I warn in advance, I am seeking help and therefore describing my situation graphically.

On 80-90% raw I have two BM's a day, soft and good consistency.. I have been 100 for two weeks now and my BM's have DIMINISHED! to measly little portions that seem to take forever to produce and are not homogonous... almost like little pieces stuck together (like rabbit's but smooshed together) (sorry for being graphic, but this is a BM thread)

I am at a loss... I can't figure it out... I am 80/10/10 so Over eating fat is NOT the problem.. i am also NOT eating ANY processed foods (gourmet recipes etc), simply WHOLE intact produce (with the exception of hummus a few days ago).. could my hummus be clogging me up? (forgive the term) I also do not eat more than 5 bananas a day either. IN addition to my water intake from food, I also drink about 2 quarts of water (i have a bladder condition and must pee almost clear to prevent effects)

Normal day

.25 of a long watermelon or a whole cantelope
5 dates or dried apricots
4 cups of leaf lettuce
4 cups of mixed veggies (1 cucumber, chopped, tomato, brocolli, sweet peas, shredded carrots)
.5 whole avocado
dressing (.5 tbs tahini, 1 tsp tamari or miso, 1 tsp rice vinegar and .5 cup water)
3-5 bananas
.25 cup pumpkin seeds or other raw nuts/seeds
4 cups of in season fruit (right now cherries and blueberries)



I am eating about 1,200 calories a day, could my body just be using more of the material for fuel thus producing less waste?

ARGH... I have NEVER struggled with BM's and this is SO frustrating... ideas? help?

First, I would say you need more calories or you'll be in starvation mode. The 80-10-10 diet is based on 2,000 calories per day, so you're probably at more than 10% of calories from fat, but I don't think that's contirbuting to your problem.

Are you exercising? I think maybe your body is using lots of the nutrients from the food, but even so, this is perplexing. Maybe someone else has more answers. I know exercise helps. Even just walking.

Feel better.

I struggle to eat 1,500.... seriously STUFFED....

I do housework (up and down, up and down etc) and take a walk with the boys each day (about 1 mile) and some light yard work...

I have no idea, other than dates, fats or bananas, on how to get my caloric intake up....

melons will work! pineapple.

Yeah, that's 20% of calories from fat on your sample day.

But that could be what you decide to do/how much fat you want. It's up to you.

I'd try no dressing (or a fruit/vegetable only one, no fats or salty/processed foods) and also no seeds or nuts and only get your fat from avocado (even if it is more than 10% of cals from fat per day).

And then see how that goes. How do you feel after that mix of vegetables and legume (sweet pea)? Does that feel okay for you?

I would say that what's happening is your body is not quite able to get rid of the toxicity at the speed that going 100% raw is generating it....so there's something of a back up happening (albeit soft)! the only thing you're consuming which would slow up detox will be the tahini dressing - you've only been 100% for 2 weeks which to me means you're body's in the process of adjusting to it....either stick it out, bear with it, be patient with your wise body and eventually it will refind its more usual mode of BM or back up a bit and go to 90 - 95% raw and enter 100% raw slower....

Everyone's advice is good, but I will add that you might want to waaaaayyyy separate fats and fruit. Like, by several hours. I don't eat fruit after 1 p.m., for example, and I eat avo or nuts or seeds in the later p.m. I also wouldn't eat any dried fruit after melon, or anything else really juicy. Waaaayyyy separately.

My two cents is this: you need more exercise and more food.

If you get more exercise (strenuous exercise), you will be hungry for more food, and you won't feel so "stuffed" at 1200 calories. Try to build up your daily walks to 4 miles if you have the time, and then start running 4 miles if you can!

Or, jump a lot of rope and get a good cardio video. Or whatever!

Yoga's a good one too. Even the less strenous poses - especially the inverted poses - can stimulate movement of the bowels.

Might help to eliminate the dressing. Added salts, the vinegar, and the nut butter is probably unnecessary baggage that could get stuck with any toxins that you're eliminating (IMO, nuts/seeds are more healthy when they're eaten whole, not processed). You've already got avocado in the salad. You could try just adding lemon juice.

my food list wasn't in the order I eat! it was just the order I remember it in!

But, in recent news... it seems that things are coming together for me (literally, my poo is closer to normal now)

I think i MUST agree, it is the tahini and raw fat consumption.... I'm not used to eating that much of it! I am going to back off it for a few days and see if I get ALL the way back to normal!

I have a slow and heavy feeling about my abdominal cavity. Even after .25 watermelon I felt like a cinder block instead of light and floaty... but that is getting better by the minute!

Edit//

I just read the post on exercise. I agree. But i have a confession. I live in the deep south of USA, am still 30 lbs over weight and frankly walking that 1 mile is torture on my inner thighs. I already have to wear a layer of spandex under my skirt to keep from rubbing RAW. It's a sad situation, but with no childcare and a husband who works all of the day light hours and no extra funds for a sitter (I home school and don't trust any of my neighbors to watach my children as far as I could throw them for those of you thinking "trade childcare", I'm pretty much stuck with what the little people can do for exercise out of doors... but YOGA I can do indoors! I have a few DVD's and will try it again (after all these years)!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2009 11:07PM by tiffany martinez.

You're doing great Tiffany!

Yoga now, marathon later.

oh Tiffany i can sooo relate to your burning thighs issue

get creative in finding out what you can do as far as exercise goes some of the things i found to do indoors

because i couldnt walk for the longest time i took up bike riding (thigh friendly lol)
i found a free rebounder on the freecycle site
i skip rope
i lift weights
body weight exercises

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist