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gaining weight!!

Well, I have been lurking around here for awhile…and just decided to join up…some good recipes…I have transitioned from a juice fast straight into the raw food diet. I have been VERY high raw for 4 weeks now…trying to eat what i want when i am hungry. I am freaked out that i have gained 9 pounds of the weight I lost on my juice fast. I don’t get it? Is this normal for females to gain weight at first? and then start losing it? I might add that the only way I have ever been able to lose weight in the last 4 yrs is through fasting. That’s one of the reasons I am doing raw food. I am sick of the yo yo dieting and overeating ..etc etc.

Comments

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    Hi sexyraw, welcome!

    Tell us about yourself. What’s your exercise/activity level? How long have you been eating some raw food? What’s your BMI? (body mass index). I haven’t lost weight on raw because I’m very close to my ideal weight, perhaps it’s the same for you. Tell us more about what you eat in a typical day.

  • Well? I have pretty much always been thin. But love food so much i over eat..LOL… I exercise quite a bit almost everyday except for the last several months. I drink green smoothies every morning…with greens..oj ..banana ..some kinda seaweed,lecithin,maca powder and fresh ground flax, sometimes agave. and I drink 16oz minimum if not more. Then I have some veggies and hummus or salad and ranch dressing(not raw) trying to not eat much of it at all. and then i make a treat from here usually. I made some fig and date squares ..that i had some of last nite..but a few bites is about all i can eat ..so rich!! Seriously most of my day is just that. For some reaon I am not interested in eating much fruit these days other than what goes into my smoothies. I do not know what my BMI is but i am 139 pounds and i am about 30% bodyfat..I spent last year doing a bodybuilding diet with LOTS of meat… just felt totally wrong to me ..but i ended up gaining 10 pounds of fat on it. I do not know what is wrong with me.. over nite last nite i gained 2 pounds..and at least one of them will stay on me. i have gained 9 pounds since i have been raw over the last 4 weeks..this is my 5th week. I am really trying to cut back on the nuts and stuff… and in the beginning i was quite addicted to 1 or 2 larabars a day. My ideal weight i think is 125 thats what I always am. Oh i am still drinking organic coffee everyday..cant give it up yet

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    I’m pretty new here, but I know fasting/cleansing can cause a lot of water weight loss, so gaining some back when returning to solid food is normal. I lived with some folks who would do a Master Cleanse twice a year and the exact same thing happened with them every time, just about the same amount of weight too.

  • well I did a juice fast for almost 30 days, can’t remember exactly but i lost 13 pounds and now I have gained back 9 pounds..Normally if i fast i only gain back 4 or 5 pounds tops. I have been fasting for 4 yrs now. I am kinda tired of trying to lose weight cuz nothing I do works. I can’t tell you how many diets I have been on that left me back in the same boat. So i am sick of all of it, depression, acne, mood swings, weight gain..trouble losing weight. My son’s diabetes. Cellulite, fungus on my skin…lung infections ..i can go on and on. but I am putting the seaweed in my smoothies just in case that maybe my thyroid is behaving a tad bit slow. I just wanna do RAW cuz i am tired of the food game. It’s exhausting trying to lose weight for a year. I just give up. I hope i never stop RAW cuz i really love it. And the dead food I have had was no fun anymore …

  • daniefondaniefon Raw Newbie

    I did a Master Cleanse a few months ago. Before starting, I had a body composition analysis. I also spoke to a nutritionist. What is normal is for you to put back about half of what you lose fasting. Branwyn is right about water weight loss. The nutritionist explained to me that your body (cells) need water to process food, when you are fasting, since it isn’t needed, your body releases it. When you reintroduce food, the cells hold it again to use for processing. I asked if taking in more water would help and she said that there is no way around it. When analyzed after my MC, I had lost 10 lbs., 5 lbs of which was fat and 5 of which were water. So, I would be happy with whatever loss you don’t gain, because it is probably fat.

  • heyenglishheyenglish Raw Newbie

    sexyraw – Maybe you should look into the 80/10/10 Diet, which is raw vegan. Douglas Graham wrote the book, and he’s been working with athletes among others for years. It’s a low-fat plan, and all the evidence in the book is really convincing. It is so much harder to gain weight doing it because most of your calories come from just fruit and veg, and you have to eat A LOT of those. I’m always eating lots of fruit, and sometimes I still don’t eat enough calories (1500).

    Also, fasting isn’t really the best way to lose weight. Your body thinks it’s being starved, so it actually holds onto the fat in your body and slows down your metabolism. Make sure you’re eating enough calories!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I’d say still give it some time.

    Have you heard about the body’s ‘starvation mode’?

    If you have fasted then your body may go into starvation mode and hold on to the food you eat following the fast, meaning that you gain weight. Once your body relaxes and realises that you are going to continue to feed it well, it should start to let go of the fat it is holding on to now.

    If our body thinks that there is a lack of food it stores everything it can as fat. If it thinks there is an abundance it levels out. I don’t know if there is science to back this up, but I have experienced it, and I’ve talked to other people who have too.

  • I am just concerned that I will continue to gain more and more weight. It’s not stop stopping I ended my fast at 130 and now this morn i weighed 140 ..4 weeks on raw. 3 more pounds and i’ll be right back where i started. If i am in starvation mode isnt 4 weeks enough? I hope so because I am getting really scared here. 125 is what I normally weigh or even less than that. I am a size 2 or 4 person. I know that doesnt matter but that’s how thin i usually am. And this has never happened to me before. I have done at least 4 long fasts. And i always broke them eating junk and never regained any weight other than water weight. Looking to see any similar experiences of females who gained weight going raw who weren’t underweight. It seems men lose weight and women gain it ..i dont get it. OH YEA!! another I wanted to ask…I have been having nervous breakdowns every week since RAW..i used to get them once every few months or so…since i became a single parent 8 yrs ago..now its common for me to get one, once a week, or even every other day… it’s freaking me out.

  • Gaining weight after going raw?

    Strange things are afoot at the Circle K!

  • Sexyraw, is there any chance you’re pregnant? Just a thought. The other thing to consider is along the lines of the 80/10/10 diet (which I am not doing, but have read about). Are you eating lots of nuts or coconut oil? Avocados and bananas?

    One other thought is that you may be thinking so much about food right now because of the new diet that you’re ‘thinking fat’ and overeating or craving foods that are fattening. Try drinking a big glass of water when you wake up and putting breakfast off until at least 10am. I find that if I do that, my portions are smaller all day. I think my metabolism doesn’t run as high if I don’t eat 1st thing, so I can get full on smaller portions.

    Just ideas – and here’s one more: part of being raw is the deep appreciation for the beauty and flavor of natural food. From your post, you sound really far from peaceful (obviously, because you’re talking about stuff that’s really concerning to you). My point is that maybe slowing down to think about the simple beauty of living foods, and about your own beauty (even at 140 – it’s still there!) will help you to find peace with your food, with your body and with your self. If your only reason for eating raw is weight control, then it may be irrelevant, but if you’ve chosen raw because something in it ‘speaks to you’, then get really quiet and ‘listen’, you may find the answer that pulls everything together….

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    sexyraw, after gaining 35 lbs. on raw and know getting rid of it all, I would like to put in my two cents, too. First off be cool. Raw food is just food. No magic in it. So figure out what will put on the weight. Looking at your list of food, for me it would be the nuts, bananas, and agave.Figs and dates. Which means kick out the treats and eat more fruit.Just be careful of the extra sweet fruit like bananas, mango’s, etc.The other is “EAT” don’t let your body think that you are starving. Dont go hungry…...196 now 186 in two weeks.

  • MOTHMOTH Raw Newbie

    heya…

    Your history sounds similar to mine; I went right into raw after juice fasting for months because nothing I used to eat before fasting tasted or made me feel good anymore. I lost A LOT of weight through fasting, and part of me was terrified to give it up and go back to food. I thought that raw would be a good way to maintain my new body.

    It’s certainly done that for me, but I had to go through a transition. In the beginning I ate a ton of nuts, a TON, and I think I put on weight through eating those fatty things. However, I started running and with that, combined with raw, becoming more aware of the raw fats I was eating, I dropped weight again once I threw exercise in, fast.

    I HIGHLY recommend that you begin an exercise program of some sort. Exercise is sooo vital to health and maintaining/keeping your weight low.

    It might be a little much for you right now, but check out 811, the low fat raw vegan diet. I have been doing 811 raw vegan for a few months (raw nine months total) and I can honestly say that this combined with exercise and yoga has kept my weight to a place that I am comfortable with. Now instead of losing, I’m toning up. I also don’t use a scale to log my weight/size; just by how I feel, how my clothes fit me, and how I look naked in the mirror. :-)

    So give it some time, pay attention to your body, break a sweat each day. Wishing you the best.

    Oh, and the emotional breakdown thing? Sounds to me that you’re detoxing and letting go of some deep-seated stuff inside. I go through this every once in awhile. It’s better when it’s out.

  • thank you guys so much!! I was hoping someone would tell me that this was somewhat normal…I really have tried to cut back on the weightier foods but it’s hard when you are still new to it..this is my 5th week on raw..I do pretty well. I don’t fall off the wagon to much..I stay pretty high. I would say about 90% sometimes 100% depending on the day and what’s going on.

    Today i had

    a green smoothie …with red grapes, kale , banana and oj.. I am getting sick of the taste of bananas… but it makes the smoothies taste good for my kids. I am also trying to get my type 1 diabetic son well.. and make him like them. because I believe he can be CURED. I tried raw with him 2 yrs ago when he was first diagnosed. And failed after 3 months because we got bored.. but now i know RECIPES AND FUN EXISTS..so much easier this time. 2nd smoothie. cucumber, kale and apples. and a couple of those lemon coconut cookies from here…mmmmmm lol

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    i’m surprised no one has mentioned the fact that whereas you weren’t EATING before, you are now. right? wouldn’t you expect to gain some weight if you’re now eating food?

    anyway, personally i find it very easy to keep my weight in check eating this way. i don’t really focus on it, but if i see that my clothes are fitting tighter i simply review my menu… like, “oh yeah, i’ve been eating a lot of dates lately…” i prefer feeling a little less “full,” so i’m ready to do stuff and i don’t have to be constantly waiting around to digest. and there are days i’m hungrier than others (particularly when i’m not sleeping as much as i should be) and that’s fine too.

    having a morning juice really helps keeps the nutrients up and the food intake low for the day for me.

    alos, mixing sugars and fats is a sure bet to feeling bloated for me.

    BUT BUT BUT! there is a fine line to tread when you are just starting because you don’t want this to feel like a diet!

  • yes painissima.. diet is a 4 letter word uggh… tonite i made the creamy dill zucchini pasta..OMG it was so good i had 2nd’s… that’s what i like about raw food..low calories you can eat more if you want to wish my youngest thought so..I am trying to find things they like so i keep trying something new with them…I have a serious over eating problem I think i am just malnutritioned.LOL… i am waiting for my desire to overeat to go away..It has somewhat though..wish my youngest thought so..I am trying to find things they like so i keep trying something new with them.

    When ur fasting u only gain about 4 or 5 pounds back…i did a really long one and didn’t lose much weight really. Just trying not to get discouraged about all my problems..I mean. there is no where else to go from here. Fruits and veggies is the answer. So I am trying to be more patient with myself..And not worry to much about it.. how much weight can you gain? seriously.

  • Sexyraw,

    Gaining weight could also be a good thing. Although it is important be in a healthy weight range for your height, a little extra weight does not mean that you are unhealthy. A similar thing happened to me. I gained weight recently because I started eating more high fat fruits like avacadoes. But honestly, I really dont care. I know I’ve been craving high fat foods because it is what my body needs right now when my body doesnt need it anymore, I will stop craving it and therefore wont eat as much fatty fruits. I trust my body to let me know what it needs so that I can give it exactly that. So what if I gain an extra few vanity pounds, I’m healthy and my body is functioning properly and that is all that matters (As long as it is within a healthy range, which it mostly is on a raw diet). I’m always gonna be a foxy mamma, regardless of how much weight I put on.

  • StellaStella Raw Newbie

    hmm.... If you want to lose weight, doing exercise is the best way. However, if you are too busy, some tips below can help you: 
    1. Water

    Sometimes the thirst can make you mistake for hunger, thus you will find something to eat instead of drink water. Therefore, consuming an adequate amount of water is a good way for how to lose weight without exercising.

    Additionally, even though you are not thirsty and have already taken enough amount of water, it doesn’t mean you stop drinking. The more water you take, the less hungry you feel. The water will suppress your appetite and temporarily fulfill your stomach and make you no longer craving for food.

    Asides from 8 glasses of water a day, drink one more glass before every meal you have.

    2. Reduce Portion Sizes

    Large portions of dishes make people want to eat more, which in turn increases calories intake. Therefore, reducing the portion sizes is necessary to lose weight if you do not want to end up being fat and obesity.

    Instead of having foods with the portion sizes you are used to have, cut them in half and put in smaller dishes. Even if you feel not enough after finishing the dish, you know you need to stop eating.

    3. Keep Electronic Devices Away

    It seems like electronic devices has a massive impact on people’s life that they can not go a day without cell phones, TVs, computers, etc. And it is really harmful if you also use these devices while eating. Once you get distracted at a meal, you forget how much you have eaten. As a result, overeating is unavoidable.

    For those who regularly watch TV or use their cellphones, try to form a new habit, keep electronic devices away while eating, so that you can pay attention on what you are eating and how much calories you are taking in.


    ClaireT
  • concettapconcettap Raw Newbie

    If you have regular diet plan and if you skip them suddenly , there are chances for weight gain. Seems that you've started hating raw food. It'll be better to start off your day with a fresh juice ( orange is preferred) and with a small amount of your normal food behaviour ( not junk food) have a good amount of half cooked veggies. Also consume more fruits. 

    ClaireT
  • ClaireTClaireT Raw Master

    How is the weight loss going? Any change?

  • robertlrobertl Raw Newbie

    Thank you for this suggestion and tips!!!

    Harmony1ClaireT
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