Newbie-Helppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

[Rawssian]

Hey my rawsome people!!!!
So I don't want to bore you guys with the details but I feel like it's imperative so please hear me out :-)
I've been eating about 80% raw for a couple of months and was doing great (lost 10 pounds, had great skin, and mental clarity). Then I hit a depression point in my life due to accumulating stress from a break-up, work and school. I started to eat cooked foods and even milk chocolate (I'm a VEGAN!!!*gasp*)
So I regained the 10 pounds, my skin freaked out on me, and I felt like crap all over again. Now, it's been a month of me getting back into my good lifestyle where I've been eating 90% raw. At first my skin freaked out on me, but now it's starting to clear up. However, the skin on my shoulders and back is still breaking out, my digestive system is STILL freaking out on me and I feel bloated all the time, and it's so hard to not eat all the time. I mean, WOW. I was able to function on 3 tall glasses of green smoothies and a salad a couple of months ago, and now, it's like a half hour barely goes by and I start salivating at the mouth again,
I don't feel healthy due to my stomach being full all the time ( I long for that light feeling again....), my body break-outs are annoying me and I can barely keep up with the grocery bill.
Anyone have any advice???? Perhaps someone's experienced this? I don't remember my body taking this long to adjust...however at the time I started this diet I was going through hormonal imbalances from getting off the pill, so maybe I just didn't notice?
Any advice will be MUCH appreciated!!!!!
Thank YOU!!!
Dina

[Mary Kay]

I think many have "lived your story" Fallen off the wagon etc, so please don't feel alone. Hugs.

Maybe? during your "bad" period you developed some candida and became quite acid and it's going to take a bit before you get back to normal. I'd say watch the sugar...even the fruits for a while.

How's about testing your pH too...making sure you're alkaline. I prefer the pH strips or the tape---and checking my urine.

Just some quick thoughts.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[Dimond]

It could be that somehow the foods you ate created a lot more to detox, especially the dairy since your body wasn't use to it. Perhaps candida as Mary Kay said. Could be the 10% that isn't raw is somehow holding you back. You can always try 100% for a couple of months to see if that helps. What exactly is the 10%? Could be just a food or two that is the cause.

[Rawssian]

Mary Kay
Thanks for the response
Hmm, I haven't thought about that at all. I HAVE been loading up on the fruits. When I first ate raw, it was half fruit and half veggies/greens. Now the majority of what I eat is fruit. Reason being is that I am at school and work most days and don't wnat to carry a big tupperware of salad with me, so I settle for fruit since it's more compact. Do you have any advice for easy to carry/pack veggies?

Oh and here's a hug back *SQUUEZE*
:-)

[Rawssian]

Hi, Dimond :-)
Thanks for the response!!
Well, the 10% is mostly grains that have been cooked. I eat buckwheat sometimes, and toasted nori strips/dulse. I don't intentionally go out of my way to eat toasted seaweed but some places they don't have the raw version.
In addition, I sometimes have dark chocolate and on the weekends when going on with friends, I (foolishly, I know) eat *vegan* restaurant food.
So..in all, I don't eat cooked stuff that often at all. But I do on occasion.
I think I will probably lay off the large amounts of fruit I eat and try to balance it with my veggie intake.
:-)

[January Noir]

Make green smoothies to take along with you in a thermos or other large container.
You can squeeze quite a few servings of veggies in a green smoothie.
Sweeten them with banana, apples or other fruits, just to taste.

[sport]

Fruit are not causing your problem. There are a lot of culprits but I doubt if the fruit is one of them.
Grains are not the easiest thing to digest. They slow everything down.

[tito]

i think you should go for it , 100 % raw

[maria84]

hey rawssian, have you considered taking vitex? i'm taking it now and i used to be on the pill and it seems to be working well. lots of people say it clears up their acne by normalizing hormones in a more natural way than bcp

[Mnbordergirl]

I have fallen off but am getting back on after gaining 10 lbs back too!
You arent alone.

About the back skin breakouts. Get a facial for it...seriously. Esthateicians do that sort of stuff.

Also-hall butt to whole food and get MYCHELLE fruit acid peels (the raspberry one). Do a fruit peel on your skin about every 4 days for a month (intense peeling/exfoliation). Follow the directions exactly. EXACTLY. This is 7% glycolic acid so it can burn you if you goof around with it. So do it EXACTLY...ie. dont leave it on for more than 5 minutes.

It is an awesome product. For the first time this month my horomone/stress acne that comes with the girl stuff was nonexistant

[maria84]

that sounds kind of harsh. i guess it works for some people! i just know that i used to do that kind of topical stuff when i used to have bad hormonal acne and it did not work.
maybe if you're 100% raw, hormones might balance themselves out, but what if you fall off the wagon? i like the vitex(chasteberry) because it's insurance so i don't have to worry about being 100% and of course, worry also messes with hormones

[Rawssian]

Hmm, Vitex?
What is that exactly? I'm going to look into it, and hey, might as well try it...don't have anything to lose :-)
And yeah, it gets tough going out and staying 100% raw, so vitex might be the "insurance" I need

[Rawssian]

I looked up MyChelle, and I couldn't seem to find a raspberry peel, only other types.
Thank you so much for your response, btw :-)