argh! cravings & addictions

[natasha83]

I'm really struggling with all this Christmas food and alcohol everywhere at the moment. :-S I eat this awful crap (rum balls, christmas pudding & custard, chocolate, alcohol etc) then I feel temporarily good but then I find it makes me feel irritable and GUILTY for eating such rubbish!!!

Sugar and fat and all this bad food is ADDICTIVE!!!! :( :( :(

How do I overcome the addiction and cravings??

I need someone to slap me to stop me from eating all this crap!!!! I throw it all out eventually (if I haven't eaten it all) then a few days later I go out and buy more. WTF is wrong with me??? I've been eating soooo healthy all year!!! (I had a baby in March and have since lost 20kg.)

I need someone to tell me that the path of eating I'm on is going to give me cancer or something. I need to stop but I can't. ARGH

thanks

[laura-jane]

The most helpful way of looking at it, for me anyway, is to see my taste buds as an investment. The more we indulge, the further away we get from what we want.

The only way to get rid of cravings, in my opinion, is to go 100% raw and see your 100% as an investment.

It's what has worked for me. I've written a longer article about my experience with this on my blog. It's called, "Don't screw up your palate." (http://therawtarian.com/dont-screw-up-your-palate/)

Basically, every time you cheat or indulge, you're really just throwing all your hard work and healthy eating down the tubes. Your taste buds change over time, and after a while cravings go away. But they certainly won't if you keep indulging in SAD foods. Slap! :)

Seriously, don't beat yourself up over it, but I do think that giving in to cravings will only make things worse. It's like giving a child a reward after having a temper tantrum. Of course, they are just going to have another temper tantrum!

[Green_Woman]

You don't need other people to fix you. You need to "fix" you - if that's really what you want.

Until you want it bad enough, you won't do it for yourself. But really, it boils down to YOU and what YOU are willing to do and not do for YOUR health.

Guilt isn't going to help you, and neither is other people telling you what to do.

Listen to your body. She's crying out for you to stop the cycle of self-destruction. Let HER tell you what to do - then DO IT.

[katchmoleen]

Also there are SO MANY wonderful raw recipes. I was just copying down a recipe for raw chocolate pecan pie and I thought that it looked just as delicious as anything I have ever had. When you are battling cravings, it is time to forget about the "raw rules" and to make and eat what you need to stay raw. Eventually you will get into control as long as you know you can eat all this great raw food any time you want.

[timsmolens]

I myself have had a lot of sugar cravings since going mostly raw. I have been mostly raw for 5 months, but I found that eating a little cooked food increased my craving for it and sugar. I just tried to go 100% raw for three weeks and have just completed it. Now that I have done that my cravings are mostly gone and I am going to stay 100% raw. If you get cravings there are plenty of raw desserts that you can have to make the transition. if you need some recipes let us know and we can help!

[natasha83]

I myself have had a lot of sugar cravings since going mostly raw. I have been mostly raw for 5 months, but I found that eating a little cooked food increased my craving for it and sugar. I just tried to go 100% raw for three weeks and have just completed it. Now that I have done that my cravings are mostly gone and I am going to stay 100% raw. If you get cravings there are plenty of raw desserts that you can have to make the transition. if you need some recipes let us know and we can help!

oooh yes please some recipes would be great. :)

thank you

[katchmoleen]

Unfortunately we are not allowed to post links to raw recipes on other sites, but if you go to my blog here, you can see my post about Christmas dinner with all the links to the delicious recipes. I also posted a nut nog recipe here and it is so tasty. Really tastes a lot like the real thing. with a little rum or brandy flavoring it would also be good if you like that. Just start looking in the recipe section and you will find so much! Also there are many wonderful raw food blogs with tons of beautiful recipes. And Alissa's book, naturally.

[Green_Woman]

Unfortunately we are not allowed to post links to raw recipes on other sites

Although there is ALOT of recipe sharing over in the Recipes & Food Preparation section of this Forum!!

[lovenlife]

Natasha, it cannot be stressed enough...this is a part of your journey. It is all a part of the process of BEING raw. YOU ARE RAW and this is what raw looks like sometimes for some people.

It is ok as it is and as it is not. Once you accept every part of this journey, it is sooooo easy. Loving yourself andnot beating yourself up is HUGE to this.

It is ok as it is. It is what it is.

[Raw Angel Mom]

I just want to send you a big hug!

You are going to be ok because you aren't in denial about it.

This is a good practice to realize those two aspect of us, one saying this is good and our body without question not feeling so good about that choice.

One step at the time, you got that right brain telling you this will make you feel so good and remember with your left brain, i don't think so and i am not giving in. At that point allow yourself to feel the emotion of grief, the pain of not having it etc.. soon enough, you will realize that this was a gift to yourself to say NO to that junk food.

At my work place, they constantly passing on those sweet treats, i keep saying no and make a little comment "Ah Christmas, this is that time to gain extra five pounds", this is my self defence and my way to deal with them so they back up. People understand and don't insist. I don't say that i eat raw food only but do make this little joke comments and each time they look at me with self realisation that they should also reconsider and not to engorge themselves with those treats so much.

Stand your ground now and don't worry about your choice you made 5 minutes ago. Say "NO" RIGHT NOW because you deserve it.

Hey, i saw from your post that you want someone to tell you that it will give you cancer. Today, i read from the news that Canada health care are considering to inject a drug anti-cancer in the junk food. This tell you that they know without question that this dead food is armful.

Have a wonderful Holliday!

[D'vorah]

Listen to your body. She's crying out for you to stop the cycle of self-destruction. Let HER tell you what to do - then DO IT.

. . . . She. . . Her. . . .

Very empowering.

Deborah

[streetsurfer]

Try giving thanks to your higher power, for the positives that eating raw does for you. Gratitude almost always leads to encouragement. If you are one that reads and believes scripture, doing a study of all the verses that contain a form of the word encourage will show it is almost always preceded by giving thanks, or showing gratitude. I imagine it is one of those basic principals of life regardless of religion or spiritual belief, just how our brains are wired.
Give thanks for the good, and be prepared to see how easy it will be to avoid the temptations. We would all love to encourage you but we cant all be in line with you at those party buffets.

[tashaleeministry]

raw food aside, i am a recovered compulsive eater. i used to be DRIVEN to eat, all the time, no matter what the food was--healthy or not. today i am recovered and free from that and am now learning how to nourish my body...in the past i didn't have to think about it bc i ate way too much food just for ease and comfort. i'd be happy to talk if you'd like. totleeha@gmail.com