Am I doing something wrong? How long does it take to feel good on Raw?

[Carly]

Hi everyone! I've been on an almost 100% (besides almonds and cashews that are labeled raw but aren't, some olives, and some organic tamari), for 4 weeks today. I was reading Alissa Cohen's book and she said to expect to feel really good by the first or 2nd week. I've done raw before, and the longest I've ever done it for was 2.5 months over 6 years ago and I don't really remember what I felt like, but I do remember detoxing more than this every other time I went raw. The last time I did raw was for a month last fall and had a lot more noticeable results. All the other times I did raw I ate exactly the same as I'm eating now.

This time I actually feel worse than before raw. I expected that to happen (at least for a time); I expected a detox. But this almost feels like my body started to detox and then stopped. For example, my nose has always been a little stuffed. Unlike last time I was raw, when my nose ran really bad for a day and then was almost totally clear, this time it just got really stuffed for 3 weeks. It ran a little a couple of days ago and now is as clear as before raw but no more than that. My energy level is the same or slightly worse.

When I ran in the Spring once in a while why lungs would tighten, maybe from mucous or exercise induced asthma. But I could always walk or do yoga and be fine. Even when I ran I was normally fine. When I walk or do yoga now, my chest tightens up like I have a lot of mucous in my lungs that is trying to come out. But it's not coming out! A few weeks ago it got so bad when I was walking at the park (same route I always do) that I started to black out and could literally not take a breath. I had to sit down because my lungs froze. I thought, OK, this means that I'll be detoxing this mucous soon. But I haven't. Also, I still have headaches and my mood is not any better, it actually seems to be worse. For the first 2 weeks I was getting bad joint pains, but I'm not getting those as much anymore. I've also been nauseous a few times while raw, though I never am normally.

I did a juice fast one day this week but couldn't mentally handle it any longer than that. I've gotten 3 colonics in the last 3 weeks and they haven't seemed to make any difference. I've been losing weight at a good pace. Actually I lost really quickly the first 1.5 weeks, then it completely stalled for 2 weeks, then after the 1 day juice fast I'm losing again. About 7.5 lbs so far which is good for me.

I'm eating the same things as I did last November when I had great results. I don't feel that I eat very much at all. I'm not trying not to eat much, but I haven;t been the hungry lately. I'd be open to a higher fruit diet, but I know I'm not ready for getting only 10% of my calories from fat yet. I tried that once after being raw for a month and I went back to cooked after 3 days of doing that program.

Also, when do cravings go away or at least get better? I was fine for 3 weeks and then this week has been pretty bad. Usually I'd be having cravings by the 1st or 2nd week. Maybe for some reason my body is moving slower this time? Maybe it knows that I'm more serious about staying with this longer so it's doing a more thorough job. :D

I'm open to the process. If this is normal not to feel any positive change, in fact to feel slightly worse for a month without any real cleansing/elimination, then that is fine. I just worry that this isn't normal. I feel like I'm just not detoxing for some reason. I find it hard to believe it wouldn't feel some change for the better after a month? But every other time I've given up on raw so I want to keep going and see if it gets better. I really want to do the 100 days at least but I'm just feeling frustrated.

Thanks so much for your help! :)

[Revvell]

You've told us everything except what you're eating. What KIND of juice fast? Fruit? greens? Veggies?

Did you keep a food diary in November? If not, it may be difficult to REALLY remember what you ate. I certainly can't remember what I ate 9 months ago.
I'm eating the same things as I did last November when I had great results.

What thing I've noticed is when I eat raw, eat less raw; eat raw, eat less raw... every time I start up again eating MORE raw, it's different. I don't eliminate weight as quickly; I eat MUCH differently because I'M different and it's a different season so, different foods are available, etc.

What I eat in November is certainly different than what I eat towards the end of summer. Where I purchase may be different ~ farmers' market as opposed to a store; organic vs. conventional.

So many factors to consider.

[rawrawks]

I would say that your body is calling for you to up the ante. Go raw-er.

If you are eating heavier go lighter. If you are drinking smoothies, switch to green juce. Lighter fare. More alive fare. Fresh off the plant picked and juced and drank. Time to play a bigger game.

[Carly]

I did a vegetable and greens juice fast. Normally I'll have a green smoothie or vegetable juice in the morning. Sometimes I'll be hungry in the afternoon and have a banana with almond butter or maybe a salad or something like that. Sometimes I won't be hungry and won't have anything. Then for dinner I'll have some kind of 'raw gourmet' meal. Dessert is either a couple of dates or maybe some raw dessert I made.

For example, yesterday was vegetable juice in the morning, a raw 'burger' in the afternoon (i was really hungry for some reason), which was the patty, raw bread (no grains), raw mayo, 1/2 a small tomato, and 1/2 an avocado. I wasn't hungry at dinner time. Then late at night I was hungry and a handful or 2 of raisins and almonds.

Today so far I had a green smoothie, a banana with almond butter, and will have a raw falafel wrap in an hour or 2 and then dessert will be raw chocolate cake or maybe chocolate covered dates. I eat cacao maybe a few times a week in desserts.

When I said I ate the same in November I meant I wasn't doing a specific raw program and was eating lots of nuts and gourmet raw, as well as fruit and greens. Actually I thought about it and realized in November I wasn't doing vegetable juicing, only green smoothies. I also didn't do colonics.

[symphony]

I did a vegetable and greens juice fast. Normally I'll have a green smoothie or vegetable juice in the morning. Sometimes I'll be hungry in the afternoon and have a banana with almond butter or maybe a salad or something like that. Sometimes I won't be hungry and won't have anything. Then for dinner I'll have some kind of 'raw gourmet' meal. Dessert is either a couple of dates or maybe some raw dessert I made.

For example, yesterday was vegetable juice in the morning, a raw 'burger' in the afternoon (i was really hungry for some reason), which was the patty, raw bread (no grains), raw mayo, 1/2 a small tomato, and 1/2 an avocado. I wasn't hungry at dinner time. Then late at night I was hungry and a handful or 2 of raisins and almonds.

Today so far I had a green smoothie, a banana with almond butter, and will have a raw falafel wrap in an hour or 2 and then dessert will be raw chocolate cake or maybe chocolate covered dates. I eat cacao maybe a few times a week in desserts.

When I said I ate the same in November I meant I wasn't doing a specific raw program and was eating lots of nuts and gourmet raw, as well as fruit and greens. Actually I thought about it and realized in November I wasn't doing vegetable juicing, only green smoothies. I also didn't do colonics.

Raw isn't this magical thing like alot make it alot to be. The benefits from raw are mostly to do with all the things one isn't eatting. My friend and I were both 100 percent raw for 2 years and felt around the same as we allways did give or take. I find a lwhole food low fat diet cooked or raw is what i feel best on

[Carly]

Thanks for the input, Symphony. It's relieving to hear that after hearing for long that everyone feels spiritual and joyful and amazingly energetic after 4 days or whatever. It's frustrating because I was always very happy, I wanted to see if I could "go to the next level" with raw, yet now I've felt much more depressed and apathetic, less energy, less motivation for 3 out of the 4 weeks on raw. Which diet are you following now? If you're raw, why do you stay raw? Are there benefits that you don't see with cooked?

[katchmoleen]

It also may depend on what your health was like before. I was a train wreck so knew not to expect overnight results. I would say that I didn't start to turn a corner till about 6 weeks. Almost three months now and still have a long way to go but I can really see a difference now. Enough to keep going with it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Carly,

Everyone's experience if unique... and every time you go raw it'll be different (you've already said as much in your post)... so why are you surprised?

I recommend you begin to focus more on being patient, breathing and enjoying your life and the raw foods that are in it and allow your body to heal, grow and release as it sees fit. (((hugs)))

[Veganforlife]

We ALL can try to analyze why you are not feeling amazing yet, but you are the one who will have to do something about it. Use some of the advice here. Document what you eat for a month. Do you work out? Do you drink enough water? Are you taking any meds? Maybe your body is going to take longer?
Hard to say...

[Veganforlife]

Raw isn't this magical thing like alot make it alot to be. The benefits from raw are mostly to do with all the things one isn't eatting. My friend and I were both 100 percent raw for 2 years and felt around the same as we allways did give or take. I find a lwhole food low fat diet cooked or raw is what i feel best on

Actually Symphony - Raw IS all it's cracked up to be. I am living proof and I dare anyone, so-called medical professional or others to prove me wrong. And your comment about the benefits from Raw are about what one DOESN'T eat, well duh! Sorry but that only makes sense! Are you in support of a Raw lifestyle or not? Your post will lead others to believe that incorporating cooked is fine. This forum clearly does not lean that way. Sorry...

[Poke Salad]

Carly, I agree that the experience of raw is different each time you do it.

I'm on my second lengthy stint of raw.

My first lasted for 8 months before the dreaded emotional detox got me.

This one has lasted for nearly 2 years and now there is absolutely no turning back.

The thing is I saw much faster weight loss as well as physical, emotional and spiritual results the first time around.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that I was just internally cleaner the second time due to my previous raw stint and just having improved my diet overall even if I was no longer raw.

It meant the comparison wasn't as stark.

And continue with the greens. I also made a mistake the 2nd time around by only having one serving of greens a day for much of the first year.

It meant my body remained acidic for a lot longer than need be and so my weightloss was pretty slow. As soon as I added another serving of greens weight loss and all the other benefits of raw were fast-tracked.

My advice is commit to it as a lifestyle and try not to do the old daily comparison as tempting as it is.

If you stick at it it's virtually impossible not to see amazing results.

All the best.

Poke Salad

[margoss]

I started this about 3 months ago. I have to say that I have great days & not great days. To me, it's not always about the food or it may be about what/how much I ate that day or the previous on. I just know I feel better & am greatful. Don't put your expectations so high. I just realized that the knee discomfort I've dealt with yr has not been present this week, my feet do not ache..yeah. this is wonderful to me.

[Carly]

Insightful posts and good advice everyone. Thank you to you all. :)

[EZ rider]

I've been at this for just over two years now and my conclusion is that the results I get are directly proportional to way I do raw. When I am eating simple raw meals of fresh whole truly raw foods I feel great and when I compromise or "slip" I get grumpy and feel lousy. I agree with rawrawks post above about going "rawer" in that when raw isn't working well for me I need to compromise less and get "rawer" and then everything works well again. I'm sure there are people who can do raw half way and get great results - I'm just not one of them. Good luck.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Hello, after reading your reply and what you eat. Here is what come to mind.

First this is the allergies season. Yes i know many claim that they have no longer allergies but for me, i started to have allergies the year i went raw, lol... but i think this is only a coincidence because i suspect this is because i moved the fall time before i went raw on spring AND there are simply more rag weeds where i am. So if you do have allergies, you will have problem to breath, mucus problem and in the lung too. It will be over in mid September here. Check your weather forecast and see what kind of pollen there is in your area.

Second
Ok what i would do with you, i would try to cut down the almond butter. Sadly, even if they say raw almond butter, if this is coming from the State, it isn't raw. There were a crazy bill that got passed on on September 2007 or 2008, i cannot remember but take my word this isn't raw. You will have to make it yourself if you find real raw almond. Typically, you can buy them directly form the farmer, they are allow to sell them raw to you but once they are package, they are pasteurize.

Third, to reduce your hunger and feed your body, if you need heavier food. Try to soak a little bit of chia seed for at least one hour. I place it in the fridge. Also soak goji berries. They are both rich in nutrients and goji are rich in Iron AND simply add this in your smoothie. Use also hemp seeds, they are rich in omega 3/6 and has the 8 amino acids and more. Many food has the 8 amino acids such apple, tomato, greens, etc... I promise you your hunger will go down.

Hang in there, i am sure your body is already changing and doing wonderful, you just cannot see the result. Also, if you had a very bad diet before your went raw, you will detox longer. Consider to filter your water even more. Continue your colon hydro therapy and take good pro-biotic. If your weight is plateau, it is because your body is making a priority to do repair what is inside first. I would continue to take your green juice. Green are so important for your body. Don't give up, you truly are on the right path. Even though i am dealing with allergies, there isn't any word for all the wonderful change and this boost of energy that i had when i went raw. Working full time and pumping my milk at work was so draining prior that i went raw. There isn't any way, i would have been able to do that if i wouldn't being raw.

I would treat myself and consult with a nutritionist that do raw food and homeopath. Dr. Fred Bisci do offer consultation on the phone. Also, one thing that i have done for me and it helps me so much, was to take therapeutic enzyme. Allissa sells them on her site. They fix your leaky guts. I started to feel a difference. I supplement with B12 also. If your B12 is low, you will struggle to absorb your iron. You can consider to get a blood work done. I take the supplement recommended by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. I felt and immediate difference the day that i took that.

Your water could be bad, please make sure that you have the adequate filter for your home. If your town use chloramide this is a combination of chloride and amoniac which is very toxic and you need a special filter that said chloramide on it. Otherwise buy your water and filter it back at home because of the plastic gas from the bottle.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Seedy]

I may get some flack for this, but is it possible you are actually sick? I don't believe every time we feel bad on a raw food diet, we are necessarily detoxing. Usually perhaps, but not always. When I was 1 month into this raw diet, I became extremely wheezy and my asthma went completely out of control. I was coughing up dark yellow phlegm and could barely climb the stairs to the lab where I work. I've had two near-death experiences with asthma attacks (including having a lung pop like a balloon from too much CO2 build-up) so I take these things very seriously. I went to my doctor, she ran some tests, and said I had very bad bronchitis. She treated it with antibiotics and it cleared up in about a week. I continued my raw diet, took some probiotics, and now at three months raw I'm fine. I have tons of energy and I've even begun to run again. Don't get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY believe that a raw food diet is the way to go. But I also believe that my doctor and I are partners in maintaining my health. I do my share by diet, exercise and maintaining my weight. She does hers by monitoring my blood for B12 and iron, my bones for calcium loss, and treating those instances when the bad guys out there try to take over my body. Hopefully, when I've been raw three years instead of three months, a bacteria or virus wouldn't dare live in my body. :) One can hope.
Seedy

[Aleesha Sattva]

*nodding* yup sometimes illness is just that.

[Myca]

Carly,
Is it possible that you are dealing with a light sinus infection or seasonal allergies? Maybe you are ill and your body is fighting it off. It could be hiding in with detox.