As a newcomer to the raw community, I would like to introduce myself. I was born in 1972 near Paris (my parents are Vietnamese). Until 1996, my diet was mostly cooked, including meat and a lot of rice. As I am a martial arts practitioner (about 12 hours a week), I didn't have too many health problems, except that I was a rather nervous person, and had some acne, and hair problems too. Maybe I was a too thin (1m79 = 5ft.10, 62kg=136 lbs), but nothing serious. Then, I began to read a few books about health and nutrition: among them, one of the most fascinating was H. Shelton's about fasting. I was then convinced that fasting could help me reach a superior health and free myself from (cooked) meat-addiction. So, I went on a 10 day-(water) fast, beginning on Oct, 28th 1996. During that period, I found it hard to continue martial arts training (even Tai Chi was difficult, because I felt extremely cold). I wondered why I couldn't perform as well as Dr. Tanner or a few others. Then, I began eating mostly raw. Two weeks later, as I discovered Burger's book ("Instinctotherapie : le manger vrai"), I was so impressed that I gave up cooked food and dairy products. However, as I don't think that instinctotherapy is the ultimate truth, I eat all sorts of sprouted grains (including cereals). I sometimes (2 or 3 times a week) eat raw fish (my favorite one is salmon, but mackerel tastes good too). I tried raw meat too (chicken, pork, beef, sheep), but I found it hard to chew and I didn't like it much anyway. Besides, I am still afraid of parasites, so I think I will do without meat, at least for a while. During the first two months, the major problems were: 1) I was too thin : although I ate a lot, I was unable to regain weight (57kg=125 lbs). 2)Family pressure was hard to resist too ("see how skinny you are, you should eat cheese, bread, etc..."). Moreover, I was unable to train in martial arts for more than 1 hour, because I felt a lack of energy. Although my health improved with regard to some aspects, especially nervosity, I was less and less confident I could one day regain an acceptable level of energy. At the beginning of January, I began to feel better, and (miracle? detox finished? adaptation of the digestive system to raw food?), my weight increased rapidly (Feb, 8th : 68 kg=149 lbs; now stable). Of course, I needed a lot of raw fish, so I am now convinced RAF is useful. Now, my RAF weekly intake is about 1 lb of fish. I am now globally satisfied of my health state, but a few problems remain : 1) Overeating : for a while (~3 weeks), I was dates-addict (I could eat almost 2 lbs a day). I also had problems with almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, avocadoes. The only solution I have found so far is not to buy too much of those, because the most difficult part when I start eating is to STOP! Fortunately, coconuts seem to be a good alternative to avos. 2) Too much fruit, especially in winter when few vegetables are available. But now I am trying to eat more salad, endives (and sprouted grains, of course). My stools are still a bit too soft (but maybe this results from overeating). 3) My acne is coming back (although it is less abundant), and my body's secretions and excretions smell worse than 3 months ago : am I still detoxing from 24 years of cooked diet, or intoxing from overeating (or non organically grown fruits)? 4) And... I waste too much time reading about nutrition and surfing on the Web (but I can't help it). I hope my posting will be of interest to others from the raw community. Actually, raw-food and all the information I have gathered so far have been of great help for me to make my mind clearer about lots of questions. Best, JLT.