Day 3 of my raw journey

[rawdetermination]

Where do I start... :rolleyes: This has been an easier journey so far than I had hoped for, I expected to feel a lot more ill and have more cravings than I have and yet I also realize I have only just begun.

Day 1: was great! No cravings and no feelings of detox. I thought to myself that this would be a breeze!

Day 2: I started craving this home made full of sugar and who knows what else apple pie we have in the fridge and a piece or two of summer sausage that my boyfriend bought, but I was a good girl and told him to eat them for me and get them out of the house. I then went and made myself a banana, apple and berry smoothie which helped tremendously! I also noticed that my shoulders and neck among other muscles are sore and that I had a slight annoying headache. I am finding out that I am snacking every couple of hours, but I don't have to eat much to satisfy me. I also feel more thirsty and am drinking as much water or more than one should have in their daily intake which is a good thing since I am usually really bad about that. Something else occurred today that I think is very strange...I LOVE coffee and I have it EVERY day, usually 2 to 3 cups in the morning, if I allowed myself to I could drink coffee all day...but today I only had half a cup!!! To make matters even more strange I decided before bed(when I usually set up the coffee pot for the next day) that I didn't want coffee in the morning, I wanted tea :eek:

Day 3(today): Sure enough upon awakening I made tea, I didn't HAVE to have my coffee, my boyfriend even asked me if I was feeling ok :p I'm craving warm soup and chocolate chip cookies, I think partially because they are comfort foods...I have the headache still and muscle aches all over, also my stomach is upset, and I am a bit more gassy(belching) than usual, tired and a wee bit cranky...I realize this is all a part of my detox and that it may very well get worse before I feel better.

So a question, I am really tempted to take some Excedrin or something for my muscle aches and head ache but I'm guessing that would slow down my detox? Any advise, tips or suggestions as well as words of encouragement are welcome!!!

[PdaFunk]

Hi there! congratulations on making it this far =] I'm a little jealous cuz I have been struggling about going raw for almost a year haha! But from I've researched, yes taking a pill for pain will slow down your detox. your body aches because its healing itself and cleaning itself out. I would hold off as long as you can, i was raw for about 3 weeks and I experienced the achiness too, but after a few days it went away. of course the choice is yours, but good luck on your journey!

[VeGenesis]

Hey rawdetermination, don't be a martyr! Better to commit to eat raw and take the pain pills if you need them than to fail to eat raw.

That said, I chose to NOT take them. It was hard. It was painful.

I am glad I did. It taught me to listen to my body.

If you can get it try eating bananas and raw cacao - I do not know why but it relieved my pain, who knows it may help. It also helped with leg cramps.

Some people find cucumbers help too. I like mine in raw coconut sap vinegar. Try Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.

A tablespoon or two of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar in a pint of water helps a lot - sip it. I drink two of these a day!

The same with a pint of water and the juice of a lemon. I also drink two of these a day.

Drink more water! There is respected research that almost everyone should drink 2 gallons a day. When I drink that much I feel great. Count all fruit juice, herb tea, and living drinks like coconut water. Subtract anything with caffeine that you really shouldn't be drinking anyway! So if you drink a half cup of coffee you need to add another full cup of water to offset it.

My doctor tells me everyone should drink water with this formula as a MINIMUM.

The body weight in pounds expresses as oz of water.

Example, if you weigh 96 pounds, that would mean you need to drink 96 oz of water. 12 cups, 6 pints or 3 quarts - any way you want to measure it! This is the minimum! During detox drink more will help!

Last suggestion, go for a walk... DO NOT just walk somewhere! Really enjoy your walk, find 20 interesting things on your walk, but do not count them! Just enjoy seeing a bird on a wire, or a ripe mango on a tree or the new Christmas displays. (I live in the Philippines, Christmas starts earlier here.)

Take an apple or something with you and when you see something, stop a moment and bite what you brought.

Likewise, find new comfort foods. I love kinilaw na mongo sprouts that are about 14 hours only and buko juice. If you don't know what that is, find your new comfort food.

[rawdetermination]

Thank you both for the tips! I am feeling much better today!

I drank some herbal tea with chamomile and valerian last night which seemed to ease both my stomach and my muscles are more relaxed today as well as the headache, its gone :) I prefer to not take any over the counter or prescription medications since I know its not good for our bodies so I choose the alternative medicine of herbs quite awhile back. Sometimes the pain can get so bad that I take some, though, since I do occasionally get migraines and have a bad back and neck.

Yes I am drinking loads of water and finding banana, spinach and berry smoothies to be my new comfort food! I usually take ACV or lemon juice by the spoonful, not in my water, but maybe I will try that!

I started this journey thinking I could do with out a dehydrator for a while but am finding how much I really need one so will have to go out and this weekend and get one, I can't wait to try some of the recipes I found, YUM!