I went on banana island about 2 weeks ago. I ate more than 25 bananas daily for about a week when I started having serious cravings for cooked food. I gave in and ate a huge salad (kidney beans, corn, spring onions, tomatoes - all cooked and eaten cold). This triggered an even bigger craving and I told my husband one evening that I was "in the mood for vegan pizza again". Argh.. I shouldn't have done that, because the next day, he made a big ass vegan pizza and of course, I couldn't resist. I ate the ENTIRE thing. I felt really sluggish the day after and am now convinced I will never eat foods like that again. Been having a lot of fruit again since yesterday but I still feel really sick. I have eaten a total of 3 salty, fatty yet vegan meals last week. Being non-vegan is definitely out of the question for me!! Flesh, dairy and eggs gross me out, and make me feel very sad. I wish the entire human race would feel the same way but I am drifting off here.
So anyway, what should I do?
- Should I go back on banana island? (my favorite fruits are bananas, but I haven't been craving them lately :( ... )
- What can I do to get rid of the excess salt?
- My body is VERY sensitive and swells up easily. Is there anything I can do about that?
Some class mates in school are convinced that the bananas are making me fat, they said bananas are the most fattening food in the entire world (as you can imagine, I had to try really hard not to start laughing hysterically at that - made me want to bring 20 bananas to school tomorrow and eat them all at once in front of them :P)! They said that since I am eating like this (with the 3 meal exception) I have gained a ton of weight - some of them even thought I was pregnant. I blame it on my hormones - I have said previously that my hormones are out of whack. I have a doctor appointment for that end of next month, I am very curious about that.
I drink at least 3 liter of water a day, strength train 5x a week and run 5x a week. I get plenty of sleep too and the only supplement/medicine I take are B12 Shots.
Also, I am confused about calorie intake - I am eating between 2500-3000 calories. Is this enough for the exercise I do, or too much, should I be eating more closely to 2500? I know there are people who are more active than me and eat less than what I eat.
I am very grateful for any help and advice :)
Replies
From the different information sources Im reading I too believe you need to eat more calories. (low fat from fruit/plant). This will not only help with cravings, but fat loss, muscle building, and energy. Also just check on the cronometer that you are meeting your nutrition needs.
Thanks guys! :)
I really felt out of control again, it reminded me of my binge eating and bulimia days. I don't ever want to get back there. It made me even think about restricting my food intake again, made me doubt this lifestyle... Now I know better than that. This lifestyle is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I would rather be fat and healthy than thin and unhealthy. Even if I will never be thin and in shape again like I was 3 years ago, at least I will be healthy. Though I have got to admit, it is a little frustrating to be doing all that strength training yet I am not building any muscle.
I will drink more water - I really have to push myself to even get 3l in. I hardly ever get thirsty.
I will eat when I feel an appetite for it, not when I am close to starving
And last but not least, I will go for cooked starches once in a while when I really feel that need for something savory!
Thanks a bunch, I love you all :D
<3 Nerada
Wow no wonder you got cravings I honestly don't think you are eating enough. Don't beat yourself up for eating what you did, take it as a learning experience.
If you eat more calories you will see the carvings will subside. When you get cravings see it as a sign you are not eating enough calories and eat more fruit. I did a banana island recently and on some days I actually ate 55 bananas. Most days it was around 45. One day I had 28 bananas for breakfast alone. If you chose to do banana island again, which to calm your digestive track after eating the other foods it might be a good idea, the trick with banana island so it doesn't get tiring, is eat good quality bananas when they are perfectly ripe. Wow those are amazing. It is hard to get them right at that perfect point of ripeness but I think you get better at telling when their perfect with practice.
Somethimes we need more calories then we realize. Don't set a target calorie level you want just eat as your appetite dictates. That is what I did on banana island and continue to do so now that I am no longer doing banana island. I do keep track of my consumption so I can add it up after all is said and done because I out of curiousity I want to know how much I eat but I dont think of calories or care about calories while eating.
You will be fine no worries. I think you need to eat more. And don't worry the salt will naturally leave your body just don't eat anymore salt and drink plenty of water. Seems to me 3 liters of water a day isn't nearly enough but I guess it depends on the individual. I drink 6-8L of water a day. But in particualar on banana island I make sure to get a minimum of 6 but most days it is 7 to 7.5.
+1
Don't be too hard on yourself that you ate cooked food. It can be very challenging to let go of life-long eating habits. Just get right on the fruit wagon and enjoy fruit for your food. If you were having really intense cravings you might want to eat more fruit or have a back up plan to keep you out of the danger zone. Have some potatoes around, corn pasta, or even rice. Especially be very wary of salt. Most likely you have retained a lot of water and are bloated. This happens to me with salt and cooked foods like veg pizza. The smallest amount of salt makes me retain water, and lot's of it. When I first let go of salt, I lost about 15 pounds of water weight in matter of weeks! You should eat a minimum of 2500 and more if you are very active. The more cals the better you will feel :) Hope this helps. Remember, don't be hard that you made a mistake. Learn from it and move on :)
just keep eating as much as you need of your favorite fruits - doesn't have to just be bananas - that can be a good way to "get into the groove" of hcrv, but it's not necessary if you just want to start detoxing again. you'll detox better eating more high-water content foods anyway.
let go of any need to be a raw purist - if you need to slow down your detox a little bit and you eat a big salad with a potato or something it may actually be just what you need to stay balanced and not go off the deep end eating an entire fattening vegan pizza - not that you have to eat cooked foods, and i'm not necessarily promoting it - but if you find yourself going through huge ups and downs it may be better to just be honest about where you are in your health and detox and make a small cooked food decision just so you don't get really out of whack with the ups and downs that 100% raw can take you on.
anyway this approach has helped me, so i thought i would share it with you. just make the right decision for yourself cause everyone will give you different advice.