Hi Everyone!
Today is day THREE of my new raw lifestyle. I have been about... 80% raw for the past three weeks, but decided that I could really do it and go the full 100%. I do however have a few questions. I should back up. The reason I decided to go raw in the first place was because of any health concerns.... varying from headaches, migraines, sinus infections, major irritability, mood swings, nausea, aches and pains... general constant fatigue and lack of energy, and here I am only 28 years old feeling like I'm 48. Not ok. Oh! And I could stand to lose (and am trying to) about 30 pounds, but find that my metabolism is completely stuck.
Now being a student, I haven't had the extra cash to buy some of the books I've been hearing about, but I've managed to do quite well with information from various internet sites. I don't know a few things that I think I should know. I would like to drink green juices, but I don't know which kinds or what I should mix, and I am a terrible scientist-- i'd rather follow a recipe.
Also, I have been chewing sugar free gum. Bad?
AND, one last thing. I have taken advil and my daily claritin. I live in Boston and the allergens are killing me. Would these three factors combined suppress detoxification that may be trying to take place. I don't know that I am brave enough to go without these two drugs. I have had the most horrible migraines, and it makes me nervous to go without pain medication (advil).
---sorry for the long post--- I have just never been successful with any kind of lifestyle change, and this is the first one that actually feels right, and I want to make sure that I am really doing the right thing.

Thanks so much.
All the best,
melissa

i really like goneraw.com for recipes. this board has a juice forum also i make a really yummy smoothie not juice that even my picky kids love. it consists of kale,banana,blueberry and about i cup water. tonight i added strawberries to it and they fit in perfectly. one of my fav juices is granny smith apple and cucumber.
patty

Hi Melygerl,

WELCOME! You are SO not going to be sorry. I'll be interested to see what other say, but here's my advice:

I recommend that you relax as much as you can and look at going raw as a long-term project. Don't worry about doing everything right away. Going cold turkey is for the healthy and strong; otherwise, it's best to go slowly. It will take 2 to 3 years for you to see and feel the true benefits anyway, so with a timeline like that, you may as well not torture yourself.

First, make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. (Fitday.com can help with that.)

To start out, keep taking your medications until your body adjusts to raw food. The first stage of adjustment takes about 2 weeks: after that you will eat much less (1/3 to 1/2 of what you are eating now), and you'll reap the more immediate benefits (if you get any--not everyone does at this point). You can see how it goes without the meds then, but don't hold your breath that you'll be free and clear of them just yet. After that, keep seeing how it goes. You're right that you are putting toxins in your body as your body is detoxify, you've got plenty more toxins than just those meds to get out. As I understand it, your body will leave those chemicals in your cells and won't work on eliminating them until you stop putting them in.

At some point, when it feels right and when you have some time stay under the covers if need be, you'll probably want to take a few days to fast, where you go off your meds altogether and grit your teeth throught the headaches if you still have them. Ask around for some guidance on this. The longest I'd wait to do this fast is 6 months. The earliest is 3 months.

Don't despair if you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel right away. So much happens behind the scenes (within the body's cells) while you're eating raw, and it can sometimes feel like nothing is going on in there. Then, out of the blue, you notice another huge milestone.

Keep the faith,

Betty
3 1/2 years raw

I went raw for many of the same reasons you stated. I've found that taking 1 TB of apple cider vinegar, 3x a day (diluted in water) helps with the aches and pains. And...pineapple is a natural pain reliever. I have had terrible allergies since I was a child. Since going raw, my allergies have all but gone away. The only time I notice any congestion at all is when I slip up and eat something cooked. That's a testimony in an of itself. Besides pollens, etc., most of my allergies were to foods. Oranges for example, I could never eat. I would immediately get a sore throat and a headache. Now I can eat oranges to my hearts content. Making this change in your diet and lifestyle is so beneficial. You will be so glad you have made this commitment to yourself.

I agree with Betty...take it one day at a time. Take your pain relievers and allergy medication "as needed" rather than out of routine... listen to what your body is telling you and respond.

Islandgirl, Patty and Betty, thank you so much! I was worried that I was being counter-productive. Today is day FOUR of completely 100% raw, and although that's very little time, I feel proud. I has less of a headache today and avoiding taking the advil, so... I was really excited about that!

I do think that I'm eating a little too much fat for my much needed weightloss, but I figure I should give my body some time to adjust and then I'll cut back on those delicious and addictive avocados!

Peace to you all...

Melgerl,

NO WAY! Don't you dare cut back on anything you're enjoying. You can eat all the fat you want and those pounds will still melt off effortlessly. Don't be in a hurry to lose weight, because within a year your family will be begging you to eat "real food" because you'll be so thin they'll think you're becoming anoexic. (My mom was so worried about me, she kept comparing me to a concentration camp victim.) You'll have to keep reminding everyone that after the magical year, your body will come back in a whole new, perfectly proportioned way, and you won't believe how incredibly beautiful and sexy you look and feel.

So eat as many avocados as you want for as long as you want. If you crave them, it's what your body truly needs. Believe that.

Betty

Oops, sorry I spelled your name wrong Melygerl.
B.

SUGAR FREE GUM! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm not sure which kind of sugar free gum you are chewing, but most brands contain the artificial sweeteners Aspartame or Acesulfame K. Aspartame poisoning is a cause of migraines, sickness, fatigue etc.

Probably one of the worst things you can put in your body, in my humble opinion. You may be going through detox right now, but it's possible an artificial sweetener could be responsible.

If you need something to chew, ANYTHING is better than sugar free gum. Pop down to your health store and see if you can get a bag of raisins, dried cranberries or something else chewy to fill the gap

Betty,

I'm gonna stick with the avos then because I do love them so, and i have been craving them. You all have the most amazing advice. I can't wait for the pounds to melt...

And rawnoggin, I'm sorry! I know! I know! I know! NO more sugar free gum. I actually had a piece in my mouth when I read that, and I spit it right out! Lol.
Ok... So... I guess I kinda knew that I should have... but I did. I needed to hold onto that one more little thing.

Thanks all! Have a peaceful day!
Mel

Just a note of caution...everyone's body reacts differently to raw, so time will certainly tell, but...when I first went raw, I was eating everything my body "craved" and I put on 4 lbs (after having lost 40lbs on Weight Watchers, that was kinda scary). So, eve though I LOVE avocadoes, I have to really limit them or I will gain weight. After I lose all of the pounds I want to lose, I look forward to eating more of them. Just pay attention to what is happening with your body and you should be okay.

Islandgirl,

About how many avocados would you say you limit yourself to? Right now, I eat about 1 to 1.5 avos a day... I do not lose weight easily at all, and if you're like me, I'm just curious to know how many avocados someone else eats. I also eat about a handful of raw nuts everyday, too. Since starting this, I can't help but want more and more and more information!!!

Thanks!
Mel

if you check out valerie winters blog [greensmoothieexperiment.blogspot.com] there is tons of green smoothie combos there just read thru the blog .. theyre not just listed

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Melygerl...I am "trying" to use the 80/10/10 guideline for dieting and keep my fat intake to 10% of my total daily intake. This is HARD. Some days I do very well, but other days, it is more like 20%. That would allow me to only eat about 1/4 of an avocado, which isn't much. If during the week I have done really well, keeping my fat low, I'll have a whole avocado and then my weekly percentage still is pretty good. To me, I'd rather eat the whole thing and enjoy it than torture myself with 1/4 of one. They are just too good! When I eat some almond butter or nuts, I don't eat avocado. It's all about making choices on a daily basis and trying to be responsible for the amount of fat I eat overall. I've got about 40lbs to lose, so after I get down to where I want to be, I think I will be able to eat a little bit more fat to maintain my weight. Some people can eat a lot of avocadoes & nuts and it doesn't affect them. I'm just not one of those people. I monitor what I eat, (calories, fat intake & exercise) and then compare that to how it affects my weight. Based on that and how much weight I want to lose, I know what I have to do to get there. Before going raw, I was on Weight Watchers and had lost 40lbs. Then when I went raw, I stopped "counting" or watching what I ate, and ate anything I wanted that was raw. I gained 4 lbs in the first month. THen I started 80/10/10...I although I can't eat everything I "want", I feel that I am in better control and making choices that affect my outcomes.

Islandgirl,

The weight doesn't come off in the first month of raw. It can take well over six months. It happens slowly, but completely. I was at my thinnest at the one year mark, then my body turned around and started building again.

Please tell me how long you have been raw, because I want to know if there is someone who's gone raw and still has to watch the fat after that long.

Thanks,
Betty

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." Rumi

Betty,
I started on raw June 1 for I'm at about 6 weeks, and probably about 80%, some days 100%, but overall, honestly closer to 80%. I have to be so careful with what I eat. I am hoping that my body will adjust over time. I would love to not have to be so obsessed with watching every bite that goes into my mouth. I would certainly appreciate any tips from any long-timers as well. Thanks.

Islandgirl, I have been raw for over 4 weeks now and have lost about 40 pounds. I eat whatever I want and only eat when I am hungry. I also eat avacados. I do love them. I eat about 1 a day, lately though it seems I am not craving them as I use to. I am 100% raw.
pam

Pam,

You have lost 40 pounds in four weeks?? And you haven't monitored your fat at all? I am 100 % raw, and have been for just one week now. I have to say that I can see that I am definitely deflating, but I haven't considered my fat intake even once, and I don't own a scale, but I'm looking to lose about 30-40 pounds total. I eat raw nuts, and was having about 1.5 avocados a day. I'm also jogging 5 days a week... 40 pounds in 4 weeks seems like a lot. Whould you mind sharing what a typical day looks like for you as far as what you'd eat?

Thanks!!

Mel

Islandgirl,

That was a huge reason that I wanted to be raw. I didn't want to have to think about food anymore either. I didn't want to have to read labels and wonder, "Should I be eating this? Will this add to my thighs? Will it really make that big a difference if I put it down?" I was so tired of it. With this diet it's simple. Is it raw? Than it's fine.

What are you eating for the other 20%? Be careful, because although it's a good idea for many people to go slow and not do raw cold turkey, that 20% can sabotage results. But more importantly, it can postpone the day when you no longer find cooked food tantilizing. I like the way Victoria Bouchenko looks at it. It's like alcoholism: if you keep drinking just a little, you're going to keep the cravings alive. But don't expect to stop liking cooked food soon. For Victoria, it took 18 months. For me, it was longer, more like 2 years.

Here's what helped me go 100%:

Before you eat cooked food, imagine it's journey through your body. Imagine your body feeling let down by your choice to eat it, making it have to try to deal with something foreign. Watch how this food perplexes your digestive tract, not sure what to do with what is only partly recognizable as food. It has to raise its white blood cell count to attack it before digesting it, just in case it's a virus, as it seems so to the body. Notice how this extra energy for enzyme activity happening in your immune system is taking away from the energy you need to feel happy and alive. And there's more energy being spent in other areas. See the weight of this food in your red blood cells, glopping through your system heavily and awkwardly, coating your arteries with cooked oils, filling mostly your fat cells, but all its other cells as well, with toxins. (These toxins are both from chemicals, as well as from the biproduct given off by bacteria as it feasts on even "clean" cooked food.) All this happens every single time you eat cooked food. Look at yourself in the mirror before you eat it, and notice where on the outside of your body eating cooked food has taken its toll.

Cooked food is addictive because our brains associate a dopamine rush with our memory of it. You have to create new memories for that association to shift to raw food. You'll have the dopamine rush with the raw as well, but the mind doesn't have that association as strong because the synapses haven't yet been layed. You are laying them now. Just don't let your mind lie to itself. Remind yourself that what's good about cooked food isn't so much the food itself, but the story you tell yourself about it. Change its story to the one above over and over, until the new story is ingrained.

One last note: We think we are going to feel cared for by eating what we think comforts us: the cooked food we grew up on. That comfort feeling disappears when we see the results of those foods in the mirror. Nothing, and I mean nothing makes you feel more cared for than to do what really nurtures you. The thing is, this comfort happens in the long run, after your mind achieves the new associations. Delayed gratification in the face of addiction takes great faith.

So believe in yourself. And be patient with yourself. You're going to be able to do this, even if it takes longer than you thought.

Betty

"Don't believe everything you think."

--Bumper Sticker

since I have been eating only raw foods I have lost 40 pounds but I am also very over weight to start. I have a lot of weight to lose. I think when someone has only 40 pounds to lose the weight loss will be slower. I usually start the day with a 4oz drink of wheat grass juice. I don't eat in the morning because I am usually not hungry till about noon. I sometimes drink rejuvelac in the morning to get my gastric juices flowing. There are times I don't have the wheat grass or the rejuvelac. These things take time to grow and all and I still am having a hard time keeping up with all the sprouting and growing of new things. later in the afternoon I usually have a large salad with avacado and tahini. When I started I ate a lot of nuts and dryed fruit because it satisfied my sweet tooth. I don't eat much dried fruit now unless I get a big sweet tooth. In the evening I sometimes have some fruit. It seems as if the salad really is filling. I have found I am not craving the avacado much lately. I drink water throughout the day and I put a capful of braggs applecider vineger in it. The first week I had to quit drinking coffee and later I quit smoking cigs. I have a lot more weight to lose and hope to stay eating raw for the rest of my life.

Wow Pampam, you're doing awesome! How is it for you being off the cigarettes?

Wow!! Pam, that's amazing! I am dying to try the wheatgrass juice, but I don't yet have a juicer, AND I have never grown anything before... I have a black thumb. Maybe I'll have to try that out!

Thanks!
Peace,
Mel

Betty...thank you for your words of encouragement and inspiration. Everything you said really makes sense. I do believe that my 20% is what is stalling my efforts at weight loss. Part of me has really wanted to be 100% but the other part of me didn't want to set myself up for failure or a standard that was unrealistic. However, I am seeing so many positive changes with the 80%, it makes me want to go the rest of the way. This past weekend I ate some cooked food and for the first time, I really MISSED my fruits and felt like I could give up cooked food forever. Even though I ate it, it had lost its appeal. To me that's progress because so much of it is a mental thing. I really liked what you said about creating a new story and new memories / associations with raw foods. That made a lot of sense. Thanks again.

Betty,

Honestly, you're a real smart cookie. I am totally enjoying all of your advice to others, and reaping the benefits for myself!! Thank you!!!!! (I especially loved the journey of food through my body-- great visual!!)

Peace,
Mel

You are inspiring me, as well. Every time someone goes raw, it's a new affirmation of the human spirit's ability to overcome every obstacle there is--and with raw, there's a-plenty! You're all truly awesome.

Betty