10 days in -- what to expect?

[G-Force]

I've been reading about raw for about 6 months and my friend has been raw for nearly as long. She's had fantastic results and feels and looks great and has had tons of energy.

I finally decided to try the Raw for 30 days and was raw for 10 days... but have not seen much improvement, so I'm not especially motivated to stay at 100%.

I'm not having any food cravings but where is the extra energy I've heard so much about? Where is the mental clarity? Where is the weight loss? I was pretty healthy before so maybe I'm not seeing a big leap because of that. Maybe I need to do a detox/cleanse first? What do you all think? I'm rather disappointed so far, to be honest. Maybe my expectations were too high? I thought I'd feel fantastic instead of the same. Thanks for any ideas!

[G-Force]

Do people feel they get most of the benefits of being raw at 95% or is there a big leap/benefit to being at 100%?

[Riiiya]

many people say the different is Enormous. I am myself keeping 100% and just feel... i don't know- great about it. i didn't expect everything right away and i did have some non-raw things that seemed to slow down the process for me..

so you're not eating 100% raw?... i'm not sure, but seems like detox won't occur unless you're 100% and you won't feel great until you detox!

hm well sorry i'm not too helpful.:o i hope someone else helps
But then again- 10 days is nothing! I am sure you will start feeling the difference soon, it takes more or less time for different people

[G-Force]

I keep reading about people who go raw within 2-3 days feel fantastic with all kinds of health benefits and energy etc. I'm not noticing any of that. But perhaps they were eating junk/SAD food before? I was mostly vegan before (with occasional fish) and mostly ate non-processed food so maybe it's more subtle for me. I was 100% raw for 10 days, until today at lunch when I just felt weary and decided to experiment to see how I felt eating non-raw. I felt OK after - nothing especially noticeable.

Until I can get to do a cleanse/detox, I'm going to be mostly raw and then will go back to 100% after a cleanse. That's my only idea at the moment. Thanks for any suggestions. Thanks, Riiya. It's nice to hear a friendly voice "out there" as I'm new to the forum. : )

[Riiiya]

hehe well you're welcome!
i just can only talk from my own experience and i have not been vegan before raw... i've been on all kinds of diets though- either counting calories (OMG i'm so glad i do n't have to do that!) or being low-carb... so for me this Was a change. And i felt great- but mostly emotionally- very soon, just because it felt good to eat these living foods :)

I guess it's really different with everyone, but i do know that everyone starts feeling better on so many levels eventually :D

I just hope someone else gives better advice soon :rolleyes: i'm definitely not an expert!

[lafsalot]

Eating raw is in itself cleansing. Try not to get discouraged, after years of eating cooked foods, and after only tens days raw, your body is still releasing toxins. More info here: http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3206. Might also want to listen to RawkinRadio show #23 http://rawcast.rawkinradio.com/. ~ Cathy

[StarFire]

Aloha and Welcome G-Force! Everyone is different and we all will process differently. There is no miracle ~ overnight melt the fat and feel amazing trick...

this is about rebuilding your body (and since you are already very healthy and have been eating a really healthy diet) you may not detox like many of us that were true-blue sad eaters....

but in time - you will still see and feel the benefits of filling your body with live enzymes and vibrant foods.

I always feel a little sad when people dont' want to really give it 100% for 30 days and yet still determine that 'it's not working'....
(or) even if they do go 100%... if they don't see or feel drastic changes they think it's not worth it. This is an amazing gift for anyone that chooses to embrace this lifestyle. But then again - it's not for everyone.

For me - this was about a life decision... changing how I value myself, understanding that I truly am worth the time and energy it's going to take to lose weight and change my habits, ... I am worth investing in.

I want to glow and be radiant with health and beauty. If my body needs one month to accomplish that - I will give it that time.... if it needs one year... I am worth investing that time...

I do hope that you decide to really give this lifestyle a chance to show you that everyone - no matter how healthy they are -- EVERYONE will benefit ... in time.

blessings on your journey... I hope you find the path that will bring you happiness!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/sun.gif

[Rawkinlocs]

I agree with the other posters, especially Starfire.

Ten days of raw is GREAT, I don't downplay that at all...but compared to how long you've eaten cooked food, it's not long at all. Like Starfire said, everyone is different and get results at different rates. It took me literally MONTHS before I got that energy that everyone talked about. I didn't let it discourage me and the more I read up on it, I realized that my body had a lot of inner cleansing to do.

Some people lose massive amounts of weight quickly while it may take someone else longer to get the same amount of weight loss. It's all relative. Please give it the full 30 days and maybe even longer if need be...be generous and patient with your body and this process. Keep in mind any and everything you may have done in the past through diet, lifestyle, etc. and consider that it didn't take 10 days or even 30 days to get to the point you may be at right now in your health and wellness and so it's only fair to allot more than that amount of time for the body to clean house and heal anything that needs healing (even if it may not have manifested itself to you) and just trust that you are doing the very best for your health by taking this step.

If you don't already own it, I highly recommend getting Alissa's book, Living on Live Food - it truly is a great guide to any questions and concerns you may be facing as well as the great recipes, testimonials, etc.

[sfdreams]

For me - this was about a life decision... changing how I value myself, understanding that I truly am worth the time and energy it's going to take to lose weight and change my habits, ... I am worth investing in.

I want to glow and be radiant with health and beauty. If my body needs one month to accomplish that - I will give it that time.... if it needs one year... I am worth investing that time...

I do hope that you decide to really give this lifestyle a chance to show you that everyone - no matter how healthy they are -- EVERYONE will benefit ... in time.

blessings on your journey... I hope you find the path that will bring you happiness!!



Well put, Starfire!!

This is exactly how I have viewed my decision to be raw: a life-long change for radiant health. And while I haven't had as dramatic benefits as some, the subtle changes are welcome. Plus, being in this for the health benefits has kept me from being tempted by SAD food.

I wasn't vegan before, but was vegetarian for 15 years. Maybe that's why my results have been more subtle. (other than the weight loss which has been phenomenal!)

[G-Force]

Thank you all for your thoughts and encouragement! I do have Alissa's book, Living on Live Food, which is excellent (I refer to it daily), but I guess after ready story after story of these amazing reviews of great glowing health and changes my expectations got raised too high, too fast so then I felt disappointed.

You're all right - it may take longer for me to see improvements as I was eating healthily before (doing green smoothies most mornings for months, etc.). That's good to know.

I really do wholeheartedly agree with being raw -- I love it spiritually, ethically, etc.... but it's living absolutely 100% raw (in a non-raw household) that was somewhat challenging. I guess I keep looking at the ancient Japanese culture and how healthy they seemed to be (amazing longevity) and I feel a resistance to never eating sushi again. I love sushi! (Minus the white rice.)

So I'll continue on my journey and will do a green juice detox as soon as my work contract ends in October (I do not want to do a detox while sitting in open cubicles and a shared restroom with stalls). I'm guessing that a short fast of some kind may accelerate my results and will make me feel better.

Have any of you had colonics that you felt really helped? I've never done it before but watched two RAW films at the Vibrant Living Expo two weeks ago that both raved about getting a colon cleanse/colonic.

Thanks so much for your caring. I love the raw community! Some of the best people I've ever met. RAWk on!

[EnchantedWillow]

I'm only a few weeks into this, so I'm by no means an expert. But I can share my own experience as a newbie.
I went 100% raw from the very beginning. Decided to not even entertain the idea of cooked.
Honestly, for about the first week, I felt like crap. Very weak, no energy, migraines, lots of stuff. I had wondered a little if I had done the right thing, and wondered where the energy was too.
But then suddenly there was a day where a light switch seemed to turn on. I felt amazing! It was sudden.
In my humble advice, hang in there. It will happen. I'm sure the experts can shed light on tips. I can't. I can just tell you that it will happen.

[G-Force]

Wow - EnchantedWillow - congrats on your weight loss, btw! That's awesome. Sounds like you started detoxing immediately which is great.

After 10 days of being 100% raw I lost about 1/4 of a pound. My friend (who was trim to start with lost 20 pounds quickly) so that was another reason I felt a bit discouraged. I haven't had ANY detox symptoms (that would have been encouraging somehow that something was at least happening). I feel just fine, just like I did before raw.

It all comes down to patience. Never my strong suit! : ) But if I keep looking at this as a lifestyle change and not a diet, I somehow feel better, calmer. Like I don't have to be perfect overnight. And then I feel more centered somehow.

I am taking digestive enzymes now so maybe that will make my raw veggie experiences better and I'm going to up the green smoothies. Love them!

Thanks again for your encouragement and advice. All the best!