Having a really hard time - please help!

[danivance]

I am just finishing up week three of being completely raw. I have to say that it has been extremely difficult thus far. Today I just couldn't deal anymore, and I bought a Thai salad with tofu and peanut sauce. Thankfully, I wasn't sick to my stomach or anything. One of the reasons I wanted to try eating raw foods was because since I started adding a lot of smoothies into my diet, I noticed I was constantly sick when I was eating out. Anyway, I have been having a really hard time. I am SO sick of salads. I have tried lots of different greens, tomatoes, onions, avocado, olives. I tried making a raw ranch dressing, and I liked it the first time, and then couldn't eat it anymore. I have made zucchini pasta with marinara, and I thought it was so blah. I tried zucchini pasta again with pesto and hated it. I tried making a raw corn chowder from Ani Phyo's book-- I just didn't like it at all. I've been spending so much time in the kitchen making things, and then I end up not liking them at all. Zucchini hummus, various dips and cheeses-- I don't like any of them. I made a raw lasagna which took over an hour, and it was good, but I wouldn't make it again.

I am happy because I have lost about 5 lbs, but I also kind of feel miserable at the same time. I have not experienced any change in energy at all, and I just feel so blah about food. I honestly wish I wasn't hungry so I didn't need to eat.

I am just looking for any suggestions you have at all. I really miss hot food, and I really miss tofu.

Help!!

[michigan roman]

youve gotta have your eye on the reward in order to keep marching thru the very difficult blahs of changing diet . ide get the ' china study ' book everyone talks about in order to stay focused on how terribly the cooked food diet is affecting our long term health . then when your initial raw foods arent satisfying youll say i dont give a damn because im now eating for health and not to satisfy my taste buds . taste buds that have gotten used to liking the tastes of things that are bad for our health . just like smokers lungs get used to craving cigarettes that are slowly killing them .

keep feeding your cells the proper raw plant fuel that leads to them burning their brightest :

FOOD IS FUEL

[selina_k]

You're eating very healthfully, whatever percentage of raw v. cooked you're eating, it's obvious that you are being very good to your body. congratulate yourself for that!:)

You can make a raw soup and warm it slightly, bathtub temp (well depending how hot you take your baths, but ykwim;)

meantime give yourself some serious props and love.

xox

[klomasius]

Take a deep breath in, then let it out... and try to become calm... :)

Firstly, you've done really well for three weeks, good on you!

How was your diet before you went raw? Did you eat a lot of junk food, processed food (pastas, breads, cereals, sugar etc), animal products?

If you've come from a diet high in any of these things, you may be experiencing a fair amount of detox. This is the body's way of getting rid of all the acculmulated junk it has stored up there from years of eating gluggy cooked and processed foods.

The body takes time to get rid of these things, to heal itself, to get used to better foood etc. Think of it like someone addicted to a drug, the body goes through a detox stage, and in that stage they may crave the drug, become sick, go through emotional hell etc. But it passes.

Think of the years of eating takeaway, junk, sugar, meat, dairy, etc and understand that almost nothing really good and stable and real is instantaneous. This is the same for true health and well being.

We often need to get through some difficulties in order to obtain a fantastic level of health. This might mean emotional stuff as well.

Maybe try to eat simply, only eat when your body wants to eat. You might also want to try a fast, master cleanse, colonic, or add green juices and smoothies to your diet (if you haven't already).

Good luck, take it easy and stick to it. Getting through that inital diffcult phase can be real hard. Are you up for it? You'll be so proud of yourself on the other side.

p.s. hugs! :D

[michigan roman]

ONE THING I LEARNED FROM FASTING IS THAT WHEN YOU BREAK A FAST ANYTHING TASTES (sorry caps on by mistake) great .
so try not eating for a day or 2 then when you eat even this raw junk :D
shall taste great :p

[Zanjabil]

ONE THING I LEARNED FROM FASTING IS THAT WHEN YOU BREAK A FAST ANYTHING TASTES (sorry caps on by mistake) great .
so try not eating for a day or 2 then when you eat even this raw junk :D
shall taste great :p


I totally agree with this, I just came of of a 32 hour dry fast, and boy did the honey dew melon I broke my fast with taste so,so, so good.

I agree with the pp said, what you are experiencing may be part of the detoxing. Just take each day of eating one at a time, some people need more time to transition into 100% raw. If that's how it is for you then give yourself time to transition. Set mini goals for yourself. Maybe you could go 50/50, then 60/40...etc, slowly transitioning into 95%=100%. If you really want it, it well happen. Best to you on this rawesome journey.:)

[Yana]

Hi :). I agree with all above posters, and am sorry you are having such a difficult time! May i ask what your daily diet has been like? we may be able you help you better with more information. I hope things have started looking up!

[spicyfull]

Maybe you are just not ready to go RAW, it happens. Sometimes it takes more times than one to completely go RAW. You have the Road Maps and are well on your Journey but keep wanting to return home. Sometimes taking a break will send you running back more determined than ever. I wish you all My Best.

[snoops]

danivance - I hear what you are saying about the meals. I am trying out different recipes before I try a month raw. I'm good for the day then at night need a "meal" with my family so I have been trying the calzone, the spiralized noddles with sauce, the enchiladas. Other than the noodles which are fast and easy they all take so many days prep and they taste - well Ok but not worth all the work frankly. The noodles were great the first time but the second - well OK!

Maybe its just such a completely different way of "cooking" and we are just not used to it. Maybe in time the many steps of prep will become easy. Maybe its just breaking the addiction. Maybe the real way to eat is not vast amounts of prep but salads and fruits. It seems that's were most people end up after they try to duplicate the "cooked" experience, which you can't I'm afraid I'm finding.

But I hear your problem and am with you.

[ruffsongraw]

hi,
i am 6 weeks (at about 99%) this week. i found that when i had a craving for cooked food the avocado and tomatoe dip (just a tad of sea salt and NO garlic please!) REALLY satisfied me. that is also where my 1% NOT raw occurs--i put it on blue organic tortilla chips---and it is a lot of dip and very little chip.... i went raw for health probs, not to lose wt and so far i have not lost any and i am eating a LOT. raw pine-apple is THE BOMB for me. and dehydrated flax crackers---those things helped me when i got tired of salads (but that wore off--i was only temporarily tired of them). also fruit leathers.

i found--like you--that the complicated recipes were too time-consuming and the taste was never what i anticipated so i am sticking to things i know i like and are simple. my husb has gone raw so he eats "dinner" with me but our son (15) is about 50% and he cooks his dinner meal (which smells less and less good every day). watching tv makes it hard b/c all the commercials center around illegal (& SO unhealthy!!) food. that is (to me) very frustrating!!
dont be hard on yourself. it will be a long time (if ever!) that taste becomes irrelevant, so until (if)that happens, eat what raw foods you DO like and if nothing appeals to you at that meal, then dont eat.

jen

[JCB44]

Hang in there, you are doing great things for yourself.

[Mad Mex]

Maybe your body is craving for something else. Try more fruits, maybe you need more sugar. It helped me in my weak phases.

I use a trick. I use the 40 days of the christian fasting period to stay 100% raw. I'm very ambitious to succeed. OK, I tell my mind and my body after the successfull 40 days I could eat something else, like being raw for 90, 80 or 75%, but after 40 days your body is clean and you do not want to eat something different instead of healthy delicious raw food.

And if not, do not punish yourself, it shouldn't be a force it is freedom.

Keep going!

Marcel :cool:

[Riiiya]

perhaps you should just go on your own speed and not be 100% if you're one of those people (i'm SO not, i have to go cold turkey or else i couldm't stick to it)

what helped ME a lot is saturating my mind with information. my first raw books weren't the recipe ones, they were by david wolfe, Dr Colin Campbell (oops spelling?), Gabriel Cousin's... i got so enthusiastic and empowered with the real information on health and nutrition that i didn't want to THINK about tofu and other things :)

[glamazon]

Hello Danivance

In your post, you sound so disheartened and quite possibly you're in a detox funk. Everything takes time...this is a process, a day to day journey. It takes 21 days to change/replace a habit. Although RAW is a way of eating, I try not to think of it as a "D" word but more of a lifestyle with weight loss being a fantastic by-product.

Raw is as simple or difficult as the individual makes it. Learn to listen to your body...you want tofu-->EAT tofu, you don't want salads...DON'T eat salads...instead try incorporating more green smoothies [there are a ton of combos to try] eat more fruits and nuts, try splurging on a few pre-made things to see what is acceptable to your palate. I think the more raw you consume the more your body will WANT it. Things that you "crave" today your body may not want at a later date. Every cell in the body is replaced by new cells every 7 yrs...your taste buds change every 7 yrs as well, so try to stay open to possibilities. You don't like a certain item today, but as my body started adjusting to the raw I found things I previously didn't like had a different taste even texture as I progressed in the journey. Everyone is different obviously.

You will feel so much better if you can just hang in there. It will get easier and you will be so thankful once you get past this little hiccup.
Give your body a chance to show you what "healthy" looks and feels like.
All my best to you.

[Vaclare79]

Hello all,
I have been following the raw diet for a little while now (about 8 months or so) after getting sick with really bad acid reflux..
I am STILL having a lot of problems with sticking to it although I've been at least 95% raw ever since last summer when I started. I've just been mono eating and eating simply. Although it might be better for me to eat this way I have limited myself and haven't had much variety. I still continue to add things to eat. It's hard to eat this way because food is expensive and I feel like an outcast for not really being able to eat out or for having to make my food at home every day so I understand. Being raw is hard and it has been hard for me to stick with it but I'm doing it for my health. I want to be healthy and not eat crap that is going to make me sick and tired.

I understand what you are going through. Just keep on doing raw at least some what. You'll see some benefits even if its not 100% raw.
:)

[RawSweetie]

You haven't said anything about it, so I'm wondering if you've been inspired by any of the wonderful raw gurus/coaches/teachers/chefs and their stories? For example, Alissa's story? :)

There are quite a few others out there, and they are each special in their own ways, and offer their own "flavor" of approach to raw...
Angela Stokes
Matt Monarch
Gabriel Cousins
Douglas Graham
Matt Amsden

and so many others...

Spicyfull makes a good point. A certain level of readiness is essential. Maybe you are just not there yet and that is ok. In my opinion, raw should feel more happy and inspired and exciting than hard and grinding. I've definitely had my own ups and downs with raw. Your own experiences will lead you. Perhaps, now that you know what you know intellectually about raw, you will be ultimately "ruined" as far as the SAD diet...only you know for sure and time will tell.

I wish you inspiration and self-trust. :)

[bootzey]

I agree with the previous posters. Have you tried to make any of the raw meals at all? Adds to the vaiety rather than just eating salad.