Fell of the bandwagon and need advice

[agumble]

So I switched off of raw foods back to a SAD diet back in July, and I really want to get back to raw now. I feel so much worse now, I've gained about ten pounds, and I don't feel like I have any control over my food intake anymore. My biggest problem is that I can't seem to get over my food cravings. They seem worse than they've ever been before, and I just don't have the time to make complicated raw recipes to try satisfying those cravings. Does anyone who's been in this position before have any suggestions? Any advice would be much appreciated!

[rawstrength]

Water fast. When you're done, simple foods will taste like divine gifts from heaven. Even 1-2 days of water fasting will help.
Also, even when eating simple, make sure to get a wide variety of flavors. Seasonings like sea salt, cinnamon, turmeric, chili, honey, cumin, ginger etc. help tremendously. You can eat an apple, or you can eat that same apple sprinkled with cinnamon and sweetened with a touch of honey. With the addition of seasonings, the apple becomes like a slice of apple pie!
I wish you all the best and I'm sure you'll be feeling better in no time. Trust the process.

[Zaphirah]

I will second fasting, altho I prefer juice fasting. You just need to get back to raw. It will all work out. I slowly slipped back to SAD over the summer and gained 10 lbs also. I just decided that Sept. 1 was MY day to go back, but then I even pushed it up a bit because I couldn't wait. My other advice, if you don't want to fast, or can't, then slowly into raw, esp Green Smoothies. My dh is the biggest SAD eater ever and he's been making smoothies every morning and it really helps him to crave GOOD foods. hth

[Veganforlife]

Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. However you feel you need to. Fasting or just plain rawing! But you'll get 'there' again.
Good luck!

[Zaphirah]

I should tell you that it took me 2 years to make my way to raw, I was raw for 9 months, then slipped up for 2 or so and am back to raw. It's all part of the journey. Embrace it and don't feed into the guilt or cruddy feelings. That just makes it worse. just tell yourself you will be raw for 1 hour and then when the time is up, commit to 1 more hour, if you need to. You CAN do this. Looking back on my last 3 years I really struggled instead of trusting the process like RS said.

[Revvell]

Does anyone who's been in this position before have any suggestions? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Fruit and lots of it. Greens and lots of them. Combine them and you've got smoozies (green smoothies) and lots of 'em.

[OneBite@aTime]

When I was having trouble, I chalked it up to my "all or nothing" personality-and decided that would be something I changed about myself. So I decided to go the slower route, first I did an all raw breakfast, then when I was enjoying that I added lunch-for a long time I was raw for breakfast and lunch, until I was ready to add dinner. When I added dinner I even kept some salad dressings for a while-and now....I'm happy to say I'm eating all raw.
You just have to keep on keeping on until you find what works for you.

[ShantiLove]

Lots of great advise :)

No need to feel guilty or obsesing with what you did or did not do. Look to the future.
Enjoy :-) find you favorite raw foods, like ex a mango, a wonderful juicy mango. Smell it (ummmm) then cut it up and sit down in peace. Look at the beautiful color, like sunshine. Then eat it, really tasting it. use your senses. When you are done, sit and enjoy the feeling in your body. Just enjoy :)
Substetute the mango with any of you favorite rawfood. And like Zaphirah said, if it only last a few houres of the day, so be it. Just repeat it all over again. After a while the joy of eating raw will overpower the need for cooked. Dont fight it, let your body find its natural balance again, then you mind will folow.

Eating should be a joy, you are not accountable to anyone, only yourself. So there is no failiour (spelling?). Do what is good for yourself, what is a joy for you. And take it slow. Your body and mind will ajust when it is good and ready.
Enjoy eating and eat your favorite rawfoods. It will come automaticly. Relax and enjoy :D

[mongodelight]

there are people staying raw on very simple things. I stayed raw and didnt have associations to eat cooked for 2 months(when i fall off - later i found out it was just because of a mineral inbalance/defiency(sodium))

I ate single meals. I ate for example an apple and an orange or sellery and avocado. Or just old coconut. Or just melon for one meal. Extremly simple and often "boring" to you - but i enjoyed it to the endth degree and felt amazing - i didnt miss cooked at all after i broke the association.

And there are people who are eating chocolate, goji berries, luxurious salads, durians, young coconuts, dehydrated food and they fall of again and again.

Nearly every raw food style(even if its boring) tastes better than cooked food. U dont eat cooked because u like the taste - you do it because you re addicted.

You are conditioned to eat cooked. But every conditioning can be deconditioned. Allen Carr found out a method to reverse conditions to zero. He spoke about tobacco but it works on every addiction. If u have some imagination you can extract the principle - reverse your addiction - stay raw under every circumstances forever.

Paradise is waiting for you. Its time to start over: AND I MEAN REALLY START OVER:D

AND NEVER FORGET: SKY IS THE LIMIT!

[agumble]

Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone! I've been back to raw for about a week now and feeling much better :) It's nice to hear that this has happened to other people too, and that the best thing is to not feel guilty about it. I also tend to have all-or-nothing thinking, so I think I needed to hear that it's okay to fall.