Completely new to me - how to start? (Weight loss too)

Hello everybody.

I'm a lakto-ovo vegetarian, and raw-vegan diets are completely new to me.

I would like to try, because the thought of it turns me on, it sounds like it would make a change in my life (which by the way is horrible at the moment).

I'm a 18 year old girl - i suffer from binge eating disorder.

And the reason number one, for me to consider going raw is to stop this selfdestructive habit.

It's an illness, that I just can't cure. I've tried it all.

The last

Comments

  • Puma - be gentle with yourself. I have struggled with COE & binge eating for 1 1/2 years and know how hard it is to control. At first, I went 100% raw overnight, but it didn't work for me. I would go a few days being perfectly raw and then binge horribly on SAD for a few days. The cycle was continuous (although my raw days began to outnumber my binge days in time).

    After some serious soul-searching, I realized that I'm an 'all or nothing' type of gal. I took a step back and decided to slowly transition. I switched my staple meals to healthier choices. I went from sugary cereal to warm raisin/date/walnut oatmeal with cinnamon (mmm...) and wrapped my sandwiches with collard leaves instead of white/wheat bread. (I tried to avoid all bread/cake products completely because they contain gluten which *I find* increases my urge to binge.)

    Once the gluten was gone, I focused more on animal products. I had already taken meat out of my diet and was a practicing vegetarian as you say you are. I dropped more and more dairy products each day from my daily routine until I was finally vegan. I felt great and had dropped a few pounds although not many since that wasn't my prime focus at the time.

    I should mention that I didn't count calories during this time and didn't limit my portions. I tried to listen to my body, but didn't feel the guilt (that normally goes along with SAD) from eating a bit extra. I remained vegan for about a month, increasing the amount of raw in my diet all the time. Soon enough, I found myself craving raw fruits and veggies. My binges had stopped completely and I no longer found cooked food appealing.

    THIS is the moment I realized that I was finally ready to go 100%. I purchased Alissa Cohen's "Living on Live Food" (which I HIGHLY recommend) and had it completely read a few hours later. Alissa's words really resonated with me. She says in her book to commit to 100% for 30 days and then re-evaluate. Thirty days really is not too long and there is always the option to change your diet once the 30 days are over. Alissa gives a list of several raw dishes to prepare and weekly grocery lists. It was convenient and I only had to prep food one or two days each week.

    Alissa also includes that you shouldn't count calories or fat grams or anything like that. You just eat as much or as little raw as you need to STAY raw. The focus is staying raw. I stayed 100% raw for the complete 30 days and lost a lot of weight even though I wasn't even thinking about it. A woman on Alissa's forum lost 25+ lbs in her first 30 days, but obviously your mileage may vary.

    Once the 30 days was up, I 're-evaluated'. I realized that I felt GREAT and never wanted to go back to cooked food. I've been raw ever since. Currently, my diet consists of fresh fruit. I didn't plan it that way though -- I just listened to what my body was calling out for. I still reference "Living on Live Food" every once in a while when I feel like making a raw dish or needing a raw dressing. It also has various raw testimonies (which are quite helpful) and answers to every question regarding raw food. 'Where do you get your protein?', etc. Things that people are bound to ask you when they find out you are embarking on this wonderful journey.

    Good luck

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