Ok...I was a raw foodist about 3 yrs ago and I felt wonderful. Then circumstances of life.....single mother having to work and jeoparidise my health, I started slacking on my diet and starting eating really bad....but my solution was to take laxatives and then I did not feel the disgusting bloat of eating a SAD diet and for a while I even felt clean. Now though my body is a mess I have gained 20 lbs and I am retaining water. My body has given me some pretty obvious signs that if I don't start taking care of myself again that it is going to check out. I used to have all the answers for myself, but now I feel so out of touch with myself that I am asking for some help. I need a kick start to remind me of what I already know. Thanks in advance for your offerings.

When I was transitioning back and forth from cooked to raw to cooked to raw etc., I noticed that when I started eating grains again I got constipated. So I started eating a LOT more lettuce with my cooked meals and this seemed to do the trick. Also I gradually increased the amount of fruit during the day until I was eating fruit all day, then a cooked dinner with lots o' lettuce. The lettuce seems to help move it through. Didn't need any of those laxative teas after that!
Love,
Uma

Thanks Uma

i need to know that I am not the only one that does this.....

zekezized,

I have trouble staying raw, too.

What works for me is: FRUIT! And green smoothies. My current favorite green smoothie is:

2 apples
1/4 organic lemon, rind and all
2-4 dates (soaked to make them blendable)
1-2 handfuls of greens (parsley, cilantro, kale, whatever looks gorgeously green & fresh)

Very refreshing, delicious, and cleansing.

For some reason, yoga really keeps me regular. Even just a few simple poses everyday will do it. If I stop doing yoga, it sometimes takes a few days of doing yoga to be regular again.

Overuse of laxatives to compensate for overeating is a form of bulimia. Yoga will help you regain control.

You are really hurting yourself, zekezized. I know because I've been there.

The good news is that you can come out of it.

Wishing you the best!

I agree with the green/fruit smoothies..to get started with those. I'm having one right now, it's got the pulp from my juicing session which has celery, parsley, reb lettuce and carrots. Then I added in a handful of fresh spinach and half a mango, and a small banana and either some water, fresh juice, or if needed go ahead and add some oj or other juice. Blend, and drink up!

After a couple days of those, and you will start to remember how good raw felt!

Love,
Prism

You are not alone. I have abused enemas and have the same rebound effect of weight gain, poor digestion, depression, etc. It is as much a pscychological as physical dependence for me. I don't know what to tell you except that you are not the only one struggling with this.

OH man yeah I used to do the whole colonic thing, and the enema thing, and the "smooth move" tea thing, and the psyllium shakes thing, yada yada yada. I've certainly been around the block several times as far as being prone to getting stopped up! Who knew that lettuce and fruit were such natural regulators? Now what I notice is that when I do start to feel sick, there is a correlation with undersleeping and overeating and consequently my elimination getting behind. Then after I back off the food and up the sleep hours, my elimination gets back on track and the symptoms pass through. But, it shows me where the term "feeling crappy" comes from!!
Love,
Uma

Hi zekezized
I agree with the posts above. Fruit and greens.
Green smoothies!
Pineapple, romanie and ice does the trick for me.
Mono eating pineapple also works.

Keep hydrated. Plenty of water whilst transitioning.(especially if eating dehydrated foods)
Been there with the laxatives too.
After 6 months raw, i ate some cooked and spiraled out of control.
Whilst trying desperately to return to a raw diet, I started to use laxatives.
I hated the heavy physical and emotional feeling that cooked food brought, so i would take laxatives with cooked, when i 'cheated'.
The heavy feeling was a constant reminder that i had 'cheated' so i felt that i needed to get rid of it ASAP!
It took a bit of work, but i did get through this phase.
Now over three years raw and doing well on a diet of mainly fruits and greens.

Love and blessings
Lorretta

I abused laxatives for aout 8 years. It got to the point where I was taking about 6 laxatives every day just to have a normal bowel movement. Without laxatives, my body just wouldnt work. I did this up until becoming a rawfoodist, in fact, it is one of my main reasons for adhearing to the diet. In the first few days on raw (I was on off for about a year) my body would always start working like clockwork. I usually eat fruit all day, then a HUGE salad with 2 heads of romaine for dinner. I often go 3 times a day now, no laxatives needed. This alone has really changed my life. The doctors told me that I would eventally need part of my intestine removed and a coloscopy bag. They told me this when I was 13 years old. I'm 20 now, I've been a raw foodist for a year, and my body works perfectly. Dont get stuck in a cycle of needing laxatives. My advice is that you take a month to wean yourself off laxatives, while progressively upping your fresh fruit and veggie intake (watch nuts and dried fruits, they can impede progress). Hope that helped and good luck!

There is lots of great advice in this thread. If you are holding onto water, see about removing salt and foods that contain salt from your diet. This should help release water bloating. Also, for better digestion, learn about and practice food combining.

Wow Selenes! That's so wonderful you were able to cure yourself!! An inspiration and a catalyst to help others..have a great 2008 year.

Love,
Prism

Yes! Good job Selenes!

Oh thanks you guys =) Happy New Year to you too!