How do you fight it?

[Jehote]

As stated in another thread, i caved. ok, there enough about that.
how do you FIGHT it?
not just mentally ok? PHYSICALLY how do you overcome it. yea go all zen and all that. im not saying thats not good. but what foods, tricks etc do you use to beat the craving. more to the point, i have a wheat craving. bad. about once a week. how do you deal?
today i was on the way home from the gym, exhausted, HUNGRY, just ran myself down.
i was telling mom and she said, well honey keep one of those nut bars you like on you. (nut bar= Lara bar to my mom.) i was like im an idiot. i do not allow myself to have them because i like them and eat them. but its so mych better than pizza! and it would have got me home with alot less calories! so im going to do that.
what do you guys do?
matthew
EDIT ps. the other thread was P&M, THIS is me getting proactive!

[Dimond]

My cravings are all for raw. You just always have tons of raw options on hand to replace the other foods. That's really all you can do. I found myself enjoying the food so much, it was easy. I always had a lot of prepared snacks and meals. Always bring plenty when you leave home too.

[iluvmangos]

Do you have Alissa's book? She says to make sure you eat enough. Eat whenever you're hungry. Eat whatever you want as long as it's raw. Whatever it takes to stay raw. Keep plenty of raw food stocked in the house and take food with you wherever you go in case you get hungry.

[snoops]

Its all mental. I have cheese and wheat addictions. I just convince myself that the cravings will be even worse if I cave. That I'll blow 2 weeks of good. That I might lose it completely and be back at square 1 again. Its getting easier but some times it is a constant battle. I think about it all the time. So I am fighting with myself all the time. Trying to take my mind off it, but not being able to. Sometimes I just have to go to bed early. Cause tomorrow will be easier. Good luck to you - goodnight;)

[T-Bird]

For me it's a habit now - I don't think about it.

How did I get the habit, I didn't decided to go raw - just wanted to treat myself to something healthy after a grueling business trip. Treated myself to an all u can eat raw buffet.

I like to get my money's worth - so totally stuffed myself. I was full and satisfied all day and just said - I don't want to go back, and I didn't.

I made it about 2 weeks - and it was difficult. I signed up for 4 months of a "box program" where I pick up a box with various salads, raw food entrees, some extras. Paid in advance!:eek:

When I couldn't do it for myself, I thought about the money I paid, LOL! Kept me on the straight and narrow!

Before you think - wow - that makes it easy - I still have to cook for my 2 teens, lol! That makes it pretty hard. DS birthday - I made the best Vegan cake and icing I ever did! And I Iced it so nice - it looked store bought! Usually - they look pretty amateur - not even a 'good' home made. And didn't taste it! Everyone was ooohing and aaaahing over the pasta, and I said "thanks!" and whipped out my little cold refrigerated thing.

I got tired of the food though, and stopped picking up the boxes. 5 months later, I still have month's worth to go.

There are times though - when I get totally disconnected and it doesn't mater any to me if I stay raw or not.

I think - it's an emotional/affect component of detox. I get fatigued, low-energy, bloated, constipated, don't care about anything, everything seems gray and meaningless, and being raw is the last thing that has any importance to me. Luckily - I've been able to weather those days.....since I've been doing it for a while now, it would take mental energy to decide to chuck it in so I try to get to the end of the day, take a nice long bath and go to bed as early as I can and basically pull a scarlet ohara and resolve to think about it tomorrow.

But I've been wanting to be raw for 6 years, so in some ways - about time I made it. AFter trying and trying multiple times, I really gave up - I figured it was just too hard, too rigorous, I couldn't do it, at least not when I was responsible for feeding others who had no interest in it.

Then suddenly - it happened, seemingly an accident, magic, who knows. One raw meal - and I decided to not go back.

Some day - you'll make it. Raw calls you back.....over and over, and then at some point - the timing is right, and bingo - you're in!

[RawKnitster]

I used to keep a bag of raw cashews and dried figs with me at all times. Later I found Larabars and kept one of those in my bag for emergencies. You won't have to keep a Larabar handy forever. As time passed I ate them less and less often. Eventually I stopped carrying them. Now I keep Spirulina tablets and a jug of water in my bag.

As for getting past cravings for bread, raw crackers could help with that. I used to reach for Lydia's Raw Crackers with a little pumpkin seed butter.

Finally, having something to look forward to when you get home is a good idea. Doesn't matter if it is a raw brownie or a ripe peach. Just as long as your focused on it and don't indulge the thought of eating anything else.

How nice that your Mom supports your raw life! What a sweetheart. And kudos to you for your work-out ethics. :)

[commoncents]

[QUOTE=T-Bird;

Some day - you'll make it. Raw calls you back.....over and over, and then at some point - the timing is right, and bingo - you're in![/QUOTE]

This is so true!!!!

[curlygirl82]

After 8 months of nearly 100% raw, I still get cravings sometimes, too. But I just tell myself - no, that's not a craving, you're just hungry. Go eat something raw that's good for you. And I do it. And it works. Once I eat something, the craving goes away. Usually greens does the trick for me... but sometimes I really want something sweet, in which case sweet juicy fruits do it.

The other thing that keeps me raw is remembering the times when I've caved/slipped -- I felt so awful afterwards, like somebody put a lead blanket over me - that I really don't want to repeat that experience -- it just doesn't seem like it'll be a treat when you know it'll feel that way.

Sometimes I do have a taste of something now and again (I wait tables, so it's almost part of my job)... but I find it's easiest when I am completely, no exceptions, 100% raw.

Oh, and yeah - keep food on you at ALL times, hahaha. I usually throw an orange or apple or banana in my purse (or all of the above). It's hard to follow my first piece of advice (just eat something raw when you have a craving) if you don't have anything raw to eat!!

Best to you, and be gentle on yourself.

[ferral-cat]

Let me make sure I understand you: Are you trying to reach 100% raw? Or is it 80% raw that you are having trouble sticking to? THis should not be a Spartan diet in my opinion.

I aim for 75% raw myself and have been able to maintain that okay (I am pretty new to this). Perhaps you are trying to do too much and too soon and your body is rebelling.

In my opinion this should not feel like a deprivation diet and if it does it may indicate that you are pushing yourself too hard. Maybe the answer is to cut yourself a little more slack in the ratios but always strive for Kaizen: Consistent and incremental improvement towards your ultimate goal.

Else you may be setting yourself to fail and then to quit (Like so many poor souls before who are now eating a bucket of Kernel Sanders) yes I know I spelled that wrong.

[klomasius]

I guess for many, the story goes, you fight it, you lose, you win some, you fight it again, you gradually begin to win more until one day (and it might be quite sudden) you realise you'd just like to eat raw. Your cravings become for raw food, your eating gets simpler, you rejoice in the tastes of simple foods and the cravings just don't control you any more.

I'm all for an organic approach to going raw, no self punishment, no 'failure', no 'losing'. Just a gradual approach to eating more raw food until one day, 'bing' there you go.

Remember, in all things, the general rule is that succeeding is a series of failures, but successful people don't see it that way. For them, those 'failures' are merely setbacks on the way to becoming truly successful. That attitude has worked for me for years in all aspects of my life.

[ferral-cat]

LoL,

When I say Spartan Diet I meant:

1. Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained.
2. Simple, frugal, or austere: a Spartan diet; a spartan lifestyle.

But now I see that some wackjob has actually trademarked this term and is using it as some new "fad" diet. So anyways just wanted to clarify my original meaning.

So many new terms for diets. A new fad diet coming out every day it seems. Anything to convince fat Americans that they can lose weight sans exercise and without giving up their animal products. What a crock of malarkey but America swallows it hook line and sinker even though their own bathroom mirror screams the truth!

[klomasius]

Some day - you'll make it. Raw calls you back.....over and over, and then at some point - the timing is right, and bingo - you're in!

Haha! I didn't read you post before I posted, but that pretty much says exactly what I meant to say!

[ferral-cat]

Yes as someone else said the #1 way to fail is..... (drum roll please)

Be caught hungry with no suitable raw meal available.

That one will get you every time, amigo. If your reasons for becoming raw are still valid then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on the horse.

Think of a child learning to walk. He stumbled and fell many times but got back up. What if he had just quit? Well he would spend his life in a wheelchair watching all the other kids play.

Amazing what we can learn from children. Think how much faith it takes to get in a pool and learn to swim knowing you could drown to your death? Or to ride a bicycle sans the training wheels and risking serious injury.

Kids take these risks and triumph and we as adults are so easily dissuaded that we let a "gust of wind" knock us on our ass.

I believe in you Jehote. Even if you dont beleive in yourself yet.

[Zella Juice]

I just sprouted some wheat. It smells so nice. I am gonna make some crackers out of it. There is also a chili recipe floating around that you put wheat in and it's fun chewing on the wheat.

I make up a bunch of raw burgers for when I want something like cooked. I put garlic in it and it really makes me feel like I am eating a real burger.

I also make a huge batch of my own larabars. Which is just almonds, walnuts, and dates. I use process some carrots in the food processor and add a pinch of salt and a pinch of curry powder and then stir that up with some of the larabar mixture to make my raw burgers. Oh and stir in some sliced onions. Make into patties and dehydrate or eat..as is. This way I am making my larabars and my burgers at the same time.

I also did the same thing with the carrots. I processed more carrots so I could make a carrot cake. But instead of spices. I added pumpkin pie spice and honey or dates. Then added more of the lara bar mixture. Do this before the burgers so you can just make the burgers without having to rinse the FP container.

I made some frosting for the cake by blending some cashews with honey or dates and some lemon juice, vanilla bean and a pinch of salt. Then empty that out and add more cashews and this time put garlic clove and pinch of salt for the cheese on the burger.

So if you followed what I did. I was able to make many things at once. I always make the sweet stuff first so I don't have to wash out the containers. Cause the burgers can use a bit of sweet anyways. And the cheese tastes fine with a little sweet in it too.

So I made a weeks worth of burgers, a few lara bars, carrot cake, and cheese (which you can put on the burger or dip carrots or other veggies into). I always make extra frosting so I can have a cream to dip my strawberries in. Or peaches. It's that time of year and they are so juicy!!

I forgot to mention that I squeezed orange juice in the frosting. You can also squeeze some lemon juice in the cheese. Or the burgers as well. But this is all just a trick I learned to be efficiant with preparing food and make a good supply of raw treats that keep me satisfied and happy about my food. Today the burgers were so good with the cheese on it..I almost licked the plate.

[EZ rider]

Sometimes I just have to go to bed early. Cause tomorrow will be easier.

I've noticed that too. When I get cravings they are usually when I am tired and if I go to bed its like re-booting my computer. When I get up I've got a clean slate and yesterdays cravings are just that - yesterdays cravings.

[Colorawdo girl]

key for me is........ I dont fight it.

[Springtime]

When i get cravings, raw or cooked, i know it's because i haven't had enough food.

Like today, i was desperate for somehting sweet, got a piece of raw chocolate, and after just one bite i knew that it wasnt the chocolate i wanted, it was a big cabbage/romaine salad. So i went home, made me a salad, had it all, and i really don't want any chocolate anymore.

My craving-busters are:

1 - big glass of water or big cup of herbal tea.
this calms me down enough to focus and tune in on what i really want.

2 - Cabbage, broccoli, leafy greens, celery or other not-sweet Chewy vegetable.
If i have dried fruit, nuts, seeds, sweet fruit or treats when i feel crave-ish it just doesnt fade. What really works for me is a highly nutritious, not-sweet salad with a good dressing. Works wonders bc a) it fills you up in a food sort of way, i tend to over-eat on nuts/seeds/... when i crave, cos i'm so hungry and it takes a while before you get that nice full feeling. b) chewing i very calming, so chewing on something rough releases masses of whatever it is in the brain that makes us feel calm and comforted.

Yeah, that's my recipe: Something to drink - chewy vegetables.
Works for me!

Ps. Also, i'm really into chewing because i find that cravings are often directly linked to blocked up tension or agression. Doing something as rough and primal as lots of chewing does a great job at releasing those tensions and agressions. Like zen, but with flavour ;)

[TeaRose]

I struggle with cravings all the time, no matter what eating lifestyle I'm following.

A big thing for me, though, is to not beat myself up too much. If I eat something that's not good for me, I look at it as a conscious choice I made, then go right back to eating well. If I got too uptight about it, I know I'd just keep giving in to the cravings ("well, the day's shot already, might as well...", or "I can't do anything right, I'm failing at this...")

I'm new to raw, so can't give the same advice as others, and am enjoying reading tips for staying "raw". I've already learned the importance of having plenty of your own food with you when you're away from home.

[Jehote]

thank you everyone! and i spent today thinking of my triggers and ways to defeat them and i have a plan!
and, if that plan fails well, im going to eat the bad food really fast and call it cardio.... :)

[snoops]

great plan:D

[Jehote]

part of the plan is to watch tv a little while after the show starts, or recorded so i can FAST FORWARD through the pizza commercials!!!
:rolleyes:

[LiveLife]

Having things on hand like figs and dates work well as they curb your sweet tooth too. Having prepared quickies work well too like guacamole to dip veggies in. But my biggest suggestion: When I first went raw I wrote down how eating cooked food made me feel (tired, bloated, etc) and then how raw food made me feel (light, energized, etc). So now I look back on that or remember that next time I want to binge out on cooked food. It has also been helping me a lot through the monthly challenge.

[kidkid]

KALE CHIPS. They have that hard-to-find, melt-in-your-mouth crunch effect that I thought could be found only with fried foods and wheat products. I thought that mouthfeel was gone forever, but kale chips have it and when i tried them it blew my mind. When seasoned properly, they are like Doritos. they're kind of expensive at the store though and are eaten up quickly. But if you can make your own, do it.

[raweater]

What helped me was learning just how dangerous SAD food is, such as meat, dairy and sugar dramatically increase the occurence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Also don't forget that on raw/healthy food calories don't mean anything at all, I had lost 40 lbs by eating the most calorie dense foods when I went raw. The more calories = weight gain is a complete myth. One obvious proof is that diet coke which has no calories is extremelly fattening (more than non diet coke) and nuts which have about 800 calories per cup make you loose weight (only if they're raw though). The reason is that diet coke increases your hunger while nuts make you feel full so you will end up eating less calories.

This is why in your other thread I recommended not putting refined processed food in your raw smoothie, it will prevent loosing weight because it's empty calories that have zero nutritional value like white sugar. Using walnuts would accelerate your weight loss while giving you nutrients and costing much less. Processed foods do not belong in a raw diet.

[Jehote]

Raweater. I get your point. You eat nuts. 40 lbs muscle. Your a raw guru. Thank you for pointing this out several times in 2 of
My threads. It works for YOU. That is what this is about. FOR YOU. That is raw. Now please let it go.
Thank You
Matthew