I know - Im beating a dead horse but...

[AliCat]

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO GAIN WEIGHT EATING THIS WAY!!!! <yes Im yelling :D > Ive actually googled "raw foods and weight gain" and NOTHING came up! NOTHING people! So how is it that this has happened for me? My body looks AWFUL!!! I have never in my life looked like this. Yes I started thin and today is actually my 30th day (yay me) but Ive gained 5 lbs eating this way?!?!? I am confused. In the first week I definitely indulged too much in the nuts and raw desserts so I seriously gave them up. I have fruit for breakfast, a big salad for lunch (onion, pepper, cucumber, avacado, celrey, romaine and carrot). I use dressing that I make from all raw (nama shoyu, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and fresh ginger) snack of fruit - usually 2 apples and dinner is usually the same as lunch.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

I have cellulite on my legs (FRONT AND BACK!) :eek: that I DID NOT have 30 days ago. I have exzema now on the left side of my nose and chin which I didnt have before and 5 extra pounds!

I know you guys are gonna say this is detox and I can believe that for the exzema but not the rest! Please someone reassure me cause Im seriously teetering going back to SAD :confused:

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi AliCat,

It does get frustrating doesn't it!!!! But it does take time to figure things out and to understand what is going on. You already understood that the Eczema could be detox. As for the weight gain, I would cut out all nuts for right now. My doctor told me not to eat more than 5 or 6 nuts a day - MAX. Also really limit the olive oil. I would try to keep the "fat" down for a few weeks and see how you are doing. Not everyone can eat all the nuts and oils (although I hear coconut oil does help with weigh loss) they want and still lose weight. We each have our own metabolism. I know I can't eat very many nuts. As soon as I do, the weight creeps up. You'll just have to experiement. Try to get at least 15 minutes of sun a day to get your Vit. D. Get some exercise. Get plenty of rest. Drink good pure water. Every little bit you do will add to your well being. Just don't give up. Make some changes and report back in a couple of weeks and see if the weight gain stops. (Now losing is another thing. It may take a while for you to start to lose, then again it may not).

[daisyduke]

So sorry to hear that this is happening to you. Your body might just be working on other things right now (like getting rid of cancer or illness that you didn't even know you had). It might take awhile for the scale to move back down. I've been stuck at my current weight for several months. It's even gone up a bit, even though I strictly follow 811 and exercise like crazy. I just know that what I'm doing is the best for my health and that keeps me going. Please don't give up! I understand your frustration though.

[lissomllama]

Ali-cat your body is going through a major adjustment and detox. Lots of people hold onto and gain weight for a little while because the body is so shocked by the change.

In time the weight will come off and you will also shed a lot of toxins. But you have to wait it out if you want the real results. It may take a few months, even. Try not to get angry. Anger and stress will only make you hold onto weight even more. Just don't think about it. It will go away. Work out, drink lots of water. Eat fresh, raw foods in simple forms and learn from the healing process.

I hope you feel better soon. You know this is the way you were meant to eat and live so obviously it will only bring good, once you've detoxed and adjusted.

[Guppy]

Ali, how frustrating. I hear ya, I really do! I would listen to what the wise minds here say. You could also plug your food into fitday just to do a check on your total calorie level. Might shed some light if calories are too low, OR too high? Not sure about the magically appearing cellulite! Do you workout?? Also, if you were thin and you only gained 5 lbs, my guess is that you are still pretty thin :) Try to relax, put away the scale, get some exercise and let your body take care of it.

Best wishes,
emily

[rawfigure]

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO GAIN WEIGHT EATING THIS WAY!!!! <yes Im yelling :D > Ive actually googled "raw foods and weight gain" and NOTHING came up! NOTHING people! So how is it that this has happened for me? My body looks AWFUL!!! I have never in my life looked like this. Yes I started thin and today is actually my 30th day (yay me) but Ive gained 5 lbs eating this way?!?!? I am confused. In the first week I definitely indulged too much in the nuts and raw desserts so I seriously gave them up. I have fruit for breakfast, a big salad for lunch (onion, pepper, cucumber, avacado, celrey, romaine and carrot). I use dressing that I make from all raw (nama shoyu, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and fresh ginger) snack of fruit - usually 2 apples and dinner is usually the same as lunch.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

I have cellulite on my legs (FRONT AND BACK!) :eek: that I DID NOT have 30 days ago. I have exzema now on the left side of my nose and chin which I didnt have before and 5 extra pounds!

I know you guys are gonna say this is detox and I can believe that for the exzema but not the rest! Please someone reassure me cause Im seriously teetering going back to SAD :confused:

Cellulite should not appear in 30 days...maybe something you are eating is having you retain fluid under the skin. 5 pds will not create cellulite. Cellulite is damaged cells (albeit more technical than just that..), takes time to happen.So for most people it just creeps up on slowly alittle at a time and then BAM one day they notice it and think it was not here yesterday day when in fact...may have not noticed it to this point..

If you were already thin I would need FREAK out about 5 pds, take action now and it will shed off fast.

As someone pointed out everyone is differert. I am one of those who cannot live by"as long as it is raw.." I seriously curtail the fats, nuts, avo's, no extracted oils, and no nama shoyu. I bloat up like there is no tomorrow. If you are eating that twice a day I would say 2-3 pds is water retention. So change the foods you are eating and see what happens !!

[Sharon in Colorado]

It doesn't sound like your fat content is very high, but you might want to play around with subbing the oil in your dressing, for orange juice perhaps.

It is just one more thing that may be keeping you from losing, oil is a concentrated pure fat.

What is your activity like? Water rich food intake?

[pinkglttr]

To lose weight, most suggest eating 8-10 times your body weight. Try to monitor your caloric intake using a journal and see if that helps.

www.calorieking.com

[luckitri]

My weight has been up and down. Overall I have only lost 5 pounds since starting raw.

[romanticsnet]

There has been plenty of testimony from others on this board about the weight not coming off for a few months, and then whoosh... it melted off faster than they could have imagined. For now, concentrate on the miraculous alive feeling of being raw, and concentrate on other parts of your life. Take notice of the little changes and things around you, practice deep breathing, take time to exercise, and get to bed when your body says it's time. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses. :)

[Brianna]

I can easily gain weight, no matter what regimen I'm doing. I can gain weight on raw. If I eat too many nuts, avocados, and oils, I can gain weight easily, or if I eat high fat and high sugar, I can gain weight. In the past I've found that I can lose weight easily if I cut out either most fat or most sugar, but I can't have a high fat and high sugar diet. Raw desserts are killers for me. They make me gain weight like crazy. I also started having problems with candida which I had never had before when I was indulging in raw desserts. If you stick to the basics, you should not gain weight. Just watch the amount of fat you're eating.

[Dimond]

From what you wrote, it sounds like you're only eating 3-4 times a day. Try increasing to 5-6 times. Before raw, I was eating several small meals per day and found I lost weight just doing that alone. It's what I recommend first to anyone trying to lose weight regardless of their diet. It sounds crazy to eat more, instead of less, but it works. Most serious health & fitness experts do this.

[pinkglttr]

I tried to eat more meals but then it got to where I was just snacking and I felt weird if I wasn't eating. Cutting out snacks was the best thing for me, just eating three meals a day. If you can eat more often, it does raise your metabolism slightly, but I couldn't handle it. I always had food on my mind! haha

So, now I'm eating less overall by eating meals only.

[StudentforLife]

I understand. I have the metabolism of a turtle. Since I am very new to this and I am still learning how to succesfully combine raw foods for a complete diet, I know it will take quite some time to see results.

I've never been a thin person, but I've never been obese either. Even before I knew the raw food diet existed I decided to lose weight after high school by going on weight watchers point system. It took me about a year to lose 25 pounds. Of course after i met my fiance I gained half of it back,(love can do that to a person), but it took a very long time to do so.

This is just an example of my metobolic quirks.

I would have to chime in with the rest of the bunch and say "DON'T LOSE HOPE!" Just think of this as the ultimate test and instead of feeling like the one being attacked become the attacker. Having the right mentality is really crucial in this life style, and i know for me that that is going to take a long time to achieve.

We're all behind you 110%

[AliCat]

Helen - YES! It is frustrating. Ive done all you said except maybe drink p ure water. Ive just been drinking filtered water...is there a difference?

daisy - how is it doing 8-1-1? Im a bit confused about it. I should do a search casue a lot of people have said they are doing that.

lissomllama - you are so right. as much as Im frustrated I really dep down know that this is the right path for me. I just have to learn patience and have faith. Thats hard for me...Im working on it ;)

Guppy - yup I work out as much as I can. I have chronic horrible back pain so some weeks I dont work out enough but it cant be helped. Fitday is a great idea - thanks

Doe - Im definitely not eating raw comfort food. I have been as close to 100% raw as I can. I mean that I found out after the fact that certain things were not raw even thought they claimed to be etc.. I think I agree with you on the nuts and oils and I think I will try to squeeze an orange on my salad instead of the dressing. I am SURE that its not really cellulite but water retention. It came on too suddenly. Also - thanks for the link to the post about detox - very interesting

Rawfigure - I totally agree about the salt/water retention. Im just wondering althought the orange juice on salad is a good idea I can see it getting old fast. I love avo's so Id rather give up all other fats to still eat one a day ;)

Sharon - I think my fat is at a good amount. I have 1 to 2 avo's a day and dressing on salad at lunch and dinner. My activity is good most weeks but like I said above I have an awful back condition which doesnt always let me work out. I have a 3 year old so you KNOW Im not sitting around all day. I try ot work out 5 days a week on my elliptical. Min 30 min's but I try for 45. Any more and Im laid up with my back out. I do light weight every other day for my yupper body. Im just not starting to work out my legs again. Its been a long time but again my back situation ruined that for me too. I am a personal trainer but I havent worked since my sons born.

Pink - 8 to 10 times my body weight... if im 135 thats 135 x 10 = 1350. I wold say thats about where I am.

romanticsnet - I am doing that. I think my faith in this is what keeps me on the path...I would have folded long ago.

Brianna - what is the amount of fat I want to eat?

Gilmore - Hmm, breakfast, lunch, snack (sometimes 2) , and dinner/dessert. I am not a morning eater. I like to workout on an empty stomach so I wind up eating breaky at 10 - 10:30. Lunch at 12:30, snack at 2 and 4 (apples?) and dinner at 6:30. I really couldnt add another meal :)

Pink - I ALWAYS have food on my mind! :D

Studentforlife and all of you - thanks SO MUCH for all you kind and supportive words! It means so much to me.

[Dimond]

Just eating an earlier breakfast can change your whole metabolism. There's a good reason why they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

[AliCat]

I know you are right but I really cant. I wake up with my son and have to get him off to school by 8:25. then I come home and work out...when Im done I eat breakfast and then shower. its usually 10 am by the time I eat. I also literally will throw up if I eat too early. Im not sure why but Ive always been like that?

[sungoddess]

I had the same thing happen. I was about 115 lbs on a 5'5" frame, and went up to about 120 when I started raw. I overdid the nuts at first, so I tried to just eat fruit, and overdid that. I was simply just overeating, however raw. I hve been 48 days raw (...wow... i dind't even realize that) with only a few accidental slip ups (cashews, maranatha "raw" nut butter etcetera) and I have finally been focusing on my emotions. I decided to chill out about the weight, no more scale, no more intense self examination. I gave myself over to joie de vivre. I stopped beating myself up about it and started repeating affirmations over and over about how thin and healthy I was. I repeated a weight in my head that was lower than my actual weight. And I also focused on how I was am a "conscious and intuitive eater" (because I have problems with stress eating) , and after only a few days I am seeing a difference. I do not tell myself that I am going to limit the fat, if I want it I eat it. But being overly full is a big nono for me. I really wish you the best of luck. This journey is so frusterating (my skin is even more frusterating than my weight) But believe in what you are doing, tell your body and the universe that you know this is right, and they will agree. Cheers!

[chilove]

Hello there,

If you are eating 1-2 avos per day AND oil on your salad for lunch and dinner, you are eating A LOT of fat. Use fitday to track your food intake and you will be surprised at how high the percentage of fat in you daily diet! If you want to lose weight you should drastically reduce your fat intake. Focus on filling up on fruit instead.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[AliCat]

sungoddess - thats exactly how I feel. Most of the time I try to just reaffirm that I am healthier. like you Ive been 100% (minus the slip up that were also not intentional) but for 34 days (yay me). I guess its that so many posts I read say "oh Ive had 5 bananas today just for a snack" or "I ate 4 grapefruits for lunch" etc... I guess you get it in your head that you shuldnt count but maybe I should. If I was used to eating fried chicken or bugers before switching to raw I bet I wouldnt have thsi issue but I actually ate less calorically before this. A lot of salad and egg whites. Lean salmon or talapia and the occasional yogurt. Thats it. no nuts or avo's etc... I think I will stop buying nuts and Avos for awhile. maybe that will help. I still need ideas for low fat dressings though.

Audrey - I signed up for fitday today ;) thanks

[Sharon in Colorado]

Yes, I agree with Audrey. The avocado isn't so bad because it's a whole food, but the olive oil is a concentrated fat.

If you have 2 whole avocadoes and 2 tablespoons of oil a day then you are eating approximately 92 grams of fat.

Just a suggestion...maybe, do 1/2 avocado in each salad, and eliminate the oil, you'll be down to 30 grams. Of course, make up for the lack of calories with extra fruit and veggies and you should be great. :)

I know quite a few folks on here can eat all the fat they want and never gain, but not everyone can do that.

[AliCat]

I think for awhile Im gonna just give up avo's and try to drop this weight. I also think Im gonna try to figure out my meal ahead of time and count cals...just for now. I know Alissa said not to do that but look where thats brought me...10 (or more maybe) lbs heavier. Wish me luck :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

Yes - not everybody can "eat what they want as long as its raw"...I can't have a lot of fat because of my high cholesterol. It doesn't go down enough on a high fat raw diet.

You don't have to eliminate ALL your fat intake, just reduce it. A little bit is okay.