I am so disappointed in myself.

[tracyb519]

I have been 95% raw for almost two weeks now because I desperately want to lose weight and stay healthy. I have lost 7 1/2 lbs. so far and have around 70 more lbs to go. I have been asking alot of questions and appreciate the help along the way, being new and all. I hate to admit it and very upset about it but....today I ate things I shouldn't have...like a sandwich (sprouted bread...but not raw) with a griller (vegetarian meat) mayo and some cookies. :( I feel sleepy but I also feel like I could eat more. I get so famished and want to eat but there really isn't much for me to eat that's quick... unless I want to clean lettuce or have a piece of fruit. Believe it or not my frig is full of raw foods to make but I get so overwhelmed. Sometimes I get so stressed because I know I will be in the kitchen all day...and for me to eat and be satisfied, I have to use the dehydrator all the time! Please help.... give me some suggestions, advice or whatever. I'm open because I really want to lose this weight and eat healthy all the time!

Tracy

[Angelina]

The best advice I can give you is to surround yourself with lots of your fave raw foods; visit this board as much as possible and definitely stop beating yourself up because believe me even the best of the best raw people have had their slip ups once in awhile. Remember, its not the destination, but the journey and believe me, this one is not an easy one, but very worth it health wise. Once you feel all the benefits of being completely raw, sometimes it does take a fall to fully appreciate it. Good luck..hang in there..

[monkeyboy]

Hi Everyone,

I rarely respond to a newbie post, but I'll take a little time and help out tracyb519.

My daughter was also born on that date.

Remember, this is the Monkeyboy responding to your post.

The food police are not going to knock on your door if you eat a cookie.

Stop beating yourself up.

One meal at a time.

Stay active.

Keep your meals simple......the fancy stuff can wait for the dinner party where you impress your friends with Alissa's cookbook ideas.

Exercise....even if it's a walk around the block.

Stay focused on this site....plenty of good and bad advice.

Talk about the raw lifestyle with your friends and family......they are jealous, really.

If you are over 21 please drink some wine and reflect.

It's easy to obsese about raw food just like cooked food.

This is a mental exercise in health.

You are tough.


Peace in the Middle East,

M.B. aka Tom

[RawTruth]

Stay focused on this site....plenty of good and bad advice. . . . Amen.

I rarely respond to a newbie postMB is my new role model.

. . .

[leeleelocs]

I think 100% raw is easier than 95%. You will have less cravings. Try drinking green smoothies. one gallon a day has made me have less cravings and I am full and happy.

keep your chin up and relax and enjoy the many blessing awaiting you on this raw trip.

[Jamie]

Wow MB,, great encouraging advice! I will take it to heart also! Thanks:)

Leeleelocs, I have found this to be so true. It is so hard NOT to be 100%. I actually wish I could be 90-95%, but I fail everytime miserably.

Tracy, you should be so proud that you are trying and concerned to stay on track with raw! I have failed so many times but keep coming back because I believe in the health benefits from being raw. Keep up the great work of trying and in time, after you lose more weight and are feeling GREAT, you will see for yourself that raw is worth the continuing effort for!! You've already lost 7 1/2lbs and you will lose so much more! You will feel so free from the weight loss! Just don't give up! Recommit yourself to waking up again tomorrow and starting a healthy day!! You can do it :D Read as much inspiring testimonies as you can find, you'll be so encouraged!

Best of luck to you Tracy :)

Jamie

[monkeyboy]

Ah Yes....and on another note,


Remember I lost 30lbs. in 90 days.

That's 1 pound lost every 3 days.

Don't step on a scale until Feb 28.

If you weigh yourself, do it once a month.

You'll feel your body change.

Scales are evil.

Moneyboy pictures coming soon.


Peace and chicken grease,

M.B.

[Amberly]

Don't worry. I've been trying to be 100 % for 6 months, and have suceeded for part of the time. BUT I understand how you feel about being overwhelmed at the difficulty and time required in preparing raw dishes. I decided I would eat simple as best I could, several slip ups, I allowed sprouted bread at first, and eventually got off of it, but it was helpful in making the transition.

I would say that I was going to find just one dish, learn to make it, and work on other ones later, so it wouldn't seem so overwhelming. I haven't really yet. Well, alot of them still do seem overwhelming, so I am eating alot of smoothies, but I just made an avacado pudding that is quite filling. I AM going to find a dish and learn to make it, even if it requires nuts and seeds.

Maybe if you find just ONE that sounds appealing and learn to make it, it will open the gates for you.

Don't worry about the slip ups, it's not the easiest thing to get into. It's a different lifestyle. A little like learning a new language. But oh, c'est magnifique!

[mommamia]

[QUOTE=monkeyboy

I rarely respond to a newbie post, but I'll take a little time and help out tracyb519.

[/QUOTE]



Hey we newbies NEED you!!! And I loved the resonse, helped me too...cause I caved a bit today too. (cold pesto pizza from my husbands leftovers...Pizza. My Achilles Heel)

I just want to "ditto" the stay away from the scale. Once I got on the scale I obsessed about it. Go back to letting your clothes be the judge...don't worry about the weight. That will come. Be healthy. Be happy.

[tracyb519]

Thanks for all the support...I appreciate it and really needed it! Today is a new day, and I'm back on track. :)

[lavendarJ]

Great advice Monkey Boy and very inspirational.. one of most important things I took from you was to simply "keep it simple"...sometimes we get so focused on doing everything so very specifically, you know kinda like all or nothing that its gets to be overwhelming when things are going exactly as we planned...your words really were helpful and a good reminder for keeping it simple..I am doing a cleanse right now but when I transition into eating raw I think I will probably just be simply eating raw food combinations without getting into all the dehydrating recipes....again...thanks :)

[greeninlosangeles]

For me it is also easier 100 percent. The first time I was raw 90 percent it was much harder, and finally after friend's bridal shower and wedding I slipped back. Now I am going strong for two months, but I make sure I surround myself with a lot of books, forums like this one(Thanks to Alissa and all of you!), make some interesting recipes time permitting, even got some dvds and go to raw food potluck. It is a little expensive(I do get a lot of books from the library though), but well worth it - the first 3 years are the hardest, but he first 3 weeks are the worst.
Sometimes if I really want something somebody eats, I just think that it is not worth for me for 2 minutes of pleasure to have all the problems it brings.

[lodestar]

gee, so much good advice, but monkeyboy hit the nail on the head when it comes to hanging out with your scales...give them the 'ol heave ho. be patient with yourself. there is a definite learning curve here and just like everything new...getting good at it takes time. the so called "failures" are the real learning opportunities. i love this lifestyle, but i have been practicing getting it "right" for a couple of years now.

get in the groove and let the good times roll...

[RawFoodieMom]

I think maybe the best thing for you to do would be to try and plan to prepare some dishes and snacks ahead of time, so that they're ready to go when the hunger strikes. Lots of dishes will last 2 or 3 days in the fridge, so you could spend some time one day and then not have to prepare much for the next couple of days. Then you won't feel like you're in the kitchen all the time. Like prepare some wrap fillings, a date nut torte, some veggie dip, etc. that will last 3 days or so. Then you can just enjoy the next couple of days stress-free. :)

Debra

[Jackie1995]

I totally agree with you, TracyB, I don't like "preparing" anything and it forces me to look for easy stuff with no preparation - something I can just pop into my mouth if I want to eat.

The idea of staying in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes at a shot is just a downer. I'd rather be dusting the blinds, or reading an insurance contract, or watching CNBC...you get the idea.

So, my solution: lots of neat fruits available, washed when I brought them home so that's not an issue, and basically either peel and eat (like bananas) or cut and eat (like pineapple triangles or grapefruit wedges) or JUST EAT like plums or apples, or berries.

That gets me past the crisis, and I'm on my way. Total indulgence: eating 3 bananas in a row! Wow! I'd NEVER done anything like that before!

Guess what: it's totally fun!

Good luck, hope this helps!

[RawTruth]

Good advice to surround yourself with easy to eat fruits.

When you're wanting something more, though, you want to be able to whip something up in 5 minutes or so. That's what's magic about Alissa's book. If you follow the logic of her 4-week plan, by the end of it, you'll have learned to make such easy easy easy easy (get the picture?) things so easily (stop me!!). Seriously, that's the key for many people.

Otherwise, you can get lost in looking through recipes on the net or in books and they've got a huge long list of ingredients or require several stages of preparation. You get discouraged and you're still left hungry and yearning for something filling. So many of Alissa's recipes are no more than 5 ingredients or so (including seasonings). Simple.

My students tell me the best thing they take away from a class is being able to make a pate in just 5 minutes or a soup with almost no advance preparation (other than tossing some almonds in a bowl, covering them with water and leaving them soaking while they sleep) or angel hair pasta w/marinara sauce in -- what, like 8 minutes.

This is how you stay all raw. This is what worked for me ... and many others I know.

Easy!!!

[tracyb519]

Thanks again...I apppreciat the tips! :)

[DrPr]

Tracy, I have been where you are. I identified my successes and failures with the food decisions I made. Actually, I still do that, but my success on raw food covers that up because raw food makes eating less emotionally problematic for me (no more cravings and compulsive binges). However, this new freedom gives me space to step back and look at those past behaviors a bit more clearly. I don't beat myself up over those binges anymore because I know I am a victim of the society I grew up in- one that promotes and sells us addictive foods and then punishes us for becoming addicted to it! It takes a while to unlearn our negative emotions around food. Please don't beat yourself up over what you ate! You did it (and it wasn't even an unhealthy meal) and you cannot change it. You weren't "bad", you just diverged from your plan. But you can plan your next meal, right?

[vegggeeemom]

Totally agree about not stepping on a scale.
That was my biggest discourager and I threw my scale out..well not literally, but put it away and that WAS THE BEST THING that I could have done for myself!
I stopped being obsessed about my weight and just decided to do the raw diet.

Oh and yes doing 100% is by far SO much easier then even 95%..there's something habout doing 100% raw!

I just love the idea of doing this one meal or one day at a time!

Please don't beat yourself up over slipping. The best of us do it! :) Just get right back in the race and continue on!

You're doing a beautiful job btw! Keep it up! You're determination is inspiring!!

Pam

[wolfieandbetty]

"promotes and sells us addictive foods and then punishes us for becoming addicted to it!"

This is so true! I've been an emotional eater since I was about 7 years old and the only way I survived a very abusive and scary childhood was to numb myself with food. As I got older and fatter I constantly beat myself up for my inability to give up the foods I became addicted to which in turn led to more eating. I just finished my first Raw month and I feel so free.

But Tracy - I get that it's hard sometimes!!! Yesterday I saw a commercial on TV for a restaraunt and they showed bacon and eggs and hashbrowns - breakfast was always my favorite meal. So all day yesterday NOTHING tasted good. I did not feel satisfied with any of the foods I ate and I had no dehydrated food to fill the gap. But, I stuck with it because I know that for an addiction like mine - one slip leads to another. Today I feel better and enjoyed my morning smooth. Knowing that you'll get through it really is empowering.

What I find helps is to get involved with another activity. For me it's art. I HAVE to pull my mind and my energy away from thoughts of food or I will lose it. I just keep telling myself that there are no other options.

BTW - what has helped a bit is that I have allowed myself 1 non-raw food and that is fish. I had major problems with herpes cold sore breakouts from all the nuts so I had to go off all nuts. I felt energyless so I added grilled fish a couple of times a week and it has made all the difference. It's a food that is not a trigger so I feel it's safe for me. Maybe you can find something that is healthy and still satisfies you.

Best of luck. This is can be a difficult path sometimes.

[RawTruth]

wolfieandbetty -

You've written a very inspirational post that I'm sure will help other people with addictive personalities. It's obvious you've learned a lot about yourself.

Just one teensy little thing -- you say you've just finished a month raw, but then you say that you eat grilled fish several times a week. What's up with that? :confused:

I am NOT finding fault with you or attacking you -- please know this. Clarificaiton is imporant, though, I think, for the many people on here who are raw vegans for whom the term "raw" means completely raw.

Thanks so much, in advance, for your response.

[wolfieandbetty]

Yep, I get it. The only thing I eat that is not raw is fish a couple of times a week. I felt I had to do this because I had such problems with nuts. Once I took them out of my diet I just felt lackluster - no energy at all. If there is a better alternative I'd love to hear it! I also had to cut out dried fruit because I had recurrent yeast infections. They've cleared up since I gave up dried fruit but it left me without alot of variety in my diet.

I'm such a perfectionist and very hard on myself so to not be 100% raw was VERY hard for me. I kept beating myself up for "failing". But then I had to come to grips with the fact that I need to do the healthiest thing for my body and I just don't know how to do that and maintain energy without adding fish. Believe me - I have no special attachment to fish, I thought it would be the healthiest alternative.

Any advice is warmly welcome.

Catherine

[lily]

Tracy, I know what you mean and there's so much helpful advice above that I hesitate to add any more, but here are three quick things which have helped me:

1. Choose a few easy recipes that you fancy making and write them out on large cards or sheets of paper so that you have them handy and can follow them easily when tired and hungry. You'll soon find you keep adding more and more get enjoyment from them.

2. Make a list of really quick favourites which you can fix in a snap and keep this list on the fridge or pinned up somewhere so you can see it at a moment of confusion, hunger and stress... remind yourself about eating a piece of yummy fruit at such times, for instance...

3. As others have said, make up some dishes and have them ready. I have a favourite nut loaf which I slice and keep in the freezer --it's easy to get out a slice and let it warm up gently and Alissa's pecan and carrot burgers are fab for this, too (I just whiz up the curry sauce to eat with them). Freezing may not be the very best thing to do, but it's meant I have raw food there ready when I need it most -- a raw pizza base, for instance, ready for topping with tomato etc -- so it's helped me not to lapse.

Hope these simple ideas help...

lily

[tracyb519]

Yes, emotional eating is the hardest addiction out there because you can't stay away from it like alcohol.....you have to eat! Lately, I noticed myself feeling down or crabby because I know I can't eat what I want...I'm like a little kid! I wonder if the CRAVINGS will ever totally disappear? Sometimes I get so nauseated thinking about eating one more salad or piece of vegetable. But I am getting through. Today I an orange....a glass of carrot and collard green juice.....butternut squash patty, avacado and flax crackers....a salad with mock salmon, tomatoes and cucumbers. Wow...now that I have seen it written down...it looks like I ate alot! Oh, well, at least I'm not hungry.

Thanks again for all your motivating and helpful words!

Tracy

[RawTruth]

Tracy - it is NOT a lot of food. It is just the right amount for you for today. Tomorrow you may want more. Or less. Don't sweat it. (It's actually much less than I ate today ... geez, I would have had several oranges, I'm sure.)

As for your cravings -- what you say you really "want." Many people have reported that after they began drinking a green smoothie every day their cravings disappeared. Also, Revvell gave some good advice on this a long time ago. She said that oh say you're craving a cookie. Well, eat a piece of fruit ... or a stalk of celery stuffed with almond butter, for example. If you're still craving after that, eat another raw goodie. Then, if you still want that cookie, eat something else raw. After that, if you STILL want the cookie, just eat the dang thing and get it over with. Then ... next thing you eat, eat raw again. Sometimes we create a monster in our head and we just have to cut its legs off.

However, if, as you say, you're an emotional eater, the longer you're raw, the more calm and at peace with yourself and your emotional baggage you'll become, and the less you'll try to get your emotional needs met through food. IF you actively strive for that.

By the way, I noticed you didn't have any raw "desserts" today. Dontcha have a sweet tooth?

:D

[RawTruth]

Yep, I get it. The only thing I eat that is not raw is fish a couple of times a week. I felt I had to do this because I had such problems with nuts. Once I took them out of my diet I just felt lackluster - no energy at all. If there is a better alternative I'd love to hear it! I also had to cut out dried fruit because I had recurrent yeast infections. They've cleared up since I gave up dried fruit but it left me without alot of variety in my diet.

I'm such a perfectionist and very hard on myself so to not be 100% raw was VERY hard for me. I kept beating myself up for "failing". But then I had to come to grips with the fact that I need to do the healthiest thing for my body and I just don't know how to do that and maintain energy without adding fish. Believe me - I have no special attachment to fish, I thought it would be the healthiest alternative.

Any advice is warmly welcome.

CatherineCatherine -- correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're thinking of nuts as "protein" and that you must have this chunk of protein to give you energy. Therefore, since you've decided you can't have nuts right now, you've seen fish as an "alternative" the the nuts which you've been viewing as your protein source. If so, I'm going to poke a hole right in that balloon of misinformation, so watch out!!

As a raw foodist, you get your protein the same place the big, strong, healthy cows do -- from greens. You don't need a nutburger or a handful of nuts or nuts/grains as a "replacement" for the meat (or bean/rice if you were a cooked food veggie before) that you're not eating. This is a completely different way of eating from that artificial construct that we've come to believe is true because the meat and dairy industry have spent billions of marketing dollars convincing us of it. Raw and living foods is the natural, original way that humans ate ... and it still works today.

Primates don't search through the jungle for a hunk of "protein", then add some green leaves and maybe pull up some roots and then sit down to a fine gorilla supper!!! :D Neither do we need to do that. What they do is munch on mostly green leaves throughout the day with some fruit and, occasionally, some bark (Victoria Boutenko does a much better job of explaining this in Green for Life). This is how we can eat ... and thrive. I doubt that we'll be as strong, but we can certainly be as healthy.

I know it's a different mindset, but, if you haven't already, I suggest you get some raw books and read them. The good ones are a wonderful source of information. In the meantime, be sure to drink a green smoothie every day -- 32 oz., if you can do that, works wonders.

By the way, the "lackluster" feeling just might be your body detoxing. I'd say just go with it. Be kind to yourself. Don't expect too much. But .... if you do this 100% for just 30 days ... only 30 days ... a measly 30 days at 100% raw (!!!!) you will be shocked at the miracle!!

[tracyb519]

Rawtruth...I haven't made any of the desserts yet. I'm really not a sweet eater, more of a pasta/bread eater...that's why I hope my cravings will change.

Thanks for the input!

Tracy

[wolfieandbetty]

RawTruth,

Thanks for the feedback. I've read lots of books so am familiar with the premise that animal flesh "protein" is not necessary. But I did feel more energy when I added fish to my diet. Now - that may be a placebo effect so I'm going to give it up for 30 days to see how I feel. My first 2 weeks I felt energetic because I was eating lots of nuts but then my mouth looked like I drank acid - cold sores everywhere. Once I cut the nuts and added an L-Lysine supplement they went away but that's when my energy dipped.
It could be that I was just not eating enough.

I just got my dehydrator so am going to make some crackers and wraps and I think that will be more satisfying. Most of the recipes in Alissa's book and many of the online recipes are very nut heavy. Without nuts and dried fruit it has been difficult to feel satisfied.

In any case - I responded to this thread because I can relate to Tracy's struggle because every day I am struggling with it too.

Thank you for your advice!

[RawTruth]

Many people experience cold sores and skin eruptions as their body detoxes. Just a thought.

Congratulations on your decision to do 30 days.

Sorry if you felt I was talking down to you about the protein issue.

[wolfieandbetty]

RawFood Truth,

Hopefully this thread isn't too old and you get this.

First - I did not feel you talked down to me and I appreciate that you offered the info. Sometimes it's hard to express oneself with email :D

However, I want to thank you for challenging me on the fish issue. I did feel defensive and have spent some time processing what was going on for me. I have learned that when I feel defensive there is something deeper going on that needs to be examined. Here's what I discovered - although I did have low energy and the herpes cold sore problems, I think I was using the fish as a crutch. I think the idea of being completely raw scared me. The idea of giving up cooked food FOREVER was something I don't think I could really get my head around. This was quite an epiphany for me and I would not have had it if not for your questioning.

Today I went to San Francisco and had lunch at Cafe' Gratitude a fabulous raw cafe. It was exactly what I needed! It really helped me see how many fabulous meals are possible. I also made pizza "bread" in my dehydrator last night so tonight I was able to have a raw sandwich and felt absolutely satisfied with my meal.

So - thank you. You helped me discover something about myself that has helped me to let go of the fear and move toward success.

Catherine

[RawTruth]

Thank you so much for posting this update, Catherine. I love that you stuck with that unsettled feeling and processed through to what was really going on.

Cafe Gratitude is one of my top two favorite raw restaurants. Isn't it fabulous?!? And ... it's about so much more than the food. The Abounding River game is something I'm still hoping to do with those closest to me. And, just by the process of ordering, having to say affirmations -- it's just an uplifting experience all the way around. Thankfully, someone very close to me lives in the Bay Area so I visit every other month or so and Cafe Gratitude is always included in the visit.

Alissa's pizza bread is a favorite, too - makes great avocado, tomato, sprout (or whatever) sandwiches. If you haven't tried it yet, you might really like the onion bread that's on this forum, too.

Congratulations on letting go of your fear!!! Yay!