Attention all long time raw eaters

[PERRAW]

What was the lowest you weighed before your body plateaued and started gaining weight back? And how long did your body stay in the plateau stage before the healthy weight came back on? I've been 5 months raw, started at 148lbs and down to 112lbs and still losing. I'd appreciate any comments to encourage me to hang on. Thanks

[zig_zag]

Sorry I cannot answer your question, but how tall are you?!? I just get shocked hearing 112 lbs since I'm used to being 5'10"... Again, sorry to not be able to answer your question:cool:

[PERRAW]

Zig Zag, I'm 5 feet 6 inches. I'm 55 years old and never had a problem with low weight before going raw. I understand about losing the false body before gaining weight back. That's why I put the question out there for those that have done this and gained their healthy body back. Just curious how low their weight got and how long it takes to come back. Havn't seen many comment about the time frame. It would be nice if someone would make a book with real experiences showing this part of their raw journey to encourage the rest of us.

[Rawkinlocs]

I'm not gonna be much help to you in the capacity of having the timeframe (sorry...just didn't think to document THAT aspect of my journey) but just wanted to let you know that I got down to like 120 (from about 145) and then it went back up to like the 125-128 range. I'm 5'4", btw.

Also, what is your diet like? I mean, do you eat many small meals during the day or like 2-3 meals a day? I keep reading about people who want to lose weight should eat many small meals a day (i.e. graze) as it boosts up metabolism. So, if you are currently eating like that, then perhaps you should eat less frequently (not necessarily less FOOD, though...just eat more at each meal and eat less meals per day) and maybe that will help you get/keep some weight on.

[PERRAW]

Thanks for replying Rawkinlocs, I always enjoy reading your posts. Yes I do eat alot thru out the day and up to bedtime. I eat my green smoothie in the morning with kale,spinach,stalk of celery or part of cucumber, banana,or other fruits to sweeten, tsp hemp seed,ginger. Then a midmorning fruit. lunch- cut up vegetables or salad. afternoon fruit,nut snack. Supper- large salad with vegetables and then a fruit smoothie or fruit in the evening. So maybe thats the problem, too much snacking and causing my metabolism to speed up. So maybe I should stick to three large meals a day. Thanks for the input and I'll post later if this helps.

[Raspberry4]

Perraw - do you eat any avocados or nut desserts? These seem to be more calorie dense and may help you to put weight on. Good luck!

[PERRAW]

Yes, I do eat 1 or 2 avocados and nuts each day. But due to my ulcer the nuts tend to bother my stomach.

[zig_zag]

Perraw, I have stomach problems too, and find nuts very hard to digest. However, i find adding sesame seeds to salads is an amicable combination, and adds a nice texture to the salad... Perhaps you could try this? Also, Storm Talifero, a long-term raw foodist (you should visit his family's website, they look amazing) mentioned in an interview with Revvell that if he doesn't feed his children an abundant amount of oranges, their weight and energy levels go down immediately- perhaps you could experiment with incorporating more oranges into your diet?

[Bodhi]

My guess would be that you are not consuming enough calories. If you are female and slightly active, you need approximately 1900 calories a day to maintain a weight of 125lbs, which is considered healthy for your height. Track your calories and make sure you are eating enough.

[theresaann]

I want to share this website:

runningraw.com

this guy is an elite athlete on 100% raw for over 3 years now, no supplements what-so-ever. He's in great shape and works out a LOT. If he can be 100% raw and be in such good shape, he's got to have some wisdom to offer on this subject.

All the raw foodists emphasize how important exercise is. Are you exercising significantly regularly? just a thought. When I get to 5 months raw (CONGRATULATIONS!!!) then I'll have something to speak about...:)

[Katka]

Ahhhh. Thanks so much for that link.

[belleadonna]

Yeah, I would say that you need much more in the way of calories, not necessarily from fat. Try dates. They are high in calories, no fat and are really good for you. :D

[rawfigure]

It is hard to say on way or another as we are all different, different experiences. I actually gained for the first two years went from 126 to 131, then when I adjusted my raw diet eliminated some foods I dropped to 125 and have held there. I am 5'6 1/2.

[PERRAW]

Zig Zag, I did eat oranges and grapefruit every day, just love them but they caused me to have a bleeding ulcer. So for now I am staying away from them. I'm going to stay away from snacking so much and see if that helps and eat larger portin meals three times a day. It could of been like rawkinlocs said that if I eat too much that it's causing my metabolism to speed up and lose weight. I was getting alot of calories in, I was eating alot.
Belleadonna, I just bought some dates and will incorporate them in my daily diet. Theresaann, Before I got my ulcer I was exercing at least three-four times a week. But now that my stomach is tender, I'm taking it a little easy till I get better. Thanks for all the replys.

[zig_zag]

Perraw- Ah, yes, grapefruits aggravate my stomach, too:o I still eat them, though, as I'm not having any 'bloody' problems. Let's hope it does not come to that.
Exercise helps stomach problems... Well, I suppose if you are doing strenuous exercise it could exacerbate your situation, but have you considered yoga? It is terrifically wonderful for indigestion and general stomach fatigue, for so many reasons. It's helped me many a time.
Also, I wouldn't necessarily suggest cutting back on calories to cure your low-weight troubles heh... But I would suggest making your meals larger and more complex, as opposed to sticking to a diet which adheres to frequent, simple, smaller meals, if that is what you are doing, as that will fuel your metabolism. Finding how to make your meals larger and 'more complex' without creating a stomach-unfriendly combination can be tricky, but it is possible... I'm living proof, since I have a ridiculously sensitive stomach. One good tip I have on stomach-ache prevention is eating really slow, chewing your food well and allowing your saliva's enzymes to combine with your mouthful, which will help significantly.

The first time I was raw I got really skinny, too, which scared me because I wasn't used to it, and I'm naturally thin, anyway, but when I eventually returned to a cooked food diet and gained the weight back, I began to miss the body I inhabited whilst raw... I missed that cleaner, lighter feeling, and began to wonder if maybe that 'new body' wasn't something to be feared after all, and that perhaps, in my natural state, I'm supposed to be really thin... Both my parents were very skinny when they were young, anyway... My father's European and my mother grew up on a farm, though, so they weren't privy to the "SAD" diet... Hope this theory and analogy make sense;) Were/are your parents thin?

Unless you've lost your period, feel extremely drained due to emaciation etc., feel like you're starving.... Than I wouldn't worry about it for now, try to incorporate some alternatives and provided suggestions, relax, and wait it out a bit... You're body might gain back some weight once it adjusts itself a bit and is better able to absorb the nutrients it is being provided with:) good luck...

[Florina]

PERRAW> I can't answer your specific question, but I might be able to give you a few tips.
(Also meant for anyone else finding this thread hoping to find tips on gaining weight)

Basically, it's about your body adjusting to the right size for you. Maybe you can "wait it out" and your body will take care of it by itself eventually.
However, if you start to feel weakened, or uncomfortable with your weight, you should definately not wait for the plateau and regain to happen without help.

Though it is very difficult to grasp for most people, you have to do almost the same things to gain weight as you have to do to loose weight!

What you want to do is gain muscle, not fat (right?).
This can only be done by helping your body building new muscletissue. To gain muscle, you need to adress 2 things: Your diet and your physical activity.

Diet: Make sure you get a lot of protein, since protein is the building blocks for muscle tissue.
A hemp-protein shake is probably the best idea, if you're vegan or on a raw diet. You can mix it into shakes or juices to get the taste right for you.
Daily dosage of protein should be between 10 and 15 grams of protein per 10 lbs of bodyweight.
(If you don't know how much you're getting, then try using this free online tool for a week, to get an idea: http://nutridiary.com )

Physical activity:
Do Resistance Training 2-3 times a week.
Make sure you REST 48 hours between trainingsessions!
The rest is important, since that is when your new muscletissue is forming. If you don't rest, your body simply can't build new muscle, and the time you spent training is wasted!
Do ONLY 8 reps per set when you excercise. 2-3 sets of each with 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. No rest between reps!
If you can do more than 8 reps, you need to increase the weight/resistance next time!
Every rep should take 7-8 seconds. 4 seconds lifting the weight and 3-4 seconds lowering the weight.
Spread squats and full body lifts are a must in every workout.
30 minutes should be enough, when you only pause 30-60 seconds between sets/different routines. But don't spend more than one hour training per session. Actually, if you can do as much as 60 minutes, your intensity is too low!

Hope this is helpful, though it wasn't really what you were asking :)

/Florina

PS: I am very aware that it is not wise to mess with the whole protein-issue on raw food diets, and I truly believe that you do get enough proteins following a good raw diet! The protein-dosages suggested in this post is only meant for weight-gain, and not meant to dispute anything the raw gurus (Storm Talifero especially) are telling us! This is meant as a "quick fix" for someone who is/might become dangerously underweight, and do not have years of experience. Meant in the best way possible :)

[PERRAW]

Zigzag, Thanks for the info. I'm getting more energy back each day. When you have a bleeding ulcer, it sure takes alot out of you. I'm going to increase the amount of hempseeds and bee pollen because I was only taking a tsp. When I took the bee pollen, I always felt really good afterwards, gives you energy. No I don't feel drained or starving. I am going to try the three meals a day with the larger portions. And yes I do vary my fruits and vegetables. I'm eating my fruit 30 minutes before my vegetables at lunch and supper. I put fruit in my green smoothie for breakfast. I do chew my food well too. Both my parents were not skinny but just normal.