I transitioned to 100% raw nice and slow over about 10 months, and I think as a result (or perhaps for other reasons) I have not experienced the "detox" symptoms that people talk about, at least not anything uncomfortable.

What I am noticing though is some weight loss. What are everyone's thoughts about what people have told me that "Your body will always lose weight as it sheds the 'cooked food tissue' and then will gain it back with stronger 'raw tissue'"?

Is that nonsense? Do I need to figure out how to up my calories?

By the way, I am blogging what I eat and do religiously at my friends vegan forum [www.veganbodybuilding.com] since I had not searched out this awesome raw community before making the transition!

My experience is that you will generally lose weight on a 100% raw diet. That it might get near the bottom-end of the healthy range initially, then level out at a spot that is good for you.

-If you are at your goal weight - more power to you. If you want to gain weight, you can try putting on some muscle, and eating fewer and larger meals.....composed of higher raw fats.

-Just some suggestions.

-David Z. Mason

I remember hearing something that I like and think is true:

If you maintain or gain weight on a fruit diet, you are healthy.
If you lose weight on a fruit diet, you are becoming healthy.



Love,
Julie

I dropped weight at first and was a little worried. I've naturally leveled out to a healthy weight now.



KelBel

oregonisaac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I transitioned to 100% raw nice and slow over
> about 10 months, and I think as a result (or
> perhaps for other reasons) I have not experienced
> the "detox" symptoms that people talk about, at
> least not anything uncomfortable.

No, I didn't, either. It's all been good for me.

> What I am noticing though is some weight loss.
> What are everyone's thoughts about what people
> have told me that "Your body will always lose
> weight as it sheds the 'cooked food tissue' and
> then will gain it back with stronger 'raw
> tissue'"?
>
> Is that nonsense?

Yes. It depends on how much energy you take in vs
how much you expend, not whether the food is heat
treated or not.

>Do I need to figure out how to
> up my calories?

If you increased your fiber intake, you will need to increase
your kcal intake just to break even, i.e. 2000 kcal with
13 g of fiber might be about the same, energy wise as
2400 kcal with 75 g of fiber. Or something like that. There
is reduced metabolizable energy on a very high fiber diet.

If you didn't do this bumping up, you would lose weight.
Some people do lose for a while until they reach a steady
state.

I used to maintain on 1500. On raw I need more like
1700, but my fiber intake is double to triple what it
used to be.

This would not be a concern with people who are mostly
juicing and eating lots of nuts/seeds/avocadoes, they
are probably not getting huge quantities of fiber. And
such people could possibly gain. Sarma has complained
of gaining weight from eating too many raw ice creams
and other assorted raw junk foods.

Thank you for the great information! I had not even considered the higher fiber content of my diet, and really should have. It is also good to hear that other people dropped then leveled out. Hopefully I will level soon.

I have not been juicing at all, just eating whole foods and some food processed stuff (not processed foods). Maybe adding some more juiced items would get me some more calories.

I am eating about the same amount of food, but having cut out the high calorie cooked foods I was eating once or twice a day and replacing them with a mix of vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts I would have to guess my total caloric intake is lower. The weird thing is, I am so much less hungry. I would have no problem eating half of what I am eating right now but I don't want to get super skinny. I really have to remind myself to eat.

Thanks again,

Isaac
VOTE FOR ME! GOVEG.COM's Sexist Vegetarian should be a raw vegan!
[goveg.com]

i wish i had to remind myself to eat. i have to remind myself to stop eating. haha. i can't wait to get to that point.