Reviewing my first two weeks of Raw..

[Turbolift]

I'm not 100% raw because we are moving and need to empty out our freezer so supper is cooked. Maybe chicken breast or fish along with salad and veg.

My mornings have been smoothie about 3-4 cups made with fruit, 100% apple juice, spinach, and some hemp seeds

Usually around 11:30 I get hungry so I eat a peach. Lunch is an all veggie salad (no lettuce). Snack is watermelon (healthy portion) and a cuke.

By supper I AM STARVING!!!!!! How can this be with all this food I'm consuming?? I feel like a construction worker when I haul in this big old bag of food for lunch every day. Especially when everyone else has ' a little salad'...... Is this normal? Will my hunger pains go away and will my stomach be satisfied with less food???

Thanks

[Veganforlife]

My first thought is you need to eat more raw foods. You're not eating very much. Try adding some nuts or avos into your daily diet. Drink water. I didn't see you mention that anywhere. Water really helps fill one up.
And yes, your body will require less food.

[Revvell]

I agree with Lucy.... it may SOUND like a lot of food yet in actuality it isn't. When one first heads toward raw foods, the body is starving for nutrients ~ REALLY starving since most the food you've eaten the nutrients have been cooked out of it. Now, you're teasing your body by giving it SOME more nutrients but not enough.

One thing I found when I went raw is that, if/when I ate cooked, doesn't matter how full I was, I still needed some raw nutrients. I think we discuss this one in Show #18... or was it #17???

Revvell

[DavidZaneMason]

I agree with the above great posts. In the beginning/transition.....you should probably eat a WIDE variety of fresh, raw plant foods.....and be eating VASTLY greater amounts of food then you might have previously thought as 'normal'. Ha! ha! Give your stomach and body a chance to shrink in it's needs and change. Drink plenty of pure water when you are not eating.

-Just some suggestions.

-David Z. Mason

[GoingtoRAW]

I agree with all the great responses! It looks like you may not be eating enough. Are you measuring what you are eating? The reason I'm asking is because you stated that you are drinking 3-4 cups of juice and eating a "healty" portion of watermelon. The great thing about raw is that you don't have to measure anything. I say eat and enjoy. If you are eating enough raw during the day you shouldn't be starving by dinner time.;) :)

[Turbolift]

Okie dokie guys! I bow to your greater wisdom and experience. Does seem kind of bassackwards though doesn't it?

You're right. I haven't been drinking water except when I'm at the Y in the AM. I've just been forgetting!

Thanks.

PS - I know how much smoothie I'm making because of the blender. It has markings on it. My 'healthy' portion of watermelon means a large size tupperware container. Eyeballing it it probably contains several cups. I don't measure anything. I'm just eating.....and eating...

Oh yeah, does the water in wine count? JUST KIDDING!

[Juicyfruit]

I noticed you don't have much raw fats in with your meals. Fat helps you stay full longer because it stabilises your blood sugar. It may seem like you are eating a lot of food, but most raw food contains a lot of water so it seems like a larger volume. Add some olive oil, coconut oil or nuts to your smoothies. Eat some nuts or avocado a few minutes after your watermelon digests, usually 30 minutes. Melons are best eaten alone. I put a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil, extra virgin of course, in my smoothies. Keeps me full a lot longer. Hope this helps! :)

[Revvell]

Ummm, no. A "healthy" portion of watermelon is at LEAST half. :D

[Nurse in the Raw]

My 'healthy' portion of watermelon means a large size tupperware container. Eyeballing it it probably contains several cups. I don't measure anything. I'm just eating.....and eating...

I can't eat just 2 cups.....it's all or nothing. I guess that is why I buy them semi small so I can consume the whole watermelon in one sitting.

[CaliRaw]

WOW! I am sitting here eating a 64 oz container filled to the top with watermelon. I've done it several times since I started my new life of eating raw. This is breakfast. It's GOOD stuff. :)

[GoingtoRAW]

I agree with you Revvell - a healthy portion of watermelon is AT LEAST HALF!!!:p That is what I love about eating raw. For the past 3 days I have mostly craved fruits, especially watermelon. It has been so bizzare. I have also craved nuts a little. My stomach is feeling kind of bloated from all of the water in the fruit. I forced myself to eat a salad Monday night for dinner because I felt like I needed the veggies. Last night I had a salad prepared but I really wasn't hungry so I didn't eat. That's something new too - on SAD I would often eat even if I wasn't hungry because I always felt like something was missing. I brought a salad to work today to eat for lunch but I can't get enough fruits. I wonder if it's because of the hot weather that all I am craving are ice cold fruits! I guess it could be worse. In my SAD days I would eat ice cream to cool off.:o :rolleyes: Ooooohhhh.....I think I may have to take a trip to my fav raw food store/restaurant and get some ice-cream:p :

[Turbolift]

OKay, I need you folks to do some s'plaining for me....

The consensus is I'm not eating enough yet when I review other threads and people list what they eat in a day, it is far less that I eat ! What gives here?

Some people eat a couple of apples, oranges, smoothie, and a handful of nuts. That's it.. I feel like a garbage disposal with what I'm taking each day. My food seems to be more in line with what the guys on this forum eat...

It is almost quitting time and I've consumed:

4 cup smoothie made of strawberries, 2 bananas, apple juice + Olive oil (thanks!)
1 med size cuke
4 cups of watermelon,canteloupe,blueberry combo
4 cups of mixed veggies with a bit of spinach

I now am going home to eat supper... PS. I'm still hungry. Do you suppose I have worms?? LOL

PS before you ask, I can tell you the exact qtys because it's written on the container...

[CaliRaw]

Maybe the people you're referring to have been eating raw for a while and their bodies are well-nourished with less food. Maybe they're starving. Who knows? When I read Alissa's 14-day journal, it didn't appear that she ate much either.

For me, At work, I have been eating a large serving of watermelon, a couple of cups of cherries (at least) or a couple of bananas, Angel Hair Pasta (zucchini), maybe some carrot sticks. I have another smaller container of watermelon at work, but haven't eaten yet today. I may save that for home. Then, for dinner I'll have the AHP again or some watermelon again or cherries. I also have desert sometimes. Yesterday it was about 6 fudgeballs. Sometimes, I have a green smoothie in the morning, for lunch, or dinner. I also have the marinate greens sometimes. I haven't been hungry doing it this way.

[Turbolift]

Thanks for your reply. I was beginning to think I was an anomaly on this forum. I'm not sure my budget can support my current intake!

[smarison]

Turbolift first of all I love your picture, it is so cute. I am glad this came up because I also feel like I eat way more than the posts I see on here, that sounds right. Maybe they don't need as much cause they have been doing it longer.

[alicemagooey]

TURBO .. you are NOT AN ANOMALY...!!!

i am a little petite woman, and i feel like i am eating enough for a construction worker, volume wise..!!.

but it is really mostly water..when you get right down to it..
watermelon, for instance..(hence the name :D )

i make a BIG smoothie a couple times a day..

i suppose emotions can play a part in things.( another topic, another thread, no doubt.)..

if life gets stressful, i get hungry more often..

but still.....

just consume what your body tells you to..unless you are having bizarre cravings..
(that is why a group like this is good..because you can check up and see what other people are experiencing)

eating raw really does not seem to be particularly harmful in larger quantities as long as the food is simple, and basically raw fruits and veggies, with a more limited quantity of nuts and fatty foods.

i do believe that things will 'even out' as time goes on..

keep up the good work
alice

[GoingtoRAW]

Turbolift, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your pic too!!! It is so cute. Anyway, I have been off and on raw for about a year and a half and I am finding that each time I go back I need simpler foods as well. When I first started I was really into the more "prepared" foods, like ravioli, lasagna, pizza, etc. I also ate a lot more. I have been back on raw now for just 3 weeks and I have not had any of those prepared foods at all - have not craved them at all. In fact my appetite has changed dramatically and I am rarely hungry. I eat fruit in the morning just because I feel good doing that - it sets the tone for my day. I eat whatever I'm hungry for from afternoon to bedtime. This time around I am just not that hungry and that's fine. When I am hungry I eat - I don't deprive myself - but it's just been so much easier this time. I am going to enjoy this phase because I know it could change and my old appetite could come back. That's another thing I love about raw -things change from day to day - you never know what to expect!:) :p :D

[Turbolift]

Thanks for your encouraging words. I'm glad I'm not an anomaly because if I had to type that word to identify myself to others, I'd be in trouble. The fingers just don't want to type that combo of characters... :p


I'm glad you all like my picture. It just goes to show you that everyone has bad hair days....

[Eveleaf]

Heya Turbolift,

The other posters are correct - I was as hungry as a bear coming out of hybernation when I started eating raw! Believe us this does taper off naturally as you get healthier. BUT you likely won't see the results from this until you start to incorporate a greater percentage of raw (i.e., dinner stuff).

One of the things I noticed from your daily schedule is you seem to be eating really light foods (watermelon, veggies, cucumber) for lunch and in the afternoon. If I did that, I'd be starving by dinner, too.

Two tricks I've used to deal with this problem: eat denser food for your afternoon snack, and eat fruit BEFORE dinner.

I personally love bananas for the afternoon; they are a wonderfully filling fruit and keep me feeling satisfied for hours. Have 3-4 at a sitting and see if you don't notice a difference! Or a handful of nuts, avo, etc, would work here also.

Then 30 minutes before dinner (great while preparing dinner) snack on fruit or freshly squeezed orange juice. For me this takes a nice bite out of my dinner-time appetite and it's easier for me to make good choices in the evening.

One final question - you mention "100% apple juice" goes into your morning smoothie. Is this apple juice you make fresh, or the bottled kind? I ask because if it's bottled it's been pasteurized (not raw), and even "100%" is going to contain a greater concentration of sugars than a freshly juiced apple. Yeah, it's a long way from poison, but the unnatural concentrated sugars could be triggering hunger or otherwise slowing your progress on RAW.

Anyway, welcome and good luck on your journey!

~Eve

[Ang]

Try adding a small handful of nuts to your salad, or blend an avocado with your salad dressing. Trader Joe's sells raw shelled pistachio which are AWESOME!
Also since I started I have been making those small Ziploc bags with "trail mix"; raisins, dried mulberries (also TJ's), dried bananas, raw cashews and pumpkin seeds. I often snack on those in between meals. Also good for taking to the movies.

[GoingtoRAW]

Ang, I have also made my own version of "trail mix" by mixing raw nuts and raw blueberry or cranberry crackers broken up. They are delicious and a small baggie of the mix goes a long way because the nuts are very filling. :p If I graze on that and drink water - it's almost like I've had an entire meal.:D

[Revvell]

I also do the dried fruits and nuts when hungry BUT w/ TJ's, please be conscious that many of their dried fruit contains sulfites. They have some really good organic raisins and often pineapple w/out sulfites. Not sure about the mulberries or 'nanas as I dry my own 'nanas. Ang?

Revvellicious :)