For those losing a lot of weight being Raw...

[menat]

Are you getting flabby in the process or toned? I lost 5 lbs in one week eating one meal but having two organic juice smoothies so far. I am just concerned about possible flabbiness. I will be doing Pilates daily for 45 minutes, running and dancing each 3x a week for at least 30 minutes and some arm free weights in order to be toned along the way.

How did it work for you?

[barose]

I felt my butt and thighs getting flabby during the first three weeks of raw. That was only because I couldn't workout due to the detox symptoms (headaches and dizziness). I was losing weight, but I was losing muscle due to lack of activity. Once the dizziness and headaches lifted, I was able to work out again.

When I have orange smoothies (or orange in my smoothies) I use the whole orange sans the peel if its not organic and with the peel if it is. I love orange juice, but prefer to use the whole thing.

[Coriander74]

I think as long as you keep up the exercise you'll be just fine. My first week I lost weight so fast that my body kind of went :eek: and I got a little flabbier. I didn't have energy to work out though and that's probably why LOL. You're doing great, keep it up!

[Douglas]

Been Raw for along time now. I lost alot too. But when I added the Green Smoothies I started losing a pound a day. Most everyday too. I only Had 4 days in a month I did not lose the pound a day. I lost one more pound today too. It has all pulled in really nice too. I do get on the treadmill everynight and have other machines I use too. Hand weights are great too. Or the bungie cords too. You just got to exercise and you will be ok. Doug in Calif 100 % Raw and loving it.:cool: :eek: :)

[samariah]

then u need to exercise otherwise you could be losing muscle which explains flabbiness.

[menat]

but I was wondering will the weightloss be too fast that even if you did exercise that your body can't "catch up".

[GoingtoRAW]

Along the same lines with the exercise...I have seen pics of people who have lost a lot of weight on raw and it seems like in a lot of cases the stomachs appear flat and the skin tight after the weight loss. Is that really possible after a big weight loss? Can anyone explain what happens to all the excess skin? I am asking because I know someone who has had bariatric surgery, lost over 150 lbs. and exercises and has a lot of excess skin. How is it possible that the people in the pics I've seen have tight skin? Is it the raw diet that makes the difference?:confused:

[rande]

if you look up pics of angela stokes, she lost a LOT of weight being raw and i've seen her in person and she looks AMAZING! certainly didnt have any loose skin. i've heard that on raw you're less likely to have any loose skin, i dont remember the reason.

[samariah]

Didn't she eat a lot of silica containing foods like cucumber that are great for helping the skin bounce back?

[Nurse in the Raw]

Your skin is the largest organ on your body. When you eat raw the mega nutrients you take in are going to positively impact your skin. Elasticity will improve, the skin gets tighter, that's why people actually look younger when they eat raw. This is also why the skin is able to shrink when dramatic weight loss is achieved.

People who have gastric bypass aren't absorbing their nutrients because the part of their intestines that absorbs nutrients is gone, hence the reason they have to take substandard supplements, only to absorb a very small amount of the nutrients that their organs have to subsequently share. Their skin as a result, does not quite get its share and thus sags, reflects a dull grayness and is lifelessness. Most are often very fatigued and don't have the energy to exercise.....not that it would help the skin problem though it may help them to retain muscle mass.

I personally know 5 people who have had gastric bypass and they all look very unhealthy, even years later. To me, they looked better fat. At 230 lbs (my highest), I was a candidate for gastric bypass but decided to go raw instead. I know now that I made the right choice and when I hear myself complaining about the produce prices, I always remind myself that compared to gastric bypass ($65,000 in my area), my huge basket of fruit costs just pennies.

[samariah]

and there is also the price of doing permanent damage to the body too. my dads boyfriend had gastric bypass and i dont think she looks necessarily bad but she always has to watch how much/what she eats, has to take certain medicines, and gets constipated frequently from the nature of what was done to her body during the procedure.

[lavendarJ]

menat-
at first i was worried because i lost my first 40 pounds in two months when i first embraced raw. i was exercising like crazy too (strength and cardio)..now that i am almost at a total weight loss of 100 pounds...it seems things are on the up...eating healthy as we do has to be the difference (when compared to someone who loses that much due to an operation)...those live enzymes are the key...even with all of that, my tummy was really flabby at first and i was like getting panicked but when i think about it at my heaviest weight, most of my weight was centred around the middle and my stomach was always very hard and tight (constipation)..then i lost those first forty and now (almost 10 months later) that my tummy area has noticeably changed. I don't have a 6-pack (don't know if I want one actualy) but I can see the definition first the first time and that's exciting. I'll be happy to have it a little bit flatter. I'm going to keep working out and eating live foods and trust that my tummy will bounce all the way back...now there is only a little tiny jiggle but I think as the weight loss continues this will take care of itself...i do think that weight loss can be too fast whether it's raw or whatever (40lbs is a lot for two months, but hey, all i did was eat live foods and exercise-never happened when i used to exercise but still eat junk) but i think the advantage of eating raw is that we are eating live enzymes and they are going to go to work and address all the issues that need to be addressed in due time. My body has changed so much and I trust that it will know when to say when in terms of weight loss. I lost a lot of muscle initially but I see definition and am happy about that also, rebuilding healthier muscle. I am glad that my "booty" stopped disappearing on me and that I haven't had to go out and buy anymore underwear...I liked my backside before and would have kept it all if I could have just chiseled off the weight in other areas but that's what I call a tradeoff. I think that this first year of raw (August 1st anniversary) has been about my body healing and losing weight. I think over the next 6 months or so, I will rebuild muscle and get the definition that I am seeking- maybe sooner. I think your routine sounds great. I don't know how much weight you want to lose or if you want to lose but just keep eating, exercise and trust the process.

[paradiselove]

Hello Everyone,
I'm Paradiselove,
I have read this whole thread and I enjoyed it, it is so encouraging and I love encouragement. I myself have alot of weight lot lose "A WHOLE LOT" and it is good to hear about this way of life being a healer of flabby skin because I think I would have alot of it if I wasnt gona to do the RAW way of life. I known people who have had gastric bypass and they are happy because they are smaller, but no offense meant but you can still see the extra skin on their body then they have to have that removed,with the RAW way of life I wont have to worry about that! I'm not trying to get religious on you all but I actually feel as if this is the way the GOD intended for us to eat. I want to thank you for being so encouraging to me, I haven't gotten my book yet, I dieing waiting for it to come in....

THANK YOU ALL,
Paradiselove:)

[lavendarJ]

Hey paradiselove...
loved your post and enjoy your journey, just take your time and enjoy it as you go along...:)