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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI come from a background of binging and starving. I try not to do it anymore…but I know my body remembers what I put it through.
With that said, I am having trouble sticking to Raw. I would like to lose 30 or so lbs. But, when I eat totally Raw and low on nuts and fats (they can sometimes trigger binges… I need to simplify my eating before adding them back in) I have trouble getting more than like 600 calories a day! The next day then, I’m starving, and I tend to eat and eat and go for cooked and junk foods (junk foods that I wouldn’t normally eat anyhow!) and even things like meat start to sound good! Yucko.
I think that this is esentially starving and binging. I’m not doing it on purpose, but I feel like my body is taking it that way.
What are ways to get more calories in my day without overloading or setting myself up for binges!? Any ideas?
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I imagine it must be difficult consuming only 600 calories a day! I was losing massive amount of weight consuming 1500 calories a day on an 80% raw diet. After working with a nutritionist, I corrected my diet, and now I consume 2700 calories a day, 80% raw, and this is what my body needs to maintain my weight.
Anyway, I’ll try to make some suggestions. Foods rich in protein, fiber, minerals will help you stabilize your blood sugar. Cinnamon, rich in chromium, (perhaps a therapeutic dose, check with someone who knows more than me) also helps.
Sprouts are a great source of protein and complex carbs. Hemp protein powder and green superfoods like chlorella or spriulina will give you some extra calories and protein. Maca is rich in protein and minerals. Young coconut, from what I’ve been able to ascertain, is only 30% fat (as long it’s not too mature). Sweet fruits that are rich in minerals include durian (also rich in protein, and only 20% fat), mangoes, papaya and figs. Bananas and dates, from what I’ve read, are high in sugar, and low in minerals. Probably won’t stabilize the blood sugar as well. Kelp powder is extremely mineral rich. Green smoothies contains a ton of fiber. Goji berries are low glycemic, and are rich in long chain sugars that will give you long lasting energy.
Just a couple questions (don’t mean to pry!): 1) Did you transition pretty quickly to a raw foods diet. I wonder if your body is just rebelling; 2) Have you considered working with a nutritionist?
David Wolfe’s Eating For Beauty has great suggestions for the best sources of protein and carbs.
Good luck on your healing path! :)
I think that the nutritionist is on the horizon.
I’ve been vegan and vegetarian for quite some time now. And i started with Raw foods in the beginning of February. I’ve probably been 50% since then…. but Im actually picking UP weight. And I legitimately need to shed some lol
And even though I came from an eating disorder, I was never underweight at all.
Shady Lady I’m exactly the same as you, when I work I tend to eat very little, then when I get home or when I’m at home I’ll eat really a LOT. These are great suggestions achin70, I’ll try some for sure.
This is a bit off topic but I feel it falls in line somewhere with what you’re talking about… I just delivered ginormous twins (9.3lbs & 8.5lbs) on a 60% raw diet and I could not gain weight (only 50lbs). My midwives recommended hemp protien, nuts, avocados and lots of dark greens. I also ate baked potato and high protein grains like quinoa and brn rice and kept the higher sugar fruits to a minimum. of course I feel great now and 2 wks later the baby weight is nearly gone save some fluid retention… I’m hoping to get back to normal quickly and ditch the cooked foods – I usually eat 1500-2000 calories a day and still maintain my weight. I hope you find this helpful!
flybaby: Thanks! :)
shadylady: I have a few ideas for facilitating weight loss. Some of these suggestions for weight loss might be more applicable for the future, since you’re keeping the lid on fats.
Goji berries might help you lose weight. Here’s a link: http://health.howstuffworks.com/goji-berry5.htm
Here’s what I posted a few hours ago under the topic “Fat Burning Nuts”: Maybe it
I forgot to include my favorite food of all, raw cacao! High in minerals, including magnesium, iron and chromium.
Also, it contains MAO inhibitors, which can decrease appetite. :)
Hey Shady Lady,
I’m also trying to get in shape. Whenever I try to cut down on fat my body goes insane and I end up eating the entire town. I’ve recently started eating more fruit. I used to shy away from fruit, thinking all the sugar wasn’t good for me. Since i’ve started my nightly freak outs [binges, basically] have disappeared and I still wake up with a flat stomach even though I have been eating almost up until i go to sleep at night [i just do it.. no matter how hard i try not to, I just have to eat or I’ll fall asleep when I’m up late! It’s hard to go six hours without eating when you’re still awake.]
Anyway, so I’ve been snacking on fruit whenever I’m hungry. I even snacked on a little fruit before meals yesterday. I read from Frederic Patenaude [http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/rawsecrets.html] to do that and so far it seems to be working. This is pushing the too much info line, but my bowels are starting to become more regular as opposed to um.. well, I’ll just use the world EXPLOSIONS to paint everyone a nice picture. I have more energy and seem to be able to function a bit more. I ran and did a bunch of yoga yesterday. wooo. On top of the fruit yesterday’s intake included a salad with a couple veggies and a dressing made of one mango, one tomato and some apple cider vinegar blended. it was awesome. Then later in the evening i had some fresh spicy spicy salsa inside romaine leaves.
To conclude my far too lengthy post, try eating more fruit?
More fruit! I agree with mango women. And eat DIFFERENT fruit too, so you don’t get tired of one kind. I take to work a pear, an apple, pineapple, and watermelon one day – it might be an orange, canteloupe, strawberries, and blueberries the next day.
Achin, that is easily the most clear, simple and yet comprehensive advice I’ve ever seen written here. Thank you so much.
Zooey Glass: Thanks, happy to provide any info that can help! :)
i dont really have anything to add… just wanted to say that i love your profile blurb… i too read cookbooks for fun! and i count the days till the next farmer’s market. my market in oz was on a Sunday morning and used to say (not entirely joking either) that it was my church! i used to have anorexia… realizing its not just about food helps… health is so much more then just physical… i think a lot of crudistas get so excited about th raw life they don’t nourish their ojas/jing properly and burn out after a few months feeling worse then before with irreversible damage to their vital life force. i know i headed down that path… check out gabriel cousens books for some really insightful info… peace
smoothies with protein powder or chia powder. you can really down those if you like them. green smoothies are preferable.
I can’t believe there are still members of this forum promoting raw cacao as a health food. David Wolfe continues to do a great con job on the gullible masses! Cacao is one of the most addictive substances known. It is toxic to the liver and damages the stomach lining. Cacao beans contain: -methylxanthines such as the stimulant drugs known as caffeine, theobromine, and theophyllin, all of which are known to produce permanent degenerative alterations in cellular protoplasm. -More tannin than tea. -Oxalic acid -Cannabinoids -Aflatoxins
Google any of these drugs to find out their impact on human health.
achin70 says raw cacao is “high in minerals, including magnesium, iron and chromium.” Get real…just because something has a few minerals in it doesn’t make it a healthy food for humans!
You don’t need to buy raw cacao, maca, goji berries and whatever other expensive snake oils these people are trying to sell. Stick with whole, raw, organic fruits, leafy greens and a small amount of nuts and seeds and you will be much better off.
And achin70…sooner or later you will experience symptoms related to this very toxic poison if you continue to eat it. Be forewarned!
I agree with bitt. Smoothies. I find that if you can drink your food, you get more of it.
I was one of those who fell into the trap of thinking, “it’s raw fat so my body knows what to do with it”, and was in denial until I tried on my summer clothes (I’m working on fitting back into the dress in my picture!). I too found it hard to get the 1700 cal. that I need to lose weight, into my diet without eating copious amounts of seeds/nuts/avocados. Now I am actually losing weight steadily because I avoid gourmet raw and have added some low fat cooked foods, mainly quinoa and amaranth, back into my diet. Keeping a food journal is also helpful along with the diet software, Cronometer http://spaz.ca/cronometer/ (thank you el-bo for introducing me to this!). It is surprising how quickly you meet your fat quota after you plug everthing in. For me, for overt fats (not including the fat found in greens/fruit/vegetables), it means just 2 tsp. oil, 1/2 an avocado, 10 grams walnuts, and 2 T chia seeds. I was getting closer to 60 of my calories from fat when I was 100 raw and even though I was working out, gained 10 lbs. Good luck to you.
I’m all for the simplicity of smoothies too, and have been drinking this smoothie during the day to help facilitate weight loss: http://www.fountainofjuice.com/super-hydrating-...
smoothies are great!I make mine in the a.m. with 3 bananas, 2 cups of berries, some sesame seeds or flax seeds, spinach or kale, and water.
Bananas are great too!!
I also occasionally eat quinoa when i feel i am not getting enough calories and don’t want to overconsume raw fats.
DEAR SHADY I HAVE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE- I WAS ONCE A BINGE, STARVE AND IN WORSE CASE A PURGE KINDA GIRL – ALL IT DID WAS END ME IN THE HOSPITAL WITH AN ACIDIC STOMACH INFECTION. I WANTED SO BADLY TO LOOSE WEIGHT THAT I WAS IN DENIAL ABOUT WHAT I WAS DOING TO MY BODY. I WAS 250LBS, AND STARVING OR PURGING JUST GOT ME FATTER. I HAVE LOST 110LBS BEING RAW. BUT THE OLD HABITS OF NOT EATING DO TEND TO SNEAK UP. GO FOR AN AVOCADO- WHEN I WAS SICK WITH THE STOMACH THING THE DOCTOR TOLD THAT AVOCADOS IS WHAT THEY FEED ANOREXIA PATIENTS WHO ARE TRYING TO RECOVER- EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL NOT EAT THAT MUCH THERE IS ENOUGH NUTRIANTS AND GOOD FAT AND GOOD FOR YOU CALORIES TO SUSTAIN THE BODY. IF YOU CAN PICK ONE THING TO GROW ON A DESERTED ISLAND GO WITH THE AVOCADO. I BLEND AVOCADO INTO THE EVERYTHING YOU WOULDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS IN SOME OF THE FOODS I MAKE. GOOD LUCK! STAY HEALTHY!!! PS – I SAW YOUR POST PICTURE AND YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND DON’T LOOK LIKE YOU NEED TO LOOSE AN OUNCE :)