Hi there!

I don't know if anyone remembers me, but last year around this time I was on 3FC quite often, and I was losing weight. I lost 17 lbs, and then managed to fall off the wagon in May and gained it all back. Story of my life, pretty much. So, here I am again. 3FC was such a godsend last year when I was losing weight, and as embarrassed as I am to come back the same weight as I was this time last year, I recognize that the first step in changing myself is recognizing that I have a problem, and admitting it. So, here I am girls. I have a problem, and I seriously want to change it this time.

Last year, when I was losing weight, I started off real strong and the weight was coming off easily. But by the 3rd month, it was a struggle to lose anything. I tried cycling my calories, and I tried increasing them, and decreasing them... and it just wasn't happening. I also started to feel really ill all the time. Headaches, weakness, stomach aches... I felt like I had the flu every day. I think that's why I eventually gave up. I would rather feel alright and be 15 lbs heavier, than be thinner and feel gross all the time.

I started a new job 6 months ago, and one of my co-workers was telling me recently about how he lost 40 lbs in 6 months, without exercising. I was in awe. He started telling me all about this website he follows called Underground Wellness, and the natural/mostly raw lifestyle that he had taken up. He was like "this website will change the way you think about food, forever. All that scientific evidence that the FDA throws at you... forget it." So I started to read, and watch the videos, and I was appalled. I never realized all the poisons that were in the food I was eating!! I watched his video on 5 fake healthfoods that aren't really health foods (and they'll make you sick) and I realized that I was eating almost every one of them when I was trying to lose weight last time. No wonder I was feeling so ill every day.

I want to make a change. I want to start treating my body better. I don't want to feel gross when I am trying to lose weight, I want to feel good!! I realize that starting a raw foods lifestyle is going to be difficult, and it's going to take a lot of dedication. But, if I can lose weight, and actually feel healthy doing it, I know it will be worth it...

So, I have a few questions for you ladies, since you have lots more experience in this arena...

1. Are there any recipe books/sites that you recommend? Do you ever feel restricted by limiting yourself to not cooking things?

2. Have you noticed an increase or a decrease in your grocery bills overall? How do you go about shopping every week?

3. Do you suggest that I jump into the raw foods lifestyle quickly (and quit other foods cold turkey) or ease into it so my body can adjust to the change? Did you notice any immediate changes/symptoms when you switched?

4. Have you experienced a change in your spirituality at all? I know this may be an odd question, but when I was doing research online about people who have changed to raw foods, SO MANY of them claimed to have created a very strong spiritual connection with nature and with their inner/higher selves.

I am sorry for such a long post, and I appreciate any suggestions or advice that you can give me Thanks so much in advance. God, I missed 3FC....

I wish I had the strength to be a vegan. I just don't. What I have done is added more raw fruits and veggies into my diet. I don't worry about whether or not they are my favorites or if I even like them. I know eating a variety of produce is in my best interest and I am a grown up now. So, I deal. My grocery bills have definitely gone down. We eat the produce that is on sale and we rarely, go through a drive-thru for any reason.

Hey welcome back! I am a vegan but not a raw one though I've had some very tasty raw foods Just wanted to say best of luck to you. From what I've read it's a very healthy diet and totally doable once you get the hang of it. Let us know how it goes!

Thighs be gone - Being vegan requires no strength - just being responsible about your choices

Hi,

I've done some raw food 'things' but I've never been completely raw. I think there are some things that could encourage you that way. I think one of the concerns of the raw food 'diet' is that it can often be high in fat. There is a book that I heard is good 80/10/10. You might want to check if your library has it but its a low fat raw food diet. I think if you search for it, you can find the website that lists some of the stuff regarding raw foods. There are also other books your library may have that might be helpful.

From what I've read, a lot of raw food diets advocate eating fruit in the morning or by itself because it is quick to digest.

You will also want to soak raw nuts and there are even some commercial raw nut butters out there but you can make your own.

Look into sprouting. You can sprout a lot of grains and legumes.

Are you vegan right now? I think if not, going vegan would be a start. I'd look at "Eat to Live" for that change.

It doesn't require any strength! In the year and a half since I've become a vegan, I haven't had to exercise any "strength," "will-power" or [substitute any term you want here]. Opening my eyes to what my food choices actually meant was the only "hard" part and that only had to happen once.

This isn't directed at you at all, but I've found when people tell me that they wish they had the "strength" or "will-power" to become a vegan, what they're really saying is they wish they cared enough.

Well I'd also say that I don't think it takes a lot of strength to be vegan. I've had difficulty controlling certain vegan foods over the past year but I thought being vegan was fairly easy.

I got some of that new coconut milk ice cream the other day and I probably would have bitten somebody's arm if they tried to take the pint from me. Not my finest hour!

I would completely agree that I don't care enough. Just putting all the raw fruits and veggies in my diet is a huge step for me unto itself. I am also having the success I once only dreamed on my current plan--looking better AND feeling better. I do wish I was motivated to go vegan as I am sure it would only further my success.

Trader Joes Soy Creamy Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice cream...

Soy Delicious Turtle Tracks ice cream.

No, I don't keep it in the house. Why do you ask?

Re: the raw foods thing, my mom is currently really into a raw foods lifestyle. I tried it once years ago for a few months but wasn't organized enough then to make it work. I did feel great while I was doing it, but it involved a lot of foresight and planning ahead. I know when my mom prepares food she makes huge batches so that she always has something on hand to munch on, and she's forever soaking something. Youtube has a lot of info on raw foods, and tons of recipes.

I found that my food bill did go up slightly, but hers has gone down, mostly because she doesn't buy too many expensive specialty products.

I would definitely ease into it if you can. It takes a while to learn all of the techniques, and you don't want to be hungry while you're trying to learn what works for you. You might want to start at something as low as 50% raw, and work your way up from there.

If you'd like more info you could pm me an email addy and I could put you in touch with her directly.

One last thing: I know a lot of people start it as a weight loss program, but in my mind it's much better to approach it as wanting to change the way you view food period. You probably will lose weight at first because it's hard not to, but it takes a LOT of motivation and dedication.

Guys!!! This is not about raw not the amazing choices in vegan ice cream. (Yummy!!)

I love the raw food videos on youtube. I check out the recipes often. Ani Phyo has amazing stuff. She has a cookbook also. I don't own it yet, but my friend does and we tried a few of thing recipes in it. Yum, yum yum!!

I'm not raw yet. So, I can't really answer all your questions. I've heard some people say go gradually and others say jump in. I think it might depend on where you are at now. I am gluten and diary free and rarely eat meat. I eat lods of vegetables daily and a good deal of raw already. I don't think it would be abad idea for me to just "jump in".

The other thing though, is having the right resources at your tips. If there is ONE tool I think a raw foodist needs is a veryyyy powerful blender (BlendTec or Vitamix). (I'm saving up for the Blendtec myself!! It's awesome!) Probably want to have a good handful of recipes you enjoy and be in the habit of eating some raw things already. It just seems a better way to get into it to me.