Are there any green smoothies that will help me lose weight?

[Bethanie]

I drink green smoothies a few times a week and i'm trying to get up to everyday.
I was just wondering if any greens that are added will help me lose my extra weight.
Since eating more raw i'm am seeing my body slowly changing shape:)
Beth

[Veganforlife]

Yes, green smoothies daily in addition to 100% raw daily will help your body get to its ideal weight.

[blacktulip]

from everything i've read, and noticed in my own raw journey, green smoothies are great for your weight loss goals. . . and also getting your fat mainly from avocados and olives, eating mostly fruits and veggies, and less nuts/seeds/dried fruit/dehydrated things that are higher in calories and/or harder to digest.

but definitely listen to your body and it's instinctual cravings. . . and enjoy!!!

[Biff]

but definitely listen to your body and it's instinctual cravings. . . and enjoy!!!

Everytime I see or hear something similar the above quote, I have to admit, I cringe. It is somewhat confusing because some people read this as, "oh, my body must have been craving some trace element because it told me to have a steak."

I fight cravings all of the time and know people who have been raw for many years who still sometimes get a craving for chocolate ice cream or whatever.

I know one gal when she was going raw she "listened to her body/cravings" and she had a bag of nuts everyday. And then she wondered why she was having trouble losing weight.

This is a popular saying on this board and in many raw books, so perhaps I the only one who cringes when they hear this.

For people who are tryingto lose weight, making a plan, shopping in advance - and not listening to your body with every craving is an easier path to shedding pounds. Smoothies are great because they are fast and easy to make. But if you eat tons of nuts/avocados, and other raw food fats - please don't think that adding a smoothie everyday will cause you to lose weight. If you are replacing a fatty meal with a smoothie, then yes, this will help you lose weight.

Perhaps I am wrong with my thinking here, as I have been wrong many times in my life. ;)

[Bethanie]

I'm looking for a smoothie that will be a good meal replacement Biff so if you know of one that will help me please let me know.
Thanks everyone.
B.

[Biff]

Bethanie,

Okay - I am sure many people will be able to help you out, and my smoothies change everyday. But you did ask for my suggestion. :)

Yesterday, I was craving a not too sweet meal, so I made the following organic smoothie:

1) 2 cups of water
2) 1 banana
3) 1 apple
4) 1/2 cup of blueberries
5) scoop of hemp seeds
6) 1 full bunch of lacitino kale - minus the stems

This lasted me about 4 hours before I was hungry again, and I was very satisfied. I also made one for my wife, and she loved this one. She has lost a lot of weight since going high raw, and she does have at least one smoothie a day.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Check this out - Valerie posts sometimes, too:

The Green Smoothie Experiment
One amazing woman is living off green smoothies exclusively and indefinitely!
Read more to chart her progress....
http://greensmoothieexperiment.blogspot.com/

[Shirleyh]

Try adding maca. It may help.

[vwinters]

Hi Bethanie,
You asked for a green smoothie that would be a good meal replacement. Green smoothies replace all of my meals. I’ve experimented with lots of different kinds of greens, fruits, and veggies in my green smoothies and I find going back and forth between sweet and savory green smoothies keeps me from getting bored. Savory green smoothies are my favorite. Here is a typical savory green smoothie recipe for me.

5 oz romaine lettuce
10 oz frozen mango
Juice from ½ lemon
¼ raw onion
3 cloves raw garlic
Few sprigs of cilantro
2 teaspoons of whole flax seed
2 cups filtered tap water.

I blend it in a blendtec blender and this would be one meal for me.

I have to say I kind of agree with Biff regarding listening to your body. Some people may be able to choose healthy foods by listening to their bodies but I believe that I have a food addiction and I don’t trust my cravings at all. All of my food choices are based on intellectual decisions. I’m trying to get results. I like green smoothies but if you put a green smoothie on buffet table with a large variety of food and told me to follow my cravings I doubt I’d select the smoothie. More likely I’d select bread of some sort.

Not only have I lost 71 pounds since the 1st of March, but my long standing and debilitating IBS symptoms have completely disappeared since I’ve been living on green smoothies.
VW
http://www.tagworldresources.com/Tagworld-Graphics/Animated-Emoticons/f1c7b2ccb53b7d3cbece229de6810a07.gif (http://www.tagworldresources.com/TagWorld-Graphics/Tagworld-Animated-Emoticons/TagWorld-Image-1292.aspx)

http://www.ketoforum.de/diet-ticker/pic/weight_loss/11398/.png (http://www.diaet-ticker.de)

[FirstGarden]

My mouth is literally watering reading all of these posts. I am presently smoothie "fasting." I am new to green smoothies and I really, really love them!

Lotsa great posts here on suggestions. As for weight loss, I'd say increase your veggie ratio to the fruit and other carby things. Push the envelope as much as your palette comfortably allows. I say that cuz TOO many veggies will not be very tasty. But fruit does go very far in covering the veggie taste. Also, WHICH vegs you use make a big difference. For instance, cabbage works great. And the organic baby spinach is great, but not so much the parsely. Experiment a lot.

The reason to max on the vegs is because most of them have zero fat and low or no carbs. You'll get plenty of carbs from fruit, and good nat fat from avocados. But for quicker weight loss, let the vegs dominate in the mix.

This would NOT be the best example, but is what I just made:

3 bananas
2 small oranges (organic from a neighborhood tree!)
Small qty of parsley
About 1/2 cup cabbage
Trader Joes Organic spring mix (baby spinach & red leaf lettuce)
A few apricot pit kernals

[Princess Elaine]

Bethanie, thanks for your post as with all the responses it gives me more information, too!!.....I have a few pounds to lose and only by reading posts like Bifs, thank you Bif, do I realize I'm not alone....

I'm one of those people that if I followed my cravings...YIKES!...last night at my Reiki group one of the gals was eating SAD pizza...it smelled good and yet I went with my bag of tangerines that I had brought....

We're all different and though some people on raw the weight flies off of them (their words, not mine)....I still struggle with those last few pounds...I exercise...I walk, do weights, cardio blasts...I definitely don't sit around wondering why it's not coming off ...

Green smoothies are great and like FirstGarden wrote...more veggies and less fruit...

I'm doing a lot better now knowing I can't eat nuts and seeds to satisfy me...I have addicted behavior and satisfying to me is overeating...

I do see the longer I stay raw food different foods do occupy more of my mind.

Together we share and learn and I appreciate that...I believe in all of you and know that what you have taught me so far has been true and I have faith that my extra pounds will come off when they're ready ...and I think they're getting ready now....

Elaine

[rawbeliever]

I'm currently consuming about 3 quarts of green smoothies per day. Here's my current favorite recipe:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh o.j.
2 cups spinach
1 cup parsley
1 cup cherries
1 cup mango
1 tablespoon ground golden flax seed
1 small banana or 1/2 of a large one

This lasts me about three to four hours before I'm hungry again.

best wishes, have fun!
Robbie

[rawnpawgirl]

Wow! That sounds awesome, Rawbeliever! And huge!

For some reason, I just don't really love the taste of parsley, particularly in green smoothies. I use it anyway about 1-2x/week just cuz it is so good for me!

Do you find there are any ingredients you don't love but still put in your G.S's just because they are power-packed with nutrients?

I also cannot stand the taste of dandelion, but I still juice it because it is so beneficial.

[Bethanie]

I asked my husband to get some organic romane lettuce and i have some spinach and mangoes, which one to try:) :)
I can't thank you all enough, with summer almost here and one can't keep covered up forever, i'm really excited and can't wait to try all the recipes out.
B.

[rawbeliever]

rawnpawgirl,

yup, that's why I started using dandelion & parsley. Because they are 1) mighty cheap & 2) so darn good for ya. I used to hate both them in my green smoothies. But now they've grown on me, and a smoothie seems kind of bland without the extra "zing" they give. Maybe start out with smaller amounts, say 1/2 cup, and work your way up?

Also, I'm not especially fond of flax seed, but I think the bit of fat helps keep me feeling full longer, and I don't really taste it in the smoothie.

[FirstGarden]

yup, that's why I started using dandelion & parsley. Because they are 1) mighty cheap & 2) so darn good for ya. I used to hate both them in my green smoothies. But now they've grown on me, and a smoothie seems kind of bland without the extra "zing" they give. Maybe start out with smaller amounts, say 1/2 cup, and work your way up?

I really had to back off on the parsley because the taste was so intense. But I'll try it again. I just added radishes & celery to my routine today. I couldn't taste the radishes in the mix, but the celery - whooooof! I overdid it, but I'm finding my way here. And it is sooo fun to experiment. :o

Earlier at lunch, I added a half clove of garlic to that smoothie. Uhhhh... not such a good idea. :cool:

Oh, just a footnote: parsely is awesome, and maybe you can't overdo it in a smoothie. But if you ever juice it, they say never to drink too much of its juice in one sitting. ;)