weight loss......just from raw or eating less??

[purtyflowrr]

i have a quick question about weight loss. i know that a lot of people say that it doesn't matter how much you eat of raw, you will lose weight. i am far skeptical of this simply because of come from a BIG history of calorie coutning and such. i've heard of a lot of people not losing weight in the beginning of raw, but then after a bit, it comes off fairly quickly. do you think this is just because they are raw? i have also heard that over time, you eat less on raw. would that be the reason why people lose so much weight? i just wondered if you ate a lot, all raw, if you would still lose weight or just stay the weight you are. i guess i am asking if you think the big weight loss comes from just being raw or from the fact that as you are raw, you seem to need less food. lol. ok....maybe i'm asking if when i'm gonna see a decrease in appetite. haha. actually, i already feel less of an appetite. so i guess i am kind of answering my own question. have you all noticed a loss in appetite? or is it not everyone that experiences this? ok....this seems to be all over the place. lol. i'll stop now. i'm confusing myself.

[karenisraw]

Purtyflowr,

Hi. I myself lost 10 lb's the first two weeks that I went 100% raw. After that, I platueued and did not lose a single pound for 2 months. I just lost another pound this week.

For me (I have a HUGE history of low metabolism and HAVING to excercise to lose weight), I am resigned to the fact that I will have to excercise to lose and lesson my intake, even raw intake, to lose. Once I lose the unwanted pounds, I will be able to eat mostly what I want on raw.

k
:p

[Conscious Midwife]

I haven't done the 30 day raw challenge yet but my guess is that if you are obese in natural approach to diet will jump start your metabolis and produce fat burning weight loss.

For the already fit the late weightloss is probably due to an improved metabolism as a result of more energy rich foods.

My guess is that reducig animal fat intake alone will yield favorably longterm results. A high raw diet is easier on the digestive system and more favorable for the liver and kidneys.

We often forget to consider what causes and indivuals over weight issue.

Is it stress and ciortisol related?
Insulin levels and sugar conversion to fat?
Lack of movement?
High calorie?
Low calorie with NO metabollic response?
etc...

I've watched intake before, even decreased it drastically and actually gained weight. I've overate before and lost weight, when my body was starving.

What works for me is to literally graze throughout the day. I see my best weight loss results, energy boosting and blood sugar regulating results when I graze on small combination meals and snacks throughout the day. No matter what the food is.

What impresses me the most about my last years worth of dietary changes is the change in cravings and heighten awareness of what my body needs. The other day I ate raw cabbage out of my grocery bag. Piece by piece as if it were a bag of chips. It was empowering for me that this is what my body wanted and really exciting because I got the whole head of cabbage for 29cents a pound. Healthy and economical. I like veggies, but I've never craved any of them raw before.

[Lynnz]

I lost 15 pounds when I went high raw. It was completely effortless. I did not exercise more; in fact, because I started a demanding new job, I exercised less. My appetite remains healthy. When I first started I ate lots of nuts and avocados; I'm eating less of those now (but I'm still eating organic vegan chocholate bars). I pay no attention whatsoever to calories or fat grams. I believe that as I eat more and more raw, I become more attuned and attracted to what is good for me to eat. We'll see.

[ljannise]

if someone is doing raw PROPERLY ( being realistic here about being 100%) they dont have a problem losing weight. BUT, the issue here isnt losing weight. Weight loss is only an added benefit.

Some ppl are eating certain things they *think* are raw, but they arent really raw (nut butters as an example) SO they gain weight & wonder why on earth it's not working.

Some ppl eat sweet crap at night when their glucose is coming down in the evenings because they are giving in to a craving or two & it should be understood that just because it's dark outside, you're still dedicated to RAW.

When someone STARTS raw, you dont limit yourself from what your body wants. If you are craving almonds, it's for a reason. Someone else will be craving mango, someone else olives, etc. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY ON RAW!

I did things properly & lost 30 pounds every month. I didnt "nit pick" & disect on every little detail to manipulate ways to NOT be raw & still make it. It will have to be RAW & that's it. And you have to give your body what it wants. If you do without, your weightloss will stop. IT WILL HALT & YOU WILL WONDER WHY.

If someone is eating 99% raw, they will deal with cravings constantly. Going 100% cold turkey takes care of all these issues for you.

I was the BEST calorie counter, point counter, scale stalker, etc. I was ALL of it, ALL day, every day. Raw is to give you a new life. You dont have to do that anymore.

There is a time in EVERYTHING that you will have to wait for results in. If you want to lose 100 pounds in 1 month & it doesnt happen will you quit? If you will, then you're not ready for the commitment to RAW.

[Lynnz]

Some ppl are eating certain things they *think* are raw, but they arent really raw (nut butters as an example) SO they gain weight & wonder why on earth it's not working.


This is a concern of mine.

I think it would be good to start a thread on this topic--"Avoiding raw food 'fakes,'" or "When raw isn't really raw," or something like that :D





[Edited to add: I know the vegan chocolate bars I eat aren't raw. I'm just choosing not to give them up--yet.]

[Rawmommie]

There is NO way someone is 100% raw for months & not lose a pound unless they dont need to.

I have been raw for a year and a half and I weigh 195 pounds. I ONLY lose when I cut out the nuts (yes, even soaked), oil, and avocado's. Don't eat nut butters or even dates. (Mmm, I miss them though!) I actually GAINED at periods b/c I ate too many avocado's.

It is VERY important to just focus on eating 100% raw in the beginning, but after a year or two, SOME people may need to adjust. For most people the adjustment will come naturally and they will crave what their body needs. There are some like me, with compulsive eating issues and binging issues that may need to take a look at what they are consuming. :)

[ljannise]

This is a concern of mine.

I think it would be good to start a thread on this topic--"Avoiding raw food 'fakes,'" or "When raw isn't really raw," or something like that :D


I agree. I thought there WAS one, but it must be down in the list.

I have learned that even if it says RAW, it could be misleading. Unfortunately, if you dont make it yourself, you just never know.


We need a list for the brands ppl have learned are NOT raw.

I found out that my sesame tahini isnt raw & I paid 10 bucks for that jar!! SO MISLEADING.

[purtyflowrr]

there are some very interesting comments here. i have been reading a lot of online raw journals. i am starting shazzie's from the beginning (it's GREAT!!!) and i read alissa's from her book. she gives a sample daily consumption journal for two weeks of raw for herself. what i saw was that they don't eat a whole lot. i am sure that has to do with the decrease in appetite. as i said, i am only a week into 100% raw and i already notice i am eating far less.

i am also very interested in foods that claim they are raw, but aren't. i know after the thread about nut butters not really being raw, i stopped eating them. the times i have previously tried raw, i have had SUCH a problem with nut butters. i gained weight because of them. they were addictive. probably cause they weren't raw. i also went to the grocery store today and i saw they have a huge olive bar. but i really don't think they are raw olives. how can you tell if olives are raw? i didn't buy them cause i wasn't sure.

i think something else that has really helped is getting out of the "meal" mentality. i am so used to preparing whole meals from SAD that when i eat, i used to think i should prepare some elaborate thing to eat. lately, i've just been grabbing things like a bag of carrots, cutting up a bunch of red peppers, mushrooms, celery, or cucumbers and munching on those whenever i get hungry. i had to train myself that i can have a meal without taking a million things out of the fridge.

i imagine that if i continue to eat this way, the weight will have no choice than to fall off. and, believe me, i am NOT just doing this to lose weight. i could do that through SAD. i believe this is the healthiest way to eat. the SAD foods don't even appeal to me any longer.

[kmik]

I lost my first 70 lbs pretty easily. But then it slowed a lot. My appetite had also decreased. I started keeping track of what I ate, and realized I was only eating about 1000 calories per day. I've found that if I keep my calories around 1,750 - 2,000 the weight loss continues. :) Mind you, this is while being 100% raw. If I throw ANY cooked food in to the equation, I balloon up immediately!

[greeninlosangeles]

I think just being raw makes you loose weight the first several weeks. After that if you still keep binging like me, it stops. It started dropping again after I stopped eating after 9 p.m. Then I droped some after stomach flu. And now I experiment with no sweet fruit(I got interested in acidic body issue), and since that nicely stopped my binges(I guess that even fruit sugar in high concentrations disbalance blood and makes me eat without stopping.) So I might loose some more, although I am pretty happy with my weight now(size 6). But I noticed one thing - I never gain as long as I am raw, I just stop loosing.
But I do not eat that much seeds or nuts- I just overeat on fruit or even salads.

[karenisraw]

It is very possible for someone to be 100% raw and not lose weight. I myself lost 10 lb's the first 2 weeks and then not a single pound for 2 months. I finally started to excercise AND reduced my intake dramatically to the following diet to lose weight.

Bkfast - water

Lunch - romain lettuce, 1 roma tomato, italian dressing with VERY VERY little olive oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic and apple cider vinegar.

Dinner - 5-6 raw crackers (1 1/2 square inch sized), spread with nut cheese, and roma tomato slices

Snack - 1 slice raw apple cobbler (almond, walnut and honey crust, apples cinnamon and honey)

I did lose 1 lb since I began this "diet". For some, it is the ONLY way. I am meeting with my RVD (raw vegan doctor) to discuss this and hopefully rectify this problem naturally. He said it may be a hormonal problem.

k
:) :)

[RawTruth]

there are some very interesting comments here. i have been reading a lot of online raw journals. i am starting shazzie's from the beginning (it's GREAT!!!) and i read alissa's from her book. she gives a sample daily consumption journal for two weeks of raw for herself. what i saw was that they don't eat a whole lot. i am sure that has to do with the decrease in appetite. as i said, i am only a week into 100% raw and i already notice i am eating far less. If you read Alissa's book, you know she says very clearly that this is her "sample" two weeks after being raw for YEARS and YEARS. This did not happen in the first few weeks or first few months.

Read post #5 above. It is excellent.

Eat all raw and you will lose weight if you have it to lose.

It is not about reducing the amount you eat.

Do not get sidetracked by overanalyzing.

Do not get sidetracked by people telling you their stories of how they have not lost weight while eating 100% raw unless they have truly been all raw for over a year and exercise vigorously, and they still haven't lost any weight. Anyone else doesn't have the experience to advise you.

If you have over 75 pounds to lose, and your weight loss has slowed down, you may wish to go to Carlene's raw boot camp as she deals with 100% raw diet for the obese and how it must be adapted (as in NOT eating everything you want of SOME things) but, even then, the amounts are NOT reduced.

You can get there from www.ibeatobesity.com (http://www.ibeatobesity.com)




i also went to the grocery store today and i saw they have a huge olive bar. but i really don't think they are raw olives. how can you tell if olives are raw? i didn't buy them cause i wasn't sure.Lots of threads on this forum about that. You can search for them .... basically, though, those olives usually aren't raw.

It's so simple to know what's raw and what's not. Just turn in Alissa's book to pg. 35 "What is Raw and Living Food?" and to pg. 39 "What Raw and Living Food Isn't" - Ta Da!!! The book is to answer these questions.


i imagine that if i continue to eat this way, the weight will have no choice than to fall off. . . . i believe this is the healthiest way to eat.Yep, yep, yep.

[eatyourbroccoli]

hey there

i personally lost all of my water weight (which actually is A LOT of what makes a person look flubby) AND have become a lot firmer although ive DECREASED my work outs since going raw...despite the fact that when i started i was eating 2000+ calories a day as opposed to the 700-1000 i used to eat on cooked. ive since gone back down to about 700-1000...but ONLY because thats all im hungry for, rather than restricting myself (what a terrible battle that always was :rolleyes: )

i know its really tough letting go of the calorie counting at first. my background is ridden with disordered eating..and the mentality dies hard.

good luck though :D i wish you the best!

ps
ive been high raw/100% on and off for 8 months :) my concern about calorie counting diminished within the first month and a half. yaay raw! haha

[Conscious Midwife]

It is very possible for someone to be 100% raw and not lose weight. I myself lost 10 lb's the first 2 weeks and then not a single pound for 2 months. I finally started to excercise AND reduced my intake dramatically to the following diet to lose weight.

Bkfast - water

Lunch - romain lettuce, 1 roma tomato, italian dressing with VERY VERY little olive oil, sea salt, pepper, garlic and apple cider vinegar.

Dinner - 5-6 raw crackers (1 1/2 square inch sized), spread with nut cheese, and roma tomato slices

Snack - 1 slice raw apple cobbler (almond, walnut and honey crust, apples cinnamon and honey)

I did lose 1 lb since I began this "diet". For some, it is the ONLY way. I am meeting with my RVD (raw vegan doctor) to discuss this and hopefully rectify this problem naturally. He said it may be a hormonal problem.

k
:) :)


Seems like you are not getting enough to eat from a metabolism stand point and surely your body could a ppreciate variety

[RawTruth]

When you're beginning to eat 100% raw --

Eat raw, eat raw, eat raw.

Don't count calories.

Don't count carbs.

OMG, don't think about protein.

Eat as much as you want of what you want.

Eat raw, eat raw, eat raw.

Then get out there and live your life - stop measuring and counting.

Just do it.

- - - -

If the above surprises you, you haven't read Alissa's book.

If you haven't read Alissa's book, just do it.

- - - -

p.s. As someone brilliantly wrote, above:

Do not get sidetracked by people telling you their stories of how they have not lost weight while eating 100% raw unless they have truly been all raw for over a year and exercise vigorously, and they still haven't lost any weight. Anyone else doesn't have the experience to advise you.

[ljannise]

Ppl are taking lead from others who are NOT 100%. One hundred percent means every day. The way they live their LIFE.

There are a lot of lurkers (never a bad thing in my eyes) & they read this fear of fruit, the ppl on NO fruit, the ppl on ALL fruit, the ppl on 99%, the ppl on all veggies only, the ppl who eat all they want, the ppl who wont even EAT fruits/vegs...whatever. This is what hurts ME as a member because I know how these silent readers feel. It's ridiculous. I just hope they buy the book & read what ALISSA has to say to them before coming here, finding a home & letting ppl that arent even 100% Raw lead them in their path.

It's easy to tell who has not read Alissa's book. I WISH I would have had her book when I 1st started out, but I read it several months ago & it's one confirmation right after the other of everything I experienced solo without any help. It was still a miracle in my life. This book has something moving to say to ANYONE/EVERYONE-- reagrdless of your status as a Raw Foodie.

The words are simple- dont make it difficult or complicated. Just make it RAW.

If you eat raw nuts/seeds & a cooked meal at night, dont complain that the seeds/nuts make you gain weight. You are NOT eating raw. Same with the avas/avos, however you prefer to slang it.

If it's not working for you, dont blame Raw. Make your adjustments & go at it again.

I learned the effects of simply not eating ENOUGH. It's better to get a belly full of raw food than a snack of junk. And we all have our days where our bodies just want a full feeling. If you are nibbling on fruit, but yet will eat something fast food on a binge, what are you solving?? It would have been better to have just eaten till BUSTING on raw & you would have been on track by the morning. Not hung over looking like a zombie in the mirror.

I'm so tired of ppl blaming raw for their issues. The finger is not being pointed at anyone specific right now, but all you have to do is consume RAW. No, noone said it was easy, but come here for HELP, not to look for ways to manipulate raw to find cheats to make it still work by the end of the day. It's not going to.

And ppl need to read up on the alkaline/acid balance before you disregard all fruit altogether. There are a LOT of fruit that are alkaline. PLEASE listen to 100% raw foodies.

[RawTruth]

Wahoo -- tell the truth, woman!!

Ljannise rocks! ::high five::

[rawfigure]

Yes !! great post well said ljannise and rawtruth...

simply "Eat Raw" and give your body time to heal and adjust and that means eating Raw.

I have read and read and heard all the different theroys too...and I finally decided to throw them all out the window and re read Alissa's book.

I no longer surf all the various raw food sites to see what this or that person is saying about raw...I just decided for myself 100% RAW, pure and simple. And all the body issues will take care of itself !!

[ljannise]

-------amen---------

[aromaticwings]

If you read Alissa's book,
got a used book of Alissa's roaming around?? I am very thin on finances and surely would love to read her book.. but can not afford to get one right now..

.


If you have over 75 pounds to lose, and your weight loss has slowed down, you may wish to go to Carlene's raw boot camp as she deals with 100% raw diet for the obese and how it must be adapted (as in NOT eating everything you want of SOME things) but, even then, the amounts are NOT reduced.

You can get there from www.ibeatobesity.com (http://www.ibeatobesity.com) To bad she doesn't have this boot camp to where people who can not afford it can still learn.

[aromaticwings]

if someone is doing raw PROPERLY ( being realistic here about being 100%) they dont have a problem losing weight.

What IS considered doing raw Properly?
I want to KNOW the proper way to do raw but with so many conflicting ways to DO RAW.. what is the PROPER way? The Natural Hygenic way?? o which way?


I did things properly & lost 30 pounds every month. I didnt "nit pick" & disect on every little detail to manipulate ways to NOT be raw & still make it. It will have to be RAW & that's it. And you have to give your body what it wants. If you do without, your weightloss will stop. IT WILL HALT & YOU WILL WONDER WHY.

Can you give a sample of what was Proper for you?? also How much exercise did you do? What types?


If someone is eating 99% raw, they will deal with cravings constantly. Going 100% cold turkey takes care of all these issues for you.

I know This is me... I am more raw then not and I know this is not getting me anywhere but guilt feelings of frustrations.... this is why I am asking for the PROPER WAY... trying to find out what I am doing wrong to get the 99% to 100% and why I can not stay there.



There is a time in EVERYTHING that you will have to wait for results in. If you want to lose 100 pounds in 1 month & it doesnt happen will you quit? If you will, then you're not ready for the commitment to RAW.

I am resigned to this fact.. but need to know so I can go forward.. :o

[RawTruth]

To bad she doesn't have this boot camp to where people who can not afford it can still learn.Carlene started on THIS forum last May. If you read the section on her site(s) about raw food, you 'll find how to do it. Or ... read her journal. It's not any big secret.

Please notice: She adapted Alissa's plan for those who are morbidly obese (over 100 lbs overweight) since her experience was that their experience is not the same as for people who have less or no weight to lose. If that applies to you, I'd be glad to give you some individual pointers.

As to how to do raw "correctly," I've sent you an email ... and it has absolutely been explained on Alissa's website and in this forum. I know that it may take a while to sort through old threads, though. I'll wait till you respond to my email to talk to you about it further.

The most important thing (I know we've been hitting y'all over the head with it) is to GO 100% RAW!!!

It may be difficult at first, but it is THE way.

[purtyflowrr]

i have found that i do well if i just stick to this board and similar ones such as shazzie.com and rawreform.com and therawfamily.com. i totally agree that there are too many ways to combine this and that and not eat this and eat that and it gets to confusing and overwhelming and then i start to question, "how the heck should i do this????" i found alissa's to be the most down to earth. i read her book quite often just to get reassurance that you don't have to crazy when you go raw. if you do it, it will work.....or so i keep reading over and over. lol. the proof is in the pudding. i am 100% and have been for a week now. i eat when i am hungry and try to ask myself what it is that i want to eat. going from a SAD diet to raw requires us to reintroduce the idea of feeding our body for health and not purely for pleasure. i'm not that in tune to really know yet what i'm craving as in raw foods....but in time, i know it will happen. i'm raw and that's all i can do. my body will change and let me know what it needs with time. i'm just doing the best i can. i appreciate all the support here. you're all amazing. :)

[greeninlosangeles]

If you can not afford to buy Allisa's book, try the library - I got it from there, it was actually the first raw book I read, and I got mamy others from there too. Some it took time to get, like Nature's First Law took me 3 months to get(24 people put it on hold before me - labrary had 8 copies), but it sure saved me a lot of money.

[rawpriestess]

Eating raw will allow your body to heal itself, if the BEST way to heal your body is to lose weight, your body in it's infinite wisdom will drop weight, but if the BEST way to heal your body is to NOT lose weight right at this moment, then maybe it will be doing something else, like rearranging cells that were cancerous, or losing a virus, or combating a bacteria, or ridding your body of toxins,

[RawTruth]

If you can not afford to buy Allisa's book, try the library - I got it from there, it was actually the first raw book I read, and I got mamy others from there too. Some it took time to get, like Nature's First Law took me 3 months to get(24 people put it on hold before me - labrary had 8 copies), but it sure saved me a lot of money.Wow - my library has one raw book. You're really lucky.

[Minnie]

Some ppl are eating certain things they *think* are raw, but they arent really raw (nut butters as an example)

I am still new to all this, but if I buy raw nuts, soak them, and make nut butter out of them, how is that not raw? Also if I buy a jar of nut butter that states that is 'raw' then isn't it (especially when the same brand has a regular nut butter jar that does not say 'raw' right next to it)? :confused:

Minnie :cool:

[rawfigure]

Minnie...if you buy raw nuts soak and make your butter it is Raw, and yes there are some raw nut butters on the market. Just check for raw ground nuts, some are roasted or pasturized but it would so so in the ingredient list.

[Vandy]

I think we really should start that thread on "What you may think is raw but NOT" ... this would be helpful to sooo many people.

[rawfigure]

Eating raw will allow your body to heal itself, if the BEST way to heal your body is to lose weight, your body in it's infinite wisdom will drop weight, but if the BEST way to heal your body is to NOT lose weight right at this moment, then maybe it will be doing something else, like rearranging cells that were cancerous, or losing a virus, or combating a bacteria, or ridding your body of toxins,

I wanted to quote RP on this because I think this says it all about WHY we need/should/do go raw. For healing. We spend 20-30-40- plus years SAD and it will take the body time to heal from that, not weeks or months, but more !!!

And as P points out since we cannot see what goes on inside we must simply TRUST our body and GIVE our body the time it needs to heal and then after time if weight loss or this or that is still an issue then you can think about adjusting the raw foods in the diet to meet a specific need. But in the first year or two of Raw the body is still healing !

[JinxieKat]

Whenever I get drawn into the various theory's on raw I tell myself to just K.I.S.S. it.. in my mind that is Keep It Simple Sexy (I don't like stupid, bah. This is something to inspire me not bring me down!)

Eat raw, treat yourself well, exercise your body with loving movement and things will get better. Just be patient! We didn't get to where we are in a month, it isn't going to resolve itself that quickly either. Just FLY ladies and gents! (Finally Loving Yourself.. www.flylady.com)

Jinx

P.S. I'm an acronym woman! Though I know I cannot spell it *lol* (Thanks for the tip!)

[ljannise]

acronym?

there's my attempt

[tammy85]

I am still new to raw and have stuggles everyday but am making progress. i have to admit one of the things that lead me here was GOOD advise and encouragement to move past the slip ups. But I am concerned when I read someone suggesting just "water" for breakfast to someone who is struggling with weight issues. I would just like to advise for those wanting to lose weight that cutting your food consumption to 700 calories is crazy and I believe unhealthy :confused: . I think it is said best by just keeping it RAW and simple and giving your body food for energy is the best thing. Even 100% RAW people need to consume enought food for good health. The best thing for your body would be to MOVE more and still feed your body. We all know when we have over eaten, we all know when we are full. Listen to your body it will tell you when you have given it enough. And the best advise of all would be to go to your doctor and get their advise about any health concerns your body may have. RAW is a great way of life for your body but do it with the BEST advise you can find.

Just my 2cents!

[RawTruth]

And the best advise of all would be to go to your doctor and get advise about any health concerns your body may have. RAW is a great way of life for your body but do it with the BEST advise you can find.
I think everything you said was great. Well, up until this.

Many doctors aren't expert in nutrition. They are trained to be allopathic physicians - they treat the disease rather than treating the human being as the whole system of body, mind, spirit and understanding that the body will heal itself if nourished with 100% raw and living food, sunshine, exercise, love, and good thoughts.

So the best advice isn't necessarily found in a doctor's office. In fact, for many people, that's the worst place to go. Even a "mainstream" M.D. like Dr. McDougall (and the American Medical Association!!) now advise NOT to have yearly checkups. Doctors view us as "sick" and they have been trained to believe that only they and their medications will get us "well."

There are so very many instances of people's bodies healing themselves of cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, thyroid imbalance, heart disease, lung disease, IBS, liver disease, diverticulitis and -osis, asthma, and just plain old ordinary allergies, insomnia, and depression once they have been 100% raw long enough.

So, with the utmost respect to you and complete delight in healing power of this "diet", I suggest the not-radical-at-all notion that living the living foods lifestyle is the BEST advice!!

:):):)

[Tombi]

Respects to Ijannise, Raw Truth, Raw Figure, and Raw Priestess! I do not have your raw food wisdom but I do share your passion. I have not been "100%" raw for a year or more, however I have been Completely ("100%") raw for 5 months. Sorry I do not recognize the percentages. To me either you are completely raw, almost raw or the closest you get to raw is a wilted piece of lettuce and slice of tomatoe on your slimy greasy cheese burger. I just thought maybe I could enter the thread with a perspective from someone who has not been completely raw for a year and is still fighting the battle and winning!

I spent 4 months lurking this board before going raw. I received Alissa's book just before I moved, however I did not read it until the first week of November 05. I read that book from cover to cover and yes her book was the thing that confirmed within me the reason that this approach was better than the rest I had read. This forum is the best raw food forum in cyberspace. First of all it has a foundation set by Alissa and does not stray one ioda from her book. In fact when I first found this forum the first thing I did was systematically read everything Alissa had to say about her board and her approach. This was before having her book. Her book supports her forum and her forum supports her book. Then on this forum you have all the wisdom and knowledge in reference to raw that you will possibly need to your exposal 24/7. I give thanks for the moderators, teachers and those who have been completely "100%" raw. There has never been a time that I haven't learned something from you all.

Yes there will be times when you will not loose weight! Provided that all you are eating is raw you will eventually loose weight in your body's own time. Let's take complications and make them simple. There are only three reasons why you will not loose weight 1) You aren't eating completely raw period. You are sticking somethingelse in your mouth that does not belong in a raw food way of life period. Sad part is that you know it. Happy part is that you can stop it. 3) You are not eating enough raw food. There is no such thing as a diet on a raw food lifestyle. This is not a SAD. The diet rules do not apply. 2) Your body in it's intellect which far suppasses whatever we think we know about our bodies has decided that it could care less about you and your wants, needs, or desires are in way of weight right now. Your body has found something soooooo major going on within you that it figured you know what I need to regroup the troops and attack this area here first. So it drops that last pound it is going to drop until it solves whatever problem that was more important than your weight. It could be anything your liver, kidney, your heart maybe! Give thanks that our bodies has that kinda wisdom! Celebrate that cause when you look back on it a year from now and you remember when you couldn't loose weigh for a few months you really should think about how healthy you really are now.

Along with this, here is somethingelse I can't seem to wrap my mind around. Why is it sooooooooo extremely difficult to let go and eat any and everything you want with no restrictions other then it being raw? I don't get it. Me who has an emotional eating disorder. Me who loves food...the thought, the smell and the sight. If it is the cravings for cooked food. Then I think the attitude about changing the way of associating with food maybe the issue more so than the craving. Why wouldn't someone obese like me not want to able to overeat and have it be okay knowing first of all this overeating will not last long and that wise old body will make things right. Knowing that this is expected when changing from SAD to Raw. Why not be happy to get rid of the protein guessing, the fat monitoring, the carb watching, the calorie counting and the statistic taking! Drop all that! Cut it out! Raw is about getting rid of all of that. You have to enjoy raw but first you have to WANT to enjoy raw! That means getting real about it...really real.

If the attitude is not adjusted to the experience the experience will be incomplete.

[swiss_miss]

Reason #4
You are eating lots of high calorie raw foods such as nuts(654 cal per cup of shelled walnuts) and avocados and not doing any exercise. In order to burn fat you must expend more energy than you take in, even on raw.

[RawTruth]

Reason #4
You are eating lots of high calorie raw foods such as nuts(654 cal per cup of shelled walnuts) and avocados and not doing any exercise. In order to burn fat you must expend more energy than you take in, even on raw.

Okay -- the "eat all you want" advice from Alissa (and us) is when you're beginning to be completely raw -- that may be months, it may be a year .... each body is different and responds at different rates.

The "calorie" mindset (I know, I know, we've all been taught the energy equation of calorie in to calories burned) really really doesn't apply for all but the morbidly obese .. and maybe not even then. I'm not an expert in that area.

However, if anyone needs to lose 100 pounds or more ... here's a quote from an earlier post in this thread:

If you have over 75 pounds to lose, and your weight loss has slowed down, you may wish to go to Carlene's raw boot camp as she deals with 100% raw diet for the obese and how it must be adapted (as in NOT eating everything you want of SOME things) but, even then, the amounts are NOT reduced.

You can get there from www.ibeatobesity.com (http://www.ibeatobesity.com/)

[misslinda]

i have a quick question about weight loss. i know that a lot of people say that it doesn't matter how much you eat of raw, you will lose weight. i am far skeptical of this simply because of come from a BIG history of calorie coutning and such. i've heard of a lot of people not losing weight in the beginning of raw, but then after a bit, it comes off fairly quickly. do you think this is just because they are raw? i have also heard that over time, you eat less on raw. would that be the reason why people lose so much weight? i just wondered if you ate a lot, all raw, if you would still lose weight or just stay the weight you are. i guess i am asking if you think the big weight loss comes from just being raw or from the fact that as you are raw, you seem to need less food. lol. ok....maybe i'm asking if when i'm gonna see a decrease in appetite. haha. actually, i already feel less of an appetite. so i guess i am kind of answering my own question. have you all noticed a loss in appetite? or is it not everyone that experiences this? ok....this seems to be all over the place. lol. i'll stop now. i'm confusing myself.


as far as my personal opinion, it's very multi faceted and multi level process. I can tell you that when I allowed my body to rid the garbage of dead tissue,chemicals,impacted waste,etc, plus restored my digestive health so can breakdown food properly,assimilate and absorb, contributed to the efficiency of my metabolism as a whole which equals to weightloss if that's the word we want to use for the sake of this discussion.

I also have observed that b/c I am much more effective in absorbing NUTRIENTS, I don't have to eat as much. I am not starving which is even more fascinating with RAW! I abosrb nutrients and not half as much.....whereas in my high raw days with soy included, I was running 10 plus miles a day and chronic health issues. If I adhere to a cleansing diet vs a maintenance diet, I know I can lose even more...I pretty much go back and forth with 'cleansing' diet vs maintenance as I know I have even deeper levels to heal. ;)


I believe, the POWER of raw foods is not just the food itself BUT the [surrending] of our own minds of what we want to CONTROL. We have been trying at this for decades with Jenny Craing,Weight watchers,Zone,High protein diet etc to be *in* contrl and look where it has taken us---even more bigger appetites. :eek:


IMO, when the statement "Eat as much as you want when you first go raw," is made, I tend to see it differenly. I really belive it has to do with the person and their mindset when going into raw....some already have huge emotional appetites so they can eat for hours and hours so does that fit the with the statement? sure. is that what the statment is meaning? sure,perhaps or maybe not at all. again I believe each person needs to identfiy their food intension.

:)

[swiss_miss]

Let me ask something, can a person gain weight on raw food? The answer is obvious, however you'll probably say something like " no its impossible!! you can eat 10 bags of nuts and STILL lose weight!" Give me a break. Im raw, maybe I'll sprout wings and fly!! Because apperantly I can do anything because Im raw!! Yay! Raw food does not break the rules of the most very basic bodily mechanisms. Those mechanisms are there for a reason, without them, our ancestors would'nt have gotten very far. When you consume more energy than you expend it gets stored as fat, whether you like it or not. In order to lose weight you have to reduce your engery intake, and increase your energy output. Not that complicated. Perhaps you like the idea that a person can sit on the couch all day and pig out and still lose weight but just because you favor the idea dosent make it so. There is NOTHING wrong with keeping track of how much you eat. The "pig out on raw" mindset really hinders the people that are struggling to lose weight on raw. Have a nice day :D

[Tombi]

Positive vibes and open hearts :)

Not that we should be getting into an oneupsmanship type of battle on this forum (totally unnecessary) I ask that if you would please re-read my post swiss_miss with an open mind as well as with Alissa's wonder words of wisdom in mind. You may be able to see that number 4 should not exist for the mere fact that given permission to eat all you want and as much as you want raw includes a little common sense clause...listen to your body. If your particular body says nuts and avocado is too much. Than common sense says cut them back or count them out because they are not good for YOU. Everybody is different. I perfer not to eat too many nuts so I don't but avocado... When I first started at 255lbs I ate 2 avocados everyday!!! Along with spinach smoothered in olive oil and ume plumb vinegar. All with no exercise. Now that I have shed 60 pounds I only eat them maybe everyother day and that is only because of a slight addiction to the taste and texture. So let's not say things like well if you eat all you want and decide to eat 10 bags of nuts expect to lose weight. This is an extreme. If in fact there was someone who had that problem and they requested help or advise rest assurred that they would get it and a lot of love with it from the wiseminds on this forum.

I think the saying you can eat everything you want and as much as you want could be better understood for some as you can eat everything your body wants and as much as your body wants. I say this with sincerity because some of us (I do) have serious eating disorders and some of our minds do not perceive things the same way people without disorders see them. Maybe that would help.

Wishing everyone a Positive Raw Journey no matter what obstacles get in the way. This is the best place to get that advice and assistance.

[swiss_miss]

Hi Tombi, "10 bags of nuts" was said with a touch of sarcasm. Concerning the matter of weight loss, the eat all you want thing simply does not work for everyone and I am very tired of hearing that counting calories is wrong because it is not at all. Since everyone is different, to say "if you feel like eating 6 cups of nuts you should do it" may not produce the weight loss results that people are looking for. I believe that if a person is struggling to lose weight on raw, they should simply eat a bit less and take some exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, cut back on or avoid nuts and seeds. In Alissa's book it also states that if one is having trouble losing weight, they should cut back on fatty raw foods like nuts and seeds, why? because nuts and seeds are calorie packed, so basicly even in Alissa's book it states that calories DO matter. About the common sense thing, the very statement "eat whatever you want as long as its raw" does not reflect common sense to some people. Not everyone thinks the same way and the previously mentioned statement can be misleading. Eating a variety of raw foods and keeping track of what one eats is, in my opinion, the most beneficial way (especially for weightloss) to be raw. Thank you for your opinion Tombi and congratulations on your weightloss! :)

[rawfigure]

I think each person needs to find there own level in their diet, call it macronutrient beaskdown or calories...whatever ! ..each one must find what works for them and not go by what each and everyone here is doing..

I know what I can and cannot get away with. It all depends on your history your body and your current body state.

I cannot eat anything as long as it it Raw, as some can, I gain doing that. But my history is deprevation of calories, so my body isn't having it..but someone else may be on the other end who has a history of eats with out thought to calories and may lose on eating what ever they want as long as it is raw.

So give it a shot..after awhile you will know what works for you. For me it has been 6 months..SO give it time !!!

[jujube]

This is what I have observed and experienced over the years with raw...

On SAD, some people are intuitive eaters and some people are emotional eaters. The intuitive eaters generally look at food as JUST food... they are good at eating only when hungry, stopping when full, and paying attention to their body's signals. They do not over-indulge very often.

The emotional eaters have a different relationship with food. To them, food = comfort. These people eat not only when they're hungry, but also when they're stressed, or bored, or lonely, or upset, etc. They have more trouble realizing when they're full, since their reasons for eating are not purely physical. I'd say there are more emotional eaters than intuitive eaters, in general.

Now, it's harder to numb your emotions with raw food than with cooked food. Eating a salad does not have the same comforting effect as eating a pint of ice cream. Plus, raw food lacks many addictive substances found in cooked food, like opioids and refined sugar, so you aren't as compelled to keep eating and eating and eating.

Because of all this... an emotional eater who switches to a raw diet, will probably start becoming more of an intuitive eater. Simply because that emotional comfort doesn't come as easily from overeating raw food. It becomes easier to listen to what your body REALLY wants, instead of trying to bury emotions with food.

However. From what I've seen in myself and in others, it IS possible to keep the emotional-eater mindset when eating raw food. This might be hard for intuitive eaters to understand, but some people are truly compelled to eat to fill an emotional void, and have great difficulty following ONLY physical hunger cues. And for these emotional eaters, weight issues can indeed be a problem... at least until they form a new/healthier relationship with food.

And that's not an easy thing to do. Many people must relearn how to eat and how to hear their body's requests. After a lifetime of eating for emotional reasons, learning more intuitive eating styles can be a long process. Certain raw foods (especially raw fats and dehydrated foods) can be a bit similar to cooked foods, in terms of being "comforting" and easy to overeat. So people who still have emotional attachments to food might need to limit these things in the beginning... otherwise they'll eat more than their bodies really need.

It's not the fault of raw food, but of those emotional connections to eating.

So I think for MANY people, the advice to "just keep it raw" is great and will be enough for weight loss. But for the heavy-duty emotional eaters, they might still have eating patterns that lead to weight problems... regardless if their food is raw or not. The long-term goal should be to repair their relationships with food... but in the meantime, if weight loss is needed, then the diet might need to have some restrictions or conscious limitations. Just my opinion :)

[aromaticwings]

Tombi,
Do you have a journal of your weight loss?? I would be interested to read it... 60lbs? CONGRATULATIONS! I have lost 25 but am one of those that did not eat totally raw.. have bounced back and forth and for that reason is why I have lost slowly. I believe my body has been put in such turmoil not knowing what it will be thrown at it.. SAD or raw.. it tells me raw is much better because I have felt and seen many posative signs... so I have started eating raw 100%

To Everyone else...
What has helped me but sometimes worries me is when I have my cravings(which are fewer then before) I will make something to mimick the Sad counterpart of what I am craving. But even with those I try to curtail how much I do eat.... no sense taking chances..

I can not remember where I heard or read it... but someone like me needs fruits and veggies more then the nuts and seeds due to the fat content.. But I also found that when I was told fruits I was thinking...oranges and apples and bananas..sweet fruits.... I was eating alot of these and not getting anywhere... I started my main weight loss when I changed my "fruit" concept to more like cucumbers and tomatoes.. Oh I will eat the other also.. but found if I keep those to minimum and eat the like cucmbers and tomatoes that my cravings also get quenched..without eating the SAD stuff..

Maybe also the say avacado aspect of the fats..well maybe that fat would be better then the nut and seed fats... and the fruit fats and sugars are better then the avacado fats... we may not need to look at the calories... but I do think there is something to the body typing thing.. as what I can eat you shouldn't.. yes this maybe does not make it AS simple... but I believe it is a factor also..

Listening to the body??? That is a hard one also for an obese person I would think.. as one who is emotional or addicted to eating... Why? Because... we have not been taught HOW to LISTEN... saying and doing are two different things. some that have been raw for awhile have learned to Listen to their bodies because this is what raw does.. it makes you more intune with it and with life..the world.. as it cleanse out the junk so you can listen..and feel...Listening is great..but for those who also do not trust well.. we are also not told HOW TO TRUST our bodies.. What does one look for?? Common sense?? If we as obese people HAD common sense to begin with we sure would not be in this position to begin with.. So for an obese person Listening , Trusting and Common Sense...are a few things that need to be Relearned..

Like now.. I have been fighting this awful fight to go get loads of almonds and the rest of ingredients to make the cookies I have seen on here.. Now If I listen to my body.. I would eat alot of nuts by doing this. Having all that fat content... I KNOW in my head that I do not need that kind of FAT.... so eating my cuke and tomatoe salad helps relieve a craving and is much better for me... or I will juice some greens with an apple and it satisfies my sweet tooth... or those corn chips...cheese yumm.. but I know corn does not digest well so what good is it really to the body?? And again the nut flour factor...

Now this has been a big battle for me... so if I go with the "LISTENING" factor I would be in big trouble... am I wrong?? I do not think so because in my mind.. I feel I am wanting the sweetness and the satisfying factor of the nuts and sweetner of the cookie.. no anything in them nutritionally. And since I need to stay further away from all fats and sweets.. I am better to get my fats from my greens and not-sweet fruits..

I also feel not being as mobile for exercise has some to do with not losing also.. probably woud lose alot faster if I did exercise..

[Tombi]

Wow Jujube that was on! Just like I said there is always help and assistance from this forum. With this those with serious emotional eating problems can see yet another perspective to the problems as well as possibilities. While those without the problem and those who do know just learned a lot more.
Thank you

Hi Aromaticwings peace and blessings nothing from me is personal

Yes I have a journal. Here it is if you would like to read it. I am more of jester than I am a journalist. I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2008&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

Excuse me for responding to the rest of your post as it was addressed to everybodyelse but since it refered to my post please bare with me it is a little long. Yes when your refer to the body typing thing are you saying we should adhere to everybody is different and should not expect the same results or even be able to eat the same foods as everyonelse? Yes that is so true and it is so simple within the statement it's self...everybody is different. I think that we can say that and also say that within that statement each individual should be able to eat what they want raw and as much of it. It would then be a matter of finding out through trial and error what those things would be.

Being that I have an emotional and addictive relationship with food and the fact that I am an obese person I can say that I have to agree with Jujube in regards to the intuitive vs emotional eater I clearly see her point. Being that I was a highly emotional eater I find it very surprising that I am now a intuitive eater. However, I do understand Jujube's theory. As for listening to the body for someone who has extreme emotional eating problems I can see where there may be a problem with a cut off point or a problem with cravings for example. So with that said I take back my earlier statement about not being able to wrap my mind around why certain concepts that I take for granted are extremely hard for many people. For me I found that listening to my body was not so much a mental thing or really physical. I can't really explain where this mystical response comes from. There would be times that I would wind up just eating something and knowing that my body wanted it without a thought. Usually after realizing I had ate a lot of it. Example would be the spinach and ume plumb vinegar. Well duh I had just got off a MC (citrus) and the first thing I want is spinach. At the time I had no clue why. I actually had to post a question about it. Come to find out I needed the spinach because of all of the citrus. That was my first experience of listening to my body. Actually no, I do recall that I had not drank water the first day of the MC and although I was not thirsty, I drank water and noticed that I felt better...there was a balance that was missing and the water helped.

As for my comment about common sense...I am a Sag so if you know any...
However, I stated that the eat as much as you want permission includes a common sense clause...listen to your body. I still feel this is not impossible but now that I realize that with the extremes to emotional eating it will definitely take more time and guidence for those who are faced with these problems. What I did not say nor incinuate in anyway was that anybody reading this with this problem or not did not have common sense. My statement was never meant to be personal. I guarntee that if that whole post is read again you will not see any illwill.

One of the best things that you have going for you is that you know what you should not eat and what would not be good for you. That like me with nuts. I am not a nut fan. I will look for seed recipe before dealing with a lot of nuts and then I am leary about the seeds. Just my humble opinion but you are absolutely right...when you know nuts are not good for you that is your mind telling you that and not your body and your mind is right. If you don't eat them you are fine but if you eat them then your body will definately tell you that you should not have. That is you and that is your experience and you have to adjust according to what is going on with you. And yes it is okay.

I may be wrong and Lord knows I am far from an expert but support you...I can do that...the listening thing for you may take sometime. I for one understand that now and apologize if I hurt you personally or anyonelse in anyway. Not my intentions. It maybe that you need to sort out the foods you know that are not good for you from the foods that are. There are sooooooooo many raw foods to pick and choose from. You may not be able to initially eat everything everyonelse can eat right away but what about once your body is healed. What if we concentrate on healing your body first and worry about the weight later. What foods do you think you body needs for you to heal as oppose to the ones you want that are not good for you? A suggestion would be to make a list of all the raw foods that you can eat and all the foods that are not good for you. Eat only the foods that you can eat without them causing you any discomfort. In about 6 months check and test an item that you couldn't eat before. If your body can handle it no problem if not give it more time. We all are different everybody with or without obstacles are not going to lose weight at the same pace too many variables. As for the exercising take your time. Pick one thing to do, make it low impact, and everyother day increase it by 2 reps. If it is just picking up a rubber ball, laying your arm on the table and bending your arm from the table to your shoulder start with 3 for each arm. The next day 3 and the next day 5. Build it up slowly. Anything you do start slowly.

Aromaticwings I would just hung you right now if I could. I just vibe that you truly need a big one right now.

Again I apologize after all being obese myself I should have known better. Please accept my apology. If you would like to email please do.

Peace and Blessings

[aromaticwings]

Aromaticwings I would just hung you right now if I could. I just vibe that you truly need a big one right now.

Again I apologize after all being obese myself I should have known better. Please accept my apology. If you would like to email please do.

Peace and Blessings
Thanks for the hugs Tombi.. I appreciate the support... But please do not think you offended me in anyway.. I was not offended, hurt, or in anyway upset by what you or anyone said. I was just stating my say on this subject and how sometimes we are told what to do but not always told How to do them... Just incase anyone else was out there like me... funny... everytime I read things and they say just do this or that I come back with a how or why?? guess it is my questioning nature.. I am a Gemini.. lol

So there are smiles on my face and hugs in my heart... no harm done here... thanks for any advice you can give... I pool all my advice and hold it for times in need..going to read your journal now. Thanks for the link. :D ;)

[beelzebubble]

forgive me for possibly speaking out of turn. i am not a 100% raw foodist. i am high raw though, and really found that on my own. it was only after i started to eat this way that i found that there were people who took it even farther, with marvelous health benefits. this may be long, i hope you can swing with that.

i do not believe it's as simple as calories in vs. calories out. the human body is much more complex than that. i'm sure we all know that the way we process lettuce is not the way we process rice. rice has a different effect on the body than lettuce and causes the body to release different hormones. the energy from rice is absorbed into the bloodstream at a different rate than lettuce and if eaten regularly can have a permanent effect on how the body handles glucose. how the body handles glucose effects metabolism, which effects health, which effects digestion, which effects metabolism, which effects...well, you understand what i am trying to say. and that's just part of it, right?

let's look at my experience with two of my health issues. one is polycystic ovarian disease or pcos. food has a definite impact on the expression of this disease. overproduction of insulin is (they now believe) one of the direct causes of pcos. eating too many sugary or high starch foods contributes to the underlying cause of the disease. one of the symptoms of pcos is obesity (for those who don't know) because of a slowed metabolism. so, a person with pcos sitting down to a SAD meal of pasta that contains 600 calories is directly contributing to their illness, while another person with pcos eating the same amount of calories of a low glycemic food is not. the result being that one 600 calorie meal will make a woman with pcos fatter than the other.

my other health issue which has an impact on my weight is celiac disease. being a digestive disorder, most with celiac find that they become incredibly thin because of malabsorbtion. they just (not to be gross) lose all of their food to diarrhea. others, like myself, have the opposite problem, their body thinks it's starving so it tries to hold on to everything it can. being obese and malnourished seem like mutually exclusive concepts, don't they? in addition to the malabsorption, a celiac has constant inflammation in his or her body, leading to other disorders like autoimmune thyroid disease (another of my issues), this also has a direct impact on weight. and what causes this disease? the proteins in wheat, rye, barley, and in some people, oats.

for me, the kind of food i eat has a greater impact on my weight than the amount of calories i take in. i'm not saying that the amount of calories has no impact, just a lesser one. i think the issue that people need to concentrate on if they really want to lose weight, is to strive for good health...emotional, digestive, hormonal...etc...

to tell an obese person (which i am one), that they should simply limit their calories to lose weight is, i believe, doing them a disservice. there are more complex processes involved than that. i do believe that raw food leads to weight loss on its own, regardless of the amount of fat that one consumes. when an overweight person embarks on a raw food diet, it is to take a system that is out of balance and put it back into balance again. after that has occurred, the voice of the body should be much more audible. and most often, that is why a person becomes overweight in the first place...their system is out of balance and so the body is not only crying out for the right things, but for the wrong things as well.

i don't know. these are just thoughts spurred from my own experience and knowledge about how food affects the body. i hope it doesn't sound like i'm attacking anyone. i'm really not. i'm just offering my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

smooches,
bubble

[misslinda]

Listening to the body??? That is a hard one also for an obese person I would think.. as one who is emotional or addicted to eating... Why? Because... we have not been taught HOW to LISTEN... saying and doing are two different things. some that have been raw for awhile have learned to Listen to their bodies because this is what raw does.. it makes you more intune with it and with life..the world.. as it cleanse out the junk so you can listen..and feel...Listening is great..but for those who also do not trust well.. we are also not told HOW TO TRUST our bodies.. What does one look for?? Common sense?? If we as obese people HAD common sense to begin with we sure would not be in this position to begin with.. So for an obese person Listening , Trusting and Common Sense...are a few things that need to be Relearned..


I like your thinking AW. I was just reflecting on this thread and how interesting it is that RAW gives us the opportunity to finally make ourselves our own authority and how it seems to stir us within.

I believe the calorie counting mentality is true for anyone obese or not, if they are accustomed to that security for somekind of control and [syetem] to monitor their intake.

Eat as much as you want on raw? There's no ball and chain attached to this statement---everyone is going to interpret to their own personal intent. If a sign says STOP, not every one is going to come to a complete stop. Some may just slow down and eventually continue and others may do the infamous "California stop" or perhaps others are walking and look both ways.........but at some point, their all going to stop and take notice.

I also believe that RAW eating is ultimately going to be interpreted by each person b/c I'll be honest, I first attempted RAW by calorie counting and monitoring portions etc. I chose to do this as it was not only a emotional support but a phsycial as well.

I was developing a different relationships with food and myself......learning how to engage in ALL my senses to truly discover what *felt* right to my mouth,body and emotions...........many changes but each and everyday, I learned and I became even more open to learning....

I spent a great deal of time observing myself, paying attention to my smells,tastes,responses etc. They don't teach that in any conventional diet or food system--b/c we pour all our trust and authority into someone else other than ourselves.

It's the same intuitive language like when you have a stomach ache and you *know* certain foods feel like BLAH...I think we have all been there. We maxamize that in RAW and it is POWERFUL and I learned thru the process that my authority within was overwhelmed but learned to grow.

;)

[RawTruth]

. . . you'll probably say something like "no its impossible!! you can eat 10 bags of nuts and STILL lose weight!"; Give me a break. Im raw, maybe I'll sprout wings and fly!! Because apperantly I can do anything because Im raw!!

. . . Perhaps you like the idea that a person can sit on the couch all day and pig out and still lose weight but just because you favor the idea dosent make it so. There is NOTHING wrong with keeping track of how much you eat. The "pig out on raw"; mindset really hinders the people that are struggling to lose weight on raw. There was absolutely no need for you to put down my opinion, but hey, keep dishing it out and I'll give it right back to ya. Have a nice day :DI am sorry that you felt attacked, swiss_miss, and felt that I was putting you down personally, but I must tell you that the sarcasm with which you responded is hurtful and mean.

I wrote what I did because the calorie question is one that has been brought up on this board many times by those who are struggling with beginning raw.

Alissa has addressed it in her book and on here consistently.

As a teacher trained by her and in my experience working with people with weight issues, I deal with it all the time. Our belief/knowledge, based on many years of doing this is -- again -- that at the beginning, going completely raw without counting calories, fats, or carbs is the surest way to succeed.

There are those who disagree. That's fine. But, this is what has worked for thousands of people and what Alissa's "system" for succeeding at raw is based upon and so you can expect that to be incorporated into the belief system on this forum.

I can tell that you were offended, please know that this wasn't personal at you. As I've very thoroughly explained (I hope), it was at the notion of calorie counting. So, I'm trusting that you understand now that I've explained. Writing things on a forum is less than ideal; misunderstandings can easily arise that are not even issues if we were talking face to face.

p.s. I've said it before, but I want to emphasize again that an integral part of a successful living foods lifestyle is vigorous exercise, sunlight, meditation/prayer, and (I believe) living in love.

[kaytleo]

I'm sure calories in vs calories out is true with cooked food but something else enters the picture with raw. About 5 years ago I went 100% raw for one month. I kept up with every bite that passed my lips and entered it on software called Dietpower. I still have the records somewhere. I was eating between 2000-3000 calories a day. Not only did my nutrients surpass any cooked diet I'd ever been on, I lost 23 pounds. On that many calories cooked, I gain weight. I was eating nuts, avos, coconuts and olive oil as well as tons of fruits and vegetables. Even back then, I was drinking green smoothies, so plenty of greens too. I was NOT exercising.

Needless to say, I haven't kept track since that month.

So believe what you will, raw calories are not equal to cooked calories.

I'm only one person but Alissa has worked with thousands and proven this to be true. Swiss_miss, why would you expect her teachers to believe / teach otherwise?

[swiss_miss]

Hi RawTruth

I did feel attacked by your first response because it felt very much like you were belittling my post and my natural response to that is to be snappy. But you're entilted to your opinion. Another reason why I was a bit harsh is that I am SO TIRED of defending myself on this board. All I am trying to say is that one way does not work for everybody. The eat all you want method does not work for EVERYBODY who is struggling to lose weight. kaytleo, I am not expecting anyone to believe anything, I am simlpy offering an alternative opinion to those who did not lose weight as easily on raw as you may have. As I have said before "In Alissa's book it also states that if one is having trouble losing weight, they should cut back on fatty raw foods like nuts and seeds, why? because nuts and seeds are calorie packed, so basicly even in Alissa's book it states that calories DO matter." I am tired of seeing calorie counting constantly put down on this board. If you have a problem with calorie counting, dont do it, but please stop criminalizing it. This board (in my eyes) is supposed to be about expression of different opinions, and sadly its seems that different opinions are not allowed here. The "my way or the highway" attitude prevails. Hopefully this will change. Im not leaving this board just yet because I still have some hope.

[jaurequi]

Swiss_miss,

Just don't defend yourself. Really. I don't. I agree with you and have stated similarly ever since I've been here -- over a year now. I have not been attacked, though; people just don't listen :). You aren't saying anything anti-the Mission of this board, as far as I have read; so don't you leave.

And don't let it get to you. Your opinion is very valuable. The best way one can, and more importantly should learn this lifestyle is through the experience others. I think that's a reason this board was started, as well as for support.

There is a ton of stuff written here that does not apply to me whatsoever; yet, I've learned from all of it. And there are things I don't buy at all; but, again, it may help someone else.

Best,

[rawpriestess]

Calorie counting is NOT part of Alissa's teachings.

Although she may suggest if you are stuck or having challenges losing weight to cut out some avocados and nuts, that would be because of the fat and the way it works in the body, NOT the calories, as that could mean any high glycemic foods too, such as dates or raisins, bananas, carrots, beets, cherries, or any dried fruits.

And since Alissa does not suggest taking out any high calorie foods if you are having challenges losing weight, only high fat foods, I'd certainly take a look at that.

So, what I want to know is for what purpose is this calorie counting thing so important to anyone who does this? This is a hold out of the old SAD way of thinking.

Now, I'm not saying that you are wrong if it is working for YOU.

Alissa's board is here for the specific purpose of supporting her book, and her teachings, and to allow all of us rawbies to have a place to discuss, (NOT ARGUE) about the raw and living foods lifestyle as SHE teaches it.

Now, I personally love to see a thread like this, where we can all discuss our thoughts and discuss them in a adult and inteligent and kind way.

Now, I don't always agree with what people say, but that doesn't mean I put them down personally, so I have removed the specific referneces to any un-kind remarks, with an attempt at keeping your original posts in tact.

So, please know that this board is for exactly this purpose to discuss the raw and living foods lifestyle, and talking about calorie counting in the raw and living foods lifestyle is a discussion of that.

HOWEVER, Alissa has stated that there is NO NEED to count calories, she has stated that eat what you want, when you want as long as it is raw, IN THE BEGINNING.

I hope I make this as clear as possible.

NOW, once you have been raw a while and are feeling more centered and healthy, and have become familiar with eating the RAW way, THEN, you can start to eliminate certain foods if you wish to experiment.

BUT IN THE BEGINNING ----- PLEASE -------- do NOT second guess her teachings, simply stated EAT RAW. Basically that is it.

[swiss_miss]

jaurequi, thanks for your support I know I shouldnt let what people say get to me, its something I have to work on.

rawpriestess, I never said calorie counting was a part of Alissa's teachings, however if it works for some people why cant it be disscused on this board? Different things work for different people. Are we not allowed to have our own opinions and voice them freely?

In your post you said "So, what I want to know is for what purpose is this calorie counting thing so important to anyone who does this? This is a hold out of the old SAD way of thinking."

This is your opinion and I disagree. I personally feel that sensible calorie counting fits very well into the raw food lifestyle. Like I said before those who dont feel comfortable with calorie counting shouldnt do it, but those who are fine with it should not constantly be told "no no thats WRONG"

This whole thing started with me pointing out that if a person is having trouble losing weight on raw, they might want to look at what they are eating...what is all the fuss about?????

I feel that freedom of speech, mind, and choice are greatly threatend here sometimes. There is not only one right way to do things. People with alternative opinions should feel free to offer them without fearing that torch weilding villagers(or raw foodists in this case) will chase after them shouting "WRONG WRONG! GO AWAY YOU DONT BELONG HERE! ONLY WHEN YOU THINK LIKE US YOU CAN COME BACK!!

[Rawkinlocs]

I think I see what's going on here.

Swiss_Miss, correct me if I'm wrong...but basically you're saying that calorie-counting is something that YOU believe in and YOU find is working for YOU and that there are others who feels it works for THEM. BUT...you're not necessarily saying that everyone should or has to count calories and those who actually don't have a problem with doing it should not feel they are doing something wrong by doing so.

I understand where you're coming from. I guess there IS a difference in people who actually like to count the calories and that is what works best for them and those who feel it is a bondage to do so, yet, due to old habits dying young, they still procede to do so but not necessarily because they really WANT to.

I think that Alissa's main point is that no one should feel the NEED or feel pressed to count calories when eating raw...that you can be free from that mindset, especially in the beginning stages of going raw. Anything that is going to make eating raw burdensome and attach those old ideals about diet plans should be tossed out the window if it's going to make a person fail at being raw due to the fact that merely eating a raw diet is "strict" enough as it is.

But Swiss_Miss, you are merely stating that while that may be true...for YOU, personally, calorie-counting isn't burdensome and doesn't make your raw journey any more of a challenge...that it is something you have comfortably worked into your program and that there are others who have done the same.

I think the main reason why the calorie-counting discussions get sorta "shot down" is because Alissa and us mods don't want new people to come on and automatically get the sense that, "Awww ma-aaan...I STILL gotta count calories??? Man, forget this raw diet...if I wanted to count calories I'd be doing Weight Watchers" and then give up on it.

I think the message is that, "You don't HAVE to count calories...but if you so choose to do so...then that's fine for you...just know that many people have and continue to succeed with raw (and weight loss) without counting calories...but you have to do what works for you."

But who knows Swiss_Miss...one day you might look up and say, "What the h** am I doing?? I'm not counting one, single calorie ever again!" Then again...maybe not ;)

[swiss_miss]

Rawkinlocs I think you kind of understand my point of view. My point was that the people who are happy and comfortable with calorie counting should not be told that they are doing something wrong.

I have been calorie counting on raw since august mostly to make sure I eat enough and I dont have a problem with it at all, for me it has enhanced my raw experience and I highly doubt I will ever stop because it feels right to me.
I dont feel the least bit restriced by it.
.
But who knows Swiss_Miss...one day you might look up and say, "What the h** am I doing?? I'm not counting one, single calorie ever again!" Then again...maybe not

LOL there is as much chance of that happening as there is for you to START calorie counting :D

[ljannise]

swiss_miss

Are you against Alissa? Are you against her book? Are you against the raw food lifestyle?

Where do you stand as a member here? I would really like to know.

There is a reason that the long term users here know something you dont know & the moderators arent robots Alissa controls behind her computer screen. They are raw foodies & they have something to teach you. It's time to open your eyes & open your heart.


I will shout it out for you--

IF YOU ARE NOT 100%, YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT FROM NUTS/SEEDS/AVOCADOS

Do NOT be 1-99% & come here to complain about the raw food diet is making you gain weight or you cannot handle cravings.

It cannot get any more simple than that.

If anyone is offended by my bluntness, its obvious you havent read Alissa's book & readers/lurkers are complaining that the ppl trolling up the site with everything AGAINST the raw food lifestyle is making them cringe.

THAT is highly offensive. NOT a long timer telling you how to help yourself.

[tammy85]

I think everything you said was great. Well, up until this.

Many doctors aren't expert in nutrition. They are trained to be allopathic physicians - they treat the disease rather than treating the human being as the whole system of body, mind, spirit and understanding that the body will heal itself if nourished with 100% raw and living food, sunshine, exercise, love, and good thoughts.

So the best advice isn't necessarily found in a doctor's office. In fact, for many people, that's the worst place to go. Even a "mainstream" M.D. like Dr. McDougall (and the American Medical Association!!) now advise NOT to have yearly checkups. Doctors view us as "sick" and they have been trained to believe that only they and their medications will get us "well."

There are so very many instances of people's bodies healing themselves of cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, thyroid imbalance, heart disease, lung disease, IBS, liver disease, diverticulitis and -osis, asthma, and just plain old ordinary allergies, insomnia, and depression once they have been 100% raw long enough.

So, with the utmost respect to you and complete delight in healing power of this "diet", I suggest the not-radical-at-all notion that living the living foods lifestyle is the BEST advice!!

:):):)

I agree that 100% RAW has changed the health issues some struggle with but I think it is very dangerous to advise someone to "heal"themselves of some of these very serious issues without the check up of a "medical" doctor. I don't think anyone on the board should advise someon to disregard a "medical"
condition by simply going RAW. Someone could have serious complications based on the advise of someone who is not properly trained to give.

Changing to the RAW diet CAN change or decrease or possible eliminate the health problems of many but it does not happen overnight. I would hate to know someone stopped taking insulin or HIgh blood pressure meds based on advise given in a chat room. I think we need to encourage but give responsible advise.

I think this topic has gotten out of hand by many trying to give their "advise". What works for one may not another. And there are many who do have an unhealthy relationship with food. Simple going RAW does not address those issues. If a person is an over eater, telling them to eat all they want will not "fix" the problem in their mind. Some "need" to watch what they eat based on emotions. And I think anyone reading through this topic can see there are a lot of emotions out here. I thought the basis of the RAW diet was for better overall health and wellness.....I did not know we were taking on a "political" issue. We should all be able to fell free to ask about an issue without being attacked or belittled. I have not been on this board for very long but it seems lately the board is more of a "my way or the highway". I'm afraid I may have to take the Highway if this is the tone this borad will be taking.

[LovingLife]

Tammy -- I agree -- each body is different and will respond in its own way. (I also agree that I'm afraid to post at times with the arguing that goes on in threads).

My experience has been that when I started, I didn't limit anything -- ate many fudge balls, cashews (didn't know that the store cashews weren't truly raw or the Marantha almond butter wasn't truly raw) - - nonetheless, I lost 8 pounds within 2 weeks -- the weight I'd gained the Christmas before and had been trying to lose for almost a year (I'm an avid exerciser and just couldn't get it off).

I did see some pounds start to come back on when I got my dehydrator and learned how to make crackers. Some of my wheat cracker concoctions were very much like Sun Chips (in my eyes anyway -- the rest of my family didn't seem to see it that way :p ) and I ate quite a bit of them. I didn't gain a lot, but gained a few when I ate more grains than before.

So I'm not sure of the whys in all of this, but I try to keep my cracker eating under control just like I used to have to do with breads in my non-raw days.

And the new info about what's actually not raw isn't fun for me to discover. (I saw that other thread and didn't enjoy reading it :cool: ) Instead, it confuses me in the 100% mentality because it tells me that I wasn't truly raw in the beginning, yet my results (healthwise and weight loss) were so great.

[aromaticwings]

Tammy -- I agree -- each body is different and will respond in its own way. (I also agree that I'm afraid to post at times with the arguing that goes on in threads).

My experience has been that when I started, I didn't limit anything -- ate many fudge balls, cashews (didn't know that the store cashews weren't truly raw or the Marantha almond butter wasn't truly raw) - - nonetheless, I lost 8 pounds within 2 weeks -- the weight I'd gained the Christmas before and had been trying to lose for almost a year (I'm an avid exerciser and just couldn't get it off).

I did see some pounds start to come back on when I got my dehydrator and learned how to make crackers. Some of my wheat cracker concoctions were very much like Sun Chips (in my eyes anyway -- the rest of my family didn't seem to see it that way :p ) and I ate quite a bit of them. I didn't gain a lot, but gained a few when I ate more grains than before.
.

Could you share your wheat recipe for those crackers??

[aromaticwings]

i have a quick question about weight loss. i know that a lot of people say that it doesn't matter how much you eat of raw, you will lose weight. i am far skeptical of this simply because of come from a BIG history of calorie coutning and such. i've heard of a lot of people not losing weight in the beginning of raw, but then after a bit, it comes off fairly quickly. do you think this is just because they are raw? i have also heard that over time, you eat less on raw. would that be the reason why people lose so much weight? i just wondered if you ate a lot, all raw, if you would still lose weight or just stay the weight you are. i guess i am asking if you think the big weight loss comes from just being raw or from the fact that as you are raw, you seem to need less food. lol. ok....maybe i'm asking if when i'm gonna see a decrease in appetite. haha. actually, i already feel less of an appetite. so i guess i am kind of answering my own question. have you all noticed a loss in appetite? or is it not everyone that experiences this? ok....this seems to be all over the place. lol. i'll stop now. i'm confusing myself.
My take on this particular subject is ... in going raw the few first weeks usually someone is juicing or just eating salads. thus this cleans the colon out some... and if we are impacted or backed up I feel the first fewpounds is this being cleaned out.. then we platue while our body starts using the nutrients to clean and nurish the body.

I think tho it should be that we should curtail some of the heavier dehydrated foods as this will again stop us up. Also will take more water from our digestive systems and this is why it takes longer to go through an already sluggish digestive system. I am just now looking into the validation of needing added digestive enzymes tomaybe help my body in cleaning and purging added fats... but I do feel maybe we shoouldwatch our calories to some extent... but eating green it is so much easier toeat not enough...

addednote: I just scanned this thread so if I am out of line here..please excuse...

[LovingLife]

Could you share your wheat recipe for those crackers??

Sure -- it's just a variation on one of Alissa's recipes. I'll go find it and will post it in the recipe section a little later on (and will give you a link here)

[jamesdixon222]

My experience was in the beginning I ate every thing in sight. I ate in the middle of the night and all day long. I was eating perhaps 20 pieces of fruit a day. I would add a salad which levels out your emotions and appetite and gives you some balance. After the first 6 weeks I was eating perhaps 8-10 fruits a day and a small salad and many times I go go very long periods without eating. The most beneficial aspect of all this is , hunger is experienced differently after the initial first 6 -8 weeks. I no longer get the stomach hunger you get when eating cooked foods. I simply run low on energy. I find fasting to be incredibly easy with little or no discomfort. If your taking any cooked food at all, I'm and sure You cannot reach this point, becuase not only is the addiction of cooked foods strong, the body must detox or remove all the impurities and build up that maintains the body cravings and discomfort. I say find a good market where you can stock up on fruit and plan on eating as much as you want for the next 6-8 weeks. Included avacado and eliminate any nuts and seeds for maximum wieght loss. I would also say continue your education, learn about detoxing and minerals, and eating for balance and , food combining. You must be willing to change and take the journey to "Perfect Health". The ship leaves port when you make the comittment, and it never arrives, but what a journey I am having.
when I started i wondered how much I could lose becuase as most people over wieght you want to lose it today, and with little effort. Well that didn't happen but I lost on average 20lbs per month for the first three months. Is that motivation for you. Good Luck, and enjoy the Journey.

[lily]

Very helpful and inspiring to see this thread again...

lily

[RawNut]

got a used book of Alissa's roaming around?? I am very thin on finances and surely would love to read her book.. but can not afford to get one right now.

You might want to try Froogle (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?num=30&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2005-09,GGGL:en&q=%22Living%20on%20Live%20Food%22&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wf)
I see one there for $9.99.

No one seems to want to give them up. There were no used books at Amazon or on Ebay, only resellers on Ebay.

RawNut

Edited to add: Oops! It looks like froogle needs to be updated as it points to Amazon. Someone must have already snatched that deal up! I also edited my signature. I had "RawNUN" there...LOL!

[Lay-Lay]

i have a quick question about weight loss. i know that a lot of people say that it doesn't matter how much you eat of raw, you will lose weight. i am far skeptical of this simply because of come from a BIG history of calorie coutning and such. i've heard of a lot of people not losing weight in the beginning of raw, but then after a bit, it comes off fairly quickly. do you think this is just because they are raw? i have also heard that over time, you eat less on raw. would that be the reason why people lose so much weight? i just wondered if you ate a lot, all raw, if you would still lose weight or just stay the weight you are. i guess i am asking if you think the big weight loss comes from just being raw or from the fact that as you are raw, you seem to need less food. lol. ok....maybe i'm asking if when i'm gonna see a decrease in appetite. haha. actually, i already feel less of an appetite. so i guess i am kind of answering my own question. have you all noticed a loss in appetite? or is it not everyone that experiences this? ok....this seems to be all over the place. lol. i'll stop now. i'm confusing myself.

In my case I lost 20 pounds the first months and then the rest took time. I no longer believe in counting fat or calories or anything for that matter. Somedays I will have 1-3 avocados, nuts and seeds and other days I have hardly any. I did notice a decrease in the amount I ate after 2 weeks. I no longer had to have 3 meals everyday and snacks. I do whatever I feel. If I need to eat I eat, If I feel like eating I eat, If I want to eat I eat. If I don't want, need, or feel like eating I don't.

May I suggest a few things:

1.Make your food pretty

2. Don't count anything

3. Love and enjoy your food

4. In the beginning prepare your meals ahead of time

5. Eat to live and live your life, not your food