What cheating feels like....

[gabriele]

Well, here i am, after 7 weeks of being "good", i could feel the pressure building up......the temptation that was completely absent for 7 weeks suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks and all i could think of was chocolate. Not being savy enough yet to make my own raw concoctions, i was dreaming of Lindt chocolate and everything else bad. I knew we had an office birthday party coming up, with lots of goodies, and i could just feel it in my body that i could not resist the temptations. It troubled me for 2 days straight. I just caved in and ate the gooey chocolatey brownies, the chocolate, the other foods, all SAD and all bad. My reason for writing this, other than to purge myself of my guilt, is to report that IT WASN'T WORTH IT!!!! I feel bloated, stuffed, i have heartburn, i feel slow and sleepy, i skipped my wonderful salad at lunch and i missed that, and i generally feel sad and upset that i let this happen. Tomorrow it's right back to my program/lifestyle. It just totally wasn't worth it, but i wish i knew how to prevent such strong cravings in the future. (nothing else will do except "real" commercially prepared chocolate, i'm a chocoholic.)

[Veganforlife]

Cheating feels like my confession below... :p

[green jeanie]

life is long

treat yourself to feeling great!

that means feeling great about feeling bloated and tired and sick

if that makes any sense...you will succeed!!!!!!

[Moretta]

Don't stress yourself to much about it, tomorrow is a new day.

Good luck.

[RawKnitster]

(nothing else will do except "real" commercially prepared chocolate, i'm a chocoholic.)

I promise, once you have had the real thing you will wonder why that commercially prepared stuff ever appealed to you. And you don't have to be savy....all you need is a bag of raw cacao powder.

One of the easiest ways to get a chocolate fix is stir together some cacao powder and agave syrup. Eat it with a spoon or as a dip for fruit, especially bananas.

Another super easy recipe is RP Brownies. If you have a food processor, cacao powder, walnuts or pecans, and dates or raisins, then you've got instant brownies.

If none of that works for you there is another alternative. I read about it today in "The Raw Food Diet Myth" by Ruthann Russo. She writes in the chapter titled "The Great Chocolate Debate" that organic dark chocolate (Dagoba and Green & Black's bars) saved her during the transition process.

From one chocoholic to another....when the choco monster strikes it has got to be fed. ;)

[lovinlocks]

These responses are so kind and thoughtful. I didn't start the thread but I'm thanking yaw'll nonetheless.

Tks.

LL

[gabriele]

i started the thread and i am thankful too. All the kind responses are making me feel better, sitting here with my heartburn. I must have made some progress the past 7 weeks if i'm sitting here dreaming about my salad tomorrow. :)) It is a lesson learned, that this was not worth it, and i won't be doing this again soon.

[freshlight]

This can happen at the beginning of your journey: be grateful for the slip because it shows you the best way to go :)
Take care,
Eva

[rawstrength]

Celery juice has saved my butt after some unfortunate cooked food encounters. Celery juice really soothes digestion and gets rid of heartburn. Or try a celery green smoothie if you have no juicer.

[RawHeaven]

Something that tided me over well during my chocolate cravings were the following easy desserts:

Raw Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
2 to 4 frozen bananas blended with raw cacao powder to taste

I ate this every evening for like 6 months. lol.


Raw chocolate coconut drops

Mix 1/2 cup raw cacao power with about 2-4 tbs of melted coconut oil add a little sea salt if you must. Agave to taste if you enjoy sweeter chocolate. You may need to adjust the coconut oil/cacao to your own liking in terms of texture etc.

drop 1 inch balls onto a ceramic plate or plastic wrap. Or you can shape it into a bar and make your own candy bar.

Put in the fridge for an hour


----------------------

I used to just experiment with different ingredients along with the cacao powder. It was fun to get creative. It doesn't have to be perfect and you're usually the only one who's eating it. ;) Sometimes they came out not so great. It was simply helpful for me to get that "chocolate" flavor in my mouth so I wouldn't go out and buy a Hershey bar. LOL.

[Aleesha Sattva]

for me it was these (http://www.therawfoodworld.com/product_info.php?ref=199&products_id=1001388&affiliate_banner_id=1)!!!

[EZ rider]

I have made my best progress on my raw journey after my "slips". Forget about the guilt and negative feelings and focus on the positive. Stop and examine the slip and learn from it. The kinds of things you mention in your OP like how it makes you feel physically and mentally after eating the cooked food compared to the way eating fresh raw foods from the garden makes you feel. Think about your actions just before you slipped. Learning from experiences is a great tool to help keep free of a repeat experience. Think about if you want to be raw or cooked and if you want to be raw then recommit to staying on your journey. After I have done the above things I have found that the slip is not a stumbling block anymore but is now a stepping stone to the better health & wellness that the raw food lifestyle leads to. Its not the food in your life that counts its the life in your food that nourishes you with health, radiance and joy.

[Marin Mom]

It happens. I blew it and had HALVAH today, sad family keeps this stuff around all the time and sometimes it is just too much to resist. Should have kept a backup dessert around, but I won't beat myself up over it.

[betty boop]

I slip also but as time goes by I find it happening less and less. What seems to work for me is to feed my cravings unless it's later in the evening.

When I do cave and have something that's not raw it never tastes as good as I thought it would and I always pay for it, always! So that helps alot mentally, because it proves to me raw is the way to go.

A couple weeks ago it was chocolate. I don't really even like chocolate so why I wanted it I dunno but after having some and going through that phase I don't want it anymore.

When I first started on raw it was McDonalds, lol! I never ever eat at McDonalds yet here I was craving McDonalds. I gave in and went 2-3 times each time I would take one bite sometimes two and it tasted horrible so I threw it out and left, then had a green smoothie when I got home. And now even the thought of McD makes me sick.

For me every single day is a learning process.

[islesgirl]

That is so amazing betty boop! I'm glad I read this today. I noticed a couple of times since eating so much raw food that there was something different about a lot of the sad food I went back to each time. On the weekend, we had Chinese Food as it was our anniversary and it is usually one of my favorite meals, not counting seafood and steak. It was the absolute worst tasting chinese food I have ever had in my life. It has to be the raw food changing my taste buds. If I cave again and one day choose lobster or steak, I wonder if I will experience the same thing? We'll see. I'm sure going to keep this in mind. Thanks for sharing.:)

[Colorawdo girl]

The more raw you eat, the more sad will taste bad to you. It is all a process and after a while, all sad tastes bad and feels bad and smells bad.

If you choose a cooked food after a bit, it might be a "better than" food. Like a whole grain pasta with organic or raw sauce.

I never crave mickey dee or the bell or anything. They must have gone from my body. On the way out I might have craved them though.

Enjoy this wonderful process and go with it. It is so great.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO YOU SUE!!!!!!

[rawgreenwitch]

I know from experience that when I cheat on SAD foods :(and if I do not stay 100% raw, not only do I feel horrible physically, but I also suffer through mood swings. :eek:
Staying raw is the only way to stay balanced. ;)
rawgreenwitch

[saladnut]

I'm on day 35, and the last few days I've started craving cooked food. It's just started smelling good to me. I think I'm detoxing, and those symptoms always make me crave things. Reading this thread was very inspiring to me, and I'm feeling less like cheating. I miss potato and corn chips. I tried dehydrating potato chips, but they are horrible. I guess I'm craving salt. Weird, because I've wanted little salt since raw, and I was always a salt-a-holic. Anyway, thanks to you all for your inspiration.

[jane b]

I'm still transitioning, i.e. usually "choosing" one or two light cooked foods per day. Everything was going on swimmingly until today when my son-in-law brought home Church's Fried Chicken. I'm visiting AZ from VA, and we don't have any of those restaurants around. They knew it was my favorite, and I didn't want to be rude. So I had a couple of pieces. Shouldn't bother me, right?

OMG. A couple of hours later and I thought I was going to die. Doubled up in cramping pain and feeling so nauseous. A few trips to the bathroom helped but it's after midnight here, and I'm still up feeling miserable.

And to top it off, the chicken didn't even taste nearly as good as I remembered. Totally not worth it.

jane b

[jane b]

Both DD and I have been suffering for almost 24 hours. She's been doing the Jillian Michaels diet of lean protein and steamed veggies (and looks fantastic, btw), and I've been mostly raw. NEITHER of us has had anything greasy or fatty for quite a while, and it's been real interesting here. Good thing she has 2 bathrooms because we've both been worshiping the Porcelain Goddess.

Just the thought of food is devastating right now. Took a little watermelon to keep my strength up and to prevent dehydration. So it's been diet sparkling green tea and a few saltines at a time. I'm diabetic, so I can't NOT eat something right now.

One positive out of all this--it's going to be a heck of a lot easier to stay raw when I flash on this little aversion session I've just been thru.

jane b

[saladnut]

I'm happy to report that my cravings passed, and I didn't give in. Reading here is good incentive! Thanks for your reports. I'm about 46 days today, and I'm finding I'm needing less food overall. I had to be out without much food today, and normally I would have been dying of starvation, yet I wasn't. I am feeling better every day on raw!!! Loving it!

[rohrforraw]

I have just started with juicing and trying to eat raw. I do pretty good during the week, but on the weekend there is always some function to go to. I have no willpower so I eat. One reason I started to go raw is because of my acid reflux and heart burn. When I eat raw I have hardly any heartburn. When I cheat it always returns. I don't want to feel guilty, but I do. During the week when I am eating well and I need a fix. I turn to Green and Black chocolate bar. the 85% chocolate. That saves my fanny. Just one little square helps, also raisins are good.

Blessings, Lee

[gabriele]

I'm the one who started this thread and i'm the biggest cheater!! :( Still struggling with the chocolate temptation, but as i posted on another thread, the Weight Loss Challenge thread, i actually was going to go buy a bunch of chocolate before work last week, two separate occasions, and i did NOT do it, that is a big accomplishment for me. I've never been able to resist that call for chocolate, so i'm proud of myself for that.

[Irish_Vegan_Girl]

i started the thread and i am thankful too. All the kind responses are making me feel better, sitting here with my heartburn. I must have made some progress the past 7 weeks if i'm sitting here dreaming about my salad tomorrow. :)) It is a lesson learned, that this was not worth it, and i won't be doing this again soon.

Mistakes are worth making if you learn from them. I'm sitting here feeling a little uncomfortable because I mixed too much cooked food with raw. I wish I'd had my green smoothie first thing, I know better, now.

See how you are saying you won't do this again, you clearly have learned the lesson, and being positive you are looking forward to your salad as you said, so well done on knowing what you need to feel good, and doing it.:)

[gabriele]

I am actually looking forward to a watermelon smoothie tomorrow. I've never had one. My usual routine, while being "bad", was loading up on chocolate in the morning and then by 10am feeling sick and full and having heartburn. I am just totally addicted.

But now, i think about shakes and salads, i still would love my chocolate, but like everyone is saying here, i guess your taste buds can change and get accustomed to healthy foods. It's going to take a while to change 55 years of eating cooked food and chocolate to a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables. I think it's happening slowly but surely.

[saladnut]

It's a journey. My first attempt at raw was great until I cheated once, and that was the end of it for 2 years. Just the fact that you cheat and then come back is wonderful. I think it's a mindset. I heard Jim Carey (not the actor) raw foodist once say, I haven't stopped eating steak. When asked when he had eaten steak, it was about 9 months ago. I think it helps me not to think of it as forever. I totally plan to go to PFChangs and eat a Buddha's Feast, but I chose not to do that for quite some time, because I don't want to quit healing now. Gabriele, have you tried to find a raw chocolate alternative? I have raw chocolate powder, and I've also bought 100% raw chocolate candy bars. I don't do a lot of them, but they are a nice treat. I've been on a restricted diet for 25 years trying to regain my health, and eating raw actually allows me to have more wonderful options. Being addicted to a food typically means an allergy, which you may just need to break through avoidance. Either way, celebrate in the journey, and don't beat yourself up. We are always our worst critics. Life is too short. God bless.

[gabriele]

You're right, Saladnut, about being our own worst critics. When you say being an addict means you have an allergy, what does that mean? This interests me. I'm surely not allergic to chocolate?? What am i allergic to? I WISH i was allergic to chocolate, then it wouldn't have this hold over me. And yes, i've tried all sorts of alternatives, my problem is that i am a total chocolate SNOB, as in, only LINDT or expensive chocolate will do. :( I turn my nose down on Hershey's. It has to be creamy and expensive, so nothing else i've ever tried can fill that gap.

for me the only thing is to avoid it completely..

[saladnut]

LOL. I come from German parents and was raised with nougat, marzipan, and Swiss chocolate, so I fully understand. It's delicious stuff!!! In my health journey there are actually two things that cause cravings that I'm aware of, one being allergy as I mentioned. We crave things we are allergic to, and when we eat them regularly, our body masks the symptoms. The best way to know if you are allergic to something is to eliminate it for 3 weeks and then re-introduce it. You will then see if you have symptoms. The other cravings are typically sugar/carbo cravings. When you have the ups and downs of sugar/carbs, your brain seeks more to keep from crashing again. I can't give you scientific explanation. I also have struggled with candida, and I know when my candida is out of control, I crave the carbs and things that feed the yeast. I'm not sure if this is all the same mechanism or not. I know the raw food addresses sugar imbalances that help eliminate the cravings. The chocolate you eat with all the bad sugar really will set you back in your healing (IMHO). Refined sugar is the #1 worst thing in my book. With candida, I just had to give it up, no question. It's easier when you know for a fact what poison it is for you. The only way I've found to conquer additions I've had (and I'm easily addictive) is to find other alternatives to replace what I'm eliminating. I don't know your situation, but you may just need to get to the point where you've crashed low enough that you are ready to give it up. I was totally hooked on yogurt myself, the creamy full fat decadent yogurt. I have milk allergies and knew I needed to give it up. When I decided to go raw, that did it for me, and the great results of being raw and having great raw alternatives encouraged me enough to keep going. You will get there when you're ready. Keep on rawkin' and God bless! ;)