Too skinny-help!

[Marin Mom]

This is my first post- I have been raw for just over 2 months lost 15 lb. within the first three weeks. That woudn't be a problem if I had been overweight to begin with, but at 5'9" and 118 lbs. I am starting to get the comments that I have noticably lost weight and am getting a real earful from my family.

I just turned 50 and it really shows in my face. Besides eating more avocado, is there anything that could be recommended to add weight to my face (and butt)!!?? I don't exercise as much as a should except for walking the dog, but I did try to run a little yesterday and I am still sore!!

Thanks in advance!

Cindy
Size 4- this is ridiculous!!

[Zuri]

Eat more often? Eat more nuts, nut milks, nut butters, and oils? Hope you gain soon!

[Rawkinlocs]

Here is a small portion of what Alissa writes about this topic in her book:

Living on Live Food - pg. 174-175

"Question: I'm already thin and don't need to lose weight. What will happen to me on this diet?

Answer: What normally happens on a 100% raw and living food diet is that you lose all of your unnecessary weight. This phenomenon is know as "losing your false body." Your "false body" consists of excess fat and toxins that inhibit the proper, healthy functioning of your "true body". Once your body is free of its excess fat and toxins, you will regain some healthy pounds, as your body achieves a stable equilibrium."

More in the book! ;)

[Lilly the Naiad]

I've read about this, basically you start to loose your cooked body mass and develop a raw body. If you want more bulk in it you could do some training, but it should balance out eventually anyways. People that are too thin actually gain weight on this diet.

[River Mom]

Cindy,
Hey, I wish you all the best in your gaining. I was way underweight a couple of seasons in my life and I did not enjoy it at all. I had to sleep with a pillow around me so I did not feel my bones. At your height and weigh I'm sure your feeling the same thing. Take these guys advice, they know their stuff.

Have you tried making the candies and chocolates with the coconut oil. So yummie, could keep you eating all day.

All the best
River Mom

[rawfigure]

I would take advantage of some great recipes, like soups with avo, pumpkin seeds and hemp & olive oil (extra zinc soup is great from sunfood cuisine)...and thing like that. add dehydrated snacks to your diet too and add some resistance training to your regime.

[jenjen]

are you getting enough protein? i know that's a question we raw foodists cann't stand, but the fact is protein is so essential that your body will break down your own muscle mass to do it's daily regeneration of the intestine and other organs. this can cause major weight loss and slow recovery in excersise. tiredness is also a symptom of low protein.

i eat bee pollen. it's the only raw/plant source of protein that i could find (and i have been searching) that contains a high level of all 22 amino acids, including the the 9 essential ones. it's actually gram for gram, oz for oz the same amount of protien as is in flesh.

it tastes like a funky honey. research it a bit, make sure you're getting it raw and fresh.

i eat about 4-5 tbs/ day...that's close to 30 grams of complete protien. i feel dramatically better. but that's just me...i do believe we are all different.
note: some people have alergies...if you have any alergies to bee stings or pollen...be VERY careful...the results could be extremely serious. for me and for many, it's a very nutritious thing to eat.

all the best,
j

[rawsurfer]

i went from 155 to 130, and i am 5 11 so thats a lot. my dad called me an ethiopian refugee. i weigh like 145 now and its 8 months later. eat lots of green smoothies, sprouts, avocados, and do some heavy lifting. i was doing a lot of light weight with lots of repetitions, but i was already so slender adn defined that i needed to just bulk up, even if it were only for my self esteem. so i did low rep, high weight workouts. now i am on a nearly daily running regimen, with lots of sprints, pushups, abs, pull ups, light lifting, cardio classes, and yoga. i feel amazing. and i eat mostly smoothies with fruit, green sprouts, small amounts of leafy greens, flaxseed, and celery (for the fiber)... also, i like a blended soup loaded with sprouts and greens for my second meal of the day. but fruit man. gives me ridiculous amounts of energy for my runs.

[Marin Mom]

You guys are great! I am already consuming lots of nut butters ande pates and have daily green smoothies but I do get tired when I have too many dates/ figs which I seem to be craving. I've never been into weight lifting but it looks like my only option if I don't stableize soon.


Otherwise I feel great, except when I eat too much or too close to bedtime.

Thanks-

Cindy

[EZ rider]

i eat bee pollen. it's the only raw/plant source of protein that i could find (and i have been searching) that contains a high level of all 22 amino acids, including the the 9 essential ones.I eat fresh frozen bee pollen that I get at my local HFS. When I get a craving I like to have a spoonful or two and then just wait for a few minutes and it knocks it out for me. I didn't know why it was doing that but after reading your post about the protein in bee pollen I suspect that is why it works so well.

[tanawana]

First off make sure you are eating enough food. Nuts and fatty food don't always put on weight for everyone. It can actually accelerate the weight loss cause your calories are fat based more than what you actually need for better health.

The weight will drop off before it rebuilds in almost all cases, so you may be going through that. It stinks, but it's a part of the process. As long as the process is done correctly ;)

Best way to slow it down is to eat enough and exercise. Not aerobic but strength related work. Which you will probably want anyhow to rebuild what may be underdeveloped muscle you have already. Get plenty of sunshine too.

[garden granny]

Add a lot of celery to your diet. For some reason it will help you put on weight. I read that on Storm & Jinjee's site. Their kids were a little under weight and when they started eating celery everyday, they gained weight.

[Yeshia]

I'm sending you 10lbs of my excess fat express.

I love to share and as we are almost the same age I felt it was my duty :D

[trinity082482]

You can have some of my junk in the trunk *te he he* I have an extra 20lbs to spare :D
Wish I knew how to help you. I would think increasing your calorie intake by choosing rich foods rather than over eating to gain a lb. You don't want to make your self sick.

[Dj 247]

My guess is that you are eating enough, but not absorbing all the nutrients that you need. Read David Wolfe's book Eating for Beauty.

[RawDancer]

Try adding some sprouted grains, also you could try eating alot of fruit. Some people gain weight eating fruit not fats. Also you have to do weight training. Storm said that the only way to keep weight on and gain weight eating raw is to do weight training. It doesn't have to be really intense just some. Good luck and if you have success let me know cause I'm still desperatly trying to gain weight (my parents started making me eat all of this horrible SAD crap as of 2 weeks ago:( )

[Eva]

I looked a lot thinner after the first month than I do now. It balanced out for me (I never had weight to lose or gain to start with) and now I am about the same as before raw but with no belly at all. I guess that means I'm getting rid of my waste. :eek: :D

[G-Force]

From all I've read, it definitely sounds like a temporary phase, but sometimes it's a year or so before the weight gain comes back and you go to your "true" weight. That probably sounds like a long long time considering that people are starting to "rib" you. Sorry for the puns - can't help myself. Good for you for going raw and going through the process.

Sounds like we might be local - I live in Marin, too. I'm planning to go to the raw food potluck in San Anselmo on Sat, Oct 6 at 3pm (my first one) - maybe I'll see you there? Details: At the bottom of the hill, below the gardens behind Robson Harrington House in San Anselmo at 237 Crescent Road in San Anselmo.

All the best to you!
Ginette

[Blazin'Jane]

Yeshia, you're a hoot!! :D
Marin Mom, I think there's some really good advice here. You'll be fine. Keep eating---your body will get where it needs to be. And if you crave somethig ---go for it with gusto, provided it's RAW. :p

[JessCappucci]

In david wolfes book "the sunfood success diet" he talks about the raw food triangle where you have 33% fruit 33% vegitables 33% nuts and fats however to gain weight you should eat 66% fat and nuts and 33% vegitables because you need the minerales and vitamins. he gained a total of 18 pounds in 2 years and stayed raw however I bet you will gain faster because you are very thin, also he talkes about that people sometimes have trouble gaining weight because there digestive system is coated with plaque making it hard for food to be fully absorbed, I would recommend colon hydrotherapy or a colon cleanse. If you have any other questions feel free to ask

[Marin Mom]

Thanks for the further advice! Will that fat be coming ground or fed ex? I may add some to my boobs as well LOL.

I picked up some Bee Pollen at the HFS and that stuff is great! (Had just a spoonful.) Not only is it sweet, but I don't get the "crash" as a normal dessert would give. I buzzed around all day yesterday, clear headed and happy and was up jogging at 5:30 this morning! My 8 y.o. was thrilled and joined me.

I will also look into the Eating for Beauty book as well.

I was wondering, when recipes call for nuts in the pie crust recipes, should they always be soaked beforehand (even though it isn't specified) or do I leave it raw? I made a yummy pecan pie last might but used way less of the sweetener called for in the recipe and it still turned out well.

A final question- does anyone have problems with puffy eyes in the morning? I seem to have these little bags under my eyes if I have dessert afterr dinner and unless I eat really perfectly, like a salad at 6:00 and then nothing else, I wake up with this.

Cindy

[Rawkinlocs]

Aside from what I posted above regarding what Alissa says in her book about the "false body" being shed, please also take into consideration that each one of us has an ideal body weight (range) and sometimes it's not always what WE think/feel it should be, be it slightly more than what we desire or slightly less. I was a certain weight most of my adult life (after kids) and I thought that was pretty "normal" for me...went raw and found out that my body had other plans that I wasn't aware of and I ended up smaller than what I THOUGHT was my ideal. But after a short while of being raw, my body began to rebuild and I did put on some weight, but not a lot and I'm still smaller and weigh less than that ideal that I had stuck in my mind.

So, just something else to consider!

As for the nuts in recipes...I do not always soak them especially if the recipe doesn't not say to do so...sometimes the results will be a mushy crust or whatever it is you're making. But if you're adamant about soaking, you could always pre-soak all of your nuts and THEN dehydrate them to dry so you'll always have nuts on hand that were soaked, but are now dry to use in the "drier" recipes.

As for the puffy eyes, not sure what to tell you regarding that. Does the puffiness usually go down as the day goes on?

[Marin Mom]

I just saw your post! I live less than 5 minutes from the Crescent address and I have been trying to find others in my area with no luck. Please contact me offline. crkirsch@comcast.net.

Thanks-

Cindy

[panatico]

Hello,

I'm new - just touching the edges of raw food. I don't have Alicia Cohen's book but have been reading & getting info. from the web on raw food. I have a lot of problems with my digestion so I started with a colon cleansing that eliminated all foods except raw veggies for a couple of weeks & that's how I lost weight. I'm not a big person, 5'0'; went from 130 to 100 lbs. This caught my eye, because I'm having the same problem & I'm the same age. My family also thought I had lost it :eek: I've decided to stick with this way of eating, because I feel better, so that's what I hold on to instead of their "skinny" comments.

I was avid at the gym at one time, but stopped. I have gained some weight back (6 lbs) & started back at the gym. According to their calculations my weight & fat count are on target - according to my height. Their advice was to do less cardio & more strength training. So, I agree that the weight training should help with the building up of the body. I can't comment on the food part, because I'm still experimenting. I wish you the best & I bet that in a little while you'll notice the difference after some strenght training.

I do have a question, I can't seem to digest fruits very well. At least if I eat too much of it I seem to get bloated & feel nauseaus. I read somewhere that these are quick exit foods, but it doesn't seem to work that way with me. Has anyone had that problem & resolved it? And does agave nectar have the same effect as the honey? I can tolerate agave but not honey.

I do give a hands up to the raw food diet, because I found out I had so many intolerances towards certain foods I didn't even know. The whole time I was getting sick & couldn't figure out what was going on, but by the colon cleansing & reintroduction of food slowly I was able to pinpoint what I could and could not tolerate.

[Marin Mom]

I too had a lot of digestive problems which lead me to the raw food diet and I can say I tolerate the Agave much better than (raw) honey. After having honey I would always wake up with a burning feeling in my throat and wouldn't sleep well. Agave is much sweeter so I use far less and don't get the same effects.

Hope this helps.

Cindy

[panatico]

I too had a lot of digestive problems which lead me to the raw food diet and I can say I tolerate the Agave much better than (raw) honey. After having honey I would always wake up with a burning feeling in my throat and wouldn't sleep well. Agave is much sweeter so I use far less and don't get the same effects.

Hope this helps.

Cindy

Thanks for your quick reply. So, I see that you're taking the bee pollen, does that not have the same effect as the honey Cause I tried some bee pollen vitamins that were being sold via a paid announcement on tv & that made me so sick I had to send it back.

[EZ rider]

I do have a question, I can't seem to digest fruits very well. At least if I eat too much of it I seem to get bloated & feel nauseaus.Maybe this is a food combining issue ? Alissa has a section in her book about food combining.

[lovableleah]

I also live in Marin. Where can I find the details of the get together?

[lore-ah]

If you're already underweight, don't make it worse by running! Cardio is a great way to lose weight and sadly, a good portion of that is your precious muscle.

Like already mentioned, hit the weights. Even if you're getting lower calories than you should, a good weight routine will keep you from losing muscle which you do NOT want. When I say weights, I mean heavy weights (relative to you). Squats, rows, military presses, chest presses and dead lifts are great compound excercises that help you keep and build muscle. You can't really build too much muscle if you're running under your daily caloric intake, but you certainly can lose it.

[jenjen]

hey marilin mom,
you mentioned you have puffyness in the morning. given all you've written, it kind of sounds like you and i have similar body constitution. meaning we're protein types. i find i crash and get puffy (and other bad symptoms) if i eat high glycemic foods. dates, bananas, honey ect. i havn't tried agave but i don't want to. i also crash after having to many nuts, sometimes even if they are soaked.

what i do find however is that lots of protien rich raw foods and low glycemic fruits keep me shining like the sun, with stable energy levels (no roller coasters) and with brilliant skin - no puff. i can eat tons of seeds but not nuts.

i eat:
tons of dark green veg/leaves
apples, pears, oranges, berries, grapefruit
i make an awesome onion bread out of flax and sunflower seeds
bee pollen
i sweeten everything with liquid stevia (it's the better tasting one)
raw chocolate
mesquite

yoga is a great muscle builder but weight lifting is very effective. you can even just do 10 squats (with out weights) once every hour throughout the day, in a couple days i bet you'll start to see a 'lift' and some shape return.

wish you well,
j

[Marin Mom]

Thanks Jenjen! Yes I have the reactions to nuts too! I will try more seeds. What is your recipe for the onion bread? I have a dyhydrator.

You don't get a caffeine high from the raw choclate? I have steered clear of it but would love to enjoy it again.

I put ice on my eyes in the AM and boy does that cure the puffiness.

[Marcus]

Listen to Lore-ah on the weight training. She is right on.

How about throwing some raw cacao into your diet? I grind up some cacao & hemp seeds real fine (and nuts if I can find them raw) and blend them into a coconut oil & raw honey mix that I have gently heated, not quite to the point of mixing well. (The nuts/seeds finish the mixing.)

Deeeelicious and body - building!

[jenjen]

hi here's a link to that onion bread recipe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqvkGDObfQo

it's by matt amsden. his book is called 'rawvolution' and the recipes are amazing.

j

[Marin Mom]

Where did you find them? I thought they were illegal in US?

[tinystrawberry]

http://www.alissacohen.com/hempseed.html

[rainbowgirl]

I second/third this.

I lost a lot of weight on raw (i needed it). But with the "extreme" training I was doing, mostly weighted (medicine ball work), I wasn't losing. In fact, I was gaining basically.

I stepped down the weighted exercise, upped my other stuff and found a balance for now.

Rawnbowgirl

[G-Force]

Hi Loveable Leah!

Sorry for the slow response but here's some info to get you dialed in to the Marin raw food community:

vegetariansinmarin@earthlink.net" (get on their newsletter list - that's where I get my info)


Raw Foods Pot Luck Saturday, November 3
Its a new month, time to try new foods and meet new people! On Saturday, November 3, a group of raw food enthusiasts will be meeting for a pot luck picnic at 3:00 at the bottom of the hill, below the gardens behind Robson Harrington House in San Anselmo. Most of the attendees do not eat all raw food all the time, but are trying to incorporate more raw food into their diets. Come learn some tips, recipes, and encouragement from others who are interested in the best the planet has to offer. If you don't know what to bring, a salad or fresh fruit is always appreciated. For more information, call Tara: 388-8933

Robson Harrington House is at 237 Crescent Road in San Anselmo. For a history and historic photos of this beautiful building, visit http://www.sananselmohistory.org/robson1.html

All the best!
Ginette

[lulushka8]

JENJEN & MARIN MUM -i seem to be exactly like you with the puffy eye thing/protein constitution. i find that i thrive on foods like veggies, low glycemic fruits, bananas, avocadoes, sprouted pulses, and seeds esp. flax (i eat flax bread religiously!)

i second everything that jenjen said, and as for the honey reactions, it could be cause it's high glycemic and/or isn't really raw (it's really hard to find really raw honey). Pollen is different and raw pollen supplies you with complete nutrition, although it also has a natural fat binder in it (to lose weight), and can act as an appetite suppressant, so i'd eat it in moderation (i have 1 tblsp/day) and up your intake of avocados, bananas, dates (as sweetener), soaked almonds (- extremely alkalising), pulses and seeds.

I used to be underweight and ate tons of raw food, but in the end i gained as it really does balance out as alissa (as well as other raw foodists like fellow brit shazzie) states in her book, so stick with it, seems you're doing just fine! :)

btw, ive always had huge boobs for my size and frame which no-one believes are real, i hate them!! ...so, i'm sending you some boob poundage seeing as you're willing! :)

[Marin Mom]

Oh, I will be watching my mailbox for your boobs!!!!!!!!!

[Raene]

Add a lot of celery to your diet. For some reason it will help you put on weight. I read that on Storm & Jinjee's site. Their kids were a little under weight and when they started eating celery everyday, they gained weight.

Would juicing the celery be good enough? Can't stand the texture, so I'd rather not eat it...

[Maui Girl]

Hi I would like to share what helped me put on healthy weight. I added leaf shakes with bananas, papaya and berries daily. Just make sure your leaves are completely blended smooth before adding all the other goodies. You can even add some almond butter. I also serve this shake to my children every morning.

[Raene]

Hi I would like to share what helped me put on healthy weight. I added leaf shakes with bananas, papaya and berries daily. Just make sure your leaves are completely blended smooth before adding all the other goodies. You can even add some almond butter. I also serve this shake to my children every morning.

Are leaf shakes green leafy veggies? Kale, chard, spinach, etc? Thanks~

[jacsam]

Here is a small portion of what Alissa writes about this topic in her book:

Living on Live Food - pg. 174-175

"Question: I'm already thin and don't need to lose weight. What will happen to me on this diet?

Answer: What normally happens on a 100% raw and living food diet is that you lose all of your unnecessary weight. This phenomenon is know as "losing your false body." Your "false body" consists of excess fat and toxins that inhibit the proper, healthy functioning of your "true body". Once your body is free of its excess fat and toxins, you will regain some healthy pounds, as your body achieves a stable equilibrium."

More in the book! ;)
Rawkinlocs was heading right where I like to go when I get concerned about something....Alissa's book. Re-read her book and you'll pick up on everything you need to know for what your facing right now. The first time you read it you probably just picked up on what you needed to know to go raw and this time you'll have all the things you need to know for your current situation jump off the pages at you.

[Maui Girl]

Yes. They are leafy green veggies. Start with spinach, collard and kale are my favorites. Use fresh squeezed orange juice so you can absorb all the iron efficiently.

[Bodhi]

meaning we're protein types.

Where can I read more about this. I'm familiar with "Eating Right for Your Blood Type", is a "protein type" different from the "Blood Type Diet"?

I agree with everyone else, weight lifting and excess calories are the way to gain healthy weight.

[Andre]

I've lost weight and most of it seems to come from my face now, giving me that 'hollowed out' look, especially with my naturally white skin. I'm into looking thin, just not thin in my face! And no matter which diet it is, omni, vegan, raw,... my face has that hollow look.

I noticed that my body did adjust to the changes quite well, even with me only taking in around 1200 cals a day. I'm just not hungry on raw for some reason, and I refuse to eat when I'm not hungry. To me that would be going against my body - not natural. I think my body will tell me when it wants me to eat.

I've added salt to my diet hoping it will give me a little water retention and help.

[PERRAW]

I noticed you had posted some time ago. How is the weight going? I too have lost alot of weight. Have to put a pillow between my knees at night to sleep. Have a hard time sitting in one position very long because I have no butt now. Bones are showing, ect. Have you put any weight on yet? It has been five months raw and I went from 148lbs to 112lbs. I also tried the bee pollen and it sure does give you energy. Have you found anything to put weight on?

[Marin Mom]

I'm still here. Yes I did put on a little weight- out of the 14 or so pounds I lost I gained back about 6 and can wear my pre raw clothing size again, although the clothes are much more comfortable now. I also don't look as gaunt anymore and just last night my dad commented as such.

I think the weight gain came from learning so many recipes since the early days and not just living on salads. I eat chocolate daily and nuts several times a week. I also put hemp seeds on my daily lunch/dinner salad but don't have green smoothies for breakfast every day either anymore (I usually have sprouted buckwheat with dried (then soaked) fruit). If I eat a lot of fruit the weight just falls off again but I feel so much more energetic- a real catch 22!

[PERRAW]

Thanks for the reply. I wished I could eat chocolate but it makes my heart beat fast and makes me nervous, can't sleep at night. One thing I guess I could try is the sprouted buckwheat and dried fruit. Went to the health food store and got some Medjohl dates. Hope my weight stablilizes soon. I got another comment at church today about how skinny I am. They said they knew someone in the 60's that did the rice and vegetable diet and got sick from not getting potassium and other things in their body that they needed. I just let them talk and didn't say too much. The raw diet is still new for many people and they don't understand.

[Raene]

Yeah, I always hear a similar horror story about someone who messed up their gut by eating too many sprouted beans...

[Marin Mom]

I got my share of snippy comments too. Ignore it and KNOW you are doing what is best for you (bet some those "helpful advisors" are overweight or not feeling really great in general, right?). I am having the last laugh though, some friends/family never thought I would stick with it and are taking a second look after all these months.

I think the best we can do is lead by being a shining example.:D

[zig_zag]

Yeah, I always hear a similar horror story about someone who messed up their gut by eating too many sprouted beans...

:eek: are you joking? could you share? I'm a sprouter...:p

[Raene]

First I'll say that I'm not a sprouter so I don't have direct experience with this and I don't know the facts.
I do know the woman who blames raw foods on her now leaky gut. She now eats meat, though does not eat a SAD diet.
I have read a few articles online about how beans are not great for us in large quantities and are hard to digest, even when soaked/sprouted. Some people will say that's not true...who knows? I think you just have to really listen to your body and if it's telling you to slow down with the beans, then do it. I'm sure if you feel okay, then you're doing fine :)

[PERRAW]

I also have another thread going about low weight and rawkinlocs wrote and suggested for me to not eat so many snacks because it might be causing my metabolism to speed up causing faster weight loss. I have not ate alot of sprouts but I'll remember this point and thanks for the note.
I also have people who are surprised that I've stuck with this way of eating.
They just can't imagine eating without meat and cooked food. I look forward to the day when I gain weight and get nice comments again.