Calorie intake

[YayaAnanas]

Hello!

I am growing a little concerned about my calorie intake on 100% raw.
Following the advice of some RFT members, I began recording all of my meals on fitday.com (I use the term "meals" lightly because I generally graze all day and don't have set meals) and realized that by 10pm I usually don't even break 1000 calories. This is WITH nuts, avocado, and coconut oil. (I take in around 30% fat a day in my diet)

I don't want my metabolism to slow down so I try to stuff my face with a few more pieces of fruit (a couple of tangerines, a banana, or a handful of raisins) to take in some more calories in an attempt to reach 1,200 or even just 1000 but then I just feel awful and my stomach hurts like crazy.

So my question is this- Will I be able to maintain a normal to high metabolism just by grazing? Is this just normal for me? At 5"1, I am small so maybe I don't require too many calories but I just worry that I will eventually gain weight due to a slow metabolism.

I don't mind losing a few pounds but I want to be healthy about it!

:o

[onlyraw4me16]

:) Hello there,

I am fairly new to raw food my self, so i cant answer that question from experiece. But from what i have read and the books and knoweledge from peoples posts, Raw adjusts your matabolism rather than slow it down, so i wouldnt be too concerned about slowng down your matabolism.

Good luck on raw, i love it and will never go back again to my bad eating.

emma

[YayaAnanas]

Thanks, Emma! That puts me a bit more at ease. :)

[RawSinger]

Every person is a little different. I've heard the number 1,500 calories a day for women trying to lose weight (probably meant for those on cooked-food diets). But I know someone who says that when she eats more than 1,200 calories per day, she begins to gain weight again. How many calories you require a day depends on your activity level and how much lean muscle mass you have. The more muscle you have and the more physically active you are, the more calories you require. It depends. Like Alissa says, eat when you're hungry and don't when you're not. Eat a variety of raw foods. You'll be fine.

[RawMistress]

Counting calories is not something a raw foodist should be interested in.
I have seem MANY links here that show people losing weight and not "counting" calories.
This aspect is not is Alissa's book or what she teaches.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=20049

[Revvell]

There's more to metabolism than just what you put in your mouth... it's about getting up and getting out, breathing fresh air, drinking fresh clean water, eliminating alcohol, white sugar, etc.

Many people here make it just about the food. It's not. It's a combination of things and it doesn't seem like stuffing yourself until your stomach hurts because of some arbitrary stuff someone has told you makes sense. Does it to you?

[zig_zag]

There's more to metabolism than just what you put in your mouth... it's about getting up and getting out, breathing fresh air, drinking fresh clean water, eliminating alcohol, white sugar, etc.

Many people here make it just about the food. It's not. It's a combination of things and it doesn't seem like stuffing yourself until your stomach hurts because of some arbitrary stuff someone has told you makes sense. Does it to you?

Amen!!!

Just to add to this already pregnant reply, I would suggest listening to your body, as annoying as that may sound. Eat when you are hungry, eat slowly (chew your food), and stop when you are satiated. Try to get an array of foods without over-combining and over-exaggerating the portions of those foods. Some people function better consuming atleast 2000 calories, and some function better on fewer calories.

Don't stress, and just take a journey with your body and intuition... Relax, and soon enough a healthful diet will ease into habit;)