2 weeks raw: No changes, no big energy...

[rawmax]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum, and to a raw diet as well.
I started a 100% raw diet more than two weeks ago and, although I did loose a few pounds, I haven't experienced any of these miraculous detox changes, and bursts of energy that you so often read about.
The only thing I have noticed is that in these last few days, I am not always hungry, and I feel like I need to eat smaller quantities of food compared to before I started.
Does any of you have any comments on this, is it a matter of time, or some people just don't get as many benefits as others do?
I can provide you with more details if that helps.
Thank you so much,
Max

[kitlynne]

Hi Max,

Lets take a look at what you're eating. =D

Can you give the rest of us readers an I idea of what you're eating?

[ruffsongraw]

Max,
i have been raw since mid-January of this year. everyone is diff but for me the changes have been slow in coming and i have been told (& believe it's true) that first your body has to repair/heal/undo the damage that SAD foods have caused over the years and after the bulk of that is done, then you start to see & feel the fabulous differences.

we have to be patient. for every year we ate wrong foods, it will take RAW food about a month to un-do--roughly.

for me the simple logic of eating this way prevails every time i feel impatient. i have seen some results for sure but am hopeful for more. there is so much truth and logic supporting why i dont go get something yummy and bad at lunch, that i can resist it.

notice and appreciate the subtle changes and look forward to bigger and better as you progress. two weeks isn't long enough to judge. that is why they have the 30 day challenge on here--b/c it generally will take that long to start to feel it.
hang in there!

jen

[sprouts2go]

I have been raw for 6 months. I have not had an increase in energy either. In fact I am in bed earlier and hitting the alarm clock more times for added minutes. That being said I have lost 41lbs. My bursitis is gone in both shoulders and my skin no longer has those bumps on it. Oh and my reflux is gone.And my eczema cleared up after giving up coffee.
Would I quit raw to get that all back???? NO WAY!!!
2 weeks is not along time. Give it more time and reaally post what you are eating and driniking. People here are always willing to help.

[rawmax]

Thank you for your prompt responses.
First, I am not strictly 100% (I didn't want to make the first post too complicated) : I do have one coffee a day and a glass of wine with dinner. Other than that, yes, I eat all raw.
a.m.: green juice (I love kale, lemon, apple for example)
later am: fresh fruit
noon: some salad (including sprouts and nuts), or marinated cabbage with walnuts, a few flax crackers or raw bread (flax seed based and with various flavors) bought at a raw store. I do dress my salads with any combination of e.v. olive oil, vinegar, tahini, nama soy, lemon etc..
throughout the day several apples or sometime bananas.
dinner: some type of dip/salsa (made by me, with only raw ingredients) to use with various type of crunchy veggies or flax crackers . Tonight I'm making squash spaghetti with a tomato sauce (sun dried tomatoes, reg tomato, pine nuts, basil, olives, food processed...)
For emergencies I use Larabars.
I am experimenting with many new recipes, so my meals will be more varied as I progress.

I do have cravings for sweets (I tend to be hypoglycemic) and three times during these two weeks I had a couple of refined sugar type candy ( I keep some treats for my kids who I see every weekend). I usually am motivated enough to stay away from them(cookies, candy..), but if I have to, I'll just get rid of them away and give my kids some raw sweets.
I mainly drink water, no teas or other beverages.
Also, being a teacher, I am blessed with the summer off, that's why I'm dedicating so much time and mental energy to the raw diet [by far the biggest d-raw back for me]. But come September it will be really hard to plan ahead and stay sooo focused on what I eat. But this is another story.

I think coffee has to go? As far as wine, it will be really hard to convince me that a glass of good wine with dinner is toxic (I grew up in Italy...)
This hopefully will give you a rough picture of what I'm doing.
Thank you again,
Max

[LilacLavender]

The coffee may be making you tired. Try a few weeks without it and at the end of that, see how you feel. Ensure that you get enough sleep!

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

I think many people expect some kind of overnight miracle when going raw. I think that unless you switch from a really bad diet the benefits will most likely show up gradually over a long time.
Personally, I've had very little detox symptoms (slight headaches mainly). And I've changed so gradually that I didn't really notice any changes. But when I think back to how I used to feel a year ago it's really like night and day.

Two weeks is a very short time. It might take months before you really start to notice the differences. Just relax and enjoy your journey!

Yeah, coffee can drain your energy, but since it's such small quantities it shouldn't really make a huge difference overall. Not to say that you shouldn't quit it, because I belive that it would benefit you a lot in the long run, but I don't think it's the key to why you aren't noticing huge changes.

[Thick]

Wine is ok. Most raw people choose organic wine as it's made with organic grapes--and has no nitrates and preservatives etc.

As for energy and miracles--it depends so much, I think, on how healthy and energetic you were when you began. A severely depressed obese person who drags themselves painfully through each day might feel dramatically better just by having a fraction of the energy a young, fittish person takes for granted.

It seems to be pretty normal to hit a question mark around 2 or 3 weeks and start to question the raw menu.

For me, I tend to get bored with some foods after awhile and find tremendous new energy and inspiration on www.goneraw.com and photo threads like these:
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/search.php?searchid=172771
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=35341&highlight=photos

I hope you feel better--and remember that exercise can also pep you up and make you feel better, too=)

[Marin Mom]

I find I have the best energy when:

I go easy on the oils and nuts (nuts should be soaked first)
Don't eat anything past 6:00

If I have an early light dinner I am absolutely euphoric the next morning.

Paul Nison is a big proponant of "The Daylight Diet" and he talks a lot about this. He says when you eat is as important as what you eat.

www.paulnison.com

I know dropping the coffee is hard-it was for me. Had headaches for days. But it is a drug and I don't think true health can be acheived while consuming it. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

[Silveretta]

I have a similar problem- I am on my 5th week, 100% raw (no salt, no nuts, no gourmet raw)...I really don't care about the energy...I just want my body to change and to lose weight (I go to the gym everyday and do not eat after 18h).
Also, I have tried juice feasting in the past- at first it was great, but now I don't lose weight from it.

It is driving me crazy!:mad:

Any suggestions?

[T-Bird]

Max,

I am going on 7 months, and still haven't hit the "jackpot" - but I have had days of feeling really wonderful until detox drug me back down. I generally have fairly mild detox, just not feeling too great/low energy type thing.

I have very high exposure to mercury, and also some lead to. I actually suspected that I had cancer when I went raw, but opted to not get medical dx/care. Hopefully - will never find out if that suspicion is true

So I do think it's important to understand to some extent what level your body is at, and give it time to work. I had 3 super great days right before my 5th month marker. I thought I had burst through to the other side, but I guess it was just a little motivator.

What helps me energywise is wheat grass juice. It makes a huge difference to me that even 2-3 green smoothies a day can't replicate. Due to a couple of business trips this summer, I got out of wheat grass growing production so need to get back into that.....

Also - if you're long term on veggie or vegan - don't overlook b12 issues. Some people poo poo the idea, but I was a veggie then vegan for 15 years before I went deficient. Your body does hold onto b-12 stores for a while, but can eventually run out. This definitely affects energy.

[EZ rider]

The raw food lifestyle is not like drugs where you get fast symptom suppression. Raw takes awhile because its food and that means its a slow process of rebuilding your body from the inside out.The length of time needed for rebuilding will be different for everyone.

[katchmoleen]

Hi, Max, I was just like you at 2 weeks, in fact I would say I had LESS energy than before I went raw. You can read my blog to see what it was like. I had major detox the first week and then sort of evened out. I am seven weeks into it now and starting to see a tiny bit of difference in my energy level. But hey, I have been energy deficient for about 25 of my 50 years, and have had health problems for ALL of my 50 years, so how can I expect things to turn around in 7 weeks? This has been a decision to change my lifestyle, not a quick fix fad. I have seen enough benefits to keep me going and expect many more as time goes on.