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Anyone Else Going Through a Super Long Detox?
Started
by Heather White
on March 1, 2010
Hey all,
So here is the deal, I've been a vegetarian for 15 or my 27 years on this planet and have always generally felt good. In January I went vegan and haven't had any slip ups. Here is the problem - to be honest, other than my stomach feeling less bloaty (which is great!), I have felt worse then I have in years. I'm eating healthier than ever before, but I am exhausted all the time and have felt like I am coming down with a cold for over a month - and haven't gotten one. I've also gained about 5 pounds. I'm assuming I am just going through detox, but geez 2 months?! Is that normal?
I am sticking with it veganism, but I was wondering if anyone else was going through this?
I feel the same way! I have been vegan since mid-December, and while I have a new love of veggies, I feel like I was slimmer when I was just a regular ol' vegetarian. Maybe I am eating more food to make up for the loss of cheese/milk? But I feel bloated/chubby. :(
Any tips?
I agree with both of you. I am on Day 20 and I feel bloated, gassy and just plain not good! Anyone have any advice?
I have also noticed that I am a lot more gassy the last couple of days (I switched to vegan a week or so ago). I was wondering if that is a normal part of the process.
I think being gasy is a normal process. Are the veggies raw? I know raw veggies ALWAYS gives me more gas. You also must think of which veggies produce more gas. Surprisingly, broccoli and cucumbers do it well. Also, everyone is different (I get gas from carrots.)
As far as feeling tired, is there still caffeine consumption? I feel that harsh caffeine products such as soda and coffee hit me harder on a vegan diet.
Also check what you are normally eating, and keep a few days record. Sometimes I eat too many carbs and I feel sluggish. Sometimes I ate too many sweets the day before and felt sluggish. Sometimes I don't drink a lot of water (which you definitely need) and again, I feel sluggish.
Dewittmba and Keri, it's probably a normal detox especially if you went cold turkey.
Holyveggies, I'm not sure what yours could be, and same with Heather. It takes awhile to adjust, as I am constantly adjusting and it's been almost a year. (dairy-free for three, though.)
Definintely track what you are eating. I find that tofu really doesn't work for me, but tempeh does, I guess because it's fermented differently. I can do seitan and have no problems. Are you eating more beans? More grains? Sometimes the shift into eating something you really didn't eat a lot of before can be a cause. It could also be someting you are eating now that you never really ate before, perhaps a mild allergy to that item.
I didn't have bloating with detox, but my skin freaked out for 2 months and now is calming down. But I've been doing more raw foods also and find that I have more energy when I eat the correct raw foods.
HELLO!!!
Thank god..............................I'm not alone especially after reading that people were feeling great and skin is fantastic..............................!!! The thing is.............I've not been vegan for 'technically' a short time. I've been vegan for already 1 year and my diet was alright for the first 1/11 months but not that great!! I got the Kind diet book over a month ago and decided to mix vegan and superhero. My intake of veg is much better and lentils although I think pulses have taken a back seat to the lentils (which reminds me to buy some!!) and the processed soya like Fry is mostly non existent now. My wholegrains - after seeing a recipe for my pet rats to mix different grains together, I ended up doing for myself - so 2 tablespoons of bulgarwheat/buck wheat/quinoa/amaranth/brown rice/oats/cous cous and that's the whole grains sorted :)
And I gave up smoking nearly 1.5 years ago for ethical reason but I am still tired, my skin iss a disaster, I read one woman said her ahum toilet time was great - am I missing sommit? Yeah I am still bloated but have to say not as much as when I had dairy in my diet! My intake of water has increased(it was very low) although I might be eating too much cheesecake hehehehehe!
I'm going to the doctors to get my iron/B12 etc checked for my own sanity but my they should be fine I take a supplement off and on and my kale and cabbage and lentil intake is just going up and up and I have some OJ with it when I eat em!
I am trying to knock all reasons on the head and can't see how it can be a detox really when I have been vegan for one year. I really need some advice please - I am so tired!! I can only think of one other reason which is bad side affects i'm having to contraceptive but it's been 2 months on it. And I can't concentrate - actually getting me down now because I am on a diet and lifestyle that makes me happy!
the vegan diet is not magic - all health ills do not vanish! I've been vegan for 25 years, and still get sick, can have headaches, can break out, have days of feeling tired, bloating etc..... so if you are feeling fatigued and sick for extended periods of time, I would recommend getting some basic bloodwork and making sure all is in order.
I would also take a look at whatever new foods you have introduced when switching to this diet, and take them out for a week or two. Then, one at a time, introduce the item back in for a week and see how you feel. If this way of eating has suddenly led to a big increase in soy consumption, soy is one of the most reactive foods out there and its possible you are sensitive .
Also, look at how you are eating - is most of your food cold? Now that you are eating veg, is it all salads, veggie shakes etc....? Imagine your digestive system is a pot of water that is constantly boiling on the stove, then imagine what happens if you pour a cup of cold water into that pot - the boiling stops, and the water has to "work" that much harder to come back to a boil. This is what happens when you eat/drink cold - some of us are much more sensitive to it, our digestion slows and you become bloated. So another thought is to try and eat NO cold for a week and see how you do - and different foods have different properties, so tofu, for example, is considered a "cold" food - so if you eat it, cook it with ginger to warm it up etc.....
and to dionne - if you are on an oral contraceptive that will definitly impact your health on many levels, so do not discount that as a problem - it is putting an artificial hormone into your body on a regular basis, hormones affect every level of our functioning - there is no way taking the pill can not affect you- physcially/mentally/emotionally.
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