And We’re Back!

OK, perhaps I shouldn’t make decisions at 3:00 AM after a night shift — but I did this time.

Today — Monday, May 11, 2009 — is my “back to raw” day.

And oh my goodness, I just realized something… May “11″. Add up the numbers in the year — and you have an 11:11. I also found $20 in the grocery store parking lot today. LOTS of signs that I’ve made the right choice.

And I don’t believe in coincidence.

But I didn’t want to talk about that: I simply wanted to share a few thoughts that I think are going to help me stick with the 80/10/10 raw food diet this time:

• Food alone will not get me to my goal. I need to be more active. I also need to start a regular, disciplined exercise program (this works best for me, at least for now). I don’t want to be 180 pounds of skin and bones again (although I felt fine).
• I’m wondering if my “voluntary” eating of cooked food last August really hurt me more than I thought it did. It may have awakened some… uh, see the next bullet point for more on that. For now, suffice it to say that I should read my own blog every once in a while! I don’t think it made my commitment stronger; I think it sabotaged me (at least I’m thinking that way right now).
• I read a fascinating article about some research being conducted by the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this article, they claim that eating certain cooked foods — especially those high in fat, sugar, and salt — set off chemical reactions in the brain that are similar to what drug and alcohol addicts experience. Yes, his theory (which, in my mind at least, is “fact”) is that you literally ARE addicted to cooked food. More on this in a minute.

It’s on this cooked food addiction that I want to devote the rest of this article.

When I first heard people like Roger Haeske refer to cooked food as an addiction, I thought that it wasn’t meant to be taken literally. Perhaps it was just a metaphor, a figure of speech, a way to encourage you to change your lifestyle. Whatever it was, I didn’t think of it in the same way that I’d think of a drug or alcohol addiction.

But after I read this article, I realized that cooked food really is a physical addiction, just like being addicted to drugs or alcohol. And to me, that’s great news because I now know how to deal with it.

You see, eating that bratwurst last August was the same as an alcoholic taking a drink or a drug addict smoking one joint. It was enough to start me down the path that returned me, for the most part, to my old dietary habits (I did keep on eating some fruit every day, but when combined with the rest of the stuff I was eating, I think all it did was help me put weight on all that much faster. But that’s just “me” talking…). Just one little ol’ bratwurst was enough to do in five months worth of change.

So this time, I’m addicted to cooked food — LITERALLY — and know how to deal with it. I can’t eat just one cooked meal, or taste something that smells good. I have to be fanatical about this (and may have to re-think my 99% theory, although encouraging people to forgive themselves and move forward is still going to be a big part of how I help others). I also need some accountability (Roger’s forum!) and need to help others. I think this blog has helped and encouraged a few people; I want to get it going again so that it can once again help others.

I also found it much easier to focus and concentrate on stuff while on the raw food diet. I also seemed to know what I needed to do, as opposed to now, when I tend to sit and stare at the computer screen when I sit down to work…

And the exercise comes into play because there’s no point in giving your body the optimal fuel if all you do is sit around on your skinny behind. I have a six year old son and three year old daughter who need to learn how to play basketball, ride bicycles, and swim. Stuff like that. Stuff called Life. It awaits, and since being here for my family is one of my original reasons for wanting to do this, it only makes sense to be in great physical shape — and active — so that we can enjoy life together.

I’m guessing that the initial detox and etc. won’t take as long to get through this time. In fact, I fully expect to start seeing results within a few days. I’ll try to do better about blogging so that you can compare your experience to mine.

And by all means, if there’s something you’d like for me to write about, please leave a comment and let me know. No promises, but I can’t write about the same thing a million times in a row…