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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI turned to Raw foods because I need to lose 25-30 pounds.Also I really want clarity in my life and body. Since going raw however (amongst a few slip-ups) around the beginning of Feburary, I’ve put on almost 15 pounds!!!!!!! It is so embarrassing to admit that : ( My face and body is so puffy.I have no idea what is going on. I’m stressed and at my wits end now, because I felt like this was really an answer to part of the puzzle. I am reduced to tears. I feel like I have no idea of what to do or where to go from here.
I do binge on dried fruit and nuts a lot… but I feel like I need them. Just fruits and veggies don’t satiate me. I eat a lot, but I do yoga everyday and I live in a big city where I walk EVERYWHERE and I run quite a bit. I even tried to go on the Juice Feast, but I couldn’t do it. The cravings for solid foods and nuts and such were too strong for me to handle.
What do I do? I need support and wisdom.
Comments
You look slender. What is your height and weight now? It’s hard to believe you needed to loose anything before.:-) It’s also very hard to gain 15 pound in so short a period of time. Are you sure it’s not water gain? Maybe you were really too thin and gained a bit of needed weight plus water?
Shady Lady if you really focus on adding greens to your diet I promise you your cravings will dissipate. Try to include a green juice and a green smoothie in your diet everyday. Greens are what your body is craving and will also help with the non-raw cravings.
ps Read Victoria Boutenko’s Greens for Life!
I’m going to go buy her book today. Even though I look thin in that one photo… I’m actually 5’10 and 180 pounds. Definitely not too thin before or after : (
How could I get rid of the water weight then? Gosh… I’m just in a major funk.
You know I would also advise Natalia Rose’s book—she has a web site too. Sounds like you need to transition to raw (as the vast vast majority of people do, like me!) as opposed to going from 0 to 100% right away. Many of the raw foodists we admire most took as long as 12 years to get where they are today. I think rushing in sets one up for failure. Natalia is not a 100% raw foodist but she advocates this approach and discusses transitions well.
here it seems to be a young adult crowd getting into raw mainly for health , but over at rawfoodtalk forums theres alot of middle aged women whom got into raw for weight loss . and im sure they’d have some great advice from their experiences .
and i know it isnt raw , but its only a simple natural fluid with alot of reported benifits so i use it , but green tea really helped me to start raw by quelling my appetite . its a good appetite supressant and used in many dietary formulas for being so . it also massively helped me to push alot of my fast many more days than i could of with out it .
Green tea? I’ll try it. I’m really up for anything at this point lol
I’ve heard alot about how enemas and colonics help too. How they get all the stuff out and some of the cravings go with it. I’ve read about how some of the cravings that you have are a result of the food that is still in you.
What do you guys think on that subject?
Natalia Rose has a good section on colonics and enemas. They really should only be used if you are having problems detoxing naturally. I would eat greens and fruits, cut out the dried fruits and nuts, and eat avocado or coconut for fat and then see where you are in a few weeks. Once you read Boutenko, you will see that cravings are largely a result of not getting the nutrients you need. And greens play a HUGE role in getting someone those nutrients.
I think cravings are 100% psychological. I still get them all the time, but you just have to decide that you won’t eat that stuff. Basically, don’t go “Oh well, if I’m 100% for a week, I can have a Big Mac”; just decide that you are done with Big Macs (just an example… I actually hate Big Macs). I have the nut/dried fruit thing too (they’re just so yummy! but horrible on my stomach), and I just stopped buying them altogether. I know that if I have a bad of almonds or dates, no matter how big, I WILL go through it! If I need nuts, I sub with seeds or buckwheat groats.
I agree with michigan roman about the tea. Green tea calms your stomach, lowers cravings AND boosts your metabolism a bit (something like 4%+).
Also, have you been having more salt than usual lately? I find that when I have a salty dish, I’m mad bloated the next day.
As far as enemas + colonics go, I’d be too scared… they seem so drastic. My best friends are fibre (TONS of it… go for like 40g/day or more), a digestive aid tea (usually called “Super Slimming Tea” or something like that) a mild laxative/senna tea for when things aren’t moving the way they should. Just don’t stress over this TOO much… there have actually been some small studies on stress and weight loss (the two are not compatable). Hope this help!
on green tea to me they can really vary from brand to brand , and some ive tried i didnt like . so you may wanta buy the smallest boxes and experiment with brands or try friends brands too . like right now im liking ‘lipton’ brand .
and you can also go to rawfoodtalk without posting and search their large archives on this topic , the search icon is at the upper right of page there .
Thank you for that thread. Lots of helpful information.
I’m going to try for a week to eat super simply. Have some green tea and senna leaf tea as well… hopefully to get things back on track if you know what i mean lol… and see where that leaves me.
Do you think 1/2 an avocado a day is going to be enough fat?
So I think the whole issue here is that eating raw is not meant to be thought of in terms of fat, protein, carbs, calories. If those are your concern, I would not advise going raw simply to lose weight. If you still want to go raw, I would just pay attention to what your body wants and then eat whatever it is raw.
Okay. That is reassuring to hear. Beacuse I hate counting calories and fats and all of that stuff.
for me there has always been an obnoxious bit of weight that has sat around my midsection since I lost 50 lbs freshman year of college…Through working out a lot and eating raw (meet my metabolism, snails out run it…) it has gone down some, though eating more than a few servings of nuts and not exercising adds to it…intuitive eating is super important, especially during transitions. Learning to distinguish between body wants and needs is hard…I am still struggling with it badly…
Fruit juice and exercise have been really important for me, though also eating more small meals throughout the day keeps my metabolism up a bit…
Eat what you want, just be cogniscent of how your body reacts to it, with time things will balance
best of luck
I’m working on getting into swimsuit condition (and maintaining it) by spring, and I find that doing the 80/10/10 thing is working very well. The first three days are challenging but once you get through it’s very easy to stick to. Also you have to make sure that you are really hungry—sometimes you will find that you’re eating for other reasons. Also try doing different workouts. I find certain workouts increase my appetite yet some seem to reduce it. If you watch television, eliminate it or minimize it. Take your time and you will figure out what will work best for you. I wish you the best and I know you will meet your goals on your raw journey!
Thank you guys so much for the wonderful advice and the incredible support.
Monsieur- 50 lbs! Congrats. Freshman year has been a bitch for me. As I said… I’m now harboring the weight of an 18 month old.
I too gained weight. I started with Natalia Rose’s detox diet book and i tried to stick with it as much as possible. I can honestly say that i was 100% raw for about a month straight. I live in Central NY (Syracuse area) and it’s not easy to find certain things – like Young Coconuts and such… So, i turned to other books too. I have a 3 year old son and he is a little picky about foods… I just began my raw journey over the summer, so for 2 1/2 years of his life, he was eating normal kid food. He’s a little guy, so they recommended more fat. Unfortunately, i do the normal mom thing and i would finish his meal. In any case, i started having stomach pains after i’d eat – everything! I realized that i was allergic to processed foods, perservatives, etc… so,i started eating raw. After losing about 15 pounds and keeping it off and fitting back into a nice size, i started adding avacado and nuts and seeds to my diet. I think i added too much too quickly… so, i gained back about 5 pounds. Not good when i have about 20 more to lose! So, i’m on the master cleanse right now and once i’m off i’m going to cut back on the avo’s, nuts, seeds, etc. If i’m going to have an avacado, then i cannot have seeds or nuts for the rest of the day. Vice Versa. I just have to find a happy medium. I do exercise 2x a week at the gym and the rest of the days at home doing yoga (i usually take Sunday’s off). I do mix up my routine, so that’s a plus. But, i felt like my body just needed a jumpstart and that’s why i did the master cleanse again. I’m on day 9 and i’ve lost 7 pounds. Not as much as I’d like, but i think i can keep it off. I have 1 more day and then 2 days of OJ - which is where i did lose more weight last time. It’s nice seeing the scale move and i’m so glad someone posted something about a scale above. I didn’t realize how important a scale is and I’m going to start weighing myself every day or every other day. Just to make sure i’m not slipping back up instead of down. So, thanks for that post and sorry for my rambling :) Good luck with your raw journey! You will lose the weight if you stick with it!
The problem I think would be bingeing on dried fruits and nuts. I do not eat dried fruits unless they are mixed into a salad or some other kind of meal, and I tend to keep the same bounds on nuts. The calories in them are insane. If you binge on nuts you will get to the caloric intake of an entire box of sugary processed oreos pretty fast with a quarter of the volume. Focus on starting your day with a filling and good smoothie (green are best) then a salad with half an avocado on top (or sprouted chickpeas, just regular if you decide to transition as I am) Dinner it is a little easier I find to spend more time in exploring a new recipe, or if I am dead from a long day I have a transitional cheat with organic lentil soup. Main thing is to include lots of protein/fat elements as well as some sprouted grains to keep you full. Avocados have plenty of healthy fats and I find that half of one will satisfy me. If my day will be longer, an entire one. Legumes are protein loaded and help to keep you full. Sprinkle nuts over your salads but dont just eat nuts as they are if they become a go to binge food. You need to make a rule to eliminate that potential. PS: Water weight does seem to be an issue… I have been very bloated lately which looks very awkward as I don’t have a middle usually and it looks a bit more “what happened at that party?” XD I’m hoping it goes away but I find that other than the water weight at my stomach I feel as if I am smaller everywhere else. This works for photos but I think I may have to eat more nuts ;)
Not that you need any more suggestions:o), but I have only been raw for 2+ weeks and I actually did not want to lose weight, but I ended up shedding some rapidly in the 1st week (5-10lbs). I do think have a good “green” portion daily makes a big difference. I have mine in great smoothies (but I drink the whole blenders’ worth) and it seems to last me until around 5ish, and I ravage a dinner meal.
For water weight, I recommend doing simple sauna sweating for 15 minutes or so a few days a week if you can. Its great for that as long as you are not replenishing the sources (which you are not since you are doing it raw)!!
And regards to walking…my personal opinion is that if it does not result in beads of sweat and/or faster breathing, then don’t count it. Otherwise, just be patient.
Hope it helps.
MJ
Shady Lady- I have and am going through nearly the EXACT same thing as you!! I haven’t had a chance to read all the posts, so I may be repeating, but I’ll give you my best suggestions. I went raw for health reasons, which was around the same time as I stopped eating meat. So, I went from meat/fish for dinner, to pasta, then when raw, lots of nuts, seeds, and avocados to fill me up. I GAINED weight like crazy!! I’ve gained 25 lbs in the past year and I have a slim frame so it really shows.
I’ve finally gotten a hold of my nut consumption and I think this is due to 1) time: my body has stabilized somewhat with more raw foods and 2) green smoothies! They fill me up so much better and reduce my cravings substantially. I used to not be able to live without chocolate every day. Now I can’t even remember the last time I had chocolate!
I fill up more often now on fruits and salads. I think the key honestly is just time. Your body is probably just adjusting to change. I’m still not 100% raw, but for the first time since I’ve started on this adventure, I feel like I can do it.
Also, www.nutritiondata.com! There are several different sites similar to this, but I like this one. You log in what you eat and it spits out a complete nutritional analysis. It takes a little time to set up, but once you’ve got it down you’re able to keep track of your fat and calorie intake very easily. Including with your personal recipes. I wrote everything down for 3 days and was SHOCKED at my calorie & fat intake. You may be too.
And of course, exercise and weight training. Very important and inescapable.
Whoa…didn’t mean to write SO much!! I just totally understand your frustration and I guess it came out through my fingertips! :)
i frequent nutritiondata.com not just for caloric and fat intake, but also seeing what my daily diet really consists of in terms of vitamins, minerals, inflammatory index (alkalinity vs. acidity), and essential amino acids. It is mad helpful in showing you what you are putting in nutritionally.
I understand this about eating raw, but you’ve been given a lot of advice on that end. On the other side you might want to switch up your exercise. Try some new workouts to surprise your body with something different. I would really suggest lifting weights a couple times a day. Women tend to be afraid of weights because they figure they will get big and bulky, which is not true. I’m sure if you add this in and change up your cardio you will see a difference.