Striving to get back to 100% Raw

[Universal]

Peace 2 everyone on board.

I haven't been on the board in soooo long (recognize the familiar faces though :), and welcome to all the new ones!), but I felt the need to stop through once again for some quick advice.

I had been 100% raw for a very extended period, (from Feb. 2005 up until about June 2006). I had a couple of mix ups in thatp eriod, but for the most part i was 100% raw with no problem. But since that time (June 2006, which also comes close to the time i've gone away from the board ironically enough) i've been slowly eating cooked food. It all started with something small, and most of the time I was able to control having something small and then losing the craving for it and returning back to 100% with no problem. But i haven't returned back since. For the most part i'm still raw. I eat one cooked meal a day (usually some rice & beans, cooked cabbage), and sometimes more (piece of crap french fries), but the majority of my intake is still raw. And regardless of my cravings for cooked food and all of that may be, I KNOW that i experienced the greatest period of health while i was 100% and am striving very hard to get back to that.

One big problem i'm having is a lot of cravings at night for my french fries,lol. I've been trying to come up with alternatives to make up for it, but nothing seems to be working

I'm sure this may not be something uncommon for people like myself who kinda jumped right into raw and stayed 100% or close to it for an extended period of time. I'm thinking right now of just starting over completely. And a way to do that is to do a nice either fast and/or cleanse that will help me with ridding myself of the toxins i've put into my system after being so clean for so long. I'm willing to do ANYTHING that's feasible for me right now in order to get back to the RIGHT way.

As always, i'd much appreciate any feedback from anyone. This board is the best around, and in the past i've learned sooo much from here in the past, and want to personally thank all the ones who have helped me (too many people to name).
One big THANK YOU! to all of you

PEACE
Universal

[swingbolder]

Hi, welcome back.

There have been a bunch of threads like this as of late, people trying to get back to being raw but are having a really hard time getting started. So you're definitely not alone. It can be sooooo hard to just take that first step.

I can't offer specific advice for your situation, but I will say this: after that first day of being 100% raw again, you will feel such RELIEF. Your body will feel relief, psychically you will too. And that is really delicious!

[Universal]

Thanks a whole lot swing.
I definitely crave for that feeling again. It's difficult, i just wanna get through this tough period.

Part of me says that I should just start from scratch and go back to 100% in one day, but then another part of me feels that i ought to do a special cleansing or fasting from the "damage" and "toxins" that i've been slowly building up within my system over these last couple of months BEFORE i go back into the 100% raw mode.

I'm choosing to take a positive outlook on this and turning it into an educational experience where I get to know myself even better than i did now that i have gone through this "down" period. However, i have to admit that i'm not always so up-beat about not being where I was. I'm confident that i'll reach there eventually. I want to do it soon.
Appreciate the feedback..

[lowfreq]

Hey Universal,

what kind of damage have you done since you've gone back to cooked food? I know for myself, I have experienced dry skin, dandruff, and allergies again. I try to remind myself that that is the ramification of cooked food and usually I will choose not to experience those things because those things makes me look like ****.

I look amazing when I'm raw and I forget how soft my skin becomes, or how my cheeks have a glow. I'm back 100% and now I am experiencing beauty and extreme health.

[rawpriestess]

Hi, yes, we've all been there, so we all can help.


This is one thing that has worked for me.

don't think that this is the first raw day of the rest of my life,
don't think that you can NEVER eat cooked food again

do think today I'm eating raw, just for today, tomorrow is another day, and I'll think/worry about that tomorrow.
Do thingk If I REALLY want cooked tomorrow, I will eat it tomorrow, but for today, I'll eat raw, and enjoy the beautiful raw foods that I am eating.

Now, this works in several ways,
1. you are making a choice to eat raw food, there are no raw police, so you're not rebelling against anything at all
2. it's up to you what you eat and how much and when, so choose to eat raw today, and allow tomorrow to be what it is
3. there is no tomorrow, because when you do get to tomorrow, it will be "today" again, so you can choose to eat raw again, or not, it's all up to you,

But no matter what you do, you will have at least one good raw day under your belt, and this is how I look at things,

every day that I eat raw, I'm gaining health
every day that I eat cooked, I'm loosing health

it is up to me to choose which I wish to do.

plane and simple.

every day is a choice, every meal is a choice, every bite is a choice, and they choice is YOURS, and YOURS alone, NO ONE can make these choices for you,

it is you, all you, no one else, no excuses, no reasons, no reactions, it is all YOUR CHOICE

[Universal]

Hey Universal,

what kind of damage have you done since you've gone back to cooked food? I know for myself, I have experienced dry skin, dandruff, and allergies again. I try to remind myself that that is the ramification of cooked food and usually I will choose not to experience those things because those things makes me look like ****.

I look amazing when I'm raw and I forget how soft my skin becomes, or how my cheeks have a glow. I'm back 100% and now I am experiencing beauty and extreme health.

Well, i only say "damage" speaking on what I know about some of the internal consequences of eating cooked food. But I'm also a person that's pretty hard on myself, and I don't accept anything less for myself. It's a method that works well for me psychologically.
But symptom wise, i've experienced dryer skin, i seem to be a WHOLE lot more impatient, I've had breakouts in my face, all of the "allergy" symptoms that i used to get when eating cooked food, etc etc.. There are a number of things that are different. Those are just some obvious ones that come to my mind now.

And rawpriestess as always, thanks for your feedback and encouraging words. I will definitely keep them in mind. Thank you sincerely.

[my_sunshine]

Hi, yes, we've all been there, so we all can help.


This is one thing that has worked for me.

don't think that this is the first raw day of the rest of my life,
don't think that you can NEVER eat cooked food again

do think today I'm eating raw, just for today, tomorrow is another day, and I'll think/worry about that tomorrow.
Do thingk If I REALLY want cooked tomorrow, I will eat it tomorrow, but for today, I'll eat raw, and enjoy the beautiful raw foods that I am eating.

Now, this works in several ways,
1. you are making a choice to eat raw food, there are no raw police, so you're not rebelling against anything at all
2. it's up to you what you eat and how much and when, so choose to eat raw today, and allow tomorrow to be what it is
3. there is no tomorrow, because when you do get to tomorrow, it will be "today" again, so you can choose to eat raw again, or not, it's all up to you,

But no matter what you do, you will have at least one good raw day under your belt, and this is how I look at things,

every day that I eat raw, I'm gaining health
every day that I eat cooked, I'm loosing health

it is up to me to choose which I wish to do.

plane and simple.

every day is a choice, every meal is a choice, every bite is a choice, and they choice is YOURS, and YOURS alone, NO ONE can make these choices for you,

it is you, all you, no one else, no excuses, no reasons, no reactions, it is all YOUR CHOICE

What a great post!!! Sorry to hijack, but this was exactly what I needed! I'm going to save this and read it every time I start to think I can't do it. Thank you. The short term thinking is ideal, b/c for me, it's the "I can't do this for life" that gets me down!

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW...................

[lodestar]

once again great advice and a whole lot of encouragement for all of us!

we're in this together...we can take care of ourselves and then be in a better place to take care of each other.

[Universal]

I totally second that lodestar.. :)
Thanks for the input.

[greeninloanageles1]

I am back to raw now for 3 weeks after 3 weeks binging on cooked, so I am in the same or even worse wagon. The thing what helps me is to say to myself loud "I am craving raw foods" like maybe 10 times a day or so. And always have some juicy fruit and veggies around.

[Universal]

I'm right with you. And having fresh fruits and veggies around has been another one of my troubles. Not having the resources ($!!) or the same variety of raw food around that i was accustomed to have both been issues that have affected me maintaining being 100%. I've also allowed others to convince me to eat a little cooked here and there, and people who keep encouraging me to do so since this "raw food stuff" is so out there on another planet, it makes some people who are close to you feel uncomfortable.

So far today i've made a re-commitment and am 1 for 1. 100% (thought about your post ALL DAY rawpriestess! one day at a time ;) )

PEACE
Universal

[jaurequi]

Hey, Universal,

Nice to see you again :)

The only advice I have about the french fry thing is to just go through it. It's the toughest way, but, ultimately, it's the best and the fastest. If you just push through it, just suffer, yes, suffer! your way through it, it will be over quickly. Just do not give in and eat them. Have some plans for what to do when the craving start to distract your mind. You can read a book, go out, anywhere, for a drive, for a walk; drink water or juice to fill you up and kill your appetite. If you must eat, then have a banana or something heavy like avocados or nuts. You will lose the cravings for that food if you just stay completely away from it long enough... Now that you know fries are a trigger for you, you know to avoid them like the plague, or you might awaken those cravings again.

Best,

[Universal]

That's soo true. And its great to see you again too!
One thing i tried tonight was eating some cashews and some grapes.. Made a smoothie earlier which i don't normally do this late. But right now i've silenced the craving. lol. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
Thanks for your feedback!
Peace