Detox :( Symptoms? ... And Weight Gain

[Katka]

Hi everyone,

First post!

I've been basically raw for 3 weeks now (that means, 4-5 days of 95% raw, then 2-3 of at least 50% raw, with the non-raw being my normal vegan diet). So, I have two questions (well, actually more than that :) , but these are the most currently pressing):

1) What are the symptoms of detox?

2) Would my proporation of raw to non-raw produce detox symptoms?

Here's why I'm asking: I feel very bloated and have some aches and also eat more foods than I would want to eat normally--almost like PMS-- (read: can eat multiple spoonfuls of almond butter and lots of dried and raw fruit, and still have appetite even when I feel beyond full in my stomach). And I don't feel like going running or hitting the gym as I normally would, due to sluggishness. I must say, because of my appetite and sluggishness, it seems possible that I could even gain a bunch of weight raw, which freaks me out a bit! Did this happen to anyone?

The first four days were awesome, but this point is pretty unfun.... Is the answer to just continue eating raw and/or more of it?

And--just one more thing ;) -- if anyone could point me to a detailed explanation of what exactly "detox" is as a mechanism, I would most appreciate it. I am trying to understand the physiology of it.

[raven]

Welcome to the Raw World!

The concepts of cleansing and detoxing aren't well understood. In order to thoroughly and effectively detox, you need to undergo a specific and individually designed protocol under the auspices of a trained professional, such as at the Hippocrates Insitute or Tree of Life. You will not detox a lifetime of improper eating just by going raw and the process takes time. There are so many good books on the market written by medical professionals who've helped thousands of people detox.

If you move from a denatured, SAD diet with little fiber, going raw may stir things up faster than you can eliminate them. Keeping the intestines moving is vital or you'll end up more toxic than you started - with harmful substances being reabsorbed into the body. The presence of symptoms doesn't necessary mean that you're detoxing but that impacted matter is being dislodged from the intestine. Plenty of positive changes can occur but your results depend on taking in adequate nutrition, having good absorbtion, proper food combining, weight training and aerobic exercise, proper fluid intake, enough rest, etc.

There's also a lot of good information on the internet.

Good luck!

Suzy

[SmilingRawDancer]

Hey :)

I've felt exactly how you do in the past, and what I've found has worked for me is this:
Eat alot of fruit in the morning, followed 1/2-1 hour later by my workout. After working out I feel....satisfied and calm, and I don't want to eat untill lunch time. Then I eat a salad with avocado (I'm kind of anti-oil right now), and then snack on fruit and what ever appealing veggies are around, or some flax crackers. And I drink ALOT more water than I used to. I felt odd and had cravings ALL summer, and I wondered why, and now I find it's because I was dehydrated. I knew I needed SOMETHING, but I thought it was food...so I ate too much (and not fruit), felt sick, and thus didn't workout.
Now I eat fruits for instant energy for workouts (and NOT-HEAVY energy, too. I can't eat nuts before a workout, I need the sugars) and I drink alot, ALOT of water. It's a routine now. Sip every 10 minutes while I workout, tea in the morning....and now it seems that my thirst mechanism is regulated, and I KNOW when I'm thirsty, and I KNOW when I'm hungry.

Good luck!

[SmilingRawDancer]

What I know of detox is this:
just like detoxing from drugs, it's getting SOMETHING out of your system, and breaking your bodily habits, which can be uncomfortable. The drug detox is the best and clearest analogy I can think of.
If you're constantly feeding your body gluten, chemicals, hormones etc, then your body gets into the groove of dealing with that, and it builds up in your body. When you stop putting that in, your body finishes up getting rid of all the accumulated yucky stuff, and getting rid of that takes...well, removal from the body as sweat, pee, poo, mucus, coughing etc.

[Katka]

Thanks so much for the infos.

I remember when I quit smoking, after 6 years of a pack a day, I experienced physical detox symptoms that sort of surprised me, and its such an interesting concept to me that somehow unhealthy material is hanging out in our bodies, which can then remove itself when the unhealthy behavior has stopped. I crave a bit of hard science about it, so I can more easily understand what I am feeling. (And, you know, I've been vegan now for about a couple years, so I've been curious how my body would react as opposed to someone going from SAD--which a lot of people do, uber props to them.)

You know, I think you are right and I should definitely make sure I have fresh fruit and veggies to snack on, _at all times_, or else its spoon in the alive pesto when I get home! Or, case-in-point, half of my new 1 lb. bag of whole dried bananas sitting on my desk at work--this is healthful, but sooooo much to put in one's stomach. :D So, how much fruit do you eat in the morning?

I wonder what you guys think is the best route : focus on raw--do it %100--and only portion-control as a second priority, or keep things as much under control now, for fear of gaining weight or over-working the body? Hmmmm, maybe if one eats as fresh as possible, calorie load would take care of itself.

[SmilingRawDancer]

Eat as much fruit as you're physically hungry for :) Don't stuff the tummy, but don't skimp either. Sometimes a spoon of honey powers my workout, too :) I just need the burst of sugar to pump me up :)

[maui_butterfly]

In order to thoroughly and effectively detox, you need to undergo a specific and individually designed protocol under the auspices of a trained professional, such as at the Hippocrates Insitute or Tree of Life.

i strongly disagree. someone taking radical responsibility for their health does not NEED an authority to run all aspects of this process for them. i'm not saying those facilities are bad, or that the people running them don't know what they are doing. for the people who are led to do that, it probably makes sense for them. but for many people, surrendering their power to another person, an authority, may actually prevent healing. there is an important psychological/spiritual aspect of healing that cannot be fully experienced that way. how do you learn to access the "inner physician" if you are listening to someone outside yourself, not tuning in to your own body? for me, that has been the biggest gift of going raw, my ever-increasing ability to read my body's signals.

its like that saying goes "give a man a fish and he eats for a day. teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." someone hacking away at this journey on their own terms, making mistakes, learning from those, experiencing discomfort, finding solutions... that person is learning to "fish" for a lifetime.

go katka! you are doing fine. it is my experience that you don't have to worry about portion control -- as long as you are staying all raw (or DAMN near). you can go hog wild... that's what your body will feel like doing at first. when i first started eating raw, i was eating a RIDICULOUS amount of food every day, my caloric intake was through the roof, and the pounds dropped off me. that desire to eat so much levels off after a while, i promise. in the meantime, you will learn alot about what food combinations make you feel bloated/uncomfortable, etc. the stipulation to this is that you have to stay raw to reap these benefits. you need to give your body a break from processing cooked foods in order to drop the pounds. otherwise you are just caught in a vicious cycle -- on the days that you are all raw your body is running the raw detox program ("go! eat lots of raw foods so we can process these toxins you are storing out of your body! eat more of that! go! go! go!") and then on the days you eat 50% cooked your body runs the toxin defense program ("okay, put all this stuff in storage. she's not giving us what we need, and she might not again. store everything."). i think you either need to go all in (try raw for 30 days, don't limit your intake, and assess after that time period) or you need to slowly and gradually incorporate more raw foods into your vegan diet (all raw breakfast and lunch this month, adding a few raw dinners a week the next month, etc.). but trying to do it one way some days and another way on other days is a recipe for frustration.

[Betsy]

Hi! Waves!

the only symptom I've had of detox is extreme sluggishness/tiredness, so far, that is. I've only been raw for about 7 Months, though.

Hope you enjoy the raw food life!