personally i'd get as much detoxing done before you fall pregnant for the simple fact that a toxic system can be a trigger for bad all-day pregnancy nausea (morning sickness that never goes away!) When i was raw with my last pregnancy, no nausea, as soon as i ate cooked, bam, puke city! yEUCH! And i'd trust that your body will conceive when it is ready to...if it needs more time to clean out and heal, then it will wait...if it's all ok with the detoxing, then it'll happen. And either you eat toxic cooked food whilst pregnant and the baby gets it, or you eat raw and detox your stored cooked food toxins, and your baby gets it. I know i'd choose the cleaning out raw diet option as you'll feel better and have more energy probably. My only concern with detoxing whilst pregnant or breastfeeding would be if you've taken or used some strong drugs (prescription or recreational) in the past as they could be a bit much for a foetus. why not wait a bit for trying to conceive if you're concerned. better to get your body's foundations right to build a baby in rather than rushing in unprepared physically. ultimately this is your bubba's lifelong health foundation you're building. good luck and enjoy!

No worries SP...I was obviously missing the subtelties of your humour that day.

Sounds good to mee Miniature...so long as these other lovely women are ok with that!

So can we set a date...make plans? any day other than a thursday works for me and friday 9th or sat 10th are best for me if they work for you'all!?

For me the focus isn't my weight aymore...it's about health. If I eat something that i know is not optimal for me i feel disappointed and angry with myself for not making the best choices or my health. TO be honest I rarely do the fat and ugly thing anymore. And yes, it was like Jen said, always when something else in my life wasn't good that i'd focus on my looks. I've een through an eating disorders outpatients clinic at a hospital and a group therapy through ISIS that went for 4 months so have done a lot of exploring of m issues around food and the underlying stuff. So this disordered eating is now just a bad habit! You know, "I'm feeling stressed, oh, let's eat", "I'm bored, may as well eat so i don't feel anything", "I've just had a therapy session and it's brought up strong emotions i don't feel comfortable with, hmm, yep, I'm gonna eat!" So it's more about being present to the feelings...and doing nothing. Just being with them...and then I think i now need to find a strategy to move the energy rather than pushing it back down with food.

Also I'm aware of the fear of being free of this distraction. If I'm not sick, tired, overstuffed, etc, what would i do with my life? I'd have no excuse to not do all the things i say i want to. You know that Mandela quote about being afraid of being powerful...that's an issue for me. What would i do if I wasn't holding myself back? My big fear i being alone but now i know that's a mindset and also i can create raw community around me and so i won't be alone in the physical/community sense either.

Neet, my phone died...thanks for your number will give you a buzz when i get a chance as i just got a new one yesterday arvo. And I look forward to meeting you when you're on the coast Yay!!!

So I'm curious to see what the result to this poll is as I've run the gammut of eating disorders from Over Eater, to Anorexic to Bulimic and varying shades of each all mixed up together. I know I want to eat raw yet I still struggle with the emotional aspect and am haunted/hunted down by my attitudes to/relationship with food as an emotional supression/expression tool. I'm keen to hear others stories so I may learn something from them. I've been on my raw journey for 8 years and am frustrated that I am unable to stick to 100% raw for longer periods of time...rather than taking a dive into disordered eating patterns of binging and purging cooked/junk food. I know how I want to live/eatand have been there at times and living the dream and then something happens and I shatter my dream and end up back in my nightmares again and again!

Ivan, love your idea of living. Not particularly practical for anyone who's a parent with young children. I'm  breastfeeding mum...so wherever I go, Bhala goes. I've been breastfeeding for 4 of the last 6 years so it doesn't leave much time for getting away alone!

what's with the issue with Harley Sweetpea?! If someone pushes your buttons that much that your deluding that other people may be him, then I'd be takinga goo dlook at yourself and your responses....coz ain't no one elses problem but your own.

my life is a routine and i hate it.

yup...that's my gut! If only i could make my gas production a profitable enterprise

I have IBS and raw makes all the difference and when i'm living the 80/10/10 lifestyle my bowel is at it's best. mix fats (nuts/seeds/avo) with sweet fruit and I can produce enough gas to power a hot air balloon

We'll be there. But could i suggest we make it at Nthy St  Farm...where the markets are as i've been planning on hosting a regular Sunday Raw Picnic at the farm...starting round 10:30-11am so that market people can come. There are now several raw food stalls at the markets and I figure it's a good way to get the raw lifestyle out there to people. I'm thinking fortnightly picnics and the 11th would be a good day to kick them off. 

Oops, sorry A5, I assumed you were in Oz

I hear you Erthmum! I too took full responsibility for my body, baby and birth by freebirthing. A big challenge and I've learned a LOT from it but ultimately I'm glad for those lessons as I've grown so much from them. And I'm the same with my health...if it's to be, it's up to me! BUt there are a hell of a lot out people out there who DO NOT WANT the responsibility of even taking care of themselves. I think it stems from the way we were parented and from institutionalised schooling. Trust those in authority! Don't think for yourself! Don't step outta line! Do as you're told! Etc...

Scary really I think...

i reckon i'm too low on greens!

Hmmm, brain is ticking! I'd love to come see the place. And i know someone who'd be VERY interested. I'll email you his details...and vice versa.

Thanks for the plug Jen

And please remember me when you funksters are all getting together on the coast in January...i'll bring the fruit!!