I'm working very hard at being 100% raw. There have been quite a few days where I have eaten cooked foods, but I am definitely making progress. Yesterday, though, I finally realized something that may be hindering my progress.

Right now, with my foods, I'm shooting for 80/10/10. My diet is pretty simple, but I like it that way. Trouble arrived yesterday, though, when I went out to dinner with a friend of mine to a gourmet raw food restaurant. She's a SAD eater, so I was very happy to bring her with me. I was a little bit worried, though, because I remembered that last time I ate raw gourmet, I had VERY bad cravings afterward. Well, it happened again. I had a strawberry marinara dish with zucchini noodles. It's kinda salty (lot's of olives), and I'm pretty sure it had plum vinegar in it. As soon as I tasted my food, ALL my crazy cravings came back. I scarfed it down. My belly was full, but I felt completely ravenous! We split a banana parfait, and my stomach was even fuller, but I still was not satisfied. When we got back to my place, I made a smoothie, but that wasn't enough. My friend left soon after... and I jumped into my car, zoomed to the store, and bought junk food Needless to say, I had an upset stomach last night.

I'm an emotional eater. It's something I've known for a long time. When I'm eating 80/10/10, I don't really have a problem with overeating. I love my fruit, and I eat a lot for breakfast/lunch, but I always feel in control. The second that gourmet food touched my tongue, I completely lost that control. Does anyone else have this problem? Right now I feel like I want to swear off the gourmet stuff for a while. I think it just tastes too much like cooked food. If I wasn't an emotional eater, having a treat like that now and then wouldn't be that big of a deal. But I am, and it is.

Any thoughts? Has this happened to anyone else?

On a positive note, I'm still making lots of progress! I became especially clear to me this Saturday. A friend and I went to a concert on Friday night, and while he was complaining the next morning about feeling really sore, I felt just GREAT, and even went for a jog I know I'll get to 100% eventually!

-Alex

If you could learn to make tastier raw food for yourself you could just eat that as oppose to junk food. Maybe pick up a few raw food "cookbooks" and make yourself a surplus of tasty things. Find fast easy recipes with minimal ingredients and maximum taste. My favorite is grated walnuts, cinnamon and raw agave (dates if you prefer) on top of pears or bananas! Mmmmmmm. Better than any pastry I've ever had.

Werewolf,

I hear you. Yes, it happens to me too. I had heard that Lara bars were good so I bought some on sale. They were pretty good but they set cravings in motion and you can bet one bar is not enough. Who are these people who can eat one little thing and be satisfied?

You sound like you are staying positive though.

Cukes,

Your dish sounds good.

Kit

Yes I used to go through this a lot. Until one day I said what you said, "I need to take a break from all the gourmet foods at raw restaurants and at home too. I'll go weeks without it and then go to meet friends at the raw restaurant and I can't stop eating, appetizer, entree, and desert all at once and I never eat that much, it's like 3 days worth of food in one sitting!

I taste the food and I'm thinking, wow this taste just like a burger, this drink is like a vinalla milk shake, or I feel like I'm eating chinese food! And lets not forget the cheese on top of the zucchini!

I go home and make raw gourmet foods and it makes A LOT of food. It taste so good you can't just have one serving, so you go over board.

But I have to say something I love about raw foods. Even though I eat like there is no tomorrow in one night sitting, I do pay for it later in the morning, but it doesn't last all day like cooked food used to do to me. Plus I go back to my normal raw way of eating and feel like nothing ever happened.

Check out this thread for some ideas on going out to raw restaurants without letting it interrupt 80-10-10.