Desperate for some advice

[Dendrobate]

For a couple of months (almost a yr ago) I ate 95% raw and did great! I lost about 40 pounds and really started feeling better about myself. After being on the RAW diet I started having bad gallbladder attacks and the doctors wanted to remove it. The doctors and everyone suggested it was the RAW diet. Needless, to say with so many attacks I started eating less raw and more sad.

During the last three months I have had to deal with a ton of stress and my eating habits have been horrendous. I have gained about 28 pounds in the last three months. It's easy to say don't eat sad food but I think I am addicted to the sugar and everything else. It's like I have no will power at all. I feel so depressed and everyday I keep wanting to start eating raw again but something always comes up and I give in. When I ate raw I had no cravings for sad food at all. I had all the will power in the world.

Now, I am exhausted every single day, I constantly have dark circles under my eyes, I just look and feel horrible. It seems that no matter how much sleep I get I'm just exhausted. I can drink two monster drinks and a coffee and it no longer wakes me up. After I eat I seem to become even more tired! I have no drive to do anything and am way behind in my work. I feel like I'm going down fast.

I am really looking for suggestions on how I can start raw again and overcome this sugar/food addiction. I think with my food addictions I need to start raw 100%. Please help.

[Eva]

Have you considered starting with several days of green smoothies and swapping out SOME meals THEN going 100%?

I find that drinking a MINIMUM of 1 liter of green smoothies each day makes my cravings almost NIL, and I'm pregnant, so that's saying a LOT. Of course I have to eat a lot (it's crazy), BUT it's like night and day the difference between when I start my day with green smoothies and when I don't!

OR, heck, jump in! You did it before! You can do it again!

My best strategies for staying raw are to:

~~write the reasons I am doing this ~ with pictures that remind me of those reasons

~~Drink a green smoothie when I have a craving for something cooked. If the green smoothie doesn't make the craving go away, then I'll figure out something else to make.

~~If the craving is still there, I honor it WITH SOMETHING RAW. The problem is when I want, say, chips. Well, it might take a whole day to make something that is like chips in the raw world.

~~SO, it's SUPER IMPORTANT to pick a day off or a light day to dive into the kitchen stuff. Make one FABULOUS salad dressing, ONE pate or other yummy dip, as many CHIPS or CRACKERS as possible.

~~ALWAYS have fresh fruit and a good variety of veggies and snacks like nuts or seeds on hand.

~~Perhaps exercise when a craving hits too.

The reason I like to do these funny things for cravings, is because... well... most cravings aren't because you truly NEED that food. It's emotions. Or stress. Or addiction.

I hope that helps.

At least recognizing that it is a problem, and you want to change it, IS HUGE!!!!!!!

We are HERE for you!!!
:heart

[Dendrobate]

Thanks Eva. When I was raw I wold have a green smoothie every morning and it made me feel great. Now I keep buying all the things to make a smoothie but I just don't do it. I'll eat something sad and then just give up for the day and get super depressed like I am right now. I was wondering if I should try one of the "cleanses" for a few days to help get me off the sad food and when it's over start the day out with a green smoothie.

[Eva]

Just, do, it!

No?

You can. You have done it before.

Have EVERYTHING ready the night before. Even if you need to stick the greens and fruit in the blender and then put the blender in the fridge SO all you have to do is to maybe add water and turn it on.

Or heck, make it the night before so you wake up and it's just there.

I remember when I was trying to commit to running in the morning. I did SO MUCH to make it happen. I would fall asleep with everything on but my tennis shoes, with the shoes right there by the bed! lol!

Do you think you can get it all ready tonight for tomorrow? You have plenty of time to prepare now! :)

[Revvell]

Thanks Eva. When I was raw I wold have a green smoothie every morning and it made me feel great.

When I worked nights, on the way home I'd pass a donut shop and think how easy it would be to stop and get something yet, what I told myself was to go home, have a smoothie (at that time they were called "shakes"), then IF I still wanted a donut, go and get one. The shop was two blocks away.

Yanno? I never even THOUGHT about it because I was so nourished. It's called "conscious procrastination"... you procrastinate on the bad to allow more of the "good".

btw, if you've not done so, clear all the SAD stuff out of your house if you can. I can't because unless we go to certain places, nothing living enters his mouth, so, I stay out of the cupboards where his stuff is (padlock it if you have to) and, ignore "his" shelves in the fridge.

[kaleboy]

you need to look at the positives...you are net -12 pounds. After you go raw or high raw again you may stray again also after that but at least you are heading in the right direction and becoming more aware...