Hello Everyone.

I am wondering if some of you might have gone through a similar experience and maybe have some advice. I recently fasted for a month. Towards the end, I felt wonderful-clear mind, full of joy, smooth skin, small bursts of energy that I had not felt in a long while... I actually wanted to continue, but I had my mind set on a month, so I stayed with my original intention. The problem that I am writing about came after the fast. It took me a week to have a bowel movement after introducing solid food. And since then my bowel movements have been slow. They have gradually increased to three a day, but they're very unsatisfying. They are thin and I never feel like I am completely emptied. Sometimes they are very loose. I used to have nice, well formed, easy BM several times a day. This is completely new. I also have a lot of gas coming out of both ends. Two days ago they tasted like sulfur! I feel extremely bloated, sometimes to the point where my clothes are uncomfortable and it is painful to touch my stomach. At times the pain starts underneath my ribcage and goes all the down to my lower abdomen. Also, I have been more tired. I never used to nap, but I've been napping almost every day lately. I also have been sleeping in late. I am getting subtle dark circles beneath my eyes.

In the month and a half since I've been eating solids, I have been close to exclusively raw. I am trying to transition to 100%, but I am eating sprouted bread until I purchase a dehydrator so I can make uncooked bread. I also tried cooked lentils with garlic twice (big mistake!). My fruit and vegetable intake has been varied. I am enjoying the colors, textures, smells, flavors and shapes. But I have not really experienced hunger since the first few days of the fast which was two and a half months ago. I am eating just because humans are supposed to eat.

I am wondering if I am doing something wrong. Should I slip into another fast? Or maybe this is just a part of the detox that will pass if I give myself time? I really intend to continue along this path. But I am upset because this has never been a problem for me before. I have been vegan since 1992 and I have always attributed my strong digestion to that. I have even bragged about it to my non-vegan friends who suffer from weak digestion.

Is this familiar for anyone? I would love to hear about anyone's similar experiences and what they did to overcome it.

Thanks!
Shadow

Hi,

What did you break your fast with?

I think it's possible that after such a long fast your body may not be happy with the cooked, denser foods that you have been eating.

Cheers.

Precisely. Fasting is such a thorough cleansing.......that those that engage in more prolonged fasting....are often very unable/uncomfortable with eating cooked, mixed, dense, or processed foods afterwards.

-Stick with light fruit juices........lemon water......and light fruits (mono-eaten) and this should reduce your gas and discomfort. Utilize enemas no more than every 2-3 days to assist with elimination. I hope these suggestions are helpful.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I broke my fast slowly, or so I thought. I had only fruits for the first week. After that, I have been having only raw fruits and vegetables. I did try to consume lentils twice and even though I was craving them, they made me feel horrible. I tried cooked rice once too and also felt not at all good. Other than than that, the only cooked food I've been having a couple slices of bread each day. Do you think that could be the problem? I have also been eating seeds, but very few. I cannot tell if it is psychological or not, but I have definately been craving something to weigh me down when I eat, like grains or seeds. I don't know why my body does this, but sometimes I crave things that are not good for me. I wonder why that is?

Thank you!

This happens to a lot of people and is very confusing. I agree with all the above comments, based on my own experience - good and bad. Go pure and see what happens.

Hi azrael,

You were wondering why your body has the cravings. It could be that it wants minerals. If you think this may be the case, check out green smoothies. Getting more of what your body needs by including greens in your smoothies (or by trying new green smoothie recipes) might zap those cravings in a few days, and they are VERY filling.

For sweet green smoothies, just put a couple of handfulls of spinach, kale, parsley, whatever into your fruit smoothies.

For savory (and this tastes better than you think), try this, and vary it with whaever:

three handfulls of spinach
2 T onion
1/4 avocado
a handfull of cherry tomatoes (or a tomato)
sea salt to taste
enough water to blend the spinach

(Omit the onion if you think it's going to cause digestion issues.)

For more information, check out Victoria Boutenko's _Green For Life_ book, or google her newsletter or the many blogs about the book.

Betty

"Don't believe everything you think."

--Bumper Sticker

Hi azrael- is the bread you are eating home-made or store-bought? Sometimes I've seen extra ingredients added to store-bought sprouted bread...