I am obese, 270 lbs, and I have had enough of this lifestyle of fast food everyday, and assuming I will go raw in two months. I was walking down the grocery store and thought, enough is enough, so I am changing my diet to raw cold turkey. I have already ordered 5 pounds of raw walnuts, 10 pounds of raw almonds, as well as a lot of supplements / superfoods from the sunfoods store...

However, is it a sustainable lifestyle? Will I fail? I was reading sites, wondering how I will get enough calories and I read an important point, that having little calories from super nutritious foods is much better than having 2000-3000 of burgers and french fries.

Apart from the physical and ethical benefits of raw eating, I am also doing it because of its spiritual benefits.

Whhops, I have hit enter too soon. What I mean by the spiritual benefits is that I feel deep in my mind it is my destiny. I don't know why it is there, but it is there for a reason, because my soul cannot reach its maximum potential and growth unless I change my diet to raw. Not that it will provide all the answers, but that it will finally allow me to begin my journey, and shave away what is not me. I know I have a purpose on this earth, and I look at everyone around and they are all large, unhealthy, and I can tell just by looking at them the level and energies of their souls are very low. That is why I must begin my journey on this route, and sustain it. Thank you!

Congratulations! Having made the choice about what YOUR goals are....and that raw food is the way to get there.....then be KIND to yourself. Set yourself a generous goal of 6-12 months to make at least the basic changes. Don't expect to change (as in my case) 30 years of poor eating/thinking/social habits in 3 weeks! Ha! ha! Make changes slowly....at a pace that is right for YOU. Don't hold yourself to some guru's....or even your own brain's ideal. Set VERY small goals with timetables....and keep them...and feel successful. You can ALWAYS speed up if things are too easy after 30 days or so.

-If you fail....this is not a function of outside circumstances....but rather your own goal-setting ability. Small successes breed large ones....in my experience.

-Power to you!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

hello Trader, i went raw because of health tumors head chest about 5 months 100%
I get a lot of my info for diet out of The Raw foods bible by Sommers,
I think at this point for what it has done for me it is the only sustainable ``lifestyle for me. I had tumors that were the size of marbles I can no longer ``find by touch, had headaches alot of the time, they are mostly gone.
I am truely amazed at the change in my health. I droped 25lbs in that time.
all senses seemed to have sharpend, I had a few times I thought I needed ``somthing else to eat but have got past that because I just feel so much better
from being in the raw. Go for it and stick it out best thing you can do for ``your life for a starter. dont wait start now.
Good Health to you Trader.
ps raw vegs and fruit not raw cold turkey yuk

good for you!! a word of caution....not to scare you but to inform you....you may, by going raw cold turkey...go through some uncomfortable detox ie headaches, nausea, stuff like that. you may, you may not, it just depends on your body. i went mostly raw (still not 100%) because of the simplicity and health rewards and it just feels right within my soul. i love this way of eating and i know you`ll find alot of support and strength and laughs through the crazy peeps on this forum! they rock!
patty

Hey Trader --
Check out rawreform.com -- it is a site from a girl who went raw and was 290 when she started and is a healthy weight now. She is an amazing success story, and you will be inspired by her. This is also a great place that you have found -- a big, wacky, fun family of raw foodists who run the gamut of what raw foodists are, but all have a common goal of the best that we can give ourselves, and each other, too. The support is great!!! Good luck -- your heart is in the right place!!!

angela tokes has also lost tons of weight....like 200 pounds...she might be a good one to visit as far as a website goes
patty

Trader it takes alot of strength to be where you are right now...I already see you successfully transitioning. I hope you feel the same. :-D Best wishes to you!

My advice is to research, research, research, find motivation in other people's success stories and take it one day at a time. And if you do slip, don't beat yourself up...just dust yourself off and begin again.

I recommend reading Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko and Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. If you aren't already aware of them that is...they will inspire you further.

Many blessings to you!

Rawangel

That's Rawsome! Good Luck!

Thanks for all your tips and the links / book titles

Today I had 1/4 a water melon so far and a bunch of pumpkin seeds, I'm soooo tempted to get a big greasy pizza but I keep reminding myself how much the old life even cost more, spending $20-$30 a day on eating out, it's just not sustainable, eating RAW is the only way to do it.

A great website with a TON of information (including a very hardcore approach) is www.rawfoodexplained.com--great to start learning.

I would also recommend to sprout--sprouts are AWESOME and you can do a million things with them, they're low-cal, CHEAP, and super nutritious! Sproutpeople.com is a library of information about how to grow sprouts, even if you just buy the seeds/beans/whatever from a bulk store.

Third, I found I ate an ENORMOUS amount of food when I started. You may want to find something other than a traditional grocery store, to cut expenses. For a long time, I shopped at some very cheap Asian markets in the area--3 cartons of blackberries/$1, 13 oranges/$2, etc. (Six months later, I'm eating a LOT less and 90%+ organic... which brings me to #4).

Fourth, expect LOTS of change. Foods that tasted like garbage to you may suddenly become the most delicious thing (I hated celery for all of my life until two months ago). As you progress into your journey, your tastes/senses will constantly be changing, opening up, healing--so don't be afraid to go back to old friends... and old foes.

Finally, TRY NEW THINGS!! Since I've gone raw, I've experienced some of the most wonderful, natural, whole foods--durian, young coconuts, olives, mangosteens, rambutans, starfruit, longans, the list goes on and on! I learned how to forage local foods in my area... what primordial satisfaction! Every time I find a piece of produce I've never seen before, it is my mission to enjoy it.

Have fun, have patience, and love, love, love yourself!!! =D

Welcome aboard. =)

Best wishes to you! I think that is an amazing thing you did - to stop in your tracks and realize that you were DONE with what you were doing. That's kinda how I was.

I have truly enjoyed, and thrived on, a high fruit diet. I have detailed accounts of every single day (up to 90 days or so) of my transition into the raw diet last year, if you're interested. (Link in my signature). I know it helps me to read about other people's experiences!

You can do it!

Sarah
[goingbananasblog.com]