Raw Food Forums

Hi :)

I recently (sep 1) made the decision to turn vegan after doing alot of research and not liking what i found!!
i stumbled across this website by accident and within hours of reading i was convinced!! This way of life is amazing!
I was initially a little bit worried about the reactions of all of my friends, and still am. It's going to be very very tough.

On my first 100% raw day I felt terrible!! VERY flat! no energy at all. I still managed to do my usual excersise and here i am at day 4!

This is the first day that I feel incredible!! Woke up this morning feeling okay, hit the gym after eating some delicious fruit, and amazingly wasnt tired at all! Walked out after a 15k run (personal best!!) with a new kind of feeling about life.

I don't remember feeling this happy or alive?

I'm still expecting more of a detox considering previously i had the most processed diet imaginable. I'm making a point of running every day to speed up the process.

I still can't believe this feeling though? Is it normal to feel like this only 4 days after I've adopted the RAW lifestyle?

I'm still working on the food. I just can't seem to get creative with the greens. I can eat 10+ bananas but havent found anything green (aside from the basil pesto) that I enjoy.

maybe this will come in time.

I'll keep updating. you guys are all amazing and i can't wait to get further into this!!!!

:)

alana

Hey Alana. Love the name alanabanana, lol.

4 days is excellent. I found when I first started I had really high days and then felt flat on others, but that has levelled out now and I feel great most of the time. It's amazing really. Detox seems to happen in stages, for most people. But by being aware of that, when you do feel a little low, you know more fruit and some activity will help.

Great work with the 15kms!!! I am aspiring to that at the moment. I just started running, so have a little way to go yet. I am in awe of those who are already there.

I found greens a challenge too to start with. For me the answer was drinking green smoothies, which are basically a fruit smoothy with as many greens as you can manage. I began with about 70% fruit and 30% greens, but now I have mostly greens. Including a large salad might help too. Perhaps a raw dressing will make it seem more appealing. Or maybe a banana and some dates wrapped in a lettuce leaf - it really is yum, promise! lol

Hope you continue to have a great week! Look forward to reading more of your journey.  

Hi Alana!

first i gotta say - wow girl - 15km! nice work!

Its weird the feeling you get. when i first started i was so excited because I feel like this way of life would help me in so many ways. Some days i feel great, others i feel like i detoxing and for a few hours I just want to sleep! But I'm fairly new to raw and im sure i have a way to go.

Keep experimenting with the greens. green smoothies are great like emi said - and since you like bananas you can add heaps of them in to your smoothie, or can you make a salad and find a dressing that you really like? Alot of people say that when you first start you need to add things to make it "interesting" and "tasty" but the longer you do a raw diet for the more your taste buds change and you just want simple foods. I'm sure you'll end up loving greens =)

Welcome Alanabanana!
Wow your doing great! The detox will probably come soon, but if you keep your calories up it will probably be mild. Ditto the greens, I'm definately not a natural greens lover but I find orange juice plus a couple of bananas and a heep of greens (GS) in the blender goes down well. For the salads I add 1/2 an avocado that always helps and my favourite dressing is a slurp of olive oil a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of tahini. I was amazed that it tasted so good and now i can't get enough.

Looking forward to hearing more from you
peta

welcome to the forum Alana, you are in the right place!  :laugh:

I wasn't really big on greens, but now I love it :) there are so many varieties of the green smoothie, my favourite is frozen banana, peaches and spinach. I didn't like salads much to begin with, but then I started adding fruit, and now I can't get enough  :laugh: greens, red bell pepper, orange, celey, tomato, red onion and a squeeze of lemon and I'm good to go!

you are doing great, and looking forward to hearing more from you
- Stine

Welcome Alanabanana - great name :P :)

Running 15 kms would take me all day - congratulations on your personal best.  How long did it take you?  I'm new to running - it's been a life's dream to be able to do it and I'm doing my best ever since going raw.  But a loooong way to get to 15 kms, phew!

Looking forward to hearing more about your journey and getting to know you better.

Love
May

WOW alanabanana... what a stunning picture of yourself, your goegeous and raw will just make you stunning. Welcome to the forum, it is fantastic here, everyone is very supportive and helpful. If oyu have any questions or need to talk just ask ok, would love to help you out and share my journay to life with you too.

have a lovely weekend

Love BB
XXX

Wow. So many replies!! :)

After I posted that entry I aced a job interview (my dream job) and am starting on Tuesday :) I'd put it all down to the positivity I was feeling yesterday as other candidates had alot more experience and training than i have!

Thanks for the congrats on the 15 ks. Mind you, running on a treadmill is easy compared to outdoors. I don't think I'd last 5 minutes!! Very keen to give it a go soon though!!

i've managed to up the intake of greens thanks to all your wonderful advice!! But still so unininspired! The only greens I reach for at the store are; lettuce, basil, avocado and celery. What others are good to eat raw? I'm too scared to try them. I'm so used to everything being cooked.

By the way, someone suggested corn on on another topic. I didn't think you could eat that raw?

Day 5 was a little bit different. Not on such a high but WAY better than usual none the less. Still managed to run about 7 k and work for 30 mins on the cross trainer. It's so difficult to force myself to go to the gym sometimes, when all i want to do is sleep, but its for the best!! I've noticed that my skin is SO much clearer already, and I'm losing weight/toning up alot faster than I usually would which is incredible! At this stage I can't ever imagine going back to a cooked diet. I think this is going to change my life!!

I've only just started copping some serious arguement about this with a few workmates though. One in particular just can't seem to be convinced that this is healthy no matter what i say :(

I'm still eating too much fruit but its just so delicious! My favourite so far is mashed banana sprinkled with coconut and drizzled in agave syrup. Also carob mixed with agave tends to go quite well as a topping! I have the worst sweet tooth in the world!

I also have a few small questions (as i'm so new to this)

What is food combining? - its mentioned so much

Is it okay to eat dried fruit? - say dried apricots

Is carob powder technically a raw food? - I'm eating so much of it.

thankyou so much for being so supportive!! I can't wait to get into day 6 :D

raw corn - had it for the first time today, and it was fine.. juicy , sweet.. i never knew you could eat it raw but i enjoyed it!

don't argue with people who just don't get it. people only hear what they want to hear. i reckon just keep doing what ur doing and keep shining, and one day they will be like .. "wow... that girl really has something!! do u reckon it could be eating raw that she was on about??" hehe

CONGRATULATIONS on your job!!!! what job is it?

having a sweet tooth is natural and healthy on raw, its nothing to feel bad about! fruit tastes so sweet and delicious because it exactly what we r meant to be eating. fructose (fruit sugar) is healthy for the body , unlike white sugar and added sugar in cooked/processed foods.

I dont know about ur other questions but im sure someone here will,
and ur doing so well!! i still havent managed to go more than a few days eating 100% raw before i cave in and eat something cooked, so well done!!

Hi Alana,

Definitely agree with Renee (rstar) - you can't eat too much fruit, it's what our bodies were designed to eat and you have to eat a lot of it to get a day's calorie needs fulfilled.  Vegies are for their nutrients but have even fewer calories so fruit away to your heart's content :yahh:

The carob and agave sounds really yummy I must give that a try!

Food combining is where you avoid foods together which don't sit very well in the stomach.  For many people it's something that is not a problem until you've been raw for a while and really tuned in to your body.  I've been mostly raw for 7 months now and haven't had any problems.  Touch wood!  But those who do obey it will tell you to always eat melons alone, not combined with any other food and wait an hour or more until having anything else.  Also (I think, don't quote me) not to have nuts with fruit.  Please don't take that bit as gospel truth as I'm only using it to illustrate what food combining is as a principle.

Dried fruits are dependent on their drying methods.  A lot of them such as dried pineapple have had a heap of white sugar added but you may find some that hasn't.  Shop around and read labels on everything until you get a feel for it.  A lot of fruits have been dried using sulphur which is not good at all - supermarket sultanas for example.  Time to head for an organic shop if you can.

For carob I can't answer whether it's raw or not - many would tell you just to ring the manufacturer and ask.  For me, I'm happy if it's organic and therefore not filled with chemicals, but that's personal choice.

You are doing so fabulously well :yahh:

Love
May

MMMMmmmmmmmmmm and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm again.  I'm eating strawberries dipped in agave mixed with carob.  Kwor!!!

Thank you so much for that idea!!! :wub: :rose:

Love
May

Thanks for the replies! I just bought "the raw food detox diet" by Natalia Rose and its explaining quite a few of the basic principles.

Renee it's a job with the clothing company - volcom. I'm looking forward to it so much! Beats the shift work I was doing before. Starting small but I'm so excited just to be entering the industry  :ohyeah:

Day 6 was pretty average. Didnt eat all day, and when I did it was lightly steamed greens from a thai restaurant. I guess it could have been worse!! I still felt so slow all night.

Day 7 so far is good! had alot of fruit to start to day. Felt slightly sick after my orange and pinapple juice, but it quickly passed. I'm going to hit up the gym a little bit later and see how I go.

Already the bloating and excess weight is starting to fall off me. It's incredible. My skin has never been better. I'm getting some dark circles under my eyes, but it could be the lack of sleep over the past week.

Thanks for taking the time to read an answer my questions :) :) Still amazed at how supportive everyone is!

Alana.

P.s. May, be warned! The carob agave combination is extremely addictive :D

Alana I bet all the other job contenders looked like the back of a bus compared to you - and you're a lovely person as well, I can tell already :wub:  You have your goals set and are going about getting them in all the right ways - I bet the interviewers picked up on that straight away.  Congratulations anyway, the sky's the limit now.

You did well at the Thai restaurant.  That's my favourite food in the whole world so I don't think I'd do so well, but you already have some of your reward through feeling so good :yahh:

Yup, the agave carob is definitely that rofl I had it again last night.  In my cooked and desperately overweight days I used to only ever eat strawberries with condensed milk on them - more milk than strawberry.  I love strawberries alone now I'm raw but that carob agave with them feels incredibly decadent.  Truly Heaven on a fork :ohyeah:

Have a great raw day and do let us know how you go with the exercise!

Love
May

Aww thankyou May :)

Today was my first day and I just felt so flat! Don't get me wrong I'm SO excited to be working there, its amazing! Just didn't have much energy. I was so tempted to chow down on a delicious smelling slice of banana bread this morning but resisted!

I'm definitely not getting enough greens. today i only had some iceberg lettuce and an avocado... what do you pair spinach with to make it taste a bit better??

on a nicer note, bought my first mango of the season!! $5. But im just so excited to wake up and eat it tomorrow morning before the gym :D

Hello beautiful alanabanana (love the name),

I love to pair spinach with something sweet - seems to taste best to me in a salad with strawberries, black pepper & balsamic dressing.  Has been good with apple slices & have also mixed it with the marinated mushrooms from Natalia Rose's book to make a salad.  Enjoy!

yum! thanks for the ideas! ill give them a whirl tomorrow :) The spinach and strawberry combination sounds delicious!!

:)

warm welcome Alana.....

great results

Hey alana,
how r u finding the job? sounds like a cool place to work!
oh yeh mangos... I love summer fruits! mangos, watermelon, peaches, nectarines, grapes... mmmmm its gona be the best summer.
About your greens.. find a salad dressing you love. then it will be easy to eat 'em =)

Hi Alana, A big warm welcome to you. I adore your avatar. It's gorgeous! How are you going now? You mentioned feeling flat... the detox kicking in? You'll be fine. Detox comes and goes in stages. Keep up the good work as ask many many questions.

Food combining... a lot of people when they start raw go for the gourmet stuff which is gorgeous. Raw pizza and cakes and stuff are super yummy! This way you can still feel like you are doing well for your body by being raw but aren't feeling cheated out of foods you love. After about a year a lot of people find that they are drawn to simpler foods. Salads and smoothies with just three to four ingredients. Fruits on their own, nuts elsewhere or not at all. There's a great book that talks about it called 'fit for life' by Harvey Diamond. Fab book. Most libraries have it and a lot of second hand book stores also.

I've heard many say that when your body is perfectly healthy you can combine your foods and have no side effects. David Wolfe for example can eat watermelon and macadamia nuts together and enjoy the meal with no negative bloating or other symptoms associated with improperly combined foods.

Hope this helps,

xoxoxo

Aw thanks girls!!

Jen, I've done a little research on the food combining and now notice that the bloating is gone :)

Havnen't updated in while but I've still been going strong. No temptations yet. Alot of people ask if it's difficult but i've found it to be the easiest thing in the world :) fruit and veg is amazing! and with communities like this its easy to stay on track. I've been drinking the green smoothies for a week now (still loading up on the bananas) and I'm hooked. It's great to be able to wake up every morning and jump out of bed with anticipation for one. the results are certainly showing on my face. My skin is so much better!! My mum actually told me that my face used to be so bloated, and it's gone now.

Funny thing with my mum actually.... She was so incredibly ANTI raw food when i started! Telling me it's just a silly phase and its not good for a girl who wants to have children eventually blah... blah... blah... Last week she asked to borrow my copy of "green for life" and this week shes been asking me to make her up  a green smoothie every morning!!

Definitely still feeling super flat which is worrying. Had my first real big low last night since starting this which i'll explain later :( I'm going to the gym + walking every morning but the workouts keep getting shorter and shorter unfortunetly. I don't know why this is. I have alot of highs and lows which i hope will go away.


Probably the biggest problem at the moment is how much I'm eating. Yesterday I just couldnt stop myself eating 4 avocados and 6 bananas (on top of many MANY other things). This much food surely can't be good for me. Espeically the avocados (which i think are now my chocolate replacement!!! at least 2 a day) I've always been such an overeater. Before it was with the worst foods you could find, and now its been transferred into raw.

I just literally cant tell myself to stop when I'm eating. I eat and eat and eat until I'm so full it's hard to move, then repeat later. It's really depressing... How do all of you remain so controlled?

I think that once I break this, there will be no stopping me :) I've struggled with it for too long!!

Maybe a fast is in order?

In other news though, I found an amazing little local organic shop and am now staring at a fruitbowl full of delicious fruit and veg. sooo tempting!!!

xx

I think it's great that you can eat that much!!! Not a bad thing at all. One thing I had to learn going raw, was to EAT, EAT, EAT! Perhaps your body is just loading up on nutrients and it will settle down later on. Or perhaps you will be eating twice as much in 12mths time!!! lol. Just listen to your body and you will find the right balance. And remember to drink lots of water, sometimes we eat but really it was water our body wanted.

Going great alanabanana!  

Haha I hope I'm not eating double in 12 months!!

Thanks for that :) I've been beating myself up so much about my eating habits. It's difficult having had pretty much every eating disorder under the sun at some stage.

P.s that is such a beautiful display picure emi :)

Hey Alanabanana, I still think you are so pretty when I look at your atavar!

I would suggest as Emi said, to eat lots and lots, perhaps not so many avocados, they have so much fat, I know it is good fat, but still fats, the 801010 book is good, very helpful. If you want to do a fast, I would truly recommend it, it is helping me immensley, I now feel incontrol of my life, I am happy to help you through and get you started if thats the way you want to go.

How great is that, your mother interested in raw, its that great example you are being.

Keep it up gorgeous, you will get there, we learn as we go.

love BB
XXX

Hi Alana, Many long term rawbies say that at the beginning to eat what you want, when you want when you first go raw. I was eating five or six avos at a time at one stage and still losing weight! Not to mention the nuts, seeds etc I was munching on!

One of the people on here told me that our blood cells are like eggs. The 'egg shell' of our blood cells are made from fat. When we start to detox on raw we often need to replace the bad fats that our poor bods are working so hard to flush out with some good fats. If we don't the walls of our blood cells can become to thin. This is very laymans terms and I can't remember the rest of it except that apparently this can lead to cancer among other things. At the beginning, don't worry too much about fats. As our body cleans out it can also become deficient in minerals and other things so you may feel flat. I would urge you to eat loads and just rest when you are feeling low in energy.

Some gentle exercises like the 5 tibetans only take as little as 5-8 minutes a day and are great in many ways. You can download an ebook here (http://www.yoga.com.au/Infosheets/5%20Tibetans%20Info%20Sheet.pdf) to have a look if you want to get started. There are other books out there with much more detail but this is a great place to start.

What Emi said is right from what I have read. Your body will be craving nutrition. Eat what you need to. You'll be fine.

You are not the only one here who has had an eating disorder. I have toyed with bulimia and had a fully fledged relationship with compulsive overeating. With raw I have gotten my weight down to where I am happy eating healthy foods. I don't feel like I have to eat everything in sight because I get nutrition from every meal. I get the enzymes I need to digest every meal as well so there's no craving anymore. Well maybe a few but from craving every day all day and pigging out in the middle of the night to wanting some pasta once a fortnight is pretty huge yes? There are anorexics, bulimics, overeaters, all sorts here. You are not alone.

Is this why your mum worries? I'm happy that she has taken an interest. I firmly believe that if adding GS to her daily food intake is the only change she makes in her diet then she will soon see a difference.

Sorry to ramble on in your journal! Can't shut me up anywhere!

xoxoxox

Thanks for the advice girls :)

BB Your new av is absolutely stunning! I think a fast might be the way to go to get myself in control of my eating. I've been skimming over your journal every day and its amazing, I just dont know if i can be that strong.

I'm going to read over your enitre journal again tonight (if you dont mind)  Your wonderful experiences are probably the best thing to get me motivated and give advice.

Thankyou so much for posting in so much detail. It's going to be (and i am sure, has been) such great inspiration to many.

Thanks for your reply Jennie. Although eating disorders are such a terrible thing, I'm happy that there are people here who understand. The over-eating is really the first thing that cropped up since starting RAW - which I guess is mild in comparison to how I was just over a month ago... I'm definitely not gaining weight at this stage, so my love for avocados can't be too harmful haha.

Oh, and no my mum has never known about all the eating problems. Shes just believes meat and dairy are pretty much the building blocks of everything... So this is a big step for her :)

Today so far is great :) Sunday is my anti-gym day, so I might go for an hours walk later on just to get the blood flowing. This morning, went to the local organic cafe and bought some more fruit and veg and a beautiful green juice called the invigorator - organic apples, lemons, spinach, brocolli and celery. AMAZING :)


Thanks for listening :)

I'm kind of glad that your mum doesn't know. For her sake but for yours it must have been lonely at times but then eating disorders are.

So many people crave what is needed when they first come to raw, then all of a sudden they wake up one day, look at the avos, seaweed whatever and just want to hurl! Then it becomes easier to balance things out a little.

Just keep asking if you have any worries at all. You can never ask too many questions.

xoxox

thanks for understanding. no-one knew/knows. i didn't want to cause any problems by making a scene about it, and i would go from one extreme to the other weekly, so externally it never showed. oh well, it's all in the past now :) Finding RAW has gotten rid of most of that. I know its barely been a month, but theres no going back.

Still though, FOUR avocados, 6 bananas, 2 oranges and one HUGE salad later (even though I wasn't hungry) and I'm thinking something needs to be done starting right now.

Green smoothie for brekkie tomorrow and I'll play it from there. Not sure If I'm ready for a fast yet, but I need to try something. At least going cold turkey on the avocados. I don't want to think about the fat content!!

Any suggestions?

Hi alanabanana.  I've been seeing you around the place but haven't said hello yet, so hello and a belated welcome from me.  Sounds like you're doing great.  I have no advice or anything much to add; just wanted to say hi.

All the best,

swami xx

evc, you'll never be lonely in avo-land!! 

Hi swami :) , cant wait to properly check out your journal:)
thanks for the welcome!! I'm still amazed at just how supportive everyone is here

EVC that was such a postive comment, suddenly don't feel so bad!! Maybe they are just my 'transition food'. Just came back from a long walk and i feel much better! I think that was just a bit of a panic moment

much love x

glad you are feeling better pretty banana! In the end just listen to your body, it will tell you through cravings what it needs, cravings are really good, only when we chose the healthy option.

have a beautiful day

love BB
XXX

Aw thanks. Happier times called for another one i think!!

Thanks for asking!! The job is still a little scary, but i can't believe i got it, and have kept it! It's strange to work in such a laid back environment where theres no real reason for any tension (yet anyway). The people I work with directly are so nice!! And as i said, theres a fruit market 30 seconds down the road and the gym is a 2 minute walk. Perfect.

Just wish it would start to get easier to resist the banana bread and chocolate always floating around. so far so good, but I still look at it and wonder!

Avocado count for today - one very small one! Feel a bit guilty about the soya sauce (organic of course) with lettuce and tomato i had to kill my salt cravings.

Oh and wheatgrass!! what a wonderful thing. I'm getting used to a shot after the gym every morning and it picks you up like nothing else.

P.s. has anyone seen 'supercharge me'? I've watched the trailers on youtube and it looks great!!!

http://w

oops that link posted a bit funny


a BIT better.

Off to see the boyfriend now (who funnily enough has pretty much no idea that i'm even vegan)
How i manage to avoid eating around him, i don't know.... It's just easier that way considering he wont touch greens with a 10 ft pole.

That sounds a bit ridiculous. It's just not an issue YET i guess.... hmmm...

Hey Alana, I often have a GS at about four in the afternoon. I find I don't need as much food at night that way. Two GS a day should make a huge difference!!!

xoxoxo

Thanks for the tip!! I'll try it out tomorrw

x

That's what it's all about hey! Trying different things until you find what's right for you.

xoxoxo

Hey beautiful, your new avatar is so pretty, that colour suits you, and dont you have gorgeous hair!

So your BF doesnt know you are vegan...lol, what would he do if he found out?...stop seeing you? I dont think so...and if it is a problem...plenty of spunky guys here would would wanna take you out!


The smell of banana bread and chocolate...hmmmmm, yes it takes courage and self belief to resist, but once oyu know the benefits of not choosing those "foods" it makes it somewhat easier...I am put into another dimension whan I smell a fresh ripe mango, or walk past ripe pineapple and rockmelon...hmmm spring onions and corriander..mint...oh the smells of fresh raw goodies!

Why are you feeling guilty about eating what you did, sounds very healthy to me, nothing wrong with satisfying a salt craving, and one teeny tiny avocado never hurts anyone, listen to your body, eat enough, chose the freshest, and you will be fine, late when ready you can read books that rp has here to better understand food combining and such....we learn as we go.


Sleep well Beautiful
BB
XXX

Thanks renee just noticed your post :) brought  smile to my face!! You are great at making people happy! 

Theres a quote i've heard somewhere along the line (a nike campaign or something) which i think about alot--

(very loosely quoted)

'If you had of done it when you started thinking about it, you would be there already'

'No better time than the present' hey?

It's time for a fast.

Noticed recently that although ive been basically 100% raw for a month now, I had one big high moment at the beginning and nothing much since. sure i love the lifestyle, and i haven't been consistently this happy in a long time, but i'm not feeling this elusive high on life most of you other raw foodists talk about.

I want that desperately! It will be tough but it genuinely feels like yesterday that berrys thread was titled - fasting day 1.... and now its day 18, the detox is, for the most part, over and she feels amazing. That speaks volumes.

to put it into perspective;

If i had of started fasting when i started thinking about it, i would be on that high already...

Sorry if im rambling guys. I'm just a bit tired, but hopeful!

:)

Hi Alana I just wanted to pop in and give you a big hug and send some love your way.

I love the quote it a good one I should use it on Pete when he doesnt feel like doing something hehehehe

You will get the high that the rest of the folks talk about you just have to give it time. You are doing so well.

Lots of love Angie

Hi Alana, What a great quote. It's all about being motivated isn't it? .... I like it. Thank you.

xoxoxo

thankyou ange!! haha happy you like the quote!!

Day two of juice fasting is almost over and i cant explain the detox AHHHH!

had incredibly BAD cravings for BBQ CHICKEN of all things. i was so ready to give in. my head started trying to convince me that i NEEDED avocados or chicken or something! I drank SO much juice today and yesterday. very worried about the calorie content...

i just keep telling myself its detox but it is so difficult!i had a bit of soya sauce, and some agave later to try and compromise. i hope this is okay.

This is definitely alot harder than i thought :( I just made myself a veggie (tomato, brocolli, carrot, celery and beetroot) juice which was delicious and killed all my cravings. its just so hard when im at work and dont have access to a juicer, and all the local shops at the mall only sell fruit juice (for a very inflated price). Also i couldnt bring myself to work out today. i feel terrible about it. i was going to go for a long walk but its just started bucketing down :(

On the plus side, no more cramps or bloating :)

Thanks :) this fast is so difficult though. the whole time ive been raw ive never had such intense cravings. i hope i can keep it up. it really scared me.

No the bf doesnt know. not REALLY because i think he'd object (he'd be supportive), it's just that i feel silly eating like this in front of him. I don't know... We've been together pretty much a year now, but i think its mainly because Raw food is difficult to find when eating out, and i hate being a hassle... i think i'll be more open about it when I'm 100% used to it myself.

Funny thing happened though last night... he's been sick and was at home all day so i offered to bring him food after work - he wanted a burger (which is okay, i dont mind what others eat one bit, or so i thought). The whole time he was eating it I couldnt help but notice the smell of it (never happened before). it was so strong and disgusting and actually somewhat turned me off quite a bit.

im thinking for the first time that its going to get difficult between us. i'd never try and change him, but it might get harder and harder to ignore.

Is anyone else in a similar situation?

EVC that just answered so many questions for me. Thankyou so much for being so open.

I'll start being more obvious about being raw and see where it goes. That is great about C. You are both very very lucky and i'm so happy that it's working like that for you :) looks like there is hope for me yet!!! I can't imagine how incredible it would be to find a partner interested in all the same things. Literally NO-ONE i know is RAW, Vegan or EVEN vegetarian.

It's funny that you say that about one sister thinking it will kill her social life. I think it's what you make of it. I've avoided eating out a few times just not to be a hassle (which is probably more so true now that i'm fasting haha), which i need to now stop, so i guess in a sense i see where she is coming from. It's just strange how so many people i know will say "oh, but if i have to go out for a company dinner, or something important and order vegan they'll think that i'm insane, plus there wont be any food". Vegan is easy. Raw so far hasn't been easy - having to resort to lightly steamed veggies, but there is always something.


Day 3 of my fast and for the first time i think i can do it. I have to start upping the intake of green juice. I havent been able to find a nice one yet but the spinach, pear and apple one in berrys thread might be on the cards for lunch.

I had the most AMAZING juice this morning - an entire punet of strawberries and 2 pink lady apples. I can't even describe the taste. it was by far the most beautiful thing ive ever made in my life!! This fasting business just got a whole lot better :D

xxxx

aw thankyou for the compliment even if i dont believe it haha.

yeah i definitely have to start heading out to restaurants and parties without being worried about lack of food, but what do you tell people during a fast? I have a few dinners coming up with work and am at a loss.

Day 4 of the juice feast and loving life. Have visibly lost weight, i'm definitely feeling better about everything and it feels like my sense of taste is heightened. started off with a green juice, went to go and check out the local organic markets which have apparently been right under my nose for the last few years - met a lovely grocer who told me that there is an organic fruit and veg warehouse very close to my house that is open to the public friday and saturday - with very cheap prices :D no more $9 a kilo for bananas!!

generaly good. im so happy i started this fast... already 3 days have past and it feels like nothing :D i guess the real temptations are at work though, so we'll see how it goes. im determined to stay strong!! :)

Hey alanabanana,

Yay for you! :yahh:, I'm watching you with much interest as I'll be starting tomorrow morn. On the advice of berrybliss I'll start with a 24hr water fast though. Psyching myself up big time today. Keep up the good work!

yummymummy
xxx

thanks yummymummy! just replied to your post in your journal!

EVC the "ive already eaten" things works wonders for me most of the time thank god. I think i will just tell everyone im juicing. it isnt such a big thing i guess, now that you mention it!

We're having a massive "spit roast"/drinks at work on tuesday night as a mini celebration. apparently this is a yearly event. haha sounds so classy doesnt it? the spit roast is hopefully going to turn me off meat even more. gotta figure out a way to avoid the beverages. Is a glass of wine a bad thing on detox? its my first real night out with workmates (party animals) and i don't want to seem too... well i dont know... boring maybe?

have to get motivated to go to the gym!! can't do it. don't know whats wrong with me of late :( berry, if your reading this, or anyone who has knowledge about juice feasting, is it terrible that i cant exercise more than a mild walk at the moment?

thanks for that! i didnt think wine would be so bad. hmm maybe i can be a bit sneaky... i like the OJ tip.

maybe ill say im on meds for something and cant drink with it (i dont drive, only on my L's haha - til next month that is).

Anyway, off to try and exercise :) wish me luck.


xx

sorry i havent written for a while , ive been reading but not writting much!

good luck on your fast! i loved that quote ive printed it out to help inspire me =)

the holding a glass of wine for the night but not actually drinking it does kinda work! so long as you move around and talk to different people noone will notice. i was at a party a few months ago and didn't want to drink but i somehow ended up with a glass in my hand, then i just walked around socialising and a few hours later i had the same glass noone seemed to notice they were all drunk by then! then i sat down and there was this one lady who was so drunk n making a fool of herself and i lent over and made a comment to another girl next to me. and she says " yeh that lady is goen! I'm actually not drinking I've just carried this one glass around all night and taken a few sips!" It was so funny coz i was doing the same thing hehehe

with the Bf, i know what u mean. make sure you are 100% sure of what your doing before u tell him. I tried a juice fast a few months ago and told the BF...hmm... he told me off when i didnt last! (not exactly the support i wanted) then gave me a lecture on being too "extreme" with my "silly diet fads" and this "stupid raw thing! just eat normal! here ill cook you some steak" (EYE ROLL!!) =)  I'm sure your BF will support you, but sometimes.. well it can seem weird to try to tell someone about Raw. especially if they havent heard of it before. or juicing feasting/fasting. . they say "why arent you eating" its just hard to explain. just make sure that you are 100% comfortable with your diet before u try to explain it to others!

good luck! it sounds like oyu are going great.

thanks rstar! i think your wine idea might work. hopefully everyone there is too sauced to notice anyway, ill have to slip off early for the boys birthday dinner though... which presents another problem...

 do you think i can get away with not eating anything while everyone else there is? How bad would it be to get a small plate of steamed veggies (all a steak restaurant has to offer) and chewing them until there is basically nothing left?? i just dont think i can sit there and smile all night. it might reflect badly on him. if i at least eat something and chew it to pieces it will be more socially acceptable. if anyone can answer the best way to go about this id be so appreciative!

Rstar you also hit the nail on the head with the 2nd part. although im sure that raw is for me, ive been through so many sily diets that people just wouldnt take me seriously, i think.

Ever since ive started this fast ive been craving meat something shocking! tomorrow we have a spit roast (which starts roasting at 1) at work. As this happens a few times a year, i've been given the lowdown and told what to expect. Apparently, the smell wafts through the office all day and is hard to resist. I hate meat, but i'm still worried that the cravings might be too much. no-one there has any concerns about their weight and are quite happy to eat plates and plates which will be hard to watch. i think i'm going to have to load up on water to keep a full stomach.

Day 5 and feeling really slow and tired. CRAVING a tomato badly. Still losing weight quite visibly, but can't bring myself to really excercise. i'll go for a 1.5 hour walk a bit later to pick up some more fruit and veg, but thats all i can manage.

Not to go into it too much but have been having pretty extreme BMs for the past few hours. my stomach is making noises like crazy!

Sorry about the brief post just not quite with it at the moment. stressed about tomorrow :(

uh oh!!
umm.... geeez thats tough!
i have no idea what u should do.. i know u wana to stick to what ur doing, but its gona be pretty damn hard to sit there at ur BF's dinner n not eat. how do u explain that to everyone?! .... when i tried my little fast n i had to have dinner at the BF's house with this parents, i didnt wana tell everyone so i said i was having stomach pains/cramps so i just drank some juice and they left me alone. but its a bit differnt for u because you are going ot be out at a birthday.. u dont wana just sit there pretending to be sick! ......... ummm or u could turn up to ur BF's dinner and pretend to be drunk from the work thing!! haha and be like "oh god, i couldnt eat a thing i think i just need some water to rehydrate" hahahaha
im sorry i dont think my idea's are too good... maybe u will just have to chew vege's... could u say that u ate so much at the work thing that u cant fit anymore in.. then just sit there and pretend to pick a bit at a few vege's.....

??? oh good luck babe.. ?! i hope u come up with something!

Hey alanabanana,

Hows the fast going???  :shrug:
Hope you're doing OK. I've made it through 2 days, but I don't have to go to work and be around a heap of people.

yummymummy
xxx

yummymummy congratulation on day 2!! it does get easier from here :) just stay with it. it's all a journey

Day 6 and it was tough. Avoided the spit roast and all alcohol all day, just drank fresh juice. Got to my boyfriends birthday dinner and literally had to order something or else i would look anorexic to those people so i ordered a big plate of steamed veg and nibbled a few slices of carrot and tomato and brocolli, and some tomato relish. I tried to chew for as long as possible - until it was all fairly broken down but i'm so worried ive just gone and mucked it all up.

Am i still fasting?

There was a beautiful chocolate mud cake with cream and freshly baked bread and cheese and i avoided it all. The cake was incredibly difficult to say no to but i just kept thinking about where i need to be by summer, and where i am now and it kept me straight.

Does anyone know, its a bit gross, but yesterday and today my stomach has been making the loudest, deepest grumbling noises ive ever heard. Also I've been running to the bathroom for the past two days (if you know what i mean ew). It just won't end!

Talked to the boyfriend about my juice feast today and all he said was "its great that you want to look after yourself and you should stick to your guns". He's a good kid :) Just have to get over the constant meat eating then we would be okay haha.

Hello Annabanana...well done on day 6...I think YES you are still fasting if you go back to your juices again...perhaps half a day to a full day of water fasting will help clean out your system. I know it is so hard to not eat at those functions...the pressure is high, thats where you just have to be strong and firm, no one can force you to eat, we do it ourselves...even to just make others happy, cos eating is central to all out activities...or lives revolve around food...quite sad actually. I have a two birthday parties to go to next this month, I have already told the them I wont eat anything I am just coming because I love them and want to spend time with them, so I for warned them...and boy were they pushy for me to eat!!...But I have told them, and they cant force me to do anything I dont want to do, I am going to have a super big juice before hand so then I wont be tempted...hopefull alll will go well.

About the tummie grumbles...yes normal, I had it too, it settled down after a while, it si a good thing, your bowels are getting a good clean out, uncomfortabel yes...worthit...definatley, soon you will feel so renewed and clean.

Keep going babe, doing a great job!

BB
XXX

By the way, i told myself i was going to do this. I wanted to post a photo after i kind of overcome a milestone on RAW. it's been over a month and i'm ecstatic about that. This is just a face shot, but apparently i look different now haha. the first one i took just before i went raw, the 2nd one just then (excuse the poor mac photobooth quality). I'd like to do this again when there is more of a change :)
before
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/disenchantedlullaby/n574443981_239186_1044.jpg)
now
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/disenchantedlullaby/Photo4.jpg)

Thanks berry! was hoping youd swing by :) I am keen to do a water fast tomorrow. I feel like i need it to get back on track now.

Your right about eating in social situations. Just stay firm I guess. I was just so paranoid that i would appear to be anorexic that i had to nibble on something. It is difficult. good on you for never giving in :) hopefully ill be that strong before too long

xx

Hello again little banana...you are sooooo sexy!, love your little pouty look in pic 1!

Can I ask...what are you hoping to achieve with this fast?, cos if its weightloss...girl you look beautiful...is it cleansing, then you feel feel awesome?
And how long are oyu planning to fast for?

(Just being nosey...you probably already said all that in your journal somewhere)

Are you drinking heaps of juice and having at least one big green juice a day...it is so important.

Love ya
BB
XXX

haha its a terrible photo!!

Reason ; i just noticed that after a month on raw i started to feel a bit flat -finding raw food to become addicted to - avocados, agave, carob, soya sauce - and overdoing it like crazy and essentially feeling horrible about binging like that.

I needed/need to get over the food addiction because i feel so down after eating say 5 avocados (moderation is something ive aways had trouble with). As i also said to you once, i just would love to feel happy just from simple things. Fasting looks like a way to get in touch with this.

I wouldnt mind losing an extra kilo, but no more than that!! So weightloss isnt really a factor, however I am genetically blessed with some cellulite (strangely enough is starting to improve) which i would LOVE to get rid of more than anything. Very sick of avoiding the beach each summer because of this, and i promised myself i wouldnt go through that again this year. Detoxing in theory maybe would speed this up.

As for the green juice. I need more, i just love fruit!!!

x

Well done alanabanana!!! :yahh:

After reading the list of food on offer at the dinner I'm so proud of you!!! Don't know if I could have stared a mudcake in the eye and walked away! Good For you! If you made it through that night I think you'd be right in any social situation where food is involved.

Oh, and how Gorgeous are you, you sexy lil thing!!!  :mellow: That wasn't a bad photo its beautiful, you look amazing, just radiating health. Keep up the good work!!

yummymummy
xxx

Aw thanks for the nice post yummymummy. I'm sure you could resist the mud cake. it's hard, but possible :)

Day 7 and feeling good. water fasted for the first half of the day then had a big orange juice and the green juice im drinking now :)

Was extremely tempted by an open pack of M&M's sitting next to me all day today but resisted. Mild headaches for the first time, which i thought was a good sign !

I'll try and post in more depth later


xxx

Look at the difference your chin is so defined now that is amazing after a month of raw. Good on you.

I havnt been in your journal before i have sort of been missing but still here (if you get what I mean) but I think I am back now. Just been so tired etc with this pregnancy but that is an excuse.

You are doing so well keep up the good work

Lots of love to you
Angie

Hullo Alana, You are doing so fantastically! I've never fasted that long. Well done. I agree that a few mouthfulls of steamed veggies will not do you any harm. In the beginning I also craved meat... with tomato sauce! I would have killed for a slice of chicken breast marinated. I put it down to salt and fats and made sure I ate plenty of both. It went away and it's rare that I am wanting that now.

But you are fasting and I bet you get through the cravings quicker than I did. Your determination shines through.

Thanks for posting the photos. You are hot!!! You have the most amazing eyes and hair and well everything really! I love that you are so strong.

big hugs

xoxoxo

aw thankyou jen. I think I'm over the meat craving but havent had the best few days...

To celebrate 10 days i tried to eat some lettuce and tomato with a bit of soya but couldnt keep it down. Not too suprised. Then yesterday i was craving chocolate bad, so i got a little raw cacao and agave and mixed it together and it was delicious but an hour or so later felt like i was building up an insane sugar high. went for a long walk. it was so strange. got back and lay down as it kept getting worse and my heart rate was going crazy. tried to stand up but kept falling over, almost passing out. Was thinking about heading to the doctors if it didnt pass. 2 hours later it faded away but i felt so bad. couldnt even think about food or water.

i still cant eat. made a green juice a few hours ago but can ony manage a few sips and nothing more. water is horrible to me right now too. Getting very worried bacuse im now down to something like 52 kilos (175 cm)- i look sick. lost 3 in a day and a half, and i just cant eat or sleep or even manage the energy to walk to the shops to maybe get an avocado or something.

i might give it a few more hours and try a walk again,

Does anyone have ideas? I've tried to sleep it off but i just cant get there and nothing in my fridge looks appealing.

i have to work tomorrow and im scared that im going to get sick.

sorry if this sounds a bit vague.

Don't worry. Be happy.

Are you coming to the next sydney potluck? You find lots of love and support there :D
You can check out our bodies and see what a healthy body looks like :P

BTW. Its not an example of how you should raw at the potluck :D

babe,dont despair...keep having your green juice...dont force yourself to eat...you can juice fast for a very long time...once you detox,after shedding excess weight...your body will rebuild..

i am a similar height to you,and have been down to 51kgs...i looked thin but not sick...when you are first detoxing you dont always look super awesome and glowing with health,give it time,you will be radiant and enjoying your raw foods in no time...

raw bodies vary...some are thinner than other,some have more muscle,as we all have different physiologies and eat low fat,lots of fruit and greens,or higher fat with less fruit..that makes us looks different..thank god...cos itd be boring if we all looked the same huh!

Hi alanabanana,

So sorry to hear you're unwell :(. Sorry, but I have no advice as I'm only new to this too. I seemed to have the opposite reaction to you with the fasting. I felt so good most of the time and now that I'm eating again (raw) all I can do is think about food. When I was fasting I wasn't hungry at all but now I'm hungry all the time!
I'm sure your appetite will come back soon. Stay positive!

yummymummy
xxx :-\

Oh my poor banana... sleep is the best thing, and keeping your fluids up, if you feel you need to eat, try some sweet watermelon, is is so gentle and always helps when sick or detox. Pleaselook after yourself, and try to drink some green juice...hopefully this will pass soon, detox is not pretty, and is normal to feel like that...if you get really worried, just listen to your body...is anyone there with you?

thankyou so much for all the advice! I wish I had been able to get to check these posts this morning when it was all okay...

I've had a horrible few days and fell off the wagon today for the first time - in a bad way and im so depressed about it now. Couldnt stop eating everything in sight. I feel so sick now and im hating it. I think I ate an entire pack of biscuits, a few chocolates, avocados...Can't believe it. Not even all vegan... I literally cant move because i think im going to be sick. Had my mum yell at me because her nutritionist thinks im killing myself by being raw - doesnt influence me at all, but frustrating nonetheless because she was trying to force feed me.


tomorrow is a new day, i know ive just gone and blown the whole thing, but i need to try again - and be more prepared... I'm just so scared that ive wrecked everything, and its going to take ages to get back to where i was.

I'm going to try and go for a walk now to get some apples pears and spinach. My plan is to whip up a few litres of green juice and drink that, and only that tomorrow, and hopefully continue this for a few days.

I absolutely think feasting is the way to go, but it is causing so many problems with my boyfriend (who is very opposed) that i dont know what to do.

I feel so sick and emotional. I cant believe how stupid i was today...

:(

ps. does anyone have any advice on cellulite on the legs? The rapid weight loss has made it so much more noticible.

Please someone say it is possible to get rid of it?? I thought it was getting better but now im not so sure.

icky subject, im sorry, I just hate it.

HUGE HUG!!!

alana, just get up, dust yourself off. I've done it many of times!!

tomorrow is another day.


Learn what u can from why u binged. (did u drink enough water, were u stressed, were temptations left lying around?)
and decide to be better prepared next time.

then, after you've learnt your lesson forget about feeling bad about it!! sleep it off and get back on track tmw.

dont take it too hard, its just food!

thanks rstar. sorry just had a panic moment - shouldnt get so stressed you're right. things will be different tomorrow :)

I been there about 3 months ago. After coming back from raw retreat. I started going totally raw at dinner time as well. Ticked my parents off big time. The lecture me constantly. Keep my mouth to avoid arguements and now they say "go back to your fruits"!

As Gandi says "Be the change you want to see in the world". Most people will respect you choice of healthy lifestyle.

Could you give a rough idea what you are eating everyday?

Uh-huh I have no intention of giving in just because a nutritionist i've never met has told my mum i don't know whats best for myself.
I can't imagine going back to cooked food. Essentially we all should know whats best for ourselves. It's just so difficult trying to explain that to people who have never experimented outside the typical meat and dairy diet.
Just went for a big run, and picked up a tonne of fruit for my juice tomorrow. Feeling a million times better :) Sorry about the little rant before.
The biggest problem now is trying the juice thing again (properly this time) and making the boyfriend deal with it.... honestly, maybe i'm feeling a bit more confident than i should, but he should deal with it. I don't tell him how to eat, its been tough, but it's his choice... and i respect that.
I'm at the stage where i think health and happiness should be placed high above anything else. I want to be happy - being as healthy as i can be will make me happy. Relationships come and go.

Zeus rough idea of my diet? It's changing so much! I know I'm not doing it right - bad food combining, too much sugar, not enough greens - it's just so new and i need to find a balance.

I'm going to try the juice feasting again as of tomorrow but do it right - mostly green juices, laying off acidic fruits.

I still have so much to learn, but I'll get there i hope :)

All the food you binge on seem likes to be carbs. Are you getting enough calories?

When I started just eating fruits, I didn't eat that much. End up binging on bread and chocolates.Now I loving about 1kg (alana) banana's, about 1kg of oranges and other fruits that well ripped! So total about 3kg of fruits a day.

Try http://nutridiary.com/ and entry the food you eat. You need about 2000 calories for non-active person :D

re cellulite....raw persistance/time and patience..detoxing...allowing your body sufficient time from midnight to midday to detox...for me,is best if i dont actually have anything til 12 lunch time,and then its green juice....gives body ample time for digestive rest and detoxing to happen...=shedding excess fat build up/cellulite....hard workout everyday,aerobic heart pounding and a good sweat if possible...even if its power walking babe,its going to help big time...water/juicy fruits,tender greens,non sweet fruits,low fat of course...and as much sleep and rest as you can...

not getting enough sleep....tests have been proven those who get little sleep can also have a tendency to hold fat!

it takes time,health can take longer that we want but its worth the wait and its fun enjoying the journey..