Energy?

[Dj 247]

I have been eating raw for two weeks. I have not had much detox, except for a headache, one flash of really fierce anger, and two nights of tossing and turning. If in fact those were from detox? But my problem is that I am running out of energy. I can't workout like I use to and find that I am getting tired very easy. At times I feel very weak. Do you think I need to eat more? I added some avocado to my diet for some extra nutrition. What can I do to get my energy back? :confused:

[Veganforlife]

Keep on eating raw. Your body is concentrating on detoxing. Maybe slow down the exercising for a bit...
Green smoothies with spirulina help too! ;)

[Stina]

I just surfaced out of a detox cycle. It was rough. A nap was the best medicine for my body.

[Dj 247]

I don't feel sick at all. I really do not get sick much. (Knock on wood) I just feel low on energy. I always eat romaine lettuce because I think iceberg lettuce is dull tasting. I learned not to eat too many sweet fruits because I get the sugar shakes. I am going to start green smoothies as soon as I get a new blender. My blender cannot do the job. I picked up a single serving of a green super food from GNC and will try it tomarrow.

[mikeshafer]

I'm feeling the same thing. I'm on day 14 of my 100% raw diet (well I'm sure it's like 98% because some things slip through). I feel really really tired despite having a massive salad for lunch including a whole avocado I brought along from home. I just had a fruit parfait from the cafeteria with pineapple, watermelon, and grape, but I still feel like I'm ready to pass out.

True, I've dropped around 15 lbs in 14 days, but unless this miraculous energy burst comes within the next fortnight, I'm going to have to return to a regular diet so I can stay awake.

Is it possible this is just detox? It's rough. I've been an omnivore my entire life so it's quite a change of pace going 100% raw.

[Sharon in Colorado]

What have you been eating?

[RawNnyc]

Don't quit RAW!!!! I can tell you, I just went through this part. The first 2 and a half weeks I felt like shit. Like I wasn't really awake anymore. Then Saturday, I had a WHOLE DAY of horrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible detoxing. Body aches and everything. Sunday I woke up, and energy is back. I'm even sitting in front of my space heater at work (it's fridged in here) and I'm STILL SUPER AWAKE! :D :D

Now I'm just waiting for the real benefits........like health issues to go away!:rolleyes:

[mikeshafer]

Breakfast:
1 apple
1 orange
1 larabar walking to the bus

Lunch:
huge salad (romaine lettuce, some iceberg, carrots, onion, cucumber, raisins, cherry tomatoes, pepper, olive oil + balsamic vinegar, 1 full avocado)

Post-Lunch:
1 larabar
1 fruit parfait (watermelon, pineapple, grapes)

Around 4:30 I'll probably snack on a larabar on the way home

For dinner I'll probably have a cucumber, some strawberries, some grapes, some celery, a little bit of raw honey, and an orange. I haven't really enjoyed the raw dinners yet or had the time to prepare them, so overall I've just been eating raw fruits.

I'm really curious if it's a lack of food or the detox that's causing this sleepiness (or both?). RawNnyc's post about not quitting is good to see, so I'll hold the line until then.

I guess this leads me to my next question: what's it like going from detox to fully raw? How will I expect to feel with all this energy? Is it the sort of energy where I want to run a race, the sort of energy from having too much coffee, or what? I'm not really sure what to expect. All I want to do right now is take a nap since I'm so tired, but I'm at work so that's not an option. :)

[StudentforLife]

This is very common. The first few days on raw I was bouncing off the walls and then I crashed. I started to drink green drinks and I was back to high energy.

[mikeshafer]

This isn't the first few days though... I just passed the 14 day mark today.

What green drinks do you recommend? I hear people talking about these all the time but I'm looking for some nice simple ones that I could use for breakfast. Unfortunately I'm told I can't use celery in a blender since it will destroy it, so I need to buy a much more elaborate and expensive juicer.

[Elizabeth]

I think you could put celery in the blender if you cut it in small pieces so the long strings were gone.

Smoothies with bananas, greens and berries are yummy..maybe add some hemp oil or some nuts. I have blended plums in smoothies and papaya is a favorite. Blended watermelon or canteloupe are fabulous also... but I guess, not so great with greens..LOL...



hope this helps...:D

[Faithfullyfit]

I put 2-3 cups of kale with my frozen banana and 1 cup blueberries...add some water whirl it up and I am good to go! I have 2 of these everyday- I sometimes sub spinach or mixed greens but aim for 4-6 cups a day just in my smoothies- or dehydrate any leftover and have fruit leather "to go".

[mikeshafer]

Awesome thanks for the tips!

No what about this energy drain? I feel like taking a nap right now would be so money but I can't because I'm at work. What were your experiences like? How long did it take for you to experience boundless energy? And where did you come from (omnivore, carnivore, vegetarian, pescetarian?)?

[StudentforLife]

Before raw I was a full blown carnivore and junk food eater. I had always thought that vegetarianism and veganism were weird,:rolleyes: , but when I discovered raw I instantly wanted to do it. It just made sense.


Anyway, feeling weak and spacey can be from detox and also from being deficient in vitamins and minerals. Greens have a good amount of calcium, iron and, well, everything else. You will notice a difference after you start drinking these. Here are some ingredients I use:

pineapple
strawberries
bananas
mangos
spinach
chard
collard greens
dandelion greens
cucumber
coconut oil
raw cocoa powder
goji berries

Now, I don't use all of these for one drink,(that would be the largest smoothie ever), these are just the ingredients I choose from.

[Nectarine]

Yeah, I went through the same thing for a couple of weeks, with reduced endurance and strength levels. Me being the way I am, I refused to modify my exercise regime to a level that my body could handle while the detox process completed itself, which I should have sensibly done, but with me it's full on when I train. I don't know how to train any other way...well I'm just starting to learn to exercise moderation in the things I do. I think I've emerged from that period of physical weakness, and my full strength and endurance are starting to return. What helped me combat the weakness a little was including lots of nuts and oils in my diet. The high fat content provided me with a readily available source of pure energy to burn off. Try supplementing those into your diet if you don't already. A tablespoon or two of (cold-pressed extra-virgin) oil (olive, sesame, coconut, sunflower etc) with every meal should lift you up a bit.

[mikeshafer]

Day 16 here... have a slight headache, still feeling really tired. Kind of bored of this diet. I almost want a slice of pizza or a tater tot just to have something warm. I committed to 30 days so I will hold to 30 days, but where is this crazy energy that everyone talks about?

[kaybee]

mike shafer--

looking at the sample menu you posted, it REALLY doesnt look like your getting enough food if you ask me... i mean, i guess if your not hungry, thats OK, but if it were me I would need to add more substantial food, like soaked nuts and seeds, maybe some soaked buckwheat, etc and also maybe make some nut pates or something to keep from getting bored.

try soaked buckwheat with dried fruit and nuts and honey and/or almond milk for breakfast or a "pick me up;" also, what about trying some nut pates or sunflower seed pates in nori or cabbage leaves with avocado and veggies, or marinated mushrooms? maybe some blended soups. yeah, I have found sometimes it can really get boring and then you have to kind of change things up a bit. what about carrying some trail mix around with you. i guess all of this depends on if your actually hungry....you didnt mention if you were hungry on the diet or just had low energy... but if it were me and i were just starting off raw, i would DEFINITELY need more and heavier food than youre eating right now.

[mikeshafer]

I started out a little intimidated by all the preparation time required for the raw diet, so I decided to be lazy and just eat whatever fruits I have around or can pick up. I have a blender and we bought a food processor but I haven't gone down that path yet. I have all sorts of new food like raw honey and young coconuts but haven't figured out what to do with them yet. I'm scared of putting celery into my blender. :)

[chilove]

Hi guys,

Congrats on discovering raw!! If you stick with it, you will be so grateful! I promise!

Fatigue is one of the most common detox symptoms and there is no way to know how long it might last. For some people it passes in a few days, for some it takes a few weeks, and for some a few months. It just depends. It is unrealistic to expect our bodies to heal from decades of abuse in a few days. Be patient, get lots of rest and relax as much as possible. Don't work out, don't expect as much out of yourself as you usually would. Your body is going through a huge adjustment. Give it a break! :-)

Be sure you are eating LOTS of fruit. We get energy from glucose. If your tiredness persists, you might want to experiment with drastically lowering your fat intake. Fat makes a lot of people feel sluggish.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Dj 247]

Well, I had some energy today! Maybe the wheather had something to do with my lack of energy. I went for a run, rode my bike and did some housework! Yeah! I weighed in at 116 again today so maybe this is what I am suppose to weigh. I think I am getting back to my normal self. I have been eating all raw except for some soymilk and an occasional cup of coffee. I do not have my nut milk machine yet, but it is ordered.

[mikeshafer]

That's great to hear man! I'm on day 18 here and holding at 193 lbs. I've lost weight every single day (started at 206) but have not yet experienced the euphoric energy increase that others speak about. I'm 60% of the way through my challenge and there's no way in hell I'm giving up yet.

[Dj 247]

That's great to hear man! I'm on day 18 here and holding at 193 lbs. I've lost weight every single day (started at 206) but have not yet experienced the euphoric energy increase that others speak about. I'm 60% of the way through my challenge and there's no way in hell I'm giving up yet.

Hi, guess what? We started eating raw on the same day! I am on day 18 also. Way to go on the weight loss! I like your "no quit" attitude.

[mikeshafer]

Awesome! Only 12 days to go. I'm really craving cooked foods just because they're warm! My girlfriend was making mac & cheese earlier and it was soooo tempting but I had to resist. I'm hoping detox finishes in the next few days so I can experience crazy energy and less required sleep. Here's hoping. :P