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Very thin naturally - advice for raw and fasting?

Hello all-

I am naturally very thin- about 110 lbs and 5'7". By 'naturally' I mean that I eat well (in terms of always getting enough calories), have never been on a diet, and my weight hasn't fluctuated above or below the 115 mark since I was 17. Because I never gained weight, my diet until the past year or so was *terrible*: cakes, white flour, tons of sugar, fatty everything, fried, etc. I want to be healthier and, hopefully, put on some a little weight. I'm also an ex smoker who lived a fantastically stressful lifestyle for a decade :(

Now that I want to regain my health (and beauty), is fasting counter-intuitive to my goals? What about going raw? Any advice about how to do raw when I can't afford to lost any weight?

Edited to add: It took me 2+ years to overcome a sugar addiction, so sweeteners (such as maple syrup, honey, dates, dried fruit, etc) are off the menu for me :( They still trigger a relapse

Comments

  • wichtenwichten Raw Newbie

    I don't know that i would recommend a full fast. you do drop weight and its dangerous if you dont have it to lose. your body will begin to cannibalize your muscles.

    I would say eat tons of fresh produce. You may want to make big batches of green juice to bolster nutrient absorption. Theres lots of recipes for green juices and smoothies on this site.

    Try doing hot yoga and saunas to help sweat out toxins. Its wonderful

  • Fasting can be a useful tool for reinitializing the senses. How long depends on your personal history and best done at a professionally supervised retreat. You can get an idea of what true fasting is all about with regards to health recovery from articles here at http://www.healthpromoting.com/ and

    http://www.healthpromoting.com/node/10

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    I wouldn't have a problem recommending fasting, you can always end it sooner than planned if you feel you need to. I'm a little bigger than you, 5'7 and about 120 lbs., but I don't think I ever lost more than I could afford to. For instance, a friend started a 10-day Master Cleanse the same day I started a 20-day. She lost 10 pounds over the 10 days, whereas I only lost 4 or 5 over 20 days. I think the most important thing is to listen to your body. I ended my last Master Cleanse early last year, because my hunger came back out of nowhere, full-force. For a water fast, you should definitely be supervised, but check into juice fasting, where you are still getting adequate calories and can continue with normal life during the process. :)

  • Thanks for the advice. I'm worried about trying the master cleanse...I really was a sugar junkie and maple syrup and honey can still set me off, it's like a drug! However maybe I could do a juice feast or green smoothie 'feast' which to start with?

  • Dorothy,

    I want to preface my suggestions by saying I'm not a big fan of fasting, and I also eat high raw (not 100% anymore). Those things may influence my advice, so I just want to be honest about it.

    Okay, my opinion then: I would focus on eating healthy, not worrying so much about detoxifying. Focus on adding in fresh fruit and greens to your diet. If you've been eating junk for quite awhile (sounds like it) switch your cooked food over to healthier choices. Baked (white) or even better- sweet potatoes- instead of fries. Brown rice, quinoa, steamed veggies. Stuff like that. If you are not vegetarian or vegan- switch your meat choices over to lean, not fried stuff. Start to eat less meat, more veggies and fruit.

    Focus on nourishing your body, and you'll slowly let go of the junk food. Gradual changes usually work better for most people because they become a habit and not a shock to the system. Your digestive system may need a chance to adjust to fruits and veggies if you normally haven't eaten them.

    Good luck with whatever approach you take.

  • KoaselinoKoaselino Raw Newbie

    Hi!

    I would check into Juice Feasting www.juicefeasting.com

    I'm also a little larger than you 120lbs at 5'7 and I was concerned about losing weight on a fast. A juice feast is slightly different in that you drink a gallon of juice a day....especially green juices. I only did a short fast, but I'm transitioning to a raw diet for this wierd arthritis I've gotten. I also was very toxic growing up, very addicted to sugars as well. It's taken me a few years to get over that, but I still make lots of raw yummy desserts that fill that sweet tooth for me.

    Some day I'd like to do a longer juice feast, but for now my short 3 day one was good enough.

    Good luck!

    Niki

  • Hi there,

    Im new to raw as well...and also naturally thin.

    I dont know about you but ive found as long as Im eating healthy my body doesn't let itself get below a healthy weight, even when Im cleansing. Sure I loose a lot of water weight or bloating and I do FEEL thinner but the scales dont change dramatically.

    Personally I havnt been able to maintain a substantial fast so I dont know about that.

    AN INTERESTING IDEA ive been toying around with is that according to chinese and ayuvedic medicine most foods are meant to be cooked. especially for thin vatta types. My answer to this is to include "warming foods" rather than cook foods.

    These include

    Eating food at room temp instead of straight out of fridge

    Ginger

    Chilies

    Cacao (woohoo)

    Garlic, leek, onion, fennel

    Walnuts

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    mixedspice, I'm a vata type too. :) Along those lines, I never drink water cold either. I pour a glass and let it sit for a while at room temp. Then I drink it, refill the glass and let it sit again til I need more.

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