Hey everyone!! I have a question that has been on my mind for awhile and I just had to get everyones opinion on this one!

Do raw foodists concentrate on making sure they get "enough" calories or is there even such a thing on raw food? You know how they say you should get 2000 calories a day give or take, but do raw foodists just focus on listening to their bodies' needs or do you try to make sure you get enough calories?

I personally hate counting calories...I'd rather listen to my body. BUT, I am overweight.

Please give your 2 cents I would greatly appreciate everyones opinion!!! : )

Personaly I listen to my own intuition so no I don't count anything but a lot of raw foodists do including those following the 80,10, 10 diet count calories, etc too.

The raw lifestyle is such a personal thing and I think it depends on your background/personal nutritional belief system.


F1

i don`t count calories anymore. i do watch my fat intake though....i`m not considered overweight by those charts but i`ve got a bit of baggage that i`ll lose as my body gets healthier and healthier though. i`m in no big hurry.i was listening to a raw foodist yesterday who does believe in managing calories. he said to take your ideal weight ie what you want to weigh and times it by 10. that`s the baseline of cals to take in (no less) and raise the amount depending on how active you are. he also said to watch the amount of fats ie avo`s, nuts...stuff like that

I think that if you are going the low overt fats route and not overdoing it on juicing/blending, you don't need to count. Your body will tell you when to start and when to stop eating and it will be very difficult for you to overeat due to the fiber content of your foods. Your stomach will get so full. And with time your weight will gravitate towards ideal. Some people who don't need to lose weight might, at first, because their bodies aren't used to the bulk yet and they stop eating too soon. But with time this, too, will normalize.

On the other hand, if one is eating lots of nuts, seeds, oils, and fatty fruits, and also juicing, there is the possibility of weight gain because the fullness cues will not be as strong as in the previous case.

What is 80 10 10???

It's a diet currently being popularized by Doug Graham, here is a review of his book:
[www.living-foods.com]

In the 80's was popularized by Harvey Diamond and his wife of "Fit For Life" fame. The three nutrients represented by 80/10/10 are carbohydrates, proteins and fat . . . The target 80/10/10 represents a high carbohydrate, low protein, low fat diet where one eats, at minimum, 80% of his or her calories from sugar (predominantly found in sweet fruits), and a maximum of 10% of their calories each from protein and fat.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2008 03:22PM by Lillianswan.

Listening to the body is the best approach if you are able to listen to your body. But many people on the standard western diet are so out of touch with their bodies, and mostly listen to what their mind is saying, that this approach doesn't work for them.

If a person has been eating cooked food all their life, their stomach is going to be small because cooked foods are so concentrated. So when the small stomach is full of raw foods, this is not really enough food to sustain a person for 1/3 of the day, like a cooked meal could. So initially, a raw foodist will need to eat more meals, maybe six or more a day, to compensate. Or to eat high calorie density foods, which typically means a lot of fat. Once you understand the caloric nature of raw foods, you don't need to count any more, as you now know how much calories are in various foods and their fat content.

Most beginning raw foodists would benefit from understanding the breakdown of their calories, because for many of them, they are eating in excess of 60% fat from calories. A more reasonable number is 20% fat.

Also, many raw foodists under eat and lose tons of weight, and it never comes back until they start eating more.

For these reasons, a beginner might want to do some calorie analysis to make sure they are getting enough calories and a good mix of carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

80/10/10 is a raw diet that has 80% carbs, 10 max protein, and 10% max fat. It is a high fruit diet, and works for some, and not for others. For myself, high fruit works well for me.

I have never met a raw foodist who counts calories. Instead, I usually ask myself: Have I had enough greens this week? Did I get enough fats/oils this week?

Raw food is more about rebuilding your body, regenerating cells, overcoming and preventing sickness, and overall feeling and looking better, than it is about calories.

I don't count calories.
I'm just conscious I consume as much fat as possible.
coconut meat, coconut milk, extra virgin olive oil, avocados, etc.

Bryan Wrote:
>
> For these reasons, a beginner might want to do
> some calorie analysis to make sure they are
> getting enough calories and a good mix of
> carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

i have a bit of a hard time putting my info in fitday because of the "stuff" i put in my smoothies...ie my chia seeds, green powders.....stuff like that. any tips?
patty

Patty, fit day allows you to create "custom foods"... you can plug in the nutritional info on the label of your green powder and it will add it to your list of foods.



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

I dont count calories

I have whatever juice and fresh juicy fruits my body asks for

Dont eat oils, nuts or avos

Just whatever my body is drawn to

I don't count calories. I eat when I am hungry and what I like (mostly fruits). However I do eat a very tiny cooked meal and I do count calories there. But in raw food, I don't count calories - some times I eat a lot of fruit, other days I don't feel like eatung any fruit and just have some smoothies etc., It depends...

Take care
A

I don't really count calories,but when i did one day, i realised how much fat i was actually consuming... (80% or so, from coconuts, flax, chia...)

So i quit the fat alot, replacing it by loads of sweet fruit...But damn, i miss the coconut so bad...

"he said to take your ideal weight ie what you want to weigh and times it by 10."

I would starve to death

i would be fat...

i don't have the energy to count calories. i just eat and listen to my body. we're getting to be a pretty good team. :-)

I like the way raw simplifies my life. I don't count calories. I don't weigh myself on a scale. I go by feel and body signal. ;=)

Thank you everyone for your input, it means a lot to me that you share your thoughts and ways with those of us that are still newbies to this wonderful raw world!!!

Kim