Not raw or vegan...yet.

[Lilli]

I'm desperate. I eat a very S.A.D diet. I'm depressed, overweight, my hair is falling out. I never thought I would be sad, fat and bald at the age of 33. My doctor has ran ALL tests possible. They all came back fine. She wanted to put me on Metformin (which is a drug for diabetics, and helps with weight loss). I refuse to take medication for a disease (diabetes) I don't have...plus one of the side effects is HAIRLOSS!

I read Living on Live Foods and Green for Life. I felt hope for the first time in many months. In Green for Life, she stated that her husband had hair regrowth after starting on green smoothies. I ran and told my husband that I needed a Vita-mix STAT! lol

I feel overwhelmed. Do not know where to start. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. :)

[JCB44]

Welcome to the site. there is a lot of help, imformation, and friends here. I have struggled with raw for a while. I did it for a while and did real well for a while, then fell off. I finally made up my mind that I am tired of being overweight and not feeling well. 2 days ago I went back to raw 100% cold turky. I am on my second day and feeling better than when the day started. Some people like to ease into it, add a little raw and build up. That didn't work to well for me. So far the all or nothing is working best for me.
I have started reading living on live foods again. That is helping me alot. Reading a lot on this site has helped get my mind right lol. Best of luck on your raw journey

[Stella Green]

Welcome Lilli! I know how you feel. I was a little overwhelmed myself when I first started. Here is what I did. First I just ate whatever I wanted BUT I ate the raw stuff first.

Like for breakfast, I didn't tell myself, no cereal. I just said, first I'll eat the green smoothie, then I'll have cereal.

And for lunch I thought, I'll have a big salad and try a raw salad dressing. If I'm still hungry, I'll have a sandwich or whatever.

And you know what? After I ate the salad, I just wasn't in the mood for a sandwich.

Also, have fun with experimenting, but just try one recipe at a time. This way, you can allow yourself to relax and create the same recipe over again until you like it. An easy recipe to start with is Alissa's Lemon Pudding. It's delicious and easy!

Make sure you have some easy raw snacks to grab for whenever you're in the mood. Like walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, or one of those cutie little oranges.

Lastly, here is something that I love: jicama! Just peel, salt it, put some lime juice on there, and use at as a chip. Jicama chips plus guacamole are awesome.

Good luck on your journey! Know that this raw food forum is here for you to help you along the way :)

[michigan roman]

make as much of your diet that you can dark raw greens / fruit / water

though not raw green tea supresses appetite and greatly helped me first two years i quit eating cooked foods

best cheat on raw imo is lightly steamed vegis like brocoli / corn / etc

next best is vegi soup

bananas are many peoples best staple as theyre instant / easy / nutricious

raisins are good to have around

so is homemade trail mix

try sprouting buckwheat to use as a base that you add either sweet or savory things to

try short water / juice fasts to get better control of appetite , even if its only 12 hours . then go 24 hours , etc . fasting helps get control over sad food cravings

[AllergyGirl]

My health had basically hit rock bottom when I went completely raw almost 6 weeks ago. I have multiple (12) food allergies, some of which are life threatening, and the rest are severe. I had gotten to the point where my body was in a constant imflammatory state, because it was nearly impossible to avoid some of the allergens while eating processed foods, and so it was constantly bombarded with allergens. I am very overweight, and had gotten to the point where I was in bed by 7:30 or 8 pm most nights, because I was just too exhausted to stay awake any longer, and I took naps whenever I could. I could not think clearly and I got sick all the time. I felt awful most of the time, and I finally decided that I had to do whatever it took to heal myself. I did a lot of research on raw foods, and finally just jumped headfirst into it. In the nearly 6 weeks that I've been raw, I've lost 20 pounds and gone down 3 jeans sizes. I sleep amazingly well, where I never did before, and I have so much energy that I have had to start going to the gym just to burn some of it off each day. So at least for me, I know that the solution was to just dive in and go completely raw, but I had a tremendous amount of motivation to do so, and mentally I was ready to make that drastic change. I certainly would never try to push someone else to go completely raw if they're not ready, but in my case it is working, and working well.

Good luck to you. :)

[Stella Green]

Wow, Allergy Girl! Way to go with your progress--you are an inspiration :D

[RawKnitster]

Jump in and start anywhere. You don't need the Vita-Mix to get started. Begin with fruits throughout the morning. One fruit at a time, every hour or so as needed. Start with the watery fruits and by late morning go for the denser fruits like dates or bananas. For lunch, have a big salad with an oil or avocado based dressing and a handful of nuts or seeds. More fruit for an afternoon snack. Another salad for dinner. More fruit in the evening if necessary.

Start there and build on it as you go. If you have a standard blender and food processor you can make a lot of different things. Read lots of raw recipes (Alissa's book of course), and get a feel for which recipes you want to try and what equipment you will need.

Best of raw luck to you. However you do it, I am looking forward to reading your success story. :D

P.S. I will be watching closely because of your name. My daughter's name is Lilli. An unusual spelling for sure. Her name is Lillian, she shortened it to Lilli. :)

[Lilli]

Thank you! All the replies mean so much.

Allergygirl ((hugs)) I can't imagine all you have dealt with. Congratulations on the amazing progress.

Rawknitster :o Lilli isn't my real name. It's the name I had picked out for my daughter...then I had two sons. LOL I think it is such a lovely name. It makes me think of beauty, peace and tranquility. Things that I am seeking right now. :)

OK I after reading your responses. I feel like I can do this. Thank you.

[spicyfull]

My Very BEST to You.

[revdrcyn]

Lilli,

Give raw a try - I predict you will love it and feel better in no time at all.

Do not give in to Metformin - my husband takes it for diabetes and has gained 50 pounds. I want him to watch Simply Raw, hoping it will inspire him to deal with diabetes in a healthier way . . . but he is old and stubborn.

Fortunately, you are young and open to change!!!

So glad you're here!

[annabella]

Welcome! First of all, anything is possible when you put your intention into what you want! Months ago I overcame a supposedly "incurable" behavioral anxiety disorder called Trichotillomania in which I compulsively pulled all of my hair out, because I had just decided I wanted to be free! Took me on a journey across the country and through a lot of pain but I have a full head of (short) hair now and not looking back... same is true for anything.

I just started transitioning to raw foods a few weeks ago. I started with just having green smoothies everyday for breakfast. After just a few days I noticed my nails and hair grew extremely fast, my skin was glowing, more energy, etc. If you are afraid to jump in overnight then start with just one thing and see what happens! I have been gradually adding more and more raw foods into my diet and I know eventually I will be 100%, it has been so easy so far but no pressure, I am just starting to naturally crave more and more raw foods! All the best and good luck to you!

And if you feel like some other people to just go 100% immediately, all power to you!!!!!