overeating?

[Tanja_swe]

I think I'm overeating.... it's like I can't stop until everything is gone. Like tonight I made carrot/bell pepper crackers and mock salmon pate... couldn't stop eating until all the crackers were gone then I had to force myself not to eat up all the pate that was left! And it's not that I'm hungry...

I know that there's not any unhealthy stuff in the food but still it can't be good to eat this much, can it? I've had very good results this far so I can't complain over that... but it worries me that maybe the results are temporary if I'm keeping this up.

I can't think of any good reasons for doing it either... more than it's so darn good

If I'm overeating, will it do any harm or am I just paranoid and overanalyzing things?

[qetta]

Are you just starting raw? I plan on being very, very easy on myself during my transition period. Plus, after a few days of very-high raw, I feel like I could just run to the fridge right now and eat an entire bowl of guacamole or something. Yeah - with my fingers.

I think it'll be hard to learn to determine what is actual hunger and what is just ... emotional ... eating.

[Tanja_swe]

I'm on day 23 today (only 2 cooked meals during this time, last one 10 days ago) so yes, I'm new to this way of eating.

Maybe I am too hard on myself? It is a big transition to make.

[qetta]

Day 23?! That's awesome. Stop being hard on yourself and start celebrating your excellent progress! Send yourself some love and patience - you deserve it. :)

[smasty]

Your body feels very different eating raw. You'll find that you don't get "full" like you did on cooked food. At first it's an uncomfortable feeling...and you search to get that fullness that feels good. It takes awhile to get used to the feeling of eating raw. Soon you'll appreciate feeling light and energetic after a meal. Put it to the test on Thanksgiving...everyone will be holding their stomachs groaning, and people eating raw will be ready to go out and play!

It is easy to over eat on raw...if you overate cooked food for emotional reasons, you'll still overeat raw for emotional fulfillment...a whole other issue. There are lots of raw binge eaters. I've found raw has cured me of MANY of my overeating issues, and it seems to naturally even out as well. If I overeat for 3-4 days straight, my body will naturally choose lighter eating days for a few days. It's really kind of amazing! Sometimes after a couple days of overeating, I'll delay breakfast on the 4th day (or so) until I feel a true hunger pain...it's amazing to me that after several days of overeating, I won't feel any hunger pain until late afternoon...I listen to that as a signal that my body needed a bit of rest from eating to catch up.

My advice (and experience as a recovering compulsive overeater)

1. Really fill up on fruits/veggies...eat a ton of these if you want. HUGE salads! Get your good fats in, avocado, good Olive oil, some nuts. Think water-filled foods vs. dense foods with little water in them.

2. Enjoy raw gourmet, but be more careful here, or have a couple splurge meals a week. If you overload on nuts and dried fruit, you might gain, you might not, but it makes losing weight really hard.

3. Try leaving the raw gourmet to weekends and eat cleaner meals during the weak (when I say cleaner, I mean more fruits/veggies, less exotic combos, less dehydrated treats).

I still tend to overeat on occasion...especially when stressed out. I find this diet VERY forgiving for stress eating.

Transitioning is important here, as Qetta says. Enjoy the process of cleaning your body out and learning to listen to your body. Learn about all the thousands of food options you have while staying raw...it is AMAZING! Enjoy the taste of 100% raw....then just start listening to your body. Like the juice fasters are finding themselves craving veggie juice over fruit juice...you'll find the healthy stuff your body asks for. I agree...don't worry too much about restrictions right now, but these are just the things that have helped me.

I should also say, it depends on your goals too. Mine have been losing weight, so that's a different strategy than maintaining/gaining weight.

Sue

[Curtis]

Thank you Sue for this post, it has answered a lot of questions I have had! :)

[corky]

Yes me too and congrats on 23 raw days!! I hope to get there soon.

[qetta]

Yes, Sue - thanks! That was a great post with very helpful tips that I plan on followng. :) Lisa

[vegbaby]

Just wanted to add that one raw expert I heard of (Gabriel Cousens maybe?) says that food combining is less important than not overeating - easier said than done! I, too, find that after eating too much or eating mostly gourmet or not eating in a balanced way for a few days, my body starts to crave lighter, simpler foods, and the thought of a salad has me running to the fridge. :)

[Tanja_swe]

Sue, thanks for your reply! Great advice! I will try to save some of the "treats" for weekends only ie nut-dense recipes. And experiment with simpler foods during the week, just as you said.

hmmm.... vegbaby.... I agree... easier said than done. I haven't noticed any cravings for lighter food yet but maybe it will come with time?