Hello all,

So I signed back up to this site after taking a couple year break. Speaking out of full honestly, the last time I signed up for this site, it was for the mere fact that I wanted to get low fat/low calorie recipe ideas because I was still struggling very much so with an eating disorder. Over two years later, I have ventured back to this site after doing much research in trying to find the "perfect diet" and have now come to the realization that this lifestyle change was right for me all along. Yes, I have struggled with food for some time. With it being my comfort, my go to buddy, or my thing to lean on when I wanted to just "zone out." I have now changed my direction and have to come realize that my battle with food was for all of the wrong reasons. Rather than cramming items into my low calorie slot of a diet plan for each day, I now have come to eat more than I ever have and feel great doing it. I have to thank my husband for helping me when I was struggling with my eating disorder, for now I do not restrict or purge which is fabulous. On the other hand, he introduced me to a world full of food that I used to be afraid to touch and began over eating on. So it was the switch of eating struggles, restricting and not being able to control myself to bingeing, over to plain overeating and stuffing my emotions. I am sure that there are stories like this all the time, but I am just happy to be able to eat for nutrition rather than by limitation. My friends now find it weird how I eat tubs of strawberries or 1/2 of large watermelons at a time, or bananas galore...when they are eating some fast food item with zero nutrition in comparison. Just sending a happy thanks to Durian rider and Freelee and the RawBraws....who knew that so much could be learned from watching simple videos. And for Durian rider who may be seen as cut throat and controversial, that was just what I needed to get me to realize that I was jeopardizing my future just to obtain that perfect physique that I would just try to alter once again. I am back on for my health, not weight, and exercising for strength, not weight loss....what a great circle of 180 degrees did for me

Hi, volcomchick, and welcome back

What a great testimonial and thanks for sharing. Eating raw takes us to new heights and really, though we may not be battling the "traditional" eating disorders, this way of eating leaves me to think that those who are consumed by the SAD regime, actually have an eating disorder of a sort.

I was anorexic since I was eleven years old, and struggled with it on and off into my early 20s... until I found raw food. It was like a light went off in my head and I realized I could eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, and there was absolutely nothing to be guilty about.

I wasn't binging, but in the beginning, especially, I found myself eating like I was making up for lost time... like my body was CRAVING the nourishment. Which it likely obviously was.

Now, it's not even an issue. I don't think about it. I just eat what I feel like when I'm hungry and it's perfect. I don't think I could either lose or gain weight if I tried.

And my mind is so much lighter. It's so much easier to be happy with yourself, and leave everything else behind you.