I’m halfway through my 30-day raw trial. I don’t think I could have made it this far if I just started a trial without determining in advance how long I would go. There really is something to be said for the 30-day trials because it gives you a concrete goal and helps you past weaknesses that might trip you up. If I had started this raw trial without a 30-day goal I think I probably would have given up on day 8 or 9 when the cravings for cooked food kicked in.
My weight is doing some funky things. I’ve actually begun to steadily gain weight instead of losing it steadily. So the first week I lost almost 7 pounds reaching a low of 191.8. Today on the scale I saw 193.8, for a net loss of 4.8 pounds. That is not the right direction! It’s been creeping back up for days. I always thought that just going raw and staying raw was enough to lose weight, but apparently I need to adjust something to get myself going back in the right direction. But what?
I’ve received a lot of emails from people who all seem to know the answer. Eat more fruit. Stop eating fruit. Eat more greens. Stop eating fat. Stop combining different fats. Eat natural fats like avocado and coconut but skip the oil. Stop eating after 6pm. Exercise more to make up for the fat consumption. Eat any fat you want except nuts. Try 80-10-10. Eat what you want, just eat less of it. And on and on. Consequently, I have no idea what to try. It all sounds like the same advice I got when I was on Weight Watchers or any other diet program.
I have stepped up my exercise again. That should help with something. And I’ve cut way back on olive oil and nuts. I’m not eating coconut any more at all. Today Steve is going to make some of his awesome guacamole so I’ll try that as my main fat source. I’ve upped the eating of raw veggies as well (carrot and cucumber mainly). I just started eating Lydia’s crackers (man they’re good, thanks for the recommendations everyone!). I put a dab of almondaise on a cracker, then add cucumber. It’s delicious. Then I eat a bunch of raw cucumber because I don’t want to fill up on crackers. I usually limit myself to three of these yummy crackers per day.
I don’t want to end this 30-day trial at the same weight I started, so I’m going to begin making stronger adjustments to get myself moving back in the right direction. I noticed yesterday that Steve eats a lot more food than I do, possibly 3 or 4 times as much, and yet he isn’t gaining weight on the raw food diet. I wonder if his body is just more suited to this kind of diet.
I’m not feeling increased mental clarity, which many raw foodists report. So either I was already very mentally clear, or it just isn’t happening for me. I am feeling better physically and I have pretty good energy. I’m going to the bathroom a lot LESS on this way of eating than I was when I was eating a cooked vegan diet. I spent last week with a lot of pain in my gut and somewhat constipated, but that seems to have passed now.
I’m not having any social problems. I went to a Christmas party and brought a large organic fruit salad as my potluck contribution. I also made myself a salad ahead of time and I stopped and got a slice of raw cheesecake for my dessert. I sat with my dietician friend and we discussed diet all night long. It was nice talking to someone who understood the benefits of a raw food diet and didn’t just poo-poo it.
I’m not sure the raw diet will work for me long term, but one invaluable thing I’ve learned is that you cannot know how something will work for you if you don’t try it yourself. I am still committed to staying 100% raw during my trial. After that, I’ll try another 30-day trial. My goal is weight loss and better health. There has to be something out there that will work for me. And I won’t stop until I find it.
