A Little Confused - Need Some Clarity!

[BlueBell]

Hi there,

I've been raw for about a month and a half now, and have a few questions.

1. I noticed I was slightly more tired at first and had extra gas, but other than that, I have not felt any other symptoms - positive or negative - from going on this diet. My skin hasn't cleared up (I actually have more whiteheads than before), I still get headaches, and have to take Tylenol, etc. Before I went on the diet, I ate pretty healthfully. Usually only water or milk, whole grains, low fat dairy, lots of fruit, etc. I NEVER ate fast food, or practically anything processed. No red meat, and sometimes poultry.

I weigh about 240lbs and I'm 5'9". I know that the reason I'm still overweight is because even though I eat relatively healthfully, I OVEREAT. I'm definitely what you would call a food addict, and that's why being on RAW right now is probably the best choice for me.

Since I haven't seen any positive benefits from this diet, I guess my question is, is it because I still overeat? I eat mostly fruit, fresh and dried, and nuts, with usually one salad a day, and I only drink water (and lots of it). I'm constantly snacking during the day because I'm constantly hungry. When I do snack, it'll be something like 6 dried apricots and a grapefruit, or some bananas and apple with almond/cashew butter.

What do you think?

2. About that grapefruit... I could easily eat 15-20 a week. Is overeating on fresh, raw food, bad? I guess you could say "everything in moderation" but I'm at the point in the diet where I feel like there's no variety, and grapefruit satisfies that craving for desert/sweet/fresh/cold that I really love.

3. Although I'm 100% raw in other areas, there's one step I haven't taken yet... Salad dressing. I have not switched to raw salad dressing because I cannot find one I love. Right now I'm using a balsamic vinegrette on all of my salads. I know salad dressings have chemicals, but how bad is it really in the scheme of things?

I apologize for the long post, but it's nice to have guidance going through this. I haven't really missed a "regular" diet, but I'm starting to feel like I may go back to it one day, as I'm not really noticing a whole lot of benefits.

[hypnocmt]

If you are significantly overweight, it is reasonable to expect a little more detoxing, since fat is a storehouse for toxins. Most likely, your liver needs some extra time to renew itself, and get cranking on the fat releasing, purifying process too. Once those issues are successfully being supported with your improved diet, your skin will respond. As an extreme acne sufferer, trust me, it WILL clear up. Your skin has a month long turn over cycle. You may sometimes see the results of what was going on a month or so back...emerging now.
Speaking from experience, it sometimes has to have one last hurrah...and get worse before it gets better for good.

Cutting dairy will be a great help in that department, as dairy is mucus forming, hormone-laden, antibiotic-laced, and highly allergenic..al of which will slow weightloss and mess up your skin. Say good riddance to that stuff! Made a HUGE difference for me....I am now acne free.

I think stick with the grapefruit for now. I like it with cinnamon for a little guilt-free candy treat. Just make sure to eat it half an hour before any other foods...proper food combining really does give you an extra edge.

Salad dressings can be a major culprit!! The fat in them is denatured. Your body views it as toxic, and can not break it down and flush it out as i can wih natural, raw fats. Cooked fat is essentially sticky fat, in that since it cannot be efficiently eliminated it sticks to your body- your arteries and your belly.
I carry raw olive oil with me to restaurants. It's just kinda always in my purse. I carry it in a little 60 cent bottle I go at the container store. Use olive oil and lemon juice on your salads with unltd herbs and spices. You will notice a MAJOR difference.

Also, what about slowly replacing your dried fruits with fresh?

I found that reducing my intake of nuts and avos was essential. I can handle a coupe of handfuls of nuts a day...a handful being about 6-10 nuts...and I use em like croutons, not as the main event. I'll use an avo more like a thin mayo or have just a couple of slices in my lettuce wraps...overall, if I go thru two avos in the course of a week, that's alot.

All in all, take things one step at a time, and mainly focus on eating raw, and fresh. You'l feel full and get very lean.

[DavidZaneMason]

I hear you.

Here's the thing (my opinion):

-You eat the best foods for the same reason you do a good job at work - because YOU have determined this is the best thing you want to be doing. After that, you have little control over whether you get paid, or experience great health benefits! Ha! ha! The company CAN go out of business.....who knows what is going to happen? Should you NOT eat healthy because you have experienced no benefits? You should determine what you think is the best foods/ diet for YOU....and then pursue YOUR goals.

-You don't need anyone looking over your shoulder to do a good job. Eat what YOU think are the best foods and the best diet because you think it IS the best for you. What else CAN you do? If you change your mind - pursue your new choice with the same vigor and passion. Don't worry too much about the OUTCOME......concentrate on your OUTPUT. Hey! I like the sound of that! LOL.

-What do you think?

-David Z. Mason

[Dj 247]

Bluebell, since going raw I eat all the time! Its all good! Well except for my daily coffee fix. I just have one. It makes me happier. Sorry, but it is the truth. Anyway I lost weight eating unlimited raw fruits, veggies, and nuts. I have one question for you that you did not mention in your post. Do you get enough exercise? Walking is good to get your body moving! I think it helps with the tiredness. It might also help with detox symptoms. Just a thought. Good luck on your journey to good health and fitness!

[BlueBell]

I actually do exercise... In fact, last year I lost 70 pounds in 5 months, working with a trainer and eating small portions (it was a strict menu for 6 weeks, then I just took what I learned and incorporated it.)

I've not been exercising as much as I should but I do weights and cardo 2 to 3 times a week on average. I know to lose weight, you need to go at it every day, and I'm definitely working towards that.

[sungoddess]

In response to the skin, it COULD just be detox. BUT, in MY experience- my liver is not strong enough yet to handle overeating sugar, which is what I did starting raw. I ate SO much fruit and dried fruit- in crazy overeating mode. I thought for a long time that my bad skin was detox, but now that I have down on overeating, and too much fruits, my skin has cleared.

If this IS your problem, and you don't yet have the willpower to be low sugar (which I only became NOW 7 months into raw) then just stay raw, high sugar or low- because there will be wonderful benefits.

I just wanted to share my experience with you, because I understand how it feels to have bad skin and to be an overeater. But hold fast! It could pass and just be a little detox! We are all different!

[luckitri]

You have not been doing it long enough. Concentrate on how the food makes you feel physically - before you know it the weight will be flying off. Some people get results right away but many don't. I didn't.

[BlueBell]

You've all been extremely helpful. I think that me eating too much fruit and therefore too much sugar, might be a contributing factor, as was suggested. I know I haven't been getting most of my nutrients from vegetables, which are the most important things to eat.

However, I do believe that even though I may continue to overeat, at least I'm doing so with healthful food. Sooner or later my stomach will get used to smaller amounts (let's hope!) and we'll go from there :)

Thanks again!

[puffysmom]

When I first started Raw it was from seeing a doctor on tv. I got his book and one of the things he mentioned on tv and in his book is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach have a cup of warm water with a 1/4 of lemon squeezed. At first i thought it was terrible tasting but now I love it. I look forward to it and sometimes use half a lemon. It flushes out the toxins in the liver. I dont know if that will help with the weight loss but I do know i have a slow metabolism, I am over 65 which means I am through with menopause and it is hard for me to lose wieght just of being older. I usually lose around 2#s a week. I dont know if it is the liver cleanse or what but i eat quite a few nuts. I just started eating grapefruit again and I would think that grapefruits would be one of the best fruits to eat. I dont think there is a lot of sugar in it. If i remember correctly lots of people eat it when on diets to lose weight.

Give it time. I am doing this mostly to clear up my skin of psoriasis and it was getting better until i got sick last week. Every illness causes toxins to get in the body and a person with psoriasis has a flare up. The good thing is since doing Raw my flare ups r minimal. :D Before going Raw I was almost a vegan without trying. I did love to eat my chicken....free range right from the farmer.....but that was it. I still have lots of toxins so anyone who went from regular foods to Raw is probably going to have more toxins. Just my opinion. Dont give up. Give it more time. It will work for u.

[misslinda]

Hi there,

I've been raw for about a month and a half now, and have a few questions.

1. I noticed I was slightly more tired at first and had extra gas, but other than that, I have not felt any other symptoms - positive or negative - from going on this diet. My skin hasn't cleared up (I actually have more whiteheads than before), I still get headaches, and have to take Tylenol, etc. Before I went on the diet, I ate pretty healthfully. Usually only water or milk, whole grains, low fat dairy, lots of fruit, etc. I NEVER ate fast food, or practically anything processed. No red meat, and sometimes poultry.

I weigh about 240lbs and I'm 5'9". I know that the reason I'm still overweight is because even though I eat relatively healthfully, I OVEREAT. I'm definitely what you would call a food addict, and that's why being on RAW right now is probably the best choice for me.

Since I haven't seen any positive benefits from this diet, I guess my question is, is it because I still overeat? I eat mostly fruit, fresh and dried, and nuts, with usually one salad a day, and I only drink water (and lots of it). I'm constantly snacking during the day because I'm constantly hungry. When I do snack, it'll be something like 6 dried apricots and a grapefruit, or some bananas and apple with almond/cashew butter.

What do you think?

2. About that grapefruit... I could easily eat 15-20 a week. Is overeating on fresh, raw food, bad? I guess you could say "everything in moderation" but I'm at the point in the diet where I feel like there's no variety, and grapefruit satisfies that craving for desert/sweet/fresh/cold that I really love.

3. Although I'm 100% raw in other areas, there's one step I haven't taken yet... Salad dressing. I have not switched to raw salad dressing because I cannot find one I love. Right now I'm using a balsamic vinegrette on all of my salads. I know salad dressings have chemicals, but how bad is it really in the scheme of things?

I apologize for the long post, but it's nice to have guidance going through this. I haven't really missed a "regular" diet, but I'm starting to feel like I may go back to it one day, as I'm not really noticing a whole lot of benefits.

Do you have Alissa's book?

[chilove]

Hello there,

Stick with it! You will do great!

I just wanted to mention that I lost lots of weight eating lots of fresh fruit. You don't have to be afraid of eating too much fresh fruit. Eating lots of fruit is very helpful because our body runs on glucose, it gives us energy and helps us stay satisfied.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[BlueBell]

Yes, I do have her book actually. I saw her on the Tyra show and ordered the book. I read through it in a couple of days and went 100% raw right away. I bought a juicer, processor and dehydrator but unfortunately I don't use any of them that often. I usually stick to the simple things.

I KNOW I'm not getting enough veggies. Over the last couple of days, I've cut out some nut eating. Actually, I haven't replaced my stocks. If I have cashews or macademias around, I go "NUTS" and eat too many. They are too addictive. So, out of sight, out of mind.

I've now added "lettuce wraps" into my diet. I got the idea from someone's post, actually. I spread some avocado on a piece of romaine lettuce, and then fill it with bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. I top with some herbamare, and away I go. I can eat 4 in a sitting, easily.

I just read a few posts about how great green drinks are. I'm going to rummage through Alissa's book and see if there are some good drink recipes. I've been hesitant about making green smoothies, because my blender isn't that great. I'd love to get a VitaMix, because I hear they make a world of difference with smoothies, soups, etc.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

[eatyourbroccoli]

In response to the skin, it COULD just be detox. BUT, in MY experience- my liver is not strong enough yet to handle overeating sugar, which is what I did starting raw. I ate SO much fruit and dried fruit- in crazy overeating mode. I thought for a long time that my bad skin was detox, but now that I have down on overeating, and too much fruits, my skin has cleared.

If this IS your problem, and you don't yet have the willpower to be low sugar (which I only became NOW 7 months into raw) then just stay raw, high sugar or low- because there will be wonderful benefits.

I just wanted to share my experience with you, because I understand how it feels to have bad skin and to be an overeater. But hold fast! It could pass and just be a little detox! We are all different!

ive had the same experience as sungoddess. raw is wonderful and healing, but sometimes if you happen to have a persistent case of Candida, you need to cut out all sugar..even fruit..in order to heal your gut first. once thats healed, the weight will drop so so quickly. your skin will clear within a week of no-sugar (minus maybe a few small detox bumps)

[Solace]

Juice often, get a juicer and juice the hell out of it. Your a newbie like me and your body needs time to adjust the more you break your food down like Juicing/smoothies the better.:D Really cut back on the dry fruit and nuts till your tummy gets stronger and it will.

[Trolltyget]

I think you should stop taking the tylenol, it will prevent you from detoxing and those things can actually CAUSE headaches. You get headaches for a reason and eating pills will not take care of the underlying cause, they will just hide the symtoms.

[Stina]

I've been known to overeat on nuts too. I keep more seeds around and really like making pates out of them and wrapping them up in lettuce or stuffing peppers.

[BlueBell]

You know, it's funny you should comment on the tylenol and headaches. I just started seeing a new doctor and the first thing she said is that she wants to investigate the causes of my headaches.

To be honest though, I don't think I could go without. I get headaches every single day, and Tylenol takes the pain away. I don't want to live every day in pain!

In any case, I'm going to take that "less fruit, more juicing" comment to heart. I think that's the next best step.

[dreamrawalwz]

You know, it's funny you should comment on the tylenol and headaches. I just started seeing a new doctor and the first thing she said is that she wants to investigate the causes of my headaches.

To be honest though, I don't think I could go without. I get headaches every single day, and Tylenol takes the pain away. I don't want to live every day in pain!

In any case, I'm going to take that "less fruit, more juicing" comment to heart. I think that's the next best step.

I havn't been keeping up on this thread so my comment may not be relavent. I think the reason you have headaches could be detox FROM the tylenol. I think you just need to get that stuff out of you system. I don't know what percetage raw you are, so that may have an impact. Sometimes headaches are due to food intolerances or allergies. Have you taken a look at that?