How strict are you?

[JaX]

how strict are you for following this diet?

Do you ever eat out or only rarely and what do you order?

Do you ever cheat once in a while and have a slice of bread or even a sweet fruit like a banana? or do you beat yourself up about it if you consume something not on the diet-list?

I'm just wondering, because this is a very limiting diet taking it out from a social context. I mean don't any of you have problems around friends or co-workers, considering you have to say no to every offer of a piece of fruit or sandwich or even cooked meat?

What do you do if a friend asks why you won't eat that or why you never eat what they offer? Do you just straight out say you are following a raw meat diet? Or do you keep it a secret from people and just avoid putting yourself in situations where you might be asked?

[boxcarguy07]

I'm pretty strict... hardly ever cheat.

I do eat sweet fruits, but I don't consider that cheating. I eat non-organic fruits at work sometimes, and I consider that slightly cheating.

Last time I cheated, I ate a bunch of pizza two nights in a row, and I threw up the day after the second time.
But I also ate some raw glands that I never had before on the day I got sick, and I don't know if it was the pizza, or the glands, or an interaction between them that caused me to get sick.

I kind of feel a cheat coming up sometime soon. This time, I will make sure not to stuff myself with bad food like last time (just have a little bit), and I will make sure to not eat any funky glands for a while after that!

And I'll definitely be eating with my family for Thanksgiving, no doubt about that.

As far as dealing with other people, well, most of my friends are used to me not eating with them when they go out. Usually I'll just sit with them as they eat.
Other people, if they ask, I'll just tell them that I'm strict with what I eat. It sucks when it's something that most people would consider "healthy" and they're like "but this is healthy!" I don't say that I eat raw meat though. I wouldn't have a problem saying so if I was asked though.
My roommates know I eat raw meat and they're fine with it. My other friends know that I eat a whole bunch of meat, but they don't know that I don't cook it.

[xylothrill]

I do eat out sometimes and try to order sashimi or a steak as rare as they'll cook it. I'll have butter once in a while too. Not very often though. I really don't have a problem with the really bad stuff like burgers or pizza because they make me very sick. It's an experience that's hard to forget.

Work isn't a problem any more because I only usually eat once a day. One of the main benefits for me is that I don't think about eating. I liken it to quitting smoking. The first day you realize that you haven't thought about when or how you're going to get your next fix is very freeing. Before raw paleo, I was a complete food addict.

My family and some friends and co-workers know I eat raw meat but I usually tell everyone else that I eat paleo or low carb - especially if I don't feel like having to defend myself.

[goodsamaritan]

how strict are you for following this diet?

I'm fairly strict because I want results.

Do you ever eat out or only rarely and what do you order?

Our food bill is already astronomical with the best fruits and the best animal food.  I don't see anything restaurants can offer at any price that entices me to eat there.  When we are invited to parties, to be cordial I eat either raw fruit or cooked fatty meat... whatever is the least damaging.  I view my home shopped food as the ultimate best.  I am curious and would want to visit all you other raw paleo people and taste your food.  I just live so far away from most of you.

Do you ever cheat once in a while and have a slice of bread..

I have zero cravings for grains or other unhealthy food.  Got rid of cravings some time ago with my detoxes and fasts.

or even a sweet fruit like a banana? or do you beat yourself up about it if you consume something not on the diet-list?

I eat bananas, but I make sure they are local organic bananas, and just one or two bananas is enough as a snack.  Not a meal.  Bananas are part of my paleolithic diet.  I consider bananas as paleo food in the Philippines.  We export to the world the bananas we don't like... the cavendish bananas, and those are sprayed with insecticides and factory farmed.

I'm just wondering, because this is a very limiting diet taking it out from a social context. I mean don't any of you have problems around friends or co-workers, considering you have to say no to every offer of a piece of fruit or sandwich or even cooked meat?

Raw paleo for me means raw fruits, raw vegs, raw meat... in a social context I will eat cooked fatty meat or raw fruits which is acceptable, raw vegs is acceptable, raw fish is acceptable socially.

I run my own company and I live 500 meters away from my office so I always eat at home.  Besides, I'm the boss and acknowledged altruistic healer, it's in my business card, so my employees know and understand.  For snacks I buy them fruits and sometimes they request cooked balut -- duck fetus, which is popular in my country so it is socially yummy.  Cooked meat paleo for socials at worst for me.  And I eat little outside the house.  I stuff myself first at home before leaving.

What do you do if a friend asks why you won't eat that or why you never eat what they offer? Do you just straight out say you are following a raw meat diet? Or do you keep it a secret from people and just avoid putting yourself in situations where you might be asked?

When people ask I tell them it's a medical thing.  That is socially acceptable.  When we get into a deeper conversation and I teach people how to cure themselves... they know and understand why raw paleo... because it works!  If you are terminally sick... which diet do you bet your life on?  Raw paleo!

[TylerDurden]

how strict are you for following this diet?

When I first started, I would eat a small cooked-meal once every few weeks. I quickly turned to 100% rawpalaeo for a while, where I would eat, say, 4-5 cooked-meals once a year(basically during hiking in the Alps), with a usual
9 to 12-month all-rawpalaeo period, inbetween. In the last couple of years, I've allowed myself occasional sushi meals(cooked rice/raw fish), Christmas Pudding(only seasonal, of course), the very  occasional piece of unadulterated herb-filled bread, maybe a 100% grassfed cooked burger once in a while, but generally speaking 98-99% rawpalaeo. I also experimented twice within 6 years for a week or two, each time, with raw dairy to see if there'd been any change, but saw that it was a deadly poison for me, and no longer touch the stuff.

Do you ever eat out or only rarely and what do you order?

When I eat out,  I go to sashimi restaurants and either order sushi or sashimi(just raw fish).

Do you ever cheat once in a while and have a slice of bread or even a sweet fruit like a banana? or do you beat yourself up about it if you consume something not on the diet-list?

I don't view sweet fruits as bad, though I  go mainly for berries(which aren't sweet, I think?). I don't beat myself up about eating dodgy foods - for example, I may return from abroad and not be able to get hold of any grassfed meats so have to eat mostly fruits for a week, say - that's not the end of the world.

I'm just wondering, because this is a very limiting diet taking it out from a social context. I mean don't any of you have problems around friends or co-workers, considering you have to say no to every offer of a piece of fruit or sandwich or even cooked meat?

What do you do if a friend asks why you won't eat that or why you never eat what they offer? Do you just straight out say you are following a raw meat diet? Or do you keep it a secret from people and just avoid putting yourself in situations where you might be asked?

I'm not bothered by it all. If asked, I usually just say that I'm on a diet  or whatever. I don't elaborate unless asked, in which case I say I'm doing a Palaeolithic diet, without mentioning I'm raw. Most people who know me well, know I'm rawpalaeo, though.

[Sully]

And I'll definitely be eating with my family for Thanksgiving, no doubt about that.

What are you going to eat? If I end up going off diet on Thankgiving. I'm going to do my best only to eat some cooked turky. We'll see....

[boxcarguy07]

What are you going to eat? If I end up going off diet on Thankgiving. I'm going to do my best only to eat some cooked turky. We'll see....

Probably a small amount of everything that they're having that I like. For instance, I've always hated cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
It depends on what they're gonna have and how they prepare it.

For instance, if they have instant "potatoes" I won't eat any at all, but if they have real potatoes I'll have a bit. Well, as long as they don't microwave them. I won't touch them if they do that.
And I'll probably eat a good amount of turkey, unless they decide to fry it this year, in which case I'll only have a little bit.
I'll probably write in my journal what I do end up having, and how I feel afterwards

[Raw Kyle]

I'm not very strict at all. Right now I just know that I eat more raw paleo than not, perhaps upwards of 80-90% of my diet is raw meat, and then sometimes I go off (mostly Japanese or other Asian food, sometimes cooked "healthy" meat, etc). Last weekend I drank tequila but then my bottle was stolen so I switched to Jagermeister and had about half a beer at some point. When I was being encouraged to drive home still a little more drunk than I thought appropriate I ate a soft pretzel in an attempt to speed the process of removing alcohol from my blood.

I've found that certain "cheats" get me way worse than others. I have terrible terrible digestive problems now when I go off on the wrong foods. I used to be able to digest anything and LOVE spicy food. Now if I eat a bunch of spicy junk or go for the insane spicyness I used to take for granted I will have stomach cramps as it digests and irregular bowel movements the next day. One time I ate a bunch of dried habanero peppers (even worse than fresh ones) and had these burning and crampy bowel movements for more than 24 hours after it. So even though I love it I know to stay away from the super spicy food, but I still go for moderate spicy (which most regular people would consider very very spicy). Other than that I stay away from total junk when I go off. For me it was a learning process as to what I can cheat on and what is going to be not worth it in terms of feeling crappy after.

[Michael]

I would say I'm pretty strict with my diet but not obsessive.  I've been eating RAF for about 7 years and certainly NEVER cook food for myself at home.  The only occasions I eat cooked foods or foods not 'allowed' on the diet are purely for social reasons.  I probably eat out with my girlfriend, friends or family a couple of times a month and when I do I certainly ensure it's good quality food.  Most of the time I try to make sure this is a bleu steak (local, grass-fed) with low-carb veggies but, obviously, this isn't always possible and I may end up with some form of cooked vegetables or fish.  I do ensure I avoid grains as much as possible but there have certainly been odd occasions when I've shared pizza or curry with friends.

I don't feel any guilt for choosing to eat these foods occasionally but do notice definite negative mental/physical effects and always look forward to my next RAF dish with added vigor!

After eating this way for so long now I have absolutely no problem telling people about my diet.  I see no need to hide the fact although, of course, I would show sensitivity in certain situations if I thought it may offend others.  Having said that, I do grow tired of having to explain the whole 'story' to new people and don't, therefore, advertise the fact or volunteer the information.  Obviously, by now, my friends and family pay no attention to it.  I do recall how these matters were real issues in the early days and the only thing that's changed since then is my own attitude towards it.  So, perhaps when these things are an issue it's simply because we're reflecting our own attitudes, fears, lack of confidence etc onto others and creating the false reality.

Christmas dinner?  I sometimes end up having a little of the 'healthy' choices that others are having (turkey, potatoes, veggies...) but certainly don't go 'off the rails' with any junk.  My 'indulgences' would be things like some fruit or nuts!    Or if I'm feeling particularly risky - some raw goat cheese!

[Nicola]

I don't view sweet fruits as bad, - for example, I may return from abroad and not be able to get hold of any grassfed meats so have to eat mostly fruits for a week, say - that's not the end of the world.

http://lowcarb4u.blogspot.com/2008/07/fructose-not-as-healthy-as-it-appears.html

[golooraam]

I'm not bothered by it all. If asked, I usually just say that I'm on a diet  or whatever. I don't elaborate unless asked, in which case I say I'm doing a Palaeolithic diet, without mentioning I'm raw. Most people who know me well, know I'm rawpalaeo, though.

I am a little on the heavy side so it is easy for me to say I am on a diet.  Instead of saying raw meat, I say I eat a lot of steak tartare because I love it (which I do) and practice usually once a day eating so I tell people I don't eat lunch to save money and also to keep from lunch food coma

on the weekends I eat what I want... I am planning on doing this my whole life and being Indian there is just too much cooked food around...