help !=]

[new york]

so I started raw today...
and I'm so glad of starting and very excited too :p
I just want to know a couple of things ( I'm sure they've been asked before and answered but i couldn't find them =[ )

ahem.. lol

Is losing more than 2 pounds a week healthy ?
Is this water weight ?
How long will it take for the weight loss to be visible ?
Does this weight come off and stay off or is it like fasting that it comes back since I read your body goes into detox mode ?
Do I have to eat nuts to be completely raw ?
& how do you vary your foods ?
how much weight do you lose a week?
your hair, skin, nails does it really look healthy and how long did it take ?
how has raw worked for you ?

a lot of questions i know
I'm just so curious & excited, I plan on sticking to veggies since I saw that video "meet your meat" :(

thanks ! kat . ;) :cool:

[new york]

:( .........

[konmai]

I'm no expert and started RAW over the summer. I definitely love it b/c of the energy it gives me and how more focused I am on things. Overall, I just feel more than just good on RAW. :D

>>Is losing more than 2 pounds a week healthy?
I don't think it matters as long as you feel healthy!

>>Is this water weight ?
I think it's very likely if it's 2++ lbs per week.

>>How long will it take for the weight loss to be visible ?
It seems that other people are able to notice the weight loss in us more so than ourselves. In my extreme case, on my first day, my friend asked me if I lost weight. We see each other all the time.:rolleyes: I think it varies....

>>Does this weight come off and stay off or is it like fasting that it comes back since I read your body goes into detox mode ?
It may fluctuate on RAW as your body is going to adjust to your healthy weight which also varies for everyone.

>>Do I have to eat nuts to be completely raw ?
No. You don't have to eat nuts!

>>& how do you vary your foods ?
Well, I'm sure others will have lots of input about this one. I like it simple -- mono meals for me!

>>how much weight do you lose a week?
not sure. I don't use the scale.

>>your hair, skin, nails does it really look healthy and how long did it take ?
FOREVER! j/k... I never really did keep track, but my hair & skin seems to smell good naturally w/o perfume, etc.... Or so people say. Depends on what you eat.

>>how has raw worked for you ?
WONDERFUL!

[juliebove]

It might be best if you just bought the book. I can only answer for me. And I'm not typical. I have diabetes and a variety of other medical problems so my body is hardly what I'd call typical.

With weight loss, generally the more overweight you are the faster the weight comes off, at least in the beginning. Standard medical stuff says that the most amount of weight to lose per week for optimal health is 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. Of course this does not apply to those who might be classified as grossly obese because they will tend to lose more rapidly in the beginning. The reason for this is that rapid weight loss has been linked to gall bladder problems.

For some people, I'm sure the first 10 pounds or so of weight lost is excess water weight. For me this wouldn't be the case. I take a diuretic so I don't have any excess water weight to lose.

You may or may not go through detox. I don't seem to have but then... I am not 100% raw. And my diet was already pretty high in raw vegetables when I started this.

Presuming you stay on this diet (diet meaning way of eating and not just a weight loss plan) for life your weight should stablize at what your body thinks is optimal.

Of course if you treat this only as a means for weight loss and go back to eating the cheesy pizza or whatever it was you ate before, you'll undo all the good you did while on this diet.

As for the hair/skin/nails, my nails were really good to start with. Skin and nails became more glowing within the first few days of adding raw coconut oil to my diet. This also stepped up the weight loss. This more than anything else, I think has helped me.

I do eat nuts or seeds every day. Some people do not. Some people can't either because they are allergic or for some reason they do not metabolize them well. If you are worried about the fat in the nuts making you fat, it doesn't work that way on the raw diet. Or if for some reason you find they are not working for you, then try limiting yourself to a handful per day.

I don't really vary my foods a lot but for me this is not a problem. I tend to eat the same foods day after day and then after a while I'll get burned out on them and eat something else. I am a picky eater and I also have food allergies and medical issues that affect what I eat.

I do try to eat a rainbow of foods every day. I find this is the best way to get all the nutrients I need. This morning I ate a whole small pink grapefruit for breakfast along with some of the "Reminds me of crazy bread" stuff from Rawkinlocs recipe.

I didn't eat anything for lunch. Ate an early dinner because I was getting hungry. Had more of that "Reminds me of crazy bread" stuff and quite a lot of celery. I love celery! Also had a couple of non raw things.

I will have a snack before bed. I normally eat one around 11:00 p.m. (I'm a night owl) to keep my blood sugar stable through the night. It is usually a farily carby snack and might not be raw.

Since I did eat an early dinner and I do plan on working out later tonight, I might feel the need to eat again before my snack. So I'll probably have some nuts and maybe some more raw veggies or some coconut.

Because of my diabetes, I used to have to weigh or measure all of my food. I had to watch every bite to make sure I didn't get too many carbs, too much protein, too much fat. Now the only thing I have to watch is the carbs. I generally don't have to measure anything unless I am following a recipe. I did eyeball that grapefruit I had for breakfast and opted to eat the whole thing rather than 1/2 like I usually do because it was small.

If I eat lentil or chickpea sprouts, I'll have a handful. I might have an ear of corn, or less if I'm having other carbs. I watch my fruit intake. If you don't have diabetes you probably won't have to do these things. If you're a long time dieter you might have a hard time at first at least psychologically with this diet because you'll feel the need to want to weight or measure or add up or eliminate or whatever you're used to doing. But for most people that really isn't necessary on this diet.

You may find you want to limit yourself on some of the dessert type things. I'm not much of a dessert person. I tried making some of these things and at first couldn't understand why I wasn't as excited about them as some of the other people seemed to be. But then I thought about it and realized that I've never been much of a dessert person. Perhaps it is because my parents are perpetual dieters and dessert wasn't something we had very often in our house. Or perhaps it is just my taste buds. For me, a bite or two of this stuff once in a while is nice but not really something I feel I need or want.

I also don't have a taste for smoothies or nut milks. But I've never liked any of your typical milks. Not cow, goat, rice, soy or even standard nut milk. I've never liked fruit juice either or really anything that is overly sweet. That's just me.

You would eat those foods you want to eat. That's how this works.

I also get a box of organic produce each week. It helps me to save money and in a way forces me to try foods I might not ordinarily try. When I go to the grocery store I buy the same things each week. Peppers, celery, carrots, onions, salad greens, and the fruits my family eats. With the box I am eating different kinds of greens, beets, cauliflower and other foods I really do like but would never think to buy. Works for me!

[Pierre]

Does this weight come off and stay off or is it like fasting that it comes back since I read your body goes into detox mode ?
For me, it stays off. I hit 65 at the beginning of this month and am now around 66.

Do I have to eat nuts to be completely raw ?
No, but some people will think you are nuts :p

& how do you vary your foods ?
I eat differently in summer than I do in winter. I eat lots of Brassica (mostly Chinese broccoli but I vary it) and olives, but in summer I eat a lot of lettuce and avocados. They have peaches (from Chile) at the store now, but I don't eat them. I wait until the peaches are ripe here.

how much weight do you lose a week?
It varies widely. I've been stuck at 66 for a few weeks; before that I generally stayed at one weight for two or three weeks, then lost some.

your hair, skin, nails does it really look healthy and how long did it take ?
My nails have been breaking off like crazy, but those nails were formed four or so months ago. They may be weak because I was detoxing back then. My hair is stuck around 65 cm. When the hair growing now reaches where the tips are now... :)

[new york]

Does this weight come off and stay off or is it like fasting that it comes back since I read your body goes into detox mode ?
For me, it stays off. I hit 65 at the beginning of this month and am now around 66.

Do I have to eat nuts to be completely raw ?
No, but some people will think you are nuts :p

& how do you vary your foods ?
I eat differently in summer than I do in winter. I eat lots of Brassica (mostly Chinese broccoli but I vary it) and olives, but in summer I eat a lot of lettuce and avocados. They have peaches (from Chile) at the store now, but I don't eat them. I wait until the peaches are ripe here.

how much weight do you lose a week?
It varies widely. I've been stuck at 66 for a few weeks; before that I generally stayed at one weight for two or three weeks, then lost some.

your hair, skin, nails does it really look healthy and how long did it take ?
My nails have been breaking off like crazy, but those nails were formed four or so months ago. They may be weak because I was detoxing back then. My hair is stuck around 65 cm. When the hair growing now reaches where the tips are now... :)

I weigh 130 and i'm 54
if i go 100% raw how long will it take to lose 20 pounds ? :(
i'm tired of feeling unfit all the time :( :(

[bittersweet]

I had your exact stats-

I ate tons of fruit, and as much veggies as I wanted, drank plenty of water and ate some raw seaweeds, and a little bit of added fats (1/4 avocado OR 2 Tbs. seeds OR 2 Tbs. nuts) every day for two months and got down to 104, then, without increasing my food intake, mt weight went up to 110 (but I remained almost the same size- just got sturdier. I think I gained some muscle.) Two years later- I am 105-108 in the summer and 108-116 in the winter, but my clothes always fit. For me, not eating much raw fat (I don't eat any overt fats anymore, exceot for a little avocado once or twice a month, and some durian about once or twice a month as well) and no added salts (the seaweed is salty, so rince it and don't eat too toooo much) was the way to go.

But that's just me. Do what works for you.
Get plenty of sleep. I think that sleep does wonders for your body.

[new york]

I had your exact stats-

I ate tons of fruit, and as much veggies as I wanted, drank plenty of water and ate some raw seaweeds, and a little bit of added fats (1/4 avocado OR 2 Tbs. seeds OR 2 Tbs. nuts) every day for two months and got down to 104, then, without increasing my food intake, mt weight went up to 110 (but I remained almost the same size- just got sturdier. I think I gained some muscle.) Two years later- I am 105-108 in the summer and 108-116 in the winter, but my clothes always fit. For me, not eating much raw fat (I don't eat any overt fats anymore, exceot for a little avocado once or twice a month, and some durian about once or twice a month as well) and no added salts (the seaweed is salty, so rince it and don't eat too toooo much) was the way to go.

But that's just me. Do what works for you.
Get plenty of sleep. I think that sleep does wonders for your body.
thanks! this gets me more motivated <3
hmm seaweed... how does that taste :confused:

[Pierre]

There are different seaweeds, and they taste different. My favorite is dulse, which I add to salads.

I weighed 81 kg at the beginning of last June. I've been close to 66 since December. I'm 1.51 m tall.

[bittersweet]

I love wakame, nori, whole-leaf laver, and dulse.

I have some delicious recipes if you'd like me to share them. I could also recomend brands and sources for buying them. I got some from www.seaveg.com which is a great site, they tell you what is raw and what is not, and they also test for pollutants, etc. They don't have wakame though, which is my all-time favorite. If there are any Asian markets around you- you can check there, though you should be aware that seaweeds coming from asia are more likely to have pollutants in them. Whole Foods sells seaweeds too, just make sure you read the package to make sure that they are not cooked.

[konmai]

Nori is great to wrap veggies in -- taste fantastic!!! :D