Today is my fifth day eating raw. The day before I started I did a one day water fast with a couple of the Master Cleanse Lemonades thrown in for the energy. After only five days, here are my results. I'd like to know if this is normal. From what I'm reading from others on the boards, it doesn't seem to be.

1. Decreased appetite. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies with nuts very sparingly, drinking lots of water. I've lost nine pounds already.

2. I had two cooked meals in this time so I could see how my body felt. I didn't expect to feel differently, but I really did. After each meal, my gut groaned and complained. I was uncomfortable and felt like a blob of ooky goo.

3. After eating the cooked meals, my tongue tasted funny. Kind of a mix between metallic and tangy. I even had a dull headache after the second meal.


Is it possible that my body would adjust so quickly and thoroughly to a raw diet in such a short period of time that it's already rejecting the cooked foods? I wanted to be responsible and have a short transition time, but I'm miserable transitioning and feeling just fine on all raw.

When I drank the Master Cleanse Lemonades (in the past, too) I had debilitating headaches that would make me cry. I thought, "I must be so full of toxins that my detoxing is going to be horrific and painful." But, the lemonade was the only thing that makes me feel that way. Eating 99-100% raw, I'm not experiencing any discomfort. Actually, it's the opposite. I feel great. The only detox symptom I'm experiencing on all raw is that my tongue has taken up knitting turtlenecks.

Is it too soon to make anything of this? Can my body adjust/change that quickly? Isn't nine pounds too much to lose in five days?

Hey I'm just now reading The Mucusless Diet Healing System By Arnold Ehert online, and he talks about the tongue and other body tissues being like sponge holding an unbelievable amount of toxins.

The online book has a search feature and he talks about the tongue 9 times. Look at page 23 and 43.
[books.google.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2008 06:12PM by Lillianswan.

Hey Simple. Your experiences certainly sound normal (although personal to you).

-Depending on how much love you are showing to yourself...and if you are making a very healthy and safe intake/environment for yourself....then yes.....you might experience changes rather quickly. Make sure to regualte your own detox. Keep in mind that if you are making LIFETIME changes....then you don't have to intiate any major healing crisis in a short period of time....but rather have the option of gradually cleansing in a very thorough and deep way...with gradual lifetime changes.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Lillianswan, Thank you for taking the time to link that information for me. I will definitely give it a look. The funny thing is, I only get that test when I eat a cooked food.

David, Thanks for responding. The reason I wanted to ask these questions is because I expected the exact opposite to happen. I thought I would certainly need to transition into the lifestyle change slowly to avoid detox symptoms that render me unfunctionable. Instead, it's almost like a switch went off and my body is demanding only uncooked food and goes through an uncomfortable process when I eat any cooked foods.

I tried the cooked foods in an attempt to do this gradually and see how I might need to regulate my own detox. It seems like I'm doing perfectly without cooked foods. No cravings, no issues, just energy and happiness.

Also, I expected difficulty because I'm undergoing three major life changes in my life right now. (Going raw is one of them.) I thought my body would freak out to all of this but going raw has helped me, for whatever odd reason, to cope with all of these changes without stress. It's been a really, really great five days. It just doesn't seem "normal."

Hi Simple Living,

It all sounds pretty normal to me. For the tongue stuff, I just use a soup spoon to scrape the gunk.

Don't fret about being "responsible" you only have to be responsible to yourself. If you say that transitioning makes you feel miserable, but all raw feels good, then try all raw. If that starts to feel uncomfortable, do as DZM says and regulate your detox.

I happen to be one of those all or nothing people and I transitioned almost overnight (after a 21 day master cleanse). I knew if I gave myself, say one cooked meal a day, I would possible choose french fries or something crappy like that. I needed to go all out. The detox was tough at times, and sometimes still is, but that worked for me. I've never "craved" any of the old junk, which I am very grateful for.

I'm sure you will find your perfect process. You've got a great energy and you've been a wonderful addition to these boards!

Aloha Nui Loa,

Greg

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. - William James

There is no pill that can be swallowed,
There is no guru, that can be followed, - Michael Franti (Pray For Grace)

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. - Albert Camus

Hi,

I have had the same experience... I just went from Vegetarian (including dairy) diet of only cooked foods to 80% raw overnight. It was about a year ago. After several days, I tried to eat a cooked vegetarian lunch at my favorite Chinese Place and it gave me severe stomach pain and discomfort. I went High raw because of severe ulcers and sinusitis that I was fighting with for years. When I went High raw, it all disappeared...

The cooked food that I eat these days is just steamed rice, vegetables and some soups - it is a very small quantity..

When I eat a heavy cooked meal I feel horrible.

So I think you adjusted to raw diet very easily. Keep in mind though (from my personal experience) detox when it happens could be severe. I had so many detox and I have a terrible terrible one now.

Take care
A Iyer

Yes. Some people 'take' to it. And are ready for it...and their body WANTS it.....and they want it mentally/physically/emotionally. Often, those folks have been preparing spiritually, physically and emotionally for years...before appearing to change 'overnight'...LOL.

-One wants a job (and a detox transition) that is a challenge....but that one can consciously manage. To either be in crisis....or constantly struggling....means that one is not adequately regulating one's own detox....or is not very clear and proactive on THEIR goals and passions.

-If one is 100% engaged with putting one foot in front of the other...and taking those small steps....on unknown ground (gotta watch THAT ground close!)....then there is no TIME or ATTENTION left over for confusion....and fear comes along for the ride (and even joins in the fun!).

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

gosh SL, sounds like you are doing awesome! as long as you have plenty of energy and are not feeling fatigued or weak, i wouldn't worry too much about your caloric intake right now. 9 pounds in 5 days! you must feel great! i experienced rapid weight loss like that in my first few raw months, it seemed so fast i almost couldn't believe it. but since i felt so good, i didn't worry that the pace of it was unhealthy. sounds like you're having a similar experience. congratulations!

Greg, Thank you. The right process, for me, it seems is an overnight one. It still seems too good to be true so I'm going to do what David said and watch myself very closely, listening to my body for subtle signs and hints that need attention.

David, You hit the nail on the head, actually, when you said:

Quote

Often, those folks have been preparing spiritually, physically and emotionally for years...before appearing to change 'overnight'[/b]

This is exactly what happened to me. Looking back, I can see how my raw life evolved over the last five years to get where I'm at. I've made small changes to my diet over time, constantly eliminating poor choices in food, emotions, spiritually and physically. Looking at it consciously, I can see how those changes really added up to a heck of a lot of them and really prepared me for this time of going raw. This explains my ease of "transition." It really wasn't overnight. It's taken me years to get this far. "Ah, I see clearly now," said the blind man. Thanks David! I value your input!

maui_butterfly, Just another thing we have in common then, isn't it? Maybe it's because I've taken so much of your advice! Losing nine pounds in five days was the only part that was alarming, but I'm not going to think about it anymore. My body wants raw and that's what it will get!

Now, excuse me while I go slobber over a champaign mango!

Yeah David,

I never really thought of it like that, but you're right (as usual). Even though I didn't know that I was preparing for this, as I look back on my life, it was definitely leading me here. It makes so much sense now, that some of the darkest unhealthy times of my life were leading me to this place of health and light!

Awesome perspective shift right there!

Aloha Nui Loa,

Greg

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. - William James

There is no pill that can be swallowed,
There is no guru, that can be followed, - Michael Franti (Pray For Grace)

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. - Albert Camus

It sounds like your experience going raw is similar to mine. I didn't have any desire to "transition". My body signaled a green light for go. The raw foods tasted so good and so right that I switched over to all raw, all at once. I experienced very little "drag", it was very smooth and steady forward. The weight started dropping off fast to where in the first week I was noticing a change in the feel of the way my clothes fit. In short I had very little problem changing to raw as it felt very natural to me and it sounds like you are having a similar experience. I think a big part of the reason that going raw for me felt natural like a fish finding water is that I have always had plenty of raw food in my life as I have always liked the way raw foods taste so it was more like increasing the throttle from under half speed to full open, pedal to the metal. Before I went raw I always had lots of raw foods in my shopping cart, especially in the summer when I just naturally went fairly high raw. For me raw was just naturally the way I liked to eat so all I did was get a big grin and enjoy more of what I already liked. From your progress report it sounds to me like you are well within the usual parameters of going raw with a tendency for easier to go raw rather then harder. Stay the course and let yourself enjoy the raw foods. My experience was the change to raw was very fast and natural and happened quickly. I didn't experience my first detox until just after my first month all raw and it was fairly mild and consisted of a sore throat and feeling tired and they didn't last long and disappeared together. I have now had three detoxes with one of them being moderately uncomfortable when my lips peeled (kind of like chapped lips), but that passed too.

Now, I'm understanding a bit better why this is so "easy" for me. I expected detox to happen as my body started adjusting to the raw food. I thought it was almost immediate.

Now, I understand. Detox is coming. Joy.

i didn't get any detox, some people just don't notice it at all.

I'm on my third month and haven't had any EXTREME DETOX! yet. There are plenty of subtle things I notice, I usually feel icky in the very early mornings, and changes are taking place.

I read it takes one month of raw for every year of SAD you've eaten to clean house, so I can only wonder if there is a more violent battle up ahead, or if I'm regulating everything at the perfect pace. :O

Well, the way I see it is like this... a year is going to go by anyway, so, just get through the first year.

I decided not to waste any energy worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. I'll just deal with it when it comes.

At least I know cooked foods won't be a temptation for me. When something smells good to me all I have to think is "gut bomb," and I'll back away slowly.

I'm on a fruit day today. I haven't had an appetite for vegetables, which is odd. But, you flow with it and you learn. When you have a bowl of gorgeous, colorful fruit on your desk, your the "health food guy." You whip out a blended salad and your the "gross frog-juice guy."

When I went high-raw, I felt great, skin looked awesome for at least a month and now I have broken out. It's okay, I'm not deterred, I just decided to do a juice fast for a few days. I'm also not happy with the amount of food I need to satisfy myself on raw, so I'm hoping a fast will help with my hunger issues and spending too much on food.

So there could be something coming....who knows? you'll do great, I'm sure.

I'm jealous. I had major detox systems and still get some from time to time. My breath stank, I stank, I got sick, my skin broke out and I was exhausted. Of course I went from an extremely unhealthy Sad diet and was a smoker to almost overnight being raw. I think if you are already pretty healthy to start with you will fare a heck of a lot better than I did. And if you get detox syptoms in the future, I can tell you as someone who got them really bad that it's totally worth it, because you come out the other side feeling SO much better.