I started a raw food diet because no other diet works for me. I'm trying to live on a 1500 calorie diet, maybe 1800 because that's what blows the weight for me--I'm REALLY overweight--I really let myself go over the years. That and I was starting to see what I feel were diabetes symptoms (yes! it's in my family).

For me, the other diets gave me too many opportunities to cheat--"Oh... just one more..." and it was a like a shark sensing blood in the water--devoured, boom! My diet was no more. The raw food diet made it so that the temptation was completely removed. Not just a little meat or a small serving--how about NO MEAT!

Since I started this diet I lost 10 pounds. I don't feel "amazing" but my *gross alert* "back-ne" is gone! My skin was getting a weird scent and that is gone too. I spent part of Saturday trying on shirts from the back of my closet--finally! And I was able to play much more with my kids. Finally, I do feel lighter and I'm starting to jump out bed in the mornings (vs. sliding out and feeling like a train hit me every morning). My digestive system is still a mess so that may be something else Anyway, I am surprised that I saw *any* improvement in the last two weeks, I didn't expect to see any!

I'm not 100% raw because I can't walk around the sliced hard-boiled eggs in the salad bar at work or anywhere else and I'm thinking that those might be the exception to my otherwise veggie plan. I'm getting bored of eating salads--I actually, DON'T LIKE SALADS! but I like the benefits I see so far so--time to be a grown-up about this I guess. The recipes I've looked up take a while to prepare and because the food is raw, I can't really keep it for a long time (I lost a box of strawberries--mold). My schedule makes it difficult to set time aside to prepare so, I'm stuck with grabbing lettuce out of the fridge and then running off. That's just how it is for me.

I'm also getting tired of eating fruit--I don't like fruit but I'm dealing with it. Basically, I like the benefits and the immediate success is encouraging but it's BORING! I fear that this will ultimately do me in. It's early--very early into this diet and it's working! No headaches, no strange feelings that some people warned me about. If I do feel lightheaded, I eat some some raw almonds and that gets rid of the headache almost instantly--funny actually.

Thanks for making it this far into my experience.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I loved reading your journey.

I think you should give the raw vegan lifestyle a try and just stick with it, be consistent. The benefits will be so much more than what you have experienced so far, and it's worth going all the way. It will get easier once you set a routine. Your taste buds will change. Your body will get used to raw vegan food. Just eat what you enjoy best, discover some favourite fruits - it's impossible to not like at least one type of fruit. Don't limit yourself to salads. Try and make time for delicious dinners, while fruit is the perfect fast food for those "on the go" moments during the day. You don't have to make complicated recipes like the ones with too many ingredients or involving a dehidrator. You can try zucchini spaghetti with tomato dill sauce. Or cauliflower rice with the same sauce. Or a raw tomato soup in which you add other chopped veggies. These dishes are simple, satisfying, and you can eat as much as you want. Just take it day by day and it will be much easier.

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Raw vegan for life. Vegan for the animals. Raw for my health.

Being Raw is more of a lifestyle than a diet. I understand folks who want to go raw in order to drop some weight but turn this "DIET" into a "LIFESTYLE."

I cannot emphasize how important dedicated "MEAL PREP" time is...

In being motivated to respond, I happened to notice that this post is almost a year old. I looked at the activity of this person and it was only one post altogether. So hopefully s/he was able to continue but from that post, it doesn't look like that was the case.

Salad bars are dicey. You have to invest TIME into your new lifestyle. If you want the benefits without having to prep your own foods, then you're not committed enough yet. I would not advise people to eat out at all, especially in the first six months to year. You need to be 100% sure of everything you put into your mouth and you cannot do that by relying on others. Sometimes chemicals are used to keep veggies looks fresh in the salad bar. You are supposed to be eating totally clean.

This person also mentioned strawberries going bad. Assuming he was from the USA, they were out of season at that time of year. You have to get educated on eating in season and a variety. People do not go into this with enough information and then chuck it right away.