No energy - why?

[Hanalei]

I've been high raw for a year, and generally have a good amount of energy. About a month ago, I started adding more fruit to my diet and less fats, as an experiment. That's the only change in my diet. The past 2 weeks or so, I've had very little energy when I go to exercise. Not sleepy-tired, just physically lacking energy and tired. I'm not sure it's from the lack of fat, though, because today I had quite a bit of fat with my dinner, and still had no energy tonight when I worked out. And it doesn't seem to be related to whether I eat raw, cooked, or half and half meals. Any thoughts on this? I would think if my body needed the fat, I'd be craving it, right?

[MysticTree]

it definitely needs calories but it might be a b12 or iron deficiency.

[sport]

I agree on the calories. Make sure that you are getting enough. Are you drinking enough water.

[Gianni]

Fruit has energy that tends to burn quickly which may leave you wanting a bit for energy. Therefore you might try to incorporate some complex carbohydrates into your diet which might give you more energy while exercising. High sources of complex carbs are whole grains, legumes, potatoes and other root vegetables which you might sprout, soak, marinate, or eat raw.

Complex carbs like grains, legumes, and potatoes, are harder to digest than simple carbs, and they are also generally higher in calories than other fruits and vegetables. If over-eaten, they may lead to sluggishness and weight gain. Therefore so you may wish to restrict the amount you eat of them, or monitor your weight and athletic performance as you add them to your diet.

[Hanalei]

This may be a silly question, but how do you know if you're getting enough calories?

I actually don't eat a whole lot of potatoes or root veggies. Sometimes sweet potatoes or parsnips, but not very often lately. I do eat some grains and beans.

I'm working on the water. I have seriously dry skin (I live in Michigan and the air is very dry and cold), and drinking water hasn't been helping. A humidifier helps somewhat, but not enough. I find it very difficult to drink more than like half a liter of water a day. Even adding lemon juice or something to it, I just don't like to drink water. I'd think you'd get most of the water you need from fruits and veggies, but I don't seem to be. I've been eating a lot of oranges, bananas, grapefruits, and blueberries, but it doesnt seem to be helping my skin.

[MysticTree]

But you are eating cooked foods? If so, you may find that is the reason.

[sport]

You need far more water than that. I am 100% low fat raw vegan which means that I practically eat nothing but fruit and the least amount of water that I would have in a day would be 80 ozs and most days I have more than that.
Water has to be viewed as just as important as food. You can not get healthy without it. Dehydration is the cause of much distress to the body and leads to many diseases.
Drink good water and you will find that you learn to love it.

[Hanalei]

80 ounces! Holy cow! How do you do it??

I do eat some cooked food, yes, but I try to keep it to a minimum. It's mostly just dinner (and a lot of days dinner includes a salad), and mostly because it's so cold up here this time of year that we all want something warm. Plus my dad and brother are not raw, so it's easier on both of my parents to just make one meal that all of us will eat. SOmetimes it's raw, sometimes not. But breakfast almost always is raw, lunch is always raw, and our snack at night is almost always raw. I do better with raw in the summer when all I want to eat is cold fruits and veggies anyway. :heart:

My mom did point out yesterday that since we started remodeling our bathroom (about the same time our energy kind of decreased), we haven't really been eating much lunch. Could that be a cause of it?

And I would really appreciate any tips to drink more water. I try to keep the bottle with me all day, but I guess that's not enough.

Edit: I do have a question for those of you who have been raw for quite some time. I'm kind of hesitant to go 100% raw because I love to travel, and I wouldn't my body to completely freak out when I give it some cooked food while traveling, particularly to places like Italy where I would want authentic pasta and such. Has anyone had experiences with that, or does it really not affect you?

[MysticTree]

we don't really discuss eating cooked food. Drinking more water is relatively simple. What temperature do you like it at best. Personally I like it good and cold but others prefer warm. Find what you like best and go from there. You could start by making it a practice to drink a large glassful first thing. One of the benchmarks of sensible hydration is to check then colour of your urine. Pale straw coloured is considered good.

[sport]

I am fairly long term raw but from the beginning I would notice changes if I ate a cooked meal so the term did not change that. I would only feel as bad as I had before I went raw. It will not effect you drastically. I suggest that if you go raw you will find that you mostly do not want to eat that cooked meal. It will seem very unattractive after a while.
I drink my water at room temp. I find that if I drink it cold I can drink very little. I have 20 ozs first thing in the morning and the same an hour before each meal and another in the evening. I love it and do not have to force it. Would feel very deprived without it. I never leave the house without taking water in the car.