Where to start?

[cathyinontario]

I am really new to this concept of raw food diet. I want to start living a more healthy lifestyle and I want to get my body fat in check. Currently I weigh about 168 lbs and am only 5'2" tall but the majority of my body fat is carried in my midsection. The most dangerous place to be fat.
My big questions to everyone here are where did you start? Did you jump right in with 100% raw right off the bat or did you ease into it? What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? If you could give one bit of advice to a total newbie what would it be?

LOL see I told you I had a lot of questions to ask!

I am anxiously awaiting responses so I can press forward on my journey.

Cathy

[spicyfull]

First I would Purchase Alissa's Book, Living on Live Food, and I would Stay tuned to this Forum. Like people are good for each other. I started Years ago when I went to the Instute in Lemon Grove, Calif. There I learned much and would use it particially over the next years. I was haunted with the knowledge for years. So when I made the Complete RAW Choice, I jumped in at 100%.

[SekhemNefer]

I would say start slowly. I think with me, a person who can't do cold turkey, doing it slowly but surely would have been better for me.

Do this....

First month, stop drinking all sodas and pops
2nd month, stop drinking juices and stop using artificial sweetners. Only use raw honey and agave. Drink more water and teas.
3rd to 5th month, cut out all unraw snacks and eat one meal raw.
6th to 8th month, cut out red meats.
9 to 10th month, cut out poultry. Make two meals raw
11 to 12th month cut out fish.
13 to 15th month cut out dairy. Make 3 meals raw.
16 to 17th cut out eggs.
18th month....be 100% raw.


This is for a person who loves their meat, cooked foods and etc. You have to slowly ween yourself from your old way of eating. That was an example.

I mean your goal is to slowly ween yourself from things that by Year 2, you can be totally raw without temptations or feeling that you are depriving yourself of anything.

[iluvmangos]

If you get Alissa's book, she says to just go raw. No weaning. No easing. Just do it. Everyone may not want to do it that way, but that's Alissa's advice in her book. You're overweight, but you really don't have THAT much weight to lose. I wouldn't be shocked, if you just went raw, that the weight just flew right off and you were thin in no time and you wouldn't regret just going cold turkey. Get some exercise in, too, and you'll lose weight even faster.

No offense to SekhemNefer, but I definitely would not make an 18 month transition. That just seems like a long time and you may never actually go raw.

From Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen:

"Now, I have met people who have successfully transitioned from a cooked food diet to an all raw diet by gradually increasing the amount of raw food they eat - from 40% to 50% and gradually all the way up to 100% - slowly, and over a period of months, to a year. They are rare." (p. 107)

[Silveretta]

Depends on your mentality- I am all or nothing girl, so, 100% raw is what I would suggest straight away!
You ll be amazed!

Good luck ;)

[Eva]

I jumped right in. And frankly -- it was H*E*L*L for the first few days because I was in such crazy detox. I almost had my husband bring me to the hospital.

But, I didn't go. I made it through.

And then... MAN! I felt better than EVER. I haven't looked back. I had so many health problems, then after the detox, they just vanished. Poof! My pimples vanished too. Same deal. Just a quick Poof! Gone!...

----

My mom, on the other hand... she's in her 50s and sounds a lot like you. Except she had/has less weight to lose. It's all around her midsection, and it is only now TOTALLY melting away. She has been transitioning to 100% for about 2 years now. She has NOT been eating meat or a LOT of cooked in that time. But when she has tried to get rid of coffee for long periods, or has made the switch to all raw, her emotions have gone wild. She was NOT ready to deal with some of the pain she had been holding in. She just wasn't.

Now she is. We just had a conversation yesterday about this! She's on Day 8 100% and is feeling like a champion. She made the final decision on her own, and she was finally ready. And man... you can tell. She has had some painful emotions come up, but it's such a joy to see her taking control of her life and feelings.

----

The thing about my mom -- is that my father passed on when I was young. She had to be strong, be the caretaker, sell their large business piece by piece, close out the estate, raise a 3-year-old girl alone... She did not get to fully grieve because she had to be strong. Decades later, she finally found another man she adored and could spend her life with. And she lost him too.

THESE are the emotions she has had to deal with. She used food and coffee to calm her for so many years, that the emotions were so -- raw -- when she tried to give them both up 100%.

----

I don't know your life story. I don't know where you are right now. I know that my life has changed for the better, and I'm never going back to where I was. I am thankful I took what then felt like a gamble, jumped right in, felt the pain... and then healed. I wouldn't do it any other way. But I also know that even Alissa, while she recommends 100% and does have a lot of experience, took years on the journey to get to 100% herself. We all have different paths to take. None of them are right or wrong. Just enjoy the journey, and let yourself find freedom in health!

[T-Bird]

Eva! What was going on those first days? I can't imagine it being that terrible....

For me - going 100% all of a sudden was not a big deal at all in terms of detoxing - But then for years I have tried to eat several fresh fruit everyday and have salads for or with meals all the time - especially summer. Not that it happened everyday....but it was the 'plan'! And I had been vegan for years anyway.....

If you are a big coffee drinker - I would not advise going cold turkey on that. I found that on 100% raw, and putting no sugar creamer in the coffee, but just drinking what I needed to avoid withdrawal, I was off it pretty quickly.

If you feel drawn to it, go ahead and do 100%. If you just want to start slowly, go that route.....

The bonus, IMHO, of doing 100% right off the bat is that you are likely to feel fabulous - briefly - before detox. Right when all the junk is swept out of the immediate processing and before your body starts hauling out the trash.....And that feeling of fabulous will keep pulling you back in....no matter how far you roam...

[T-Bird]

Eva,

That's so great that you mom is finally at 100%!

Hopefully, she will continue on and find happiness.

[Eva]

Eva! What was going on those first days? I can't imagine it being that terrible....


It was definitely THAT terrible! I couldn't walk, stand, my head was pounding, I was confused, delirious. Man, oh man. So, what was going on?

No more regular doses of:
-Meat
-Cheese
-Pasta
-Bread
-Wine
-Coffee
-Cigarettes (those were mostly at weekend bbq's or socially, but sometimes my husband and I would take a walk or go for a drive and smoke a cigarette. I don't know why. We just did.)

So, all gone. The coffee was the big problem. I think it was on the second day that I had a sip of coffee instead of going to the hospital. I broke down because I didn't definitely have the money for something like that at the time.

And funny -- since going raw -- money has been in sooooo much more abundance because I can work harder and smarter with my sharper mind. But now, I don't ever need doctors or hospitals.

And, really, 3 days of heck for a new chance at life and total health? No problem! That's a great exchange, in my book. :)

[Eva]

Eva,

That's so great that your mom is finally at 100%!

Hopefully, she will continue on and find happiness.

:) Thank you! Yes, it is FANTASTIC! She is truly blossoming!! :)

[Soose]

Hi, Cathy,
My family of 3 has only been working at raw for about a month now? Maybe a little more.

I started with green smoothies every day, even before I went Vegan. Wait, I started with juicing well before that. Then green smoothies. When we went Vegan, we went cold turkey. With help, I learned the benefits of fasting. 2.5 years after Vegan, here we are trying hard at raw. No one has had real detox that I can see, I suppose the cooked amounts we were getting were not that much.

I have continually tried to make improvements to the whole family's nutrition. When I didn't feel I could go all the way with something, I asked myself what I COULD do, what is the next "no brainer" option that I am sure will improve and I think I can manage?

To be honest, if the Vegan non-refined mostly raw diet we've been eating had gotten each of us to where we needed to be, I don't think I would have pressed for a raw trial, or at least not yet. But since I first read some books on raw whole foods, I have known that was where we were heading. I just needed someone to show me the way.

[Moretta]

I also jumped into RAW right away after doing Atkins for about 5 months. What a big change and difference with live raw foods.

[freshlight]

set yourself some new raw goals you can easily reach and enjoy each step of this fun :)

[cathyinontario]

Thank you so much for all of the guidance and advise.

I don't know if I can do cold turkey. I am the only one in my household making the switch. My son is NOT a health conscious eater no matter how much I try to convince him otherwise. I guess like me it will take him time to make that decision for himself.

I do not eat processed foods or drink soda so that will not be a big deal. I have already started doing blender breakfasts. Usually a handful of blueberries, a handful of strawberries, a handful of goji berries, a tbs of ground flax seed, a tbs of wheat germ, a couple of shiitaki mushrooms, topped up with green tea and whizzed in the blender. Sometimes I throw in some yoghurt if I am really hungry.
I have also started doing a blender drink of veggies in the evening for a snack. A tomato, romain lettuce, fresh basil and parsley and whatever else I feel like throwing in there.
I find since starting that I am less hungry at meal times. Likely because my body is so much more nurished. I plan to keep adding more and more raw veggies into my meals until they crowd out the cooked. I have vowed to make one change per day until I am there.
My biggest problem will be giving up coffee and cigarettes. Yep, I am a smoker but I have been working on that for 2 years now. I have gone from 2 packs a day to less than half a pack. I am going to smoke one less cigarette a day for the next 5 weeks and then just quit. I am hoping that the new found feeling of well being will make giving it up that much easier and keep me more motivated.

[T-Bird]

My biggest problem will be giving up coffee and cigarettes. Yep, I am a smoker but I have been working on that for 2 years now. I have gone from 2 packs a day to less than half a pack. I am going to smoke one less cigarette a day for the next 5 weeks and then just quit. I am hoping that the new found feeling of well being will make giving it up that much easier and keep me more motivated.

Good luck! That will be huge!

With your morning smoothie, try adding just a few green leaves - like baby spinach and work your up to green smoothies....

[cathyinontario]

Thanks. I will do that. Do any of you use supplements for the green smoothies such as vital greens or green powders? (I tried the liquid vital greens but found the mint flavoring a bit overpowering) Or do you use strictly fresh leafy veggies?

[T-Bird]

I just use fresh leafy stuff....

I tried adding chlorella to a smoothie. FAIL! I prefer chlorella on it's own.

[cathyinontario]

Heading out to pick up more leafy greens tonight :D

For the first time in a very long time I am really excited about my diet. I do not see this as a lose weight kind of diet although I KNOW I will lose weight, this is more of a journey to health for me. It has nothing to do with vanity or appearance my goals are all about healing and well being. The appearance changes will come naturally and are an added benefit of good health.

I feel empowered at the moment, motivated and invigorated. Mostly because I know I have the power from within to change things I know I can change and to forgive myself for the things I can't change or struggle with. I think most of that comes from being 50 years old LOL.

[RaeVynn]

Some people like to transistion, others have to go 100% at once.

I think the best advice, if you aren't an all or nothing person, is start ADDING raw food to your regular life.
Add a salad. Add some fruit. Add a green smoothie every morning. Add some raw sunflower seeds to that salad.
Instead of packaged salad dressing, add some raw olive oil and lemon juice, with some herbs, to that salad. :p
After you have added a little raw, and found that it's okay, add some more! Pretty soon, you will eat so much raw, that you will start skipping a few cooked meals, and have raw ones instead.
Skip cooked/packaged breakfast, and have a big green smoothie.
Skip a sandwich for lunch, and have a big salad with avocado, olive oil, tomatoes, variety greens, etc.
Skip a candy bar, and have some really luscious dates and a small handful of raw nuts, for a snack.
Find a few interesting recipes, and skip the cooked dinner and try Zucchini pasta with marinara sauce! :p

I went mostly raw, all at once. My DH transistioned a little slower, and is now nearly as raw as I am (about 90% and I'm about 95-99%)... he has maybe two cooked items a week, and I might have one... and some weeks, I have none.

[snoops]

I agree. I found the best way was to ADD stuff first before I took away. So it takes longer but I think probably less detox issues. I haven't really had any. Not all raw yet so maybe one day.:(

[EZ rider]

I also favor the "go for it" approach to raw. I joined the 30 day challenge and started learning about how to do raw by experiencing it. Its unlikely that anyone is going to do this perfect without any slips or difficulties. The trick is to get back on track as fast as you can and learn from the experience. From there its just being persistent in seeking out a healthier life and you'll get there. Good luck.

[cathyinontario]

Okay. I had a weird experience today and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced it.

Today was my first day of really starting to go raw. I did about 75% raw. I had the smoothie this morning that I mentioned in a previous post, for lunch I had a big cucumber and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar (not sure if that is considered raw) and olive oil dressing with some almonds and ground flax seeds sprinkled on top. I had a very small portion of a mixed grain (cooked) and veggie leftover dish with it.
When I got home from work I grabbed a handful of goji berries to snack on. I really wasn't very hungry. I was feeling euphoric.
Then because I am trying to cut back on smoking I had been determined to go a few hours without smoking this evening so I opted to go for a walk to the local ball park and watch a game of ball leaving my smokes at home so I would be sure not to give in to the craving. While I was walking to the park I had a low sugar crash. (headache, flashing lights in my vision, dizziness, etc.) I knew I had to get something into me quick so I stopped at a store and grabbed a small packet of cashews and some sweetened tea.
I suspect that my lack of hunger is due to the fact that I have taken in so many more vitamins and minerals than my body is used to that it is telling me I am not hungry when I really am.
Did this happen to anyone else?
When I got home I made sure to blend up a green smoothie with some orange and banana and I am feeling better now.

[sprouts2go]

I went raw all at once. Except my coffee with cream. I have now been coffee and cream free for 3 weeks. I had no detox no headaches no nothing.
Knock on wood. I even had no problem with getting rid of coffee. The coffee took 1 week once I decided it was time. But again no detox.
I was a major SAD eater so I would have expected problems if I knew about it but I was clueless so I guess that helped.