Why I Failed at a Fruitarian Lifestyle

Over a year and a half ago I tried to go straight from a diet of Cheese Dogs, Pizza, and Cheesey Ramen to a Low Fat Raw Vegan diet. I did it for three weeks before I gave up and went back to cheese dogs and ramen. In this post I'm going to talk about why I failed on the LFRV (or High Carb Raw Vegan- HCRV) lifestyle and what I would do differently if I tried it again.

Mistakes!
1. I didn't eat enough calories throughout the day.
This is probably the number one reason I couldn't do this. I wasn't eating enough. Fruits and veggies do not have as many calories as meats and cheese. It is literally impossible to eat enough calories if you eat 3 bananas and three normal sized salads as your meals throughout the day. Because I'm one of those people that doesn't really like to snack (I like to eat large meals when I'm hungry, which is usually early in the morning and at around 4:00 in the afternoon). This diet is best for those who like to snack. Or drink a lot of smoothies all day. I am a water drinker all the way. It was really hard for me to drink lots of smoothies because I would get thirsty and want to drink water. Anyway. I was eating 3000+ calories a day on high fat, high protein foods and suddenly dropped to ~ 1800 calories a day because that was all I could literally stuff into my mouth. My best tip: dried fruit and high calorie fruits. The more bananas, dates, and avocados you eat nearer to the beginning, the better you are going to feel and you won't wake up to hunger pains in the middle of the night.

2. I didn't eat enough mono meals.
Mono meals = eating one food for a meal. Examples: 5-10 bananas, 1 cantaloupe, 1/2- 1 watermelon, 1 pound of strawberries.
I tried making these really complicated salads and smoothies right off. The best thing is usually the simplest. Hungry? Eat a few dates or a banana or five. You will be full and happy.

3. I love cooking too much
Cooking is a coping mechanism for me. When I'm upset or worried, I cook. I usually don't even really want to eat the things I cook, I just want to stand there and chop, stir, and boil veggies and stews. I'm not really a baker. I never have been. I love cooking pasta sauces, bean dishes, stews, and soups. This was the hardest for me. I NEEDED to cook. And I couldn't.

4. My friends were not supportive
Many of my friends that I told about my choice to eat only raw fruits and vegetables basically told me I was crazy and couldn't live without meat and dairy. I did have some awesome friends that did support me, but not very many.

5. I didn't do enough research
I watched 20 or so videos, then tried to change my entire way of looking at food. This didn't work out so well. I have now read 80/10/10 by Douglas Graham, and watched thousands of videos about LFRV on YouTube. I have read blog posts, tumblr posts, pintrest posts, and more. Do research to find out what will work best for you so you don't starve yourself or hurt yourself in the long run.

6. I didn't do it for the right reasons
I wanted to go fully raw to lose weight. I went straight from watching people's starvation diet videos (which is what severe calorie restriction diets are) to FullyRawKristina's videos about food abundance. I later realized that I wanted to go vegan for ethical reasons and not just because I wanted to be skinny. I think this change of mindset is healthier.

7. I tried exercising too much.
Two days after I went fully raw overnight, I decided to do one of those Insanity workout things that was being offered at my school. It was at 7:00 am in January (whoever thought this up was insane) and I had to cross campus in the cold and dark. I did the first workout (the one that is supposed to be where you were starting from and measuring all other workouts from) and about died. I somehow made it all the way through, trudged across campus (still in the dark), stripped, jumped in the shower, and fell into bed in my bathrobe and slept for four hours. It was WAY too much for me. I then tried going to the gym at school more often and ended up aggravating an old ankle injury. I should have gradually started walking more or lifting a few weights, not jump into intense workout pain.

My Tips:

• Carry dried fruit in your bag with you so you won't be tempted to eat greasy cheeseburgers when you are hungry
• Try to eat salad at the end of the day for better digestion
• try transitioning with a raw 'till four program- eat only raw foods for breakfast and lunch, but eat a low fat cooked vegan food for dinner. You can find some great information in the video below and a 7 Day plan here.

• Don't think of eating cooked food as a failure. You are never a failure, and every time you eat is a chance to try again.
• Remember that eating vegan is for the animals as much as for yourself
• find a food you really like and try pairing it together with other foods
• eat lots of bananas, dates, and other high calorie fruits when you first start out
• try new foods (but be prepared for an allergic reaction- I'm now allergic to papaya, when I wasn't for many years).
• Don't ever let yourself go hungry. Eat as much as you want, as long as it is fruit or veggie and not cooked.

So, am I planning to go fully raw, or mostly raw? At the moment, no. But will I consider it in the future? Probably.

Below are some videos you might find helpful when adopting a raw vegan or fruitarian lifestyle:

 

Kristina has amazing recipe videos and her bubbly, happy personality is really refreshing to watch. I adore her videos. She introduced me to the 80/10/10 Fruitarian Lifestyle. This video has tons of great information in it!

 

 

Chris Randall is another YouTuber I've been following for over a year. He's really laidback and has a great way to look at life. This Q & A video about veganism is pretty helpful.

 

 

I love Megan Elizabeth's recipes! They are always so yummy looking and full of fun fruits and veggies! Take a look at this wonderful looking Coconut Curry with Cucumber Noodles.

I hope you found this post helpful!