Is it normal not to lose weight in the first month?

[RedOrchid]

I've been 70-100% raw for a month and I've had detox symptoms, but no weight change? What does this mean?

[rawxanne]

Are you quite slim anyway? If so, this could be why you'v had no weight change. But I would have thought that you would'v atleast lost some fluid or something??! :confused:
I can only speak from my own experience ofcourse, but when I switch to raw I always loose some weight.
Unless maybe you ate lots of high calorie raw foods such as nuts??!
Hmmm :rolleyes:
I'm sure I've read other posts on here where people have had the same problem.
Sorry i cant help you more,


Freya

[codajess]

I was raw for most of 5 months and didn't lose an ounce, and I do have weight I'd like to lose. Then once I went back to cooked vegan, I gained 15 lbs in 2 months to get to the heaviest I've ever been. JOY! :D

[Mira Sheri]

I can only speak from my own, limited experience, but here goes: I went 100% raw on NYE, and lost 4 kg in the first 6 days (probably mostly fluids). It then took 8 days to lose another kg! So in total I have now lost 5 kg. I have 20 kg more to lose, so the weight loss isn't really that visible yet, but I certainly can feel it! I feel lighter and more energetic than I have been in years and years!

Could it be that you're eating too much fat? I have about half an avocado a day I guess, on average. And one brazil and a handful of almonds every day, plus pine kernels and some pumpkin and sunflower seeds on my salad. Apart from that, I just eat fruit/veg/leafy greens. I eat quite simply, so I haven't tried any recipies yet - the most complicated meal I have is a mixed salad! ;)

Just hang in there and I'm sure you'll get the results you want! :D

Good luck,

Mira Sheri.

[RedOrchid]

Let's see. I think the avacados might be where my problem lies. I usually have one or two a day to help with the cravings I'm having. They help me feel full, too.

I am overweight by about 60 pounds and could use the weight loss. I was mostly wondering because my boyfriend, who is naturally thin, has already lost almost 10 pounds. We've basically been eating the same things, but I probably eat more portion-wise because the gnawing feeling in my stomach really gets to me.

I think I will try cutting down on my fat intake. Thanks for your help.

[Purl]

exercise and fresh air is a very important componant to a raw healthy lifestyle. Are you do something, anything to get you moving everyday?

[DavidZaneMason]

Sure. You don't HAVE to count calories to lose weight....but deriving your daily caloric needs to maintain body weight....and then journaling how many calories you are taking in normally per day......can give you a good rough estimate of how efficiently you are going to lose weight. I can provide you with those links if you wish. Just let me know.

-David Z. Mason

[Bobbie]

I haven't lost any weight on raw food in 18 months.

[tvillemom]

Redorchid...I think it is more important to EAT in the beginning...just stay RAW...and try to get to 100%...it may be the 20% COOKED food that is keeping you from totally detoxing and loosing....
Also, when you go 100% RAW, your body will heal first, and loose weight second (at least in MY experience!)
I have a hard time loosing weight...and eating 100% raw, but having alittle soda a day (around 10 oz, I was addicted to caffeine) kept me from loosing even 1/2 lb. Once I got rid of the soda, in 4 days I dropped 3.5lbs. :eek: I was amazed that just that little "addiction" was keeping my weight UP.
Good luck...just eat raw, eat greens or green juice everyday....don't "fill up" on the fats..."fill up" on the veggies with ALITTLE fat! This should help.
Your body will get used to that "gnawing" feeling...when you are full on RAW, it is a different "full" feeling than cooked food. I realize that "full" feeling on bread and all my SAD favorites was really an unhealthy reaction my body was having to the stuff I was eating. Give yourself time...1 month is really not long.
God Bless
Wendi

[luckitri]

Your body is going through so many changes when you start. For me I bloated up. Also, your body will wish to hold onto as much nutrition for the hard times - it perceives the dramatic change in eating as possibly heading for a starvation period of scarce food - so it will try to store as much food as it can for future survival. Once it gets used to the fact that you still are going to feed it often - just different foods - then it will start releasing the fat. How long the average body takes to figure this out I do not know. My weight came off after I quit looking for it.

[RedOrchid]

All this information is sooooo helpful. I've been working on upping my juices and greens and staying raw. I've been really good, too, and I can feel it. My mental state is changing and I can imagine a brighter future for myself. It's like I've regained some of that youthful enthusiasm I lost when I got sick from the depo shot. Although I still haven't dropped any weight, my pants are much looser and I have the energy to get through my yoga classes and even have energy to walk afterwards. (That's never happened to me before!) I'm definitely learning so much from all of you on the board and view this as a life-changing experience, not just a way to lose weight. Although weight loss would be a big bonus.;)

Thank you all so much!!!

[adiamond]

I'm feeling pretty discouraged myself. I've read about 4 books on raw, and every one is filled with testimonials from folks who lost weight "immediately," 5 pounds the first week, 15 pounds the first month, 30 pounds in 2 months etc. Not to mentioned soaring with energy and sleeping better and all sorts of wonderful things, and not all of that was accomplished on 100% raw. A couple of the authors, in fact, advised against going 100% all at once but promised dramatic and quick results just the same.

I myself haven't lost a single pound, and I'm tired morning, noon and night. You're going to ask, so let me say that I feel fairly certain that I'm not over doing it on nuts and avocados, etc. In fact, I got turned off pretty quickly from all the nuts in the recipes, etc. I'm not even that crazy about avocados, so I may be eating one a week, if that.

I do realize that everyone is different and that "individual results will vary," and I try to take the "raving" testimonials with a grain of salt (not literally). After all, they wouldn't sell many books if they included testimonials from folks who lost nothing in 3, 6, 9 months. But I can't help but feel discouraged that I haven't had a single "positive" change since going raw. It's not just for vanity that I need to lose weight either; I have health issues that are being exacerbated by the 50 extra pounds I'm carrying around.

One side effect is that my bank account, however, has lost considerably. I was so excited to get going and gain all these wonderful benefits, I got a little carried away and bought a new juicer (Omega 2003) and dehydrator (Excalibur), the results of which have been a little underwhelming. Maybe I just haven't found my "zone" yet. Anyway, I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I do strongly believe this is a healthy way of eating, but losing a pound or to would surely make my day.

Okay, that's the end of my pity party. I'm off the kitchen to make me a big ole salad for dinner.

Thanks for giving me a place to rant. I'll be okay. :eek:

[RedOrchid]

Do you think it might just be detox that you are experiencing? I also have days where I am very tired, but I consider it all part of the journey and that makes it a bit easier. I'm also sore a lot and there are some days where I get way emotional over things that never used to get to me (tv commericals, songs on the radio, etc...). Going raw has made me want to implement change in my life, especially when it comes to the way I think. I come from a family of pessimists, so I'm trying to break some of those mental habits, which is a lot of the reason I haven't mentioned much about the negative things I'm experiencing. I'm just trying to stay positive, you know?

Have you noticed any improvements at all? I'm trying to hang on to the little things, because I think that eventually a lot of little things will add up to something big. I hope you start having a better experience and can take comfort in the fact that you are doing something awesome for your body. :)

[jendy]

I don't feel very seasoned enough to really say this with any authority, but I wonder if your body is getting enough fat? Maybe you need some Omega oils like flax oil or something, I'd say fish oil, but I don't think thats on the diet. :) I've read other places that some people need more protein from things like spirulina, bee pollen, etc, and some need more fat too. You could try it. I know I get weird if I go off my flax oil and Primrose Oil.
Jen