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Big underweight problem!

Hi! I have a major problem – I am underweight. My height is 175 cm and I weight only 55 kg, maybe even less than that. I have just started eating raw. Any recommendations (on books) that can help me gain more?

Comments

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I don’t know about books, but I have a super-high metabolism now, and for me, calorie-dense foods like nuts, seeds, young coconuts, avocados, oils (sometimes) & fruits (bananas, mangoes, pineapple, etc.) are what make up a lot of my diet, and I juice my greens or add hemp seeds and filling veggies to my salads (like cauliflower, cabbage, fresh corn, etc.) so I can get my greens in without spending a lot of time chewing low-calorie stuff like tomatoes & cucumbers. (I like to juice cucumbers & celery with my green leafies, and I make my son’s “Superhero Dressing” on this site to use tomatoes, or I’ll make salsa…) A lot of people will say that I eat too many calories, or too much fat, or whatever, but when I give my body lots of choices and eat whatever food appeals to me, my body weight stays regulated really well & I feel good. chriscarlton just educated me that walnuts, pine nuts, & hazelnuts are the ones in stores that are really raw; other really raw nuts can be ordered online – www.realrawfood.com has a big variety. Raw hemp seeds are a complete protein source and have 1,000 g. of omega-3 per tablespoon (don’t know the metric conversion, sorry). Grains are another good thing for me – sprouting increases the protein, too.

  • BeTheChangeBeTheChange Raw Newbie

    Buy David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System, if you haven’t already. It includes a really informative chapter on balancing one’s diet for both weight gain and weight loss.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Yes, good question. I am interested in more responses. My husband is 6 ft tall and has weighted 120 lbs for many years! He eats a lot of nuts too. And we have tried green smoothies, but only for 2 months. I’m not worried… just curious how to get him to gain weight. He can eat a lot too! I think he’s just ‘that way’.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I just remembered weightlifting! I was super-skinny (ie underweight) no matter how much I ate growing up, until I took a weightlifting & aerobics class in high school, and I put on about 35 pounds in a year! Hemp seeds are a complete protein source, and greens are completely wonderful, to support building muscle.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Yeah, we haven’t tried weight lifting… not my favorite workout activity. :o)

    How often did you weight lift the year you put on 35 pounds?

  • You may want to get your hydrochloric acid level checked. In her book, Green For Life, Victoria Boutenka discusses the role hydrochloric acid plays in the digestion and assimilation of the food that we eat. Hydrochloric acid levels can become low from years of eating fried and/or highly processed food (following a SAD).

    http://www.fountainofjuice.com

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I think 2 to 3 times per week. It’s not my favorite, either, but I loved having muscle for once – I’m thinking of getting a gym membership this fall so I can do it again on a regular basis.

  • I wouldn’t worry about your weight if you’re just starting out raw. After a few months your body will balance out naturally. Just don’t stress it.

    Also, I would definitely NOT recommend weight lifting. I myself weight lifted heavily for several years, but there are several problems with that form of exercise. First, weightlifting works isolated muscles, which brings lots of imbalance to your body (that’s why you see so many guys with some muscles that are abnormally large compared to others). Also, most people that weight lift have no idea what they are doing, which leaves open many possibilities for doing real damage to your body. Last year, my roommate herniated one of his spinal disks doing squats and now has to live with back pain for the rest of his life.

    Instead of weightlifting, try a workout that works several muscle groups together, and encourages health of the whole body. Personally, I do several hours of Yoga Asana’s each week. This is the best workout for the body and mind that exists.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Yeah, we already did green smoothies for 50 days… not sure when we should see weight gain. We actually stopped daily green smoothies because they were constipating, so we drink them every now-and-then. I did go to her lecture, so I understand why you mentioned that.

    Hmmm, interesting info about weight lifting. Good thing… because, we’d rather be building some muscle outside of the gym.

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