The worst diet

[sweepea32]

I eat the WORST diet in the world.
There I admitted it!!
I eat so unhealthy-it sickens me at times.
I want to know if there are others here who are able to stick with eating raw-lets say 85% raw after eating a horrible SAD diet all their lives.
I know I am so addicted to SAD foods.
Is there anyone here who was not vegetarian or vegan and is able to stick too and thrive on this raw path?

thanks so much...

PS-share a little how you started and continue to be successful please.

[flutterfly]

I am not 100% raw, I am about 80% now. Before I started with all raw about 8 years ago I was on the Atkins diet for about 6 months. Now that is as unhealthy as one can get.
I found out about the raw and went 100% that day. I felt so much better mentally and physically.
After trying the raw in different degrees I have finally decided what degree is for me to make a life time change.
Good luck on your new, healthy lifestyle ;)

[levamssg]

sweepea32 ... You can do this ...

I was a complete junk food junkie. Chili cheese fritos were a staple in my diet. Hardly Anything fresh (like salad) -- very rarely ate fruit either --- if it didn't mircowave, it didn't happen unless it was chips and salsa. Well, popcorn and ice cream were high up there too. My meat staple was roasted chicken from Sams, and the skin was my favorite. Could down one of those greasy beasts in one sitting by myself. okay then ...

I got cancer, was in radiation, discovered raw, and decided to change. All at once. Threw out all sad food that my husband wasn't going to eat ... (he is still a sad carnivore by the way, but getting better). Went 100% raw on August 1st 2004 and haven't looked back.

Was it hard some days? yes. Is it still hard some days? yes. Am I still tempted by those darn Sams chickens? yes. How did I do it? I don't know, I just did it. Made the committment to myself, gritted my teeth when it was hard, and stuck to it. Actually the first few weeks were pretty easy because it was new and exciting. Then I started to really miss those chips and things, so invested in a dehydrator to simulate them as much as I could. Ate a lot of crunchy raw nuts in the beginning. Did a lot of food binging in the beginning (all raw) on stuff I just "had" to have ... like nuts, avocados, bananas --- whatever I seemed to be hungry for that was raw, I ate tons of it.

I splurged on several raw recipe books and had fun trying lots of different things. My tastes have changed, so things I didn't like then, I do now. I still binge eat to a degree, (lots of the same thing for a time).

I think the key is to keep eating -- if you like something, make a lot of it. Stay as full as you can -- throw out the conventional belief of breakfast, lunch, dinner as much as you can, and eat when you are hungry. You will find yourself settling into a pattern that works for you. Take snacks with you in the car.

I don't cook food for ANYONE. My husband makes his own cooked meals. If we have company over for dinner, and they want cooked, well, best come prepared to make it themselves or my husband will cook it. I rarely go into any section other than produce of the supermarket.

eating out: I take a small container of my raw salad dressing with me. Restaurants are usually more than happy to make you a gourmet raw salad. In fact, some get darn creative! And some have fresh fruit. Just ask for it.

Read Victoria Boutenko's book 12 steps to raw food. Eating cooked food IS an addiction, and you have to treat it like one. There is a great gaspacho soup recipe in her book .... would highly suggest trying it. If you don't have the book - let me know, I'll send the recipe to ya.

I feel better now than I have in years and years. Back to the weight I was in my early 20's and have heaps of energy. I don't get coughs and sniffles (or haven't in a long time anyway). It feels good to feel good!

I have found my tastes getting simpler the longer I am raw. I don't find the need to "replicate" sad foods as much anymore. But it is still fun to do that now and again. But everyone is different. Figure out what works for you and do that ...

it's a fun journey -- enjoy!!!

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Sweepea,

I'm on my raw journey right now. My first big change was giving up meat. I did it gradually. It took 1 1/2 years but it was painless for me this way. It's been 3 1/2 years since I've touched any meat and I have no desire for it. While weaning off meat, I was also making other changes. I've increased my fruits and a little bit more of the veggies. I never was into dairy, although I did have some cheese like on pizza, or a couple of times a year with nachos. Nachos were easy to give up, pizza has taken longer but I think I've finally kicked it. The last few times I tried it I gagged.

Since I don't have a disease that is life threatening I find I can take my time in making my changes and I find it's easier for me this way, I don't feel deprived and I know once off whatever I'm working on (meat, pop, etc.) it has been a permenant change. I haven't had pop in over 5 years now.

I'm not saying this will take you this long, but just know you can make the change at any pace you want. Some can go 100% over night. Some it would be so hard for them. So do what works for you. Just know that any change you make is going to be an improvement. Even if you don't "feel" it your body is making use of the raw foods you do take in. When I was 50% raw I didn't notice any changes, although I know things were happening. When I hit 75% raw (after about 6 months 50% raw) I SAW changes - BP lower, weight coming off, thyroid meds cut back.

So don't stress out over it. Make some changes. Mabye only have fruits until noon time and then eat like you normally do. When this becomes habit, then change your lunch to all raw, either smoothies or whole fruits. Or maybe a huge salad, then eat the rest of the day like you normally do, etc.

Or you can start by taking out a certain food group, i.e. meat. Once you conquer that then move onto sugars, etc. Just whatever works for you.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing and the progress you are seeing.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[Punky]

I got cancer, was in radiation, discovered raw, and decided to change. All at once. Threw out all sad food that my husband wasn't going to eat ... (he is still a sad carnivore by the way, but getting better). Went 100% raw on August 1st 2004 and haven't looked back.

Terri, I really appreciate you sharing your story; very inspiring!
Is your cancer in remission? Did you start raw after radiation treatment or during?
Just curious if raw helped with any side effects of the radiation?

on another note; I see your from St. Louis....is their any raw restaurants
or raw resources in the area? My best friend who is very raw curious is moving
to St. Charles and I will be visiting alot. You can PM me if you prefer.


Thanks again for sharing your story!

[levamssg]

Punky,
Eating raw made an Enormous difference during radiation. I was already getting very lethargic and tired when I started raw. (radiation leads to chronic fatigue). Anyway, within 10 days of raw, my energy started coming back, I wasn't tired, I could go back to work. (I do a lot of physical labor rehabbing houses). My skin didn't burn, but don't know if that was due to the raw or that I was using straight aloe from my plant on it. I started feeling good actually. My radiology oncologist thought it was wonderful & asked what I was doing. When I told her about the raw food she was horrified and told me to stop because I wasn't getting enough protein. lol .... sad, isnt it? Well, needless to say I didn't stop. And yes, at last check, no cancer.

I live in St. Charles -- and sad to say, there aren't any raw food places at all. In fact, you have to go across the river into St. Louis to get to Whole Foods or Wild Oats for organic stuff. But it isn't that far at all. No raw restaurants out this way either that I know of. The best is a vegetarian place in St. Louis on Euclid call Eternity Cafe. They have some raw foods.

We have a GREAT popluck group that meets at Wild Oats on Ladue each month though (1st Sunday). There are other raw foodists out here, so it would it be great to start a group in St. Charles as well. Have your friend get in touch ... and let me know when you visit too! Would love to meet up with ya!!!

[sweetgoddess]

sweetpea, I jumped from a terrible, overindulgent, high sugar, high wheat, high chocolate, high coffee, absolute ick diet into 100 percent raw. I had so many amazing results in the first 30 days that I can never give up on raw now. The difference in how I feel and function is just astounding. It blows my mind. Now its been 8 months and I love eating a raw diet so much.

So you can do this, most definitely. In fact, you will feel changes very quickly I would imagine. Go for it!

Blessings~
Carmel

[ReneeSC]

Sweetpea - unless you were eating straight nuclear fall-out, I doubt you're the SAD Queen ...cuz.. we'd fight you for the crown! It's good that you're realizing where your diet and your body is right now. This is the first step on the journey. But.. but.... you don't have to be in complete realization to enter into RAW; in fact, you'll find yourself increasingly more enlightened as you go along, so don't wait for some nirvanic epiphony before you make the decision.

Really, that's what it takes... THE DECISION. It's within YOURSELF and any spiritual life you have , because it's from within yourself you're going to have to draw when you're tempted, when you're in need of personal inspiritation and strength. It's inside - it's your will - it's your resolve - it's the battle within your mind and overcoming years and years of societal programming and it's effects upon the appetites your body has LEARNED to live.
This is key: Your body LEARNED to live this way; this is all it knows. If your body can learn to live the SAD way, it can LEARN to live the HEALTHY, HAPPY, CLEAN way, too!

In my journal area is where you'll see what's been happening to our family. It's been an incredible ride around here. I'm amazed every day.

I was SAD for years with a few short spots of vegetarianism and a few more spots of veganism; all short-lived, but nonetheless I could TELL people I'd done it. Well, that and 50 cents bought me nothing but trouble. Why? Because I didn't stay that way. Actually, this RAW way is the BEST way I've ever eaten ( even when I did it much younger instinctively ). It's BETTER than vegetarianism, it's BETTER than veganism for remediation and healing. It's effects are immediate ( even if the weight isn't going anywhere ).


I've done a great deal of praying through this - and it's been the anchor that's held me when I KNOW I would have gone over the edge. Yes, I still feel tempted. Sometimes the temptations are for things I didn't really like to begin with or would have eaten much prior. I found that really strange..... lol
But I know that those things are poison to me... and the feeling is fleeting
It really is FLEETING.... Once your body is satiated from true hunger, what is left is the programming your mind and your body has learned to live. Once you can separate these two areas, it becomes much easier to see OVER them, and make the CORRECT choice.

Have you thought much about what Helen was saying... going into a transitional period bofore RAW ?

We were instructed by several doctors to do what we're doing, so we had to do it QUICKLY.. but, we did take two weeks of transition before I began the 30 DAY CHALLENGE.

[rawpriestess]

When I met my hubby, he was eating SAD three times a day, always boxed and canned, and drinking every day and smoking, etc.

I was struggling raw, but at least I was vegetarian.

He moved in on our first date, so I had no food for him.

My stove didn't work, my oven didn't work, my microwave didn't work, my dishwasher didn't work, they were all built ins, and I had never used them, I had lived in my home over 12 years, and didn't even know these things didn't work. LOL

Anyway, he made a kitchen with stove etc for him self out in the garage, and he would make is food there and I would make my food inside.

Eventually he started to try more and more of my food, started liking in, started growing all our produce, fruits, nuts etc, started making raw gourmet with me, and now he's about 95% raw, still eats a piece of meat cooked now and again, but that's about it.

otherwise he's as raw as I am, foraging in our gardens for our meals, hiking up the hill for blackberries, just walking through our gardens for food.

it's a marvelous life, we hardly ever go to the store.

Our food bill has dropped about 80% of what it was when we met.

But he doesn't think of himself as a raw foodist, he just likes to eat whatever he wants, and he only wants fresh fruits and veggies.

[VeggieMel]

I'm usually about 95% raw. I've been raw for over 2 years. I was a vegan 1 year before that. However, the 20 years before that I ate almost ALL fast food, and at best I'd eat highly processed foods from the grocery store. I'd say I went to the produce department maybe 2 times a year, usually around holidays when I needed to prepare something that required a vegetable. I was sixty pounds overweight. My complexion and my health were terrible!! Oh...I forgot to mention that I was a diet coke addict, too. I didn't make the transition to raw overnight. It took some time to completely kick the diet coke habit, and it took time to educate myself about this diet. I bet that refined sugar is addictive, too, and I was hooked! So the transition was gradual. Naturally, the big motivator is that you start feeling and looking so much better. You know it's doing you good. So just know that it's natural to make changes gradually as you learn more and experience more benefits. I'd say I'm absolutely thriving on this diet. If you could talk to the people close to me, they'd testify to the same thing. I'm at my ideal weight. I'm in better shape than I have been in many years. I have more energy, and I look much, much better. Don't feel bad about all the SAD food you've eaten, just start making good changes.

[VeggieMel]

Oh, you asked how people continue to stay succesful. I continue to stay successful two ways:

1. I don't want to lose what I've attained in terms of energy, health and improved appearance. I also enjoy eating this way. I enjoy the tastes.

2. Community! Support! Raw food bulletin boards like this, and socializing with other raw foodists.

[Doe]

IMO I have a terrible cookie, candy, and chip habit to this day. Most everything else I eat is raw. Still using a few cooked seasonings. So am working on making raw versions of the things I'm still addicted to. As long as something sweet, salty, or crispy and raw is available don't really want the cooked. So it's a matter of making the right things available.

Teri S

[VeggieMel]

Do you have a dehydrator, Doe? I'll post an awesome tomato salsa chip recipe on the recipe board. They taste salty and indulgent. Quite satisfying!!

[sweepea32]

You guys are so inspirational-thank you for sharing.
I really was moved by some of the things that were posted.

It is a journey...


thanks so much,

Mary