Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Madeleine Bull on July 15, 2010 at 8:37

Alison what you are describing sounds just like detox. Lots of people in the early stages get periods where they feel out of it and abit spaced out. The weight loss also seems to be normalnomatter what weight you were to start - alot of people get too thin as they detox but then put it back on when the majority of the detox has finished

Dietry stuff I think tends to be a very individual thing what works foryou works for you but you may have to give it sometime until your body settles intot eh new way of eating beore you can really judge what suits

Stick with it, it doesn't sound like you are going through anything thats abnormal in the raw food world. If you are really concerned then seek better qualified advice but so far ti doesn't sound too bad

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Permalink Reply by Hana Faiz on July 15, 2010 at 11:18

Hi Alison,
I agree with Madeleine that it is very likely detox. My husband had it really bad for about 2 months. The only thing that turned it around was Coffee enemas. It was advice we took from Charlotte Gerson and it really does relieve symptoms fast , assisting and completing the detox process. The kits are on ebay and have instructions. Its intimidating at first and the shear desperation helped us overcome our fear and we're so glad to back to energised productive raw fooders!

The only other thing that springs to mind, and it's just something to think about, Fish from the sea is very toxic from pollution and especially mercury. Your symptoms may be due to the intake of these poisonous heavy metals. The chlorella will help you evacuate these and cilantro / coriander leaves help too, but if you are regularly ingesting it you may not be able to counteract all its effects, it is the most poisonous metal ever and there is no safe amount. If you have silver fillings that adds to the burden on your body.

The weight loss is scary. At first the body seams to strip away all fat stores and sometimes the poor quality muscle tissue to clear out all your toxic stores. But after the detox lets up, over the next couple of months the tide turns and your body will start building quality muscle and replenishing your stores. With the energy levels returned exercise can happen. Your body will get you back to the right weight for you and it works so naturally on raw because you get so in touch with your instincts.
I hope that helps :)

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Permalink Reply by alison ling on July 15, 2010 at 21:36

Hi Madeleine and Hana,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, funnily enough ive had a really good day today! I sprouted a lot of puy lentils and feel really satisfied after eating them, like i ve had something substantial. Im sure you are right, when i look back at all the food ive given up, i forget about the tea coffee lovely chocolate digestive biscuits and the odd cake! I guess my body must be noticing the absence of such rubbish! I think the thing that has got me down the most is the comments from others about my appearance, my face is quite thin and its even thinnner now, i hope it will in time take on a more wholesome healthy look, but im not sure. Anyway at the end of the day, i feel good, im happy with the choices i have made and feel that it si going to be quite an adventure. Thanks again for your helpful words. xx

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Permalink Reply by Jane Round on July 16, 2010 at 22:43

Get a colonic - seriously. I did loads of raw a juicing from August last year and by Christmas was wracked with pain and felt very depressed. All the symptoms went after one colonic. I think it's massive detox - too much for the body to do by itself. My symptoms seemed like something else, I just thought I was really ill or doing something wrong. People said detox would give me headaches for a few days and that should be it, but this was much worse. I looked and felt awful.

I am now totally convinced by Matt Monarch's assertion that it is very hard to do raw sucessfully without colonics.

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Permalink Reply by luke morgan on July 22, 2010 at 18:31

Its not detox
dont get a colonic
what you describe sounds like lack of carbs. you feel spacey due to lack of carbs and too many nuts.
load up on fruit asap, or just eat some pasta steamed veg whatever, if you cant eat enough fruit to sustain yourself your gonna get ill, so eat some carbs whatever you do.
25 bananas a day would be a good start for you. Buy 'the 81010 diet' by douglas n graham, it will be the best book you ever read:)

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Permalink Reply by luke morgan on July 22, 2010 at 19:48

Dude, im not gonna argue with you cos its your forum and i dont wanna be kicked off, but i assure you i am right!
lots of fruit is bad if you have a high amount of fat in the blood, however if you have healthy fat levels fruit is our optimum fuel. I suggest you read 801010 by doug graham and enlighten yourself towards the right way of doing things. As for eating a different diet depending on your location, i have never heard of such nonsense;)
Would you feed a polar bear gorrilla or tiger different foods depending on where your zoo was?!??!

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Permalink Reply by luke morgan on July 23, 2010 at 11:39

James, you are right, people do have varying needs. Some people are allergic to certain fruits, so they do better nor including those fruits in their diets. Some people have such chaotic systems from a lifetime of unhealthful living that going raw is not enough to recover, they need to undergo a long supervised fast in order to 'reset' their bodily functions and recover.
However, all though there can be small diferences in different cases, there are some factors which NEVER change.
1- people need to excersize at a high level of intensity for at least an hour a day to reach optimum health.
2- people thrive off the same foods ( give or take a couple of macronutrient percentages and allergies). This means fruits and veg. There is no evidence that some people thrive on different types of diet, for example high fruit vs high fat. In nature there are no exceptions. Animals with similar physiology thrive of similar foods.
3- normal criteria for rest, sleep, positive mindset, sunlight and water.
4- by all means provide evidence, sources to support your claims. Otherwise what you say can be misleading and VERY dangerous for newcomers to raw and others who are struggling to regain your health.
5. What i offer is the most useful support i think you will find on this forum. I have been round the block with raw foods and encountered many of the same problems what some of the people asking for help have. I have a no nonsense, tough love approach, i just give the facts. I am not wanting to cause any grief here, i didnt realise ppl were so sensitive;) In future i will not offer support no pitch in with my opinions on nutrition, because it seems they are not accepted. I will instead focus on the social community aspect of this forum, and make raw friends in the uk.

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Permalink Reply by alison ling on July 22, 2010 at 19:20

Hi

Thanks for your comments :) I do feel a lot better over the past week, i think youre right james about the nuts i ve definately had too many! I think once i get a dehydrater i will be able to make some more "solid" foods as i miss my rye bread and ritiva (sad i know) I am getting quite good and mixing my flavours and try not to stick to the same old foods every night, i ve been eating a lot of oats too (i know they aren t really raw but its quite hard and im compromising as im losing too much weight). Overall i feel good, i know im skinny and yes i know my face is thin - if anyone else says it ill scream!!!! Why is it that people think its quite ok to be quite rude and outspoken about your appearance when you lose weight but you wouldn t dream of saying to someone "oh you ve put on a bit of weight maybe you should go on a diet" !!

Ill get there, thanks for the advice xx

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Permalink Reply by chloe sabine singer on July 25, 2010 at 13:14

Hi Alison I am new to this too, and so far I am following the fruit salad and vegan yoghourt in the morning after a lemon juice in warm water, then maybe a carrot apple an ginger whizzed up, then some dehydrated yummy patties and raw grated salad and raw dips. I did find yesterday that I felt headachey and a bit bloaty, I am in my first week, but having lots of apple juice dilute soon sorted it out. My boyfriend said "why dont you have some brown rice and steamed veg for supper?", but I honestly was not hungry!! I am a refined sugar "addict" so expect to feel grouchy and tired coming off it, and I am being gentle with myself, trying to follow James's advice, and eat some cooked. I personally find that potatoes are not that great for me , but we planted loads on our allotment before we decided to give them up haha oh dear...well my daughter likes them! I used to find when I was 7 and a half stone at 5 ft 4 that people asked me if I "had eaten today" a lot, but now I am 14 st 6 . I now find people shout abuse at overweight people in the street,so it cuts both ways honestly. I dont wish to be rude either but your weight to height sounds a little bit low, and exhaustion used to be my clue to how underweight I was, but like someone else said here it can happen that till one learns how to get the balance right its tough to stabilise an optimal weight. I feel lighter already mind you and my morning weight is 6 pounds less! I am really excited about getting my figure back, but feel 9 or 10 stone would be a great result... 8 st 7 at 47 years old would make me look too haggard, but hey I may have to literally eat my words hahaha, anyway sounds like you are doing great! Well done you and well done me and my boyfriend I say xxxxxxxxxx

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Permalink Reply by Libby Willing on July 23, 2010 at 0:22

Hi Alison...

A lot of the symptoms you describe (and some of you other guys commenting here) I can associate with...

I have to say I did go restrictive on the extreme a while back in a bid to reach a healthy weight (mission: accomplished :D)
and I too felt drained, tired, depressed, constantly freezing cold and I looked grey and gaunt.. While my diet was nutritionally complete there were other factors I didn't think about and since I've changed them the nastyness has gone.

Firstly was the emotional attachment to food, I took away my comfort and thus had to deal with all the stresses and worries on my own with no sand to stick my head in. This made me constantly feel negative and depressed and it really showed in my voice, my slow actions and my complexion...

Secondly was the fact that we are built to enjoy what we eat, so if you feel like you are making sacrifices to go raw, then your body is going to rebel and crave what it thinks you want to make it happy. I found embracing my meals instead of just utilising them really helped my frame of mind...

Thirdly I was hardly doing any exercise, I believe had I pushed myself sooner, I would have been warmer and happier and would have felt alot more well, I truly believe that your body works in direct correlation to your mind and vice versa, so best to keep both in perfect working order....

Fourth I cut really low on the carbs in a bid to get into Ketosis and burn body fat quickly, I was in this state for 5 months and while it did the trick weight wise I now see that it is NOT healthy to starve ones self for that amount of time, no wonder I was always cold!! It was ridiculous and I would never endorse ketosis inducing as a weight loss method, I suggest instead a balance of simple carbs from sweet fruit, and chlorophyll in leaves and I have small amounts of fat (avacados, and nuts), this maintains my weight with plenty of energy and I am sooooo happy! My diet is a response to what my body needs to survive however and everyone is different so Im not saying my foods will "pep" you up but theres a few things to think about...

Hope I've helped?! :D
Libby.xx

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Permalink Reply by Madeleine van Zwanenberg on July 23, 2010 at 1:40

Hi Alison,
I have enjoyed reading everyones responses to your query, and for the most part I think people have given you some great pointers. Just to add my twopennyworth, I wonder if you are having enough "good" oil in your diet? Avocados, nuts and seeds especially flax seeds (Linseed) are great and it is my understanding that there is no cholesterol in plant food, only in meat. You said you have done some sprouting and that is great, you need to eat sprouts every day, they give you enormous bursts of vitality and great protein. As James said, nuts dont suit everyone, but most people are fine with nut milks and you can make milk from a wide variety of nuts and seeds including hemp seed which is again high in protein. And lastly, make sure you eat a wide variety of food stuffs. Dont just stick with "green" foods, make your plate a rainbow of colours and I am sure you will soon feel the benefits.
I no longer crave some of the foods I used to like crisps and cheese because I have made my own raw versions of them. The thing I missed most was the "crunch" and so the first thing I learned was how to make linseed crackers - boy that made me so happy. So stick with it. Your weight will stabilise. Make sure you drink plenty of good quality water too. All the very best on your journey.

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Permalink Reply by Susan on July 23, 2010 at 14:24

Hi Alison,

please dont be annoyed with people worrying about you, i know some say things a bit blunt, done it myself, but its fear that makes people want to help you.

some are fearful they will loose you and others, if they dont say something and you die then they will blame themselves for not having said anything. complex i know.

but we all feel that what we have to say is important, we just usually dont know HOW to say it.

next time, give them a hug and thank them for caring about you.

im sure you allready know this but someone anarexic will die very soon wheras someone fat is dying a slow death so theres no urgency there to help correct them. if you know what i mean.

good luck, sounds like your doing really well. and i too would advise the colonics to speed things up and enzimes and probiotics

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