Hi! I'm a Neewbie here, I just wanted to start by saying you are all such an inspiration! I'm ecstatic to have stumbled upon this site.

Okay so here is my dilemma. I'm very new to raw, but have been vegetarian (save for the occasional fish) and have stayed away from processed foods
for most of my life. Like many of you, I became sick of feeling lethargic
and craving "not so good for me" foods all the time. I'm a huge sweetaholic.
Anyway so about 3 and a half weeks ago I decided to go all out and turn raw.
The second and third day I had MASSIVE headaches and felt like crud in general.
After those very initial detox symptons passed everything has run smoothly. I realize that a true transition to raw can take many years but I figure while I've got all this momentum I might as well try 100% raw to see what it is really like. Here's where the problem kicks in: contrary to many of the experiences I've read here I am experiencing a SEVERE decrease in my appettite. Has anyone else experienced this in their transition to raw? I'm not sure
how I should handle it. Is this because I've tried to transition too quickly? Should I force myself to eat when I don't feel
truly hungry?

My energy levels are great, I don't think they are depleted at all. In truth I feel better than I have in a long time, emotionally and physically. I know this "force eating" is very contrary to listening to your body but I am down 7+ pounds in two weeks. Some of this may be water weight but will it naturally balance out? At this rate I'm going to be a regular skeleton by christmas time. I don't have much to lose to begin with and the last thing I need is for my family's fears to be validated. (The are avid carnivores.) There goes any hope of support from them out the window! My brother has already told me I'm going to turn into a bean sprout! lol


p.s. If this helps here is what I ate today


apple in the morning

evening when I got home I had about a cup of Romaine,

a small handful of cilantro and half a pear

+ lots and lots of water


yes I know this is pathetic, but I just haven't been hungry. Even when I try to eat I can usually only finish a portion of what I'm eating. Help!

not sure why you are so concerned about your brother and family's opinion

whose body is it?

do what u need to do for yourself

your family is grown up... they can take care and fend for themselves

Opinion:

1) Determine what is a medically/personally acceptable weight for you. Find out what the minimum and maximums are.

2) Set a target weight - and be open to going 5 lbs either way.

3) Don't go under your minimum weight - by Western Medical Standards for your body type and height.

4) If you are in a crisis - go back to where you are VERY comfortable...and make slow changes from there.

5) If you want to continue....work on going longer between meals.......eat about 2 large meals a day. One around noon....and the other around 7:00 pm.

6) Eat only the fruits and vegetables that you REALLY LOVE.

7) Don't force yourself to eat - but set conscious goals - with timetables.

-Hope these tips help a little!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Were you drinking or eating anything with caffeine? Several years ago, my husband started drinking coffee at work. When spring time came he stopped. He had headaches for three weeks, even went to the hospital and they did a cat scan. Finally one day I said, could it have been the coffee? He drank a cup and the headache went away. I don't remember how long it took for it to go away completely.

Today is my 5th day 100% raw. No problems. I gave up caffeine, red meat several years ago. I gave up wheat products about a month ago.

It is effortless being raw. I am not hungry anymore either. It is already 3 in the afternoon and all I have had is a small piece of watermelon and a banana. I am not hungry.

fmsing40

Im less hungry on raw also, your digestive system is probably enjoying the break. 7lbs in 2 weeks on raw is not outrageous at all, probably its mostly water. Hell, I can lose 7 pounds in 4 days if I want.

I actually experienced the same thing, around the same time in my raw transition. I just never wanted to eat anything. I think I was starting to get used to the 'light' feeling. Hunger stops being the phyiscal feeling of not being full anymore (which is how we experience it on SAD). You have to learn what your hunger feels like now. Its a much more intuitive feeling, usually I recognize hunger now mostly as being mildly grumpy or even a little depressed. The way I have started d getting enough calories in now is SMOOTHIES. You can pack 600 calories or so in a smoothie (and I dont eat fats). Get a blender if you dont have one, pack it full of fruit and a little fresh juice, and drink the whole thing. Its will help you keep your weight up without having to eat a big bulk of food.

Hi Neewbie! I'm kind of new to. I've also lost weight, about 12 lbs. I went raw 1 1/2 years ago for about 2 months, then gave up because I lost so much weight (ok, that's one of the excuses I fall back on). I felt like I just didn't know what to eat. There are times when I still feel the same way. I would find myself going several hours without eating mostly because I couldn't think of something that I wanted to eat. I've learned through my 'studies' of raw that cooked food has lost about 90% of its nutritional value because of cooking it so you have to eat and eat until you're about to bust and even then you don't feel satisfied, but when you eat raw food you easily get the nutrients your body needs before you feel like you're about to explode. for example; I'll go about 2or 3 days eating 100% raw. then I'll get an 'emotional' craving for a cooked meal (vegan- spaghetti or Chinese ) and I'll eat way more than I would if I were eating raw, and I keep eating because I don't feel satisfied plus the food is just lacking in taste so I keep eating looking for that memorable flavor.
I've been eating about 90% raw (I'll go a couple of days 100% then eat a cooked meal ) for about 4 months now and I've stayed the same weight since the 2nd week (I too didn't have much weight to lose).
when I start to feel 'weird' about what I'm eating.. 'weird' as in, "is it really ok to be eating apples for a meal.. is this considered an eating disorder" kind of weird, I think of 'what would I eat if I lived on a tropical island, Tarzan style (although I'd be Jane).
That might have been much more than you wanted to read, but it was kind of therapeutic for me-- so I hope it was helpful for you too.
Ps- I get teased (in a playful way) at work about what I eat (I'm a nurse), and today a fellow nurse said that they tease me because they're jealous. I've found that even when I don't say anything to people about what I eat, they just start talking and kind of defending what they eat; for example, several people have said, "Oh, I don't eat very much meat, hardly any red meat, just chicken" I didn't say anything... its strange, its jealousy. Just lead by example.
One last thing: Don't forget to have green smoothies! 2 hand fulls of spinach, a banana, some honey and blend-- you need greens- so replace some of those glasses of water with a green smoothie. Victoria Boutenko has some very good books, and a website www.rawfamily.com. also check out www.youtube.com and search the words 'raw foods' and 'raw food chef' or anything else close to the 2 and you can watch chefs make food, and watch videos of raw food gurus talk- its inspiring and rawsome!!
peace, love and happiness,ann

Thank you so much everyone! It's very reassuring to know others have had similar effects and I haven't gone off my rocker. I do feel like hunger is a much more intuitive feeling now. It seems I am eating to power myself rather than satisfying an emotional need. I just didn't expect effects this big to happen so fast. Ani, thanks for the advice on the green smoothies. I've been meaning to start making them but I've been a little intimidated. I am going to make my first one tomorrow!