Hi Everyone. I've been reading the forums for a few weeks and was encouraged to join because of the wonderful feedback and supportive environment. I'm new to raw and had a question.
I've been trying to move from a SAD diet to a vegan/raw diet over the past few weeks. I try to eat as raw as possible through lunch. A typical day includes a raw smoothie (fruit and water or almond milk, a banana and hemp powder) and fruit for breakfast (pineapple and mango, eaten separately), raw veggies and raw salad dressing for lunch (tomatos, 1/2 an avocado, peppers and zucchini), some raw nuts, and a for dinner either a smoothie (banana with almond butter) or eziekiel bread with tofu or a salad.
I feel great and have a ton more energy. But no weight loss. Anyone else experience this? I've read many posts that talk about weight loss. I'm trying to eat as raw as possible for better health so the weight loss issue is not of utmost importance. But it would be nice to lose a few pounds.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Comments
If weight loss is not of utmost importance I would just enjoy what you are eating and give it some time because everyone's body adjusts differently. Question though are you still eating dairy? I remember when I went from vegetarian to vegan a few years back and thats when I dropped a ton of weight practically over night, it's like the cheese and other dairy was just hanging out in my belly just accumulating and when I stopped eating it my body could finally digest it or something.
Alot of people are lactose intolerant and depending of your heritage some races are 90-100% of the pop lactose intolerant. There are alot of people that are lactose intolerant and still drink milk and eat cheese. Sometimes the symptoms can be very severe and people will have stomach aches and sometimes it causes alot of bloating and gas so some people can still eat dairy and be lactose intolerant.
But ya just give it some time since you said you are transitioning over you are still eating SAD types of food. But remember that the transition is an important time too so don't rush it because you could get frustrated and go back since eating SAD is very convenient and easy for many westerners.
I know exactly how you feel! I've been eating mostly raw for almost 2 weeks now and I haven't lost any weight and I still feel bloated most of the time. It's really frustrating because you would think that even if you eat the same number of calories with healthy raw food you would still lose weight then with gross junk/fast food. I'm not overweight but I do have extra fat that needs to go! I do feel better though and I want health to be my main priority not weight loss. I read about how others lose unwanted weight and I was hoping for those same results but I guess everyone's body is different. We just gotta embrace all the other positive effects of a raw lifestyle :)
Thanks so much for the responses! Veghealthcoach, I generally eat about 1200 - 1400 calories per day and exercise 5 days per week (approx. 30 minutes each day) using my trampoline. It's definitely a cardio workout! I'll take Kitty's suggestion and try less sugary fruits and see what happens. Spitfiredd, I'll also try to ease into the transition so I don't get frustrated.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you all online!
I'm the EXACT same way, Bitt. I gained weight when I went backed to cooked food-it was like an addiction. I know now that it was the chemicals in the food that had me hooked, and I've made the conscious decision to be raw and STAY raw. It's only been a couple days, but i already feel liberated. The weight will go away when my body is ready to let go. It may be a day, a week, a month, or even 5 months-I just have unwavering faith that this is the right path for me, and that my body will respond positively.
=]
hi everyone
i'm kinda in the same situation as pursegirl. i've been a vegetarian, mostly vegan for like 10 years. i'm not heavy but i do have some unwanted vanity pounds that need to get shed. i also was feeling low energy and always hungry. i have been raw since the new year started. at first i was eating a few cooked things at dinner time like lentils, but now not even that. i'm 90% or more raw.
a typical day for me is to eat a green smoothie for breakfast. sometimes i have a bowl of fruit and flaxseed/chia seed/ or walnuts instead. or some essene bread with the green smoothie. lunch, i eat nori with some avocado, cucumber, spinach, red peppers onions, and some nut/nutritional yeast pate. or i eat a big spinach salad with this combo of stuff on it. snacks are fruit, water, green tea. dinner, usually some variation of the ingredients i had at lunch, or a slice of essene bread. i usually have a total of three green smoothies a day. dessert - i will eat some apple, figs and walnuts with agave drizzled over. i do juice celery and cucumber from time to time but not regularly since i'm not home much.
i havent lost any weight since starting this. obviously that is not hte only reason - i have much more energy and feel fuller. bowel function is awesome. but i see raw people all the time that look really lean and fit and i want to get there. i hoola hoop daily, do yoga couple days of the week, mountain bike, hike, kayak and rock climb, and usually do a four mile walk with my dogs daily. any suggestions?
thanks!!
Don't forget to look at the amount of fat you intake!
Many think that since it is raw fat it doesn't matter. That just isn't true, especially if you are still eating cooked food!
The total fat intake for the day does make a difference!
The body isn't trying to figure out 'what the hell is going on.'
The body knows, and is much smarter than anyone on this forum is led to believe. Foods do not heal the body. The body heals the body, given it's NATURAL foods, it will heal itself. A diet high in sugary fruits and low in fat is simply the best way to lose weight.
Give it a go!
Thanks to all who have commented. I'm going to try to reduce my fat consumption and see if that works. I've been eating a lot of nuts and avocados as well as some raw cheese. Spitfiredd, I'm going to take your suggestion and lay off the cheese as well. I'm still transitioning and try to eat as raw as possible until dinner.
This site has been an invaluable resource to me. I don't know if I'll ever be 100% raw but want to thank everyone for their suggestions.
You exercise 5 days a week and you only eat 1200-1400 calories? Is that right? Or is that after subtracting how much you burn during workouts+daily activities? Exercise is awesome, but doing the same workouts day in and day out won't challenge your body. Switch it up, and maybe add calories. I didn't see your height/weight stats posted so it's difficult to assist :) Also, pay attention to bathroom habits. Have you cleansed your body since quitting chemical foods? Is your liver in good shape? There is a lot that could be going on.
EDIT
Lol, this is 2011, isn't it? I wonder how this thread got to the active topic list...
I must appreciate the steps taken by you to reduce your weight. But i guess eating raw food wont help you either. Whenever we are trying to loose weight the thing that matters is our total calorie or fat intake in a day. We should try to balance this intake.
But again this would help you in not gaining some extra weight. But to burn the fat that is already deposited in your body you need to put in some extra efforts like daily exercise, indulging yourself in some physical activity.
I just read that the amount of sugar you get from fruit does not matter because it's natural. It's artificial sugar we must be more concerned about.
If you're still struggling with weight loss, start drinking weight loss tea. It helped me shedding 35 pounds extra within two months. Drink three times a day half an hour before each meal.
All these comments are making me so sad :( Calorie restricting will NEVER result in long term weight lose. Can someone please explain to me how starving the body to force the weight off is healthy?
And cutting back on sugary fruits?! Common guys...the raw vegan lifestyle is suppose to be helping people thrive! Not making people starve and cut back on fruit (what our bodies need most of).
Eat in ABUNDANCE raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds (aiming for 80/10/10). Most people starve the body with poor nutrition and fad diets for YEARS. So of course it's going to cling to every piece of food we give it. But once it realizes we won't be starving it anymore(this may takes weeks, months, or even years), it can let go of all the extra back-up food (AKA:fat).
Thanks a lot for your advice!!
If you want to lose weight, you should do exercises regularly, eat right and walk in the fresh air and sleep well !! Then you start to lose weight and the weight will not to come back!
I know how it feels when we have eat raw food, but it totally depends on how much calories we consume according to our weight. Even I am also very curious to know about the effective tips for weight loss. I have tried many tea products for weight loss it really helps me alot. But only drinking tea is not appropriate many more efforts are needed.
Hi, pursegirl
It can be a problem with a metabolism. I had this kind of problems with weight loss, I turned to the hormone clinic and they help me with all my problems. I can advice you Mayo Clinic to find a qualified doctor.
Looks like too few calories and too much fat to me. It wasn't until I stopped eating so many nuts, nut butters, oils, seeds, and avocados that my weight loss started. I got into all this raw gourmet stuff and although tasty, was just too heavy. Eating mostly fruits, greens, with an avocado here and there, or a few truly raw almonds is the only way I was able to lose weight without calorie restriction when I went raw before. This time I'm going straight from omni to raw vegan, which has been rough. So far...so good...first two weeks were evil, but now I'm starting to feel the benefits--specifically with energy.
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Dear pursegirl, it's been a while since you wrote this post. I wonder if you finally lost some weight. As far as i can see from your description, it doesnt look like a metabolism problem at all. You don't lose weight because of eating avocado and nuts which are high caloried, but dont stop eating them! It would be unhealthy if you cut this fat intake. If you still would like to lose several pounds or kilogramms eating raw, try green juice diet for weight loss. You can do it just one day and every time you get hungry, just drink a green raw juice parsley with cabbage and apples, for example. If it turns out to be easy, extend it up to 3 days.