Self-sabotage

[bikediva]

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. I first learned about raw a couple of years ago, and it took me about that long to get ready to go raw. Now, all of the necessary factors--a stable job, a good living situation, financial means--are in place for me to finally do raw, which is completely my aspiration.

I bought all the stuff I needed, set myself up for success, and have had a couple of months in which I've had runs of a few days at a time raw.

BUT...

I find I sabotage my efforts sometimes by bingeing on cooked food. Like a part of my brain is scared of all the energy I will get as a raw vegan, or how my life will change. Even though I KNOW it will be more fabulous than I can imagine, by what I read in others' testimonials. It's not that I ENJOY cooked food, it's that I'm USED to it.

Any advice on breaking the chains? And have any of y'all felt this way while starting out?

[Aleesha Sattva]

i've found two things assist me greatly:

first... no guilt. if you eat something (SAD)... own it. you made the decision - no need to feel guilt. it was a choice you made... (as i often say in real life) "time to put on your big girl panties and own your choice". LOL life is waaaaaaay too short for guilt. there's no room in our lives for it. let it go... now. *doesn't that feel better? life without guilt... ahhh bliss!*

second... i find that fasting really helped me to break addictions with cooked foods. i had some foods i just couldn't give up... i'd try but i'd always end up eating it. now i don't even crave them. i have no idea if eating 100% raw for the same amount of time would do the same... cause honestly i fast a lot. so others would have to chime in regarding that (but i think that it could have).

[streetsurfer]

You're not alone. I am still a rawddler (raw toddler). I don't think I subconsciously try to sabotage myself but I do admit to not sticking to my guns like I should at times. This is in spite of knowing full well that reverting to old ways will bring back what I am so desperately trying to depart from.
I try to look at it in a spiritual light as well as the physical. Yes I want to feel better, but I also know there is a dark side that does not want to see me succeed at this. That dark side knows that those of us who can succeed and excell at this will be able to help others function better, and that we can by so doing, all represent the Light, the right side, that we will prevail in drawing others away from the dark side, and bring others to better health, into the light, to be able to spread more love and happiness-all the while making the world a better place. I believe it's a given we will have victory in the end, it is just a matter of which side we want to be on when the end comes. Thinking along that line helps give me the courage, desire, and stamina to want to complete, with my head held high, the race set before me.

[EZ rider]

On my "slips" I learned that I need to be aware of how hungry I let myself become. Slight hunger is OK and a good place to eat something with a good result but if I get past the slightly hungry signal and move into the hungry zone I can be headed for problems. If I get to the very hungry signal then my chances of a problem increase a bunch. Normally I don't feel any cravings but when I'm hungry out they come and if I'm also tired it becomes even more unmanageable. Once the first bite of crap is swallowed its all over for me and a pig out follows. The solution for me was to learn to monitor my body signals VERY closely. Slight hunger is OK and not any problem at all but beyond that is the slippery slope to a binge. Since I got my lesson learned I havn't had even one single slip -- Yahooo :)

We are all different and so its a matter of figuring out what your triggers are. Good luck.

[Revvell]

I have all kinds of ideas and suggestions for stopping the cycle about this on my blog here ~ how NOT to do that and about making choices.

http://rawfoodtalk.com/blog.php?u=982

[TheRawPilgrim]

I love that "guiltless" approach. I will have to remember that. My biggest problem is that I'm preparing SAD meals for my family. I fight it as hard as I can, but I end up caving sometimes :( . I am SUCH a perfectionist so when I can't PERFECTLY stick to my plan, I REALLY put myself through the ringer. One thing that helped me a little it to remember that I only even started reading up on raw food 3 weeks ago! I'm still a baby and probably MOST raw food eaters had to ease into it. Still, it's hard not to beat myself up. This week was bad and I caved twice (only once the week before) but in the end, 2 SAD meals in a week is better than the 3 SAD meals a DAY I was eating 3 weeks ago. Another thing that will help is that eventually there will be MUCH less SAD food in the house. Hubby's fine with me making raw meals for everyone once we use up all the food we had stored up already (we kept a WELL stocked pantry) so long as I make him his met and potatoes once and a while. So every day there is less and less to tempt me :D

[EZ rider]

Hubby's fine with me making raw meals for everyone once we use up all the food we had stored up
Sounds like your coming up to the point where you find out who is going to be able to eat raw and who's not as you keep putting raw foods in the grocery cart and leave out the cooked foods. It would be great if everyone is able to make the transition. Good luck.

[TheRawPilgrim]

I buy VERY little non-raw items anymore. Partly because of what we still have, but also because they are gradually moving over. I think the only thing on the list this week is a few loaves of whole grain bread. Once I get my dehydrator (ordering this week!!) I'll find a raw recipe we like and wont buy bread again either.

So far so good! Everyone LOVES the green smoothies (I don't care for them at all myself yet, but everyone else does :p ) my husband's ALWAYS been big on salads so he loves the increased portions! My 9 yo son made me laugh the other day. He says to me "Mom, when you started talking about this stuff I thought it was going to be HORRIBLE, but this food ROCKS!" :D