hello all. I am really enjoying this forum! so i am new to the raw food diet and so far I feel much more energetic! overall I feel pretty good. I am just curious to know what your experiences have been with weight loss on this diet. How long did it take for you to start seeing the weight come off? I would love to lose 10 lbs, but am wondering if maybe i am eating too much. I pretty much start my day at 4am. eat a piece of fruit. go to the gym from 5-6am. 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes weight training with a trainer. I do that 3 days a week. on the other days i run at 5am 4.5 miles. so I always eat a piece of fruit before my workouts. then a fruit smoothie with maca, flax seed, and raw honey for breakfast. then I end up having a snack usually a couple hours later..more fruit usually. then i try and have a salad with mixed greens and sprouts and tomoatos for lunch. then more fruit later as a snack. maybe a green drink. then dinner varies. could be salad and fruit for desert. i might go to the raw food restaurant and get something. or maybe a green drink and some fruit. it depends. but i am hungry a lot..but i was hungry a lot before this diet too.

so anyway, I am just wondering when i might expect to lose some weight...or if I shouldnt expect to do so cause you all think perhaps I am eating too much.

thanks in advance for your replies!

donna

-Every constitution is different - of course. If you are eating low calorie, nutrient dense foods......and you are eating less calories than you need to maintain body weight on a consistent basis....then there is a good chance you will lose weight. And of course, some people just manage to stay at a higher weight.....despite much efforts. In any event, what you are doing appears to be a fine regime to me. My own experience is that I lost 1 lb a week for about 60 weeks....after significantly changing to raw (about 80%).

-Eating simpler (less or no combining) and more cleansing fruits and juices (oranges, papaya, pineapple)....will facilitate faster detox. Focusing more on greens and light vegetables will facilitate more weight loss. Keeping a fixed but MID-LOW percentage of fat (avocado/nuts) with every meal.....during your transition....should help to keep you satisfied.

-Always STUFF yourself with healthy foods in the beginning. DO NOT go hungry. Better to eat more questionable transition foods than go hungry and be internally upset.

-Still: All you can do is eat as healthy as you identify/can. What else can you do....but eat healthier and healthier for a lifetime? After than......what difference does it make whether you lose weight? If you follow my thinking. There are also other techniques for losing weight like eating more frequent small meals.....simple meals with little to no combining......high-vegetable meals.......drinking LOTS of pure water between meals.......good light cardio and weight workouts a few times a week. You know the story.

-Don't worry about eating too much. Just improve the quality of what you ARE eating.

-Initially (and for a while) avoid fasting or rigorous exercise as a means of losing weight. Aim to lose weight VERY slowly. No more than 1 lb per week. This should help to ensure long-term success.

-Just my opinions/experiences - and what has worked for me personally. I hope it helps a bit.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I've been losing 5 pounds a month at 80% raw. I was eating every 2 to 3 hours in the beginning as I was always ravenous. I guess my stomach shrank because I'm eating less now. I also don't eat until late morning as opposed to first thing in the morning. I workout 1:40 per day and I keep busy doing household chores.

ddreams, sounds like a very healthy diet! Lots of raw fruits and veggies. Congrats on your decision to eat healthier.

I only needed to lose about 10 pounds also and at first nothing happened. Then suddenly a few pounds fell off at once. Then a plateau for awhile and then another sudden loss. My focus was on improving my health, not weight loss. But I just wanted to share my experience. Now, after 3 months I am a few pounds below my target weight.

So, stick with it, you are doing great.

I have been raw since june and have lost a total of 70 pounds. I felt a need to not stress myself in this transition and not wory about the weight loss but to learn about this new way of eating. some days I find I don't eat that much and other days I eat a lot. I enjoy avacado and oil vineger dressings. I have gone through times when I just want to eat one sort of food like zuccini I just love zuccini right now. I have been wondering just where all the watermellons have gone I miss them. Right now I have discovered pomigranit and I like eating them on a empty stomach. I want to eat a persimmion now. I have found if I eat more greens I will lose more weight. At this time if I eat to much fruit I get irritatable and edgy. I average 2 1/2 pounds to 6 pounds in a week. I think it is best to lose slow so your body can keep up with the change. whatever the case is I think Life is Good Raw and I wouldnt want it any other way

I knew I was not eating healthy before I started raw. WHen I researched info on raw I was excited about how my health would improve. Not that I'm sick, but I was very lazy and tired a lot. I also couldn't wait to lose weight, my goal was to lose 20 pounds only.

I lost 15 pounds but I feel extremely healthy and if I just slowed down on eating avocados, nuts, seeds, oils, dates (the fatty foods) I'd probably lose another 10 pounds. But I like the way I feel and the way I'm eating, so I'm sticking with what is working for me!

deegary...thanks for sharing your experience! how long were you raw before you lost the 15 lbs?