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will I gain weight if I go lower raw?

I ask because I have been having problems…being so strict with my diet has led me back to disordered eating, plus it is getting way too expensive (I don’t buy organic, and I live off grapefruit, peaches, bananas, zucchini, and tomatoes…it is just really $ out here in the mountains) and in 2 weeks I am leaving my job so will be without income for a while – I am already basically broke. PLUS I have reason to believe that I have fructose malabsorption – I can go all day eating just a grapefruit, a banana, and a peach, and still end up so bloated I look preggo and gassy. Until I figure out what works with a fructose free diet, I am going to have to avoid almost all fruits – until now I’ve been almost completely fruitarian.

I do NOT want to get a bunch of responses like “stick with it” these things will go away, etc. I just wonder if I will gain weight if I start eating things like rice cakes, tuna, store bought hummus, and plain yogurt. Sorry to all the vegans, the only reason I was vegan was for health reasons but these other foods I’ve listed are way lower in fructose and in many cases cheaper in terms of $ to calories ratios.

I really don’t want to gain weight though…call me vain but when I’m fat I hate my life, that’s just how it is. Has anyone gone lower raw, while getting a similar amount of calories, and have you gained or managed to maintain weight?

Comments

  • You might have been strict vegetarian, but a vegan would avoid skincare and body care products tested on animals, with animal ingredients, and clothing and other items with animal skins and other parts, so there are no “health” reasons vegans. So no worries and no apologies necessary, unless you want to speak to the fish you cause the death of. :)

    As far as gaining weight, I imagine our guess is as good as yours and it depends on the fattiness and refined nature of what you eat, how many calories burned per day, how much raw you maintain.

  • You might have been strict vegetarian, but a vegan would avoid skincare and body care products tested on animals, with animal ingredients, and clothing and other items with animal skins and other parts, so there are no “health” reasons vegans. So no worries and no apologies necessary, unless you want to speak to the fish you cause the death of. :)

    As far as gaining weight, I imagine our guess is as good as yours and it depends on the fattiness and refined nature of what you eat, how many calories burned per day, how much raw you maintain.

  • oh I didn’t know that about veganism. I always thought of vegetarians as still eating things like yogurt/cheese, which I don’t because of the lactose. I haven’t been eating any form of animal products or byproducts. I definitely won’t be eating hot dogs or slabs of bleeding meat (never really been a fan)...I prefer seafood if I have to. I also don’t eat lots of processed food…it’s a purity thing and sensitivity to all the chemicals/preservatives, and I don’t digest fat well. Even nuts contain fructose anyway. that’s kinda where the disordered stuff comes in.

    not to sound psycho, but I’ve been eating 600-800 calories a day and walking 36-42mpw with strength training 2-3x a week. I probably won’t increase my calories yet (that is a whole other issue, I need to deal with these things one at a time) and still try to eat as clean as possible.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    One way or another you are going to have to buy food. What is wrong with eating all kinds of veggies, some sprouted legumes and seeds. This would be a lot cheaper that tuna.Even canned tuna.

  • Your body probably doesn’t know what to do right now except hang on to every single bit of energy and fat it has left, since your calorie count is starvation mode.

  • beany – it’s a little more complicated. there’s not a ton of info on it online, but from doing research even many vegetables have fructose in them. there is a test to determine fructose malabsorption, which I plan on getting, but I am going to do that when I move home in a month – there aren’t really great doctors out here in the boonies. that’s kind of why I’ve been putting this little diet change off, because it sounds like zero fun. but on the other hand, that’s also why I’ve been basically not eating, because food hates my stomach and v.v.

    superfood – I know that it’s bad, but when everything you eat sits wrong and in many cases comes out the other end looking just a little chewed but basically unchanged, food isn’t the most appetizing…which is why I want to try changing my diet to cut out all fructose. it’s the one adjustment I haven’t tried yet, and after almost 6 years I’m just getting tired. I’m trying to help myself but I can’t do everything at once.

  • blueyzblueyz Raw Newbie

    If you are having most of the GI issues from fruit, have you checked with Dr yet? Could it possibly be candida because that will feed off the fruit and cause major GI upset(like the bloating, etc). That or perhaps you have a food sensitivity to one of the fruits you eat so often, it can develop.

    Hope you feel better!!

  • blueyzblueyz Raw Newbie

    As to the gaining weight, I would pick 2-3 items I week that were Ok in the past and slowly incorporate them back in your diet. I do very well on small doses of protein(usually animal based) and avoid grains(wheat sensitive). Take it in very small steps and listen to your body!! Good luck

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I doubt you’ll gain weight with adding a little less raw. Just keep it unrefined and processed and it should be good.

    I feel for your dietary issues because even though mine were totally different I know what it’s like to be at the end of my rope and just want to be healthy. Raw food did that for me but it may be something else for you. Keep experimenting slowly and don’t kill or starve yourself!

  • okay I ate a yogurt today and it was NOT ok. In fact, I ate a few things that I haven’t in a really long time, nothing crazy – like rice crackers, some granola with storebought almond milk…holy god I have such bad acid reflux today it hurts to breathe when I feel it coming up. So I gave in and just made a huge vegetable platter and bowl of zucchini hummus. I thought I wanted to eat those different foods, but when I went to the grocery store all I wanted to buy was the colorful juicy fruits and vegetables…oh well. My fridge is now full of fruits/veg. Umm that little dietary change lasted less than a day! I guess for now I’ll stay raw, since it is obviously what I want, and just work on varying my food and eating more.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Things like store bought yogurt are not even real, fully cultured yogurt, so you shouln’t waste your money on it. I would skip the peaches, as they are the worst and most pesticide loaded fruit there is.(As far as conventionally grown fruit, I mean.)

    Canned tuna is full of mercury and other toxins. I think if you have to eat cooked and are really strapped for cash, you can to much better if you replace the tuna with home cooked lentil soup or other bean soups. Get them dry(not canned) and soak and cook them yourself.

    If you want yogurt, make it youself. When I was studying to be a sound engineer, I had only $10 a week to eat off of. I made fresh yogurt every day, and steamed whole rice and mixed it with veggies. I was relatively healthy, not hungry and lost some of my fat butt!

    You’re probably bloating because often people who have suffered from disordered eating have messed up their internal balance of essential bacteries. It takes a long time to get your innards balanced again; you need to be patient with yourself. Try to mix raw foods with your cooked instead of eating all raw to reduce bloat. For example, if you make a cooked dinner of curried lentils, eat a side salad, or mix in chopped, raw tomatoes and carrots into the soup. Raw greens and veggies will help you to digest your cooked meals. Skip the store bought dairy products; they will not benefit you in any way and they are absolutely filthy.

    EDIT:Oh, sorry. I didn’t see your last post! I thought you couldn’t afford all raw, sorry again:-)

  • itouristitourist Raw Newbie

    Vegans don’t eat dairy. Consuming dairy products can not only make you feel hungry, but it’ll also slow up/sludge your system. I think I’d blame the dairy eating on bloaty belly problems and not the fruit.

    Your calorie count is too low and your exerise is too high. That must be the eating disorder thing you are talking about. If I were you I’d focus on health and not so much you weight. It’s true that true raw foodists might not have the lowest weights. But they have young, lean, cellulite free bodies. Who cares if your weight is really low if your face and body looks old?

    Hope I scared you enough.

  • That’s insanely low for calories. Your body needs fuel to survive. Even if your goal were to lose weight, you would need to double the amount of calories you are eating. If it’s too maintain weight, you should triple it.

    You need a lot more greens in your diet. It really helps to complement the fruit and prevent bloating.

    I really recommend that you see a doctor. Self-diagnosis is a dangerous thing and you may not have fructose mal-absorption at all.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    “call me vain but when I’m fat I hate my life, that’s just how it is.”

    It would be remiss to not suggest counseling in addition to whatever diet you choose.

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    hmmmmm like itourist I always thought that yogurt/dairy caused bloating. Obviously many other foods can too… some of them (listed in “about.com”) are: * Asparagus * Broccoli * Brussels sprouts * Cabbage * Corn * Fructose * Lactose(dairy products) * Potatoes * Sorbitol * Wheat and Beans…..

    PS: As many have already suggested – seeing a good doctor would be wise (there are decent doctors out there – it can just be a challenge sometimes to find one, but your health is worth it (understatement!)
    Wishing you the best of luck & the best of health – Cheers!

  • itouristitourist Raw Newbie

    As I recall, the dairy gas is like a gas that makes you uncomfortable but doesn’t come out. Vegetable and fruit gas definitely comes out.

    A grapefruit, a banana and a peach. I hope that isn’t breakfast lunch and supper. It’s definitely not what we’d call a raw food diet. The raw food diet balances the body. And the tomato diet wouldn’t be a raw food diet either.

    It does sound like you are trying to lose weight in a very calorie restricted way. Sounds like you could be depleting your organs. From watching a few television specials, I know the control issues with an eating disorder make for especially bad demons.

    The average woman can have self image issues where they pick at flaws that other people don’t see. But hopefully you are not saying (but it looks like your are) “Life is not worth living if I am fat….And I always think I am fat. And so if I die, so be it”

    We could say that if you don’t care about yourself, why should we. Unfortunately I could see where your parents or siblings could be racking their brains for the magic thing to say to shake you out of the death spiral.

    People could look in your coffin and say “Wow she really looks like skeletor. Could get rich being in a Halloween movie.”

    THE BUDGETING RAW FOODIST Perhaps someone will start a strain on how we economize. But raw foodists aren’t eating meat. That’s a budget advantage.

  • This is a really heartbreaking post. There is no way that you can diagnose yourself as fructose intolerant right now, so you probably do not have to start avoiding fruit. Your body is messed up because you are starving yourself. You cannot be healthy on the amount of calories you are eating each day – and it is impossible to stay looking good for long when you are depriving your body of nutrients. As others have said, you need to get on track with regard to dealing with your eating disorder. I know it is easier said than done, and I wish you so much luck. I also do think that a raw food diet can contribute to eating disorders in people who already suffer from or are prone to them. I know that might be controversial – and the great number of raw foodests are healthy and do not suffer from these illnesses – but any diet that requires the amount of control and what can be perceived as restriction as raw vegan is going to appeal to people who already have issues with food and their bodies. It might be that eating raw is not the right thing for you. I think that this may especially be true because of your note about tuna. In my experience, most people who eat raw are already committed at least to be a vegetarian – and tuna is just as far from vegetarian as is steak. If you are eating raw or fruitarian just to lose weight, please reconsider what you are doing. Love yourself and get the help you need – whether it is from friends, a community program, or the internet. Treat this eating disorder just as seriously as you would any other disease that could threaten your life and your happiness.

  • The key to not gaining weight is to make sure that the body has enough of what it needs. So make sure you get all your calories, fats, protein, vitamins, phytonutrients, etc. I struggled to lose weight and when i started tracking my calories i realized i was only eating about 1000 cal per day. I got so into the ‘eat less to lose weight’ thing that i was starving. Please be a healthy vegetarian/ vegan regardless of % on cooked and raw.

  • LizK—I very rarely respond to forums, generally because I feel there are people out there more “qualified” to answer questions…. But after reading this discussion, I felt compelled to respond to you. Beginning when I was 12 years old, I struggled with anorexia and then moved on to bulimia, which stuck with me for years. I also went through periods of calorie over-restriction and over-excercising. Just like TomsMom said – people with disordered eating really screw up their internal balance. I suffered from GI issues forever – and never knew why. I blamed it on everything including lactose, sugar, fruit, wheat, gluten…you name it. I was always looking for an outside excuse, never wanting to look inside of me and acknowledge the real reason. Clearly you are still hanging onto your disordered eating (indicated by some of the things you said..and your low cal/high excercise). I feel that dealing with your disordered eating is of extreme importance – perhaps more so than worrying about what type of foods you should eat. I know this is easier said than done. And I want to express that this is coming from a place of concern, not judgement. I know all too well what disordered eating – and disorderd thinking – can do. Good luck!!

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