Hello all! I'm a 23 yr old artist(with a night job) who just made the move back to her roots in West Chester, PA.

Alright... I've been raw since Mischief night... my previous diet was of the Macrobiotic kind, and last winter I had a brief (bout 3 month) stint into raw, I was feeling amazing, but never quite kicked the black tea habit, so never reaped the entire set of rewards. Quit caffeine while Macrobiotic, and here I am back again...

When I first found raw online it just "clicked", I knew it was the answer to my healthy attempt to overcome an eating disorder (anorexia, then fasting bulimia) that centered around the SAD world. When I eat raw (especially now without caffeine), I learn that I am doing good for my body, so therefore my body must be good. It helps me with my body dysmorphic disorder quite a bit in that respect.

Within the first two days I noticed my OCD and anxiety lessened greatly, and now it is almost non-existent after only a little more than a week! I have not lost any weight, but being macrobiotic prior I was not overweight (although over my norm) at 5'5" and 135. I typically tend to get down to 118 and feel confident and healthy. I have noticed that despite no apparent weight loss, my shape is changing, my body looks more toned with more slender limbs, and it is finally starting to resemble the body of one who dances (4 days a week... great creative release).

Overall my energy has gone through the roof, and during my dance, as well as during trainings with a Search and Rescue group that I have twice a week, I no longer feel fatigued or exerted! (I always wear these Doc Martin boots that weigh like 10lbs together!... normally by the end of training my feet feel heavy, but since going raw I am still pushing for one more task!)

I don't want to sound like a corny testimonial, but raw just always felt right, and I am one to trust that.

My roommate and boyfriend think I'm nuts, but in a good way, and the boyfriend definitely supports me on my decision, I think he realizes it helps me feel better about myself knowing I am putting good things into my body, and he knows when I get a gut instinct I am happiest when I go with it.

So are there any fellow raw foodies out there in the Philly burbs area?

Hello weezo,

I have been a vegeterian since birth, have been contemplating going raw for some time. I like cooked food too much to quit. Still not sure whether a raw food diet is indeed good for humans. I still am reading up a lot of things. Very nice to read about your story.

Thanks.

I philly girl.I am a Philly Boy. I am from the North East Phla area (Near Franklin Mills Mall.

I always eat pretty healthy and at 5-7 and 135 .I dont think weight was ever a concern.LOL But I am gradually learning and adjusting to a partial raw diet. I am older than you,but maybe we can even get together for a simple cup of coffee sometime.

Hi weezo, dinesh75, Keepitsimple3344, and everyone else!

Weezo, I'm glad to hear you're getting great results and improvement when you're on the raw living foods lifestyle! I'm still omnivorous, but I will be going raw during Mid-June & the summer! (I'm an artist too!)

I've been reading around though, and I notice that CRAVINGS are a major issue with this lifestyle. I know you all have good intentions, by feeding your body with the right food, but willpower shouldn't be used as a crutch.

There is a group of raw foodists who never have to worry about cravings, because they have "re-programmed" their bodies (by cleansing the colon, gradually over about a 12 month period, and having 3 to 5 lb. of healthy aerobic bacteria in the intestines), and now SAD junk food actually is repulsive to them!

They are SYMBIOTIC Raw Vegan Foodists. I don't think they're vegan though; they still eat animal...! They're quite different. Check out their following websites:

www.blindguru.com and www.rawfoodadvantage.com

Some things on the sites are erroneous, like them saying that The Raw Living Foods lifestyle is a SCAM...(LIES!) Among other things, but the truth that is there is edifying and good! I've sifted the truth from them and I'm in the process of contacting the webmaster or some authority figure to set the facts straight - and have only TRUTH there.

That's why I'm considering living my own combination of the Raw Living foods lifestyle and the Symbiotic Raw Vegan Lifestyle.

Don't worry dinesh75, Raw is indeed good for humans! Better than depleted-in-nutrients cooked food. 'Sup Keepitsimple3344?! LOL! Later ppl!

Love, Good Health, and God bless you!
~Greensatva, Kingston, Jamaica, W.I.