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Our goal-100%

Hi! I have been learning from this site for a couple of weeks now. I thought I would just introduce myself, and state my desired goal of going 100% raw. I am gorawmom because that is what I feel like I need to do not only for myself, but for the people who love me, and for those that I can help in the future. I want to thank everyone who and has helped us, and will help us both inadvertantly, and voluntarily, such as pianissima who told me about her blog.

My story (short version) I am 40 and I have two teenage sons. One of which is obese like myself and my husband, and one of which is slender as a whip! I had never really heard much about RAW, especially 100% raw, untill 3 wks. ago. However, about 15 yrs. ago I had desired to become a healthy vegatarian. This caused a lot of strife between myself and my husband as he is a southern boy, a hunter and loves fried foods! I eventually just settled out for taking herbs and vitamins to keep me going! Candita and laziness has always been a problem for me. Well, 3 wks. ago I just happened to watch a you tube video from running raw. My boys came home from drama practice and started watching it too. They watched a few more, (Thank you, Tim VanOrden!) and suddenly they were ready to change our SAD lives to RAW! My oldest son thought about it all the next day which was Sunday, and then announced that Monday he would be RAW! Since we had been really worried about him, my husband consented to supporting him with this. He was 340 lbs. and only 15. I had not idea that he would stick to it, but now 3 wks. later, he has, and is 30 lbs. lighter. We are all very excited about it, but are struggling to learn. And my younger son and I are struggling to become raw. My son, at his own request, has also gone off of his thyroid meds. I am sure that he will not need them now!

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Comments

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    you rock! wow. you must be REALLY proud of yourselves! =)

  • anngoingrawanngoingraw Raw Newbie

    Wow!! your son is awesome!! You all have at home an inspiration to go ahead. Could you really imagine a teenage going from SAD to RAW overnight? People fight trying to give their sons healthy choices. I’m sure you will achieve your goal, and you know that (althoug it isn’t 100% raw) transition is very healthy too!! Best wishes!!!

  • Yes, I am experiencing greater health, now. Cravings are being broken, but slowly. Yeasterday I was at the store and bought some nutella. I ate half the jar with some bananas. The rest of it is in the trash. I was so upset with myself! I fell like my son’s overnight conversion was a dream come true, and it is amazing every one. He has confesed of compulsively eating peanut butter, cheese and brown sugar on bread. He is even amazed at himself that he has been able to stop the SAD eating overnight as well as the sneaking food compulsion! Youth is on his side, but I am waddling real fast in his “food” steps and soon will be victorious as well!

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    gorawmom—we ALL have our weaknesses. I thought I saw on the “kids” section of recipes a raw version of nutella. Once you realize you can make any of your “weaknesses” raw, life gets a little easier. If you love it, make it raw in small servings. This is a wonderful story. I hope you will continue on the journey with us all and keep us posted. I am also the mother of 3 teens, one with life threatening food allergies and severe asthma. Though he tries to eat healthier, he’s still pouring loads of gasoline onto this fire. He is very thin 16 and 96 pounds at 5’6” and would need lots of avos (which he won’t eat) and nuts (which he cannot eat). They will be out of school come the end of the week and I hope to get them thinking more about cleaning things up, but this is a crazy battle with teens—they, like you son, must arrive ready to get on board. I think it will have to be their idea.

  • anngoingrawanngoingraw Raw Newbie

    Sugar!!! perhaps the most difficult “vice” to give up. But i can tell you that after some days (don’t know… 2 weeks) you will notice two things: you don’t need it, and foods are sweeter (sugar “dulls” the sense of taste). Now, i use very little sweetener when i make a dessert!!

    PS. here you have a recipe for nutella: RAWTELLA http://goneraw.com/recipes/832-Rawtella

  • Thanks for the recipe, anngoingraw! I will have to make that! I am already noticing a change in my taste for sugar. I used to get such cravings that I could not think or sit still until I really pigged out on chocolat, sugar or coffee, or all three. That is no exageration! I thought that I was destined to always be that way. I have never done drugs, or drank alchohol, but I have a little knowledge of what an addiction feels like because of food addiction! Going raw is helping me to see that someday I will be able to actually control myself! Izhpt – My younger son, jj, is very competitive, so running raw has motivated him. Also, he does not want to get fat like the rest of us! It is also helping his complexion even though he is only high raw!

    We are entertaining tonight, so I am going to shoot for high raw. I just feel so guilty because my eldest son, bj, is staying so true to almost 100 %.

  • elizabethhelizabethh Raw Newbie

    wow! thats amazing, congratulations! even making the choice (regardless of how long it takes to get there) is a huge first step! my biggest piece of advice, which i give to anyone who is even slightly interested in raw food, is to add greens to your diet in the form of green smoothies. i would highly recommed “green for life” by victoria boutenko (goes for about 10 bucks on amazon), which explains the concept behind greens and green smoothies. a foolproof recipe is a few bananas and a big handful of spinach in a blender with water. tastes like fruit! also, i would invest in a good blender, thats probably the only tool i use day to day. don’t worry about the food processor or dehydrator for now (unless you happen to already have one or both!)

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    gorawmom—i try and look at this journey this way: i know what i need to do for my body. i am allowed to swerve along the path to getting there, test my limits, doubt, get scared… every experience & “mistake” along the way is necessary. i am re-learning my body. that takes time! it’s about being AWARE.

    the fact that you were able to throw that nutella out after eating half is HUGE! sometimes we need to go “back” to have the motivation to move forward, you know?

    also, don’t worry too about sugar, fat, & all that as long as they are RAW. make yourself DECADENT desserts. raw desserts are 100 times better than cooked ones in my opinion, so REALLY indulge!

    also, your body cannot detox any faster than is natural for it. it’s going to shed toxins slowly and since you are starting out, it’s ok to not dive into 100% straight away. compared to your previous diet, your body just isn’t that sensitive yet, and any amount of “better quality food” you take in is going to improve your health. you might feel urges for heavier, sweeter things at times because your body is trying to slow down the detox… make the best choices possible.

    also, it’s cool to deviate a little in the beginning anyway, because if you are feeling deprived than chances are it will just accumulate and you might get frustrated later on. if you feel that something you are doing is way too much of a compromise, than KEEP IT in your diet and focus on giving up something else that you feel less attached to. the “victories” over the small things will give you a feeling of empowerment that will be make it possible to tackle bigger things.

    wow… that was really long… hopefully you made it through that one alive. =)

  • sweetpeasweetpea Raw Newbie

    Excellent, you might enjoy reading about the Boutenko family for encouragement. It’s great your sons are making the choice to go raw too. Enjoy the ride and I wish you joy.

    www.rawlifestyle.co.uk

  • Bravo to you for making such a huge and wonderful change for you and your family. Don’t beat yourself up too much for backsliding, it happens at the best and worst times. I went smoke free for 5 months, and then, had a cigarette out of the blue. I just about hurt myself over that one. Everyone has so much good advice to give you here, just keep with it!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Wow. Way to go! Yes, sugar is the toughest… I know I haven’t “kicked the addiction to sugar”. Not to unmotivate you… but to let you know you’re not alone. Green smoothies helps, as well as plenty of raw food I indulge in to prevent me from eating the sugar. Sometimes, I have to eat A LOT of raw sweets not to eat the refined stuff.

    Great advice pianissima!

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    This is a great thread. gorawmom, your family ROCKS!! You guys are unbelievable. Can I join i this thread? I agree that the recipe for Rawtella is great. Also, remember that if you break the diet, don’t kill yourself over it, as you are new to it and are still transitioning.

    Speaking of raw desserts pianissima (great advice, btw!!), I will be posting some amazing ones soon. Raw vanilla ice cream, etc etc. Also, just to keep in mind, for the optimum health benefits, don’t eat too many nuts (after you transition, of course!). The fats can get hard to digest, even if they’re raw, soaked, etc.

    Yes, the craving for sugar can get outrageous sometimes, but I’ve found that making a decadent dessert with some agave as a sweetener (or another one) hits the spot. I go crazy when I go in the grocery store and there’s these big cheese cracker samples and potato chips samples that people are swarming over like ants like there’s no tomorrow. I jut feel like buying a box or bag and eating the whole thing, but there are so many things that are raw and better than those junky things. I find that the best way to stay away is to think about the effects it will have on you.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    gorawmom – I got goosebumps when I read your post. Tim VanOrden was the reason I went raw last July. He’s from my home town in Vermont and my parents had told me what he was doing which led to my own raw journey. They recently saw him at the local road race – he won – they said he didn’t even look tired when it was over. I’ll give them the link to your story so they can pass it on to him. I’m so excited for you all.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    way to go! half he battle is realizing you have to change. i have always been lazy too. the i realized it is low energy due to nutritional deficiencies, not laziness! once you fill your body with amazing foods, you will have more energy. focus on what you CAN eat and not what you can’t. a ripe mango cures this gal’s sweet tooth! and raw cacao is amazing! if i don’t have to quit chocolate, i can do this diet. :-)

  • Thanks, amysue for sending our story to Tim! I think he is just awesome! jj says that he is more inspiring than a bunch of obese people sitting around talking about how to get healthy! LOL! Well, I have fallen, and now am crawling my way back up. I am sipping on an impossible cilantro smoothie that I saw on the green smoothie topic! It was too much for bj, just too bitter. I did add some canned pineapple to it,but I figure I am going to have to take this by degrees! Yes, elizabethh, we are learning that green smoothies CAN actually be enjoyed! This one is just a little too much, but I refuse to waste food if I can help it. pianissima, thanks for your raw disertation. I have taken it to heart! sweetpea, I do have some Boutenko books on order from the library. I have never read a raw book, but I am looking forward to it! RawKidChef, alas, the s’more that I sampled in the store was my trigger for the nutella, and then I was set up for last nights horrible binge as we had a very SAD feast! bj was awesome, and stuck it out even as trays upon trays of grilled food were consumed! Well, at least the fridge and pantry are cleaned out, and we have room to start building our stores of raw ingredients! Of course, dad is still so SAD,but he is starting to come our way. I will add more about that later, and I have a lot more to say, but later. Wow, this site is really helping me! And bitt, I AM really feeling a difference even with all of my stumbling progress! Thank you all for taking time out of your schedule just to encourage and advise me!

  • geniusrawmodel23geniusrawmodel23 Raw Newbie

    Wow, that’s so great! I wish my family would get into it like that. They are all on the unhealthy side in some way. My mom is obese, my dad’s getting older and although he ate raw before is not anymore and has rather poor eating habits, my brother eats so SAD it’s not even funny and he has an awful skin condition, and my sister is just pretty unhealthy in every way.I would love if they got on board with me. They are interested(most of them), but it doesn’t amount to much more than hm, that sounds cool, whatever..But anyway, I’m so glad you have made that commitment. You will probably slip up quite a few times, but keep going! It’s great!

  • superkat92, I am glad to hear you are doing it, even though your family aren’t! bj has a friend at school who wants to go raw, but her mom runs a day care, and only purchases processed foods. She said that she did manage to do it for 3 days and was feeling so much better, but then said that she just tanked! Maybe she will do it later, though, when she is able to get out on her own.

  • I am wondering if any one can help me figure out how to avoid getting avacados that are not good. I bought a bag of them, and one was mostly brownish in side and tasted real grainy. It was not squishy, and did not have a rancid smell.

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Pick avocados that are not too soft to the touch, tough but not to the point that they are unripe.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Wow! This is amazing! Yes, definitely give yourself space/time/love and just let things get better on their/your own schedule. Enjoy your food! :) Your son’s story is inspiring to me. Thank you for posting it! I have healed my thyroid with a high-raw diet, and I noticed energy & happiness greatly increase after just the first couple of months, without the meds! Even though it gradually healed over a couple of years, I did well without the meds after the first 2 or 3 months. Not everyone is the same, but what your son is doing sounds like he is paying attention and doing what feels right for him. I can’t stand green smoothies; they don’t feel good to my body, but everyone is different. I have transitioned into eating huge green salads, and I love green juices. However you transition and whatever you do, any step in a healthier, happier direction is going to make a difference in your life! I wouldn’t worry too much about what people say a person “should” eat, or what percentage raw you eat, or any of that. In the book “Raw Family” by Victoria Boutenko, she said that they allowed themselves any amounts and combinations of foods, as long as they were all raw. Then they later realized that they were each drawn to the foods that their individual bodies needed. That was a simple approach to raw that really works for me. My own approach was that I had to do 100% or I would live on junk food. It didn’t last, and the next year (after some work to clear negative emotional/thinking patterns), my approach was to take in exactly what my healthy body wanted and to just let the unhealthy parts of me just fall away as they were no longer being fed. I immediately quit eating white flour, sugar and chocolate, and within 2 weeks, I wanted to eat raw. It was a natural thing, I was drawn to it. I still didn’t eat 100% raw, and I have never eaten 100% raw for more than about 4 months at a time, but now if I eat something that is not raw, it is because I am choosing to do it because I can’t do 100% – like now I have been eating a few things not raw (though now they’re extremely healthy compared to what I used to eat) because I was in the hospital a week ago, almost died, and I don’t have all my energy back to make all my own food yet. So I made choices about what would be the best choices for me nutritionally in this circumstance, and after a few days I am so tired of it that I went and bought a bunch more fruit so I don’t have to eat so much of the other stuff. I haven’t felt one bit guilty; I am just learning and doing the very best I can. Sorry if this is too long and rambling, and thanks again for your inspiring story and example.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    If you have one near you, I get avocados at Costco and they are almost always perfect! I buy them a little green, they ripen up well within 1 to 3 days, and they last well in the fridge after that.

  • heartshapedskyheartshapedsky Raw Newbie

    angie- what happened? you sound alright… “I was in the hospital a week ago, almost died,”

  • Ok, angie, I will do that, and hopefully it will save me time and headache. I think that 100% is best, but I am really thinking that to get us all on board, I need to back off and just make better choices so that I can get this thing ingrained into my brain! I have wanted baked yams, but I tell myself no, and the next thing I know I am eating something far worse! I don’t seem to be negatively affecting bj. It’s kind of funny, when bj first started doing this he ate a whole raw white potatoe! We have heard of this being done in places like the hills of West Virginia, but had never seen it before! We all were just staring at him like we were seeing a horror movie! LOL! He and I are learning a lot more, now! We are having a lot of bumbles along the way like when he gives me that sad look when he finds out I put maple syrup into his almond milk smoothie! I just cannot believe his resolve! He has never been disciplined before, a day in his life! I’ll never forget his first evening meal. I had fixed some beans and rice and salad. I told him to eat everything on his plate. He is a compliant son, but it was killing him as he gingerly picked at his cooked food. I relented and told him that he did not have to eat it after all. I really never would have guessed that he would really do this for any length of time!

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    baked yams are a GREAT transition food. if you read natalia rose’s book “the raw food detox” or “raw life force energy” she explains that foods can be categorized by how quickly they leave the body. yams don’t stick around…

    also, you could make some date syrup to sub for maple syrup and then bj wouldn’t be frowning. mix dates with a water and a pinch of sea salt. SO yummy!

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Yes, angie, what happened? Hope your okay. :)

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I had Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). I was so sick I couldn’t stand up or walk by myself, and if it had gone a few more hours I could have been dead. I was in ICU for 2 days, and I am alright now.

  • heartshapedskyheartshapedsky Raw Newbie

    angie- you’re such a staple here on goneraw, hope i didn’t intrude by asking. so glad you’re well. all the best!

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Thank you! No intrusion; it’s good to know you’re concerned. I’m still wiped out, but I’m getting better.

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    Hey GoRawMom, What a story, and what a great after story you will all have as a family. I am thrilled for you. In regards to your goal of 100%, I’d like to offer you my help along the way and give you a link to our website. Our site is all about being 100% and reversing long term health problems. We also believe it’s OK to take all the time you need to transition.

    We live in the UK now, but I am Southern Boy myself. (North Carolina) I used to be 363 pounds and never had a meal that didn’t include fried something or other. Check out my recipes here on GoneRaw for some good Southern Boy satisfiers.

    Our website address is http://www.purelyraw.com and I’d recommend the following pages that you can easily find in our menu or find by clicking on them here. ‘Staying Purely Raw’, ‘Disease Free Living’, ‘Change Your Mind’, ‘The Dead Food List’, ‘The! Beauty Secret’, ‘Cooking Changes Food’, ‘Why Plant Foods’ and ‘Our Stories’.

    Drop us an email sometime and let us (Zoe & I) know how it’s going!

    Lovebows, Chris

  • Thank you so much Chris! You are already helping! I printed out what you had to say on the candita topic. You covered raw in such a way that I wanted bj to read it! I am having to tie him down, now because he is becoming obsessed! He wants to be a nutritionalist, now! I am having a hard time getting him to focus on school work. I am glad that summer will be here soon so he can get some of this out of his system! My husband comes from the deep south, Chris, and his mom would even fry up ROBINS that he would go out and shoot. Ugh! Any way, he has a long way to go, but he is more open to it now,and even asks for smoothies every morning. He gets itchy throat from them, and says it is allergies, but I have been trying to explain about detox to him. Yeasterday he was eating grapes after his smoothie and asked if grapes were a citrus! LOL! When he was a kid, his mom gave him mac and cheese for his vegitable! They were cattle ranchers and chicken farmers, and meat was the main food group. Sooo… yes, we all have a ways to go! It’s amazing that we don’t have more wrong with our health than we do, but of course we have all the premature aging junk going on! We both hate it, and want to live again! I was even begining to menapause, and just the steps that I am taking is bringing me back! I also notice when I eat cooked food my face will flush and burn horribly as my harmones begin to mess up again!

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