Help! Almost a month and I haven't lost any weight...

[emarti03]

This is my first post, though I've been using the forum for the amazing resource that it is. I have almost finished my 30 day challenge and I haven't lost a single pound. I work out 4-6 days a week. I have a feeling I'm not eating enough. Here's what I generally eat a day:

Breakfast: large bowl of mixed fruits
snack: green smoothie (2 bananas, apple, kale, spinach, water)
Lunch: Salad of spinach w/ avacado other veggies
snack: a couple pieces of fruit and juice (carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, apple)
dinner varies: raw pizza or guacamole w/ veggies or something out of alissa's book

I also find myself grazing on homemade granola (lots of nuts) and other raw food while I play in the kitchen making dinner the next day. Am I eating too much? Not enough? Do I need to switch things up? My energy is also not as high as I would like it. Someone please help. I've made it this far and I don't want to get discouraged. I can't imagine eating SAD food again, but I don't want to be tempted for pyschological reasons.

[RawChicky]

How has your body changed?

I you've been working out a lot, you my have lost fat and gained muscle, which would not effect the scale too much, you might even become heavier, but look thinner and more toned. Muscle weighs more than fat.

[jerseygirl1969]

#1: throw away your scale. there are better means of measuring your success. you can get body fat calipers or a measuring tape sold at fabric stores. These are better measures of your progress. If you are working out 5-6 days a week and not loosing any weight, you may be loosing fat and gaining muscle. Muscle is more dense than is fat, so you may be thinner, but weigh more.

#2: lighten up! don't be so hard on yourself. You are probably doing better than you even realize. Just stick with it and you'll soon reach your goals.

#3: how are your clothes fitting? are they loose? if yes, then you are getting leaner.

#4: what are your ultimate goals? to get thin, or to be healthy? Go with healthy.

You'll get there, just don't criticize yourself so much.

[emarti03]

Thanks for the support and advice! I try not to rely on my scale as a guage of progress. My clothes aren't any loser and my stomach is not as flat as is was. I seem to have a little more love around the handles. I do run, spin, and wight train so you're probably right about the muscles. I've made it this far so I'll keep my chin up, keep a positive outlook, focus on a healthy lifestyle, and everything will fall into place.

[jaurequi]

erika,

It takes some bodies longer to let go of weight. Everyone is different, so no one can give you a timetable. Some people drop it "all of a sudden" or "out of nowhere"; and others will drop it slowly and steadily (and everything in between).
So keep plugging along; it will happen. Just try to eat as 'whole foods' as you can. That may help to jumpstart you. Are you making green smoothies? Those are great for weightloss, especially if you focus on adding more greens than most recipes require.

Keep it up; you are doing so great already :)

Best,

[puffysmom]

Maybe cut back on the fruit a little and eat more greens. I dont lose very fast either and I know i prob do to many fruits and nuts. I am just working my way through it all so maybe u should do the same. I did lose some weight but it seemed the more greens I did the more i saw a loss.

I have a major problem with nuts. Once i start eating them i have no control for the rest of the day.

Lots of good fat but I need to lose another 50#s and will not if i dont watch it. Maybe u can modify a bit for a few days and see what happens. I know eating raw is healthy and eventually everyone will lose the weight even eating lots of fruit and nuts. I just dont want to wait that long and maybe u r the same.

[So Delightedly Raw]

. . . I have almost finished my 30 day challenge and I haven't lost a single pound. I work out 4-6 days a week.

Breakfast: large bowl of mixed fruits
snack: green smoothie (2 bananas, apple, kale, spinach, water)
Lunch: Salad of spinach w/ avacado other veggies
snack: a couple pieces of fruit and juice (carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, apple)
dinner varies: raw pizza or guacamole w/ veggies or something out of alissa's book

I also find myself grazing on homemade granola (lots of nuts) and other raw food while I play in the kitchen making dinner the next day. .

Hi emarti03,

This is what happened with me. I kept losing weight -- without wanting to -- when I was drinking green smoothies with a tiny amount of fat and lots of fruit.

Finally I started adding whole avocados or a tablespoon of coconut oil or nuts or nut butters to the smoothies. And Voila! I stopped losing weight.

I work out a lot also. The fruit green smoothies with spirulina give me loads of energy! :)

Good Luck! You'll work it out. ;)

[hypnocmt]

all great advice here

also, you may want to cut the intensity of your cardio somewhat. It seems to help your body to let go of excess fluid and fat. Maybe b/c excessive cardio or strength training can trigger stress hormones which in turn trigger calorie hoarding, (response to sress and impending famine).

Also less intense cardio may engage your muscles differently. Intense cardio uses fast twitch muscle which burns sugar, not fat. Lighter, but longer duration cardio uses muscle tissue which relies on fat for fuel., and keep you from bulking up. Although the calories in vs calories out equation is still relevant, changing the way you exercise and eat can affect the often neglected hormonal and body composition aspects of reducing weight and most importantly LEANING out.

eating a variety pf cleansing food like juicy fruits and green veggies with enzymatically intact fats is key. As you now know, a calorie is not JUST a calorie. Adding the cleansing properties of fruits and veggies, even without reducing other calories, may help do the trick. I sometimes think that up to a point, your food proportions, and how different nutrients balance one another, is as important, if not more so, than slight variation in your quantity of food. Sometimes adding food will get your body to bust thru a weight reduction plateau, b/c your body releases itself from famine/hoarding behaviors.

[SeaRose]

Remember, in eating this way, you are repairing your body on a cellular level. When you first start eating "clean", your body shifts it's energy from the large muscle groups, and moves to the internal organs to clean up and detoxify your liver, kidneys, digestive system, etc. This is why people who are detoxing feel so tired and weak. This is only for the short term, and your energy will come back.

During this time, cutting back on heavy exercise is a good idea. Stick with yoga, stretching, tai chi, etc. Give your body time to heal. The weight loss will come when your body is ready.

Also, your body will go through an "anabolic" stage. This is when many people complain about reaching a "tableau", and weight loss comes to a screeching halt. This happens when your body is building up new tissue, bone, etc, and is not getting rid of the old stuff fast enough. This too shall pass, as it is just a stage.

You are doing so many wonderful things for your body eating raw. Don't rush through it, give your body time to use it's own wisdom to heal itself as it sees fit. Make being healthy your number one priority, and the rest will follow!

[chriscarlton]

Do you believe that you can lose weight? We are told by so many people that we are all different from one anther. Some people are meant to be thin, some heavy. We are told that this trait, or that one, is in our genes.

I was convinced that I was just a product of my family tree. Now that I have my health, I am amazed to have broken the trend. I have lost 160+ pounds. If I start thinking the way I used to, I can gain 10-15 pounds in just a few days, even while practically living on green smoothies.

Let go of your old beliefs about yourself. And also believe in Raw Food. This is not just another diet. This is you finally eating only what is meant for you to eat.

Also a lot of weight is toxin storage. Our bodies store toxins as far away from our vital organs as it can. This is why we gain more around our bellys, thighs etc. and not as much near our chest where our heart and lungs are.

You body will begin to dump these toxins, but only when it feels safe that this change you have made is a permanent one. Be patient.

[punkspirit]

WOW SeaRose and Chris: Good explanations!:) So logical..

Thats btw the reason why I wouldnt be tooo afraid of streched skin getting too loose and hanging..
Because I think through the good things you give your body now and the lost toxines and the lost weight(grativtz plays a roll too) your body will be able to shape up!! The cells get frequently renewed with fresh, elastic, healthy vibrant cells...
I dont know about the time the skin needs to be COMPLETELY new...:confused: does anyone know more about that progress? I only know the liver is the fastest..

[SeaRose]

Totally true what Chris said about the toxins being stored in fat, esp. around the middle. That is where most of mine is, BTW :mad: . Anyway, I believe that this layer of "toxic fat" is what is prolonging my detox. Everytime some of it is dissolved away, it re-enters the bloodstream, causing more detox symptoms.

Ditto what Chris said about positive thinking, it is also hugely important! Visualize yourself healthy and in the shape you want to be in. You are doing fantastic things for your body, there is NO WAY this can fail!

I am not sure how long it takes for the skin to completely heal and regain all its elasticity. It will happen tho!

[Princess Elaine]

I'm into my 8th month raw, rarely do I have anything cooked and I haven't lost any weight...I did the first month and now that's back...at the beginning I know I was eating a lot of nuts and avocados...now, mostly green smoothies and salads....I feel great, energy is excellent, I just don't know what's up with hanging on to the weight.

I ate pretty good before raw so it isn't like I've had to do a major detox...in fact, I had few symptoms.

I don't wanna count calories, nor how could I with what I put into a green smoothie....I'm thinking...what's up????? ...I will continue with how I'm eating...I starting running 30 minutes every morning and did 14 days in a row and haven't lost a pound...I'm a massage therapist so I do a lot of physical work and will continue to add in cardio.

I'm at 143....5'2", 60 years old and quite fit....I have a realistic goal of 130 .

I will take your advice Chirs and perhaps I keep saying 'I'm stuck" and therefore I am....

I love this forum...and I thank everyone who participates.

Elaine

[emarti03]

Thanks for all the great advice and positive reinforcement. I, as well as others, I'm sure, need to hear it once in a while. Just out of curiousity...How big are the green smoothies people drink? And what size are the salads. I'm still used to SAD "portions." I know I should eat until I'm full and not eat when I'm not hungry. I'm just looking for references.

BTW, thanks for those great explanations. They really helped me put things in perspective. That's one of the reasons this forum is so great.

[punkspirit]

:) My experience is that I can just eat as much as I want! And I just do that!
On raw food it doenst really happen to me that I overeat... Maybe in the beginning but that is not really a problem... just eat... and dont stress about it... and since raw food is not addictive (in a negative way) you will soon learn how much you need and you will allways be able to stop coz you can eat as much as you want later anyway...

But I understand that youd like to have a thumb rule...

I think its very different from person to person how much they eat...
I unfortunately can not really help you coz I never count my food (was part of past eatingdisorders)
But I am sure you will get lots of advices here:D

[rawererin]

I agree with JerseyGirl, sometimes the scale really lies, take your measurements, and really follow how your clothes fit instead of a number. You may be adding muscle, muscle does weigh more than fat, and you could be working out too much, maybe your body is telling you it needs a rest. good luck though.