Alissa Was Right

[commoncents]

I read in her book where it is best to go 100% Raw and having just a little cooked food keeps the door open and the cravings alive.

I resisted this for a year, remaining Raw for two months at a time and then eating one cooked meal and then all I would want is cooked foods and not Raw at all. Weight gain would result and just feeling crappy.

After a year of this I said ENOUGH. Decided to commit to 100% Raw and it was the best decision I could have ever made. In just three weeks of 100% Raw, I have lost 5 lbs, my skin is glowing, my sleep is vastly improved and I have no cravings. I understand completely what she is talking about now.

I wish that I could be one of those people who could eat cooked meals on the weekends and then return to Raw during the week or have one cooked meal a day, but I am not that type of person and I have to accept this. The attraction to cooked foods is too powerful for me as I've proven time and time again over the past year.

I don't know what the future holds, and I'm sure I'll have some cravings in the future, but right now I am enjoying this place that I'm in. I am detoxing with flu like symptoms, but I'm even enjoying those this time around.

Blessings All

[EZ rider]

I wish that I could be one of those people who could eat cooked meals on the weekends and then return to Raw during the week or have one cooked meal a day, but I am not that type of person and I have to accept this.
I am like this also. In fact I have learned that in order to stay raw I have to say no to that first bite of cooked - no exceptions.

[snoops]

I want to make the jump to 100% so badly. I just keep being drawn to cheese and crackers and cooked grains. There is no good substitute in raw.

I eat so much better now than ever. 12-15 fruits and veggies a day. This from someone who considered Vegetable Thins(a cracker) a veggie!!!! Seriously.

What is holding me back? I have had a weight issue (20-30 lbs) off and on my whole life. I know in my mind it is an emotional issue. I tried EFT with some limited success. I think I need to find a practitioner to help me find the right affirmations.

I can't even do it for a day let alone 30 days or even a week.

It's driving me crazy although I have great gratitude for where I am now. I need to move on beyond 75%. I want to experience what you all are experiencing and feeling and talking about. I really want to.

Why can't I get there?

[commoncents]

I am like this also. In fact I have learned that in order to stay raw I have to say no to that first bite of cooked - no exceptions.

Victoia Boutenko talks about this in her book "12 steps to Raw." She treats cooked foods like an addiction to be avoided at all costs. I was addicted to drugs about a decade ago and I stopped cold turkey and never looked back. I must treat cooked foods the same way.

I can finally see the efficacy of this and actually it makes Raw easier because the door is closed to cooked foods (no if's and's and but's) and so are the cravings.

[Sygma]

I totally agree. I was 100% for the first month and then my family convinced me to go back to cooked...it has taken four months to get back to 100%.

[commoncents]

I want to make the jump to 100% so badly. I just keep being drawn to cheese and crackers and cooked grains. There is no good substitute in raw.

I eat so much better now than ever. 12-15 fruits and veggies a day. This from someone who considered Vegetable Thins(a cracker) a veggie!!!! Seriously.

What is holding me back? I have had a weight issue (20-30 lbs) off and on my whole life. I know in my mind it is an emotional issue. I tried EFT with some limited success. I think I need to find a practitioner to help me find the right affirmations.

I can't even do it for a day let alone 30 days or even a week.

It's driving me crazy although I have great gratitude for where I am now. I need to move on beyond 75%. I want to experience what you all are experiencing and feeling and talking about. I really want to.

Why can't I get there?

Snoops, give thanks for where you are at now. As you said, it is much improved from your prior eating habits.

Raw living is a journey. When it is time for you to be 100% Raw, you will feel it deep in your soul and you will do it and no food will sway you from your conviction because it is an idea whose time has come.

I give thanks for the many times I could not maintain 100% because all those incidences has led me to today and today is a wonderful day.

Do not beat up on yourself. Learn what works and does not work for YOU on this fantastic journey we have undertaken.

Blessings.

[commoncents]

I totally agree. I was 100% for the first month and then my family convinced me to go back to cooked...it has taken four months to get back to 100%.

I was the same Sygma. It would literally take me months to get back to Raw and it would be just one meal that sent me back to Sadville. It was so frustrating.

[ViolinCyndee]

Wow........... Yeah I guess I know, deep down, I gotta go for it cold turkey too. But I have been between 70-90% raw since July. I have to admit to eating cooked vegan food when I go out to dinner.. But at home I am 90-100% raw at home.

I guess I am not psychologically ready to commit 100% forever, but DO know I need to do it!!! Yes...like an addict! :(

[Raw Angel Mom]

Good for you and congratulations. Yes Alissa is right about this for me too, lol... 100% raw is what works for me.

Enjoy this journey

[commoncents]

Wow........... Yeah I guess I know, deep down, I gotta go for it cold turkey too. But I have been between 70-90% raw since July. I have to admit to eating cooked vegan food when I go out to dinner.. But at home I am 90-100% raw at home.

I guess I am not psychologically ready to commit 100% forever, but DO know I need to do it!!! Yes...like an addict! :(

When it is time you'll know it. In the meantime, enjoy the ride!!!

[commoncents]

Good for you and congratulations. Yes Alissa is right about this for me too, lol... 100% raw is what works for me.

Enjoy this journey

Thank you Raw Angel Mom and Happy Mother's Day.

[RawHeaven]

Many congratulations! I'm glad you're feeling it. Alissa Cohen is indeed an angel.

[commoncents]

Many congratulations! I'm glad you're feeling it. Alissa Cohen is indeed an angel.

Thank you. Alissa is Heaven Sent indeed. I thank God that when I was researching Raw on the internet and I put the word "Raw" into the search engine, Alissa Cohen's website came up. She is the reason I am Raw today. If I was not able to view her DVD when I was considering switching to Raw foods, I don't think I would have been confident that I could do this.

THANK YOU ALISSA!!!!!!

[ViolinCyndee]

When it is time you'll know it. In the meantime, enjoy the ride!!!

Yes, I know I will know... I am getting stressed out about these last 15-20 pounds, and that will prob put me over the edge to commit 100% soon. I wouldn't be surprised that I will be 'ready' after my upcoming Master Cleanse, since it was during my first MC that I decided to look into raw, in the first place. :D

[qfmother]

My dad is a recovered alcoholic for 20 years, and he likes to say that "abstinence is easier than moderation." Cooked food is an addiction for me as well, and I have had to go 100% in order to cut way down on the cravings. Now my cravings are all emotional rather than physical, and while they are still hard at times, they are easier to deal with. I am not strong enough to handle moderation, and I don't know if I ever will be. I'm taking one day at a time.

[commoncents]

Yes, I know I will know... I am getting stressed out about these last 15-20 pounds, and that will prob put me over the edge to commit 100% soon. I wouldn't be surprised that I will be 'ready' after my upcoming Master Cleanse, since it was during my first MC that I decided to look into raw, in the first place. :D

I went 100% after my last MC. It cleaned me out and gave me a fresh slate. MC gives you a new relationship with food.

Best of luck to you!

[commoncents]

My dad is a recovered alcoholic for 20 years, and he likes to say that "abstinence is easier than moderation." Cooked food is an addiction for me as well, and I have had to go 100% in order to cut way down on the cravings. Now my cravings are all emotional rather than physical, and while they are still hard at times, they are easier to deal with. I am not strong enough to handle moderation, and I don't know if I ever will be. I'm taking one day at a time.

Very well put qfmother. I'm also taking one day at a time and trying to enjoy each moment. Alissa said that she could not just eat one cookie. It was all or nothing and for those like us it has to be that way. I think the rewards of being 100% are so great and it is all worth it.

[Mary Kay]

Hmmm, Guess I'll be the black sheep here. I "figuratively" CAN eat just one cookie, without eating the whole batch. So for me, being 90 - 95% is working just fine.

I only eat whole REAL foods - like if I do make the kids some bread, I'll take a bite, and that's it. When I make yogurt, I'll have a couple bites, lick the spoon, etc.

I do have to say that over the holidays, I gained about 5 lbs, and it was the lowest raw I've been for a couple yrs. I just know if I eat too much cooked food, it'll pack the pounds on. I've got about 15 lbs to lose. Sigh....

Not trying to disagree with you folks, just seems fine for me, and I'm not TRYING to be 100%, so I don't feel let down because of that.

Am really liking the comaraderie here. Glad I joined.

Thanks all,

Mary Kay

[commoncents]

Hmmm, Guess I'll be the black sheep here. I "figuratively" CAN eat just one cookie, without eating the whole batch. So for me, being 90 - 95% is working just fine.

I only eat whole REAL foods - like if I do make the kids some bread, I'll take a bite, and that's it. When I make yogurt, I'll have a couple bites, lick the spoon, etc.

I do have to say that over the holidays, I gained about 5 lbs, and it was the lowest raw I've been for a couple yrs. I just know if I eat too much cooked food, it'll pack the pounds on. I've got about 15 lbs to lose. Sigh....

Not trying to disagree with you folks, just seems fine for me, and I'm not TRYING to be 100%, so I don't feel let down because of that.

Am really liking the comaraderie here. Glad I joined.

Thanks all,

Mary Kay


That's great that it works for you. We all are on different paths of Rawdom and as long as you are comfortable and seeing the results you want with whatever level of Raw you're on that is what really matters.

Enjoy your journey.

[EZ rider]

What keeps me from eating cooked foods is that I don't want to go back to where I was when I started raw. I have learned that for me eating a little cooked is like a Chinese finger puzzle. At some point I try to stop eating the cooked and I can't. From there the cooked gains and the raw decreases as I revert back to my pre-raw condition. Maybe its different for you and maybe it isn't only your experience will provide that answer. I know what it is for me and I choose to avoid that first bite of cooked and not have to fight that battle again. Good luck.

[commoncents]

What keeps me from eating cooked foods is that I don't want to go back to where I was when I started raw. I have learned that for me eating a little cooked is like a Chinese finger puzzle. At some point I try to stop eating the cooked and I can't. From there the cooked gains and the raw decreases as I revert back to my pre-raw condition. Maybe its different for you and maybe it isn't only your experience will provide that answer. I know what it is for me and I choose to avoid that first bite of cooked and not have to fight that battle again. Good luck.

That is my experience to a T EZrider. At first eating cooked is very benign. Then the cravings begin and all I can think about is cooked foods. I then begin eating more and more cooked foods and am horrified as the weight starts to pile back on again and I don't feel as good as I was on high Raw.

Then, this leads to doing a long Master Cleanse to get myself back to the point of even wanting Raw foods and it goes from there. I have repeated this cycle too many times for my liking and now choose not to indulge any longer. It really makes life simplier in the long run for me.

[snoops]

Snoops, give thanks for where you are at now. As you said, it is much improved from your prior eating habits.

Raw living is a journey. When it is time for you to be 100% Raw, you will feel it deep in your soul and you will do it and no food will sway you from your conviction because it is an idea whose time has come.

I give thanks for the many times I could not maintain 100% because all those incidences has led me to today and today is a wonderful day.

Do not beat up on yourself. Learn what works and does not work for YOU on this fantastic journey we have undertaken.

Blessings.

Thank you for those words commoncents. Maybe today is the day. I feel strong, I worked out, I made delicious kale and avocado salad for lunch. No cravings for anything else yet. Maybe today will be my first whole day raw.

Today is a wonderful day!!

[D'vorah]

"abstinence is easier than moderation."

Wow, that's such a powerful phrase.

Thank your Dad for me. I'm adopting that as a mantra.

Deborah

[commoncents]

Thank you for those words commoncents. Maybe today is the day. I feel strong, I worked out, I made delicious kale and avocado salad for lunch. No cravings for anything else yet. Maybe today will be my first whole day raw.

Today is a wonderful day!!

Yes it is a wonderful day indeed!!!!! Just love yourself NO MATTER WHAT and everything else will fall in place.

[ViolinCyndee]

I went 100% after my last MC. It cleaned me out and gave me a fresh slate. MC gives you a new relationship with food.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks! I feel like I am THIS CLOSE to being able to commit to 100%. My experience with Chinese food yesterday for Mother's Day is only cementing it in more. I was SO exhausted after having cooked Chinese food last night. And my stomach feels like a rock inside. GROSS!

So here's what I had today so far:
2 fruit/spinach smoothies
banana

I am about to have a HUGE salad for dinner with some of Alissa's Swiss "cheese" on onion/flax bread with tomatoes. My goal is to stay 100% until Saturday. I know I can do that! :D

[RawKnitster]

Why can't I get there?

You will. Persistence is everything. Keep looking for something to replace the cooked foods you are drawn to. Use those raw foods as needed to break the desire for crackers, cheese, and cooked grains.

Can you dehydrate your own crackers? They are really good. I love the raw Cheez-it recipe dipped in Tiggerbounce's cheddar sauce, or any cracker dipped in Snowdrop's Ranch Dressing. I've got some crackers in the dehydrator right now I can hardly wait to try. They were made with almonds, carrots, and curry powder. I've also got a batch of Cheesy Curly Kale Chips drying. Thinking about putting a batch of onion bread in later. So much better than anything in the cooked world.

If you don't have a dehydrator how about looking for Lydia's Organics. It is a really good raw food line of crackers and cereals. That might be a great substitute to get you past your craving.

Whatever you want, keep going after it. Patience and Persistence will pay off. :)

[Colorawdo girl]

That's great that it works for you. We all are on different paths of Rawdom and as long as you are comfortable and seeing the results you want with whatever level of Raw you're on that is what really matters.

commonsense, I love what you wrote here and how you honor others right where they are at as well as how wonderfully supportive you are for those who have gone all the way. What an inspiration you are for them!!!

Some who have had addictions prob want to do all or nothing and your experience in this helps them so much. What a support and comfort you are for ones on this forum.

Thanks for your "commonsense" and love you give as well as time helping. for me, that is so rewarding in life, to make a differnece in others worlds!

[snoops]

Thanks Rawknitster. I did it. I made it raw the whole day. I feel so great to have accomplished just that one thing. I can do it.

Now to add another day to this one.

One day at a time:D

[commoncents]

Thanks! I feel like I am THIS CLOSE to being able to commit to 100%. My experience with Chinese food yesterday for Mother's Day is only cementing it in more. I was SO exhausted after having cooked Chinese food last night. And my stomach feels like a rock inside. GROSS!

So here's what I had today so far:
2 fruit/spinach smoothies
banana

I am about to have a HUGE salad for dinner with some of Alissa's Swiss "cheese" on onion/flax bread with tomatoes. My goal is to stay 100% until Saturday. I know I can do that! :D

That is great!!!!!! Your menu sounds yummy!!!!! You can do it. Just take one day at a time.

[commoncents]

commonsense, I love what you wrote here and how you honor others right where they are at as well as how wonderfully supportive you are for those who have gone all the way. What an inspiration you are for them!!!

Some who have had addictions prob want to do all or nothing and your experience in this helps them so much. What a support and comfort you are for ones on this forum.

Thanks for your "commonsense" and love you give as well as time helping. for me, that is so rewarding in life, to make a differnece in others worlds!

Thank you so much CW, that means so much to me. I have had so many slips and falls not just with Raw but with life so I'm learning to honor people and things exactly as they are. 100% works best for me, but I realize that everyone is at varying places in their journey.

[commoncents]

Thanks Rawknitster. I did it. I made it raw the whole day. I feel so great to have accomplished just that one thing. I can do it.

Now to add another day to this one.

One day at a time:D


Congratulations!!!!!! You did great.

[Colorawdo girl]

commoncents, you are welcome. Honoring journeys is so profound really.

As they say live and let live. I guess I more say live and help live". I want to help people live life to the fullest without the limitations this world puts on all of us.
Freedom and esp the freedom we have with raw is so great. We are blessed. Hoppy raw to you.

[commoncents]

commoncents, you are welcome. Honoring journeys is so profound really.

As they say live and let live. I guess I more say live and help live". I want to help people live life to the fullest without the limitations this world puts on all of us.
Freedom and esp the freedom we have with raw is so great. We are blessed. Hoppy raw to you.

I like that quote "live and help live." Hope you don't mind if I use it?

Happy Raw to you also, My Friend!!!!!

Nisa

[Colorawdo girl]

You can use it, I stole it too..hahaha You too my friend. Lv
p.s oh you didnt steal it you asked permission..only I stole it.hahaha