Overeating dried/dehydrated fruits and nuts/seeds

[apower2me408]

Hello. I've been raw about 1.5 weeks, and the past few days I've noticed an increase in my intake of dried fruits and dates, and nuts. I've been struggling with compulsive overeating for about 3 years, but my habits are hard to kick. I seem to be having the same problem, but now I'm eating equally as calorie dense foods, but raw/healthy stuff. I would really like to lose about 15 lbs, but it wont happen by overeating, even if its raw. What do you suggest? Does anyone else have this issue? Maybe I just need to not buy as many of these things at one time.

Also, I tend to only overeat at night, after my scheduled dinner. Usually in front of the tv or computer when I have free time.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[rawkchicster]

Hi there! Welcome to raw, the land where food heals. :)

If you're significantly overweight, you will most likely lose even if you're eating a lot of nuts/seeds/dried fruit. (I don't know this personally, but from hearing it from others).

Your body knows what's best, and I wouldn't worry too much about overeating etc.. as long as it's raw for now. Just focus on the heart of raw, enjoy the way it makes you feel. When you're body's over the whole "nut-phase" it will adjust to make you crave lighter foods.

namaste.

:: nicole ::

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

This post could have been written by me. I am in the exact same situation as you, except I've been raw almost 75 days.

Nuts are my biggest issue as well. Today is the first day in a long time I haven't stuffed my face with them. I had one bottle of Kombucha - it's this special raw drink that curbs appetite, among other things. I've read that drinking green smoothies can also help.

PM me if you need anything and I hope things get better for you.

[Rawkinlocs]

As Rawchickster suggested...in light of you having been raw for such a short amount of time it's really not a good idea to start trying to restrict yourself. The over eating compulsion is not food-related...it's emotion-related and that's what you have to work on. But as far as eating goes, you NEED to be satiated and satisfied or else you may find yourself wandering back into the "hands" of cooked food!

Do you have Alissa's book? If not, please try to obtain a copy and read it as she addresses a lot of this there and has helped hundreds if not thousands personally when she was coaching to lose weight with her plan that includes eating some richer foods. If you are overeating to the point of feeling sick, then yes, you'll want to cut back and again, try to search for and address what is causing that...but if you just feel like you're eating too many of the items you mentioned just because that's what your mind is telling you or your past experiences are telling you, then just focus on being/eating raw for now and you will find your diet NATURALLY gravitating to where your body needs it to be, when it needs it to be there!

[apower2me408]

Thanks everyone. I am borrowing a copy of Alissa's book from a friend, but I havent actually opened it yet. It's so huge and intimidating! I've watched about 30 minutes of the video too.

[Rawkinlocs]

Thanks everyone. I am borrowing a copy of Alissa's book from a friend, but I havent actually opened it yet. It's so huge and intimidating! I've watched about 30 minutes of the video too.

LOL! Yeah, it's a big ole book! But it's CHOCK-FULL of wonderful information...just start from the beginning...it's really easy-to-read and very informative as well as inspirational!

[klomasius]

Like the others have said, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll probably find that eating raw, whatever the food, will mean you lose weight.

Just take the time to get used to the lifestyle before you worry too much about the content. I know from my own experience that my body directs me to where I usually need to go, so if I'm wanting richer, denser foods, then I just jump right on in. Indulge, don't restrict!

I don't really worry about whether the food I'm eating is too rich, or if I'm eating too many dehydrated things, I find I've naturally gravitated to lighter foods, with heavier foods being a complement rather than the basis of meals. But sometimes I find I want those heavier foods, and lots of them, no problems!

Good luck, and again, relax, don't worry!

[walnutty]

Please remember to stay very well hydrated when eating alot of dried and/or dehydrated foods. The "water" has been taken from these foods and unless we add them back in weightloss will probably be stalled and constipation is guaranteed...:D Just a word to the wise...

[Revvell]

What do you suggest?

Soak all your dried fruits.



Does anyone else have this issue?

Of course they do. Anything anyone can come up with someone else has.



Maybe I just need to not buy as many of these things at one time.

Or not at all unless you're going to use them immediately in a recipe.


Also, I tend to only overeat at night, after my scheduled dinner. Usually in front of the tv or computer when I have free time.


Find out what the TRUE issue is. It's not the food. You're using the food to fill in for what? Lonliness? Boredom? What else can you do to take care of the real issues? Get out and walk? Get on a rebounder and bound? Join a meetup group? Journal?

Revvell

[ferg]

Well, you've only been doing this for 1.5 weeks right? Too soon to notice any significant changes. But, I will give you one piece of advice... don't deprive yourself on this diet. This diet is for health first, IMO... not for counting calories or losing weight. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want. I have lost 30 pounds on this diet. Its taken me a while but I never deprive myself of raw food. Even if I am hungry in the middle of the night, I will get up and eat a banana or two. Don't worry about when you are eating, if u are hungry eat! Its not like you are eating a bag of chips at 9:00 p.m... I often pig out on bananas that time of night because they are filling. Try to limit yourself to 1 handful of nuts per day.

Good luck... its an amazing journey if done properly and for the right reasons.

[solongng00dnite]

As kaleidoscopeeyes said, this post could have been written by me also.

I am going through the very same thing right now. The only time I was able to not go crazy and binge on nuts and raisins was when I was away for thanksgiving. How did I do that you ask? well I didnt bring any with me.

I find that if none are available then you wont want to eat them. I made the mistake of ordering several pounds of different kinds of nuts and raisins when I decided to go raw 2 months ago. I hardly have any left because I would just keep dipping into the tub until it was finally gone.

My suggestion is to only buy what you need for a recipe until you can control it. That is what I am doing now, being that I ate EVERYTHING.

As far as eating at night, that is a hard habit to break. I suggest eating apples because they are filling and it wont deter any progress with weightloss.

[Veganforlife]

Two words: GREEN SMOOTHIES

Start incorporating these and your cravings will disappear, your weight will be eliminated, your hunger will be satisfied, your life will improve TREMENDOUSLY!

[faith4u]

Often when people first go raw they undereat. Then after a week or two they will start bingeing on dried fruits, nuts and seeds. I wonder if this is part of what is happening to you. Especially when you say that you are really hungry and struggling with overeating at night.

If you eat enough food during the day you should not have a problem with overeating at night. Just trust yourself and your body. You might be restricting your food during the day without even realizing it. So many people that are used to dieting their whole lives do this without thinking.

Just relax and feed yourself well and it will all balance out.

[GoingtoRAW]

I had the same problem with eating a lot of nuts and dehydrated treats. I would just carry around my entire stash of nuts and treats with me all day and grab a handful whenever I felt like it. Then I decided enough was enough. I still buy my nuts and my dehydrated raw cookie with cranberries (which I like to mix up into sort of a trail mix). I divide them into small serving sizes and put in baggies in my freezer. When I leave for work in the morning I take ONE bag and that is all I can eat for the day. My problem was eating this little snack ALL DAY LONG whenever I felt like it. I don't count calories or anything like that but some days I would feel so bloated from all of the nuts that I just did not feel well-but that still never stopped me from repeating the same habit the next day. So if I only bring one bag that's all I can eat. Since doing that I have only had a few instances where I wanted to eat this little concoction of mine at night so I haven't had any problems. Another thing that has worked in my favor is that the Whole Foods where I get my nuts is a little inconvenient for me to get to and with gas prices I refuse to make extra trips there-I go once a week and that's it. So even if I felt like eating all of my little treats in one day that would mean I wouldn't have any for the rest of the week. I don't ever want to be in that position because then I would look for non-raw treats to fill the void and I don't want to do that. I have had to learn to use a little self control even with raw.:o

I also agree with Veganforlife about the GREEN SMOOTHIES!!! I have been drinking them daily for two weeks now and my cravings for a lot of different foods (even raw foods), have diminished greatly. I'm not 100% raw yet but even the few cooked foods that I have had don't taste the same since I started with the smoothies. Give it a try!:p

[Carlsbad]

I've dealt with that too, particularly with just munching cashews even if I'm not hungry. One thing that works for me is to substitute something healthier. For example, I used to always munch on something when I watched tv. So when I first went raw, I switched from munching junk to munching raw nuts. But I don't feel that good on nuts, so I switched to grapes, and that works really well. They're delicious and good for you, but you still get that comforting habit of popping something in your mouth while you're watching tv or working on the computer or whatever.

[apower2me408]

Thank you all for your suggestions and input. I can see that I am not alone in this issue. I can relate to many of your stories as well.

Since it really has only been 1.5 weeks, I will try not to worry so much about this, and just see what happens in the long run.