we all have our own unique ways of transitioning, and of embracing the raw lifestyle, and for me, it seems that i have to keep reminding myself of how much better i feel when i eat fresh, raw, living foods.

it started with a visit from my mother (which always ruffles my feathers a bit).

we went out to lunch where i decided it would be a good idea to supplement my really good, and quite large salad with a slice of pizza

which lead to another slice

and then another

she left, and i thought, what the heck, i might as well have a glass of wine.

now my judgement is impaired and i don't have anything planned for dinner, and i'm getting hungry.

no problem, i'll have some bread and a little of this and a little of that (cooked stuff). i can start fresh tomorrow, i thought.

and then i felt like i had a football in my stomach....and i had a headache...

but the good news is that i know that this is all part of my letting go of old patterns, and i feel stronger and have more resolve each time i slip. this experience also gave me such a wonderful perspective about how good i really do feel eating so lightly, and giving my body and mind these vibrant living raw plants. so next time, hopefully i'll recognize the discomfort of being around certain people, and make different choices. and if not, well, then, i'll feel bloated again, and begin again.

thanks for reading my story!

Learning from your experiences is what makes it possible to make stumbling blocks into stepping stones on the raw journey. I have found that its best to get back on the raw path as soon as you can and also watch out for stronger cravings or urges in the next couple of days as the addiction tries to gain control. After that the addiction will lose its power over you fairly fast and you will be stronger and smarter for the experience. There's an old saying that goes like this: "its not what happens to a person that counts but what he/she does with what happens that makes all the difference". Consider this as an opportunity to learn and grow.

i agree, ezrider, thanks. and i'll keep those possible upcoming cravings in check the next few days....gotta deflate the power of those addictions

You just have to get up and dust off yer pants and get back on the horse

I had a couple of really bad experiances with cooked processed foods that made me realize I had to make my choice one way of the other. I felt like I was hurting myself by bouncing back and fourth from raw to cooked then fast and back to raw. I was getting physically ill from the cooked foods and felt rather out of control. The last cooked meal was pizza with the family and my insides swelled up and I was rolling in pain that evening. I don't want to experiance that again. I am real carefull now but I still have craveings, I sometimes have popcorn but will have to wean myself from that. I am haveing fun experimenting with food and makeing different raw meals.
It is a hard transition but well worth it, You can do it Marsh just keep on keeping on right
Take care
Pam

<<it started with a visit from my mother (which always ruffles my feathers a bit).>>

uhhh.. yeah

Anatomy of a slip has been COMPLETELY explained right there

in that first sentence LOL

just kidding

sally forth

brave warrior!

thanks pam- i feel much better today, back to feeling light again

la_veronique- uhhhh.....yeah....you are EXACTLY right! haha! that was the fatal beginning right there!

Loads a greens right now will make you feel better...

I love your post, Marsh. Haven't we all been there?! LOL!

Onward and upward.

I would like to add to my post above.

What I learned last summer on my last slip was that the cravings came back stronger, it was two days after my slip and the cravings returned stronger. Then I rationalized and thought that I could eat very high raw and just allow some cooked popcorn and baked potatoes into my diet. The next day the cravings were front and center and once again I yielded. This continued in the days that followed as I ate more cooked and less raw. It was like watching the addiction win out all over again. As the cooked monster gained control I knew I was hooked again like a Chinese finger puzzle that wouldn't let me go. As the % cooked took over I realized that if I ever got control again I was going to have to avoid that first bite of cooked. I felt like this was unfair because I read about people who have a foot in raw and a foot in cooked and straddle the fence just fine. I guess thats what makes us all different because I can't do that. It was six weeks later that I acknowledged that I was going over the cliff where the "used to be raw" peeps go. My %'s were dismal and getting worse. I went on a short juice fast and started over again. I regained control and now if I experience a craving I choose to fight the first bite where the craving is whimpie and can easily be defeated. That slip has been almost a year ago now and I havn't had any cravings in quite awhile. The cravings dissipated like throwing a rock into a still pond and watching the resulting waves dissipate in amplitude and frequency over time until the pond is once again serene.

I hope your still with us marsh.

thanks ez- i'm here, i'm here!

yes, im not going anywhere....
in fact, i have to insert one off-topic little tidbit....

i haven't posted in a few days because i've been out of town. my son surprised me for mother's day and took me skydiving! omg, what a mind-blowing experience!

and now, i am feeling so exhilarated and so empowered by the experience, that there is no way i'm going to fog up my mind and bog down my body with food that makes me feel like crap (pardon my french). i feel more alive today, at 48, than i have in so many years. i'm going to go again in a few weeks, and so i am ultra-motivated to keep my body light and my mind clear- and that is what this great raw food diet does for me. i am staying pretty consistently about 95-98% raw, and that works for me as long as i stay away from certain allergy foods, they are what will reel me in to a downward spiral if i let them.

so yes, i'm here, and i'm back, and in more ways than one. and for anyone out there needing a wake up call, i'm tellin ya- skydiving is sure to blast the cobwebs out of your head. it sure did that for me!

thanks for all of your comments everyone! this board helps me stay raw and focused, and i just love all of you guys!

hey geeez hey marsh!!

LUVVEEED your experience on skydiving

actually, its been a sorta wish of mine for a while now

then i forgot about it ( like the bungee chord jumping idea i also had

but just cuz of what u said about it

might thinnk about it some more

uhhh... can u tell us what u experienced a bit more?

howd it feel like?

were u scared?

how did u land?

just curious

hope i don't turn into a skydiving addict
on account of you (LOL jus kidding

cuz i heard it cost a pretty penny per pop

(la_veronique, i jumped tandem, attached to an instructor, so i was not one bit scared. and i landed gently skidding on my butt. it felt exhilarating! send me a pm and i'll write more and send you some pics- they are amazing.)

so....i was actually considering the appropriateness of talking about skydiving here in this thread, and remembered a quote that i saw at the airport that day. it directly applies to me and my commitment to staying raw. it went like this:

"don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you feel alive, and then go do that, because what the world needs, is for people to come alive."

so for me, just a raw food diet is sort of like being a dry drunk. it's like saying, ok, i'll just dorp all of my bad food habits that make me feel heavy and numb, and forget about changing the circumstances in my life that make me want to sedate myself with food. now, i'm not saying that everyone feels like this, but for me, this is how my raw food journey is unfolding. now that i have eliminated the food drug, i'm left with my life- and that quote i read just before i went dkydiving nailed it for me. i need to wake up! yes, raw foods are alive and vibrant, and yes, they make me feel really good, but that is not enough for me. after 2 months raw, i am now looking at my life with new eyes, and wow- i feel like i'm just starting to really live again.

so i say, go out there and do what makes you feel alive! that's what is keeping me raw!

AWWWRRIIGGGHTTT! i totally LOVEE that quote

you are right

we need more people who are ALIVEEEEE!!!

i always loving hanging out with vibrant people

makes me feel more alive as well

i'm lucky that i have some of those people in my life

so lucky in fact

that it makes me just want to kiss the ground

and maybe skydive to the sky in order to kiss the clouds as well

seriously

i'm one lucky person