Eating raw - the weight won't come off - HELP!

[lipliner]

Hi! I am Katherine and new to eating RAW. I have only been doing it for a month. Granted it has only been a month, but I would love to see even a few pounds come off (I have over 100lbs) to lose. I just bought Alissa's book and dvd and am excited to try her recipes. I have just been eating raw fruits and veggies plain. Any suggestions or just encouragement would be appreciated.
Thanks! Katherine

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Katherine and welcome!

Well, first thing I'd suggest (as Alissa does in her book) is to toss that scale out! If not that, at least put it away somewhere and don't pull it out for at least several months or so.

Why? Because when you first go raw, your body is gonna go through some adjustments, changes, fluctuations, etc and constantly watching the scale will do nothing shy of make you frustrated, especially if weight loss is one of your main focuses for having gone raw.

The weight WILL come off, but you must have patience with your body as it gets used to this new way of eating. Some people get results almost immediately while others, it takes longer. Everyone is different.

Yes, a month is not very long to put too many demands on your body. Give it time, enjoy the journey, start a journal and most of all, don't rely on the scale (remember water retention, muscle mass, etc. all play a part in how much one weighs at varying periods).

If you keep at it, one day you're gonna look up and say, "WOW, these pants are too big for me!!" :D

[Revvell]

Nod,nod,nod. What she (Rawkinlocs) said. :)

addendum ~ make sure you are eating plenty of small meals per day ~ 5-8 or so depending on what you are eating. That keeps the metabolism balanced.

Revvell

[ljcoolj]

Katherine, I'm with you on this one. I have lost about 30 lbs over the last 1 1/2 yr but need to lose about 25 more. I've been high-raw for a month now and the scale has not moved. However, I'm feeling better and better every day. I'm going to take the scale out of my bathroom. Weight is no longer going to be my motivation for eating this way...I know that it will eventually be a nice side effect, but I'm not going to let that scale rule my life, how I feel about myself or how I feel about eating raw. I may weigh myself every 4 weeks or so...just out of curiosity. Anyway, just stick with it. You'll feel so good you won't care what you weigh ;)

[Veggie73]

Hi Katherine, how are you?

I can understand your frustration, even more when we all see the great changes in other people's photographs in this web, and those awesome "Before and After"... :)

But first of all, all of us are different and we need to take our own rhythm and time. It is the same as little babies, some of them stand and walk when they are 10 months old, other when 15 months or more... and it is ok like that!, nobody should put pressure on them and we shouldn't put pressure on us either!
This is not an exam and it is an individual adventure... with a lot of online friends!! :) I know what I am talking about because I am being a bit impatient too... so I have to say to myself the same as I am saying to you now... ;)

Let's be respectful with the rythms of our bodies and let's enjoy the journey!!

[Carlene]

Hi Katherine,
I'm with you in the amount of weight I have to lose and know how frustrating it can be. I do agree with everyone else that you have to give it time and let your body find its own balance, but... I also understand how hard it is to follow something and see no results. I have a friend who just started raw with me, she is eating just fruits and vegetables plain also, but is eating fistfuls of dates and figs all day long and drinking smoothies with four or five full fruits in them all throughout the day. In the end she is probably eating more calories now than she did with her SAD diet. The only days she sees any weight loss is on the days she does a three mile walking DVD. So in the end, calories are calories and if you eat more than you expend then the weight will take a lot longer to come off. I've read a lot of raw literature that says it doesn't matter, but as someone who's been dieting most of my life, I have a hard time accepting that.

Since I am losing weight with raw where I couldn't with any other type of eating style I have to agree that raw does something to your metabolism that makes it work. Maybe it just picks it up from the sluggish place it's been sitting all these year and gives it an overhaul. Even so, it takes patience and diligence. For me it also takes 2 hrs of exercise a day, and still the weight is coming off slow.

The other benefits of raw make up for that though. My eyesight has improved, my skin is getting better, my mood is cheerier and my belief that in a year I will achieve the health I have been chasing all these year is enough to let me know raw is working, raw is worth it, and raw is the perfect lifestyle choice for me.

So keep with it. I'm only into my 3rd week and could use a PM buddy who is also trying to lose a lot of weight if you're interested.

[lipliner]

I know it takes time to undo what I have done to my body. Thanks for the encouragement. I have already hidden the scale! One thing that is great all the detoxification!