[joubess]

This is only my second post, but the symptoms Steve describes sound to me like textbook hypoglycemia. We feel foggy and tired and have mood swings when we have low blood sugar, and low blood sugar also causes us to sleep excessively. The brain's fuel is glucose, and it just doesn't have enough fuel to keep running, so it crashes.

I'm a chemist (22 years) and I've done a lot of study on biochemistry and metabolic syndrome (my family tends toward type II diabetes), and the symptoms doctors warn about when getting a patient's blood sugar within normal range.

Switching so quickly from a cooked, more varied diet to a completely raw food diet could be the culprit. His body hasn't had enough time to adjust to the changes in metabolism that will occur. If this is the case, the symptoms will clear up on their own, and as he finds more variety of foods, things will settle down.

However, he may be sensitive to sugar changes and may be experiencing a significant insulin dump after an all fruit meal.

Suggestions:

First: have blood sugar and other electrolytes measured before breakfast, just one test, and see what they are. If sugar is below the minimum, that is likely the culprit for the ups and downs, fogginess and tiredness.

Second: Managing blood sugar from the bottom side will mean increasing leafy greens, vegetables, protein and fat intake, and balance it out with fruit intake. I would recommend against all fruit meals. Also, a slight increase in protein and fat temporarily may help keep blood sugar within normal limits.

Third: More frequent snacks of fruit, nuts and seeds will help maintain blood sugar within a smaller range, and fruit right before bed might help with morning fogginess.

Fourth: Weight loss doesn't seem out of line but it is a little fast. An increase in total calories to get more protein and fat into his diet might help. Maybe slow weight loss to 1-2 pounds/week instead of over 3 pounds/week.

It sounds to me like he's just running out of gas.

I hope this helps,
Sherri