can you really eat as much raw as you want?

[theresaann]

I am wondering for all of you long term raw folks: everyone says in the beginning not to worry how much you eat as long as it's raw. I have about 18 more pounds to lose (started out at 30 to lose in January) and am concerned if I REALLY do that, I won't lose it. I know one testamonial after the next says it's ok. I guess I would love to hear about the experiences of people on this board. Thanks all!!

[Rawkinlocs]

Heh-heh-heh...well-lll...'round these parts I guess that's up for debate. Some of us say HECK yeah while others think it's ludicrous and have major issues with that statement.

For me, it's true. For many others, it's true...but for some, it's not.

The thing I realize is that, the body goes through changes and adjustments and as long as you are feeding it nourishing foods, it's GONNA balance out and do what it needs to do - if it needs to hold onto or add some weight, it will do that - if it needs to shed some stuff and pounds drop, it'll do that.

I think that in the beginning, yes, it's important especially if the person is having issues with staying raw due to lack of choices or because they are always feeling hungry and/or deprived. But overtime, you will find that you can eat less and feel full/satisfied and that you no longer need all the recipes and gourmet things to feel fulfilled.

I also think that it's important to toss scales out and not rely on them for telling you what's going on with your body because it could be muscle mass, it could be water weight gain, amongst other things that cause one to see a higher number on the scale than they desire to see. Try to focus on the health aspect of it, of staying with raw foods and try not to be a weight-watcher (no pun intended) and take pictures maybe every other month so you can see the transformation THAT way.

[VeganVixen]

hmm ,good idea about the pictures-personally ,I feel that nothing is a free ticket to binge and "cancel" your mind out ,and just monotonously shovel in food without thinking-even raw. I think you should eat so you feel good ,and inhaling cups of nuts and dried fruit probably wont make you feel all that good.......if your feeling ravenous fill up on greens and fresh fruit!

[banananana]

hey guys, i'm feeling better, the jeans are a little looser, but actually how long approx. did it take for you to really feel the effects of being RAW. 1 or 2 months???

[Rawkinlocs]

hmm ,good idea about the pictures-personally ,I feel that nothing is a free ticket to binge and "cancel" your mind out ,and just monotonously shovel in food without thinking-even raw. I think you should eat so you feel good ,and inhaling cups of nuts and dried fruit probably wont make you feel all that good.......if your feeling ravenous fill up on greens and fresh fruit!

VV,

I don't think we're talking about just binging out of control here. Eating as much as you want doesn't necessarily mean just going buck wild but rather eating as much as one feels comfortable eating and not worrying about portions, calories, if it'll make you too fat, etc. like with other "diets".

I think it's a given that one shouldn't eat 'til the point of feeling sick, uncomfortable, etc. Eating as much as one wants is like going to an all you can eat buffet...one person's "all you can eat" may be more or less than another person's. When I used to go to those places, I'd probaby go back for seconds of food, then dessert and then I'd be done while others are going back like 3 or more times before they are done! LOL!

I think it's quite obvious that if someone ate and ate until they didn't feel well that they will make the necessary adjustments. But we're talking about if I'm hungry, then I'm gonna eat and not worry about it being too much food that it's gonna cause me to gain weight. For some that might be a couple of bananas, a salad and later a smoothie with a few snacks in between. For someone else that could be a large smoothie, some raw treats as snacks, salad and dehydrated crackers, more raw treats as a snack and later a raw meal that might be raw pizza and something for dessert. Everyone is different and everyone's definition of "as much as I want to eat" will be different.

[theresaann]

Yeah, I am finding that sometimes I'm hungry, sometimes not-not like ALL the time. LIke I just ordered a pound of those raw chocolate "nibs" from NFL and today was CRAVING a chocolate smoothie at about 4 pm. I guess it feels like cheating cause it's *chocolate* (let me tell you, if you haven't tried the raw chocolate thing, it is bliss-it's like taking a "bliss drug". They swear it's raw and really healthy) anyway, I guess it struck me that maybe I *should've* been eating a sea weed salad, but let's see, chocolate-sea weed salad, chocolate-sea weed salad...hmm...chocolate won out. The old me would've felt like I was bingeing. But I love how Alissa emphasizes "you can eat dessert whenever you want-it's RAW FRUIT!!" it's really true. well. I'm making my body a deal-I'll eat only raw, and I'll trust it to tell me WHAT raw food it wants, and honor that. Sounds like a deal to me!!

[ANIMLOVER]

I gained weight believing this principal
Just remember:
A calorie is a calorie
If you don't use it, it will make you FAT!
You should use fitday and keep track of your caloric intake.
Calories in -
Calories out
that is what weight gain/loss is all about!

[Rawkinlocs]

Yeah, I am finding that sometimes I'm hungry, sometimes not-not like ALL the time. LIke I just ordered a pound of those raw chocolate "nibs" from NFL and today was CRAVING a chocolate smoothie at about 4 pm. I guess it feels like cheating cause it's *chocolate* (let me tell you, if you haven't tried the raw chocolate thing, it is bliss-it's like taking a "bliss drug". They swear it's raw and really healthy) anyway, I guess it struck me that maybe I *should've* been eating a sea weed salad, but let's see, chocolate-sea weed salad, chocolate-sea weed salad...hmm...chocolate won out. The old me would've felt like I was bingeing. But I love how Alissa emphasizes "you can eat dessert whenever you want-it's RAW FRUIT!!" it's really true. well. I'm making my body a deal-I'll eat only raw, and I'll trust it to tell me WHAT raw food it wants, and honor that. Sounds like a deal to me!!

Atta girl! ;) You'll be fine, just trust and listen to your body and trust that it knows what it's doing...those pounds will come off eventually, if you're willing to wait and ALLOW the body to do what it needs to do. Sometimes weight is on because it needs to be and it's lost because it needs to. As long as what you're feeding it nourishes it, and you get some form of exercise in along with fresh air, sunshine, etc. it will do right by you! :D

[theresaann]

I so agree with you, Rawinlocks. It's harder to overindulge on raw, I"ve found. I feel like crap much more easily!! And I dont' want to feel like crap. for example, I am detoxing right now with a swollen gland in the left side of my throat and generally feeling low energy, and I was thinking of making a big salad, and my body is like "don't EVEN think I'm gonna eat that..." so I can hear it's signals and honor them. If I was still on cooked food and felt this way, I wouldn't get those signals, I would probably be craving crackers and cheese, comfort foods. I always did when I felt like this in the past. I say, we should trust our bodies!! they are WAAAYYY smarter than "our heads" are. :-)

[VeganVixen]

yes ,I get ya Rawkin - unfortunatley there are many looking for that "magic diet" that will allow them unlimited food ,while staying slim -although this is great for losing weight ,its not the elusive "magic diet" ,nothing is!The sooner america realizes that the sooner we can take responsability for what and HOW we eat.

[Gosia]

I have never counted any calories, never tried to starve myself, and ate quite a lot of nuts at the beginning of my raw joruney, yet I lost a lot of my body-fat in the end. How did this happen? Do we really need to look at our calorie intake? Why is it that animals do not count their calories, yet they seem to have just-right weight? Did people lost their natural instincts that they need to count the food their eat, or else they starve of become overweight? Is it possible that raw food diet offers some help in this matter? Can we ever forget about the calories, vitamins, nutrients etc. I believe that the answer to the last two questions is "yes".

Becoming a raw foodist was for me coming back to my roots, becoming again the person that my ancestors were. I re-awaken the natural instincts that were hidden in me, after years of abusing my body with cooked foods. Yes, I ate a lot of nuts at the beginning. After some time though, I lost my desire for them. Gradually, and totally spontaneously my diet was transforming to a lower-in-fat, rich in fruit and greens diet. Spontaneously? Yes, I did not plan that. It simply felt good to eat lots of fruit and greens for me. So, I did what felt better.

Having said that, undereating is a common problem amongst raw foodists, and I believe that in this particular instance, it is worth checking your calorie intake, just to make sure that you are indeed getting enough. I do not have a concept what the ideal calorie intake should be, but if one is eating just one banana for lunch, then clearly this is not enough.

So, summarizing, I believe that there is no need to woory too much about the calories,as long as you eat plenty of fruit, plenty of greens, and maintain your commitment to raw foods, and are open to change.

Nice munching,
Gosia.

[Rawkinlocs]

Gosia, you're a woman after my own heart! :D Couldn't have said it better myself.

Vixen, I think that it's not the problem of people eating what they want and expecting to lose weight, but it's the problem of looking at this as a diet, period. I truly believe that no matter what, eventually a person WILL lose weight eating raw. Might take longer and be a slower process for some than for others, but it seems to be inevitable. I can't recall reading about anyone who was raw for a year or longer who didn't lose any weight at all. They may not get skinny, but the body is gonna shed some stuff (toxins and fat) even if they are eating lots of nuts and nut-heavy recipes. I've just seen it happen too many times. All the raw before and afters I've seen, they weren't watching what they ate or counting calories, they were simply just eating raw and they shed those pounds. Michelle Reeves, Yani, the folks in Alissa's book, our own (estranged but highly missed) Sue, our very own Todd (see his pics on fromsadtoraw.com) and so many others. The cards all seem to point to the fact that weight can and will be lost eating raw whether you're eating heavily or lightly. No, it shouldn't be looked at as a "magic diet"...it shouldn't be looked at as a diet at all IMHO.

Theresann, you SAID it girl! :) As I've said before, before there were textbook terms and "expert nutritionists and doctors" who coined the phrases and terms we have been taught through the years - there was nothing we had to rely on BUT our senses and our instincts. Our BODIES led the way!

[Allison]

I think everyone has to do what works for them. For me, I cannot eat whatever I feel like and continue to lose weight. Snacking on nuts is not an option for me. I've been doing this for about five years, and when I'm not careful about what I eat, then I don't lose and will even gain if the nuts get out of control.

I'm editing this to clarify that I CAN eat whatever raw food I want, but I still watch portions.

[Rawkinlocs]

I think everyone has to do what works for them. For me, I cannot eat whatever I feel like and continue to lose weight. Snacking on nuts is not an option for me. I've been doing this for about five years, and when I'm not careful about what I eat, then I don't lose and will even gain if the nuts get out of control.

Hiya Allison! :)

I agree with you - one HAS to listen to their own bodies and act/eat accordingly. But as the initial post said, it's okay in the beginning...later on, if one finds they are not where they want to be, then they can tweak and cut back or eliminate this or that. But you have to admit, though you don't "continue" to lose weight when snacking on nuts, you had a remarkable transformation take place with your body and most would KILL to be the size you are in your "after" photos.

I think my main point is, a person is not gonna become obese eating raw. They may come out of their perceived "normal weight range" by a few pounds, but I have yet to find the person who just became totally overweight even if eating tons of nuts and seeds daily. Not saying it hasn't happened, but I just haven't seen that person yet! ;)

[VeganVixen]

I get ya rawkinlocs ! Its impossible to gain more than 15% of your bodyweight while being reasonably active and raw!

[ksabe98]

In my experience I lost like 20 pounds in about 1 and 1/2 months eating everything in site raw wise and the only thing that slowed me down after that was eating too many nuts. I think the key is to really listen to your body and pay attention to what is happening with you. If you find that you are not losing weight change something. I also try to listen to what my body is telling me it needs that really helps with not overindulging because if you get the nutrients it needs you don't feel hungry. Sometimes hunger is not hunger at all but other issues also. It is amazing what comes out in the wash as they say when you start to really clean house with regard to the body. There is alot more in there than just physical toxins.
Lisa

[theresaann]

oh, yes, for sure, a LOT more than just physical toxins-right on! I am finding that NOT eating enough early in the day, like if I go out somewhere, sets me up for cravings later in the day. I keep thinking, it's ok if I don't take food with me, I'm on raw, my blood sugar can handle it. But it can't! I realize I have to bring food with me if I'm going to be out for a long time-dried fruit, some bananas, apples, whatever. That is what I am finding so far. Not too different from a cooked food diet, actually. I read Victoria Boutenko's most recent newsletter about green smoothies ( I just love her, don't you?? they are such giving people....) anyway, she says they drink like a quart to a gallon of green smoothies EACH a day. I think I need more greens too. I've been drinking like a quart of green smoothies every other day. I'm gonna do that everyday, see how I do. I am NOT gonna worry about how much I'm eating. I'm just gonna keep eating a lot of greens and sea weeds, and not to many nuts-which I find I can't do anyway-makes me feel like a stuffed turkey. Blessings, all!!