Weight Loss: HF Raw vs. 8-1-1

kminty3

Anyone have experience trying both high fat .. 100 percent raw versus 8-1-1 or low fat raw with some cooked foods? I’ve put on about 8 pounds incorperating some vegan cooked starches but going low fat and I’m wondering if that’s the reason and if a 100 percent raw diet without worrying about fat would help lose. Any ideas?

el-bo

those vegan cooked starches are probably causing water retention….something to consider

clr-1976

Whats 8-1-1?

nycgrrl

Hey kminty3: i have been experimenting with this myself over the last couple of months. As I see it, there are 3 (broad) categories you can fall into:

1. High raw (maybe 90%) and Low fat: lots of fruits, raw veggies, with a small amount of cooked foods like quinoa, grains, legumes perhaps. Fat still kept low but volume of fruits and veggies doesn’t have to be as high.

2. Higher fat, totally raw: in this case, you’re eating more nuts, oils, avocados and seeds, and therefore more fat, and again, your volume doesn’t have to be as high because nuts and oils are so calorically dense.

3. High fruit low fat totally raw: this is the 811 option.

Of course, for weight loss there is a 4th option which is 100% raw, low fat, but ALSO low calories: so you’re eating fruits, vegetables, and lowfat and you want to lose weight. I am at the point where I don’t want to lose weight (maybe 2 pounds more,that’s it), but rather want to find a way to get enough calories without eating excess fat, raw or not. I find that too many nuts and oils make me sluggish and make my runs slower.

All I can say is, experiment for yourself with the various options for a month or two each and see what happens. Right now I am incorporating a very small amount of quinoa and millet into my diet. Not rice or othre starches, but rather alkaline pseudograins. I haven’t tried this long enough to judge its effect on my weight or athletic performance however.

What vegan cooked starches are you eating, and how much? Are you exercising, and how much?

kminty3

I exercise a lot.. running about 50-55 miles a week.. and therefore have gotten into the habit of eating a couple different cooked starches a day.. brown rice pasta.. boiled potatoes.. cereal. I actually am finishing a 72 hour water/tea fast today and am using it to reset my “raw” habits..

nycgrrl

I think you would do well to stop eating the cooked starches. If you feel you want to keep some cooked starches in your diet, you might find Brendan Brazier’s book The Thrive Diet interesting. He is an Ironman Triathlete who eats high raw and includes some cooked grains and legumes, like quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, split peas and lentils. He doesn’t recommend much if any brown rice, potatoes or cereal (in particular cereal, which is highly acidic to the body).

nycgrrl

also, you might be eating far more cooked as a percentage of your calories than you realize. A big bowl of brown rice pasta could be 600 calories, and if you’re consuming 1800 calories a day (just a guess) then that’s 30% cooked food.