QuestionI got the results back. The blood test was clear. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me physically so he cannot explain the cravings. He suggested maybe I should go see a psychologist or get my brain scanned. I told him I wanted my brain checked out but I don't know exactly what I am checking for. I feel so lost. So my cravings are pure psychological? Does that mean I have low serotonin? What does this all mean? The doctor was telling me that "it's all in my head" and "there's nothing" he could do for me. I feel so hopeless.
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Thanks for your follow-up answers and support. You're the only one supporting me on this. I will try my best to get back on the "road." The reason I wanted to get myself checked up was because no matter how much fruits and/or vegetables I eat, my body is not satisfied. The cravings persist. I really want to know why. The most unusual part is that I now have an aversion to the fruits and vegetables I once love and the junk I used to hate so much and avoided, is becoming the foods my body craves making it nearly impossible to avoid. Everyone keeps telling me that "it's all in [my] head" but I doubt it's simply that. I know I'm strong minded. I rejected all the junk for three years. It's not my will-power that's the problem. I seriously think that it is an issue with my hormones. I might have hormone imbalance. I have to tell you that the cravings I have might be similar to ones that pregnant women get but I never had sex so that knocks down that condition. Seriously, if it's really all with my head, should I be considering taking diet pills cos' my weight really is gaining like crazy?
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I cannot thank you enough for your support. I will try my best to get back on track. Since the cravings were so unusually persistent and strong, I went to have a blood test and a urinalysis to make sure my thyroid is in check. I feel those cravings are very unusual. Once I find out that it's not a medical problem, I will try to lose the weight again. Thank you so much and I will tell you my results if you wish to hear from me in the future.
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I was basically binging every single day so I gained twenty pounds in a very short period of time. My binge foods are ones with cheese in it. That means pizza, cheese cake, cheese danish, cream cheese bagel. Cheese was the devil. Next would be bread, then cookies, then cake, etc. It's really shameful to name them. I feel really really bad of the extra weight I carry and all the junk I eat. I messed up yesterday again but today I decided to get my nails done so I won't spend the money for food. Also, the nails will remind me that I was a "good" fruitarian. Arlene, thanks for your support,, once again. It makes me feel a whole lot better after tryng so very hard to stay ona diet. I'm only 20 years old but I have a big heart for those who care.
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Thank you very much for your support and advice. I forgot to mention that this "normal diet" causes me to binge like crazy so that is why I want to stop. I feel a massive fatigue afterwards too like I want to "sleep it off." When I was fruitarian, I didn't have this. Yes, I was slightly underweight but I didn't look it cos' I have a really small frame compared to the standard small frame for Americans. I went to eating 100% fruitarian yesterday and the cravings got the best of me today. I started binging on junk and it's a shame cos' I really want that stupid weight (excuse my language) to melt off. I believe that maybe there's something in the junk that's making is so addictive. It's like cigarettes and alcohol. Is there anything that can kill those cravings. I always backslide cos' of them. Thanks
Yan
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Hi, I was a fruitarian for three years and I've lost twenty pounds. Now, I switched to a normal diet and I've gained back all the weight in two months. I found that this "normal diet" is not for me due to the lack of energy so if I go back to the fruitarian diet, will I lose weight and if I do, how long will it take for me to lose those twenty pounds? Please be precise, I think I made a big mistake switching back to the "normal diet
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Hello, Yan, and Happy New Year.
What a hard situation you are in, and such a common one. Don't beat yourself up about your "mistake" - you were just needing to relax and over your 3 years just forgot how bad normal eating can be. I have been there. too. It just is so, so hard to fit into a "normal" diet and not gain tons of weight back. You do have an advantage in that you know a diet that works for you. Many people are still trying to find their first success.
I cannot be precise, as you ask and I know you need to hear. There are so many variables. But if I were you, the logical first choice is to first go back to what worked before. (I am assuming that you didn't end your diet because of doctor's orders or some other thing that made it not healthy for you anymore.) I know there is a lot of talk about once you try something and stop, it doesn't work the second time. But frankly, I find that difficult to believe and quite defeatist. Plus, when I am feeling suspicious, this rumor is a nice way for companies that offer diet aids to get people to switch to a new diet, that, of course, just happens to be their's. Personally, I have had a similar experience as yours, except with eating low carb, and when I went back, it worked just fine. Indeed, I am really looking forward to dumping "normal" eating and going low carb again for the New Year.
As far as how long the 20 pounds will take, my guess is it will take as long as the first time except maybe 10% longer. I am totally guestimating this, I want you to know. It's just that the older we are (and you are 3 years older now), the harder it seems to lose weight so you should not give up if it is going a little more slowly the second time around. Alternatively, perhaps it will go faster since you have experience with being a fruitarian so there won't be a lag time like there often is with learning to keep a strict diet. The other thing on your side is that, assuming you are writing after the 2 month gain time, your body has not been at this higher weight for long and it may be primed to being 20 pounds less. So, it is possible the 20 may just fall off. That would be great!
Either way, the best time to start losing weight is always now. Maybe the New Year will give you a little help resolve-wise. If going fruitarian doesn't give you any benefit after 3 months, then that's the time to consider something new. But the fact that you were able to stay on it for 3 years and lost weight is a strong argument to give it a good try again.
I read up on fruitarianism since I really hadn't heard about it much. I love the philosophy, plus fructose is pretty low on the glycemic index. I am strongly thinking of taking a fruitarian month or so to check it out.
I wish you success with your diet. I really do expect it will go well and you will lose weight. Just remember when you switch back to "normal" next time, to keep it in low gear. You were successful once, you will be successful again. It just takes work and the right attitude. You have that.
Thanks for your question, and Happy and Healthy New Year.
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Yan, I know exactly what you mean! This is usually the reason why people gain weight eating "normally". There are all kinds of binge triggers, but the most pernicious are carbs sneaked into foods in all kinds of places. Not the nice fruity carbs, but the suped-up ones added by companies. You eat tons of them and then need to sleep it off since they make your blood sugar spike and then the surge in insulin drags it down precipitously, leaving you feeling pretty dragged out. Just like the effect of caffeine wearing off, as you recognized.
What we all need to recognize is that companies spend a lot of money and hire a lot of food scientists specifically to make their food desirable, read addictive. That is simply a fact of life that results from the food industry and the various ways the government supports it. The asymmetry between the powers of "big food" and us leaves dieters in the dust as we try to deal with the everyday activity of eating.
First, do not give up! This happens a lot when trying to wrestle with food. Perhaps this even happened when you first tried fruitarianism? I do suggest that you make sure to not bring anything home that is not totally consistent with your new way of eating. You can either dump what you have in the house, or work through it. Just don't buy any more. And think hard about the binge food that just got to you. What was it that called to you? Crunch, salt, sweet? And then have a good food ready to replace that. You may have to invent something. Like for me, I really miss crunchy things when I am low carbing. So, I melt cheese in the oven till it is crisp and that can get me through it. Or eat some celery. Have a food in place for your craving. Once you do that enough times, your taste will switch from the binge food. Just remember, a binge is not a failure unless it becomes habit. The fact that you called it a "binge" instead of a meal or an everyday thing proves that you have not failed because you recognize your saboteur.
So, in short, you have not failed. This incident just means you have to think of a strategy to replace your binge food and stick to it. You may have to do this for several or even many iterations. Track your progress by days you did not binge. Do not mark the calendar with your boo-boos! This is not a good way to respect your efforts. Mark the good days and aim to increase them.
See how it goes. If it does turn out that you just cannot at this point live without your trigger food, limit yourself to only *one* specific food and *always* portion it out! Don't sit there with the bag open, for example. I know this kind of thing upsets the purists, but sometimes you just have to be pragmatic, not perfect. Even doing this, assuming your chosen binge portion is no more than 3 servings and no more than 2-3 times a week, I bet you will still lose weight.
Please, please don't despair. I simply cannot believe that after being a fruitarian for 3 years, with all the strength of will and knowledge that that takes, that you will not come out onto the other side of this.
I am in the process of working through the bad carbs in my house. And there are tons of them. I will be in your shoes of having to deal with the binge thing in about a week or two (we had a lot of parties and everyone left lots of food), so your question was good for me to steel myself for what I know awaits me. But I also remember how good I feel when I dump the bad stuff, no matter what the world tells me.
Remember how good you felt as a fruitarian, and best of luck getting there again, Arlene
PS if you want to tell me your binge food, maybe I can offer a suggestion to deal with it specifically.
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20 years old and having been a frutarian for 3 years - now that is impressive. That willpower, ability to be different, and carrying out a good strategy for avoiding a binge (having your nails done) really means that, with a little luck and work, you will get back on the right track. It all is a matter of timing and your nutritional state.
First, it is so good that cheese is tops on your list of binges. I know that cheese is not a fruitarian thing, but if it is just eaten alone without the bagel or other carbs, it shouldn't cause the binge/let-down cycle since it won't add to your blood glucose. Cheese is so fatty that you are simply unable to eat that much of it consistently over time. At first you might eat tons, but you will slow down naturally as the novelty wears off since cheese is so filling. Maybe when you were eating the frutarian diet you were not eating enough fats so your body went wild over cheese. Or maybe you need calcium? Your body knows stuff like that. The bad thing was that cheese slid over to cheese plus mega carbs (pizza crust, bagel, pie crust...), and therein lies the weight gain.
So, this is what I would try if I were you. And I know it will be a fight, but you can win. At first, allow yourself cheese,* just cheese*, as an addition to your diet. If you feel a binge coming on, grab a big hunk of cheese and savor it plain or with some apple slices, for example. Cheese tastes great with fruit so it should be easy. Eat all the cheese you want and whatever kind of cheese you want in order to experiment with tastes and textures, as long as it is regular, unsweetened cheese. Over time, how much cheese you eat will decrease, and maybe then, if you want, you can stop it altogether and be a strict fruitarian.
If you do not want to add cheese to your diet, peanut butter may be closer to fruitarian ideals, if you get the minimally processed with no sugar added. If your body is screaming for calcium though, this won't do it. But certainly peanut butter offers fats and a creamy texture you may be seeking. Maybe a calcium supplement may help. It's not as good as eating a calcium rich food, but it may dull your drive for cheese.
I do know one thing for sure. You will keep gaining weight if you continue to eat pizza, cakes, danishes and bagels the way you have been. Eating just a little of those kinds of foods leads to eating a lot of those foods. So, avoid them like the plague. Never have them in your home. If you do have some out with friends or at a party, just keep it in perspective and move on and eat well afterwards. No regrets, no shame. That kind of negative thinking just leads to more bad eating. I know this from personal experience and from friends'. I have a close friend who was almost stick thin at your age, dancing ballet, etc. Twenty years later, she is struggling at nearly 300 pounds. It is a very hard life, do not go there. Eat lots of good food of your choice, and eat the rest very sparingly. You have the advantage in that you have figured out early in life what you need to avoid. Now you just have to put it into practice.
Keep your big heart, the world can always use one more.
Arlene
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Absolutely, keep me posted, Yan.
I assume that your blood/urine check includes blood glucose, too, for diabetes, which can also induce severe hunger. I am hoping all is well medically and your cravings were induced by the foods themselves. Never underestimate the power of junk food!
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Yan, don't panic and don't take pills. I can guess how you feel - I've sometimes thought the same way, looking longingly at a wonderful pill commercial and just imagining how easy it all would be.... If there was a pill that worked, then why are so many of us so fat! I mean really, we all know how to take a pill for Pete's sake. So, obviously there is way more to it than that. But you are just in a very tough spot now, and that is totally, totally expected. Not that that makes it any easier.
First, like you said, willpower is not the issue. In fact the only thing I can guess that may be "in your head" that is worsening the situation is that you do not feel that the people closest to you are supporting you and instead are just pooh-poohing what to you is a very serious situation. Partly, assuming they are not fruitarians, they are happy that you are now more like them. This isn't from a bad thing, it's normal for people to want their friend's and loved ones to be like themselves. Unfortunately, their way of eating just isn't good for you now. Plus, from their point of view, you probably are living with what they live with all the time so they don't notice it as much as you do and are wondering why you are so wimpy about it. By analogy, try not watching TV for a month, then turn it on and see how it appears to you. I will tell you now, it will be very unpleasant until you "get used" to it again. I bet your huge change in eating is like that but on a larger scale. That is why you are alone in knowing what it feels like to have junk screaming at you.
That said, I want you to understand that I am not trivializing your pain in the slightest when I say that I am sure, given good blood test results, that those horrible cravings and loss of appetite for good fruits and vegetables, is simply the result of having feasted on junk and now it has a stranglehold on you. It is what many of us deal with, on a smaller scale, every day. You are getting 3 years' worth all at once. No wonder you are blown away by its strength.
Each bit you can eat better makes you more able to eat better. I know that sounds weird, but it is absolutely true. Use your willpower. Clean out the junk and force yourself to eat well, if not the pure fruitarian way, at least work hard to reduce the worst stuff. Make yourself eat fruits whether your body wants them or not. It will relearn what is really good for you. You just have to help your body chemistry get back on track.
As for your weight, are you really putting on lots at once? Everyone is different in their perception. Be totally honest with yourself. Have you gained 1%, 5%, 10% of your previous weight? What is your BMI? If you have gained weight to the point that it is unhealthy or suspicious, not just scary, then you really have to go to a good doctor and make sure you are okay, that you are not diabetic and that nothing else is growing in you and adding to your weight. I really hate saying that, but it's important.
Please, please if you get a clean bill of health, don't become a hypochondriac-type person believing vividly that there is some kind of tiny hormonal or genetic thing wrong and if you could just find the right doctor/test for it, all would be okay. I'm a scientist and I can assure you, medicine just isn't that good and there's too much really, really weird stuff on the web. It's too long a road and life is too short. Enjoy life, stress makes weight loss harder.
Explain to your peers that your diet is really important to you. Ask them for some understanding. But really where the rubber meets the road is with you. Period. Put the junk down! Remember how you spent money on your nails to sidetrack the junk? How about a variation where you spend *all* your food money on the good stuff. All of it. Can you do that? Is that feasible?
Sit down and be totally honest about your weight gain. Separate it from how you feel about it. Crunch the numbers.
Take a deep breath, don't panic, and start eating the way *you* want - not how your body, which is in a really bad place, is screaming at you to eat. You can do this! You really, really can.
AnswerHello, Yan. First I want to apologize for being so late to reply. I got a bug that wasn't bad at first but then it really knocked me down and out and I didn't want to reply till I knew I was up to snuff.
Second, I am happy that your tests came back negative - and you should be, too. As for what your doctor said, or at least your interpretation of it, I think it's kind of hogwash. What is a "brain scan"? There are a hundred ways to check your brain and I cannot believe it would be thrown out so cavalierly. If this is what the doctor said, then he sounds like he is over his head and cannot help you anymore.
As to the psychiatrist suggestion. This is a very, very big step. If this doctor knows you well, then take it very seriously. If he doesn't, then he might have just thrown it out, since again, he may be in over his head with your problem cravings.
However, beyond the cravings, feeling lost and hopeless at your age is reason to look into finding a psychiatrist or other mental health professional, perhaps specializing in eating disorders. Someone who may see you a few times to see if there is anything to treat psychiatrically. Low serotonin doesn't necessarily lead to cravings, but it can lead to depression, which, depending on how hopeless you feel, you may be experiencing.
At this point, we are out of my area of expertise. I do fervently hope this blows over for you. But it looks like what you really are looking for is some mental health, not diet help. Talk to your family and/or friends about things, and do look for a mental health professional. It doesn't have to be a psychiatrist, perhaps a counselor would do the trick.
Good luck, Yan.
Sincerely, Arlene
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