Hi,
I've been lurking for the past three months and thought I would introduce myself and ask for some help. I have found this forum to be the most interesting and insightful of all the raw communities I have seen on the web. Anyway, I am a 21 year old college student, and I have been struggling with bulimia for the past 3 years or so. I have been slowly transitioning to raw vegan for the past 6 months. I know there have been previous threads on this, but I was wondering if any of you have been able to overcome an eating disorder with a raw diet. I eat a lot of green smoothies and citrus and try to stay away from nuts, oils, and gourmet raw because I find those foods triggering. Although I have worked with therapists before, it has never been particularly helpful, as they have never understood my desire to follow a raw food diet. While I know that there may be some underlying emotional reasons for my eating disorder, I am beginning to believe more and more that this is a physical addiction. Any experiences/advice/support that you guys may care to offer would be incredibly helpful and greatly appreciated.

Congratulations on a desire to be healthy and eat healthy - and you are certainly welcome here. My opinion is that you should set VERY SMALL goals....with timetables and keep them. Avoid any extremes....eat a WIDE variety of healthy raw plant foods. Eat often. Do not expect people doing poor things (diet or otherwise) to understand you, support you, or feed you (they might not). Continue to speak with group and/or individual therapy regarding any eating disorder. People can just as easily be cruel or deprive themselves while doing 'healthier' things - you know? So be surpassingly kind to yourself. Strength and support to you.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

There is an eating disorder thread in the diary section. Have you seen it?

[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

yes!

it is a rough journey, but you've already started. you will most likely fall off the wagon, but don't worry it just means you will learn more about yourself. if you fall, just remember that you had to in order to learn.

going raw foods is an rewarding journey of learning about yourself, and how to love yourself. your body will tell you, just be open to listen.

remember it is all about forgiveness, and the first person you must forgive is yourself.

good luck!

There is no such thing as an "eating disorder", except in the mind of someone who feels the need to label you, demean you...is threatened by you, ...threatened by the loss or diminishment of you and so on....

There is but you,
and there is a body
and there is what the body consumes.

Why "label the @#$%&" out of it.

For whatever reason, you've been out of balance.

Not exactly a puzzler.

Look at the f---ing insane world that we inherited.

But alas, we are the Brita's, the carbon filters for the sh--

And, while you may at times spiral up,

with the help of people like the beautiful ones on this site, you can no doubt..
ratchet down.
to knowing/being/living your true self

"I gained it so
by climbing slow
grabbing at the limbs that grow
between the bliss
and me"
- Emily Dickinson (I heisted this gem from Ms. Emily after listening to it where it was spoken in the "Golden Compass" trilogy on audible.com,....which is friekin' awesome by the way. The movie-makers murdered the spirit of that masterful work. Phillip Pullman (the author) reads it himself, which is always the way to go. From the source. Raw. Pure. Like you.)

[www.oneillpaul.com-a.googlepages.com]

Hi, I'm new to the forum but I also suffer from an eating disorder. I started the raw food lifestyle approximately 2 months ago (about 80% raw is all I can do right now. My body is detoxing like crazy). I have found this lifestyle to be the only thing that has helped with my bulimia. I have been bulimic for 5 years but have never sought therapy specifically for the problem. With the help of the raw food lifestyle, I have seriously cut back on my purging. I also view the disorder as a type of addiction. I have been "clean" for 2 weeks now and I haven't really had a strong urge to fall off the wagon. Over the past month, I have slipped up only 2 times. For me, this is a miracle! I am already noticing positive changes in my body. For instance, my fingernails are growing. For the past 5 years, they have been dull, clipped, and peely. Now, they look healthy and have a shine to them! Noticing all these changes in myself makes it much easier (for me at least) to stick to my recovery. I hope you can find the same benefit! Sorry this is so long!!!

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful and motivating comments!

I battled anorexia through middle school and a lot of high school. While eventually maintaining a normal weight, I've found the mental components of the struggle, especially related to body image/control/punishment the hardest things to let go of.

Being raw for a couple of months has brought me so much peace. Part of that comes from me knowing I'm not putting anything into my body except what nature intends (mostly, heh)--and the other part just happened on its own, a greater value of life, my own included.

Last night some friends were asking why I don't drink anymore (I used to a lot), and one of the things that just fell out of my mouth without thinking was, "I just don't want to abuse myself anymore." It wasn't even something I consciously thought about, but the undertones of adapting the raw lifestyle are changing my approach to LIFE in a most positive way. It wasn't something I even knew or was looking for, it just naturally happened--I don't want to abuse myself anymore, in any way, for any reason. That includes starving, self-loathing, and many other things.

The first month of being raw, I'm sure I was also eating close to 3,000 calories/day with lots of nuts. My BMI was 18 to begin with, and I dropped 15 pounds (I jumped on a scale at a friend's, I don't own one and find myself happier not counting regularly). That just goes to show, the more love and wholesome fuel you give your body, the more it will naturally invest its energies in making you look and feel GREAT. I forget where I read it, but someone said, "I have loved a lot of foods in my lifetime, but fruit is the only one to have loved me back." And it will. And then you'll want to share the love with everyone else. XD

From my own experience, I would say staying raw is a true path to healing, and I hope you all realize the same peace and healing that I'm savoring right now. =)

hmmm Enlightenment Now

<<"I gained it so
by climbing slow
grabbing at the limbs that grow
between the bliss
and me" >>

I like this very much... this emily dickinson poem you heisted.

my fave line being " grabbing at the limbs that grow between the bliss and me"

yes

this is true
truth has spoken

EnlightenmentNow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is no such thing as an "eating disorder",
> except in the mind of someone who feels the need
> to label you, demean you...is threatened by you,
> ...threatened by the loss or diminishment of you
> and so on....

>
> There is but you,
> and there is a body
> and there is what the body consumes.


>
> Why "label the @#$%&" out of it.
>
> For whatever reason, you've been out of balance.
>
> Not exactly a puzzler.
>
> Look at the f---ing insane world that we
> inherited.
>
> But alas, we are the Brita's, the carbon filters
> for the sh--
>
> And, while you may at times spiral up,
>
> with the help of people like the beautiful ones on
> this site, you can no doubt..
> ratchet down.
> to knowing/being/living your true self
>
> "I gained it so
> by climbing slow
> grabbing at the limbs that grow
> between the bliss
> and me"
> - Emily Dickinson (I heisted this gem from Ms.
> Emily after listening to it where it was spoken in
> the "Golden Compass" trilogy on
> audible.com,....which is friekin' awesome by the
> way. The movie-makers murdered the spirit of
> that masterful work. Phillip Pullman (the author)
> reads it himself, which is always the way to go.
> From the source. Raw. Pure. Like you.)

There is such thing as disordered eating. Just as there is such a thing as disordered thought or personality. It has nothing to do with "someone" feeling the need to deman or label, threatened by you or loss or diminishement of you.

I applaud your recognition of problemed behavior and the want to change that behavior. True enough that it is a battle of balance.

"If the strings are too loose, it will not play.
If the strings are too tight, it will break.
The middle ground lies harmony."

Find your balance and find your harmony. Play beautiful music. It takes time. Be gentle with yourself and don't let your past define who you can be.

I have some experience with anorexia. I find that raw has been helpful, but when discussions begin about the "right" way to do things...such as how to combine or one "should" eat more fruits and less fats or if you don't do colonics you are going to damage to your body...that I get involved in that orthorexia cycle of thinking that then triggers the anorexia.

I find it helpful to stay away from the right and wrong thinking that is sometimes suggested in threads on raw message boards...

Welcome and I send Love and Light to you. Speedy healing and have a wonderful raw life. We look forward to hearing more about you.

Takecare
A Iyer

with the recent discussion on anorexia it got me thinking. i haven`t suffered from a psychologically based eating disorder but i don`t have high caloric intake. i`m screwing up my metabolism by not ingesting alot of calories aren`t i? even though i`m not purposefully restricting calories as a person with an eating disorder would my body doesn`t know that right? i am sabotaging myself without even knowing it huh?! i think a light bulb may have just went on
patty

Raw food saved me...

I had been an anorexic for a time, and then got so sick and tired that i threw myself into boulimia...And then starts the circle of eating desorders...

Hopefully, while i was in my boulimic phase, i heard of the raw food lifestyle...

I can'T say that i am completly recovered (when you've been through eating disorders, you'll never be completly healed) but this way of eating reallly helped in so many positive ways....

GO RAW, IT WILL SAVE YOU!

Just wanted to say welcome

I think if you havent lived with an Ed you cant really understand, for me its a daily struggle. But persistance and continuing onwards with positive energy works

All the best to you

Just go raw. main thing, dont give yourself any boundries.

rawdanceruk Wrote:
>
> Just go raw. main thing, dont give yourself any
> boundries.
Umm! so simple and so true....

...yet so effective!

While bulemia has not been an issue for me, food addiction over eating and than over exerscising has been! I have been going raw for almost 4 years and what I discovered was NO GUILT. I never feel the need to 'get rid' of my food ;0

GOOD FOR YOU! You are on the right track!

GOOD FOR YOU!

Anorexia and for the most part, bulimia has consumed my life for longer than it hasn't. I am 31 now and have struggled since I was in the 8th grade with some sort of disordered eating. I think it is totally an addiction. I send you all the strength in the world as you battle this. If you ever want to talk PM me, I would love to have some ongoing support and a friend as the battle is always there for me as well. Raw food helps for sure, staying aware, present, in the moment, sitting with feelings, not avoiding and constant support are keys as well. Hugs to you.
PS - Not sure this helps you or not, but many people think that if they are happy their health will follow. For me it has been the other way around - when I am healthy, mind and body, then I am the happiest.