How much food to eat?? Am i eating enough?

Hi everyone! i hope all are dong well! :)

I'm a new goneraw member. I've been trying to go high raw for a while now, however I struggle with binge eating on SAD foods. I've struggling with binge eating and eating disorders for about 15 years (30 years old now) and am ready to really end this craziness. I feel so much better when I'm eating real foods like veggies and fruit, but by day 3-4 I end up having a massive binge on SAD foods and then feeling horrible!! I was wondering if maybe I wasn't eating enough and then ended up binging due to being over hunger. Below is what i typically eat when I'm trying to eat high raw and healther. I don't think i'm ready for 100% raw at this point. I do eat some beans and steamed veggies like broccoli. Every once in a while i'll have oatgroats or oatmeal.

7:30-8am a bowl of mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, maybe some blackberries or raspberries). Sometimes unsweetened soy yogurt added

10am- grapefruit

12:00pm- salad (spinach, with either boston lettuce, spring mix, or romain lettuce, with mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, and shredded carrots with 1/2 cup of beans

3pm- an organic zucchini and celery

6pm- salad (same as above)

9pm- an apple

sometimes i get really hungry at night and will have a banana or orange too.

Also, about how long does it take to detox in a sense? or at least stop craving sugar and the horrible SAD foods?

I really want to end this binge eating on SAD foods. I feel like a mack truck has hit me the next day! Do you think i should be eating more throughout the day? i'm just not sure?

Thank you anyone who can provide guidance! this website is wonderful! everyone here really seems to care and want to help each other be healthier, it's so beautiful!

Comments

  • greenwoodgreenwood Raw Newbie

    Hello grapepixie- I'm new to raw veganism too- been vegeterian since I was 18 (with some veganism in between) and went vegan last year.I've been doing pretty much high raw for about 4 weeks. I think what you had was fine but if you are still having cooked then I would add hummus to the salad- that's what I have and it makes the salad less dry and fills you up. I grate organic carrots and beetroot, add chopped spring onions and mix the hummus in that and serve it on mixed salad leaves and have other veggies with it such as tomatoes, cucumber, pepper etc. You could also lightly steam a pepper and stuff it with grated carrots or some organic rice mixed chopped steamed veggies or mixed beans or sprouts.Adding some mixed seeds or a little chopped nuts might help fill you up.I sometimes have baby steamed organic potatoes with my salad or organic lentil dhal.Eat more bananas too- as they are filling. I haven't craved processed foods amazingly, so I'm happy with this- thought I'd be going mad for baked beans on toast! If you have a blender there are recipes on here for veggie pates/cheeses that can be stuffed in peppers.Have a look also at Jonsi and Alex's recipes- they have great ones like raw lasagne and noodle recipes using vegetables. I put a link on "new to raw" to their website. They have a free pdf recipe book for downloading. You could also make cold soups and have a bowl as a starter before your salad.

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Hi grapepixy,

    If you're worried, try entering everything you eat into fitday.com as it gives you a good idea on the calories/nutrients you're getting. What you're eating looks great but it may not be enough calories to keep you feeling satisfied.

    I'd say that if you're struggling between raw vegan and SAD binges, to make sure you really take it slowly and let yourself adapt to eating in this new way. Some might not agree but I think it could help for you to have some raw goodies/gourmet raw on hand as you could try these when you feel a craving/binge coming on. There are loads of great substitutions you can make which are much healthier and leave you feeling less sick.

    This website has some brilliant recipes and has helped me no end.

    Good luck on your raw journey and remember, it isn't a competition - just take things as slowly as you need to.

    (Plenty of people on this site aren't 100% raw - me included - but you can still get great support here)

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    I'd recommend more calories from sweet fruit.

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    I'd recommend more calories from sweet fruit.

  • Thanks so much for your help! My goal to really learn how to eat healthy and treat by body with love and respect. I do go through times when i get way too hungry, so all your suggestions are great! i'll definitly eat more fruits and maybe add some sweet potatoes and bananas! I'm not much into cooking or preparing. I'd like to keep things simple and easy, so I can really focus on listening my body and feeding it healthy foods. I've been reading through the What i Ate Today blog and it has been really helpful to see what folks eat. I didn't realize you can eat some many fruits and veggies and not gain weight! (not that i'm focused on weight, i'm really here to get healthy and feel good).

    Thank you!

  • rawcanadianrawcanadian Raw Newbie

    Either

    a)Feed yourself a healthy cooked vegan meal everyday, that way you won't binge eat.

    or

    b)Eat more raw foods like fruit.

    Anyway , here is a document I wrote, first time posting it, let me know what you think:

    Here is an easy way to calculate how many calories to eat per meal on the raw diet.

    Step 1: Calculate your daily number of calories required:

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598

    Another way to do it is to use a rule of thumb formula:

    Lose Weight = body weight in pounds x 10 cals

    Maintain Weight = body weight in pounds x 15 cals

    Gain Weight = body weight in pounds x 20 cals

    Example: You weight 150 lbs.

    To lose weight you will eat 1500 cals / day.

    To maintain weight you will eat 2250 cals/ day.

    To gain weight you will eat 3000 cals / day.

    ***** If you exercise you may have to add 200-500 cals / day onto these numbers for the maintenance.

    When your weight changes so do the numbers.

    Example: You lose 10 pounds, and now weight 140.

    To lose weight you will eat 1400 cals / day.

    To maintain weight you will eat 2100 cals/ day.

    To gain weight you will eat 2800 cals / day.

    Step 2: Determine how many meals you want to eat.

    (To keep things simple we will make them all the same number of calories.)

    If your daily calories are low, you can eat 3 meals.

    If they are higher you may want to go for 4 meals.

    Daily Calories from step 1 / 3 = ???

    or

    Daily Calories from step 1 / 4 = ???

    Example: Your daily calories are 3000.

    For 3 meals you would have to eat 1000 cals/ meal.

    For 4 meals you would have to eat 750 cals/ meal.

    You may choose 3 but then later change it to 4 if you are having a hard time eating the number of raw calories per meal.

    Step 3: Creating Raw Meals based on Calories

    For this example we will be using Whole Raw Low-Fat Fruits to keep things simple.

    Bananas

    Grapes

    Watermelon

    If you were trying to get 750 calories / meal.

    7 bananas

    2 1/2 pounds grapes

    1 watermelon (about 10-11 pounds)

    Now figure out the calories in the raw meals and any cooked meals that you eat, and see if it is close to the number you need.

    If your short, you either need to make the meal bigger, or have a snack inbetween that makes up the difference, or add in an extra meal somewhere in your day.

  • Hi grapepixy!

    I've been raw for almost 4 years now ( my first 1 yr 1/2 was 100%, now I'm getting back to that because for me I feel best eating this way), and what I've learned that helps save me from wanting to eat unhealthy SAD foods that I know will make me feel sick afterwards (and binges) is eating as much fruit as I can when I have a craving, and also, always have a raw pie or treat of some sort prepared in the freezer for when my sweet-tooth comes. I usually make a pie sunday and it usually lasts in there for a week, unless I eat it faster ;) Personally, I don't worry about calories. I'm a pretty petite person and used to have an eating disorder as well before discovering raw. Raw is what saved and reveresed the disorder. I can eat as much as I want and not feel sick after a meal or worry anymore about calories and weight gain - it's raw! I'm also very active and exercise often, and the carbs and sugars from sweet fruits are what sustain me most throughout the day. Explore with different recipes also! Raw food can get boring sometimes if you don't change it up. Goodluck!

  • Thanks so much everyone!

    Rawcanadian- your formulas are VERY helpful! based on that, i definilty wasn't eating enough, which probably explains my SAD binges and cravings!

    And Eloisa, that's wonderful! 4 years raw is amazing! and thank you so much for sharing that raw helped you through an eating disorder. I really feel this is right and what my body needs and it's wonderful to hear about others who have found this path to health, peace and balance!

    I've definitly started to add more fruit to my day, and have already noticed a difference! i've also made some raw cocoa/almond balls for the freezer for any time i have a chocolate craving. just knowing they're there and i can have them anytime, and that they're healthy has already made a difference.

    Thank you all for your support and advice! When you're learning how to reconnect with your body and it's true needs, it can be hard to let go of all the outside factors, such as the media and magazines, all telling you otherwise. but once you truly start to listen to your body and notice how eating real food makes it glow, it's amazing!

  • greenwoodgreenwood Raw Newbie

    Glad you are happy grapepixie! I'm eating myself silly here lol. I just love my salads- I had an ENOURMOUS one tonight with rice stuffed pepper.And I've just eaten my last passion fruit.

  • I jsut wanted to say thank you to all for your help! I've added more bananas, grapes and mangos and started making quina... it has made a HUGE difference in how i feel and the desire to binge! it's been three full days and i feel great.

    Thank you!!

  • greenwoodgreenwood Raw Newbie

    Great! :)

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