Question about switching

[Halo_effect]

Hi all!

I had *attempted* to switch to raw a few months back when I joined up here. I had started and was partly successful for a few weeks (which is hardly a drop in the bucked) and then I'm not sure what happened, but everything fell apart and now I'm back to my old disgusting ways :(

It seems like a lot of raw food people I read about before making the switch were already vegan or vegetarians or at least eating somewhat healthy. I was just wondering if anyone made the switch from eating like the worst of the worst SAD diet directly to raw?

I really do want to switch, knowing how crummy and awful and exhausted I feel and knowing what I now know about the food I eat. It's horrible. I'm going to read Allison's book and immerse myself in raw learning again and attempt this again...

[Raine]

For what it's worth, I've never been vegetarian/vegan. My drive was to simply do all I could to improve my physical health so that I don't go down the medical road my parents have gone down.

I strive to maintain 80% raw simply because my body works better that way.

As a Texas girl, I was raised with steak. But after learning how cattle were raised and slaughtered, it just isn't so appetizing any more.

Chicken started making me violently ill about 4 years ago - I'd eat it and a few hours later would start getting horrible pains in my stomach. I'm not a masochist and I don't like being in pain so no more chicken.

Pigs are too intelligent.

I have seafood on occasion, brown rice, etc. It just comes down to finding that sweet spot that works for you.

.

[Ilse W.]

Some people, I'm one of them, can do just about anything cold turkey. For others it's important to ease into stuff. For you it might be good to start small, keeping the door open, so to speak, for the things you are used to. Try starting your day with a smoothie, it doesn't even have to be green in the beginning, though you wouldn't taste a handful of baby spinach in a smoothie of banana and blueberries, for example. If you add a tablespoon of ground up flax seeds and sunflower seeds, a nice big smoothie should be enough to keep you until lunch time. Then maybe you should just start each of the other two meals a day out with a nice large salad, followed by steamed vegetables, and then, if you are still hungry, your meat. Most likely, you will gradually eat less and less of the meat and more of the vegetables and salads. Your body will let you know that it likes those better. For snacks I would eat some almonds or fruit. Do it in a gradual way, don't go whole hog, if that's not your usual style. Take it one meal at a time. If you fall off the wagon for one meal, it's easy enough to forgive your Self and climb back on for the next meal. Be gentle with yourself, allow yourself to take it slowly, and commend yourself for trying and doing as much as you manage to do.
We'll be here pulling for you!:D

[Moretta]

I was never vegetarian/vegan. I grew up on the Mediterranean way of eating since my background is Italian.

I jumped into this way of eating cold turkey. I was doing a low carb way of eating before I started on this lovely journey.

I enjoy it very much, but wish I had more time to make some of the more intense recipes. For the time being I am eating quite simple, like salads, fruits, green smoothies, nuts and seeds. I have not gotten to any grains yet, but its coming.

[jacsam]

Besides Alissa's book, do you have her DVD? It really is motivating and I learn something everytime I watch it. Good Luck!

[Emma-Liza]

I have been vegetarian/vegan in the past, but emotional eating always got the better of me. At the time I started to go raw, I was concerned about my skin. It was horrid. I had been raw for a few weeks last summer and my skin became so clear and soft, so I decided to try again.

I started to change my diet in the very exact way EmmaT describes. In mid-May, when I started transitioning. I was quite omni, very SAD, fried stuff, animal products, etc. Over 6 weeks time, it was easy to be raw during the day and cook or go out to eat whatever I wanted in the evening.

It worked well for me and as weeks went on, my skin began to improve. But even more exciting for me, my weight began to drop. This hadn't happened last year, but I found it so motivating, that what was going to be a few days turned into a month, turned into the whole summer. I am still overweight, but I know I can change that. My skin is great, too!

[Riiiya]

i'm like Moretta - i was "healthy" low carb before RAW, so raw food was such a liberation! I indulged in all the amazing fruits without guilt haha

It must be VERY different if you're coming from SAD.. if you feel like your goals require 100% then go for it! Alissa's DVD is truly great. Wolfe's books is very inspirational to me and Cousin's books are really convinsing IMO The point is- Saturate your mind with information on raw and living foods!!!

[Raw Angel Mom]

Dear Halo, my say to you is to focus on your accomplishment. The fact that you still hang in there and is interested to try again, is absolutely fantastic.

Ok, what about taking some time to reflex on your lesson. For instance, for me i cannot do cook and raw food in the same time, this is too addictive for me and this is way more comfortable for me to do only raw food. Some can do exception and a little bit of cook food and they stay on track, for me i cannot. So learn your limit and have a different plan.

What i suggest for you, is to do more research on how to make more gourmet meal. You need to trick your mind that you will be comfortable with this diet. Let go the attachment of losing weight and only focus on your health.

Do green smoothies, they heal addiction, i swear this is what brought me back on this raw journey. I did 60 days the first time and was two years trying to motivate myself to do raw again and it was only when i started to do green smoothies that i did my way back and i have been 100% raw for one year and half now.

Don't compare yourself to others AND ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENT. If you make room for the good stuff, this is wonderful.

Once you have done more research, learning more recipes, etc.... Set a date for another comittement for raw food.

Yes, i was vegetarian before raw food but i was a meat eater before vegetarian and the transition is the same, you need to learn new ways of doing this new diet. Once, you will get the hang of it, you will do just perfect.

At first, i needed to make sure that i could make something quick for me, so i would have avocado, nut ready to make pate (soaked). On weekend i would preparre my raw gourmet such crackers, bread, etc...

Now, i can eat just plain tomato or just plain red pepper and i feel that i just had a raw gourmet meal, lol... I do smoothies a lot too as a fast food, i would do the energy soup of dr. Ann Wigmore.

Try to get more skill, learn to plan, and make sure to have the food available in case of an emergency (intense craving).

You can do this and many have went from extreme unhealthy food to raw food and they did ok.

If you don't have Allissa DVD'S yet, get it. She will teach you the basic with raw food.

Best wishes!

[annavon]

I too had tried in the past (a year or so ago) to go raw and wasn't successful for more than a week. I had tried several raw recipes over the past few years, so I had some recipe ammo this time. What worked for me this time is I committted to myself to go 85% raw at first and started July 4. I started off my first day with veggie juice for breakfast and salad for lunch, it started me off detoxing pretty quickly though. I found myself wanting more then 85%raw so now I am 100% raw and doing the one month challange. Emma's transition is a good suggestion. Learning new recipes helps a lot too. Veganforlife has a recipe challange going in the food prep section. Check it out.

[Green_Woman]

I went from eating vegetarian in my teens, vegan at 20, raw at 21... to eating the WORST most INSANE SAD food you can imagine (microwave meals, maruchan soups and canned tomato soup EVERY meal, with candy bars DAILY) last year...

and went immediately off all of that in one day to eating raw...

I have never WANTED to return to SAD food since discovering how much happier and healthier I feel and LOOK and AM on raw foods!!!

you have to want it... and want it BAD. :D

[RawKnitster]

So much good advice here. Just shows how different methods work for different people. Keep trying and you will find the method that works best for you.

I was very SAD for 50 years, then I started trying to change my ways, reading Harvey Diamond and practicing proper food combining (keeping carbs and protein seperate). About 6 months into that I discovered the raw food way. I went raw that day, and stayed raw for over a year. Wish I had stayed raw. For the past 3+ years I have gone back and forth between raw and SAD, never able to acheive a balance. For me, there can be no 70/30 or 80/20, it has to be 100% raw. One bite of cooked food and my raw world crumbles. I guess that makes me an addict, and not eating a single bite of cooked food is how I treat it. Almost 4 months now, and I'm still on the raw wagon.

Don't give up. You can only fail if you don't try.

[Halo_effect]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone :)

I have a week off of work coming up (was supposed to go on vacation, but due to a stupid chain of events (thankyouverymuch, Mr. Stop Sign Ignorer :mad:) we can't go as my vehicle now needs tons of work, I have a high deductible, etc. I'm sad about it, I was really looking forward to a vacation. But anyway, I'm still taking the week off of work so I'll have a nice week just to spend hanging out and really thinking about things, etc.

[rayofsunshine]

Dear Halo, If those are your dogs they are adorable. I have a Great Dane and a Miniature Dachshund in the same colors as yours.

I have spent years fluctuating between vegetarian/juicing and SAD diet. The only way for me to stay raw is to shoot for 100%. Like rawknitster, I can't go back to raw on a day I have started cooked food...too adicting for me. But I just keep trying, one day at a time.

Through my trying, I have lost weight and, for the most part, reduced a lot of my IBS symptoms. My nails were breaking very easily, but now grow very strong. I feel like I can absorb more nutrients with the green smoothies and juice. Each day I recommit I add more raw recipes (easy ones too) and more knowledge that make me more successful with each attempt. Eating raw food even effects my mood, I feel content and happy.

I like checking this site daily for support. Victoria Boutenko's "12 Step to Raw Food" was really helpful to me along with Alissa's book.

...and lucky you, you husband eats raw!

One of my favorite easy meals is almond butter and honey wrapped in romaine leaves. I buy raw Indian flax seed crackers at my Whole Foods Store and eat them with Alissa's spinach dip(it just has 4 ingredients).
Alissa's fudgy balls are very easy and delicious.

Good luck on your journey!

[shashibala]

I think that it depends on one's personality. I went all raw in one day and that was the only way I could do it. I need to be all raw to feel good and to not overeat. I was a lifelong vegetarian. If you aren't like me, a transition period might be needed. I would also recommend Victoria Boutenko's book 12 Step to Raw Food. You can eliminate one unhealthy food group at a time while adding lots of raw foods. Green smoothies are a wonderful tool to help transition. They are very filling and nourishing. I find that the more raw foods, especially greens, that I eat, the more I want.
Best wishes on your journey!!

[petaltothemetal]

When are your temptation times and when are your easy times? For me, it was easier to be 100% raw in the mornings and afternoons when I was alone or at work. I cooked big meals 3-4 times a week for my daughter and/or mom and on those days I always wanted to partake. So realizing that, I just accepted I was going to nibble their food for a little while. My hardest thing was to give up bread products and I focused on that rather than tasting everyone else's dinner. Once I got bread kicked, and then coffee, I was home free.

[petaltothemetal]

Oh, and I was not a vegetarian, but meat and cheese were never my big cravings. Bread was, even though I knew it bloated me and made me feel tired.