Dilemma

[veggie]

Here's some history about me first of all...I've recovered from being severely underweight, but now I'm slightly overweight. I gained probably about 60 pounds. I've had major issues with food allergies, and raw is the best thing that's happened to my body.
OK, here's my dilemma...I've realized that the reason I'm not losing weight(which really needs to come off) is due to the fact that I'm consuming a large amount of avocados and nuts and dried fruit.
However, I notice that when I eliminate these things I have issues with my teeth being ultra sensitive and can't think as clearly and become fatigued.
So, do I continue on this high fat path or is there a better way to reduce the sensitivity and still maintain the energy level?
I've chosen the raw lifestyle for all of the benefits, not just weight loss, but I feel that in order to be more healthy at this point, some of this excess weight needs to leave.
Any suggestions :confused:

[Tombi]

However, I notice that when I eliminate these things I have issues with my teeth being ultra sensitive and can't think as clearly and become fatigued.


Why not find a balance? One where you will be satisfied by eating the things you enjoy just enough where it will not harm you. Maybe you don't have to totally eliminate those foods just figure out how much is harmful to you. ;)

[sport]

I feel that in the beginning you must eat what you enjoy and what makes you feel good or you will get discouraged.
The weight loss will follow when your body is ready for it.

[veggie]

Thanks, Tombi. My problem is that when I start eating the fats, I want more. So, it's been difficult to find that balance. I will have to exercise some more self control, though :)

Sport, thanks for your words of wisdom. That makes sense. I'm sure my body will just shed it off when it's ready.

Do you think that it's unhealthy to eat to many of the fats, though for overall health? Paul Nison lectures that we are all eating too much fruit and fat, and that we would be much better of with a diet filled with veggies and low sugar fruits such as tomatoes and cucumbers. He said that some of his good raw friends ended up sick or unhealthy because of overconsumption of fruits and fats.

[sport]

Paul Nison lectures that we are all eating too much fruit and fat, and that we would be much better of with a diet filled with veggies and low sugar fruits such as tomatoes and cucumbers. He said that some of his good raw friends ended up sick or unhealthy because of overconsumption of fruits and fats.
Like everything else in life you must walk before you can run. I have been raw for 10 months but I feel that I am not ready to take that step yet. I expect that it will take me another 2 years to get to that point.
If you can get there sooner then that will be great but if you try too fast then you may get discouraged.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

I'm not real certain on this, but I'm wondering if the fats in the avocados are different than those in nuts.

Serene Allison wrote in her book:

"Avocados: This wonderful food is rech in essential fatty acids and incredibly high in vitamin E. It is a super food. During my last pregnancy I gained onliy 12 pounds and yet I ate up to three and four avocados a day. The baby weighed a healthy 8 pound . . . They are not fattening like most people think as they provide an essential natural fat that our bodies crave and know how to deal with. When a natural fat is eaten raw, it contains its own fat digestin enzymes, so our body can easily assimilate it with ease."

I'm wondering if you cut back the nuts and dehydrated foods but continue to eat your avocado if you will notice less fatigue and your teeth will be less sensitive. You'll just have to experiment and see if something like this might work.

[squidly]

I find that dried fruit make my teeth sensitive so I would try cutting back on it. Dried fruit should be what I call a 'sometimes foods' in that it should not make up the basis of your diet as it is deviod of water content, hihgly concentrated in sugars and often not raw anyway - but that is my opinion.

Eat as much fresh as you can and use fats as a topping on foods not the substance maybe e.g. salad with some avocado, veggie sticks with small amount of nut sauce, green smoothies with no fat.

You could also try coconut and see how that reacts with you as a fat but once again just don't eat it all as a meal - add some to a smoothie to make it more filling.

If oyu like bananas how about adding more of them as they are filling without all the fat

Good luck

[PhoeniX]

Hello veggie,

If you were severely underweight then it is possible that your body has put on the extra weight because it is afraid of some future famine, or perhaps it needs some extra weight in order to help heal you in some way from having been underweight. I have heard that when people are in famine the body does its utmost to protect from losing weight so then when food returns it stores as much as it can.

You said that you were severly underweight and that now you are slightly overweight. When I first read your thread I had the thought that you were about 60lbs overweight, but that is actually the amount that you have gained. What is slightly overweight?

It may not be a problem with self control. It may be that your body is demanding fats because it needs them.

You would know much better than I since you will know how long it has been since you have been underweight and how long how long your body has had to heal.

Best wishes,
J

[veggie]

PhoeniX,

You have a point. I feel so much better now that I've gained weight and have incorporated more fats into my raw diet. Any time I try to eliminate the fats now, my body feels as though I need them. My body was really undernourished for about 3 years due to excessive exercise and not enough nutrition.
I do know, however, that overweight people are more at risk for health problems such as heart disease. That is my main concern right now, which is why I'm trying to lose some of this.
Thank you so much for your response, I really hadn't thought about it that way before.

Helen: Thanks for sharing that info about Avo's. At a lecture I attended this year, a doctor suggested that we eat 4 avos a day due to their alkalinity. It just doesn't seem to work for me, but maybe if I eliminate the nuts I may notice a difference.

Thanks, squidly for your input as well.