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Hi Cathy - welcome to RAW-FOOD!
These are good questions.
I'll give you a beginner's opinion (since I have been totally raw for
only a few months):

(1) I found that fasting for a short period (1 day) helped ease my way
into raw food.

(2) I prefer to go 100% raw immediately (or as close to that as
practically possible) since I have no discipline to maintain a
mixed diet. (If I leave the door open even slightly .....)

(3) I lost weight at a rapid rate initially. But it levelled off and
I gained back a little weight. It looks like I lost mostly fat, since
my strength levels are very high. (Higher than before.)
I look much thinner now (and my wife thinks it is an improvement.)

(4) I don't crave cooked meals when I prepare mixed raw meals that
are attractive to my taste buds. When I try to go "pure instincto"
I get cooked food cravings (actually "raw mixed food cravings"),
but I seem to reach higher leavels of health.

(5) I made several attempts to go raw over the last few years,
but I used to get severe detox effects (primarily bad breath.)
This recent time, I used a lot of cassia, a pod with edible disks
which apparently helps the detox to occur through bowel movement.
I don't think I could have gone raw without cassia. Now I don't
seem to need it any more.

(6) I'm athletic in fits and starts. I don't have a problem finding
raw food that is sufficiently calorie-dense.

Great questions!  I would like to hear from the experts as well.

Regards,

Roy