I went from vegetarian (6+ years) to raw vegan about 2 months ago. I occasionally eat cooked food, but try to make sure it is mostly vegetables and I've stayed strict vegan. I felt pretty great at first and my skin seemed to be clearing up, although I didn't lose any weight. Then my kids caught a cold and although I rarely catch their illnesses, I ended up sick (fever, sore throat, runny nose). It has been over two weeks and I don't seem to be able to kick the congestion. I thought I was over it and now I seem to be relapsing. I also had a very odd menstrual cycle this month where I spotted around the time of ovulation. My skin is breaking out again and I feel tired and run down. I'm having a green smoothie for breakfast with lots of greens. That is one benefit I've noticed is that I can drink a lot more greens than I could tolerate at first. For lunch, I usually have a salad or leftover raw meal from the night before (raw soup, tacos, etc). For dinner, I've been experimenting with lots of new recipes. Salads, soups, tacos, raw pizza, spiralized zucchini pasta, etc. Before I went raw vegan, I ate a lot of grains, tofu and dairy. So, I'm eating waaaaay more fruits and vegetables now. I made some raw carob/coconut/almond balls and carob/avacado pudding for dessert and I've also started making raw ice cream with berries and bananas. I feel like I'm eating less food and eating healthier than I was before, but the weight is not coming off, my skin is breaking out and I'm tired and sick. What in the world am I doing wrong???? Should I try a fast or a parasite or colon cleanse? Should I just try to sleep way more to let my body heal? I need to lose 50-60 pounds and I'm frustrated that the weight really isn't coming off. I've even been exercising on a more regular basis (at least before I got sick) and it didn't seem to help either. Ugh! I really thought I was on the right track, but now I'm having second thoughts.