Losing weight with fat

[daisyduke]

Has anyone lost weight while eating high fat? I always just eat fruit and am wondering if a while of high fat will make me gain weight. What are your thoughts?

[Revvell]

I wouldn't say it was "high" fat but since I added more nuts to my program people are complimenting me on how I look.

[CaliRaw]

What do you consider high fat? I don't eat a lot of nuts as snacks, nor do I eat coconut oil by the teaspoon by itself. However, I do have nuts, oils, avocados, etc in recipes. I am losing. I couldn't cut out fats entirely. I would feel deprived and my body needs the fat anyway.

You should try it and see. Perhaps you are one of those who will lose by eating more fats.

[bellabella]

I've been eating tONNES of healthy fats, and lost lb in 1 week. I eat nuts and cashews and fetuccini made with nut sauce and fudge balls and date nut crunch and avocadoes.....like, every day.....fruits are high in natural sugars. Alissa suggests eating some fats with the fruits so as not to hike up the blood sugar levels

[barose]

I dont count how much fat grams I eat so I cant say I eat a high fat diet, but I dont cut back. I do feel better eating whole coconuts, coconut oil and avocados than nuts. But then again, I dont count how many nuts I eat in a dish. I do measure nut butters though. I don't know why, I just do. I usually measure a tablespoon of almond, pecan, walnut, pumpkin seed butter, hemp seed butter, etc for a smoothie for instance. It has not stopped me from losing weight so far.

[ShelShel]

I don't consider the fats, sugars or anything. If it's raw and I want it...I eat it. My body will continue to lose until I hit my ideal...and I haven't done that yet. So, yes, I keep losing eating what I want.
Everyone plateaus sometimes and then after a while our bodies let go of a little more weight. It's a process, it's not overnight, but raw does this better than anything I've ever seen. ;)

[Rawkinlocs]

I'll put it this way...I went on a serious cooked food-eating binge a few months back and put on every pound I had lost when I went raw. Once I got back to eating all raw, I was eating chocolate mousse pie (which has a date and nut crust and the filling base is cashews and avocado) every single day for a week and I lost every single pound I had put on.

I do not (consciously) watch my fat intake - I don't eat a lot of nuts by the handfuls but I do eat nuts IN stuff like my ice cream has bananas and cashews, my shakes have banana and cashews, I eat the donut holes and cinnamon rolls which have a creamy cashew frosting. These things I eat but I eat more fruit than those items but again, not consciously...I just eat what I want but most often I find I am wanting/eating fruit and allow myself other things whenever I get the taste for them and sometimes I might be more and sometimes less than other times.

But all in all, I do NOT gain weight from it no matter how much of it I eat...not like I did when I was eating cooked food. When I eat raw fats, I stay in my weight range which ranges from 124-128 lbs. That's my personal experience.

[CaliRaw]

I'll put it this way...I went on a serious cooked food-eating binge a few months back and put on every pound I had lost when I went raw. Once I got back to eating all raw, I was eating chocolate mousse pie (which has a date and nut crust and the filling base is cashews and avocado) every single day for a week and I lost every single pound I had put on.

I do not (consciously) watch my fat intake - I don't eat a lot of nuts by the handfuls but I do eat nuts IN stuff like my ice cream has bananas and cashews, my shakes have banana and cashews, I eat the donut holes and cinnamon rolls which have a creamy cashew frosting. These things I eat but I eat more fruit than those items but again, not consciously...I just eat what I want but most often I find I am wanting/eating fruit and allow myself other things whenever I get the taste for them and sometimes I might be more and sometimes less than other times.

But all in all, I do NOT gain weight from it no matter how much of it I eat...not like I did when I was eating cooked food. When I eat raw fats, I stay in my weight range which ranges from 124-128 lbs. That's my personal experience.

Sorry for hijacking. :) Is that the cinnamon rolls from alissa's book? If so, do the flaxseeds give them a slimy texture at all when you're chewing? I'm finding that I'm not liking that with the pizza crust (easiest) I tried.

[Riiiya]

i have no idea if i lost weight but people keep telling me how good i look (and slim) - i just came back to my college campus so they haven't seen me all summer...

I feel guilty with nuts because i tend to lose control- that's for for NOW i am eating nuts only from avocados, olives, olive oil, coconut, sunflower seeds, and cocoa nibs. Those are amazing fats, they don't make me feel heavy (like some nuts do) and i don't really overeat them.

[GoingtoRAW]

I eat what I want as long as it's raw. I don't count anything. EVER! If it's raw and I want it - I eat it!!! Sometimes my tummy doesn't feel too good if I go too far with the nuts or dehydrated foods - but I still lose weight and my body continues to change.:p

[tammay]

I dont count how much fat grams I eat so I cant say I eat a high fat diet, but I dont cut back. I do feel better eating whole coconuts, coconut oil and avocados than nuts. But then again, I dont count how many nuts I eat in a dish. I do measure nut butters though. I don't know why, I just do. I usually measure a tablespoon of almond, pecan, walnut, pumpkin seed butter, hemp seed butter, etc for a smoothie for instance. It has not stopped me from losing weight so far.

Carla, I do the same thing. I don't really measure out nuts or avocado and olive oil. But I do measure out the nut butters. Most of it is linked to recipes with specific amounts needed, but I think it's also a leftover from the "peanut butter is fattening" mentality (even though I don't eat PB anymore - wish I could find one that was raw!)

Tam

[tammay]

I think my experience mirrors what people have already said here. Though I've been on and off raw for about a month (looking now to be on permanently!) the periods I've been on I haven't been conscious of my fat intake though I haven't been overdoing it either and I've definitely lost weight. I don't weigh myself so I don't know how much but the weight loss has kept my weight stable more or less during the times I've seriously diverged.

Also, some days are more fat than others, depending on if I feel like some raw fudge (made from almond butter) or not :D.

Tam

[beppa66]

Yes, so far I'm down about 17.5 lbs and I generally eat what sounds good, including oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and I take 2 tsp of cocnut oil per day.

So it is possible. PS I do not count calories or restrict my diet other than raw.

[SmilingRawDancer]

Does anyone here eat when they're not really hungry?

[ShelShel]

I used to be hungry all the time, so I ate all the time, then it slowed down and in the transition time, it took me a while to stop eating all the time. I had to realized I wasn't really that hungry any more. :p But now, no...I only eat when I'm almost ravenous. LOL I wait because then I really enjoy what I eat. :D

[beppa66]

Does anyone here eat when they're not really hungry?

Hi there. When I first started out yes. But I heard the expression eating "growl to growl" so I've been trying to do this.

But that's harder when you have a spouse or kids and need a regularly scheduled meal time, sometimes your growl isn't ready when theirs IS (or visa-versa);)

[EZ rider]

I heard the expression eating "growl to growl" so I've been trying to do this.I find that when I eat "growl to growl" as you so aptly put it everything works like a charm. I have lots of energy, I lose weight, and I feel good. But when I eat pre-emptively, that is eating without regard to hunger and just stuff my face on a continuous input I don't have as much energy, or lose much if any weight, and I don't feel as good. Learning to tune into my body's signals and use a slight hunger signal to eat by has made all the difference to me in how this raw foods lifestyle works for me. Also I like to eat small meals and listen with an ear tuned in for a "growl".

[Riiiya]

i decided to wait till the GROWL today :) then made my favourite avocado/tomato/greens/olive oil salad and OOOOH I COULD NOT STAND THE AMAZING FIREWORK OF TASTE in my mouth! i seriously had to close my eyes as i ate to not be distracted by TV and stuff.....it was SO good..... nirvana

[Allison]

I lost over 100 lbs. on a high raw diet. I limited my fat to one meal a day, but it might have been a whole avocado or a small amount of nuts. I ended up going all raw and started making raw recipes, where before I ate a lot more simply. Actually my whole family went all raw, and while initially our weight was fine, we all started gaining weight. I know it was the fact that we had started snacking on nuts and eating more fat. I ended up gaining twelve pounds and then finally acknowledged what was happening and changed our diets back to a lower amount of fat and was able to lose the gained weight. I think having fat in the diet is important, for the nutrients, to make you feel satisfied, and to avoid causing food issues, but for me, it has to be limited or I gain. I think, too, that the closer you are to your goal weight, that probably the harder it will be to lose than, say, if you have a lot of weight to lose.

Allison
highest weight: 235, current weight: 118
twelve children, all either 100% raw or high raw

[samariah]

I find that when I eat "growl to growl" as you so aptly put it everything works like a charm. I have lots of energy, I lose weight, and I feel good. But when I eat pre-emptively, that is eating without regard to hunger and just stuff my face on a continuous input I don't have as much energy, or lose much if any weight, and I don't feel as good. Learning to tune into my body's signals and use a slight hunger signal to eat by has made all the difference to me in how this raw foods lifestyle works for me. Also I like to eat small meals and listen with an ear tuned in for a "growl".

i know what you mean. im trying to teach myself how to listen to the "growl." when i first went raw it was almost like a free for all, i ate whatever whenever simply bc i thought i could bc it was raw. i felt heavy and bloated a lot and got constipated and quite tired. now im learning to 1) eat more simply and more fresh 2) wait for the growl 3) eat small amounts a time and 4) eat when im hungry! thats the most important for me bc unlike SAD diets, if your hungry on raw, just have some nice fresh fruits, veggies, whatever and your good to go. no going to bed weak, achey and hungry.

[EZ rider]

samariah --- I agree with your post and thats the way it works for me too. Everyone of your points is right on target IMO

[barose]

The problem with me, my low blood sugar symptoms kicks in before the growl, especially in the morning. Sometime I have to eat even when I don't feel "hungry". I usually have fruit then 1/2 hour later, the real growl starts.

[SmilingRawDancer]

Me too Barose! If I'd wait untill I felt physically hungry, I'd be very weak already. I don't know if my hunger signals are messed up or what, but most of the time I won't feel hungry untill 12:00 ish, (I wake around 7 - 8), but I'll feel light-headed or very weak.
Thats why I'm gonna buy an Omega 8003 juicer (unless there is a better one..?)

[barose]

I wonder if that has anything to do with my having PCOS and insulin resistance in the past. Also for years in the past, I had horrible eating habits: no breakfast, HUGE late lunch, HUGE late dinner - SAD style of course.

Right now, I had a busy day so I didn't eat much: two bowls of fruit salad (we were out of town so that was our only choice in a cafe), 1/2 avocado, a few walnuts, and some strawberries. Its 4:00PM, I feel the growl and I'm ready to eat my arm off. I feel lightheaded, tired, etc.

[firefaery]

Barose-I'm there with you. I went on a green smoothie fast (thought it would help) and it made it worse. I low blood sugar thing is tough. I had corrected in the past, now it seems that I'm gonna have to work at it again.


Allison-WOW! 12 kids? Man! I also lost 100 pounds, although I honestly can't believe it. It's crazy. So freeing though-isn't it? I'm about 10 pounds away from my ideal. This has been a beautiful journey.

Oh-and for hte OP...I stop losing when I take out fat. I do about 5 T. a day of coconut oil, as well as avacados, nuts and olives. I need the fat in my diet.