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Interesting problem and yo-yo raw

lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

i wonder if any of you have experienced this. I’ve been raw 2.5 years now. Sometimes 75%, sometimes 100%. Whenever i come back to 100%, it’s harder and longer to see the results of my efforts. For example: the stubborn 5 pound weight loss doesn’t budge and there’s a heaviness late in the day that i can’t shake. I’ve even begun to feel quite agitated (maca?). Now we are all so different, but this is what my body tells me to eat. AM-if hungry, i eat a small fruit before the workout, followed by a green smoothie (spinach, fruit, berries, maybe a single date, water), if hungry i grab whole fruit around the noon hour. Later in the afternoon, i want heavier foods-usually a single avo and maybe a raw brownie or a big salad of Kale w/ dressing, raw burger might happen here as well. I can no longer tolerate any flax crackers. i’ve even subbed chia seeds with the same result (bloating and misery) I’m not really hungry after 5pm. I think about my early days of raw and how the weight just fell off. I know I ate more then. I can recall lunches of soup, salad and raw pie! On an upnote, my mood is always wonderful eating 100% as early as day 1.

Comments

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    Maybe you should eat after 5pm. I notice that when I’m feeling that “heaviness” and agitation it all leads back to not eating enough. I’ve been raw for far shorter than you so I don’t know if what I say really makes a difference but it’s worth a shot!

  • Everyone’s metabolism is different, but if I ate what you eat in the A.M., I’d be REALLY crashed by afternoon. I have to eat heavy things/protein foods (buckwheat, chia, nuts, cnut, avos) in the morning in sufficient quantity. I LOVE green smoothies, but I feel quite a bit better on days that I have them at 11 AM or after, rather than in the morning.

    I have tried and tried to do fruit alone in the morning, and then a green smoothie, and then a salad and then something heavier in the evening, but it doesn’t work for me. The reverse of that seems to be fine, though???

    If you read about metabolic typing, I think you’ll find the theories describe a lot of what you’re talking about. It sounds like you may be a protein type eating like a carb type, which will make you feel pretty yucky! When you first went raw, you probably shocked your system and felt better than you ever had, even though you ATE MORE, which may have translated into different ratios at different times of the day.

    Just a thought . . . NOT offered as FACT. Blessed be and much success in finding the balance that we all seek.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    jenoz-I haven’t read about metabolic typing, but i have read about Ayurvedic doshas and I fall into that pitta/vata type-more pitta. I never could do all fruit-tried that-no way, but i also cannot put fat in my smoothie in the am nor could i eat a grawnola like i used to in the am. It just sits in me and i never feel hungry the rest of the day-just totally bloated. Working out would be impossible. I’ve tried it-legs don’t work and i feel like I’m running/biking through mud. I could certainly eat the avo in the morning. I have no problem with that. So i come to that heavier 3:30 meal hungry and ready for something substantial. I’m satisfied when I’m finished, but totally not hungry for anything after 5:00pm. As an aside, when i travel, i usually cannot eat all that much fruit in the am, so I eat my avo then with 2 other fruits. Then i’m kind of stuck with Pure bars and fruit and a salad in the evening. i always come home 5-7 pounds lighter. Hmmm. Let’s pretend to be travelling? TJAB-thank you! Any input is useful to me. I’ve usually put away the scale at this point, but i just feel so heavy for me, i know the weight is not budging. Usually after 2 days 100%, my eyes pop and any facial swelling dissipates. Not so on day 5.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    Hey, I used to not be able to have fats in the morning but the coconut oil just seems to lube my system. Not sure why. I only put about a tbls in my smoothie so I can’t feel it in my mouth either. It makes me poo alot more(sorry for TMI). I used to do almonds and stuff in the morning and that left me feeling horrible. So it may be different. Just a thought.

    I really hope you start feeling better!

  • MarichiesaMarichiesa Raw Newbie

    Izhpt

    I am no expert but I have been struggling with this issue for some time and what I have come to is this:

    Raw or not our bodies need adequate fuel. When first starting a raw diet many people give up lots of junky toxic foods and in the process even if they are eating high volume healthy raw foods they lose weight.

    Consciously or not as raw progresses certain other raw foods are given up. The digestive system becomes more sensitive and less tolerant of many things. Consequently variety and quantity of foods becomes limited.

    Just like with any diet ( by which I mean way of eating) once the body becomes accustomed to certain foods and caloric intake the body’s set point will adjust and stay at a certain weight.

    In order to adjust the set point and get your metabolism running more efficiently it is possible that you need to eat more and space your meals more evenly throughout the day. If you are eating the bulk of your calories in one meal later in the day perhaps your body is saying ‘store store store’

    I realize there are many philosphies out there but the more I read and experience personally this makes sense to me. Also I don’t know your age but if you are over 40 the above may be especially true. Dang hormones.;o)

  • Izhpt ~ It sounds like it could be a slowing down of your metabolism, like Marichiesa said. I eat about six times a day, eating about every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I cannot consume large quantities of food in one sitting, otherwise I too will be bloated the rest of the day, and then I start to have a lack of energy due to feeling so heavy and weighed down. So I eat smaller portions but more often, keepeing my metabolism from stopping which is what you want to do when trying to lose weight.

    Also, what type of exercise do you do?? Incorporating cardio and strength training at the same time will help accelerate your heart rate (the higher the more fat is being burned) and will allow your body to continue to burn calories even after your workout is done. Also, like Jenoz said about different metabolic types, you sound like a protein for sure, so try including some protein into your after-the-gym-meal. Eating protein after working out rebuilds your muscles faster, which will allow them to burn calories longer.

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    I finally realized my barrier to weight loss. Most activities I do aren’t high enough on the cardio scale, aren’t musculoskeletal challenging. I bike 4 miles a day, leisurely pace, longer rides once a week. I lift weights once every week and a half. I kayak 1-2 times a week. I hike fairly often. All of this effort, keeping 90% raw, and I haven’t lost an ounce or toned up. I’m seeing now that I need to add activities that are cardio intensive, in addition to my daily biking. Today I’m beginning at 13 week walk-run program, to ease into running daily. I’m going to be a regular at the gym. I’m going to the gym where there’s a tv, so i can enjoy my ellipticals : ) Cross training is key, that’s what I’m learning! Select activities both high and low impact, high and low cardio, to prevent injury and strengthen competing muscles.

  • When using ellipticals, or any other cardio machine, add resistence, or make sure the resistence levels are constantly changing. That challenges your muslces and strengthens them quicker. Also, try and avoid the same “routine”, as muscles create memory and your body will then reach a plateau. You always want to challenge your muscles for weight loss.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    Here’s my exercise for a typical week. I spin (not leisurely) 6 hours/week, running 1 hr/week, Pilates 2 hours/week, Vinyassa yoga 2hrs /week, GYROTONIC (I’ll send you to www.gyrotonic.com so you can see what that is) 1-2 hrs/week. I have a very active job as a Physical Therapist 22 hours/week. In addition, I teach Pilates. I definitely don’t have a problem in the exercise area, but I’m thinking I need to get on the Marichiesa plan. It’s just very hard for me to eat at work. I have 15 min. for a banana or a Pure bar. I always eat when i’m hungry. Today i spinned 1 hr,had 32 oz of Dancing Raw’s Green Maca smoothie (no coconut oil), a Pure bar at work and an avo. I’m going to wait 2-3 hours and see if i get hungry. I’m really thankful for all of your input because i agree for my activity level that borders on spazz for a 45 year-old, i should be able to eat more. I’m considering returning to steamed brown rice and steamed vegetables since i just am not doing well with the whole nut/seed family. Sunflower seeds are the only seed i can tolerate. Why would i be a protein type? Can you refer me to that book? Also interesting on the Protein type-long ago i did the low carb thing and thrived. I could eat pounds of roasted nuts/seeds (I roasted them myself) and never gain an ounce. I ate shrimp like they were going out of style and loads of steamed veggies. I must say, though. I was too thin and I looked old. Not wanting to go back there, but that might make me a protein type?

  • Annabelle77Annabelle77 Raw Newbie

    Hey Winona,

    I am an avid exerciser and have been since my early teens (im 30 now). I have trained for and run 2 marathons (about to do my third in two weeks). But, I did all of that without losing hardly any weight. This past winter I bought Jillian Micheals “the 30 day shred” and LOOK OUT! there are three 20 minute DVD’s that will kick your butt SOOOO HARD. Serioulsy, I got a cut (muscle-wise) on the outside of my thigh from the quad and hams getting so toned that I had never seen before in my life. Same with arms. The three workouts get incrementally tougher, and I havent even attempted the third one. I highly recommend them. They suck really really bad for 20 minutes; but the results are flippin amazing!

  • “Today i spinned 1 hr,had 32 oz of Dancing Raw’s Green Maca smoothie (no coconut oil).”

    Why don’t you use coconut oil? I’ve read in various threads on this site that it can contribute to weight loss.

  • Izhpt ~ you sound like a protein type because you eat a lot of fats (avo, nuts,) and like you said you “thrive” on them. And also proof that you were able to do a low-carb diet and do well on it. I on the other hand am a carb-type. Even before I turned raw, I mainly ate fruits, veggies, and whole grains. I rarely ate meat. I stopped red meat years ago because I just felt so “heavy” after eating it, it made my energy go down. If I did have meat, it was usually deli meat or seafood. But now being on raw, when I first started I really ate a lot of nuts (i’m addicted to raw trail mix!) but would always feel sluggish afterwards, but I didn’t’ understand why. And then I cut out nuts and had so much more energy eating mainly fruit. Fats in nuts and avos are too rich for me, so now if I do have some nuts, they are usually ground to a flour and mixed in a recipe.

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    KAIT-there’s just something so gross about putting a gob of oil in a perfectly good smoothie. Plus combining fruit and fat=feeling bad for me. The longer I’ve been raw, the simpler my smoothies have become. I don’t like putting Maca or cacao in them either-just dark greens and fruit. The early part of my day is amazing. i feel zing. i feel great. it’s that 3:30 meal, but i think i’m understanding it now. eloisaweesa-i do eat an avo a day and dressing on my salad, but generally I don’t like how nuts make me feel(bloated,sluggish) There are many weeks at a time, i have no nuts at all. I ate lots of them on that low-carb thing many years ago,but they were cooked and I was a sick girl. Trust me, if nuts/seeds became unavailable tomorrow, i would rejoice. Thus my idea of resurrecting the steel cut oats and brown rice from my marathon days… That would satisfy my appetite, but not be so fatty and weigh me down. I guess i feel like i miss a whole segment of food being raw. The fruits and greens are perfect, but when i want something more filling, there’s only fatty nuts/seeds. i’m hardly fatphobic, but I’m sure my body is telling me I’m eating the wrong food. Anyone know the name of the Metabolic type book? I’m confused. if i just took David Wolf’s pyramid, instead of having fruit, fat and greens at every meal, I’d have fruit until 3:00, then the avo, then a green salad. I still complete the pyramid, but this is where my body leads me. ?? Just had a revelation-maybe another bout of candida over growth and thus these unusual cravings for cooked starch. I’ll have to go kill it.

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