Hello, My name is Marci and I am a newbie I have however been a silent observer of this forum for quite sometime now and I wish to thank and congratulate you all for this wonderful community!

I've tried transitioning to raw three times over the last year and failed miserably. It was scary... Every time I fell off the wagon I would gorge myself to the point I'd gain an extra 15-25 lbs. I realised that, at 30+ years & 300+ lbs, I have such an addictive relationship with cooked food that keeping it in my diet, no matter at how small a percentage, will just not work for me.

So, since the much preferred slow and gradual transition was not a match for me, two weeks ago I decided to take an all or nothing approach and go 100% raw overnight. I am going strong!

Well, I'm experiencing the worst, most debilitating detox I'd ever feared... I am so "sick" I can only eat a couple of apples a day (how ironic) & so weak and fainty that I spend the entire day in bed. Most days I can't even find the energy/strength to take a quick shower

I thought of maybe adding a little something to ease things down a bit, to be more functional but, apart from not being able to keep it down, I am just terrified of opening this small window... the flood WILL come right back in!

I do have the will power and determination to tough this through. Yet, I'm so worried... I was warned by a fellow raw fooder that all this "housecleaning" and sedentarism will shoot huge blood clots all over my body and when I finally do get out of bed it will be the end of me... That scared the *** out of me!!!

Any words of wisdom? Are there such morbid physiological risks to what I'm doing? Any suggestions? Would greatly appreciate it!

Marci

Hey the detox is a good sign so just keep going

reading/watching David Wolfe's stuff always keep me positive about why im eating this way.

Just remember how you feel when you eat bad food- guilty.

eat raw and be guilt free.

is that you in the pic? you look great! Have you tried this forum?

[www.rawfoodtalk.com]

it is a mostly female forum so you may find more to your liking

I very much doubt about the shooting blood clots all over the body!!!
I took fasting in a centre some months ago and there were many overweight people there. We were all instructed to rest as much as possible while the cleaning/healing process was going on - except some people did a bit of walking.
I only heard of it doing good to people and I got a lot of benefit after even though I was lying down for most of the 10 days - just walking around a little because I felt weak.
Are you able to have any juices or can you get coconut water without feeling bad?
In any case I would not worry about the blood clots personally.

Watch the word detox, its such an overused word for those who have problems with raw at times. Feeling faint and such isn't a sign of detox and id put my money on is because your suffering from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.

If all your eating calorie wise is a couple of apples, id add in some healthy vegan cooked foods i know you've had some problems with transitioning but your likely going to do more damage with the lack of calories/nutrients. Try even a handful of more calorie dense raw foods such as nuts or seeds as im worried if your feeling this weak and fainty it isnt natural and can really hurt yourself.

Take care
[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2011 02:16PM by powerlifer.

Here is my advice - take what you will:

Obviously this is a quick plan I mapped out on an early Sunday morning.

Please don't care more about following a specific diet 100% than the health of your own body. I know that sounds like a conundrum, but think about it.

It sounds like you have been researching ways of becoming completely raw by following this forum. Sometimes the best way to learn is be gradually doing because everybody reacts differently.

Think of it like this. If you are starting a business it would be foolish of you to jump into running a business immediately (despite your good intentions). You have to map out a plan and gain alittle bit of experience first before you expect to be successful.


I think a gradual transition to raw is your best bet.

1.) Continue on a SAD diet (heaven forbid! ) and start to count your calories using online references. Begin to understand the numbers/calories = pounds. Start changing your frame of mind by corroborating 5 cans of soda a day = X amount of lbs per year. "What happens if I don't drink soda at all? what happens if I don't do this?" Start to understand the science behind it all.

2.) Change your SAD diet drastically from X number of calories to a said amount. "Maybe if I'm getting 3500 calories a day, lets try to make it a week only getting 3,000? The next week, what about 2,000? Lets see what happens."

3.) Start to remove red meat/poultry or whatever. "hmm I'm not going to eat meat 3 days out of the week - m/w/f. I want to see how I feel." Maybe the following week. You can incorporate more vegetables and fruit.

4.) so on, and so on.

eating only a couple of apples a day isnt detox its starving sorry to be blunt .. at 300lbs you need far more calories to maintain energy its no suprise you are crashing and burn and want to binge ... ive soooo been in yer place too many times

get yourself surrounded by lots of fruits veg nuts and seeds and water ..your body is in starvation mode!

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

This is my advice:
Either get yourself to a healing centre and transition with trained staff carefully monitoring your progress.
OR
Transition slowly on your own.
You are hurting your body with this, it's not a good thing.

Although the majority of people recommend transitioning slowly (and I respect their advice), I went 100% raw food from the start and that worked for me, BUT... I did eat - - a LOT of raw food!!!! I told myself that since it was healthy food, I could eat all I wanted, so I ate LOTS of fruit, plenty of green smoothies, huge salads and some nuts and seeds. And I lost weight anyway! I needed "a line in the sand."

So for me, going 100% got me over the hump. BUT I AM CONCERNED FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH TO LIVE! You need more food and more variety. You are weak from a lack of calories.

I also needed calories for walking. That was my exercise and it helped me lose weight too.

For "full disclosure": I feel I need to add that after a year of 100% raw I eased back to around 80% raw. That year made it possible for me to do that without "blowing the budget" so to speak.

The good news is EAT!!! And don't feel guilty about it.

Let us know how you are doing.

Good luck.


My favorite raw vegan

Welcome to the forum Marci.

So right now you are sick, and you don't feel like eating, perhaps even the thought of food is making you nauseous. So your body is telling you not to eat, so don't eat any more than your body is asking for. In a few days this detox will pass, and your appetite will return, at which point start eating some clean raw fruit and salads.

Some people transition better with a slow transition, and for others, its 100% raw or nothing. The only issue with transitioning over night is that there is a huge detox. But if you are willing to pay the price of the discomfort (and it sounds like you are), then this is a fine way to transition.

In the meantime, stay in bed and get as much rest as possible. And keep drinking water, so you don't get dehydrated.

As for blood clots, if you didn't have problems with blood clots before your transition, I don't see why you would have them as part of your transition. This person is speaking out of fear (or perhaps stories they heard), not their own personal experience.

Just go inside and feel. Your body will tell if you are doing the right thing for you. When I first went all raw, I did a water fast and had a similar reaction to what you are doing. I realize that you are not fasting on purpose, but your body is doing what my body did, which is detoxifying the body. So as soon as your appetite returns, start eating as much as feels good to you. But make sure you pay attention to how you feel, rather than letting your mind tell you how much you "should" eat.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2011 07:14PM by Prana.

without knowing other pertinent past medical history, its foolish to dismiss these symptoms as detox. Please see a medical doctor if your symptoms continue. Do not wait it out.

Yes, I agree. This sounds potentially dangerous to me.

Marci,

Welcome! If you have not done so yet, please see a doctor for a full evaluation--hidden disorders can derail an otherwise committed raw foods transition; you need a clear idea of where you are to decide where you are headed.

If you are not able to get down more than a few apples a day, I agree that you should concentrate on resting and hydrating, including with coconut water, and not focus on food. Make sure the fridge and sideboard are stocked with a minimum of simple raw foods, like lettuces and citrus fruit, with which to vary your intake should your appetite revive. If you have the equipment with which to make green smoothies or fruit and greens juices, do so, and sip them slowly so as to keep your blood sugar stabilized and your mineral intake beneficial.

Above all, take it easy and listen to your body. A gradual transition is not failure, and could be what your body needs. Stay hydrated, stay motivated, and stay inquisitive: these Forums have a wealth of information to help you find and keep on the right track. Good luck

I also did the all or nothing thing when I first started and I got very, very ill. I ended up having to see a Dr. for ear infections (I waited a month) that I felt I had to get anti-biotics for, but once I got that resolved and stayed strong on the raw diet I lost 60 lbs. in 6 months and 71 lbs. in total. So many of my health problems went away and even though I fell off the raw wagon and am still trying to get back to high raw or 100% a lot of those health problems have not returned..yet. It's been a few years now and my weight went up but it took over 3 years to gain some back.

Rest a lot..I mean really a lot. Don't feel guilty or that you have to do strenuous exercising. I lost the weight just going on the raw foods diet, and some daily walking. You don't have to hurt your body like on Biggest Loser.

Eat when you feel like it, as often as you want and even in the middle of the night as long as it's fresh raw produce. I would and I did eat mainly fruits as I couldn't digest salads very well at first. But I got a juicer and started doing green juices like a combo of carrot, celery and kale or spinach. It took a year before I could eat salads without any digestive problems.

Also I suggest you visit [www.fredericpatenaude.com] as he has tons of info. about the raw diet and how to be successful with it. You don't have to buy any of his informational items, as his website contains so much of what you might want to know. He says and I find it true that it takes a lot of fresh produce every day to get enough calories to feel satisfied and enough for your body.

There are some useful youtube videos on people transforming themselves on the raw foods diet too. You have to do some weeding out between them though.

The basics of the diet, eat lots of fresh raw fruits, veggies, some nuts, some seeds. Go easy on avocados, coconuts, and dried or dehydrated things like dates.

If you 'cheat' cheat with foods that are less offensive to your body and try not to binge on junk items.

I also wanted to comment on your title of this post. Once your body has cleansed itself to some degree, I believe that your brain chemistry will change due to less addictive foods, chemicals, fats and refined sugar and foods and that need to eat due to emotional times will lesson and disappear eventually. Sometimes I think the difficulty is to not feel guilt when they are motivated to eat many times thru-out the day fresh raw produce, but it's your body's need for the calories and nutrients. Also when you are craving the unhealthy foods, it's the addictive style and content of that food that is the culprit. Don't blame yourself, get off the food industry's manipulation of us, and get back to a simple and natural way of taking care of your body and brain.

Love,
Prism



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2011 09:42PM by Prism.

Here's a nice little video on this very topic.

[www.youtube.com]