Hi. I'm from Holland (explanation for my sometimes weird English...) Since January 19th I'm eating raw. I have much more energy than before, feel clearer in my mind and know and feel that it's good for me. But I also feel (and see in the mirror) that I do something wrong because I'm loosing too much weight. I already lost 9 kilos (from 65 to 56 kilo) and I don't feel good with this low weight. I also often wake up very hungry in the morning. I eat fruit salad in the morning and green salads for lunch and dinner. In between I eat almonds and dried fruits, I drink nut milks and green juices. I don't eat so much sprouts, because I buy them in the health store and that's expensive (I haven't started to grow them at home because it seems complicated, but I'm going to try soon..). Does someone had advice:
How can I stop loosing weight? Do I have to start eating cooked food again? Are there other ways? I don't know what to do anymore.

Sorry.. I meant: 'Loosing too much weight'and 'Does someone have advice'...

9 kg is a lot for your starting weight! Try adding some ground flax (15-30 g) to your fruit salad and avocado (1-2 per day) to your green salads.

Sprouts are so easy!

You wash them, put them in a jar. Rinse them in the morning. Rinse them at night. Then in a few days, you have lots of home grown food. It's so cheap, easy and healthy! Sprouting equipment can range from cheap to expensive, but you could do it with just a jar if you had to. :-)

In the book Raw Secrets by Frederique Patenaude, he recommends low fat high carbohydrate diet (80% calories from fruit, 10% from nuts/seeds and avocados, 10% calories from vegetables/greens). He says that it is even better to eat cooked low fat diet than to eat raw high fat diet. The reason is that too much fat makes health problems and it is difficult to digest.

Also, I have heard that this happens to most in the beginning and that later you should be able to gain weight.

Best,

Natasa.

P.S. I have this problem myself, and I wonder also how others do.

Eat more dry fruits (dates, figs...)
Unsprouted raw nuts
avocados
flax seeds...

make some dessert!! hahah theres some good recipes on www.goneraw.com

Thanks a lot everyone:
- 2164 raw recipes on goneraw.com! Great, thanks (=;
- Rawnoggin, I've started sprouting (or trying to..) directly after reading your message this afternoon. You're right, it should not be difficult.
- All these different opinions, theories are quite confusing for me. Like Natasa tells about 'raw secret' and that it's better to eat a low fat raw diet, then in other messages the advice is to eat more nuts, avocado etc. (high fat foods). So what is right?
And Natasa, you say that weight loss happens most in the beginning and then after some time you gain weight again. But how?

It seems that there are a lot of different ideas and theories regarding raw food in general - really confusing, don't you all think? Anyway, like Natasa, I really wonder how others deal with extreme weight loss.

i'm jealous...i'm waiting to shed some pounds!
but then again, i think my nut/avo intake is a bit high

My first month, I ate nuts, seeds, and avocados constantly--and still dropped weight in my already skinny pants until the point where they were falling down. Once I started learning to listen to my natural sense of hunger, I've been eating less, and 3 months later, put 15 pounds right back on. The body will do crazy things, but you have to trust it.

Make sure you're meeting your caloric needs, depending on how active you are, and stick to the good fats if you feel good eating them!

Yeah, I'm not very hungry also (except sometimes when I wake up in the morning). With two big salads during the day (lunch and dinner) I really feel satisfied. So it seems unnatural to start to eat more than I feel like. I did so yesterday and now I feel really tired, and unclear in my head - poisoned...
Maybe I indeed should trust my body more. My body is happy with this raw food change. Still it looks like I'm torturing myself,the way I've lost weight. My husband is really worried about me (apart from that he is a bit sad because we don't eat and cook and drink wine together anymore).

I have an idea for you that I think would help you, drink more juice! It has a lot of calories and its easier to drink when you are not hungry.

myrte

do you exercise? work your body out to create a demand for some calories....

eat calorie dense fruit....banana, cherimoya,grapes, dates (soaked),figs.....

stay low fat...work the body and eat a lot of fruit....

80 10 10....look up Doug Graham and get some info....

its a fantastic program....

Hi,

Myrte, how tall are You?
Same question to Natasa..

Weight norms are very much toward Overweight=Normal.., so it is worth to see how much of a problem You've got, and how much it may be only feeling "bad" because You are different/ than the rest/most people around You..

One of the mechanisms of Human body to heal is to get rid of overt Fat from body, and then start healing.

Mostly, extreme weight loss happens to people who have sick kidneys/ liver, So be very cautious about doing any rapid changes in Your lifestyle/diet.

It should evolve naturally, rather than being pushed by Our fears,plans,desires..
Our body UNLIKE Us, ALWAYS Knows what it's doing.. :-)

Eating fatty foods may only speed up loosing weight with sick people.

Loosing weight requires many more calories/time/resources then gaining weight for HEALTHY body.

Important is: what is the source of a calories, and whether it provides Your body with simple energy, and large amount of nutrients(fresh organic, ripe, raw FRUITS), or Source of calories is incomplete, and depletes Your body from energy for digestion, minerals, vitamins, water, and energy(Saturated fats, processed, complex foods/meals, to dense for our digestive system.. Food like pasta, bread+butter, sweets, sodas, cakes, etc..> acidifying Your body, and creating condition in which MORE Energy is needed to DE-Acidify Blood/body.. leaving Your body with not enough to "GAIN Weight".

Acidic condition "makes us" very easy stressed, easy to get angry, nervous, and influences how we behave/ our movements. When in stress Your body burns calories like crazy, so if there are ANY Additional stress sources, like: crazy work schedule, fights with our friends/family, un acceptance of our closest ones, Or Critique/ fear/ uncertainty of our choices/= Raw for example,loosing weight to quickly..
Which in some cases is "perfectly normal", Yet we think/were made to believe that it isn't.

Like: it is perfectly normal for "normal"(=overweight) grown male, eating Cooked, "SAD" Diet, to loose anywhere from 4 to 9 kilos(+/- 8 to 18 pounds) when attempting to eat Fruit only diet, like an "apples only cure/Fast." after 5, 6 days..
Eating as much of apples as he cares for, wants.

Of Course fact is, that the only thing they lost is rotting Food from stomach, and overt water that normally body keeps inside to deacidify itself after meals/digestion of meet/cooked food/improper fatty foods./
Water is retained within body to DILUTE toxins, spices, condensed minerals like salt, Poisons..

It is "Nothing smart", to switch overnight from SAD to FRUIT ONLY Diet, even if it is only for 2 weeks.. But People Still DO IT, and FEEL GREAT, AND loosing 9 kilos is something, they go for.. As Unwise as it is/may be to do such a rapid change..
Often, loosing that weight IS A Kickstart, motivation, to a Better, more conscious Lifestyle/diet..


Something to Consider for a change/ to try for You Guys if you already aren't doing some parts of those:
Moderate exercise, very simple yet satiating meals(one kind of fruit at a meal), Sufficient rest, proper sleeping/working patterns MUST BE KEPT. Drinking larger quantities of water is a must at the beginning.

Then, when provided sufficient calories Your body will very quickly get back to PROPER weight, NOT The one We want, or got used to.. :-)

Be patient with yourself, give yourself more support(early bed time, slow meals/more time, more care to go about your life, positive feelings,(more time to do chores, slow down crazy lifestyle We have accepted to be "Normal"
...than you would give to your best friend in need.. :-)

And check again What time You Do go to bad, getup, work, what are your habits of eating, etc..

Try to copy someone else's behavior,plan, schedule.. who had succeeded in Healthy, happy lifestyle. Someone being proper weight as to Your standards. It may be much easier for beginning, than trying to find which one of our habits is the weakest link, and destroys Your health/ or weight, as it may be.

"No GOOD", Eating healthy, if You don't give, provide Yourself with the time for your body to USE All the healthy stuff.

In Different words: Why spend 1000's of dollars for the best clothes/ food, if You won't GIVE Yourself the TIME, chance, opportunity to Enjoy them..?

Are You sure that You DO that, as to food/rest,etc..?

If You spend the money, buy great healthy, organic food, and never eat it.. it WILL Rotten, stink, and can lead to bugs taking over Your kitchen/ destroying it.. in the long run, even Your whole house/ life..

..If Clothes You buy, will never be worn, bugs will start eating them, and You will only waste MONEY, TIME, and self respect, than HEALTH, because of seeing all that wasted money...

Same with Healthy Food.. If a HEALTHY FOOD will be eaten at a Unhealthy TIME, QUANTITY,Way, ..Mixed with improper ingredients.. It WILL BECOME UNHEALTHY..

Sun IS GOOD, But You CANNOT Get tan quicker than nature designed it, or You will get burned..

Sun IS GOOD, To much of it is unhealthy.
.. but sun still is good.. only WE/ our decision/quantity can make it "bad", improper, unhealthy/ hazardous.

= Your habits HAVE THE POWER to destroy any and ALL of the good things You do For Yourself.., IF: lack of sleep, exercise, positive attitude, FUN, good decisions, positive thoughts, actions, Patience, Support, Are present in Your Life.

You can eat unhealthy food in a "healthy" way,(meaning= without immediate negative impact on your health, on You),
AS EASILY, as You CAN eat a Healthy food in a VERY Unhealthy way(manner,state:unripe,quantity,time,speed..), and it will easily derange Your health, and IMMEDIATELY Lower quality of Your life.

Both will add up, and create consequences for Us, to learn from..

Peace, harmony, "brain" should be given to what one does, IF one wants to Enjoy a life, instead of suffering consequences of quick,rapid, unthoughtful decisions

Start with simple things/with the weakest link you consider/notice and the rest of the "problems" may solve by themselves with time, patience and commitment(and all the rest of the above.. Which are simply, thoughts, experiences, opinions for You to consider..

;-)

Free, Open source.Healthy
F.E.A.R. is
an acronym that stands for, False Evidence Appearing Real
F.A.I.T.H. - the First Attribute IN Thoughtful
Health

I know, Im so scared! Ive been loosing weight at an average of 2-3 pounds a day for this first week! Is that normal? Will it taper out?

Much of it may be water weight/bloat initially--especially if you have cut out salt. I would give it a bit more time before worrying.

I'm 1.67
I always was about 54-57 kilos (really skinny) until I met the love of my life 1,5 years ago and gained more and more weight, to - finally - 65 kilo. This weight gain first made me feel much better, stronger, more grounded, but over 60-62 it didn't feel comfortable anymore.
So, first I was happy with my weight loss. But now the opposite is happening and the kilos go away so fast. I miss my body as it was.. especially some parts (=;
For the rest:
I sleep much, go to bed early etc.
I do yoga a few times a week in the morning, and ride my bike daily (Holland...). So no real heavy workouts, but I do exercise.
These days I've been eating and drinking A LOT. Salads, fruits, hemp juices, nuts, nuts, nuts, dates, dates, dates - oh and sprouts (harvested my first !!!) - so I'll see how it goes...