Well, after 60 days at 60 - 70% raw and then another 21 days of 100% raw (with few exceptions), I'm still not feeling very well. To top it off, I now have a horrible cold and sore throat. I just don't understand how I can eat so well and still gain an unwanted 13 pounds (increase in body fat as well). Is it possible that raw is not the best choice for my body? I have read many times that people eating a raw diet never get sick. Why am I so different?

The only good news is that my pH is finally balanced (thanks to the Barley grass I added this week). And that's another thing. When your pH is balanced, aren't you supposed to be healthier...not sick?!?

I'm committed to 100 days of raw and have been maintaining a diary of my foods and experiences, but boy raw has got to have more benefits than I've realized so far!!! My main goal is to get off of the natural thyroid medication I take, but I would also like to thicken up my hair, lean up and gain more muscle mass (I work out pretty intensely 6 days/week.), maintain my high energy level all the time and generally be more lucid.

I welcome your input. Is there anyone else out there who struggled in the beggining but ultimately had success on raw? I've read so many success stories that start with "in the first two weeks...", but alas, I'm different I guess.

Thanks for your support.

Some people have allergies to uncooked plant proteins, especially nuts and seeds. You might be one of them. To find out for sure you'd have to go on a drastic elimination diet, studying your reaction to single food items alone, and gradually adding back in one new item at a time every 3-4 days or so.

My boss is like that, can hardly eat anything healthy, has been to the ER several times for exposure to the most innocuous things.

Everyone is different. There are some VERY overweight vegetarians...and vegans. There are those that....even after going raw....must still simplify and cleanse internally. Its all about what YOU need. The tool of fresh, raw plant foods must be adapted to the individual...and their emotional, physical, social and economic state. The good news is that this CAN be done!

-CHOOSE what you think are the highest foods....and then set small goals to refine your diet as necessary.

-If you are still taking medications....or putting chemicals in/on your body.....or are under a good deal of stress....or depressed....or living in a toxic environment.....ANY one of these things can short-circuit cleansing and detox...and prolong your situation. Healthy living is a spectrum. One cannot simply eat (or not eat) one's way into heaven. Just my opinion.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

aurora, I recommend you have your adrenals checked. Great Smokies or ZRT Labs send you a kit of tubes that you spit into (depending on what state you are in you might need a health professional to order it for you). Without the adrenal/thyroid issues addressed, it is close to impossible to lose weight. Also, vigorous exercise stresses the adrenals very much and that can lead to weight gain, as illogical as it seems.

I do second the thought on allergies, or you could look into the possibility of food sensitivities. Usually what we crave the most we are allergic or sensitive to. Nuts maybe? WHat would happen if you'd cut those out for a few weeks. Then reintroduce one kind by one and see the effects.


SOrry you are going through this frustration! Keep looking, you'll find a way!

aurora, I hear you.
I was 100% then I lowered to 50-60% because I felt something was wrong. I believe we need to take things slowly as the body has to adapt to our new mindset. I mean, it needs time to adjust to our new way of eating, especially when we are older.
Our physical being learns new patterns to get what it needs ( biological transmutation). Even if our mind is ready, maybe our body is not. We must be listening to what it's trying to say. Crisis are a way for our body to talk to us.

sorry that you feel bad, hope you'll be better soon.

love
Cynthia

Hi Aurora... what do you eat in a typical day?

Could be detox; you haven't been raw for that long. The first year I went raw I went through 3 or so detoxes in the form of mainly really weird rashes... I have been 90% raw for 2 years and last time I got majorly sick with cold and sore throat was last fall... lasted for about 4 weeks... been great since. So, sick can still happen. It takes 7 years for your body to completely renew itself so you'll be having a few detoxes between now and then. Patience and don't give up. Your hard work will pay off.

Let me know what your typical day of eating is like.

Caio
Ferg.

Aurora, I think you are detoxing also, can you try a mono diet.... Please find the one food (raw) preferable fruit. Find the one fruit that you can tolerate real good.

If you are able and willing, try that. For one week. If you are still detoxing (I think you are - just my opinion) you will continue to detox until your body gets rid of major toxic substances.

My experience - High raw for one year. I am still detoxing a lot. I detox almost every month, severe cold, sinus pain etc headaches also. I get "flu" like symptoms when I detox. I fast for three days and it goes away by itself.

Take care
A Iyer

21 days--awesome work, but don't get discouraged!

I'm on my 13th week and the ride is full of surprises!

I've found that improvements come slowly but steadily. About lucidity, for example: one day I was driving home in my car, the sun was out, and I just felt suddenly CLEAR and HAPPY and ALIVE. It was wonderful. The high eventually passed. Then maybe a week later... it happened again. Then maybe a few days later... and slowly in an increasing frequency... these glimpses of bliss and feeling wonderful that I have been lucky to have start visiting more often. They are great reminders for the ends I am striving to meet.

Sometimes just sticking to your regime will take care of the discomfort--I had a bad sore throat spell that eventually passed, and it was part of detox.

Just recently, my clean-for-my-entire-life-sparkley-white mouth started bleeding when I brushed my teeth, to the point of me spitting red after and having a serious freakout. After trying a lot of things and doing a lot of research, 3 days of drinking wheatgrass has stopped the bleeding, the swelling, the soreness and discoloration.

I've lost 20 pounds, and then gained nearly all of it back in completely different parts of my body. I've conquered a crippling depression.

My point is, slowly but steadily the body will do what must be done, especially if you provide it the best of fuels and the least of hinderances. Exercise really sped my improvements along, so keep working out, in time you will see how it helps you. I also started dry brushing, and it hasn't been until this past WEEK that I'm really seeing my skin start to "glow"--the acne went away earlier, but I didn't see the color and magic in my face that a lot of raw foodists talk about.

Sometimes the body needs rest and simpler foods, and other times there are natural remedies to help with the discomfort of detox. This board is a great resource, too. =)

And sometimes, you'll just feel great!! That's why we're all here, I think. ^.~

Thank you all for the excellent posts. Maybe I will try a cleanse and/or an elimination diet. It just seems so odd that nearly everyone on the planet who moves to a raw foods diet loses weight and feels great, but I experience the opposite!

Please note that over the years, I've removed sugar and grains (except for brown rice) and my first two months at 60 - 70%, I also removed dairy. My last three weeks have included the following example days:

Example Day One:

- Green drink (all fresh; all organic - spinach, kale, parsley, one green apple, wheat grass basil, mint, lime)
- raw nuts, cherries and blackberries
- 1 large young coconut
- 2 bananas
- Romaine with an avocado



Example Day Two:

- Green drink (all fresh; all organic - spinach, kale, parsley, one green apple, wheat grass basil, mint, lime)
- 3 bananas
- 1 apple
- Romaine lettuce with olive oil
- Berries
- Mango
- Green drink


Example Day Number Three:

- Green drink (all fresh; all organic - spinach, chard, parsley, one green apple, wheat grass basil, mint, lime)
- Young coconut
- Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
- Fresh squeezed orange juice
- Avocado and 2 raw taquitos
- raw nuts, cherries, blueberries and flax seed oil
- Mango


I would still LOVE to find someone out there who had trouble in the beginning but a success story in the end. Thanks again for the input.

Thank you for those encouraging words, Phantom!

aurora55,

On your all raw days, you are probably eating too much fat and not enough fruit. Its worthwhile to enter your daily menu into the nutritional calculators like fitday, nutritiondata, nutridiary, or Cron-o-Meter to see what your fat percentages are. A healthy fat intake is 20% fat.

Thanks, Bryan. Will definitely do that!

Look into Conscious Planet Products...they brought my body back to balance so I could eat normally again.

Stacey~Queen Green

The Conscious Planet website is in my Signature file...

Infinite Love & Gratitude

Stacey~Queen Green

it took me three months to notice any difference on raw.

If you work out as intensely as you say you do, and yet dont eat that many calories, you could be doing yourself more harm than good. Your body starts to eat away at itself for energy- and this can make you very sick, so please take care to eat a sufficient amount of calories.

Also, wash your produce! If you are sick on this diet, it is probably because you are catching a bug from the food you eat.

Finally, drink tea. It isnt necessarily raw, but it will flush out your system while providing vital antioxidants. Green tea works best