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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookFalling so deeply into a mass of self-induced confusion. Where does weight obsession come from? Where do these urges to eat massive amounts of food develop? Why have I been one of those people for the past nine years that suffers from depression influenced and brought on by food consumption? I have had ED in the past, and since becoming strict raw have been fine. Seriously, I’ve been wonderful! But, lately I’ve had an obsession with fruit. Not one or two strawberries and a few grapes…more like a carton of strawberries and three bags of grapes. (yowzers!!) I know really, the best way to curb my cravings is by eating dark leafy greens. I guess the real question is; Why must I insist on eating a mass amount fruit when I know the greens will stop me from over-consuming during these urges? Maybe I’m missing something since I only eat fruits, veggies, and seaweed, then again I don’t feel like I’m missing anything!! ugh, anybody know at all where I’m coming from?????
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I know exactly what you’re saying. I think some kind of binging is possible even on raw…and I don’t think it’s so much the food, although you could be lacking something else if you’re eating loads of fruit. I’ve noticed myself that it’s more of an emotional thing. Lots of people use the motion of eating and the comfort of food to avoid other things that are going on – I’m guilty of this, whenever I am feeling more depressed than usual, I’ll find myself eating a lot more and pretending I’m hungry for it. It could help to take a minute to assess what’s going on in your head too. Since I became more aware of what I was feeling I try to work it out in my head rather than stuffing those feelings back down with food, and it has been working – I haven’t overate in a few weeks now (though I’ve been a little more emotional, haha)
Chakra, I do the same thing sometimes. What helps me slow down is to make myself eat EVERYTHING (even fruit) with chopsticks. It just encourages me to be more mindful about what’s going into my mouth. Also I make sure I chew slowly and throughly…
Also keep in mind that you might just need a lot of fruit right now. Fruit is easy to binge on, I find, but it doesn’t feel bad when it’s in my stomach even if I overindulge, so it’s at those moments that I just have to accept that it’s necessary and my body is still adjusting to RAW…
MOTH, funny you say that, because I own more chopsticks than forks and spoons combined! :) I acclimated my self chopsticks quite a few years ago. People think I’m strange (and they’re right) because I do eat just about everything with them and I have a wide variety of design and colors that I use daily at work. I get weird looks, but I enjoy it and it feels better to use them because it prevents me from “shoveling” in the food. I get an overwhelming full feeling when I eat too much fruit. Maybe I should try chopping everything up instead of eating with my hands. Yes, your suggestion just clicked! lol Thanks for the advice!!
i’m really not clear why a carton of strawberries and three bags of grapes is binging. “bags” and “cartons” are man-made. they aren’t some celestial portion indicators. if you want to eat that much fruit, go ahead. soon you won’t want to anymore because the novelty will have worn off. but until then the only thing stopping you in the potential cost.
Yes, everybody does eat their own amount. This lifestyle is not a novelty for me. I’ve been raw for quite a while and eating the “examples” I provided are certinaly not normal amounts. With that said, I also understand my body’s needs and what is too much, and I think most can agree, that these “man-made” cartons hold some decent sized portions regardless of the person consuming it. Forget not that I also mentioned a previous eating disorder which if there is any understanding of the psychology in that condition, you would know that bingeing is involved. I know how much my body needs, and I know when I over do it. I don’t do it because my needs it, I do it because it wants it. Huge difference, and to tell anybody to follow those cravings, especially under the influence of emotional stress, is irresponsible and terribly short-sighted. You may have noticed with many around you, people continually follow what they feel like eating, completely ignoring whether it’s necessary or not, and we see the results. And just because it’s raw, doesn’t mean it’s good to over-indulge.
oh i’m so sorry if i offended you! i did not realize at all that you had had an eating disorder. you mentioned “depression” but when most people say depression it is usually something less serious than true depression. i am truly sorry if i misunderstood.
my perspective of raw is one of experiment, so i didn’t mean to “encourage” you to binge at all. i’ve never had an eating disorder and it is perhaps beyond my realm of comprehension when people place emotional stress around food. i was just putting an idea out there so you wouldn’t beat yourself up about eating.
i was a little shocked when people reacted so harshly about eating a few bags of fruit because i know a lot of raw foodists will eat like a dozen bananas for lunch and feel fine…
Thanks, but I wasn’t necessarily offended I was just stating in a more clear manner given previous and current issues. All is well, didn’t mean to come off as brash as I did. Thanks again for your insight. :)
chakra essence: I know one thing Victoria Boutenko believes is that when you have serious cravings, your body might out of homeostasis.
So, in other words, something might be missing in the diet. For example, do you feel the cravings subside when you consume more protein? I’ve heard some people, regardless of body size, need more protein than others.
It sounds like you already made a tremendous amount of progress from your ED days. I hope you’re patting yourself on the back! Maybe you’ve just about gotten this issue licked for good, and it’s just coming back for one last round. Good luck on your journey! :)
Hi there, I also struggle with eating and body image issues. The eating issues are largely why I turned to raw several months ago. I’ve found that just being (mostly) raw helps tremendously, but is definitely no surefire thing. I know everyone is different, bodily needs, exercise, etc. But, one thing I know for sure-if I was eating only fruits, veggies, and seaweed, I’d have some out of control eating too. My lifestyle and blood sugar issues demand fat. I include some sort of fat with nearly everything I eat;avo, various oils and nuts, olives, etc. My mood and energy would be horrible if I didn’t. But again, that’s just me.
I still have those days, where I go overboard, even the occasional full on binge (i.e. thousands of calories more than I need). But they’re becoming fewer and far between. Instead of beating myself up about the overeating, though, I am compassionate with myself and treat each instance as a learning experience. And I really do learn things every time it happens, whether they be food, emotional,physical, or situational triggers.
As far as the body image thing goes.. I don’t know how old you are, but I’ve found as I’ve gotten older, I’ve mellowed out a fair amount on the subject. (Just turned 30!) Eating raw and meditating keep me so centered that my thighs are just not the subject of my thoughts like they once were.
Hang in there, Amy
achin70, thanks…What could I be missing that would cause these unstoppable eating patterns? The only thing that stops a craving is salads and/or greens. This is where confusion comes into play because I know what will stop me from going overboard, yet it seems as I don’t have the will to stop! hmmm?? What if I eliminated something from my diet that absolutely I loved, but it made me sick all the time…Could this be my subconscious toying with me since it knows I really want that one forbidden item?
Hey redflag, thanks alot! I know too, as I get older I am much less concerned with weight. As a matter of fact weight isn’t even an issue. Through meditation and other practices I have learned to love myself. I don’t see the disorder coming back to haunt me the same ways it did in the past. However, it is very concerning when I do go overboard. I will always have a peice of ED haunting me but I don’t feel threatened by it as much as I have prevuiusly. I just need to negate those darn urges!
In my opinion Mate makes you less hungry and also acts as a diuretic..So try drinking mate…..Also in my opinion is when you fast and then go back to eating your body desires different things or its easier to break old habits.
chakra essense: I was reading “Raw Spirit” last night, and author Matt Monarch interviewed Dr. Fred Bisci, his mentor, at the end of the book. He had some interesting remarks I’d like to share:
“If you are eating fruit, nuts help stabilize your blood sugar. ....if you eating fruit, but not eating nuts, your blood sugar is bouncing up and down. That is the reason a lot of people binge on fruit.”
He also mentioned how nuts will help you to hold water in your body, so that you won’t need to go to the bathroom as much. Going to the bathroom a lot can lead to mineral loss.
I don’t know if this what is happening to you, but I just thought I should share this info. If you don’t consume nuts, olive oil with your smoothies will slow the absorption of fruit sugars. Also, coconut oil is a great blood sugar stabilizer and source of long-term energy. LOL. :)
achin70- that’s interesting. i have only been consuming fat at night as it just seems too heavy to consume during the day. i’ll try adding a little evoo to see if that feels right.
Dear miss Chakra…I too have struggled with eating disorders in the past. Raw has helped me with this, but I also still have a strong urge to consume SO much sometimes! So sometimes I let myself do it, thinking maybe it’s just what my body needs. But at other times I know it’s completely related to stress around me. That’s when it’s a problem. Because I don’t want my raw world to be stained with the darkness of my past ED world. You know what I mean? This raw world we create for ourselves is holy and safe…So I think the best thing to do is to try everyday to communicate with yourself and ask where this “hunger” is coming from. Last week work was stressing me out to no end, and I was making it an excuse to eat LITERALLY all day, stuffing my face. But make sure you truly are eating enough. The past 3 years I’ve been having my go at raw, trying to do it off and on, it was always a means to hiding my ED. Just something to explain to people “I’m Raw now! I can’t eat that!”...I hope this isn’t you :( And if it is, trust me you will come to a place where raw is a life of nourishment…but I have a feeling you already know that. Anyway, it’s nice to see I’m not the only one. This will pass…best wishes!!