Hi All

I'm taking my first steps on the raw food journey this week. Although I have done a juice fast in the past, I'm now coming off SAD so I know it will be difficult. I plan on starting off as what I see as 75% raw (raw breakfast and dinner) then if I survive I'll move on. Wish me luck.

Why am I doing this? I have to get out of the state of denial that I'm in. Food is my drug of choice..I use it for comfort, I use it when I'm bored, I use it as a reward. Through it all I feel awful and tired. I know the exact minute that foods like bread, red meat or other complex carbs hit my system. I can actually feel and see a curtain of cloudiness cover my eyes..I actual need a ten 10min nap or else I feel like crap. Then to top it off, I ingest caffeine to "clear Up" the cloudiness and lethargy It is a continuous cycle and I'm ready to get off the ride.

The first time I did a juice fast, I immediately felt the wonderful effect of being clear. I felt lighter and so much clearer in the morning but I had challenges with the dizziness and with "phasing out" kind of feeling during the afternoon. My teeth also began to hurt which scared me silly so I stopped. I'll have to be more balanced this time around.

All of the posts here have been great. I'd love to hear from the experience rawfoodists and those who recently started out from the standard diet. I'll need all the support I can get.

I'm hoping that this will help my menstrual pain and seborraic dermatitis. Has the raw food lifestyle helped others with this?

TTFN

Congrats! Raw is a long journey and please be patient with yourself. Each day you add fresh raw fruits, veggies nuts and seeds will be a joyous experience for you in ways you never expected. Newer skin, more energy (yep!), letting go of pain, both physical and mental...the list is endless. We welcome you to healthy living. As for pain...I don't have periods because I had a hysterectomy several years ago but my PMS and hotflashes disappeared as soon as I went raw. Pain - I have Fibromyalgia which is very painful (tendons, muscles, nerves, etc.) and it has disappeared also. Peggy

Hi,

You mentioned menstrual pain and hoping that the raw food lifestyle will help with this.

My sister (50 - 70% raw) drinks chamomile herbal tea (herbalist quality not the stuff in tea bags) 3 or more times a day for her period pain. She just puts some in a tea pot and pours on boiling water and leaves to stand for 10 mins. She couldn't, and still can't, believe how effective it is. Sometimes she uses fresh ginger root chopped up and simmered for 15 - 20 mins into a tea as well or instead. She was on prescription drugs for the intensity of the pain and wanted to find a healthier alternative. I'm wondering whether adding the raw ginger to juices or blended stuff 2 - 3 times per day would work too.

Good luck with the new diet.
John

Thank you for your suggestions. It is very timely I'm also on prescriptions (a place I did not want to go) and my ulcer is insisting that I change the course there. I pray that I stick with this long enough for it to work.

Well its Day 2 and so far I've been good. No meat, no bread or complex carb. I feel great. I'm not falling asleep at my desk, a time otherwise known as my 2pm doldrums. Waking up clearer is also a great side benefit. I really hate waking up feeling like I need to sleep more. I had some cooked sweet potatoes but I'm also trying a dried sweet potato chip recipe. So far so good. It actually tastes good.

Lessons learned
1) need to have more variety or else I get bored
2) Make small batches of food otherwise it might spoil or in case I hate it
3) Almond milk with honey tastes great but it is time consuming

I'm not weighing myself right now. I think I'll just see how my clothes feel. The ad with the scale tied to the leg is truely a reflection of how I feel sometimes so I won't go there yet.

Well, tomorrow is a challenge for me. It's "Snack Day" at work. Everyone brings in a snack and you know its chips and cake and donuts. Lord grant me the strength. Doritos chips are usually the source of my downfall. Wish me luck.

TTFN

Well I was 90% successful on Snack day. I tried some roasted cashews and a small piece of sushi with rice. Boy what a mistake. I immediately got a headache. Afterwards I just drank a lot of water and went to bed. Guess I won't do that again. Today is better. Im on track. I do notice though that medjool dates are like candy..the sugar goes straight to my bloodstream. better not have those every day. Besides that, they are expensive.

My sweetpotato chips are hot and tasty. Great snack especially when the hunger pangs set in :-)

Anyway. I'm in school all day on Friday and Saturday. That is another challenge for me since its all sugar. I have my lunch kit with my icepack. Should be fun.

TTFN

Well I'm into week three are the raw food plan. I've had a couple of bumps but I'm still figuring what my body reacts to. For example, wild oats has this "bread" that is made up of fruts and sprouted wheat mixture. It tastes great and my stomach felt okay but main I got the runs. I couldn't believe it. I'm wondering if I can't eat the wheat. I'm quite disappointed since it tastes great and I don't get the sugar rush. Oh well. Back to the fruits and veges.

I think that I've lost 10 lbs. I tried not to weigh myself when I started but if I remember the last time i weighed myself it would be 10. My pants and shirts fit better and that's all i care about.

Medjhool dates are addictive. THeir so sweet and great but i found that I should have them before I exercise. Eating it has the same affect as eating a donot...I want to fall asleep the sugar high is too much for me to handle. Its a great mid-afternoon snack though and very handy when in meetings. WIll have to take it easy.

So far my friends are very worried about the diet. they keep wondering if I get enough protein. I usually tell them I'm eating more now and still loosing weight. Let the disbelievers beware. I hope to go on for awhile. 3 weeks and counting..

1 whole month! I've been raw for the past month. So far so good. I feel better although I love my naps since I've cut down on the coffee :-). I'm now 169lbs -about 14lb weight loss since i started and I don't feel stressed about it.

Things to do better next month
eat less nuts - eat them only at lunch or the mid-afternoon snack
eat less after 8p - thats the time i get home
mono eating fruit in the morning and for all snacks
increase exercise - step it up a notch
drink 2 more glasses of water in the afternoon

Good news - my blood pressure is down to 113/63 with a heart rate of 61. I was totally floored. My numbers are usually 129/78 HR - 78. Dr said my heart rate was that of an athlete. Isn't that awesome?

Cool! I am glad! My bp went down, too! It is awesome!

We started about the same time. I've only lost about 6 lbs but I feel wonderful. Saving money also by bringing my lunches.

How are you doing?

Bad news - I fell off the wagan during Christmas and its taken me this long to get back to cleaning up amy diet.

What happened? Travelling to my home country where uncooked vegetables is myth, school restarted and I was overwhelmed with the prep work...excuses yes. It made me realize how much dedication is really needed if you aren't in an environment you can't control. I sometime feel like time and the world is working against me. The amazing thing was how crappy I felt when I started eating cooked food again. I started falling asleep at my desk about 3p and was gulping down coffee left and right.


Anyway, its been 1 week since I started clearning up my diet again. I got a Vitamix (love it) and I feel better since I started. I need to be not as obsessive as I was before. If I'm out and I can't have a salad, then I'll have the most nutritious meal I can get. I've started planning things out better e.g. I get a salad from the grocery salad bar so it saves me time and I make my own cereal bars (oat groats, dates, cranberries, almonds) so that I can eat on the run..little goals instead of big ones

My goals for the next week
* Smoothies for breakfast - I'll only add nuts to it 3 times for the week (I'm addicted to nuts)

* Eat vege snacks after lunch 4x this week


* Eat heavier lunch and ligher selections for dinner

* Drink only 2 cups of coffee per day (down from 4)

Baby steps- wish me luck.

Good luck, jonesy! I believe this is one of the toughest things to do, switch to more of a raw diet, but also the most rewarding. I admire you for trying again. I am on my 5th attempt starting the beginning of this month to go 100% raw. Sometimes the reactions from other people gets to me and how it affects the ability to mix in and socialize. I think it's sad how junk food is part of every social event.

hey there hun...just wondering how the diet clean up was going i hope all is going fantastic!!! i know you can do this!! good luck and congrats that you are back on the main path in your raw journey!! take care of yourself and good luck!!
lots of love
earthangel
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo