Underweight "Menu Plan"

[Leneveu]

Hello :)

I'm wondering if some experienced raw-foodies - specifically those with a tendency to lose weight or be underweight - might be able to give me some advice.

I was pretty much 100 percent raw for a few months, but went back to roughly 50 percent after losing too much weight (and after receiving comments from several people about this).

I was eating plenty of calorie-dense foods - nuts avocados, dried fruits, bananas etc. Anyway, what I'm hoping for in this thread is not so much individual tips on gaining and maintaining weight, but rather I'm hoping that those who have a good "raw-routine" going, and have a very slim body type, might give an example of what they eat in a day.

So! What do you eat for:

Breakfast?
Lunch?
Dinner?
(or however you eat your meals)

Thanks for your help!

[Veronica01]

I remember hearing at a Victoria Boutenko event that some people who have problems keeping weight on no matter what they seem to eat, are not digesting their food optimumly and aren't absorbing enough minerals and nutrients. I'm wondering if that might be part of the problem. Are you eating a good amount of greens every day? If you aren't you might not have enough good digestive bacteria to be assimilating everything else your eating. The higher calories foods like nuts and oils your eating are probably passing right through you as you can't digest it as well. Have you tried getting most of your calories from smoothies,juices, fruit and greens? They'll be much easier to fully digest and get sufficient calories from.

[TaupeRawMan]

Hi Leneveu -

I feel your pain! I am trying to gain about 10 lbs right now (already gained 10). Here is a sample for me:


breakfast - 3 canteloupe or 1/2 watermelon or 15 nectarines or 3 lbs strawberries (either alone or in a green smoothie)
Don't usually eat lunch
Dinner - 1 to 2 heads lettuce, bunch of kale, 2 avocadoes or a seed/nut pate with greens


Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me via e-mail if you want to discuss further offline.

[Leneveu]

Have you tried getting most of your calories from smoothies,juices, fruit and greens? They'll be much easier to fully digest and get sufficient calories from.

These are actually just the things that are a consistent part of my diet! I have a green smoothie for breakfast every day, make a fresh vege juice every day, and I eat a lot of fruit.

[Leneveu]

Thanks TaupeRawMan. And I must say, well, I thought I ate a lot of fruit!

It's interesting that you're gaining weight with such a diet. I'll try incorporating a nut/seed pate - that's something I hadn't thought of in a while. I've been eating cooked foods again for a few months now, and it's amazing how out-of-practice I feel with raw!

[Raw Angel Mom]

I went underweight with raw food then it went back up.

Same diet, probably less fat and heavy then my actual one.

On my way to be underweight

I would have raw desert, raw soup, raw meal (nuts), green smoothies, fruits, snack, crackers, raw nut cheeze and you name it. I would eat and eat and still loose weight but i did get sick and lost a lot of weight then.

When it went back up, it was 8-9 months after. About the same diet, but less heavy food, more light, more whole food such a red pepper. I noticed that if i eat raw cacao, i do gain weight. I have been back to my normal weight for a long time now.

I know man may have a different reaction with their weight compare to woman, but i hope you find what works for you.

[supersonic_528]

Hello Leneveu, I'm not an experienced raw fooder, but I have the same problem as yours. I'm also not 100% on raw, the main reason being losing weight on raw. I think the reasons are that in raw diet people don't eat much of starchy food (like breads) and also raw foods like greens are quite filling but do not convert to a lot of calories. One thing I'm trying to do is eat more number of times. Suppose on a SAD diet you ate 4 times a day and that provided enough calories for you. I guess even when the same person will switch to a raw diet, he will eat more or less the same number of times, but this may not meet his energy needs. At least that's what happens to me most of the times. The other thing is that I'm trying to eat more good fats. I have started eating coconut butter. Earlier I used to put them in my green smoothies, but that way I miss out on the great taste. So I have started eating 2 TBSPs right out of the jar. It's fast and convenient and will give you instant energy. Dates also produce a lot of energy, so you can eat those too.