To say I was a n00b would be an understatement. I haven't even really started yet. :) Right now Im collecting all my data, and forming a good shopping list for my extravaganza into the market tomorrow. I just wanted to really introduce myself, and say hello! I know that Im going to be needing some help from time to time, questions, help with motivation, and Im really happy I ran across this site. You all seem like wonderful people :D
My plan for right now, is to see how my body will react in the first few days. I dont know if I can handle a 100% raw diet.. Im not even vegan right now.. nor have I ever been... so Im going to ease my way into the High Raw diet.. and hope for the best. :)
I know my problem areas are definitely going to be chocolate and some meat. I think Ill be okay for the most part.. but Im also a person with a binging disorder that flares up.. so Im curious what foods are your guilty pleasures?? What are some healthy foods that will fill me up (make me believe that Im full) and wont make my stomach upset?
If you have any helpful hints... send them my way :) Im going to go and read through the rest of these threads.. and try to form a good beginners shopping list.. might even crack open the good ol' Google :D
Thanks in advance,
Meghan
Comments
Hi Meghan! Welcome, and no worries on beeing a "noob". I'm somewhat of a noob myself. I'm still pretty new to raw, but not so much new to being vegan.
I think it's great that you are writing things down and planning ahead. I definitely think that for long-term success, you NEED to have a plan, even if it is just used as a set of "guidelines" in the end. I think a great book to help you start out would be Raw Food for Real People, by Rod Rotondi. He touches on "guilty pleasure" foods. His approach on it really helped me to understand "bad foods" as something not to be avoided and dreaded, but something that we can and should have when we want them, so long as we really think about it in a thorough manner. For example, today my husband really wanted us to have pizza and buffalo wings tonight. Rather than try to force us to supress the desire, I agreed to us "indulging" tonight, and made observations on how we felt while eating the food, how it made our bodies and minds feel, and how we felt afterwards.
Granted, I'm not a well-seasoned raw vegan, even now I can already notice the differences on how my body feels while ingesting raw foods as opposed to cooked, non-vegan foods. It's amazing how easily and quickly the human body re-adjusts to a raw diet. How quickly our bodies "sigh" in relief at the familiarity of how our bodies should be nourished.
Today, my mind was just blown away by how obvious and almost instantaneous the effects of cooked foods were on my body and mind. I still eat quite a bit of cooked vegetables and grains, but today I had quite a bit of cheese, refined breads, meat products, etc. and I can tell you, I. FEEL. LIKE. CRAP! And it's only been a few hours since I had dinner!
There is a thread on one of the forums on "motivation" and I found the suggestion to watch "Earthlings" to be VERY HELPFUL! It serves as a very important reminder as to why going raw, or even just vegan, is so important for us and our world.
Before I end up babbling on about nonsensical jibberish, I just want to say welcome, and I hope you get the encouragment, support, and friendship that you are looking for in order to enjoy and succeed on your journey through this, and eventually going raw.
Right now, I'm about 50% raw, 100% vegan (aside from tonight, when I decided it would be my moment of "weakness").
Good luck to you, and I hope that we can all become a great source of support and encouragement to eachother!
Grace
hey meghan! i wholeheartedly echo the good advice already given. it really helps me to observe how amazing i feel on raw, versus how crappy i feel when i binge on stuff my body wasn't intended to digest (super-greasy mexican food! how i love it!) beyond the physical health benefits, eating raw makes me SUCH a calmer, happier, more centered brookie, which really encourages me to continue. everyone's journey is different - some people can transition quickly and easily, but it's taken me several years to incrementally work up to this point. so definitely be patient, listen to your body, find the right plan/ pace for YOU, allow yourself to mindfully indulge when you need to, and stay positive and focused on the good. we look forward to hearing how you're doing!
~brooke
eat enough calories (fruit is recommended) so you do not binge on cooked foods. do not focus on the food, either. food is simply fuel. we must eat to live, not live to eat. the consequence of consuming cooked foods are not worth the indulgence, it never will be. good luck.
Hi! I'm new too :)
I've tampered with raw foods for the last 2yrs. Lost over 50lbs with even just being 60% raw. I really tried to go 100% when I was living with my ex but he wasn't very supportive with it. Now that I'm on my own again, I know I can focus on this fully. I'm taking one day at a time...I know it's not easy at first and that I will stumble here and there, but I can see the bigger picture and I'm really excited about that. Good luck to you and your raw food journey!