Weight-loss speed?

[Kalimelle]

My dear rawfood comrades,

I know that all bodies are different, and I know that mine in particular is dealing with healing a health challenge (a current flare of ulcerative colitis), but I'm just seeing so many dramatic initial weight loss reports that I'm starting to wonder if there's something I'm doing that's stalling my own progress in that department. My weight seems to fluctuate greatly---I was 164 on Friday after allhaving been down to 162 the previous week, and this morning it was back to 162 again...so there's been a loss in a way, but it's just going up and then back down again.

Really makes a girl wonder what's going on! I'm very high raw (I'm using herbal and green teas, dried spices, natural lemon juice from concentrate that's probably not raw, and a few other things that I can't remember at the moment) and have been doing this fairly consistently for about 2 weeks. Mostly, my meals are simple---green salads, fruits, a handful of nuts, veggies wrapped in nori with zuchinni hummus, almond butter on apple, and sometimes a larabar or a bar from goraw.com ....

Has anybody else had a "slow" start to later see great results? Or is this likely to be a sign that I need to look harder at what I'm doing and make some adjustments?

My most important goal is to feel and look fabulous...and I already am well on my way. I've got so much energy, feel emotionally stable in a way that I haven't for so long, and after a weekend of sunshine and playing outside I look sunkissed and refreshed. But I don't want to diminish the fact that at my height it's not healthy (or terribly pretty!) for me to weigh 164 and I do need to let go of some of this extra fat.

Help?


Namaste,

Kali

[Aleesha Sattva]

it will happen... in time. i released 60 pounds in three months... but i had way more to lose. the more you have to release the faster it comes off.

and ignore the weigh scale. take measurements instead. much more accurate.

[cara4art]

I totally agree! I don't have very much weight to lose, only a few pounds, but over the last month even not being all raw, I've lost almost an inch in my waist, with only a 2-pound weight loss. Lots of times, people say they have to lose 5-10lbs or more to lose that much off their waist. i do want to lose more though, like another inch or two, since this is post-menopausal flab around my waist. I'm in pretty good proportion otherwise and work out regularly as well. Remember, the scale only tells you how much you weigh, period, at any given moment - it is not telling you how your body is re-composing itself, or what healing is going on deep inside because one is going raw and getting rid of the junk.
Keep on going - it's gonna happen - give it a big chance!

[Kalimelle]

thank-you both.

it sounds like i should take my measurements so that i can get a more realistic picture of how my body composition is actually changing. the scale is so fickle, but i've been relying on it as my only objective measuring tool of my progress, so i'm giving it too much power.

i feel great though---so i know it's working!

~kali

[c'estlaviebelle]

It takes a bit of time. One of the best things to remember is that the body is cyclical- it loses and gains in a cycle. I started logging my weight and eating each day (I know that it isn't good to weigh yourself each day, but I wanted to see the pattern).

I found that I would stay the same weight for a week or two, then all of a sudden lose like 4 lbs overnight. Then a few days later I'd gain about 1-2 lbs back, stay at that weight a week or two, and then lose 4 overnight again. So... I think for myself anyway, there is a cycle where I would take 2 steps forward, one back, 2 forward again, etc.

The body has to constantly adjust and readjust. I'm now within 9 lbs of my initial goal weight, and it seems like just when I was getting really frustrated, all of a sudden I'd lose a bit again.

Just trust that your body is smart and will lose what it needs to when it can. There is a lot of toxic buildup and the body is working as well as it can on removing it.

[shashibala]

I have seen a pattern like c'estlaviebelle described. I will lose some weight and then hover around that weight, up or down by 1-4 pounds for a couple weeks before it really sticks. We just can't be too attached to the weight on a daily basis. My weight is"trending down" at its own pace! I also think that if the body is getting used to new foods, detoxing, or healing, it uses the energy for things other than weight loss. That helps me deal with periods of no loss. ;)

[greenday]

For me it's been slow. Frustrating...absolutely! HOWEVER...about 8 weeks in on my current program and finally some numbers to show on the scale. Still, I say ~ditch the scale~ it's really not what counts. I'm taking measurements monthly and it's showing me a much different picture! Be patient. Look at it this way - you have two choices; 1) continue on with what you're doing (and definitely make sure exercise is included) and weight will come off in weeks....and months, or 2) get frustrated and quit and don't lose any weight at all.....and those SAME weeks and months will pass by anyway except you'll still be in the same place. Point is, slow is still a heckuva lot better than nothing!! :)

[Bethanie]

I'm striving to get to that point, sometimes i may eat something that's heated above 115 degrees.

B.

[Stina]

Hey, if it's any consolation, I'm juice fasting and dropped ten pounds and then put back on two........and the moral of the story is I trust the cyclical nature of my body's wisdom.

[shashibala]

I am all raw almost all the time. My not raw foods are miso for recipes, supposedly raw cashews (that are not really raw) once in a while to make a desert or creamy sauce, occasional bite of 70% dark chocolate, and maybe once a month a slightly steamed veggie from a salad bar. I don't really know how to calculate percentage of raw, but I'd say i'm about 99% raw.

[Kalimelle]

it's so comforting to hear that my body isn't the only one that seems to work this way. i really *am* confident that raw is working incredible magic on me every single day, but i suppose i've been seduced by our culture's emphasis on instant results!

i like the idea of just watching the weight "trend down" as someone said. maybe learning to trust the wisdom of my own body is actually a harder task than eating raw foods!

~kali