Excuses, Excuses

I am not officially kicking off my 30 days raw until Tuesday, yet I am already making excuses and justifying having "a little cooked food" every now and then. Wow. I know it is going to be hard. There is so much wrapped up in our food habits besides food. Emotions, cultural and societal rituals and expectations, habits, etc. When I started eating a high raw diet, about 10 weeks ago, that was one thing that really surprised me. I would consider myself to be a pretty stable person...no major drama in my life. I don't have any childhood trauma to work through. I have a healthy marriage. So, when I was warned that eating raw would bring lots of "issues" to the surface, I just kind of brushed it aside. And sure enough, within just a few days, I begin to see so many "issues" that I didn't know I had. How I use food to comfort myself, when I feel tense or stressed or tired. How much I eat just because others around me are eating, or because the clock says it is dinner time, even if I am not hungry. I eat for so many reasons, other than for nourishment.
Another thing I really love about eating raw foods is that there is so much less to think about! I have used Weight Watchers very successfully in the past and think it is a great program. However, one thing I didn't like about WW is that I thought about food all the time. Counting and banking the points, planning ahead, looking up foods, etc. The more I thought about food, the more I wanted to eat. With raw food, it is all good for you. If I am hungry, I can get an apple or make a smoothie. And ENJOY it, without worrying about how many calories are in it. Because the more raw you eat, the less you want junk. Your body craves more and more of the good stuff. And you don't overeat. Portion control seems to happen naturally. It is weird. It is like your mind and body resets itself in regards to food.
I am going to have to keep reminding myself of all this, and how good I am going to feel because right now, 30 days is seeming like a looooonnnnng time. And all I am thinking about is what I WON'T be eating...rice and butter and bread and sugar, oh my. I am going now to drown my worries in a mango spinach smoothie...there are those darn food issues again!