Day 3 and questioning raw living

[macybare]

Okay I am only on day 3 but I have absolutely no energy! Granted I started this because I was feeling pretty unenergetic in the first place. I was hoping I'd feel the effects sooner. Also, I haven't been able to go out and get some of the things I need to make the awesome recipes I've seen so I've been chowing down on lots of fruits and vege's and tons of nuts. Is it still possible to lose weight even though I'm consuming a lot more calories and fat (from the nuts). They keep me satisfied and I love them! I'm hoping to see some kind of benefit soon, but I'll keep going raw.
P>S> Alcohol is totally out right?

[Denise Nicole]

P>S> Alcohol is totally out right?

No, while not recommended. Organic Red Wine with no sulfites added is raw according to Alissa's book.

I prefer Frey. If you can't find it in your area go to http://www.freywine.com

[rawpriestess]

On day three, you are just starting detox, read Alissa's book on detox, and see her first month plan, it really helps.

just know that 3 days raw, and eating lots of nuts, is entirely different than an entire life of eating raw.

Your tastes will change from one thing to another.

[karenisraw]

macybare,

You sound like you are going through what just about everybody goes through when they start raw.

You will feel MUCH MUCH better soon. Try to eat organic if at all possible. If I eat anything not organic, it gives me depression within minutes. I just gave away a half crate of non-organic clemintines to my roomate because I would eat one and get depressed within 3 minutes.

I also had a friend that seemed interested in eating more raw and I told her specifically, "you will most likely feel sick for a day or two and go through detoxing once in a while" and then when it actually happened, she ignore what I told her and gave up because she felt crappy. I said you are detoxing. It will get better in a day or so and then you will feel so great.

Anyway, unfortunately she decided to quit and go back to SAD. By the way she has depression and mood swings which I attribute to SAD and pesticides.

I hope you will stick it out through the detoxing since you know what it is and I will guarantee you will feel soooooo much better.

k
:) :)

[eatyourbroccoli]

regarding your question about calorie/fat intake...

personally, i've seen absolutely no difference between the weight loss on a reduced calorie SAD diet and an unrestricted calorie RAW diet. there have been days..weeks, even..where i've lived off of dates, pecans, avocadoes, and bananas - all of which many SAD diets deem too "fattening" and as foods to be avoided...and i've never seen any weight gain. when i'm completely raw i drop down to a steady 135ish lbs (i'm 5'10) when i'm not exercising, and probably a few lbs lower when i am exercising...despite how much fat or how many calories i consume (and sometimes this number gets up over 2000/day, which..once you begin to adjust more to this diet..you may also think is a lot considering how much raw food must be ingested to reach that amount. once RAW for awhile, your appetite may seem to lessen, as mine has, and your body won't need nearly as much food. maybe! that's just what happened to me.)

in "nature's first law: the raw food diet," they briefly discuss how the caloric intake is a completely misunderstood, if not misfounded, concept of western civilization. it's a good read, i highly suggest it..pretty short, too.

hope this helps a bit..good luck getting through the detox: it's a necessary stage but it'll be worth it!

ashton :)

ps
maybe try bananas and dates? they always provide an ample amount of energy for me, and seem to be easier to digest/work more quickly than nuts (which also are filled with energy)

[jennisilver]

Hi

Just joined here and I've being doing raw foods for a week now.
I tried before last year but gave up very quickly because I wasn't prepared either practically with a variety of food or mentally ready for the change.
I made the mistake of eating too many nuts when I first started and I think they can be pretty hard to digest if you eat lots. I haven't had any nuts this week yet except some raw tahini in a dip and I feel a lot better than the last time I started.
I would suggest you cut down on the nuts and add more fruit and veg in its place. Also if you can get some simple recipes it will add a bit of variety to your diet.
Hope this helps.
Let us know your progress.

Jenny

[lil fairy z girl]

hi, just want to say please don't give up yet. It took me about 4-5 days before I felt any better. It sounds like you are going through some detox. You will see and feel the benefits of raw if you can stick with it and give it a chance.

kind wishes
sal
~*~*~*

[theresaann]

the biggest thing if this is your first time, at least for me, was detoxing, which makes you feel tired and the emotional issues with letting go of cooked. It took me 15 years of false starts to be psychologically ready to go 100%. But, better late than never. Just hang in there. I have a friend who has been raw for 3 months now and is still detoxing with cold symptoms, skin breakouts, low energy, etc, every other week. It takes time, patience and commitment, but it's so worth it!

the thing about alcohol-if you have a problem with it, being raw won't change that. Wine is raw, but it's also addicting. I have quit alcohol because I acknowledged that I am an alcoholic, even if I'm only doing 1-5 glasses a week-it messes me up. I do not believe there is any food value to alcohol, ESPECIALLY for someone whose raw. It's counterproductive. Just my two cents, learned the hard way!! Blessings...

[misslinda]

Okay I am only on day 3 but I have absolutely no energy! Granted I started this because I was feeling pretty unenergetic in the first place. I was hoping I'd feel the effects sooner. Also, I haven't been able to go out and get some of the things I need to make the awesome recipes I've seen so I've been chowing down on lots of fruits and vege's and tons of nuts. Is it still possible to lose weight even though I'm consuming a lot more calories and fat (from the nuts). They keep me satisfied and I love them! I'm hoping to see some kind of benefit soon, but I'll keep going raw.
P>S> Alcohol is totally out right?


Greetins Macy!

So sorry you are struggling with day 3 as you were already feeling blah.

Tons of nuts? In addition to your body making adujustments where feeling tired and fatugued is part of the internal transition, fast does require more work to digest. Are you soaking your nuts?

Do you have Alissa's book which we call the BIBLE :p it outlines importatnt informaiton, she does an excelent job of making it simple. At first you will find yourself eating alot but you will also notice you will taper off from these mass cravings and such. Honestly, do you believe 3 days is enough time for you body,bones,organs,cells,tissue etc to make the raw adjustments? ;)

Sometimes we go into a new cocept with preconceived expectations and when they don't meet what we [thought] it would be, is frustrating. Will you be keeping a journal----We'd love to watch you progress and offer ancouragement when you experience all kinds of great changes! DETOX is rawesome!

BTW, were you drinking alcohol during these 3 days or prior??? :D


YOU CAN DO IT!
ml :)

[RowanC]

Macy, all I can say is "Hang in there!"

You WILL feel better soon.

A few suggestions:

Start making the green smoothie in the mornings. Just remember to use 60 percent ripe organic fruit to 40 percent greens. I've only been doing this a couple of days and I feel energetic already!

I was making plain smoothies for breakfast before, but this is better.
My favorite fruits (and least expensive) to keep around are bananas and pineapples. Yes, a pineapple is expensive, but you can get 5 smoothies out of it... 5 meals.. so divide the cost (here it is $2.99 each) into 5 and it's not so bad. The way I keep my pineapples is this: First, grab ahold of the green stem and TWIST hard. It will come right off. Toss it in the compost heap.

Next, just slice about 3/4 inch off the bottom to get to the meat. Then each day, just slice about 3/4 inch off and stick the rest, cut-side down, in a cereal bowl (glass) in the fridge. It will keep over a week this way. Use a sharp knife to cut the peel awy from the edges. I lay the slice FLAT and do this little by little.

If you buy bananas when they are on sale, you can freeze them. PEEL THEM first, then cut them in halves or quarters. Put them in a zip-lock bag and keep them in the freezer. For a smoothie, I use about 1 and a half bananas.

So, a slice of pineapple, 1 or 1.5 bananas, then maybe some other type of fruit. Trader Joe's has GREAT frozen mango - no preservatives.... just frozen. It's in chunks, great for smoothies. You can also get frozen organic berries and a bag will last a week.

Of course, fresh fruit is best if you can get it. Make SURE it is organic. Pay now or pay later in doctor bills! But if you can't get fresh, then frozen organic is next bst.

For greens, read some of the posts. I got wild nettles from the Farmer's Market this week. They are great in the smoothie. I put in a handful. Yesterday I used collard greens... too hot/spicy for my taste. Kale would be good - maybe 4 leaves - peeled off the stringy stem.

Whip this up and enjoy and feel the energy in 20 minutes!

Good luck!
This is the best choice you've made for yourself in your entire life.

[misslinda]

Also, I haven't been able to go out and get some of the things I need to make the awesome recipes I've seen............



maybe this is the real problem :p wait til you realize that you wish you had a vitamix..........i still dream of one. what things do you plan on getting?

[macybare]

thanks for all the advice, I just wish the whole detox thing didnt take so long as it definently makes me think again if it is worth it. I know it will be in the end but it seems like it can take a really long time. But no i've had no alcohol, b/c i want to do this 100% from day one. If I do something just a little bit I tend to stray. I either have to be one way or the other. However, I 'm going to try the Frey's wine. Thankyou so much for the support though. It helps alot!

[swingbolder]

i hear the excuses all the time but i dont sweat it. just like natural is for me, p.erming is for them. i dont feel the need to explain why im natural, so they shouldnt feel the need to explain why they arent.

Yes, frozen bananas make smoothies so wonderfully creamy.

The only thing I would add about the freezing process. Instead of putting the banana pieces straight into the ziploc and then into the freezer, lay them out on a cookie sheet first and freeze them that way. Then once they're frozen you can put them into ziplocks. That way, the individual pieces are not all clumped together.

[misslinda]

thanks for all the advice, I just wish the whole detox thing didnt take so long as it definently makes me think again if it is worth it. I know it will be in the end but it seems like it can take a really long time.

This reminds me of the saying "no pain no gain."

I really believe our bodies our constantly attempting to detox,cleanse and repair. There are times my "detox" has been so quiet that I don't get any bumps,headaches,dizziness,colds etc but your body is making changes and although you may not [see] or [feel] them, it is truly happening.

I'm really tickled and moved by your eagerness for detox--alot of people are fearful so this is exciting to hear about your experiences Macybare :)

[faith4u]

Ashton,

I wish I had your problem. ;)

I have been all raw for 5 1/2 months and not only haven't lost an ounce but have gained some.

I cannot tolerate the nuts at all whether they are soaked or not.

In fact, the only way I can get my weight to budge is to cut out pretty much all of the fats. Then I get very low on energy too.

[misslinda]

Hey Faith,

I'm really sorry you are having the raw blues.............5 1/2 months?

We'd love to help you!

Can you give us and idea how you eat?

Activity level?

Current health issues?

Meds?

Soaking nuts irritate you?

What changes have you noticed?

BM's?

Water intake?


:)

[faith4u]

MissLinda,

I truly appreciate the help but I have posted all of that information and no one understands why I am not losing.

I am doing all of the above, exercising, nursing a new baby, drinking plenty of water, bowels are good, etc....

Right now I am doing more of Dr. Graham's approach in one last effort before I ditch it and go back to McDougall style eating with high raw. I have eaten that way for 9 years and it worked great. I always thought raw would be a step above that but it isn't quite working like I want it to. There have been benefits but a lot of detoxing etc... too.

[sweetgoddess]

Detoxing IS a benefit though?

[Ginger]

Hey Faith.. I gained on raw also. Was very frustrating! After 6 months of 100% I gave up out of anger that I wasn't losing & went back to SAD of all things (i was very angry at my body). it didn't help & now I wished i'd stayed raw despite gaining because at least I fet better raw.

[misslinda]

Faith,

i'm sorry i do not recall the thread but when you were vegan, did you eat the usual soymilk,tofu or morning star deals? would you like to start another thread so we can pin point this problem even if you decide not to be 100% raw? Anyway that we can ehlp to get you past this.

;)