weight didn't budge! Yes, I was faithful to being raw--but gave up when the scale stayed the same. "I don't care!" became my mantra--which reflected my true inner self.

Until I started caring about ME, truly understanding that every person--including me--is a gift, I held onto my protection, my blankie, my comfort--my fat.

For two years now, spiritual detox has been more important than what I eat. Toxic relationships, self-doubts, self-defeating games--all were addressed. The time for cleaning up my physical house came two months ago in June when I started eating raw foods again. Since then, my body has released 15 lbs. of toxins.

"Many says that stress is not optimal if you want to loose weight, and I think I have some internal stress over work and the future. I recently graduated from university and is looking for a job. And kind of worrying about weight all the time, and I really tried not to think about it, but I do very often. Get frustrated about it and feel sad. Not enjoying life. Maybe thats a cause to it also. "
My heart goes out to you as you struggle. Don't give up--we all have our own journey to strength and peace. Don't misunderstand--I do not pity you, but empathize with your frustration regarding weight and stress. I believe that raw (true) eating and raw (true)thinking go hand in hand--if only I'd known this two years ago, maybe my weight loss journey could have started then instead of now. Oh, well, at least it's happening!

Peace

That is so true. We are what we think and our tiny little cells that are in our body reacts upon every thought we have. Thanks so much for telling me about your struggle, it makes me struggle on even if it not works just on weightloss. Im on my third day 100% raw and have a headache. But! Im glad for the headache, it means that my body is eliminating some shit :)

You see, I know that I have to think positive and eliminitate bad thougts and feelings of hoplessness. But can you give me some tips to try to reverse it or what do I do when the thoughts come?

Thanks again!!

[Fischer]

she did ;) :D ... and her name is ALISSA COHEN!!! (and believe me ... she is a tiny little fairie!...POWERFUL GODDESS... but tiny!!)
Do you have Alissa's book -- Living on Live Foods... ??? in it she has a 30 day plan that is very easy to follow, the recipes are simple yet very delicious... it is a wonderful way to get started on the path to raw and living foods... you will love all the amazing desserts and vast variety of foods you will be able to eat... It's how many of us got started... and it's very VERY simple to follow...

good luck to you!

Thanks *lol* :)

No I don+t have the book by her, maybe it´s worth buying. I have some other books though and the recipes is nice, but some is so complicated with huuuge amounts of nuts in them. Feels like they are to dense. For now I eat a lot of fruit and had my first wheatgrass juice in my entire life this morning!

I put the grass in my blender and add a little water, since I don´t have a juicer that can handle wheatgrass. I tasted like...grass :) But I believe in the healing of chlorophyll!

Thanks!

[patchouli]

Well, I took inventory of my life first. What was working, what wasn't. What makes me happy--and what does not. Just like my food lifestyle, I eliminated the contamination, dead, negative energies in my life--which meant most of my long-term relationships either changed drastically or ended. I went to college at the age of 39, started a new hobby, became a CASA volunteer--I really basically did a life overhaul because who I was wasn't me: it was everyone else's expectations of me. Iasked the question "what do I want?" over and over in order to overcome the lifelong habit of looking to others for validation.

We are made not only of physical cells, we have our mind and our spirits. My spirit was poisoned, which poisoned my thoughts, which poisoned my body through terrible food choices. I searched for, and found, a different walk of faith than I had previously, one that does not poison my spirit. I asked my Creator, Breath of Life, for wisdom, then listened for the answers. It didn't happen overnight, but the answers did come in many different ways.
So, in a nutshell, it started with a spiritual healing and continues--and will continue.

Honest Inventory
Ask
Listen
Take Action

Because this a raw food forum, I don't want to hijack the board get into a spiritual discussion--but you can visit my blog at www.patchouli-ponderings.blogspot.com

[Zella Juice]

fischer, it's very easy to get down and upset about many things in life. Life is not perfect. But we rarely take inventory of the good things. Instead always dwelling on what is not right in our lives.

Take time to notice what wonderful things you have. Think about how lucky you are for the things you have.

I used to get so upset because I cannot afford all the things my family needs. And can't do everything my child needs that I want to do. And I look at all the really big houses in nice neighborhoods when we go garage saleing and get sad that we don't even have a small house to call our own. We just have a tiny apartment and my son's room is the size of a closet. Then I think ..what about people who live in cardboard boxes. They would be jealous of me just like I am of those people with houses. I try and look at it from that perspective now. I am working on making the space that I do have enjoyable to live in so we don't feel like we are missing out on anything. I try and think that this is great what I have now and I don't need anything else. When my thoughts change to this..I feel more peace. I feel happy in the NOW.

So, all this rambling..I am trying to say..Take a step back and look at the whole picture of life.

Get out and take a hike or get out in nature and see how beautiful this world is right now. And that you have what you need right now.

This positive energy will make you feel better and attract people to you.

Hope this helps.

[yogashmoga]

zella, you're a doll. i needed to read your post tonight. gratitude has such amazing power. thank you!

[ncadotte]

I agree Zella. My foster daughter just got back from Mexico where she went to build a house for a family with her youth group. The house they built was 20 X 24 with 3 bedrooms. That's the size of some people's livingroom! It's easy to look at what others have and be jealous. It takes a little more effort to appreciate what you have, but feels sooo much better!

I try and stay at least 75% raw with a future goal of 100%. My biggest obstacle is my family. They're pretty supportive, but the temptation is just so great. They like to eat out and have family cookouts a lot.

A couple of things that help me when it gets tough is doing something... cleaning my house, yard work, playing with my son AND/OR reading... books, forums, raw blogs, inspirational stuff. I really enjoy the Abraham-Hicks books.

[roseyonnex]

I have started using fresh mushrooms in place of nuts to reduce calories for nut pates-type meals to reduce calories until I reach goal weight. Last night I made "taco meat" with ground mushrooms. Obviously you can't do it with everything, but some dishes work :0)

[Zella Juice]

Glad my ramblings can help someone, Yoga. By the way..your signature line makes me chuckle. :D

ncadotte, thanks for sharing that story. It's funny cause we just lived with my dad for 2 years all crammed in one bedroom so our new place is a step up. Yet still I have to keep reminding myself not to get discouraged. I think it's also the ideals we have. I always thought by 36 I would have my own house and be better off. Thinking that way makes me feel let down. I need to let go of that kind of thinking. It's hard but I am determined because life is too short and we never know when it's going to end.