I’ve completed one week of being fully raw! Just to clarify, going fully raw means you only eat raw fruits and vegetables or nothing cooked over 120 degrees. I’ve been down this road before. Four years ago, I had multiple health issues that eventually led me to do a detoxification training which taught me the healing power of raw fruits and vegetables. After that training, I went fully raw for a month and a half and all of my digestive issues went away.  From that moment on I decided to go vegan.

For me, living the raw lifestyle was definitely a challenge so I started incorporating more cooked foods.  My health was back on track and I felt better than ever. So why go raw now and why 21 days?  It takes that many days to form a habit and even though the goal isn’t to be 100% raw, I needed/wanted to reset and recharge my body.  Even though some food is considered vegan, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy.  Ever since transitioning to entrepreneur life, my schedule and diet have been out of whack, so this is a way for me to get back on track and remind myself of how good it feels to flood the body with nutrients. I’m using Fullyraw Kristina’s book as my guide for recipes and tips.  I don’t have a juicer nor all of the produce she recommends but you make do with what ya have.

WEEK 1 OBSERVATIONS:

1. I miss my coffee. Like really bad.  Although I only have one cup a day, I look forward to the warm cup of energy each morning and I didn’t realize how much I came to depend on it.  However, now I start my day with at least 32 ounces of infused water (lemons, limes, herbs, etc.) which is very refreshing and gets the digestion moving.
2. Brr, baby it’s cold inside. The first night when I went to sleep I broke out in chills.  I had to sleep with socks and I was still cold.  It’s gotten better but I certainly find myself being colder than before I started the cleanse. I try to keep all of my fruit at room temperature but my belly is missing some warm comfort.
3. I’m sleeping great. I’m noticing that I’m sleeping really heavy with vivid dreams.  I’m usually a light sleeper.  Unfortunately, with all of the fruits I’m eating, I’m getting up for the bathroom several times in the middle of the night but I go right back to sleep.
4. But I have low energy. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m missing my coffee or my body is getting used to eating fully raw but my energy level has been low all week.  I am being mindful of eating enough calories but it may just be an adjustment period. I hear that other people who go fully raw have tons of energy so let’s see what Week 2 brings.
5. Farmers Market beats Costco. The first week I did my shopping at the Yellow Green Farmers Market and got a bunch of produce at very affordable prices. Going into Week 2 I went to Costco and not only were there very limited organic options but I spent more money for less produce.  Lesson learned. By the way, I don’t buy all organic produce.  It can get really expensive so I follow the Dirty Dozen recommendations.
6. Fruit bloat is real. Because of the high water content in fruits and vegetables, I find my  stomach to be really full and bloated.  It doesn’t last for long but sometimes I feel like I look four months pregnant. Oh and the constant bathroom breaks don’t help either.
7. Mono meals for the win. For some reason, I’m gravitating more towards fruits than veggies and/or salads.  So when I’m hungry, I opt for a mono meal which is eating the same fruit for your entire meal.  I’ve enjoyed plates of oranges, mangoes, starfruit, and watermelon.
8. Keep it moving. Let me tell you… If you have issues eliminating, go fully raw for a few days.  Talk about cleaning out the system.  The amount of fiber and water you consume on a raw diet helps to flush the colon and you will notice a difference in your stomach bloat in just a day. No kidding.
9. Lazy Days. Although Fullyraw Kristina recommends exercising each day.  I’ve done very little besides walk my dog each day. As I mentioned earlier, my low energy has made it difficult to  want to do much so I’m hoping this improves in Week 2.
10. I’m not hungry but… I’m very persistent in making sure I eat enough food.  This isn’t a starvation cleanse so I want to make sure my body is fueled. However, I am still cooking several times a day for Alex and the smells are tempting!  I haven’t even tasted a small piece of anything while I cook. Talk about restraint!
11. Always be prepared. In order to be successful with this cleanse, you must plan ahead.  We went to a concert this week and I brought blueberries and water to hold me over.  Imagine eating a bowl of blueberries at a concert! LOL.  But that’s how it goes.  ALWAYS take food with you so you don’t end up being tempted to eat something cooked or processed.
12. Stress is the devil. This week our water heater broke down and we had to spend all day finding someone to replace it while trying to not flood our house in the meantime.  All of the commotion and stress had me craving anything BUT fruit or veggies.  I pushed through and recognized that my default to stress is eating poorly and it’s something I’m working on.

STATS:
Starting Weight: 153
Week One Weight: 151

Weight loss isn’t a goal for me with this cleanse but it’s a nice byproduct 😉  I want to focus more on getting my eating habits back on track. The first time I did a raw cleanse I dropped 7 pounds in a week so I was expecting something similar but I’m older now and my body is reacting differently.

And that’s it folks. Those are my thoughts for Week 1.  Have you ever done a raw cleanse before?  Do you want to try it? Got questions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.  Let’s chat!