does anyone know?

[brittany]

about whats wrong with my period. I have been eating raw for 2 months and havent gotten my period. Its really annoying because every time I have a problem now my family all says its because you are eating raw! Oh.. i have a headache.. ohh thats probably because your barely eating anything and then im like i eat a lot!! just because Im raw doesnt mean i dont eat anything and then also i have been getting bad stomachaches with diarreah and now there like maybe because your eating to much raw foods? im so confused. My mom also complains that leafy greens dont give me protein and definetely not as much as meat would. Im 16 so thats why I am having a hard time with my family and all and them putting in all there opinions. Nothing else is really bothering me except about my period though because I have been bloated for so long and I always break out on my period and i am breaking out and bloated but now i am bloated and covered in acne but I am still not getting my period and I know if things keep coming up my parents are going to try to force me to eat on a regular S.A.D diet or send me to a doctor or something. Yes my parents are crazy. I cant really explain to them why the diet is good etc.etc. because I have the books to tell me Im just not a good explainer.

[Lunar*Fey]

Hey Brittany,
I turned 15 in April and just wanted to let you know I have similar issues with family. I can definately relate. Except, on top of that I also have these issues with a doctor and therapist on a regular basis.
About your period, did you lose any weight or are you trying to gain or just want to stay as you are? If you lost a lot of weight I've heard it can cause you to lose your period. But I was wondering this too. I FEEL like I have my period right now and well there hasn't been any blood but there was a little mucus-ish thing in my urine. I don't know if this means anything. I asked my doctor and she said she is almost positive you cannot ovulate without bleeding because according to her bleeding is a sign of normal ovulation. She is going to ask her sister (who is a specialist or something in that area) to make sure. So if anyone has any information on this I'd be happy to hear it as well.

best of luck Brittany, and I hope your family comes around :)

[brittany]

aww thanks. im glad im not the only one going through this.. i have the mucusy thing to but i am trying to loose weight.. i started out 136 and now I am 128.. i have a lot of fat though.. everyone says im anorexic because i think i have weight to loose!! but they really dont see my body.. i have a lot of cellulite in my upper thighs .. and i have a poochy stomach. I am doing the diet because I feel good to but I want to loose weight to you know? well thanks for the support.
brittany

[brittany]

but is it unhealthy to not get your period on this diet.. am i doing something wrong?

[Dimond]

Supposedly it's healthier to not get your period. I'm hoping mine disappears someday. Here are some links:
http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/menstruation.htm
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10144
http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?2,5220
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14742

[brittany]

thanks for those links they were helpful. i agree with everything i just dont get how im ever going to not be bloated or get rid of my pimples w.out my period because this always happens but then I usually get my period after but right now its just been a month of pimples and torture. My face was clear and I got a lot of compliments the first month but then all of a sudden my face started to get worse

[EmeraldGlow]

It's nice to meet you! :) I know what you mean about the whole family thing. I'm 18, but my journey for raw foods started when i was 16. Infact thats when i joined this board! (i think...lol) My mom wasn't so happy about me not eating meat when i told her and she was skeptical about me doing 100% raw for a while too! She just tries to sneak in why it's good to eat a lil meat here and there, but i just respectfully toss it aside her advice in my head. ;) Lol. And when you say you have a headache and they tell you it's probably because you are eating raw foods it IS probably because you are eating raw and it's cleaning you out! Detox is a funny thing. ;) As for the period thing, someone else has already posted the article i was going to post! Lol It's all really good info!

Explaining this stuff to my mom was a really tough one for me but i came to realize that i can't change her, or anyone else for that matter. So, i just do what i know is good for me and it's gotten alot better around here! I hope the whole family sitch gets better for you!!!

::: :D :::

[EmeraldGlow]

thanks for those links they were helpful. i agree with everything i just dont get how im ever going to not be bloated or get rid of my pimples w.out my period because this always happens but then I usually get my period after but right now its just been a month of pimples and torture. My face was clear and I got a lot of compliments the first month but then all of a sudden my face started to get worse

It sounds like detox!! Your cleansing!! I've read here somewhere (can't rememeber where) that ppls skin clears up and then out of no where it gets all pimpley but it passes. Just be patient! Happy cleansing! ;)

[Brianna]

I never have my period when I eat all raw, but I still ovulate. When I ate cooked food after being all raw for a while, I got my period the next cycle. I was still ovulating all along though. Now that I'm back on all raw, I have no blood. I was worried about it at first, but I talked to Anna Maria Clement about it (she's Brian Clement's wife and co-director of Hippocrates Health Institute) and she said that having blood is a sign of toxicity and when she was 100% raw she had no blood. She told me that my hormones are very strong though and that I am still fertile. Actually, it is interesting to note that most wild animals have no blood, or if they do, it's only a couple times a year and a very small amount. Victoras Kulvinskas writes about the whole issue in his book Survival in the 21st Century. Medical doctors don't understand this though because they are used to dealing with people on the SAD. All the standards are set by the average person, including what is normal for weight, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, etc. Doctors arent' used to dealing with the bodies of raw foodists!

[Gosia]

I think that one needs to disitnguish between not getting period and not ovulating. It's true that the amount of bleeding is believed to be associated with the level of toxicity in the body, and it is also true that some long-term female raw foodists, in particular those who eat very simply, may not experience bleeding at all. This however does not mean that they do not ovulate. They continue to ovulate, but they do not bleed. Ovulating without bleeding afterwards is also known to be experienced by some non-raw females.

I'm not sure whether it is possible to cleanse one's body from toxins within two months only. I wonder whether the change in your body is simply the reaction to the change in diet. Perhaps your body is adjusting, and the change that you are experiencing is temporary.

As long as you feed your body well, there should be no problem. As your body is still a young, growing body, it is important to give it plenty of nutrients. Raw food diet is of course the most nutricious of all. :)

Gosia.

[brittany]

thats the thing im scared of though. Im 16 and im doing this by myself so I really dont have enough knowledge to know if I am getting the variety of everything I need in my diet. Like i eat leafy greens in my salad and nuts for protein but I am not sure if thats enough. When I read all of your guys posts you all have green smoothies and green juices and everything when i hate those. I dont know why.

[Gosia]

Brittany, not all of us have geens juices (I don't, for example, they simply have no appeal for me), and you do not have to eat foods that you hate. In fact, if you eat foods you hate, you will be likely to deny yourself the nutrients that your body needs. Why not let your body progress in a suffering-free way. You will find that your taste for foods will change anyway. So, why not let yourself enjoy foods that you love? Make sure that you eat plenty of foods (plenty of calories) that you love. As far as protein, as long as you eat enough foods, you WILL have enough. Protein is in all raw foods you eat. Observe your body, this is the best indicator of whether you are on the right track. If you are feeling great, then you are doing great. However, if you are feeling hungry after a meal, if you are feeling like starving all day, then you are not feeing your body well. By the way, bananas are cheap (well, not in Australia at the moment) and yummy way of increasing the amount of calories you get per day. Some people use fitday.com to check their calories, and you may want to do it too, just to be sure. I recommend that you do it very occasionally though. I believe that it is important not to become obsessive about foods. Instead, having fun with foods, eating when hungry, eating foods that we love, and living our live as well, is a healthy way. Being able to be in tune with one's body and choose appropriate foods without having to rely on intelectual reasoning, is an ability that many raw foodists eventually develop, thankfully.


Gosia

[Lunar*Fey]

It sounds like detox!! Your cleansing!! I've read here somewhere (can't rememeber where) that ppls skin clears up and then out of no where it gets all pimpley but it passes. Just be patient! Happy cleansing! ;)

Yep! This exact thing happened to me. My skin got so clear and beautiful and then suddenly tons of pimples. (well tons for me anyway). they are just now starting to clear up a bit.

Also Brianna, how can one tell if they are ovulating?? My doctor said we could do an ultrasound...but is there any way to tell on your own? right now I simply FEEL like I am ovulating...like I just know somehow. But of course, I could be wrong. Strange thing is that around the same time last month I felt the same way. hmm I don't know.

brittany,
I have the same fears. In fact, I know that I eat a huge amount of sugar lately. And I used to like green smoothies, but now I can't stand them and have been afraid that I may not be absorbing the nutrients from the salads. For some reason I just like eating all my foods plain too. (I do like banana ice cream and sprouted buckwheat mixed with fruit and very simple salads)I have tried recipes and usually love the taste but I tend to feel sick. Right now for instance, I strongly feel as if I am going to throw up and it is horrible. I don't like lentil sprouts or most other sprouts that I have tried either. I try very hard to like them but end up feeling EXTREMELY sick for the rest of the day after I eat them...yet they are supposed to be so good for you. It makes me worry that my body is missing out on sometihng, and yet even if I tried to I simply cannot stomach them.

Gosia,
"I believe that it is important not to become obsessive about foods. Instead, having fun with foods, eating when hungry, eating foods that we love, and living our live as well, is a healthy way. Being able to be in tune with one's body and choose appropriate foods without having to rely on intelectual reasoning, is an ability that many raw foodists eventually develop, thankfully."
--wow that is so wonderful. In fact, you have perfectly described some of my main goals. I hope to someday (SOON! lol) be able to do all these things naturally and live at peace with my body and mind. I just wanted to say I really respect you Gosia :)

[brittany]

yes.. i have thosee same fears. but also not to be weight upsessed.. but i eat about a 900-1,000 calories a day. I never started not being hungry on this diet but i exercise an hour a day is it possible to loose weight eventually by doing this or no because im eating more than im burning off?

[gatorgrrl]

[QUOTE=Gosia]
I'm not sure whether it is possible to cleanse one's body from toxins within two months only. I wonder whether the change in your body is simply the reaction to the change in diet. Perhaps your body is adjusting, and the change that you are experiencing is temporary Gosia.[/QUOTE)

I have been raw a little over 20 days or so. I did not have my period this month and I thought maybe I was pregnant, but I was not. I for the first time didn't have my usual cramps and period, but I did have tender breast, bloating, and tiredness. I don't know what to think of that??? I have been transitioning for 2 1/2 years and in that time I was high raw about 8 months. During that time I had a miscarriage and then I had a period for 4 1/2 months solid and in April I had a d & c due to severe bleeding for over 6 months solid.

I would love everyone's thoughts on this? Was my bleeding maybe a form of detoxing?

The doctor said I had hyperplasia w/precancer (atypia) and cystistic ovarean syndrome. After my D&C my doc put me on birth control which I took for a month and then I started back on my raw diet and this would have been my first period second period since my D&C. My last period I bleed for 11 days.

thoughts?

[Conscious Midwife]

Stress good orbad can change your cycle

Diet changes can change your cycle

PREGNANCY can eliminate your cyle

[Gosia]

Brittany, I don't think that 900 calories per day this is enough at all. Maybe for some old folks (like myself) who may have plenty to get rid off and do not grow, it would be fine sometimes. But you are still growing, your body is still developing, your brain is still changing, and so you need the vital nutrients.

If you are trying to lose weight, you will not achieve that by starving your body. In fact, your body will go into defense mode, and lower its metabolism, making it impossible for you to lose weight. It is possible to even put on weight while eating less calories. The best way to healthy and beautiful body is to nourish your body with raw foods. You can be sure to achieve beautiful body on raw, while eating plenty of foods. Yes, if you are overweight, you will lose excess weight, simply by eating the right foods (raw). All your body (skin, hair) will become more beautiful on raw. I've seen some amazing after photos of very young women, who simply glow. All they did was: they went raw.

What I am trying to emphasize here is that you can relax, and enjoy, and still achieve fantastic results. In fact, the results are just the side effect. There is no need to do anything, but enjoy the foods. :)

Gosia.

[Gosia]

Lunar*Fey, I'm glad my words resonated with you. I respect you too. It's good to be able to learn from each other. :p

Gosia

[Gosia]

Hi gatorgrrl,

I believe that the toxicity of one's lifestyle is the main cause that leads to things like growths, tumors and cancer. This is nothing surprising, considering that, for example, the amount of carcenogenic toxins in a colon of a cooked foodist is extremely high, compared to a raw foodist (according to a published scientific paper). Myself, I have suffered from cystosis on my head, and had one such cyst srugically removed. These cysts appeared on my head in my 20s, which makes sense to me. At that point in time, I had been eating cooked foods for 20 years! As people age, they observe more and more problems of this nature. My guess is that the percentage of people with various types of growths is much higher amongst elderly, which makes sense too, because they've been living unhealthily for much longer. I also believe that by changing one's diet it is possible to reverse the process. Stories of people cured from cancer are well known amongst raw foodists. I also remember reading on vegsource forum posts by women who experienced cysts disapearing from their breasts. To me that fact that I still have some small cysts on my head is the sign that I have not fully detoxed yet. Of course I haven't. I've been raw for only about 3 years, with some relapses during that time, and I was cooked for nearly 40 years. So, I know that I have a little while to go yet. But I am optimistic. I am also optimistic about your situation. I think that you've done very well to change your lifestyle and stick with it. I believe that you will overcome your health issues. :) I do not see why the type of problem that you have, could not be overcome with raw foods. In fact I read on one website (I had to educate myself a little about the topic ;) ) that cystistic ovarean syndrome can be helped with the change of diet.

After observing my cycles for many years, I can now tell the apporximate time when I ovulate. The usual signs are tenderness and slightly enlarged breasts and slight pressure in my tummy. Also, on the day of ovulation, my libido increases dramatically. I wonder whether what you experienced was ovulation without bleeding?

Yes, I agree with you that bleeding is detoxing.

Also, may I mention that when I was in my early 20s, I had very irregular cycles, and one doctor diagnosed me with underdeveloped whatever and insisted that I had to take some hormons or I would never be able to have kids. I refused and he kept insisitng, but I said "No". If I knew his address I would send him a photo of my two kids (each conceived straight away, once the decision to have a child was made). :D

Sincerely,
Gosia.

[dreamrawalwz]

I completely believe that bleeding is a detox process. It isn't natural. It's "normal" now a days, but definitely not natural. When I was cooked I was SOOO toxic and on overload that my body wouldn't detox and have my usual period. It wasn't until the WEEK I went raw I had a normal period and many other detox symptoms, but havn't had it in the past three months. All of which I've been 100% raw.

[Brianna]

Lunar*Fey
I know when I am ovulating because I have a mucousy discharge and I can tell that I am fertile. I have heightened sexual desires, etc.