3 days and have questions

[Vegan Princess]

Hi everybody,

I'm wrapping up my 3rd day of all raw and feel lovely so far. :-) I had been vegan for a year so it's probably not as hard as having to give up meat and dairy as well as all cooked food! I just have a couple questions for all you more seasoned veterans.

1) I am having 2 friends visit this weekend, 1 of which will be staying with me. I am just wondering how to address this with her without her thinking I'm crazy.

2) How long does it take for detox symptoms to begin to manifest? I am hoping that I won't have too much detoxing to do since I have been eating pretty cleanly, albeit dead food.

3) Did you find that you thought about food a lot at first? I find myself hauling a ton of food to work b/c I am so afraid of getting hungry. I guess Alissa said this is normal?

That's it for now. I'm so excited to see how this can change me! Thanks for the help!

Cindy

[fiddler]

Don't know that I'm a seasoned veteran or not, but I'd be happy to share my thoughts.

1. Be honest and non-confrontational. Food is a very emotional thing. Best not to discuss food while you're eating it :) So, if you're going to have a discussion about your new found healthy lifestyle, might be better for you to tackle it away from your meal. You want your meal times to be peaceful and enjoyable; not over any kind of debate. Also, be sure to cater to your friends wishes. If they don't want to try your raw meal, be sure to offer them what they want. Don't expect others to necessarily share in your enthusiasm. This kind of social interaction can be challenging. Read "How to win friends and influence people" if you want some great input on interacting with people.

2. Detox symptoms vary from person to person. Some people have little or no detox and others have greater detox. If you feel fine after 3 days, you may not even experience any detox; especially if you've been eating healthy vegan as you mentioned.

3. That was my experience for the first 3 months. I unhealthily thought too much about food. But, looking back I would have done things a little differently. If I could go back, I wish I would've learned more about the simple low-fat raw vegan approach. But, hind-sight is always clearer. It is always better to be well prepared like what you're doing with hauling food to work. The more your resolve and commitment solidify, the easier things become all-around.

Anyway, my $.02. Hope it helps.
Cheers,
Gil

[Raw Magwene]

Yup. totally normal to think about food all the time at first (for me, at least). It's cause now you make everything you eat, there is no more mindless eating possible. I think it's natural be aware of food all the time at first. I think it's cause we're afraid of scarcity. In your own time you will find what you need, when, and how much.

When I first went raw, I didn't have any dramatic detox symptoms. My stomach got kind of confused, and I was pretty irregular for about 2 weeks, but then everything just cleaned out and got moving and was not terribly uncomfortable. I was doing a lot of Bikram yoga at the time, so I think the sweating and heat and drinking 150oz of water every day helped.

Victoria Boutenko writes about detoxing some serious DDT or something from her body that she absorbed as a child several years (I think) after going raw. I personally feel that there are also emotional and psychological issues involved with letting go all the toxicity in our bodies, and that the eating does a lot, but not everything.

I am newly recommited to raw (this past week!) and this time I am having a little more detox issues...crazy bowel cramping for no evident reason last night. I think my body was just saying THANK YOU for not putting any more crap in me, and cleaning itself out. One thing that happened both times is that I lost a lot of weight really quickly, my swollen abdomen is now not swollen, and I lose inches around my hips and belly really quickly. Also, my muscle tone seems to get better, especially in my legs, my yoga teacher actually noticed a difference between last week and this. I guess these aren't really symptoms, just the awesome benefits of detoxing!

With your visitor, she might surprise you. Some people are just really tolerant and accepting of the positive changes you want to make in your life. What are your eating arrangements/plans? Going out, preparing food at home, going to the market? Do you live in a big city? Or in the styx? Or somewhere in between? Maybe there's a local raw restaurant you can try together? Or a vegan or veggie place that has awesome salads? (even steakhouses can have great salads--just take your own drssing and be sure to be specific with the waiter/ess "dressing on the side" "no cheese" so that you get something you can eat.)

Most of my friends are cool with trying new places when I tell them I just want a big, beautiful salad. I no longer make a point of telling people I'm raw, since I feel like it makes my life more difficult and the label of "raw" can get in the way of them seeing that really it is about positive changes for my health.

That being said, when I first went raw, I was so excited, I wanted to tell everyone and make sure they all tried raw food. A little overzealous, methinks.

I am so happy that you are doing this amazing thing for yourself. Welcome!

[DavidZaneMason]

The above replies are awesome! This board is a great support and resource - and the folks on it are very helpful (myself included).

Answers:

1) People only feel the need to defend their behavior if they are doing the WRONG thing. Just support your friends and family in the way THEY want to eat. Make it clear that you want to do that. THAT is your defense. Make plenty of great fruit, veggie, and salad plates for your guests....or whatever they prefer to eat. It has little to do with you. Your success and happiness will be what models good behavior...not your words.

2) If your diet and lifestyle was healthy...your detox will probably be very light or almost not noticeable - congratualations! Otherwise...you may have individual, lessening episodes at a later time. Accept it all, do not supress symptomology...and you'll do great!

3) Sure! Even long-term raw food guys (like myself) are not immune from 'hoarding' ha! ha! But...better to be TOO prepared. You can always give the extra apples away - you know?

-Keep us informed!

-David Mason

[Vegan Princess]

Thanks guys! I guess I will just stick to salads when we are out and not bring it up. I don't want to deprive her of enjoying some fun meals out since she is on a rare weekend away from her little one and I can eat at veggie places all the time when she is gone.

Raw Magwene - I love Bikram yoga! I don't always love it while I'm doing it, but nothing beats the feeling afterwards! One of my old teachers won the 2006 yoga championships...and he ate totally raw while he trained b/c it makes you more flexible! He's not even vegetarian normally.

Cindy

[Raw Magwene]

ACtually, it was an interview I read with the men's champ from the last competition that made me commit to go all the way raw. I love it. It feels like my body is burning much cleaner fuel when I eat raw than cooked.

To clarify, I don't think it's a bad thing to tell people what you're doing for your health, it just depends on the reaction you think you might get. If she asks you why all you're eating is salads, just be honest. If you have Alissa's book, it has a lot of recipes that are pretty quick and easy. If you have a food processor and a blender, you're in business. How about whipping up some awesome smoothies? Fabulous dressings (I love her creamy italian dressing, but only use 1 C of olive oil and a total of 1 C of lemon juice and a.c.vinegar)

For me, the biggest resistance came from my boyfriend, and it took us (and me) many months to work that out. The other pain in the ass group is total strangers and other people who think that their opinion should really matter to you. I worked with a guy who, upon hearing that I had lost 15 pounds said in a snide manner, "like you had 15 pounds to lose"! I guess he would just find me less challenging to interact with if I was 50 or 60 pounds overweight like him!

Best of luck,
Sara

BTW, what city do you live in, maybe there's a raw place near you? I'll bet your friend would be cool with going someplace where you can both enjoy the food.

[RawMorgan]

I find that, as Alissa states in her book, one of the best things to talk about when people ask you about going raw is to tell them about all the wonderfull things you can eat and create on this diet (as opposed to saying " I can't eat this or that"). It goes over much better, and people see the positive that raw can offer. Also, I'd prepare some "comfort food" for yourself, such as raw ice cream or fudge, so that you won't feel deprived if your friends are eating things that you have given up. Perhaps do raw salads for starters, and then seperate main dishes for each of you. Hope that helps! Morgan