did anyone gain weight at first

[rawfit]

ok so i've been raw for 6 days now and i have put on 4 lbs of fat. I don't get it. I was vegan before and on a more low fat diet, but i've been trying some of the recipies and have put on weight. Did this happen to anyone else.
Tracy

[SmilingRawDancer]

*raises hand*

I did, and still do now if I eat much gourmet stuff. If I eat salads, fruit and veggies with minimum of nuts and oils I do better.

[rawfit]

Thanks for replying. I read your profile and i feel the same. nuts just put the lbs on me to. It kinda sucks thought just having to eat grapes and celery all the time.:D

[NYbutterfly]

oh yes i did and was so upset I cried for a day. I felt like I was sold on a bad diet and so disappointed. I too was vegan for 13 years before going raw and never had weight or health problems. Suddenly I gained 5 lbs of fat in a week.

For me, I was eating way too much gormet raw combined with pounds of sweet types of fruit every day and then tons of raw desserts.

Personally I can't go with the "eat anything as long as its raw" thinking. But we are all so different. One raw food guru says fruit causes weight gain due to fermentation, others are fruitarians and have rockin bodies. So... experiment and learn. I'm still trying!

[Green Life]

Hi Rawfit,

I have gained weight big time, plus fat. I've been eating nuts and avacados, but they say that's not supposed to make you fat if they are raw? Hum. It's so discouraging. In fact, it was so discouraging, I started a thread on this, too. Today, even. Don't know why the weight gain. Honestly. It's horrible.

[Carol K]

Here! Here! This has been one of my greatest frustrations. The books say that you don't have to watch... "You can eat dessert for dinner!" Then, when you gain weight, you are told that you shouldn't eat nuts or dried fruits or oils. Seems the ones that are most successful are those that eat fruits and veggies. Maybe as we go on, that won't seem so restrictive. I just wish the books were more..... honest?

[Shell]

*raises hand*

I did, and still do now if I eat much gourmet stuff. If I eat salads, fruit and veggies with minimum of nuts and oils I do better.

Yes, yes and yes! This is me too. I gained a fair bit when I first started, and now also do better when I limit, but not exclude fats. No more nut/dried fruit extravaganzas!

[NYbutterfly]

This is what I love about this support forum. Just when I think I'm the only one going through this, I'm suddenly not so alone. Let me know what works for you guys, I hope we can drop the lbs as fast as we gained em :)

[EZ rider]

From the 1st day 100% raw I lost weight and flab and the weight has continued to melt off steadily since. I do not have a dehydrator and eat all my foods absolutely fresh. I eat the raw foods very simply without recipes. I do a lot of juicing and blending and cutting fresh foods and eating them immediately. I don't eat nuts. I do eat avocados. My food is common fruits and veggies found in any produce department. I don't eat by the clock or eat preventatively. I eat when I am hungry and then just enough to feel satisfied and satisfy the hunger signal. I feel best when I wait for the return of hunger to re-appear before eating again. Just follow your instincts and you should lose weight and gain health at the same time.

[farong suay mak]

From the 1st day 100% raw I lost weight and flab and the weight has continued to melt off steadily since. I do not have a dehydrator and eat all my foods absolutely fresh. I eat the raw foods very simply without recipes. I do a lot of juicing and blending and cutting fresh foods and eating them immediately. I don't eat nuts. I do eat avocados. My food is common fruits and veggies found in any produce department. I don't eat by the clock or eat preventatively. I eat when I am hungry and then just enough to feel satisfied and satisfy the hunger signal. I feel best when I wait for the return of hunger to re-appear before eating again. Just follow your instincts and you should lose weight and gain health at the same time.

WORD!

I don't own a dehydrator. I rarely eat nuts. It's all about the fresh fruits and veggies... that is what me feel so great about this lifestyle. :)

[GoingtoRAW]

I guess I've been "lucky". When I eat raw I have been able to eat nuts as often and as much as I like without gaining any weight. I eat nuts whenever I crave them but I find that when I eat more of the dehydrated, gourmet raw foods I don't eat as many nuts because I just don't crave them. One of the reasons I love to eat nuts is because sometimes I get really busy at work or running around with my children and if I eat a handful of nuts alone or with a piece of a raw granola or raw blueberry or cranberry cookie that I make into a kind of trail mix, I am totally satisfied and I can go for a long time before I am hungry again. Then there are some days when a few pieces of fruit or a fruit salad will have the same affect and I won't eat so many nuts.

I guess what I am trying to say is that for me eating what I want as long as it is raw has worked and we are all different and our bodies will react differently to eating raw. Some days I eat a lot and I feel like I am out of control and some days I crave very little food and eat way, way less. Either way if I stay raw I continue to lose weight - thank God - because I need to. We just need to listen to our bodies and follow our instincts about what our bodies need. For me as long as it's raw it works - and again I say THANK GOD!!;)

[rawfit]

Thank you all for responding. :D Ok so I guess i need to cut out the gormet food to like 1ce a week then. I'm so happy to hear it wasn't just me, because it can become so frustrating. Well thanks again.

[Aleesha Sattva]

ah it took me a minute to figure out what 1ce is. i thought it was ice and couldn't figure out why you would 'ice a week' but 'once a week' does make sense.

[Azura Skye]

Well I initially put on weight, but have remained exactly the same weight all year= which is a first for me. I;ve usually put on a few pounds or even a stone, then lost it again, the gained it again.
Even though I feel I am on the heavy side, it really is a relief to be at a constant weight.
But I do exercise everyday, and eat a lot. If I seriously want to lose the weight I have to eat less - simple as that. But it's hard unfortunately because I feel like I'm OKAY, I feel healthy, and I'm not really fat, so I'm lacking in motivation to do much about it.

I do find I eat the same things a lot, almost all my meals include the very fatty tahini, and I eat too many dried fruits. I guess I should make the commitment to limit these foods and perhaps when I lose weight I can decide if I'm happier being slim with out these foods, or heavier WITH the foods.

[Rawkinlocs]

To the OP:

Perhaps it was weight your body actually needed (??)

Perhaps the weight wasn't actually fat, but rather water, muscle, etc.?

Perhaps six days is not really fair enough to determine WHAT your body's "ideal" weight would/should have ended up being and as Alissa suggests in her book, because when you first go raw weight WILL fluctuate, that you should consider putting the scale away, focus on STAYING raw, whatever foods it takes and then from there, start tweaking.

If you start this thing out trying to be too restrictive, you are potentially setting yourself up for falling back into other foods out of not being/feeling satiated.

Allow yourself a weight RANGE but first and foremost, allow your body TIME and PATIENCE to adjust to this new way of eating. No one is saying you have to absolutely GORGE yourself on gourmet foods...but don't make yourself feel deprived either. IF once a week works for your, then fine...but, well, since you were low-fat vegan before you went raw, you'll probably not "need" as much of the raw recipes as someone who came from a SAD. I just don't want to see people getting so caught up into a few pounds so early on in the game and end up not seeing the full picture.

[lore-ah]

Rawkinlocs, thanks for the reminder to put the scale away. I really need to do that!

[DianaH]

I've been reading a common message in the threads that we are supposed to lose weight just by eating raw. I never learned that in my readings, and I've done alot of reading! To me, eating raw is mostly about health. And when your health is in balance, weight loss, if needed will occur. It seems common sense that if you are eating avocadoes and nuts day in and day out, and you're eating even when you're body is not hungry, you're not gonna lose weight. Those avocadoes and nuts are taking up space in your belly that should be filled with fruits and veggies we also should be eating. Okay, what am I trying to say here. It was not my understanding that just by eating raw, I would lose weight. Yes, I can eat nuts and I can eat the gourmet foods and the avocadoes, and I can have dessert for breakfast! But not at the expense of the other necessary food groups that contain the other nutrients that my body needs (i.e., the fresh fruits and vegetables).

I've been sensing, I guess you would call it disappointment, that people aren't able to eat any raw food they want and still lose weight. And I'm wondering where you got that information?

Please know this is not me trying to be judgmental, but trying to understand where that mindset comes from, because I haven't seen it in any of the raw reading I've done.

[Carol K]

Rawkinlocs: My frustration is from absolutely changing to totally raw from a normally healthy diet and gaining. I have not eaten unhealthy for about 20 years. I switch to all raw with natural enzymes and vitamins, and I would think, I would lose weight, not gain. Heck, in the ages past, if I could lose weight on Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers with all their low calorie, totally unhealthy snacks and microwave dinners, why the problem with raw, healthy, vitamin and enzyme rich foods? Before raw, it seemed that my body was at its best with some animal protein, such as chicken or fish. I'm type A+, which should be vegetarian. Just frustration, because I want to be healthy and comfortable with my life - not go to work with a tight wasteband on my slacks!

[Rawkinlocs]

Rawkinlocs: My frustration is from absolutely changing to totally raw from a normally healthy diet and gaining. I have not eaten unhealthy for about 20 years. I switch to all raw with natural enzymes and vitamins, and I would think, I would lose weight, not gain. Heck, in the ages past, if I could lose weight on Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers with all their low calorie, totally unhealthy snacks and microwave dinners, why the problem with raw, healthy, vitamin and enzyme rich foods? Before raw, it seemed that my body was at its best with some animal protein, such as chicken or fish. I'm type A+, which should be vegetarian. Just frustration, because I want to be healthy and comfortable with my life - not go to work with a tight wasteband on my slacks!

I would say because eating a natural diet of raw and living foods does something those other diets don't do...it causes healing on a deeper level. A person can lose weight on any type of "diet" - you could eat nothing but Snickers for a month for breakfast, lunch and dinner and lose weight - but it'd be detrimental to your health, I'm sure! But with raw, your body is going to do what's important first and foremost and in most cases, that is to cleanse, heal and rebuild. Again, sometimes (and I KNOW this seems redundant) a person just might NEED the weight. Again, weight gain doesn't always necessarily come from FAT...but could be water retention (and the body, in attempts to protect itself or to flush out toxins) will hold on to water - think about when we injure a limb and there comes swelling around it. The swelling is liquid and it's there to PROTECT the injured part of the body - but we've always been taught that swelling is bad...to reduce the swelling. Our bodies were created with wisdom so it knows even when we don't.

Raw also causes the body to balance out, hormonally, weight-wise, etc. Again, we often have an ideal weight that WE "think" we ought to be...but it's not always the case. I realize it's frustrating and yes, there IS room to adjust one's raw diet if need be. But there are so many other things to take into consideration through this whole process.

[luckitri]

Hey CarolK. I don't know why you came to raw. Was it for weight loss? Or were you also feeling fatigued or other symptoms that had no recognition or solution in the allopathic world? Perhaps you still have some undiagnosed illness that has coincided with your decision to become raw?

I know that I have come to raw in desperation. I am still not healed but I have seen others heal since I came to this board. Even those who have been here less time than me but more dedicated and less SAD slips. I have not been losing weight either - but turns out I have a thyroid problem that I just found out. . . . which explains alot for me with the weight gain and not achieving that raw energy.

Rawk is right. You may need the weight for some reason unknown. I have severe osteoporosis so I thought that my body was making fat to make the hormones used for bone building. This still may be true but the thyroid diagnosis complicates it a bit.

[honeydew]

I've been reading a common message in the threads that we are supposed to lose weight just by eating raw. I never learned that in my readings, and I've done alot of reading! To me, eating raw is mostly about health. And when your health is in balance, weight loss, if needed will occur. It seems common sense that if you are eating avocadoes and nuts day in and day out, and you're eating even when you're body is not hungry, you're not gonna lose weight. Those avocadoes and nuts are taking up space in your belly that should be filled with fruits and veggies we also should be eating. Okay, what am I trying to say here. It was not my understanding that just by eating raw, I would lose weight. Yes, I can eat nuts and I can eat the gourmet foods and the avocadoes, and I can have dessert for breakfast! But not at the expense of the other necessary food groups that contain the other nutrients that my body needs (i.e., the fresh fruits and vegetables).

I've been sensing, I guess you would call it disappointment, that people aren't able to eat any raw food they want and still lose weight. And I'm wondering where you got that information?

Please know this is not me trying to be judgmental, but trying to understand where that mindset comes from, because I haven't seen it in any of the raw reading I've done.

I have trouble believing that if you've read extensively about the raw food lifestyle, you have yet to see remarkable healthy weight loss cited as a major benefit. I certainly have!

[samariah]

i think some people get confused when they first go raw. they mix up not counting calories with free for all binging. i know at least i did that. i ate whatever i wanted whenever i wanted and i had a heck of a harder time controlling binges many times because the stuff was still healthy for me, just not the amounts i was eating. also, i find that if i eat lots of higher carbohydrate foods like very sweet fruits, dried fruits, dates, honey, agave, etc, etc i gain where as if i focus on salads and veggies and add in fats like coconut, olive oil, olives, avocado i lose more. but for me, its not merely eating whatever i want whenever i want. you have to learn to listen to your body, learn to overcome emotional eating, understand what true hunger is vs. oh this sounds good and it technically good for me so why not. doing things like yoga, meditation, etc are good for strengthening your connection to your body as well as raising your awareness and sensitivity. being at a healthy weight, in my opinion, is more than just what you eat, it also has a lot to do with your mind.

[GoingtoRAW]

i think some people get confused when they first go raw. they mix up not counting calories with free for all binging. i know at least i did that. i ate whatever i wanted whenever i wanted and i had a heck of a harder time controlling binges many times because the stuff was still healthy for me, just not the amounts i was eating. also, i find that if i eat lots of higher carbohydrate foods like very sweet fruits, dried fruits, dates, honey, agave, etc, etc i gain where as if i focus on salads and veggies and add in fats like coconut, olive oil, olives, avocado i lose more. but for me, its not merely eating whatever i want whenever i want. you have to learn to listen to your body, learn to overcome emotional eating, understand what true hunger is vs. oh this sounds good and it technically good for me so why not. doing things like yoga, meditation, etc are good for strengthening your connection to your body as well as raising your awareness and sensitivity. being at a healthy weight, in my opinion, is more than just what you eat, it also has a lot to do with your mind.


This hits the nail on the head for me. This entire thread has made me go back to why I decided to go raw in the first place. I am a person who is obese yet when I think back to the day I decided to give this "raw thing" a try it had absolutely nothing to do with losing weight. I was totally thinking about my health because diabetes and heart disease run in my family. I figured that my body was going to do whatever it was supposed to do and hit the weight it is meant to hit. I never really obsessed over the scale. I could tell by my clothes that I was losing weight but my scale grew dust on it because I just never got on it. What I did also was to immerse myself in books about the raw lifestyle. The greatest lesson I think I learned had nothing to do with weight loss. It had everything to do with how raw helps your body to peel the layers and heal those layers one at a time whether those layers include depression, some long ago hurt, some horrible disease, heartache, pain, and yes even weight loss. Whatever. With that the body goes through whatever it is going to go through.

I eat based on what my body tells me it wants. Sometimes I will only eat fresh fruits, veggies and raw nuts. Other times I may go for a few days eating a lot of dehydrated foods. Does not matter - I just liked the fact that my body is doing what it should naturally do as I try to nourish it the best I can. I may be able to lose weight a lot faster if I cut out the fats and nuts and even some of the dehydrated meals. BUT, I would rather it take longer and allow myself to enjoy the journey. If that means maybe here and there I am not losing or I'm losing slowly, as long as I am feeling better, I don't have the pains in my knees any more when I wake up, I can walk up or down a flight of stairs without dreading it, then I am not going to worry about why I am not losing weight fast enough. I try to just do the right thing, take one day at a time, and be excited every time I hit another milestone!

Sorry to get so long winded but this whole topic put so much on my mind about why I am doing this in the first place. Not looking for a "quick fix". Lookikng for long term changes.;)

[Azura Skye]

This hits the nail on the head for me. This entire thread has made me go back to why I decided to go raw in the first place. I am a person who is obese yet when I think back to the day I decided to give this "raw thing" a try it had absolutely nothing to do with losing weight. I was totally thinking about my health because diabetes and heart disease run in my family. I figured that my body was going to do whatever it was supposed to do and hit the weight it is meant to hit. I never really obsessed over the scale. I could tell by my clothes that I was losing weight but my scale grew dust on it because I just never got on it. What I did also was to immerse myself in books about the raw lifestyle. The greatest lesson I think I learned had nothing to do with weight loss. It had everything to do with how raw helps your body to peel the layers and heal those layers one at a time whether those layers include depression, some long ago hurt, some horrible disease, heartache, pain, and yes even weight loss. Whatever. With that the body goes through whatever it is going to go through.

I eat based on what my body tells me it wants. Sometimes I will only eat fresh fruits, veggies and raw nuts. Other times I may go for a few days eating a lot of dehydrated foods. Does not matter - I just liked the fact that my body is doing what it should naturally do as I try to nourish it the best I can. I may be able to lose weight a lot faster if I cut out the fats and nuts and even some of the dehydrated meals. BUT, I would rather it take longer and allow myself to enjoy the journey. If that means maybe here and there I am not losing or I'm losing slowly, as long as I am feeling better, I don't have the pains in my knees any more when I wake up, I can walk up or down a flight of stairs without dreading it, then I am not going to worry about why I am not losing weight fast enough. I try to just do the right thing, take one day at a time, and be excited every time I hit another milestone!

Sorry to get so long winded but this whole topic put so much on my mind about why I am doing this in the first place. Not looking for a "quick fix". Lookikng for long term changes.;)

this is a really good post - and I can understand your journey exactly, as it is very similar to mine, and I'm sure many other people here.

I started off eating RAW for health reasons, because I knew i was going to have surgery and I wanted to have a strong healthy body for the operation, and for the healing process. So of course, all my focus was on health.
now, after the successful operation, with nothing like that for my mind to focus on anymore, I've shifted back to the darn 'weight loss mindset' and it's driving me barmy.
I'm not losing weight now because I'm not eating so healthy. I keep thinking that old classic thought 'better eat this now because I won't be ALLOWED to have it tomorrow' - how terrible!
But it's very hard to shift my thought patterns back to health when I DO feel relatively healthy already.

But I will always stand by the theory that if you focus on health, weight loss (if needed) will follow.

And I agree SAMARIAH - great post - health is in the mind. When I did more pilates I felt much calmer. It's all encompassing, hopefully I can wind down enough to reconnect with myself again.

[ciarac]

NY Butterfly,
Just gotta let you know; you are SO beautiful!

[trinity082482]

I personally lost 12 lbs at first. In a month... the 2nd month I gained 10 :rolleyes:

[DianaH]

I need to apologize for my original post on this thread, it was not very kind hearted. I think the posts since mine have explained more clearly what I wanted to say, in a much more kind and thoughtful manner. I am very sorry for my lousy attitude yesterday! :(

[Carol K]

I am one of those people that reads a book on how to be healthy and goes for it 100%. That is how I lost 36 lbs in the '80's on the Diamonds' book, "Fit for Life" - when I discovered the vegetarian lifestyle. Since then, I have kept to food combining and away from meat (except for those rare occasions when I will have fish, chicken or eggs). Rawkinlocs: Thanks for the info on water retention when the body is trying to detox! That explains a lot. And, I certainly hope that this is NOT my ideal weight, because I need to lose about 20 lbs to get rid of my "menopausal" rolls and belly! I did read recently that some people take a few YEARS to transition and get to 100% raw. Maybe I need to take it slow. With all the years of SAD eating, maybe 100% is too aggressive right away?

[NYbutterfly]

NY Butterfly,
Just gotta let you know; you are SO beautiful!

Awww, I'm blushing! Thank you so much for the kind complement!

[RawWealth]

Rawkinlocs,
Thanks for the reminder: "But with raw, your body is going to do what's important first and foremost and in most cases, that is to cleanse, heal and rebuild." I started my raw foods journey for my health. I knew that weight loss would be a side effect. I have lost some weight but I have lost a lot of inches. I feel great and have incredible energy at times. So what you said about our body doing what it think is important first really resonates with me because I really want to HEAL. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

[RaWonderWoman5]

GoingtoRAW - Beautifully put!

For me, I started raw because I was looking for a way to eat that excluded all animal by-products. I was a vegetarian for 13 years but knew that I was an unhealthy vegetarian. So, the health benefits of raw also were a big plus for me.

As far as losing weight, I find that nuts do not deter my weight loss. And, it's amplified with a consistent morning exercise regime. However, every body is different and it takes some time to tweak your menu before you find a balance.