I'm Running out of reasons..

[Priscilagj@mac.com]

When it comes to why I haven't lost incredible amounts of weight by now.
Guys I don't know what to do! It's been three months. And though everything else is so great, I just don't understand what's going on.
My hair is beautiful, my face has changed a whole lot, but my weight, it's just. I don't know.
Any suggestions?
=/

[EZ rider]

Are you eating nuts ?

[cinnamon panda]

i'm right there with you. coming up on 60 days and seeing no major weight loss changes. i am eating lots of bananas and avocados, but i can't seem to cut those back without thinking i will crack and go get a sandwich.

this week i plan to crank up the volume on the physical activity though. WAYYY up.

good luck. don't quit!! i just keep re-reading a testimonial from a woman who didn't lose weight for 8 months and then one day it was gone. i will try to find the story and send it to you.

[Madeleine.Blythe]

welll.. maybe you don't need to?
I was under the impression that eating all raw brings your body into balance.. it puts you where you're biologically predestined to be.. maybe you don't need to lose any weight..
And, if you do.. then, are you stressed out about it? Your attitude/stress levels contribute a lot to how well a person is able to lose weight.. Keep thinking positively about what you're doing, and it might make a difference..
Otherwise, I don't really know..
but I hope it works out for you.

[Blazin'Jane]

Yeah....I just want to say to trust your body to heal where it needs healing and it will get to the weight eventually if you have weight to lose. Me? I did lose lots of weight for the first 3 months, but now it's 10 months into RAW and my nails are pathetic and I'm still taking bp medication as my bp hasn't gone down measurably. Hang in there!

[DavidZaneMason]

Tips:

1) Drink more pure water between meals
2) Gravitate more toward a high greens / vegetable diet (hard to gain weight on a diet of spinach and tomatoes!)
3) Get more and varied light aerobic exercise
4) Get small / measured amounts of fat in with every meal
5) Journal EVERYTHING that you are eating for 30 days - count the calories. Do the computations and make SURE that you are burning more calories than you are taking in at least 5 days per week.
6) Utilize enemas and colon-cleansing if you feel it will help. No more than once every 3 days or longer.
7) Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
8) Sit with your weight and accept it fully.

-Just some suggestions - which I hope are a little helpful.

-David Z. Mason

[RawKev]

Get some daily exercise of at least 30 mins. A balanced raw food diet and consistent exercise is a one two punch when it comes to burning fat and loosing weight. Just keep at it and eventually you will get the results you desire.

[luckitri]

Hi. My weight came off really well last year but it crept back on. I have alot of theories about why my weight is not going. One was that I learned that the body makes bone-building hormones from fat and I have severe osteoporosis so I figured my body was keeping the weight to rebuild my bones as well as pad them from a fall. Also being overweight is a pretty sure bet that you are malnourished in something. I think that the body saves complimentary nutrients to that which you are missing in order to be ready to utilise it as soon as it gets it. Now I found out that I have hypothyroid which can be another good reason that my weight is static. In conclusion, I am confident that my body knows what it is doing much better than me and if I am able to follow my intuitive cravings - my body telling me what it needs - then I think that the weight will come off.

So you are doing great otherwise - I think it will all work out in time.

[Nini]

But how do you feel now? Just relax and enjoy being raw ....

I encourage you to try green smoothies combined with exercise to jump start some weightloss.

And put away that scale! Before you know it your clothes will feel looser and you will know that the weight is coming off. Sometimes it isn't all about how many lbs. you've lost. I've (only?) lost 70 #, but have gone from a size 26 to a 16 in 22 months.

Your body just needs time to adjust to RAW. Don't fret! [This coming from a gal that fretted over the scale's numbers.] And also remember, everyone is unique. Soon you will have a story to share.

[tvillemom]

Priscila, there could be any number of reasons. Here are some questions I have for you:
1. how old are you, sometimes it's just harder when you are older
2. are you healthy, have you had a checkup lately? I have lost about nothing since being on and off raw for over a year, and a check-up last month revealed that my thyroid is WAY off!
3. Are you getting a variety of foods daily? Like someone else mentioned, your body could feel like you are fasting, because you are missing 1 key nutrient, your body will actually hold onto stored fat. I always feel better when I eat "from the rainbow" everyday...something from each color group, and each week I go to the grocery store, I try to buy something DIFFERENT from that color group.
4. Someone else mentioned exercise, and yes you need this too, but sometimes TOO much causes your body to "freak out" and become "overdone" and NOT loose weight.....
I hope some of this helps.

Also, while limiting your nuts and fats MAY help, don't restrict them too much, the healthy fats actually may help you burn fat, just don't overdo it!!
I guess I should also mention that these are just my observations, I'm not a Dr. or professional or anything.....HOW DO YOU FEEL?? Sometimes, it just takes TIME for your body to heal. I think Alissa mentions in her book, your body will heal what it considers the most important thing first, weightloss, just because it is sometimes the most important to US, there may be another more pressing issue that your body will work on first, and it may take awhile!!

RELAX!!
In Him,
Wendi

[Stina]

"trust the process"

[mamabird1953]

Hi there, I know for me that if I eat too much fat in any form( avocados, nuts) the weight creeps up. Also I've been one to always have to watch my calorie intake. Whats great is that on raw we can eat a lot of food and keep our calories low and feel stuffed. So for my height and age I lose weight at about 1200 cals a day with exersize. But everybodys different.

[VibinOnLife!]

Hi Pricila,

I think the main thing is to first find out what the weight is coming from. All weight is not just fat from overeating. Some weight is water weight due to inflammatory processes going on within the body. And yet other weight is hormonal weight. For instance, I gained 60 pounds in 6 months about 10 years ago from using the Depo Provera BC shot! It took me quite a while to lose this weight because it was hormonal, and my personal trainer assured me that it was going to be hell losing it...and it was.

The advantage that you have is raw foods. I was a cooked food junkie at that time and that's why it took so long. My opinion is that it is probably hormonal weight since you are eating raw already. I would add at least 3 tablespoons of ground flax and at least 3 tablespoons of raw extra virgin coconut oil to your diet daily. Let coconut oil be your only source of oil, and try to stay away from nuts for a couple of weeks and see how you feel and how it affects your weight. If you eat nuts, try to eat no more than 10-12 nuts per day.

I don't know how you feel about tea, but if you consume tea, then green tea is really good for balancing hormones, increasing metabolism, and balancing insulin levels in the body.

And lastly, but also just as important, you really want to make sure your colon and liver are clean. Raw foods do this; however, it is done at a slower pace than it would be done with herbal supplements. If you choose to use supplements, I would suggest that you take cascara sagrada supplements daily for 2 weeks...along with your raw foods lifestyle. This will cleanse your colon, which is the most important organ to cleanse. It creates a release for any toxins, fats, parasites, and other debris that might...and most likely are...being stored in the large intestine. Also, add dandelion to your raw foods lifestyle. You can buy these nutritious leaves in your local health food store. Add the leaves to salads and smoothies daily, as they are one of the best liver cleansers. If you cannot find the fresh leaves where you live, then you can buy the tea or supplement.

Adding the flax will send fiber through the colon for a "natural" colon cleanse. Also, you can add raw okra to your salads, pumpkin seeds to your diet for parasite removal, and lay off of any dehydrated foods for the 2 weeks while you are cleansing the colon and liver. Although I am certainly not against dehydrated foods, sometimes we partake too much in an effort to "stay raw" and we end up getting some of the same effects that you get with cooked foods, such as the heaviness and dehydration. Just take a break for two weeks to cleanse and get back to the basics...whole fruit, salads, smoothies, etc.

Also, WATER, WATER, WATER!!! You have to drink enough water to hydrate your body and allow toxins to release from the body. I would say for the 2 weeks that you are cleansing, try to drink as close to a gallon per day as possible. This is not necessary to a regular raw foods lifestyle, but it is necessary in the beginning when your body is releasing old cooked and fermented foods, toxins, previously taken medications, environmental toxins, non-organic foods, etc. Also, start every day...before you ingest anything else, with a 16-24 oz. glass of room temp. water with a half fresh squeezed lemon. This will start the detoxification process for the day, help to alkalize the body, and give you a nice dose of immune-boosting Vitamin C. It also helps to flush out all of the toxins that your body scavenged so lovingly for during your "fast", which is the time when we sleep. When we are sleeping, our bodies do not have to worry about activating and regulating our daily routine processes. It can focus on the task of scavenging for free radicals, toxins, abnormal cells, fatigued organs, etc. So once it works so hard during the night to find all of these things, we should help it by flushing in the morning.

Sorry to be so long-winded, but I really felt the need to help. I know what it is like when we listen to other people's stories and expect these quick and wonderful things to happen to us. I know the disappointment when it does not happen, and I understand not being able to "get over it" and just wait. You want to KNOW why it's not happening for you and what you are doing wrong. And I want you to know that everything that you are doing is perfect, and once you do even more of it things will fall right into place. And although your weight is what might be most heavily on your mind right now, there are so many absolutely wonderful changes happening in your body that the weight is one of the least significant issues! Your body is breaking down the start of diseases that you are not even aware of and might not have shown up for the next 30 years! Your body is doing things that could add 20 years to the life that you were "expected" to live! Your body is doing things that will make you able to stand in the face of colds, flus, viruses, and other issues and laugh! And this is not to say that rawbies don't get sick, but if they do it's definitely not on the level of others...and some rawbies really do not get sick!

Be patient. Love yourself. Stay true to the process of healing. It is happening while we speak. You just don't see it yet.

Much luv,

VOL

P.S. Please do not weigh yourself more than once a week. Always weigh in the morning after elimination and naked. This way you get a more correct reading. I would tell you to throw the scale out, but that's just me. When I was 235, the scale did nothing but torture me. When I threw it out, I was happy. When I got happy, I danced. When I danced, I lost weight. I'm not talking about a physical thing, I'm talking about loving myself and my spirit soaring. Don't do anything that's going to bring you down.

[RawHeaven]

3. Are you getting a variety of foods daily? Like someone else mentioned, your body could feel like you are fasting, because you are missing 1 key nutrient, your body will actually hold onto stored fat. I always feel better when I eat "from the rainbow" everyday...something from each color group, and each week I go to the grocery store, I try to buy something DIFFERENT from that color group


I was going to say the same thing...your body may think it's fasting more than likely and is holding onto your fat stores. And then on top of this you may have hidden toxins in your fat stores and it really doesn't want to let go. It's protecting you. :)

The other thing to consider is the liver is the key ingredient to successful weight loss. A toxic liver will keep you from losing weight and impacts your metabolism and everything. If it's not in optimal health, it may take a bit longer for you to lose weight. I decided to cleanse my organs before embarking on another weight loss journey and it worked for me, beyond my wildest expectations. I put on a significant amount of fat weight the preceding 2 years eating junk and not being able to exercise because of a trauma I sustained to my leg. I'm 5'2 and that extra weight was really starting to get to me, not so much for aesthetic reasons, but because it was really limiting my recovery and I felt awful, depressed and was just not that fun to be around.


My sincere recommendation is to research fasting for yourself to cleanse your liver and other organs of toxins and you may also receive other gifts of healing along the way. I'm sure you will! I'm a faster for life now. This is a great book ---> "The Fasting Handbook - Dining From an Empty Bowl" - Jeremy Safron

Many fasting options are outlined which should suit anyone's needs and it also lists juicing combinations to try when you're done

Best wishes and keep hanging in there!

[crystalmoon]

Vibinonlife, Hi
I just wanted to thank you for such a wonderful post. I have pasted it to my favorites page on my pc so I can read it whenever I feel frustrated with slow weight loss etc. Your words just clicked with me in a very deep & profound way. Thank you

[Priscilagj@mac.com]

I just wanted to thank you guys so much for such great advice.
it's s great to have such support around!
seriously, thank you with all my heart!