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Failing at Raw

liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

A part of me feels like im completely failing at being raw. I was raw for about 4 months, then I binged...and binged...and binged. For the past 6 months, I've only been able to stay raw for 3 weeks before I binged again. I used to be bulimic, and my body imge is quite poor. It doesn't help that I've gained all the weight I lost, plus some. I feel like such a failure! Sometimes I ask myself is it even worth it. Food is one of the most lethal drugs out there, and I just have no will power. I need help.

Comments

  • My heart goes out to you: I suffered from compulsive overeating from birth to age 30. Even the best way of eating can't cure it. It's not your fault, so don't berate yourself. Just love yourself and go easy. Here are my suggestions if you want them (I haven't "eaten for a fix" for over twenty years now, so something is working): (1) Let up on yourself and allow yourself to eat gently -- not bingeing, not trying to be perfect either. 3 meals a day is a great blessing. The time between meals lets you love yourself, trust yourself, and learn to live. (2) Get support from people who understand compulsive eating. The best place I know of is Overeaters Anonymous (www.overeatersanonymous.org). They're not perfect, but those 12 Steps are perfect and life-changing. Get support from people in the raw community, too, if you want to be high-raw, but remember that for people like you and me, success is not being raw, it's being sane. (3) Do this a day at a time. That's a 12 Step thing and it really works. You don't have to do everything today. You don't have to be 100% raw today. You just have not hurt yourself with food and have the happiest day possible. (4) Call on a Higher Power, however you see that for yourself. This is a helluva sickness and it's rare that anybody has ever done it alone...Finally, I've written a couple of books about this; I'm not trying to sell you books and if you can get them from the library or used, that's fine with me. I'm only telling you about them because there isn't a lot out there from someone who really understands; I do. The books are The Love-Powered Diet: Eating for Freedom, Health, and Joy; and Fit from Within: 101 Simple Secrets to Change Your Body and Your Life. -- Good luck to you and happy holidays -- Victoria

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    Im afraid of overeaters anonymous. I just dont know how to just do it, you know. I like being 100 percent raw, its just, I cant seem to get control. I hate bulimia soooo much, I just want to be back where I was this summer! But, your words mean a lot

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    Try EFT and try to be patient with yourself. I used to eat SAD and was 50-60 pounds overweight. After tapping for about 5-10 minutes per day for 3 weeks, the weight just started coming off. I didn't notice any changes in what I was doing. At some point, though, it was like having hit the reset button. I will never forget the day I brought home leftover brownies from a bazaar and let them get stale while I ate the raw food I preferred. :) That's not to say I *never* eat something I shouldn't, but the bingeing is over with, and I don't beat myself up over the occasional indulgence. EFT is, by far, the handiest tool I've ever learned on this journey. :)

     

  • oh my gosh, Victoria Moran! Do you eat raw? I love your book Fit From Within! It's been a great comfort that I've always returned to on my recovery journey from disordered eating. Thank you, you're lovely :)

  • Some people have a hard time when they try to go 100% all at once.

    You might want to try being raw for breakfast and lunch and then having whatever you want for dinner. That way you don't have to get EVERYTHING cooked you want all at once, since you know you will be getting some the next night.

    Or just be raw on the weekdays and eat cooked on the weekends.

    As long as being raw (or high raw or whatever you want) is your goal, you are not failing. It's not all or nothing!

    And a most people would have a hard time being raw for even a week, so you are doing better than most people out there!

  • I agree with windmillmind! You are not failing! There is nothing written in stone that you have to be 100%. Even having a little raw is better than nothing. You are doing better than most people out there!

    I too have horrible body image issues and it is hard to overcome. I was 100% raw for about 4 months too and I found it a lot easier in the summer then the winter. In Canada it is so cold that I have to allow myself a cooked meal. And with that being said, I allow myself 1 or 2 small cooked meals per day, some days it is all raw, some days I will have oatmeal for breakfast or I will choose a warm vegan dinner. I no longer beat myself up about nto being 100% raw because I am still choosing vegan meals which in my mind is a lot better than when I was eating a high protein diet. Hang in there and don't be so hard on yourself! ;-)

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    I know, I ust hate the fact that I've gained all the weight back! Im ready to change, I cant live like a bulimic anymore. I am a raw foodist, and I deserve happiness. I was really into EFT, but I stopped for who knows what. Im starting with that again.

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    What are good ways to transition into raw? Because I know now, after learning the hard way, that I cant do it cold turkey.

  • maybe go back to having the green smoothies so that and then have some raw food each day but as windmillmind says above just start with one meal a day breakfast etc then maybe have some cooked and some raw fro for lunch and never beat yourself up for not eating all raw

    x

  • RawEverythingRawEverything Raw Newbie

    What Mysterie say's go easy on your self even 80%+ raw gives lot's of improvements. Green smoothies are great, tasteful, very healthy and easy to make. Extend to a simple salad before you know it you are very high in raw food. Gourmet raw stuff is great but to start with it is a bit hard 8).

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    im just taking it one moment at a time. i really am looking into intuitive eating, see where that takes me

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    Setting a date a few months in the future to be 100% raw worked for me. This gave me plenty of time to have all of my favorite cooked foods. I had been eating high raw for a while, so I could tell how bad I felt after those meals, and I was ready to go 100% before the date I'd set. However, I agree that developing a healthier relationship with eating is way more important than being raw.

    As a side note, I've recently decided that it's natural and healthy for humans to gain weight during winter--after all, most mammals do. It helps us stay warm.

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    I must start exercising again, too. Thats probably why I haven't been very successful at all this rawness. I am proud of myself today. I ate very healthy vegan, and only slipped up twice, and not huge slip-ups either. What are good exercises to start with at a gym?

  • Hang in there liger99!

    I'd start with pilates if there are classes at the gym and also free weights. It's all in how you think liger99. So think healthy with there not being an alternative. Our whole life is made of choices and you can choose to be healthy all the time...Choose healthy & Be Healthy..the more you want it the easier it becomes

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    liger, you said "I was really into EFT, but I stopped for who knows what. Im starting with that again."

    You have no idea how many times I've done that! As a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of a cycle right now where I'm not doing it regularly so thanks for the reminder. ;) I always tell myself that I'm not going to let myself get out of the habit of daily tapping again, but I do. It almost seems that if I don't have some kind of crisis or major issue to work on, I don't know what to tap about. Then when I do, it takes me a while to remember EFT for help. From what I've read though, it's good to do every day because it works similar to acupuncture in keeping your Qi flowing. So, I'm going to recommit myself to it as well! :)

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