Adding calories?

[RawkinOnSunshine]

I'm having trouble eating enough. I get a bad reaction to nuts unless I eat VERY little, and I don't like seeds. Problem is, though I thought I was eating enough I've lost 7 pounds in just 2 weeks. I also work out and strength train regularly and have definitely been building muscle, which should bring my weight UP. I do eat raw food energy bars but I can't stomach more than one a day, probably because of the nut content. I add oil to my salads and jicama fries, and eat avocado once or twice a week (they're a bit pricey).

Any creative ways to add more calories without having to eat huge amounts of food? I don't have tons of time to prepare food so something relatively simple would be ideal.

Also, today at work (I'm on break) I stood up and blacked out. It feels similar to when I was anemic. This was at about 2pm, and I'd already had a BIG green smoothie (strawberries, spinach, 2T cacao, 1T maca, 1.5 t bee pollen), a large apple, and a lara bar. Could I be deficient in something? I've been varying my foods as much as possible and think I've been doing well with it.

Sorry for the novel, maybe someone can help. I'm not comfortable with gaining weight yet but I shouldn't be losing any.

Thanks for reading

[Irish_Vegan_Girl]

I have the same problem with the nuts. Although the weight dropping off, I don't mind;)!

I don't know what you could be missing your smoothie sounds very nutritious, maybe someone else here will be able to suggest something, good luck!

[asecretchord]

How about some avacado? I don't particular care for it, but I think it's pretty rich in calories.

[RawkinOnSunshine]

Yep, I do eat avocado at least once a week but they're a bit expensive and I can only eat them masked by lots of salad :p

Irish_Vegan_Girl - hehe, secretly I don't mind either, but I know I should. Such is the life of a female ;) Also I don't want everyone to start freaking out about the way I eat if they notice weight loss, I get enough crap just for avoiding animal products.

[RaeVynn]

Gotta have lots of the dark green leafies!

Put a big handful in your smoothies every day. The nutrients are really important.

[Veronica01]

Your smoothie only has a little fruit in it so there can't be many carbs in there. Im wondering if you're getting light headed because your body is craving carbs. How much fruit are you eating? I don't feel well if i don't get enough fruit in me. I see 500 calories or less in the food you just described... so i think that could be your problem.

[busy91]

Veronica took the words right out of my mouth.
Fruit has more cals than veggies. Put more fruit in the smoothie. Eat more fresh fruit during the day, the calories will add up. If you like banana's eat those, they have a good cal count.

[Veganforlife]

Put your avocado in your smoothie! Talk about a creamy delight - YUM-OH!!!
Eat coconut oil/butter.

[T-Bird]

Put your avocado in your smoothie! Talk about a creamy delight - YUM-OH!!!
Eat coconut oil/butter.

Good idea V4L!

Just eat up some coconut oil.

[RawkinOnSunshine]

Oil in a smoothie? It sounds like it would be kinda gross but I guess I can try it, thanks :) As for fruit content, I do try to eat a lot of it but it fills me up very quickly. I'm accustomed to controlling food intake incredibly strictly from my many "sick" years so maybe what seems like tons of food, to me, actually isn't that much? I estimated that food amount to be around 600 calories, by 2pm isn't that a fair bit?

Either way, thanks for all the replies. I'll try packing some banana into my morning smoothie as well.

[cornvalley]

I'm having trouble eating enough. I get a bad reaction to nuts unless I eat VERY little, and I don't like seeds. Problem is, though I thought I was eating enough I've lost 7 pounds in just 2 weeks. I also work out and strength train regularly and have definitely been building muscle, which should bring my weight UP. I do eat raw food energy bars but I can't stomach more than one a day, probably because of the nut content. I add oil to my salads and jicama fries, and eat avocado once or twice a week (they're a bit pricey).

Any creative ways to add more calories without having to eat huge amounts of food? I don't have tons of time to prepare food so something relatively simple would be ideal.

Also, today at work (I'm on break) I stood up and blacked out. It feels similar to when I was anemic. This was at about 2pm, and I'd already had a BIG green smoothie (strawberries, spinach, 2T cacao, 1T maca, 1.5 t bee pollen), a large apple, and a lara bar. Could I be deficient in something? I've been varying my foods as much as possible and think I've been doing well with it.

Sorry for the novel, maybe someone can help. I'm not comfortable with gaining weight yet but I shouldn't be losing any.

Thanks for reading

Your story is familiar with many raw fooders trying to maintain weight. It is either eat more fat or eat higher concentration of sweet foods. Adding modestly cooked starches (tubers, beans, quinoa, millet) occasionally has helped many with their overall health program even though it is not ideal. This is from the experience of many health professionals working with thousands and thousands of people over many decades. Fractional foods (oils, agave) are not a part of my health program but whole foods of modestly cooked starches certainly would be if needed to maintain healthy weight and function. Don't be afraid to experiment within the healthy guidelines you have learned so far.
I'm sorry if this deviates from site ideals but I'm just wanting to help this particular person.

[RawSar]

DATES lots and lots of DATES :D

[RawkinOnSunshine]

RawSar: Hehe, I actually just used some in a recipe!

I discovered a tasty way to eat coconut oil...Check out this recipe:

http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/CarobBark.htm

Honestly, if you miss creamy milk chocolate TRY IT. I used only about 1/4 cup nuts and more shredded coconut, which I seem to be okay will. I also added dates for sweetness (about 1/2 cup). It tastes incredible. I gave some to my 'rents to try and they've decided to put away all the SAD chocolate, hehe. It's very rich but definitely added some fats and calories to my day.

cornvalley: Thank you for the advice :) Cooked foods seem to make me very ill the next day since I've been eating mostly raw (mostly due to things like boxed almond milk, dried spices, lara barsZ) so that would be a last resort. But your response is much appreciated nonetheless.

[supersonic_528]

RawkinOnSunshine, I have the same problem as yours, that is, I'm losing weight and I don't want that (I'm a guy btw). I also do moderate weight training etc. So I'm seriously thinking about the next steps. I think eating some starch will be helpful. I don't really care about the raw idealogy like most people here. I just want a good health. I have seen the benefits of raw, so I really don't want to give it up. At the same time, I don't want to keep losing weight either. I guess I'm going to strike up a balance between raw and some amount of cooked (or maybe sprouted) grains in my daily diet.

And I wonder how much fruit one can eat just to increase the calorie intake like many people are suggesting, and especially when fruits are so high in sugar. I think there should be a balance with everything we eat. Just because fruits are raw, one can't just live on fruits. I'm not saying fruits are bad, but they are usually high in sugar and very low in protein, which doesn't really make them an attractive option to people wanting to build muscles.

Someone even suggested eating green leafy vegetables. Well, those are actually the ones with lowest calories..

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Adding in some raw sweet potatoes might be a viable option for more calories, and they're damn tasty.

But from what I remember raw sweet potato might have some enzymes that inhibit protein uptake, so I'd make sure to keep a good eye on how it affects you if you were to add it in.

[RawSar]

RawkinOnSunshine, I have the same problem as yours, that is, I'm losing weight and I don't want that (I'm a guy btw). I also do moderate weight training etc. So I'm seriously thinking about the next steps. I think eating some starch will be helpful. I don't really care about the raw idealogy like most people here. I just want a good health. I have seen the benefits of raw, so I really don't want to give it up. At the same time, I don't want to keep losing weight either. I guess I'm going to strike up a balance between raw and some amount of cooked (or maybe sprouted) grains in my daily diet.

And I wonder how much fruit one can eat just to increase the calorie intake like many people are suggesting, and especially when fruits are so high in sugar. I think there should be a balance with everything we eat. Just because fruits are raw, one can't just live on fruits. I'm not saying fruits are bad, but they are usually high in sugar and very low in protein, which doesn't really make them an attractive option to people wanting to build muscles.

Someone even suggested eating green leafy vegetables. Well, those are actually the ones with lowest calories..

I highly recommend reading 80/10/10 by Dd. Doug Graham.