In the last 4 days I have had 4 people telling me I am "too thin". This worries me! So I think it is time I asked for advise on whether I am really too thin or ill. I would be thankful for any thoughts or information on this.

I have been on a 90% raw diet for 4 months. I also water fast once a week and have done a longer, 7 day water fast in June. I take an enema once a week.

In these 4 months, my illnesses (chronic dry eye, mild chest pain, sciatica) are palpably better though far from cured. I feel much lighter and more 'swift' in my movements. My skin is better. A few people have commented that I look younger and I too feel that I look younger. Both physically and spiritually, I feel more sensitive. Physically, I see a whole new level of awareness of what foods, drinks, pollutants can do to my body. My libido is 1/5th of what it was but I don't mind most of the time.

I enjoy all this. However, almost everyone I meet says "you have become so thin!". I live in a culture - India - where people feel free and even obliged to comment on what they see is your health situation. Hence, I also get a lot of comments like "You have become so thin - have you been sick?"

Most people comment on my thinner face and my neck and shoulders where the outlines of my bones are visible.

I am trying to figure out if I am really too thin.

In these 4 months, I've lost 8 kg / 17 lb. My waist size is 30", which looks pretty normal to me. It used to be 32-33" before the lifestyle change. My height is 5'8" and my weight, when I last checked (I don't have a weight machine) a couple of weeks ago was 55 kg / 123 lb. I am a male, 30 years old.

That makes my BMI 18.5, which is borderline underweight, although the BMI theory doesn't make sense to me.

Am I really too thin? I don't feel too thin myself when I look at my image in the mirror, especially without clothes. For the first time in my life after I was a little child do I not have a paunch. I feel slim and fit, not thin.

My skeletal frame, however, has always been very small. Perhaps smaller than anyone I have met. Especially on my wrists and ankles. That makes me look thinner than others now that I have less fat.

From reading articles online, I have found four points to note about being "too thin" -

1. Dr. Fuhrman in Eat to Live says

"Most people [on his diet, which is not fully raw] lose weight and then stop losing when they have reached their ideal weight. You are not the judge of your ideal weight; your body is. As almost everyone is overweight, many people think they are too thin when they have reached their best weight. I have many patients who, after following my plan to reverse diabetes or heart disease, report, 'Everyone tells me I look too thin now.' I then measure their periumbilical fat and check their percentage of body fat, and usually show them that they are still not thin enough." (pp. 192-193).

2. Going raw makes your body shed unhealthy fat and muscle and it takes about a year before you put on healthy fat and muscle. Because of this you may look emaciated for that year.

3. Raw fooders don't get enough fat. I get at least 300 grams or more of cashews, almonds and walnuts a week, plus lots of sprouts. So I wonder if this is true for me.

4. Raw fooders may not get enough calories. I eat to my full - 3 meals a day - so I really don't know if I can consume more calories.

Is the problem with me or with those who comment on how thin I am? What do you think about the above points, especially 1 and 2?

Also, is the loss of libido an indication that something is not right with my lifestyle?

Any thoughts, information, links would be very helpful. I am getting concerned about all these adverse comments on my looks and health.

I've also been told that I lost a lot of weight, my mom always tells me this when I go visit her. My grandmom told me I willingly starve myself to lose weight. I told her I eat lots of raw fruits and veggies, but she eats a standard diet and she always tells me to eat animal products, so she doesn't see fruits and veggies as real food. She also saw me drinking water and she said that I drink water instead of eating, also to lose weight.

From what I read, people on a raw vegan diet lose weight, but they reach their healthy weight, and stay there. I am 5 ft 4 11/64 inch and my weight is 100.75 lbs. My body fat percentage is 60.2%. My BMI is 17.2, which by standard rules is underweight, but I never felt better in my life, I'm full of energy, feeling light and happy all the time.

My advice is to ignore all the "you got too thin" comments and just go on with your raw vegan lifestyle, doing what makes you feel your best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raw vegan for life. Vegan for the animals. Raw for my health.

there's nothing wrong with your weight at that height.

most people are too fat.

maybe think about not fasting /enemas.not sure why you feel necessary.

Iandthou,

If you want to gain weight, please watch Lou Corona's youtube videos on making nut and seed yogurt. He has helped many raw foodists who had an intolerance to raw nuts be able to digest them and put on needed weight. He also recommends things like tocotrienols (rice bran) and raw vegan superfoods.

At 5'9", he is like 160 or 170 and he is still really trim. Someone on the forum said he's chubby, because his face is a little round. But that's just his cheeks. His legs are thin. his body is trim. He has no tummy. He has dense muscles.

You are not technically underweight, but you are close. I am not surprised people think you are underweight.

After I completed a 12 day waterfast, my BMI was 18.7. When eating a high fruit low fat diet, my BMI was 20.1. Nowdays, with more fat, and consuming the Syntropic Antioxidant Microbes, my BMI is 22.2.

Prana Wrote:
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> You are not technically underweight, but you are
> close. I am not surprised people think you are
> underweight.
>
> After I completed a 12 day waterfast, my BMI was
> 18.7. When eating a high fruit low fat diet, my
> BMI was 20.1. Nowdays, with more fat, and
> consuming the Syntropic Antioxidant Microbes, my
> BMI is 22.2.


What brand?

jtprindl, I use SCD Probiotics.

I do not know what KG means. Must be another way to measure weight. I remember getting my BMI measured at the GYM. My trainer loved to pull fat off me and then had this machine that measured it.

Loss of libido...do you really want to be horny all the time?
Women are only in heat once a month.

I AND THOU

30 year old male...hey, can we raw vegan experts see a photo of you?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2015 05:23AM by suvine.

Thanks everyone, for your views. I measured my weight today and i am actually 50 kg (110 lb) and not 55 (120 lb). But I do not feel unhealthy so am more or less at peace with this.

You can calculate your height here.. Then, they break it down to small, medium, large frame...to arrive at your ideal weight range number.



[www.healthdiscovery.net]

At 110, you are underweight. Do you do any physical exercise, especially those exercises that build muscle? You are 12 pounds underweight.

Prana Wrote:
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> At 110, you are underweight. Do you do any
> physical exercise, especially those exercises that
> build muscle? You are 12 pounds underweight.


Thanks for helping me out here. Please bear with me if I am asking too many questions, I am trying to understand things. Regarding exercise - I do yoga and a bit of tai chi, which are not primarily muscle building exercises really. They are part of my spiritual work.

I was 125 pounds in July and I had a slight paunch, so I began to eat smaller portions. Now I don't have a paunch, but I am also 15 lb lighter, which according to the accepted norms is underweight.

If I simply eat more fruit and vegetables, my feeling is I'll be back to 125 lb but with the same paunch. To me it feels that a paunch means unhealthy fat - as Fuhrman says in the quote I shared in my initial post.

I should also say that I have a skeletal frame that is smaller than most people I know. My height is average for my country - 5'8", but the visible thickness of my bones, especially in the wrists and ankles, is much less than most people. I have often wondered if having such thin bones is an illness in itself, but my calcium and vitamin D levels have always been normal. I don't think the bone thickness (not density) can be changed by exercise or nutrition beyond 20 years of age or so. Isn't that so?

So I wonder if the standards of weight really apply to me.

On the other hand, I see the point that if I start weight training I will gain muscle and not a paunch, and hence I can increase my weight without having too much fat. At the same time, I wonder why I should have a certain weight? Is having a weight lower than the standard necessarily indicative of nutritional deficiencies, or other health problems? Should I not check for those health problems directly, for instance through blood tests, rather than look at my weight as an indicator of them?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2015 12:09PM by iandthou.

"At the same time, I wonder why I should have a certain weight? Is having a weight lower than the standard necessarily indicative of nutritional deficiencies, or other health problems?"

Everyone is different, there is no true standardized system where you have to weigh in between a certain range based on your height otherwise you're not healthy. Raw foodists in general are obviously leaner than the average person. The official definition of a "healthy" range is based off a population who indulges in processed foods, GMO's, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, highly cooked foods, animal-based diets, doesn't exercise enough, etc., so in my opinion, there's no way it can be applied to those on a whole foods, plant-based diet.

"After I completed a 12 day waterfast, my BMI was 18.7. When eating a high fruit low fat diet, my BMI was 20.1. Nowdays, with more fat, and consuming the Syntropic Antioxidant Microbes, my BMI is 22.2."

If you're willing to share, how much fat do you currently eat and why the switch?

Someone told me I was too skinny today.

jtprindl, I typical amount of fat in a day might be an avocado, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and 2 tbsp nuts. I go back and forth between low fat and moderate/high fat. At the beginning of the year, my clothes were starting to not fit, and rather than buy all new clothes, I ate low fat for 6 months. But after some time, after feeling a bit deprived of the store bought prepared raw vegan treats, I started eating them again.

YOUR KITCHEN IS YOUR WARDROBE

hahaha I got that from Bethenny on tv

"jtprindl, I typical amount of fat in a day might be an avocado, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, and 2 tbsp nuts"

WHOA, take it easy!

"But after some time, after feeling a bit deprived of the store bought prepared raw vegan treats, I started eating them again."

Why do you think you felt deprived?

Jtprindl, why do you ask?

Prana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jtprindl, why do you ask?


I'm just curious. I like hearing about the unique experiences of others when it comes to diet and health in general. Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't.

I am finding success with my raw vegan calorie restriction. First thing in time...I only eat when hungry. Sometimes that's a few minutes each day. I have more energy than ever. I just take a bite sometimes and thats all I need.

I agree jtprindl

jtprindl, lets just say I like my treats!

Speaking of raw treats, here is my favorite nowadays: Go Pecan Pie!

suvine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> [sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk]
> our-nice-compliments.png
>
> I do not know what KG means. Must be another way
> to measure weight. I remember getting my BMI
> measured at the GYM. My trainer loved to pull fat
> off me and then had this machine that measured
> it.
>
> Loss of libido...do you really want to be horny
> all the time?
> Women are only in heat once a month.
>
> I AND THOU
>
> 30 year old male...hey, can we raw vegan experts
> see a photo of you?



Well, perhaps that can wait for a while .

Beginners almost always need far more protein in their diet. After the metabolic and digestive systems have revitalized, the need for protein diminishes dramaticly. The best source for the extra protein you need now is grass juice. Seeds and nuts have the protein but can cause other problems. Sprouted grains and other sprouts are another good choice. Check out The Sproutarian's posts.

"The best source for the extra protein you need now is grass juice."

Personally, I think it's possible that many raw foodists aren't getting enough protein for optimal health. Lots of them look like stick characters and I do believe that on some level, for some people, it's not a good sign. Being lean is one thing. Looking like you just came out of a concentration camp with very little muscle mass is another.

Also, how do you know grass juice is a good source of protein? How do you know much of the protein isn't bound to the fiber?