not thrilled

[catherinethegreat]

Hi all - I felt I should post this here instead of just in my journal - so I can get some much needed feedback.

I've been feeling sluggish and depressed the past few days after experiencing a very high first 4 days raw. Today is day 8 for me - and I am still the same weight I was on day 3. I'm so puffy I just can't stand it anymore.

I'm so bothered by it that I don't want to go anywhere or do anything!

But I am going to go for a walk today and go to the library and pick up some books that are on hold for me. I know the fresh air will do me good.

I've decided after reading on this board about the master cleanse - that I'm going to do that for a week to cleanse even more. I'm hoping that it will jump start my cleansing process.

It's just a bit dissapointing to read that others that are new are dropping pounds and I'm 100% raw and not losing anything.



:mad:


Any thoughts - or helpful tid bits are welcome!


I decided after eating 2 slices of the date nut torte that Jerry should bring that in to his work so I don't eat any more of it. And to not eat anything with nuts in it for a while. Just go back to eating my salads and energy soups and veggies like I did the first few days. It's so boring - but it may help me feel better.

I'm not going to quit as I'm doing raw for more then just losing the weight.

but would love to hear any ideas to help me through.

Thanks a million!

;)

*catherine

[Rawmommie]

Hang in there Catherine! I had some pretty low, dull, blah days when I first went raw and occasionally if I have too many nuts. Your body has to adjust and cleanse itself. It takes time. I eat more fruit when I'm feeling low energy and it seems to help. We're here if you need us!

Karen

[catherinethegreat]

Feels good to know it's normal to feel BLAH the first few weeks. I was feeling so filled with energy in the beginning that it caught me off guard that I've got the blues.

I've been afraid of fruit! I know it sounds funny but I think becaue I've eated low carb diets for so long - the sugar content scares me!!!!

I do have some oranges here so maybe this morning I"ll have one for breakfast and see how that goes!

Thanks for the advice!!!

xoxoxox
*catherine :)

[Rawkinlocs]

Awww Catherine...it'll get better, just try to hang on. I, too, had "blah" days when first doing 100% raw. Low energy, digestion problems, low energy. But lately I've been feeling better and better.

Some get that great feeling right away, some after a week or so...some lose weight right away, others after a while.

I DO believe that having a lot of nuts might contribute to lack of weight loss and the sluggishness...BUT, I also feel that sometimes lots of nuts and/or nut-heavy dishes are also important the first week or so of transistion for SOME in order to get that "full" feeling we're accustomed to and to help avoid eating other things.

I agree with Rawmommie about the fruit and also up your greens intake. Maybe a smoothie in the morning with baby spinach blended in with it or fresh apples juiced with greens or even a salad. Try that and see if things improve.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Jay]

Catherine,

it's almost normal I think to feel down and blah from time to time, I still have those kind of days (in fact, I'm having one today and also yesterday, but did eat a bit of non-raw stuff so might just be that) and although I've dropped weight, my skin is still awful!! I'm 6months far in the whole raw thing, but I still have blah days and all, so please don't worry about it too much!!
If you only eat things you consider boring, try adding a little more variety or check this board or others for interesting recipes (I'm one to talk, I don't have much imagination when it comes to prepping raw food, but check around okay).
Also, it's wintertime and remember that during the winter a lot more people are having a hard time staying raw, it's so much easier during the summer, with all the great types of fruit around and the sun and you go outside more...
A juicefast or MC might help you, look into it and decide for youself.
As toxins are released, they get back in the bloodstream and might affect your overall state of wellbeing and your appearance... it will pass, honestly, but you just have to go through this phase where you don't look your best and don't feel your best either... I wish my skin looked a lot better as well, but people know I'm going through my phase of transitioning right now, they accept me for who I am, not just because of my appearance or my puffy zitty face, lol, okay??

Good luck and keep writing in your journal and ask questions, we are here for you!!!!!

Joke

[glad_2beme]

hang in there - we all know how you feel...me too, I am desperate to loose weight and I did when I juiced but now I am not, I have fibromyalgia and I can say that I am now WALKING, it was such a feat before, so I am improving and maybe the weight will too. You can too!!!!

[Allison]

I completely understand being discouraged about not losing weight. I think the best advice I can give is to just keep doing what you know is right, and the weight will eventually come off. The whole time I have been eating this way (about four years) I never lost more than two pounds a week. Now I could have gotten discouraged and said, "Forget it." But I look at it this way, next year is going to come around whether I eat right or not. Why not just eat right and at even one pound a week, by this time next year, you would be 52 pounds lighter. If I had given up, then I would still be the same weight I was. I'm so much happier with myself that I stuck with it. Yeah, I wish it hadn't taken quite so long, but this way, it has become a habit, a way of life.

If you are thinking of doing the MC or fasting just to lose weight, then you might want to rethink that. People usually gain their weight back after the fast. Just stick with what you know is right. It will work; it just may not be immediate.

Allison

[Sharon in Colorado]

Catherine, what are you eating/drinking?


...

...


If you are eating a lot of dense low-water foods, you'll need supplemental water :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

The whole time I have been eating this way (about four years) I never lost more than two pounds a week. Now I could have gotten discouraged and said, "Forget it." But I look at it this way, next year is going to come around whether I eat right or not. Why not just eat right and at even one pound a week, by this time next year, you would be 52 pounds lighter. If I had given up, then I would still be the same weight I was.

Allison, I love that! You can use that with anything. Imagine sticking with this way of eating and other health challenges slowly dissolve and dissapear in a years' time. Just imagine! :)

It never ceases to amaze me how encouraging people are on this site!

[catherinethegreat]

I went on a walk to the library ( which was closed because of MLK day! ) and when I returned I found all of your amazing encouragement!

Thank you Alisson, Sharon, Jay, Rawkinlocs,and glad_2beme!

I figured the library was closed to remind me to not take everything so darn seriously!!!

My diet has been:

Alissa's first week of recipes
I tried carol Alt's hummous but made it with sprouted garbonzo's instead - but threw it out after one tasting.
I love the mock slamon pate
and I love making veggie nori rolls
and zucchini with bazil tomatoes olive oil and a little celtic sea salt.
Mainly green foods. no fruits accept for lemons for the juice on salads.

Not drinking enough water. It's the only think I drink - but lately I've not been doing enough of that. SO I pulled out a gallon of spring water and am sipping on that today...to see how far I can get !

I agree with Alisson that the MC was only really to drop pounds - and I will need to re-think that. I just weened myself off od all my medications including antidepressants that were used to help with anxiety for a car accident I was in a few years ago. No more anxiety - but I bet ya it's causing a lull in my mood to bnot have it in my system anymore. I'm still weening off another antidepressant - and if I go to fast off that one - I feel horrible so going slow. That is the last medication I'm taking - and I'm glad to be lowering the dosage - but I'm sure that changing my diet and weening myself off of steroids, t3, antidepressants, are all factors in my mood.

I've been wanting to quit my business and just go rollerblading in santa monica and eat raw. (!!!) Maybe instead of being so extreme - I can plan a rollerblading trip next weekend in Santa Monica and that may help!!!!!

anyhow - I'm going to go make lunch. I'm dyin for that zucchini dish!

and I'll get more water in and just take it easy on myself the rest of the day!

I'm grateful to have you all here with me on this journey - for the ups and the downs! I'm not real good about expressing the down days. My ego wants to only share the good stuff!!!

I'm already feeling better then I was this morning. Thanks for all your feedback.

anyhow - I'm off to have a better day!

xoxoxoxo!

*catherine



:)

[Sweet lips]

Oh, Catherine, I am sorry that you are having a time such as this. While I have had some remarkable changes, weight is not one of them. I'd like to ask if you are drinking enough water to accomodate the amount of food that you are consuming. Are you doing any exercise? These are just a couple of things you may wish to consider.

[Curtis]

Hi Catherine so many new people, welcome glad you are here. :)
The advice everyone gave is right on, remember we didn't put extra weight on ourselves overnight it came on gradually day by day. So it will come off day by day as we are patient with ourselves. My advice to you is add some fruit to your diet, the health benefits of eating fruits and veggies everyday is amazing. Also don't be afraid to try some of Alissa's great dessert recipes, lol the blueberry pie was so good I ate half of it for one meal. :)
Use her recipes to stop cravings you have for certain things which is better eating that than the unhealthy version even if the weight takes awhile to come off. Let me give you an example. I have always loved pizza and every few weeks I crave it. What do I do? On the way home grab the ingredients for raw pizza, Alissa's or someone else's and make a batch instead of giving in to buying a pizza.
Just give yourself time and the weight will come off. :)

[SimplyRawesome]

Catherine,

I did not lose weight right away; however, I didn't go raw to lose weight so I wasn't watching for it either. After 3 months of 90-95% raw I suddenly realized my jeans were falling off of me. I think it hit me in the third month. Mind you, I did not have a scale at that time either so I wasn't watching the weight.

This is what I did my first three months.

Breakfast was 16 oz. of juiced carrots, celery, a wedge of beet and sometimes either kale or romaine or apple.

If I got hungry between breakfast and lunch, I had my favorite snack of sliced banana, raw amond butter and dates. THis gave me a "full" feeling and also helped me to get through the sugar withdrawals. ANother snack I'd munch on was baby carrots.

Lunch: Protein Smoothie consisting of frozen banana, about 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 avocado, 1/2" slice of pineapple, about 10 cashews and 5 almonds, 1 TBS of coconut oil, 3-4 dates, 10 oz. juiced fuji apple.

Dinner: Salad with Flaxseed oil and juice of 1/2 lemon, sea salt and pepper. Also added parsley and italian seasoning.

I don't know if this would work for you as we are all different, but thought I'd share it with you at least to give you an idea. Walking helps a lot too, so the walk to the library was excellent.

Hang in there. It will happen - maybe sooner - maybe later, but Allison's advice is so true.

[catherinethegreat]

Curtis and Nutrimom - I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to swing by and say a few words about your experience!

I truly appreciate it so much.

I know that the mood will change - and that the weight HAS to come off - at some point - and I am not in charge of WHEN - all I am in charge of is how I treat myself and body threw out the day... :)

I just bought the scale when I started the challenge so I could record my starting weight - and now find myself on it every day.

I think it's time to hide it from myself and stick to eating healthy because I know it's the right thing for my body mind and spirit and not because I need to look the way I did in high school within a week of eating raw! My expectations are what's making me feel so horrible!~

I am the type of person that is ALL or NOTHING. So it's very hard for me to just be patient - and in the moment - and know that it will all work out in the end. But this is the test for me.

The 30 day challenge for me is way more then what I eat - it's about staying off the scale and creating a gorgeous life - like the one I daydream about.

thank you so much for the advice and support!

xoxoxo!
*Catherine :)

[Joopie]

Hey, Catherine!

Hang in there, you are doing great! I'm an all or nothing person too... and that is a hard thing regarding raw. We have to be gentle with ourselves through the transition and be happy with every little bit of progress... and like you said... lower our expectations. It does make it a much more pleasant journey that way as well. :)

Remember, that you might not lose weight right away because your body might be repairing and healing things you didn't even know were wrong! Nora (http://www.rawschool.com ) didn't lose an ounce of weight for the first 5 months of being raw, but she regained her health and her ideal weight in time. I hear you with being unexplainedly down during detox, too... toxins being released back into our systems do such strange things!

As for the Master Clenase, you might want to wait until you are transitioned and mentally prepared to do it. It will make you detox a lot faster and feel much worse than you do just eating raw. Maybe get some of the toxins out by just being raw for a while before you fast... then you won't feel so bad when you do it. You lose weight quickly in most cases, but you will gain at least half of it back. Fasting is more for healing than weight loss... and I would think it would be much harder to stay on a fast if weight loss were the only goal- fasting is a challenge! The weight loss is a nice extra bonus, though! I just did the MC for two weeks and am getting ready to start it again... if you ever need any help with it when you start it, let me know!

Best wishes to you!!!
Julie :D

[monkeyboy]

Hi Catherine,


The blahs are a part of the first few weeks of raw. As we've all attested it's going to happen. What's happening is truly normal. It passes.

I encourage you not to weigh yourself everyday. It's like watching paint dry.

Try jumping on the scale once a week. Nurtimom is correct, you'll just feel the pounds come off ever so slightly.

I too went raw to feel better, not to really loose weight. Obviously the weight came off, but it was gradual.

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars as Kasey Kasem would say. So silly.

I wish you the best oh great one.


Peace,

M.B.

[catherinethegreat]

Hi Julie - Thanks for the great link to Rawschool.com!

Read her story and it reminded me why I went raw.

Can't wait to start reading the books I am waiting on at the library about raw food! I think it will help to get me off the " pity pot " and into action - when I'm more concerned about education - eating raw - and exercise ..

thank you so much!

*c :)

[FEELIN'GOOD]

HI Catherine- I laughed when you said you were afraid of fruit because of the low carb 'rules' of the game- that's exactly me! I am not a big fruit eater at all- I never have, and after being part of the low carb craze, my phobia is worse than ever! But today, I have to say that I felt 100% better because I had apple slices all morning and didn't eat anything else until 1pm. I feel your pain with feeling sluggish- it is no fun to be working at this so hard and not see the result of endless energy, but it will come. Nuts were a small problem for me- I did feel very bloaty eating recipes with lots of nuts- now I am trying to eat more fresh veggies and adding fruit slowly- Try adding the fruit in the morning like a few have already suggested- I think that may be the trick for me, so maybe it will work for you too :D Good luck- stay strong!

[Curtis]

Okay Feelingood add a banana smoothie to that apple. :D Better yet try banana/orange/blueberries with water or for extra zip add almond milk. :)

[catherinethegreat]

Curtis - you are crackin me up -

just the word banana makes me squirm!


I bet feelin'good had the same reaction!!!!

I did however - have an orange today and it made me pretty darn happy!

and tonight I had the pad thai and it called for some orange juice so there you go - more fruit tonight as well!

ahhhhhh. feeling better all around.

Putting the scale away - eating more fruit - reading support from the group - and taking a big deep breath.

thanks!!!!!

[star]

Catherinethegreat,

Everyone is dead on so the only thing I feel a need to add is that you might have been the one who actually took the time to express your feelings about raw and the lack of immediate weight loss but I am here to tell you that there are lot more of us who feel or have felt the same way. I read every single post and felt like everyone was speaking directly to me. So, I want to thank you for initiating this post. Let's hang in there !!!!

I too want to do a fast at some point but I am going to try and wait until the Spring. Maybe we will be ready for one at the same time. We can do a little Spring cleaning together...LOL.

[SimplyRawesome]

Catherine and Feelingood,

Keep in mind that all those "diets" out there and all those rules about carbs are based on a "cooked" food diet. Eating raw is totally different from eating cooked. I would try to forget all the "rules" of eating cooked and enjoy all the raw food. Before going raw, I could not eat cantaloupe, tomatoes, oranges or honeydew melon because I learned that they "caused" mucous. Guess what?!! I can eat all of it now with no problem because my body has and is detoxing itself of mucous. It was not those foods that were "causing" the mucous, but drawing it out!

In the beginning, when I ate raw foods which consisted of mostly nuts, I'd bloat. DIdn't realize why I was bloating until now!! But I've been eating the date-nut torte for the past few days and no bloating.:)

So, our bodies need to heal from the years of damage done to it by the SAD. Don't get wrapped up in the rules (obstacles) of the SA "Diets", enjoy the raw food - including FRUITS!!! - and let it heal you.

Suggestion ... keep your mind occupied ... read as many books on raw foods as you can. They may not all agree with eacother, but think of the vast wealth of knowledge you will gain that will allow you to help yourself, but also to become helpful to others. Just a thought.

Let's go BANANAS!!! :D Oh! And Curtis' smoothie is ... SLURP!!! ... SCRUMPTIOUS!!! ;)

[catherinethegreat]

I can't believe how much love came my way after that initial post! WOW!

Star - You are so funny ! So glad you wrote! WE must talk more during the journey and give ourselves permission to try to be patient!!

And thatnks nutrimom for more info on fruit. It's true I'm afraid of bananas - it sounds so hilarious to read that! Like - what are they going to do to me - jump out at me in the middle of the night?!?! :eek: lol!

I am going to try some smoothies this week that ...gulp....have BANANAS in them.

Thank you!
:D
Hope you all have an incredible Day today!

[sweetgoddess]

WE LOVE YOU CATHERINE THE GREAT!!!!!! ;)

[catherinethegreat]

THANK YOUUUUUUU!!!!!!!Thank YOUUUU!!!!XOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!!!

Love youuuuu toooooooooo!

[MaxMarie]

I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. This is just such a long thread and I'm trying to hurry.

Catherine, there doesn't seem to be much energy in your foods. Only double sugars are carbs. Bananas, Dates, Pineapple, Carrot. Try berries!

You see, fats are your slow burning energy and sugar is your fast burning energy. Our society is so busy with the brain washing. Fats are bad. Carbs are bad. Nah... It's our "over kill" society that's bad.

I'm a high energy person so I need a LOT of fuel. I gave up my car years ago. I walk and bike a lot and take public transporation. My raw diet is high in nuts, avocado and mushrooms. I love marinated portobellos.

Everyone's body is different. Ya kind of have to get a little scientific. Analyze what kind of person you are. Do you need slow burning fuel? (fat) Do you need quick bursts of fuel? (sugar)

YUM!

[FEELIN'GOOD]

Okay Curtis- I did the smoothie thang! Yum! I did banana, apple, orange, and raspberries with ice. It was really good! I think I rather eat them that way, because I just don't ever see myself feasting on a fruit salad- drinking them is the way to go for me! Thank you for reminding me about that option- whenever I think of smoothies, I always thought of 'too fatting' and felt as if I were drinking a milk shake! I need to change this crazy mind to know that fruit=good, not fruit=fat butt :D

Thank you!
And I do, definitly notice the energy boost from the fruit all morning- I think this is my answer! I have done so much this morning already! I feel really clear and awake! Not hungry at all :D

[Sharon in Colorado]

Maxmarie,

I know there are so many differing opinions on sweet fruits. Lots of people do wonderful on a lot of sweet fruits. You may want to check out http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html there is a FAQ on the top right corner as well as some very interesting discussions on fruit vs. fat.

Not saying that one thing is good or better for every body, but plenty of people do great, even better on bananas, pineapple, mangoes, etc. who used to eat a lot of dense and fatty fruits and nuts. I realize that others do better vice-versa.

I believe that our bodies run on carbohydrates, and feeding them proper carbs is very essential. True, the body will convert a carb to a fat or a fat to a carb as needed, but if you feed it lots of good carbs it doesn't need to and gets instant energy. Why do you think Mr. Carrot is dancing?

[SedonaSun]

I, too, am slightly frustrated to see the scale move quite a bit the first week and not at all the 2nd week. I started reading some on liver detoxification and it seems (rough paraphrase here) that after eating right, the liver gets to work right away on cleansing itself of fatty tissue. The fatter we are, the fattier our liver is, too. They said that a fatty liver could take 3-12 months to fully cleanse, but that once that happens, weight loss happens because the liver is then able to process/eliminate the fat instead of store some of it.

Now I sure don't want to wait 3 months to see the scale move again, but if I have to, I have to. I know I'm eating far fewer calories than before, but not starving myself so logically, weight "should" be coming off. However, I do see a list of other good things happening in only 2 weeks (listed in my journal) so I know raw is working. I know that on any other diet, if this had happened, I'd be discouraged and go back to SAD eating, but I'm not depressed over it, which is another positive sign.

For the rest of you who experience this weight plateau early on, try listing out all the other progress you see, even the littlest things. It wasn't until I started listing them in my journal that I kept thinking of more and more.

[catherinethegreat]

this is a good point - I have actually GAINED weight in the first 2 weeks of this challenge so I'm not happy about that at all.

The ONLY positive change is my nails....

I have a rash on my face taht won't go away -
and I'm exhausted.

The positive thing is that I've met some great people on this board!

I was told my puffiness is form the steroids my doctor put me on and even though I weened myself off of them my body is still holding on to the water.

So I've decided to do the Master Cleanse - starting today to help clean out my body from that mess.

Also got a Y membership and will be going everyday - starting Monday.

So we shall see.

*c

[Jennimik]

You know, so many people talk about how the weight just melted off when they started eating raw. I haven't seen that happen either. In fact, I think I lost a mere pound. BUT. . .everything I keep reading talks about the favor we're doing our bodies. The healthier and happier we are, the more our bodies normalize to the weight they are intended to be. Sometimes it's difficult to remember that when you work so hard juicing and sprouting and mashing and mixing, but this is truly such an amazing change. No matter how long the weight issues take to resolve I don't see myself wanting to quit, but I'd also like to wear those jeans hanging in my closet! :D

[catherinethegreat]

Yes - I know what you mean about hte jeans. I have 3 pairs I keep looking at and remembering how easy it used to be to put them on!

Soon enough I will put them on though - I am certain of it!


*catherine