so.. I've been raw for about three months... and I'm not losing ANY weight. the only way i lose weight is if i don't eat much and exercise a lot. actually I've been GAINING weight.


leave it to me to actually GAIN weight eating raw.


the only time i really started losing is when i went on a 6 day fast, i did keep the weight off for quite a while, but maybe i started eating too much ??


i don't find raw eating hard at all, my body is used to it, but I'm getting frustrated. All those books say people get really really thin when they detox.

where is this detox??!! i want it!!

i actually detoxed about 4 weeks into raw, but i just got really sick... NO weight loss... it sucks.

All I can say is what helped me to lose weight was:

eating fruit throughout the morning until noon

eating a big salad for lunch

for a snack, I'd eat a fruit on a empty stomach

Dinner, I'd eat a fatty raw meal, something with nuts, seeds, dates, olives.

I wouldn't eat past 7pm

I'd make my own juice from my juicer or blender

If you aren't cutting calories, you will not lose weight, even if they are all raw.

Most of us probably do take in far fewer calories than most SADs and it's probably true that most of us are on the thin side in the long term.

I usually don't eat after 5 pm. I have mostly juice in the AM, fruit and salads for lunch and after work. But I drink beer at night, which is awful.

For me it comes with my age, and the environment I allowed myself to get into and lived in for about 16 years after being very healthy, thin, and full of energy for many years. It certainly was difficult to get out of it, and took some little miracles along the way which I found step by step.

So, since we don't know a lot about you, it's hard to help with troubleshooting what may be the reason you are gaining or not losing weight on the raw foods diet.

Things like age, health, digestion, any otc or prescription drugs, activity levels, metabolism, percentage of raw foods, percentage of fat/carbs/protein raw foods or other.

You might start with adding some little fermented foods among the meals you have, or some fruit enzymes like fresh pineapple, papaya, sprouts, or a probiotic of choice to help with digestion, and helping to add more good bacteria among the bad.

I like braggs apple cider vinegar also, as it's fermented and has enzymes in it and it's cheap and easy to take. I take it 1-2 x a day, you can add it to water to drink, or to salads with some good oils for dressing.

I never like to tell people just starting out to cut back on their food intake with regard to raw. You want to eat, be filled, and not be hungry especially coming for a SAD if that's where you began at.

Detox also is a reality, and what you have inside of you waiting for an exit could be a process in itself.

Wow..looking back at my 5 years, I'm glad I couldn't see all the future, even though it's been an eye opener! It might have put me off..as there is so much one learns about your body, and how it responds to foods, environment, stress, illness, happiness, etc.

I love the book by Roe Gallo called Perfect Body..it has a lot of personal stories in it about people that changed their lives with raw foods. Or there is another website where you can find those kinds of stories with pics I think it's at shazzies.com under transformations link. Anyone have that link?

Love,
Prism

Tips:

1) Combine foods less.
2) Eat smaller meals - far more often. Perhaps 4-6 meals per day
3) Drink plenty of pure water between meals.
4) Do aerobic exercise 3-5 times per week.
5) Journal your COMPLETE intake - and take in 50-100 less calories per day...then you need to maintain body weight. I can provide you with links to those calculations if you desire.
6) Find a hobby that you are totally passionate about...or a job that you really feel is a great challenge.....and go for it.
7) Eat A LOT of high fiber - low calorie foods.

-Just some suggestions. Hope they are helpful.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I would suggest weight-lifting. It works on many levels: your body needs fuel to build muscle, to maintain them, and they look great and make you feel good. Even if you eat a bit more than you need, if you are weight-lifting it seems to not make as much of a difference. It worked for me!

how much do you weigh right now and how tallare you?

how much do you want to lose?

i second the weight training but go into slowly and know what you are doing so you dont hurt yourself

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

well i don't like posting my weight because its a lot but i'm 146 and i'm 5'8 1/2. but the weird thing about my bone structure is that i've always look a lot smaller than i was supposed to according to numbers. i have pictures up in the journal section. i will be eighteen in 13 days woah wait a minute... its 1:00! i mean.... ehem... 12 days.

i had an eating disorder and was about 109 at my lowest and was that weight for quite a while... and than i got bulimia and at first i was losing weight, but than my metabolism dropped so low that i got FAT. i would bust my butt working out, or puking everything i ate.. and i always seemed to gain weight. so now i'm trying to lose my bulimic weight. to other people who are not raw, if they looked at me they would think i'm average or probably on the thin side but i swear my body is so weird, i can hide fat well. i may not look fat, but i have a lot of fat on me... does that make any sense?

ps. i don't care so much about how much i weigh, but more about getting rid of what i look like. but if i were to estimate how much i want to lose, taking in consideration that when you become raw your cells become cleaner and you weight a lot less than you look; i'd say 20 or 25lbs. but i mean... my body will tell me how much i'm supposed to weight if its clean enough to do so, so i'm not worried about how much i weigh, just more of i want to lose weight, and i must be doing something wrong if i'm not losing

man... i really can't sleep.

[www.rawfoodsupport.com] = my journal.


i hope that link works

Itchy,
I hope you find rest soon! You know I have this theory that people who eat raw foods on a regular basis start to process foods differently. Actually, I think we all know that. But I think we extract more out of foods. There is someone who believes that raw vegans and fruitarians draw out more calories from foods. There are studies that seem to indicate that the fermentation process can cause some fibers to break down into useable calories, which in non-raw foodists...it just passes through. I will see if I can find those references when I have more time, if you are interested. Its kind of good news, and bad news. Good for me as I don't want to loose weight, and I don't like to eat so much. bad if you have trouble loosing weight. however, don't give up, what the scale says isn't the complete story as to what is happening in your body.

itchy -

sounds like you (body and spirit) have been through a lot and maybe need a period of healing? if your weight is staying the same for a long period instead of bouncing around, that sounds like a good start, and then maybe you can tweak your food habits a little bit here and there, like some other posters mentioned.

i'm trying to not sound like a know-it-all ('cause i don't), but 146 and 5'8-1/2" seems like it's in a very healthy weight range, and it sounds like you have been really re-training yourself where food is concerned and working hard to get healthy. i'm just wondering how it might feel to you to maybe not get on the scale or look in the mirror very much for awhile and just concentrate on what foods feel good to you, when you're hungry, etc.? to maybe take a break from thinking too hard and measuring yourself, and instead to just relax and have fun with life. perhaps your metabolism will speed up on it's own again when your body knows it's getting high quality food every day. you might also look into coconut products (oil/butter/fresh young coconuts) as i have heard they can help speed metabolism.

right now i'm around 144 and 5'7", and have been for about 2 months, slowly going down about a pound a month. in some ways this plateau is very frustrating, because i want to look like the folks i see in the media all around me, and in another way it's a real lesson in patience and slowing down for me (gosh i have had SO MANY lessons in patience this year - hmmm....) and also a chance to get to know MY body, unique from all others. so this is where i'm coming from.

happy early birthday! i hope it's wonderful.

emily

Well, I can totally relate with you. When I first went raw, I lost weight and got down to 105 pounds. I was very happy there, but my obsessive exercising led to adrenal fatigue. Now I've had to stop exercising and have gained like 30 pounds. I never eat overt fat, only fresh fruits and veggies. I'm frustrated, too, but I think it's mostly water weight. You said you began losing weight when you fasted...it has to be water weight. One can't lose that much fat in a few days. So, our bodies are hoarding water to heal what we've done in the past. I just keep plugging on doing what I know is best for my body. Good luck to you. I hope you feel better soon.

thank you for those that have given some input on what they think is going on!

i'm actually fasting again right now, because i figure that if i fast and clean my body, it will be clean enough to detox properly.



but about fasting: i'm pretty sure i was losing fat and not water weight. people always say that you lose more water weight but i don't get that because i can see that i'm not as big as i was before and i didn't even have a scale at the time, i was just going by how i looked.

anyways i guess after this fast i'll just be extremely careful of what i eat, but thing annoying thing is that... i HAVE been careful, very careful. and i don't want to have to be so careful... i mean does everyone have to be this careful when it comes to raw food?

youremakingmeitchy,

Please post what your typical raw daily menu looks like. The approximate times of your meal, the quantities of foods you eat, etc. An example might look like:

Quote

9am: 16 oz of fresh squeezed orange juice
11am: 2 apples
noon: salad - 2 cup lettuce, 1/4 sunflower seeds, 1 tomato, 2 tsp vinegar, 1/8 cup olive oil.
3pm: an orange
7pm: salad - 2 cup lettuce, 2 carrots, 2 rib celery, 1/4 sunflower seeds, 1 tomato, 2 tsp vinegar, 1/8 cup olive oil.

Perhaps by looking at how much you eat, when you eat, and the exact foods you eat, we might be able to see where you could make some changes.

Thanks.

ok, a normal day would be:


(10 am)breakfast:banana and apple


(11ish)snack:apple



(noon)lunch:maybe a smoothie or just some fruit



(about 5ish or 6ish)dinner:salad; lettuce, some tomatos,pickles, olives,sometimes fish, or organic chicken, and twice i had fish from the can... i know.. thats gotta be bad.


(7pm)snack: a banana or apple

(9pm) an apple



this is how i have been eating this whole past week, before that i had been eating about half as much as that, and i didn't eat past 3 pm, but i wasn't losing much weight at all, so i just said " What the heck!" and ate some more.

oh dear.

- that list is not much food, which explains a possibly low metab. (nor is it vegetarian, let alone vegan)

- no one on here is an ED therapist (to my knowledge).

- eating raw is wonderful and amazing and light and beautiful. BUT. it can be somewhat antisocial at first. which is difficult for anyone...and if isolation and secrecy were any part of your ED, I'd be wary.

- yay! lifting weights!!

- I don't mean to be judgemental. But this thread provoked some sadness in me.

- my impulse is to encourage you to share in the joy I've found with raw. But the weight and the calorie counting and the body image and food choices and everything have GOT to be kept in check.

- IM(humble)O: if you are truly raw / and you truly don't care about the scale / and you're goal is truly a cleansed body / you will get there.

- Fasting is fun (in a way)--to see what you body has to say. But the feeling of a "strong" will can be addictive. However, how strong is your will if you slip into destructive mind-talk and behavior?

- and 145 is within the healthy weight range. and you say you look even smaller.

- I feel such strong care for you--even across this spooky internet. I hope my words aren't taken in offense.

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

Question: What do you put in your smoothie, and do you use salad dressing. What are the ingredient of the salad dressing (and the quantities of the ingredient) if you use it?

So far, it doesn't look like much food. Perhaps you need to get more physical exercise. Do you get exercise on a regular basis?

Also, are you practicing the other health building habits, like getting all the rest and sleep your body needs, reducing stress, worry, anxiety in your life, getting fresh air, sunshine, clean water, low environment toxins, etc?

Lots of people find their scale going the opposite direction to what they'd like when they first go raw - skinny people lose weight and heavier people gain some. I think this is just part of transitioning.

In my experience:

Lose the fermented and salty foods. Don't be strict if you crave them, just don't add them unless you do.

Add a lot more greens - parsley has been great for me and I eat several cups of (chopped) parsley every day, in smoothies.

Remember that as you transition to raw, you'll probably have to experiment, and adapt your diet frequently to how you feel. So what works one day, might not be right the next and it seems this is normal and desirable as our bodies adapt to raw.

I totally feel for you with this... I've had the same exact problem, anorexia (at my lowest I was 104 at 5'5", then morphed into fasting bulimia, which KILLED my metabolism, then once I tried to just eat healthy my body stored everything (plus the calories from bulimia were still there). Anyone who knows me would say I look average, or even on the slim side, but I still feel huge because I will always compare myself to this previous low weight. Right now I am about 138 or so at 5'5", if I can just get down to about 118 (my weight before the ED), I would be happy as that was my healthy weight (and effortless) from long ago.

I didn't start raw to loose weight, I started so I could find a healthy connection with food and hoped to heal. Along the way I noticed the amazing energy benefits of raw and vibrant health it is leading me into, so there is no going back! (I always knew it was "right" anywho).

I find for me my body/health responds the best to eating lots of veggies, fruits (not dried... gives me tummy problems), and avocados. I used to eat nuts but (I remember when I thought the mucous-avoiders were nuts lol), they cause mucous lol, and zits (no good). On rare occasion I will add a bit of balsamic vinegar or mustard to my food to give it a little extra kick, and I will allow myself a glass of wine when out to dinner. Once I cut out the nuts and started eating avocado and spinach salads instead the weight began to drop off (albeit slowly). I do dance about four nights a week, so I get good exercise (plus train for search and rescue two different nights as well, which involves a lot of hiking).

Good luck in your raw journey... this lifestyle really is quite healing for people like us... so I hope this way of eating helps you find peace in your relationship with food (I'm slowly getting there myself). PM me anytime.

First off, happy birthday you youngster! As I like to say to my kids, life is a precious gift and you need to enjoy each and every day. It may sound trite but it's so true. As you age you'll understand this more.

I'm with Emily - for your height, the weight you quoted was fine. As long as you're not a super model working for Chanel or Michael Kors I'm sure you look fabulous now. Step away from that mirror!

I'll also recommend that you eat smaller, more frequent meals and slam that water! Always eat before you go out too so you're not tempted by all the crap that's out there.

Lastly, hang in there and chin up! Take each day as it comes and do your best.

Regards!

David

thank you everyone!

i do want to clear some things up. i began eating raw because I've always had a bad relashionship with food, and because of my past i was unhealthy thus i wanted to become healthy.

i don't want to have an eating disorder, and i do not associate myself with having one anymore. that's not me.

i do however think that if I'm not losing weight i am doing something wrong, and if I'm doing something wrong i want to fix it because i want to do this the right way.

i am constantly re-constructing my eating habits trying to find out what works out best. i don't use salad dressing just because, i don't like them very much. with smoothies i usually put in a banana and an apple, ice and agave nectar.

i most deff do not think i'm under eating, has anyone read Paul Nison's book? he says he now only eats about two meals/items a day, i could be wrong but that's what i got from it. He also says it only takes 3 lbs of food to stabilize your weight; so most people are over eating; something to that effect.

so i just figured all raw foodists barely ate anything at all. i am now making some changes; i make sure my food is completely digested before eating anything else and i am not eating after about 6 or so.

thank you again for all of the help, and thanks for the birthday wish David!

I'm sorry I was so quick to worry yesterday.
going raw has put me in touch with things in myself--beyond food--that are invaluable.

I have not had an eating disorder.
but sometimes I look at the way I relate to foods (cooked) that are NOT EVIL, and am scared at how scared I am of them. So I projected my own phobias onto you. sorry sorry.

measure twice, cut once.

"In Watermelon Sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar." ~r.brautigan

I make paintings

shaine: oh don't be sorry! I'm glad you were concerned and i do understand that some people going raw are not in the right mind set, and there was no way for you to be certain if i was one of them or not.


thank you for your opinions everyone

Start with just being raw, and having whatever you want raw-- whilst staying active

This is the first hurdle.

I have suffered from ED for over 15 years now, so I know that mentality is hard to break however, I consider myself free from it now thanks to the healing I have gained through raw food. It dosent mean I dont ever get triggered or have hard times.

Fasting is fine-- if you are 100% recovered. I cannot put myself in that position its a trigger, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons

Eat raw, not from a tin/can/jar/packet... and love it, have plenty, have variety, fats etc..

I say all this in love

My metabolism was shot for a while, now I find eating fats - avo coconut oil is a positive thing and helps. -- maybe try coconut oil?

Wishing you all the best with your raw journey!

I am also trying to lose weight. I have found that I need to cleanse the colon. Eating large amounts of fiber on a full colon can cause issues with proper digestion, proper absorbtion of nutrients, a metabolism that isn't responding properly to the caloric intake, etc. I have elected to cleanse from the inside out with soluble fiber which seems to be cleansing my system very effectively. I have also been eliminating parasites with herbs. I think once the system is clear I will have less cravings, find it easier to eat raw and not be so malnourished. Its a theory. There are many systems out there for cleansing. It will eventually happen with an all raw plan it just takes longer (months longer).

Is psyllium husk raw?

Definitely too few calories. Your body may be slowing down its metabolism to protect what little you're giving it. Try lifting weights - HEAVY weights as they build beautiful muscle tone (NOT bulk). Muscle does fabulous things for the body, plus the metabolism stays high for 36 hours after you finish lifting. Only have to lift 20 minutes or so, but HEAVY weights. Sweat! Then eat something nourishing afterwards to re-fuel, and watch what wonderful things will happen with the fit of your clothes in only two weeks!

Fasting isn't the answer to weight loss. You will clean your system, but dramatically slow down your metabolism - exactly what you DON'T want to happen. Spend 20 minutes every day sweating & breathing heavy, and your body will transform and be as beautiful as you want it to be.

Love,
gimpy