Raw foods and tummy fat??

[Cinnamon]

I'd love to hear from others who have found that eating 100% raw foods has helped them lose tummy fat.

I am eating my breakfast, lunch, and snacks all raw but still include some steamed veggies/starches at dinner and am not losing my tummy pooch! My weight is holding at 118 lbs. (I am 5'6") but I am so out of proportion in my mid-body measurements.

So some much needed motivation would help, any testimonials would be most appreciated.

Thank you!

[vixana]

Hey Cinn~
Do you work out at all?
How long have you been raw
It should melt off sooner or later but throwing in cardio will help speed up the process ;)

[VeganVixen]

yeah! Sometime exercising is the only way to "spot reduce" problem areas.......try (aready suggested) cardio ,and crunches - many different kinds!Not just straight up and down....

[city]

It's difficult to say without knowing where the fat is exactly.

If you can grab all of your fat in your hands and the abdomen is flat behind that layer, then you have subcutaneous fat (fat just under the skin).

If you can't grab much with your hands but your tummy pooches out, then you have visceral fat - fat that is behind the abdominal wall.

Subcutaneous fat is less metabolically active - and is thus less dangerous to your health. Visceral fat surrounds your internal organs and is very metabolically active - this is the fat responsible for raising your risk of heart disease and and diabetes.

The good news is that the metabolically active visceral fat is VERY responsive to exercise. Subcutaneous fat is less responsive but still responsive. For example, the fat on women's thighs is subcutaneous, thus less metabolically active, thus harder to lose. But the good news is that it's unlikely to kill you.

Most of us have both types. I happen to have very very little visceral fat - genetically "lucky". When I get sloppy with working out and eat too much, I can tell that I have more visceral fat.

This is a very simplistic explanation but I would say that in addition to a good diet, you should look into some hard-core cardio at least 3 times per week. Doing intervals in the cardio exercise of your choice 2-3 times per week will help with the fat. If it's visceral fat, you should see results quicker.

[flutterfly]

I do 300 crunches a day or I would look PG all the time lol

[Cinnamon]

Thank you all for your responses and ideas. I should have mentioned that I do exercise everyday (and have for years!) but 6 months ago I increased everything from cardio to crunches and weight training. Maybe I am just impatient!

This week I added additional ab work, including more variety to hit all the abdominal areas including my sides.

Wow Flutterfly, I will have to work to get up to your 300 crunches a day but if it works I will sure do it! Good for you!

And thank you City for the explanation of abdominal fat, and I have the subcutaneous type. I am glad to hear it is less dangerous to my health! Although it is harder to get rid of through exercise.

I will up my exercise routine and also work on getting to 100% raw, it is my goal I just seem to fall apart at dinner time and in the evening?!

Thanks again for your kindness in answering this post!

[spockafina]

You don't need to work your abs everyday - in fact, it's quite useless. You obviously have all the muscles there, but unless you lose fat, you won't see them. There is no such thing as spot-reducing - wherever you lose fat depends on your genetics. Just up the cardio and cut the ab work down to 2-3 days/week.
Trust me on this one - bodybuilding has been a longtime hobby of mine. I have a 6-pack and I don't work my abs at all - it's from indirect work and low bodyfat.

[city]

Cinnamon, if you already do a lot of cardio try adding intervals two to three sessions per week. The intervals should take you to 90% of your maximum heart rate and last no longer than 2-3 minutes with a 2-3 minute recovery at least 5 times in a row. This should increase your fitness and VO2 Max and you will find that you will eventually do your regular, non-interval cardio at a faster pace while only raising your heart rate to 50-65% of your maximum. That's an increase in fitness.

I also lift weights and work with trainers and physical therapists. No matter whtat I do, if my cardio lags or my diet gets "muddy", the tummy (and *&%$ thighs!!) get fatter. I too have the subcutaneous fat.

As you can tell, unlike Spoka, I'm an endurance athlete not a weight lifter per se. I have to agree with everything Spoka said

[misslinda]

Hey, you mentioned you still include some steamed veggies and starches????
Have you tried eliminating to see the relsults---theya re amazing when you are 100%.

Can you give as a layout of what you are eating?

luv,
ml :)

[tvillemom]

My question would be "what kinda starch??" If it is some kind of cooked pasta, or grain, that may give you a "bulge" that you may think is fat? I know I'm new, but it seems trying 100% raw may give you incredible results, especially hearing all that you are already doing.

[angelandarose]

You don't need to work your abs everyday - in fact, it's quite useless. You obviously have all the muscles there, but unless you lose fat, you won't see them. There is no such thing as spot-reducing - wherever you lose fat depends on your genetics. Just up the cardio and cut the ab work down to 2-3 days/week.
Trust me on this one - bodybuilding has been a longtime hobby of mine. I have a 6-pack and I don't work my abs at all - it's from indirect work and low bodyfat.


Abs are created in the kitchen way more than in the gym. Although interval training works wonders to blast away fat. And you can't spot reduct like Spokafina said. When you loose fat it just doesn't melt away from your belly, it leaves from all over just the way it went on.

Sometimes a person can do too much excersise and not give their bodys time to rest and recover. If you are increasing excersise make sure you are eating more too or your body will hold on to fat. It's that concept about not feeding your body enough will make your body think it's in starvation mode and it will hang on to all the fat it can to survive.

Love,
Angie

[Cinnamon]

Thank you all for your responses, many great ideas and lots for me to think about!

I will work on my exercise routine and incorporate these ideas and also have started my 30 day challenge today and see what I can accomplish in a month at 100% raw. It will be very interesting to see what kinds of differences I feel from high raw to 100% so now is the time to just do it!

[flutterfly]

Good for you, I am happy you have decided to do it again. ;)

[fatdogs12]

I just wanted to mention if you weren't aware that doing crunches won't help you loose weight from your tummy specifically. Your body burns fat globally when it does it so you really don't get any choice where it comes from. Really all you are doing is working your abs which if you have been working them for years are probably is good shape.

My stomach grew quite large as I got bigger but most of the rest of my body did not (other than my thighsm btw I am a guy) but losing it really came from watching my calories. I mean working out is great but honestly if you work out for an hour and burn 170 calories that is good but it is REALLY REALLY easy to eat 170 calories worth of food and make the whole point moot.

Like those people who execise and drink gatorade with all that sugar. They are pretty much running in place so to speak. I used to weigh 180 and now weight about 148 and I will probably get down to about 140 before I stop (I am 5-8). The biggest thing is that I ate until I had enough. Once I was full I stopped eating period. Definitely though if you are eating starches that is almost defintely your problem. Cut out the starch - most of which is going to get converted to fat - and you will see the difference.

When dieting I try to eat about 800 calories a day. Assuming the avg adult male burns 2000 calories a day (and I don't get off my butt all day because I work on the computer) then I burn 1200 calories of fat a day. Every 3 days that is 1 pound. At the end of 30 days that is 10 pounds and it's just that simple.

[jaurequi]

I lost my pouch within days :). However, I had lots of muscle hiding underneath from years of running (no abs work at all).
I was never cut on my stomach like I am now; though I was semi-cut on a healthy, lowfat vegan diet (still had a layer over my bellybutton area).

I hate abs work, but I do them now -- 50 to 100 leg lifts only -- and they have definitely improved my core and increased my cuts. I really don't have to do them, but I like the improvements I've seen for so little work! I find this abs work valuable.

Also, breathing correctly while doing cardio -- especially running -- by breathing in through the nose (stomach should expand) ; out through the mouth (tighten your abs, stomach goes in), is like doing situps while you run. Really works.

[angelandarose]

When dieting I try to eat about 800 calories a day. Assuming the avg adult male burns 2000 calories a day (and I don't get off my butt all day because I work on the computer) then I burn 1200 calories of fat a day. Every 3 days that is 1 pound. At the end of 30 days that is 10 pounds and it's just that simple.


800 calories a day???? :eek: That isn't enough to keep a fly alive. I can eat almost 800 calories in one sitting of eating watermellon.

You do not have to starve to loose weight/fat.

Love,
Angie

[fatdogs12]

800 calories a day???? :eek: That isn't enough to keep a fly alive. I can eat almost 800 calories in one sitting of eating watermellon.

You do not have to starve to loose weight/fat.

Love,
Angie

Love it or hate it Watermellon is pretty much all sugar. Fructose is sugar, it's not as bad as high fructose corn syrup but it's still still is going to go straight to fat if your body can't use it. If you can eat 800 calories of watermellon a lot of that is going to go straight to fat. Your body needs very little sugar to live on to begin with and eating fruit is going to be counterproductive. If you are eating lots of fruit and not losing weight that is something to look out for.

BTW I was not at all starving during that time, I was slightly hungry even after meals but it wasn't much and I never felt starving. The thing I am against is people who are on a 1500 calorie a day diet and wonder why they arn't loosing weight, know what I mean? I mean if you are burning 1800 (which is from what I understand is avg. for women) and you are taking in 1500 calories then you have a 300 calorie savings which in you are going to lose a pound every 12 days. That gives about a 2 1/2 pound weight loss in a 1 month. Most people that I have seen give up on that because it's such a glacial pace. I mean if you need to lose 35 pounds at that rate you are looking at 14 months to lose it if you stay disciplined that entire time.

I guess that does work for some people but I mean I can drop that in 3 months without suffering and I don't do a bit of physical exercise (well that used to be the case, I bodybuild now)

I tried it on my girlfriend too when I met her she was a size 0-1 and weighted about 100 pounds (5-5, 5-6 i think). Well she is east indian but I endoctrinated her into the fastfood 3 times a day life style. She went all the way up to 130 pounds in a year and a half and was fitting in something between a size 6 and 8. Before I started raw I got her to limit her calories to about 1000-1100 a day (which meant eliminating rice which was a huge part of her diet). She lost about a pound every five days and about 5 or 6 pounds a month. Within 4 months (she fell of the wagon a few times) she was down to 112.

As bad as Atkins is for you it does work in my experiance and for good reason. The things they make you eat take a long time to digest and therefore in general you are less hungry and eat less. You take in less calories and therefore loose weight. I mean the diet is horrible for you but it does work.

- Peace

[angelandarose]

I'm not afraid of sugar in my fresh fruit. I eat alot of fruit and still loose weight. It's when I dip into SAD foods that I don't loose or gain my weight back. I guess too I'm so use to eating a LOT to put on muscle and retain what I have. If someone eats too little calories and they will dip into their muscle reserves. I have worked hard to put on the muscle mass I have I want to keep it and add to it. ;)

Everyone is different.

Love,
Angie



Love,
Angie

[fatdogs12]

I'm not afraid of sugar in my fresh fruit. I eat alot of fruit and still loose weight. It's when I dip into SAD foods that I don't loose or gain my weight back. I guess too I'm so use to eating a LOT to put on muscle and retain what I have. If someone eats too little calories and they will dip into their muscle reserves. I have worked hard to put on the muscle mass I have I want to keep it and add to it. ;)

Everyone is different.
Angie

Yeah I Body Build so I can understand you feeling about your muscle but your body isn't going to dip into your muscle unless you have hit starvation. If you just stopped eating and drank water you muscle would go after the fat did. Fat has 9 calories and is a better source of fuel than protien is which only has 4 calories per gram. You would need to get down to below 4% bodyfat before your muscles start eroding.

[Alissa]

Love it or hate it Watermelon is pretty much all sugar. Fructose is sugar, it's not as bad as high fructose corn syrup but it's still is going to go straight to fat if your body can't use it. If you can eat 800 calories of watermellon a lot of that is going to go straight to fat. Your body needs very little sugar to live on to begin with and eating fruit is going to be counterproductive. If you are eating lots of fruit and not losing weight that is something to look out for.
This is ludicrous.
You will not gain weight from eating watermelon. And this statement that it is as bad as corn syrup. where are you getting your info from?
This is not true.
Your body needs very little sugar to live on??? what?

I tried it on my girlfriend too when I met her she was a size 0-1 and weighted about 100 pounds (5-5, 5-6 i think). Well she is east indian but I endoctrinated her into the fastfood 3 times a day life style. She went all the way up to 130 pounds in a year and a half and was fitting in something between a size 6 and 8. Before I started raw I got her to limit her calories to about 1000-1100 a day (which meant eliminating rice which was a huge part of her diet). She lost about a pound every five days and about 5 or 6 pounds a month. Within 4 months (she fell of the wagon a few times) she was down to 112.
What? this is not what this diet is about.
People please. Get your facts straight before you scare people off of fruit.

[misslinda]

This is ludicrous.
You will not gain weight from eating watermelon. And this statement that it is as bad as corn syrup. where are you getting your info from?
This is not true.
Your body needs very little sugar to live on??? what?

What? this is not what this diet is about.
People please. Get your facts straight before you scare people off of fruit.


Cosigns with Alissa. What? Watermelon can't make you fat---it's high water content. What do you base your opinions on Fatdogs? :confused: :eek:

[fatdogs12]

This is ludicrous.
You will not gain weight from eating watermelon. And this statement that it is as bad as corn syrup. where are you getting your info from?
This is not true.
Your body needs very little sugar to live on??? what?

What? this is not what this diet is about.
People please. Get your facts straight before you scare people off of fruit.

You will not gain weight from eating watermellon? I don't understand this point at all. Are you saying that at no point in watermellon consumption will it ever be converted to fat? I think it has been pretty well proven (though if you still want referrences it I can provide it) that if a person is to take in more calories than they expend those calories are converted to fat. This applies to protein, fat or carbohydrates.

Secondly I never said it was as bad as corn syrup I said: "Fructose is sugar, it's not as bad as high fructose corn syrup but it's still is going to go straight to fat if your body can't use it". This is comming from a weight loss stand point as that was the topic. Obviously high fructose corn syrup is bad for your body, I am not claiming the same about fruit at all but I don't believe that you can stuff yourself with food whether raw or not and not gain weight.

That example with my gf was an example about losing weight, not about whether her diet was correct, back then I didn't even realize that people actually did eat raw and I am not encourging that at all. I didn't feed her this food to get her fat, it wasn't an experiment (which looking back on it may not be clear from the way I wrote it) but rather she came into my lifestyle of bad eating some years ago. My point about that though was related to weight loss not health.

If it is still unclear or you disagree let me know, I am not trying to mislead anyone from any of your laid out diet but I don't think I said anything incorrect maybe I just didn't say it clearly enough.

[Pink_Berry]

i gain weight from sugar!!
i always thought it was " fat " that was making me unable to lose the extra couple pounds of body fat on my body... but nope!! turns out it was the sugar!! ESP!! watermelon!! not so much cantaloupe.. but when i eat red watermelon on a regular basis i gain weight!
the thing is.. im not OVERWEIGHT.. so i dont have weight to lose... all i had to lose was the extra body fat that wasnt budging!
as soon as i cut down on fruit... upped my greens and vegies.. and including some healthy quinoa and olive oil and coconut oil as my fats.. i lose almost all my extra body fat within weeks!!!
i think for alot of women.. sugar... no matter what form in comes in... is what keeps on the body fat!!!!
its only different for a women who acually has ALOT of weight to lose... she'll be able to eat all the fruit she wants... and keep losing weight... until she reaches a certain point... and then the body will keep holding onto the extra body fat with all the sugar!!!!

but even then... EVERY SINGLE HUMAN IS DIFFERENT!!!!!!!! and every single human is going to respond different to different things. some dont do well on lots of fruit.. some gain weight from lots of nuts! some can have both high fat and high fruit diets and be skinny as hell!... get it? EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!!!!!!

im so sick of reading stuff that makes it out to be like there is one single magical diet that is going to work for every single human the same... because there isnt such a reality!

[RawTruth]

Fatdogs12,

The information that you're relying on comes from analyses of cooked food diets. Yes, the items discussed are fruits. But, they are fruit that is eaten as part of an overall diet system that is analyzed including meat, dairy, carbohydrates, sugar, fats, calories -- all the things that do NOT need to be analyzed and portioned or measured when one is eating a 100% raw diet.

Those ways of thinking can be tossed out the window with a purely raw way of eating. Why? Because none of those rules, laws, and brainwashing apply anymore. Those concepts were constructed around bodies that were laboring and working hard to try to survive the unnatural effects of eating vegetables whose nutrients had been almost all destroyed by cooking, unsprouted cooked beans, fractionated grains baked into breads, etc. Our body's reserves of energy and vitality are depleted eating that way -- whether it's McDougall's plan or Atkin's plan (in other words, "healthy" or decidedly unhealthy).

So, once one begins eating 100% raw, none of those rules apply. I know I'm repeating myself here, but, from what you've written, it appears as though you may not have encountered the wealth of research done on raw food and the case studies of raw foodists that show this to be true. Also, it's quite apparent that you haven't read Alissa's book or know her background or you wouldn't be arguing with her.

I mean no offense to you at all. But, you saying that you can "provide references" so that you can prove Alissa to be wrong -- Alissa, who is a raw health professional who has coached hundreds of people to health, who has done the research, who has written a book supporting it, who gives workshops in which she teaches these facts, who has created this forum as a support group for those of us who are living 100% raw or who strive to be 100%, who takes her own time to read posts here and answer them -- for free, and, finally, who pays for it out of her own pocket so we all can use this resource for free -- well that offends me.

[RawTruth]

i gain weight from sugar!!
i always thought it was " fat " that was making me unable to lose the extra couple pounds of body fat on my body... but nope!! turns out it was the sugar!! ESP!! watermelon!! not so much cantaloupe.. but when i eat red watermelon on a regular basis i gain weight!
the thing is.. im not OVERWEIGHT.. so i dont have weight to lose... all i had to lose was the extra body fat that wasnt budging!
as soon as i cut down on fruit... upped my greens and vegies.. and including some healthy quinoa and olive oil and coconut oil as my fats.. i lose almost all my extra body fat within weeks!!!
i think for alot of women.. sugar... no matter what form in comes in... is what keeps on the body fat!!!!
its only different for a women who acually has ALOT of weight to lose... she'll be able to eat all the fruit she wants... and keep losing weight... until she reaches a certain point... and then the body will keep holding onto the extra body fat with all the sugar!!!!

but even then... EVERY SINGLE HUMAN IS DIFFERENT!!!!!!!! and every single human is going to respond different to different things. some dont do well on lots of fruit.. some gain weight from lots of nuts! some can have both high fat and high fruit diets and be skinny as hell!... get it? EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!!!!!!

im so sick of reading stuff that makes it out to be like there is one single magical diet that is going to work for every single human the same... because there isnt such a reality!
Pink_Berry -- are you 100% raw? If so, for how long?

By the way, if you are not 100% and haven't tried it for at least 6 months, your diatribe (above) is totally out of line.

p.s. Anyone who doesn't know me and wants to take me to task for saying this, please read some of my other posts before you do so -- that way you can get a better picture of my usual way of responding. Then, before you tell me I'm not being supportive or that I'm attacking someone, read over a few other threads to see that the post I'm responding to here does not share the well-reasoned and thoughtful spirit that this forum is known for. If, after that, you want to criticize me, go for it.

[VeganVixen]

Im sorry ,but I disagree *to a point* -yes IF you eat 10 watermelons a day ,you will probably gain weight -but thats not healthy anyways. I LOSE when I eat fruit ,I LOVE fruit ,and there are MANY MANY MANY skinny fruititarians out there , geesh without a lot of fruit the raw diet would be near impossible ,and NOT as healthy.........I can LITERALLY eat 10 oranges,3 mangos and a bushel of grapes and lose weight....just my two cents

[vixana]

[QUOTE=fatdogs12]. Your body needs very little sugar to live on to begin with and eating fruit is going to be counterproductive. If you are eating lots of fruit and not losing weight that is something to look out for.



~ everyone is right by saying everyone is different~ following a low sugar diet put me in the emergency room a cple months ago....by the way the cause sugar and not enough of it....
~as someone who also trains with weights I am female,800 cal would not be enough for me...I am always starving and ready to eat ...
if i just don't over eat I can lose 10 pounds in a week ...amazing but i have done it before without dieting badly...(SAD)
~ on this board people's main source of food comes from fruit..in fact that's about the only thing I want to have anyway....you have to be careful about what you say because alot of people learn about raw foods through forums..like me..
fruit is cleansing for the body ...i THINK its good for you and i think if you gain weight eating fruit then your not active enough or your just eating waay too much ....my two cents ;)

[fatdogs12]

Fatdogs12,
So, once one begins eating 100% raw, none of those rules apply. I know I'm repeating myself here, but, from what you've written, it appears as though you may not have encountered the wealth of research done on raw food and the case studies of raw foodists that show this to be true. Also, it's quite apparent that you haven't read Alissa's book or know her background or you wouldn't be arguing with her.

I mean no offense to you at all. But, you saying that you can "provide references" so that you can prove Alissa to be wrong -- Alissa, who is a raw health professional who has coached hundreds of people to health, who has done the research, who has written a book supporting it, who gives workshops in which she teaches these facts, who has created this forum as a support group for those of us who are living 100% raw or who strive to be 100%, who takes her own time to read posts here and answer them -- for free, and, finally, who pays for it out of her own pocket so we all can use this resource for free -- well that offends me.

Okay I think you have relaly taken what I said to mean something completely different. I am no way interested in proving Alissa wrong, in truth I don't care who is right, I care about what IS true. I'm not saying Alissa is wrong at all, I'm not even sure where we disagree or if we do. Hey I think the raw diet is the best thing out there and am not trying to take anything away from that at all, in fact it's just the opposite, I wish everyone would switch.

Nor do I hate fruit or think fruit is bad. In another post I wrote a few days before stated that it really seemed hard for me to believe that a person actually gained weight on a raw food diet. If you just ate whatever raw food you wanted to I don't think you would have any problems at all IMO (caused by eating raw food that is).

I do have Allissa book, I bought it for the recipes as I was already into going raw before I came upon it but no I haven't read the actual text. A calorie is just a unit of measurement of energy. That's all and I was certainly under the impression that most people agreed that is what a caloire is. I didn't know that someone would dispute the idea that your body will store whatever excess calories that are taken in. These things were not discovered by food industry backed scientists and were known before the concept of fast food was even around.

If that is what is being said though, I respect people's opinions and am not attemting to change anyone's mind. Allissa asked me where I got this stuff so I said I could give references if nessasary. Not so I could prove her wrong.
Like I said I'm not out to change anyone's mind and if that is what Allissa promotes I understand and will cease to make any and all posts to this board.

However I doubt that she disagree's that excess calories lead to fat. Maybe though... Still why so much anger, I didn't mean anything bad or negative.

[fatdogs12]

[QUOTE=fatdogs12]. Your body needs very little sugar to live on to begin with and eating fruit is going to be counterproductive. If you are eating lots of fruit and not losing weight that is something to look out for.



~ everyone is right by saying everyone is different~ following a low sugar diet put me in the emergency room a cple months ago....by the way the cause sugar and not enough of it....
~as someone who also trains with weights I am female,800 cal would not be enough for me...I am always starving and ready to eat ...
if i just don't over eat I can lose 10 pounds in a week ...amazing but i have done it before without dieting badly...(SAD)
~ on this board people's main source of food comes from fruit..in fact that's about the only thing I want to have anyway....you have to be careful about what you say because alot of people learn about raw foods through forums..like me..
fruit is cleansing for the body ...i THINK its good for you and i think if you gain weight eating fruit then your not active enough or your just eating waay too much ....my two cents ;)

I didn't try eating 800 calories a day while bodybuilding, that would be absolutely insane. At that point your body will break down your muscle and use it for it's protein needs. I don't advocate eating 800 calories a day I am just saying that for me I find that I am full and I can lose weight faster at that rate while not effecting my health as I get all the nutrients I need and just let half of my calories come from fat stores that are already there.

If you eat some vegtable or fruit it of course has at least some carbohydrates, you body turns that into glucose. Your body needs glucose obviously. From my understanding you body does not ever need sugar as in white sugar or corn syrup or fructose, now I admit on frutose I could be wrong.

My point is that I think if you are eating really sugary fruits and are not losing weight "it's something to look out for".

[RawTruth]

I didn't mean anything bad or negative.If you go back and reread your post, I think you can see that it did come across as negative -- definitely confusing -- and yes, you did appear to be challenging Alissa's knowledge.

Since you have the book, you might want to read it. <said with a smile, not sarcastically!>

And, in answer to your comment, Alissa does absolutely maintain (as do many/most raw food "experts") that the need to count calories goes out the window when you're eating 100% raw.

This is an incredibly freeing lifestyle. And so simple -- just eat what you want when you want. This may sound like an oversimplification, but, as has been discussed here numerous times, this is a guaranteed way for a beginner to go 100% raw begin reaping the enormous benefits available. Later down the line -- months away -- they may find themselves refining their diet with regard to the ratio of fruits to veggies to fats. That will happen naturally, though, if they began by not limiting themselves.

If you read pages 55 to 59 in Alissa's book, you'll see for yourself what I mean.

[Pink_Berry]

i was 100% raw for over a year... never a slip

i was about 90% raw about a whole year before that... and 70%? a couple months before that!

100% just didnt work for me... might be tones of different reasons why...which i dont need to discuss!

i know that for my own body.. 100% isnt the right thing.... but 99 % is ;)!!

[fatdogs12]

And, in answer to your comment, Alissa does absolutely maintain (as do many/most raw food "experts") that the need to count calories goes out the window when you're eating 100% raw.



I never asked even a single time if Alissa thought that while on a raw food diet you would need to count calories. The belief that it is not nessasary is self-evident from reading even a few posts on this board. What I did ask was whether or not there was an agreement as to whether taking in more calories than are burned leads to weight gain. It's a different question entirely as to whether or not a person should count calories while on a raw food diet.

[Revvell]

I never asked even a single time if Alissa thought that while on a raw food diet you would need to count calories. The belief that it is not nessasary is self-evident from reading even a few posts on this board. What I did ask was whether or not there was an agreement as to whether taking in more calories than are burned leads to weight gain. It's a different question entirely as to whether or not a person should count calories while on a raw food diet.


...and one would know they were doing this without counting ~ how?

The thing I've noticed about many people here is they are counting on the food program only to bring them total health ~ in many cases ~ losing weight. So, to me, it just stands to reason ~ one lays around, eats as much as they want, nothing functions as well as it should ~ and "why can I not lose weight?" Now, many DO move and claim to still be gaining weight. Next question ~ have you gone 100%? ("you" in general, not "you" as in anyone in particular.) THAT seems to me to be the deciding factor ALTHOUGH my experience is, whenever one changes their food program they WILL lose weight initially...otherwise how could one lose it on a fat-based program such as Atkins?

Back to the tummy pouch. It may be something as simple as poor posture. The pelvis is shaped like a basin. When someone stands incorrectly, the basin tilts forward and the belly falls out. When one stands correctly, knees softened (instead of locked back), lower back extended down, pooch disappears into the basin.

Revvell

[angelandarose]

My diet the last two days was this and it was 100% Raw:

Day 1
3 peaches
2 Bananas
one large Salad including an avocado
1/2 Large Watermellon
4 or 5 Lemon Coconut Chews
Strawberry/Banana Icecream (probably 8 strawberries and 3 banana's, I shared so I'm not sure the total)

Day 2
1 Banana
3 Bananas
1 Banana
3 Lemon Coconut chews
1/2 Large Watermellon
Large bowl of Cauliflower (Scrambled Eggs Recipe) Proably half a Cauliflower
A bowl of dried coconut flakes with Sunflower seeds thrown in and drizzled with honey to make a sweet tooth treat.

I have lost 2 lbs in the last 2 days by eating whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted and lots of fruit! I am down 26lbs total now! YIPPEE!

I don't buy into the fact of eating less calories wont eat into your muscle. I have read dozens of body building books and body building e-books that will tell you muscle is the first to go when you don't feed your body enough calories no matter if it is RAW or SAD. Your body will hang onto FAT because it thinks it's in starvation mode but it will eat into your muscle if you don't feed your body enough. Some women and men like that skinny lean muscle look, I like the bigger fuller muscle look so I'm going to feed my body probably more than the adverage woman. Which means LOTS of fruit. It's the carbs in fruit that carry the protien to your muscles. You can't have one with out the other.

I think every person is different and every person is going to react to what they eat differetly. We can't stick all of us in the same square whole. If you know eating too much watermellon(fruit) makes you gain weight then that is a personal thing and not a world wide truth. I just proved by my last two days of eating that lots of friut helps me loose weight. As long as I stay 100% Raw I can eat as much as I want and I WILL loose weight. It's when I nibble on SAD foods is where I mess up and gain.


Love,
Angie

[angelandarose]

I didn't try eating 800 calories a day while bodybuilding, that would be absolutely insane. At that point your body will break down your muscle and use it for it's protein needs. I don't advocate eating 800 calories a day I am just saying that for me I find that I am full and I can lose weight faster at that rate while not effecting my health as I get all the nutrients I need and just let half of my calories come from fat stores that are already there.


UGH!! You made it sound in your earlier posts that you were eating 800 calories a day and body building. Sheezz! There is no way you can keep muscle that way. I see now you are going back and correcting your statements. ;) Good!


Love,
Angie

[SedonaSun]

fatdogs...part of the issue with talking about calories is that many people have come here from past diets where counting calories was important, they were ruled by the calorie. The raw lifestyle is different, as you know, but if someone new comes in and sees posts on counting calories, they may feel that they need to still do that, even on raw, and it sets them up for failure or at least unecessary struggles. That's all :)

[fatdogs12]

fatdogs...part of the issue with talking about calories is that many people have come here from past diets where counting calories was important, they were ruled by the calorie. The raw lifestyle is different, as you know, but if someone new comes in and sees posts on counting calories, they may feel that they need to still do that, even on raw, and it sets them up for failure or at least unecessary struggles. That's all :)

You know I can appreciate what you are saying and that does make sense. I never even implied that one needs to count calories on a raw food diet. Most of the things people are saying about what I said have been taken out of context. Counting calories will not by default help someone to begin with. My points were unrelated to the raw diet mostly, I just meant that a lot of people even calorie counters only reduce thier caloric intake a bit below what thier body needs so on that diet thier weight loss can seem really slow and they give up. That is my only point on that issue.

[fatdogs12]

UGH!! You made it sound in your earlier posts that you were eating 800 calories a day and body building. Sheezz! There is no way you can keep muscle that way. I see now you are going back and correcting your statements. ;) Good!

Love,
Angie

Correcting myself would nessasarily mean that I had made a mistake. I have no made a mistake as far as eating and bodybuilding goes. Bodybuilding came much later, if you read in my first post I said this:

[QUOTE=angelandarose]
When dieting I try to eat about 800 calories a day. Assuming the avg adult male burns 2000 calories a day (and I don't get off my butt all day because I work on the computer) then I burn 1200 calories of fat a day.
[QUOTE=fatdogs12]

Considering you quoted me on thier earlier I think the mistake I think it was evident that I did not bodybuild while dieting.

[sonar]

Wow, there is a lot being said in this thread. I know that I was afraid to eat fruit because of the sugar, but once I got over that, I didn't have cravings nearly as bad as I used to. I love to eat fruit guilt free. My concern is talking about being 5'6" and 101 pounds and size 0-1 and still wanting to loose weight. I know everyone is different, but, geez - thats a pretty low weight for someone of that height - imo. I guess I'd like to see more muscle on a body no skin and bones. Is this normal for people on a raw diet??

[Gosia]

is due to the fact that, recently, I had less time to spend on the boards.

Anyway, here is my (brief) testimony:

Before raw, I was not very overweight, just slightly (so I thought) above my best, but after going raw I realized that I had a lot of excess fat on me. Gradually, I was losing it, from all places, including my tummy. One day, I discovered happily that two big lumps (they call them `love handles' for some reason) that I could always feel on the left and on the right, at the back, around my waist , vanished! Wow!

Since then, I have been making similar such discoveries elsewhere. Anyway, as far as my tummy, the layer of fat on it has dramatically reduced, as it has on other parts of my body. So, in summary, yes, eating raw (high-fruit, low-fat) foods, will lead to a nice, lean body.

Note, that this may be a long process. I have been raw for about 2 years (hurray, my anniversary is coming up!), and I consider myself to be still in transition. I think that there are three (overlapping) phases in the raw foods experience: 1. transition to raw foods coupled with a lot of shrinking 2. transition to simple raw foods coupled with more shrinking, establishing healthy eating patterns (high-fruit, high-greens, low-fat, food combining), body rebuliding itself 3. raw food bliss. I am somewhere in the middle of phase 2.

There is plenty of documented evidence for that tummy-shrinking phenomenon. Look at Nora (http://www.rawschool.com) or Jamie (http://www.ringlet.org), for example. They both have eventually transitioned to a high-fruit low-fat raw foods diet, and they both now have lean bodies (and they did not start like this!).

All the best,
Gosia.


PS An article "The myth of loose skin" (see link below) helped me to understand some things about weight loss process:
http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

[love6kids]

I think that there are three (overlapping) phases in the raw foods experience: 1. transition to raw foods coupled with a lot of shrinking 2. transition to simple raw foods coupled with more shrinking, establishing healthy eating patterns (high-fruit, high-greens, low-fat, food combining), body rebuliding itself 3. raw food bliss.



I love this. Thanks so much for sharing your insight. I am still, relatively, a newbie to the raw lifestyle, but I am definitely finding this to be true. This is the first time I have heard it put this way. Maybe it's a case of "when the student is ready, the teacher will come."
:) Alicia

[Gosia]

you welcome!

I agree, "when the student is ready, the teacher will come." I add: and this teacher will turn out to be Yourself!:p

All the best,
Gosia.

[love6kids]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but maybe this will help someone else as it has me. As I read Gosia's message about the 3 phases of raw, it was like a lightbulb went on in my head.
My first 3 months of raw were wonderful. I loved everything I was learning, and felt wonderful. I was shrinking without hunger or cravings, and I even enjoyed the detox! For the last month, I have felt "stuck." I feel sluggish, and tired, and not progressing in my health at all. Very discouraging.
Now I can see very clearly, that it's time to move to the next level.....maybe do a cleanse, and start being more mindful of what and when I eat. I have continually been raw, but I will be looking for more of a balance. I can see that my body is begging for refinement.
WOW! This is so exciting!!

Smiles, cartwheels, and cells dancing excitedly!!! :D

[Cinnamon]

Thank you so much Gosia! Your insight is just what I needed to hear, your description of the phases in the raw food experience make such sense and to look at it this way gives me a perspective I'd not had before.

Eating a high-fruit, high greens, low-fat raw food diet is what I've been leaning toward in my mind and I imagine that a lean body will certainly come from eating this way! So onward I go, everyone gave great input to this thread and I appreciate all of you!

Also thank you for the links Gosia, I will re-read their sites and my motivation is stronger than ever now!

[Carlene]

Goshia, hope you don't mind if I steal your link to the loose skin sight and post it on the over 75 pound thread. This is one of my biggest fears, it was nice to read there might be hope for me yet. Thanks.

[Gosia]

Carlene, no problems at all, such good news should be spread! :D

Cinnamon, you welcome. When I read Nora's and Jamie's websites, I felt so highly motivated. I am not 'there' yet, but it is good to know that threre is something to be looking forward to. For me, the nicest thing of all was learning that I can eat what I like: juicy fruit, sweet fruit, tender greens, and still get all I need. Raw foodist's life does not have to be a struggle, phew! :p

Gosia.

[sweetgoddess]

Gosia, always a pleasure to hear from you.


I think that there are three (overlapping) phases in the raw foods experience: 1. transition to raw foods coupled with a lot of shrinking 2. transition to simple raw foods coupled with more shrinking, establishing healthy eating patterns (high-fruit, high-greens, low-fat, food combining), body rebuliding itself 3. raw food bliss. I am somewhere in the middle of phase 2.

Love that so much, thank you.
Bliss is about to knock on your door! :p