having such a hard time...

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Permalink Reply by Erin J on March 1, 2009 at 10:39pm

hi gabby - i totally hear you. i also struggled with an eating disorder, and i also share the "all or nothing" mentality, and i definitely agree that it is a PITFALL. that sort of black-and-white thinking only leads to beating yourself up...which is the worst thing you can do. honestly, what keeps me motivated is the overall sense of peace and well-being that i feel when i eat raw. (oh yeah - and better skin, better digestion, weight loss...all that stuff helps, too!) believe me when i say that you don't have to go raw overnight - but the more you start incorporating living foods into your diet, the more you will want to. at first, i tried to go 100% and got so overwhelmed and frustrated that i slipped back into poor eating habits...i just kept hearing so many different things and didn't know which "diet" to follow. listening to my intuition and gradually upping my raw has worked the best for me. tonight, though, i slipped and ate junk - chocolate and chips/salsa. i feel so HORRIBLE now that i know i won't be eating like that again. anyway, best of luck to you...and i'm sure you'll find great support here!!

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Permalink Reply by Yafa Sakkejha on March 1, 2009 at 10:50pm

hey gabby!!
you're not alone, almost everyone i know who went raw is going through / went through this. here are some things that helped me:
- reading this website - this is a great community and it's just extra support
- reading any materials that advocate for raw food - you know when you're reading about the amazing science behind it and it makes so much sense...that feeling of excitement you get when you just want to eat healthy.
- reading success stories
- checking out raw recipes like goneraw.com --> amazing website
- relaxing about what you eat:

honestly, whenever i try to restrict myself, i feel the urge to eat 'unsanctioned' things. but times when i've thought, "relax, i'll just eat whatever i want, and what i feel like eating at the time", the 'bad' urges go away and it's much more peaceful. OR doing that could lead to a bad bout of 'cheating' on cooked food, but the terrible feelings or sicknesses that come back as a result is a great deterrent from cooked and a great propellor towards raw.

i do understand that despite all of the above tips, it's still tough... keep on pushing through and perservering, and just relax and accept it or love it when you eat something 'bad'. it's much healthier for you than the terrible guilt and stress of harbouring the opposite feeling!

GOOD LUCK!!! let us know how it goes, post an update when you can. :) :)

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Permalink Reply by Josh Fossgreen on March 2, 2009 at 12:09am

Ask yourself why you're eating raw. Raw isn't a goal for me, it's a means to achieve my goals. Here's the note I made for myself to keep tuned up.

I am Raw

To inspire myself
To inspire others
To heal myself
To help others heal
To heal the planet
To maximize my musical ability and growth
To maximize my physical strength, endurance, agility, and recovery
To stay connected
To stay excited!

I don't feel like cooked food helps me accomplish anything, or is even worthy of me. Or you.

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Permalink Reply by missgabbygrl on March 3, 2009 at 12:07am

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement it really means so much to me and will help me so much
Love&Peace

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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on September 24, 2009 at 9:01am

So glad to have found this post so I'm resurrecting it for even more tips.
I have no problems at all staying raw until 4pm, but then i fall apart--home from work and not even really hungry I'm grabbing crunchy/salty (org. tortilla chips or my favorite weakness, dk. chocolate almonds). This seems to be a bad after-work habit, more than a craving. I want to put something else in place at that time of day, a quick raw snack --anything! Usually I am already done working out and at that time I am re-connecting with my 3 teens after school (kitchen, eating, kitchen, eating).
I've thought about having my raw dinner then instead of trying to make it until 7pm, when everyone else is eating.
Of note, I have no problems on my days off. No distractions, i can stay raw.

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Permalink Reply by Kim Caldwell on September 24, 2009 at 9:19am

yes you are correct the 100 percent or nothing attitude does not serve you.
be easy on yourself.
and try this ---a little off the subject --but powerful beyond

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Permalink Reply by Phill on September 24, 2009 at 9:36am

"and if you talk about changing your diet, its not big enough. _____. Its about consciousness.".
I love Brian Clement; just watch this one part;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4itLd2wXvVM

Set a bigger goal for yourself & do it for yourself. The goal is not the journey. The journey is raw food, the goal might be feeling totally awesome, energetic high & happy. You may need to look further than raw food to satisfy this goal. Be really specific as to how you want your life & let raw living food be a part of it. :)

I love food so much myself that ive been eating quite alot of mediteranian dishes latley. Make some tabouli :)

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Permalink Reply by AwesomeUniverse!!! on September 24, 2009 at 9:47am

That's a great video Phil! I like the part where he says he used to beat people up and now that he eats right he doesn't. He is very honest. I bet that shocked a lot of people in the room!

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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on September 26, 2009 at 9:22am

GREAT video. I really loved this one and I have never heard him speak. It's going in the archives so i can pull it out. I've been doing great since resurrecting the cry out for motivation and i'd like to thank missgabbygrl for her original post.

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Permalink Reply by YogaBrudder on September 24, 2009 at 10:16am

Find something you like ~~ go to the store every day, that'll involve you. Cruise around and get all the raw things you enjoy. I hope you have a blender. Hang out at a raw bar or cafe whenever you can. Get a book from the store or library (or intra-library loan) from an author you love. GREEN SMOOTHIES - or WHATEVER! Can you see yourself with a de-hydrator? (I can't, but maybe some day!).

Form a GITMR group for your town, wherever that is, and make contacts. That's VERY HELPFUL. Best ~YB

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Permalink Reply by Joyousfig on September 26, 2009 at 9:20am

Great ideas. i have a dehydrator and use it reguarly. Something is always soaking or dehydrating. Something seems to have clicked last week for me--change of seasons?? I always have a great raw experience in Fall and Spring. Made a great raw caramel sauce yesterday for the freshest apples ever! thanks for the pep talk, Yogabrudder!

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Permalink Reply by Harry Slaughter on September 24, 2009 at 11:52am

Firstly, I am not 100% raw yet, so I may not be qualified to answer, but I know what's kept me motivated over the last 2 months as I've begun exploring nutrition, raw foods and exercise.

Results.

I started my personal experiment as a result of ever declining mood and energy. I could not get out of bed some mornings. Other days, I'd go to bed for a very long nap mid-afternoon. I'd sleep up to 16 hours a day. It was becoming a nightmare.

Since eliminating virtually all crap (processed foods of most sorts) and going mostly raw (largely in the form of juicing), I have seen results I'm not capable of adequately describing.

A lifelong "night owl", or so I thought, I've been getting up before 8AM for nearly a month now. I rarely take naps. I go to bed before midnight and am quickly asleep without the help of pills.

I love(d) ice cream, bread, meats of all kinds, all dairy, all starches, etc... But there is one thing I love more, and that's the feeling of being alive for the first time in forever.

That's what keeps this lazy bastard honest :)

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