calories? I really want to know

[lovefruits!]

I know this may seem like a question that is obvious to those who have been living the Raw lifestyle for awhile ...but as I am very new to this, I am curious as to the opinions of this board.

I have been told and have repeatedly read that a calorie is a calorie regardless of whether it is coming from fruit and veggies or from chocolate...at least when it comes to weight loss (obviously in regards to being healthy it is not the same). That if you want to lose weight, you still MUST watch your calories even when living Raw.

I am doing this to be healthy...for myself and for my family. But as a side benefit I desperately need/want to lose weight (about 100 pounds:(:() I don't want to do this 'wrong' in regards to weight loss. I know that I will be healthier even if I pig out (if you can pig out on veggies/fruits) but will I still lose weight if I'm eating over my allowance of calories in fruits/veggies/greens?

[gabriele]

I just know that everyone here is pretty much going to say that they don't bother with calories and to eat what your body tells you to eat. (this is healthy and natural, i think).

Having said that, i am in the same boat as you, weight-wise, and am also a life-long calorie counter. (which i'm not doing now). So i have the same frustrations as you, which is, i'm eating so much healthier, don't have a clue about how many calories i'm eating now, but if i want to lose weight, i still have to watch what i'm eating and not overdo it. You should watch out for the more caloric foods and cut back on them. Like nuts, coconut oil, maybe your salad dressing, those things. If you are stuck and not losing after a while, you should cut something out. For me, i don't lose weight unless i go to bed hungry. Not to mention exercise, i'm walking a few miles every day after work, that really helps also.

[Veronica01]

Here's an interesting article on calories:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327171.200-the-calorie-delusion.html?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg20327171.200

Here's a small part of it

"As long as we keep our calorie intake at around the recommended daily values of 2000 for women and 2500 for men, and get a good mix of nutrients, surely we can eat whatever we like?

This is broadly true; after all, maintaining a healthy weight is largely a matter of balancing calories in and calories out. Yet according to a small band of researchers, using the information on food labels to estimate calorie intake could be a very bad idea. They argue that calorie estimates on food labels are based on flawed and outdated science, and provide misleading information on how much energy your body will actually get from a food. Some food labels may over or underestimate this figure by as much as 25 per cent, enough to foil any diet, and over time even lead to obesity. As the western world's waistlines expand at an alarming rate, they argue, it is time consumers were told the true value of their food."

[Seedy]

Please see my post today (7/21) on the thirty day challenge board. I eat primarily fresh and frozen fruit, greens, vegetables, and bean sprouts with moderate amounts of fat at every meal and am losing 1-2 pounds a week (based on my weekly Weight Watchers weigh-ins). As you can see by my menu, I am not starving myself or eating simple mono meals. I am eating lots of delicious food! So far I am down 46 pounds with 25 to go. The secret is that raw foods have both high water and fiber content. They fill you up and keep you full. I used to be terrified of fats, but I have found that adding moderate amounts of raw fat at every meal has actually increased my rate of weight loss. This was hard for me to get my head around after years of low-fat dieting, but I have charted my weight-loss for months and statistics don't lie. I suppose I could lose weight even faster if I gave up the gourmet recipes, but why would I want to? I love the food I am eating, and at my medical check-up yesterday, my doctor said I should be teaching in one of her nutrition classes. Good Luck,
Seedy

[gabriele]

I just wanted to add one more thing, especially for anyone overweight like me:

in reading Alissa's book, she gives an example of what she eats every day, and i think for "larger" people it's quite shocking to see what a thin, healthy person eats, that is, how LITTLE she eats!! Because it's high-quality, nutrient-dense food. But it's not much. At least to me, it's not much food. I have to relearn how to eat, basically.

[gabriele]

I used to be terrified of fats, but I have found that adding moderate amounts of raw fat at every meal has actually increased my rate of weight loss. This was hard for me to get my head around after years of low-fat dieting, but I have charted my weight-loss for months and statistics don't lie.
Seedy

I'm curious, Seedy, do you eat a lot of coconut oil? I love that stuff...

[Thick]

I know it's hard to accept at first..but you really can eat all you want if it's raw and lose weight. At first people tend to eat more heavy complicated foods, and it's okay to eat desserts, avacadoes, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil etc..
You're body is starving for nutrients and once you start feeding it with real food, it is going to react fast. When you eat a lot of junk, your body gets used to needing a lot of food to (maybe) get the nutrients it needs. Once it it being fed, your appetite will calm down, some.

The toxic chemicals in processed foods cause your body to secrete a lot of mucus to insulate your intestines in an attempt to not absorb all the chemicals and toxic junk in the food. This mucus, over time and time again can get hard and impacted in your intestines so that you barely absorb any of your food--so it needs even more food.

If you start giving it raw foods not only will you absorb more nutrients, but also you won't be creating the need for the toxic mucusreaction, and at the same time the fiber in the raw foods will help release some of the mucoid plaque in your guts so that you absorb more and need less over time.

I assure you that Alissa does not deprive herself of anything raw. It may seem like from her report of what she ate that she is barely eating anything..but for me, when I say I ate mangos for breakfast--man I ate a big luxurious feast of mangos (like 7=) Just try not to count points or care and eat 100% raw for one week and see how you feel, then=)

I know its hard not to count points in the beginning and the mind games that go along with it (i.e. well, it IS 24 points of avacado in that salad..why couldnt I have ____...?)The difference is that the living foods can be absorbed better and create health and nourish the processes of your body--while the _____ is another piece of garbage that your body has to deal with.

Would you rather have a vibrant, energetic maid come over and help you clean your house or a dead, rotting one dripping with formaldyhyde and painted to look pretty thrown onto your living room floor?

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh i have to chime in here. i eat anything i want, as much as i want, as often as i want... and i have right from the start of being raw. i released 145 pounds in a year!!!! seriously... i ate desserts as much as i wanted (if i remember correctly i had one [or more] almost daily for the few months).

when alissa suggests you eat... and don't worry about it as long as it's raw... it really does work!!!

[T-Bird]

Being 100% raw is easy, but getting there can be very challenging.

My advise would be to go to 100% raw and do it for 3 months and see what happens weight wise.

By 3 months - you really won't be interested in going back at all, save maybe a wild craving out of the blue here or there that will go away if you ignore it.

Also - after 3 months, you can assess your progress, both health and weight wise, and see if you are making the progress you want to.

I bet you will be pleasantly pleased with both, and if you want to lose more quickly - add in some/more exercise.

I was initially disappointed in the slowness of the weightloss in my case - but I didn't have so very much to lose as some other people, so losing it in 6 months rather than in 3 wasn't such a big deal. Seedy has mentioned it is slow and steady (maybe a different thread?), and I would add cumulative!. So after a period of a few months, you really can see how well it's working. And since I was content with what I was eating, it seemed counterproductive to try to restrict things.

So - I've eaten whatever I wanted and lost weight each month. Sometimes I ate heavy, sometimes light, and sometimes I couldn't be bothered to eat at all and ended up doing some minifasts - just 1-3 days of eating hardly anything, or just coconut water. But unlike a planned "fast" it was effortless, I was just doing what my body felt like doing....

So I guess in the spirit of Nike, just do it. Go raw, give it some time to make changes, and assess the results.

[Veronica01]

If you overeat on fruits, greens and veggies you will be better off than if you over eat on avocados and nuts as they take much longer to digest and slow down your metabolism. Also i find it very hard to overeat on foods that are water rich and high in fibre. Many raw atheletes are eating 2500-3500 calories a day (if female) and 3500 - 5000 calories (if male) and i doubt that you could eat that amount of calories in fruit and greens and still be sedentary. You'd have to be eating all day and it would be a lot of work.

So i would suggest eating as much fruit for breakfast lunch and dinner that you want, using green smoothies as well, and salads. If you are craving raw desserts or even sad desserts then your body is still crying for carbs and you haven't eaten enough fruit. Once you're eating enough fruit you can eat anything else after for dinner and you'd be surprised how much you enjoy simple flavours of fruits, salads and soups, over really complicated raw recipes.

The level of calories needed to keep you at your current weight is probably a lot higher than the amount of fruit you would eat in a day, let alone how much you think you'd need to eat.

You could always keep a food jouirnal and get an idea of what a typical day is for you in calories where you feel satiated, stuffed, or starving and then you might visually know how much fruit you should be eating in a day. You definitely do not have to eat a restrictive diet raw. If you eat more calories in fruit than you did on SAD you will still lose weight. Real food calories are different than junk food calories, they body uses them instead of trying to get rid of them or store them if it's so behind it can't get rid of them.

[Thick]

If you overeat on fruits, greens and veggies you will be better off than if you over eat on avocados and nuts as they take much longer to digest and slow down your metabolism.


I agree with a lot of your post, Veronica, but I think it is unneccessary to encourage her to limit any raw foods at this (or any) time. If you want nuts and avocadoes, eat them=) and..dont count the calories=)

Raw food is about freedom, freedom from the obsessions that come with the guilt of overeating sad and even undereating it as well.. Just try to relax and have what you want for a week or two=)

[Seedy]

I'm curious, Seedy, do you eat a lot of coconut oil? I love that stuff...

Not so much coconut oil. I use it maybe once a week in smoothies or chia pudding. My preferred fats are avocados, sunflower seeds, walnuts, flaxseed, sesame seeds and hemp nuts (gotta love those omega-3s). I prefer my fat to have its fiber intact. Too much 'free' oil upsets my gall bladder and I end up tasting bile.
Seedy

[iluvmangos]

I am doing this to be healthy...for myself and for my family. But as a side benefit I desperately need/want to lose weight (about 100 pounds:(:() I don't want to do this 'wrong' in regards to weight loss. I know that I will be healthier even if I pig out (if you can pig out on veggies/fruits) but will I still lose weight if I'm eating over my allowance of calories in fruits/veggies/greens?

You won't do it wrong and you WILL lose weight as long as you only eat when you're hungry and eat till you're full, not stuffed. Don't worry about it. Just eat raw. It works. I've lost over 100 pounds not counting one calorie. You'll lose weight faster if you're active.

[Thick]

Telling someone to just eat whatever they want whenever they want as long as it's raw, does not set them up for future success with this lifestyle and it's not sustainable.

Maybe you are on the wrong board then, because that is EXACTLY what Alissa's book advocates.

[Bananna]

I think that it is the fibre and water that fills you up in comparison to a SAD diet. Also, it's easy to say that you can eat all you want raw, Because you aren't Addicted to sugar, wheat, dairy, chocolate, chips, etc...this allows you to make more rational food choices, so even though you can pig out if you want to, this tends to happen Much less often once you're established...because you're not an Addict.

That said, I DO think a calorie is a calorie, and I do think you should have some awareness of what stuff is in calories, like Veronica said, but nah, I wouldn't actually count your calories. Well, maybe for a small time, but really...yuk, lol.

Aleesha, I'm confused...I thought you juiced much of that weight off. In fact, I read a Bunch of before and after stories and if you pay attention to the follow-up posts that include their regime, NONE of them ate excessively/gourmet/all the time, even if they weren't hungry, just to stay on the diet. Most ate like that way initially to stay raw, but then did move to some sort of plan for weight-loss.
...even Alissa says right in her book, that if you're not losing, then try laying off on the nuts and oils.That was my experience also...if I eat a lot I won't lose, if I eat a lot of nuts/seeds and avos, I will gain.

My advice would be to eat what you need to to stay raw at first, but over time try and eat more and more fruit, smoothies and salads, and save the gourmet stuff for weekends, special occasions, etc.

[Veronica01]

Alissa shares what she eats in a day in her book, lots of fruit, green smoothies, salads some recipes etc. She runs a restaurant and creates great recipes but even she doesn't eat gourmet raw all day every day. So I don't see how I'm against what she's advocating for. She offers solutions for people to transition, enjoy raw food and entertain, but she doesn't advocate that anyone only eat that way all the time. She uses her personal experience as examples in her book.

And the question was about overeating on fruits, greens, and veggies, so should the poster find another forum too?

I was just answering the question, it has nothing to do with being against Alissa's book.

[RawKnitster]

Here are some important words from Alissa:

This post is titled "Fats, Calorie Counting, and More" (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29033)

[Revvell]

You know, it's not always just about calories. I've looked at weight from many angles and, as often as not, it's about the mental/emotional aspect. Once that's addressed, you may find that excess fat and weight is eliminated more easily.

[RawKnitster]

Here is another enlightening post from Alissa:

It is titled "Words from Alissa" (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29032)

The first sentence... "I never say that you can eat whatever you want as long as its raw, forever!"



My opinion is shaped by more than two years eating raw (on two separate occasions). Each time the majority of my weight loss came in the first few months. After that weight loss had to be earned by eating less. Which leads me to believe that while we don't count calories, in the long run calories still count.

[gabriele]

Here is another enlightening post from Alissa:

It is titled "Words from Alissa" (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29032)

The first sentence... "I never say that you can eat whatever you want as long as its raw, forever!"

Which leads me to believe that while we don't count calories, in the long run calories still count.

Exactly. You still have to watch what you're eating if you want to lose weight.

[iluvmangos]

Here is another enlightening post from Alissa:

It is titled "Words from Alissa" (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29032)

The first sentence... "I never say that you can eat whatever you want as long as its raw, forever!"

True, but "lovefruits" admitted in her first post that she's still very new to this, so she should feel free to eat whatever she wants as long as it's raw if she wants to stay raw. I don't think she should eat 2 or 3 cups of nuts a day, but she probably doesn't really want to either, but I could be wrong.

[iluvmangos]

She runs a restaurant and creates great recipes but even she doesn't eat gourmet raw all day every day.

No one said to do that.

[Revvell]

What Thick said.


I agree with a lot of your post, Veronica, but I think it is unneccessary to encourage her to limit any raw foods at this (or any) time. If you want nuts and avocadoes, eat them=) and..don't count the calories=)

Raw food is about freedom, freedom from the obsessions that comes with the guilt of overeating sad and even under eating it as well.. Just relax and have what you want for a week or two=)

[RawKnitster]

True, but "lovefruits" admitted in her first post that she's still very new to this, so she should feel free to eat whatever she wants as long as it's raw if she wants to stay raw. I don't think she should eat 2 or 3 cups of nuts a day, but she probably doesn't really want to either, but I could be wrong.

Absolutely! I agree! During transition (and sometimes after) it is all about eating whatever we need to keep it raw.

[Revvell]

You have to prepare yourself with the information and foods for success.

NOT true! When I first was introduced to raw food, along with about 5 other people, we didn't do any prep or read any information because there wasn't any. Other than salads, almost everything we ate was made with nuts, seeds and veggies. We ALL eliminated excess weight and FAST! Nothing else we did was different.


Telling someone to just eat whatever they want whenever they want as long as it's raw, does not set them up for future success with this lifestyle and it's not sustainable.

Yes, it does, and yes, it is. It's a great foundation for beginning a natural cleanse and allowing the body to eventually decide what it wants. Before that, all the "listen to your body" stuff is just bs because there's no "body" to listen to ~ it's all mind chatter.


Alissa shares what she eats in a day in her book, lots of fruit, green smoothies, salads some recipes etc.

That's currently. It's not how she began. She says many times in our interviews and our discussions on Rawkin' Radio (http://RawkinRadio.com) that she often lived off of whatever those dessert balls are she has in her book and also the nut/date cake/tort ~ whatever.

Suggestion to OP: Pick up Alissa's book; get her dvd and decide how YOU want to do it. Alissa's way is simple and I advocate simple.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Aleesha, I'm confused...I thought you juiced much of that weight off.

I released the first 100 pounds eating raw foods. I've never eaten gourmet raw foods simply because i'm lazy and don't like to spend much time with prep. :rolleyes: With fasting... I've released probably about 20 pounds in total approx. If you look at my weight... I weight the same now as I did a year ago... and I never focused on weight when I fasted... it was all about spirituality. ;)


True, but "lovefruits" admitted in her first post that she's still very new to this, so she should feel free to eat whatever she wants as long as it's raw if she wants to stay raw.

Exactly!!!

Veronica, I understand you have a strong belief that your choice of eating is the right way to do it. But this board isn't about that type of raw eating... it's about Alissa's philosophy and so that's what we promote here. We don't go there and promote Alissa's philosophy. :p People come here to learn about Alissa's beliefs... they go to other boards to learn about that boards beliefs and then they find what suits them at that time in their process. So that's why we discuss Alissa's beliefs here.

Hope that clears things up for you a bit Veronica.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Suggestion to OP: Pick up Alissa's book; get her dvd and decide how YOU want to do it. Alissa's way is simple and I advocate simple.

I loooooooooooooooove simple!!! Hence why I'm still doing it Alissa's way.

[Bananna]

ok fair enough...

lovefruits, I think it would be very difficult to overeat on only eating fruit, greens and veggies. I have heard Tim Van Orden say that if he eats too much fruits OR too much fats for his needs he will gain weight. So I would say a calorie is still a calorie.

Keep in mind though, that raw foods as a rule are not addicting, so you'll likely have more success managing your intake, and overeating fruit/veggies to subdue your cooked food urges is therefore better, because they aren't addicting like bread, dairy, etc. Those foods are Powerfully addicting and practically Make you overeat by their very chemical nature!

[T-Bird]

Keep in mind though, that raw foods as a rule are not addicting, so you'll likely have more success managing your intake, and overeating fruit/veggies to subdue your cooked food urges is therefore better, because they aren't addicting like bread, dairy, etc. Those foods are Powerfully addicting and practically Make you overeat by their very chemical nature!

Exactly - once you break away from those, you're body is free and can tell you what you need.

There's no reason to make up a bunch of "rules" - go raw, and your body will make it's own rules.

[lovefruits!]

Thanks everyone for your opinions and insights, which were many and varied....exactly what I hoped for when I asked my question:)

I won't have a problem overeating Avocado's as I am allergic. Not extremely fond of coconut oil so that will not be a problem either. Nuts however, I admit I can sit down and eat quite a few of...so I will have to watch that.

I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen (not very good at it either)...can anyone recommend recipes that are very simple? Please keep in mind that until now I did not eat veggies at all:o So far the only way I can make myself get my veggies in is by putting a lot of them in my smoothies.

Thanks again everyone for the responses!! You are all so inspiring.

[iluvmangos]

I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen (not very good at it either)...can anyone recommend recipes that are very simple? Please keep in mind that until now I did not eat veggies at all:o So far the only way I can make myself get my veggies in is by putting a lot of them in my smoothies.


One of my staples is Alissa's Mock Salmon Pate. If you don't have her book yet, you can find the recipe here (http://fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/MockSalmonPate.htm). It's Version 1. You may be able to find some other simple recipes at that site that you like also. I like the pate rolled up in a nori sheet with some chopped veggies or Alissa's Kim-Chi. You can put the same stuff in a large lettuce leaf like romaine if you don't have or don't like nori.

There's also green smoothies. Just throw some greens in a blender with some water. Mix your greens up with the water first if you don't have a Vita-Mix or other high powered blender and then add your fruits.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen (not very good at it either)...can anyone recommend recipes that are very simple? Please keep in mind that until now I did not eat veggies at all:o So far the only way I can make myself get my veggies in is by putting a lot of them in my smoothies.

that may change over time as your body gets used to eating raw foods. ;) personally i find a little plate filled with cut up veggies, a dip (i always used avocado for my dip but i know you don't like those so another raw dip could be used) and some raw pickles made my heart sing for supper. ;)

[Thick]

It's hard to recommend recipes, even simple ones, that other people might like as we all have such different tastes. My advice is to look through some raw food photo threads like these and find things that look/sound good to you. Also you can search for recipes, some with pictures on www.goneraw.com .

http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=3862

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=35341&highlight=photos

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=48555&highlight=photos

[T-Bird]

Zuchini hummus with carrots might be a simple meal that appeals to a "non veggie fan" if you like carrot sticks! Maybe with sliced red or orange peppers?

the hummus doesn't tast like zuchini at all - it is very close to regular hummus taste.

[Riiiya]

I have to say i haven't read all the posts yet.. just wanted to share my 2 cents:

I've been raw for about 2 years (not 100% All the time of course), in the beginning i lost weight while eating whatever i wanted (it seems that the more you have to lose, the easier it gets off). Then i went off raw and gained a lot. A year after- on all raw- i could not lose anything. I thought- i'll eat whatever I want just to stay raw and not crave bad foods. but looks like that doesn't really work that well. Lots of dense foods -while all raw- kept me gaining slowly + I was not exercising.

I just went home to Ukraine for 3 weeks and found myself walking quite a bit around the city, while eating mostly fresh salads. Me and my mom decided to skip all nuts to slim down. I lost a lot- so i hope to keep my eating under control. I don't think it's healthy to pig out on even the healthiest foods- which i used to do a lot :o

Anywho, that's my experience- whether it's calories or not, eating a Lot of food -raw or not- makes me feel worse and gain. In the end, i try to see my choices from the "is this natural" point of view? eating 2 pounds of apples from a tree seems manageable.. eating half a pound of nuts in the wild- umm probably not :)

[5852]

I am 14 weeks raw. In the first 3 weeks I lost the weight I tried for four years to take off. Mind you, it was not alot by most of the posts I've read, but to me it felt like 100 lbs gone. Now, without changing my diet, I am gaining back the weight. I do eat 1/2 an avacado in my salad daily. The rest of my meals are either fruits or vegetables. Dinner may be a recipe that has some nuts or seeds. I do not eat much in dehydrated breads or crackers because I am leary of that becoming part of the problem. Even though I do go to the bathroom a few times a day, I still feel bloated. I have just started colonics so I am hoping this helps.
Have others experienced this? I know I have chosen the right path by going raw, but is there hope of not feeling 'fat' ?

Also, I have been told it's not about the recipe, but about nourishing your body. With that said, do you (anyone reading this) still sit down to 3 course meals?

[Silveretta]

I would love to just be 100% raw...But my main concern is weight loss- and I struggle even at 100% raw, no salt, no nuts, no gourmet!
I am at the gym everyday with a personal trainer and I do not eat after 18h...
Any advice?

It's just not fair :(

[gabriele]

I am certainly no expert here, but i'm finally losing weight by cutting back (a lot) the amount of food i eat.

Raw or almost raw or 80% raw, it doesn't matter, a calorie is still a calorie and if you eat too much of even a good thing, you will not lose weight. I was eating all healthy and raw things and not losing an ounce.

I think for most overweight people (at least for me) it is shocking how LITTLE you actually have to eat to maintain your weight, and even more shocking just how even less you have to eat to lose weight. I have totally lost sight of what "normal" eating is, i have forgotten what real hunger feels like. So now i'm training myself and my brain to wait for actual hunger to set in before i eat. Sometimes, i'm so hungry that i'm not even hungry any more!! And then i can go hours and hours without eating or without any hunger. This is all new to me.

but what works is to EAT LESS. If you're not losing weight, you're eating too much, even if it is the healthiest food on earth, it's still too much.

[EZ rider]

When I went raw Aug 1, 07 I was about 70 pounds heavier then I am now. I havn't ever counted calories or measured food. The weight fell away on its own without any intervention by me except to eat raw foods. What I found was that when I put the right fuel into my body health results and that includes getting trimer. Good luck.

[*RayRay*]

I agree with a lot of your post, Veronica, but I think it is unneccessary to encourage her to limit any raw foods at this (or any) time. If you want nuts and avocadoes, eat them=) and..dont count the calories=)

Raw food is about freedom, freedom from the obsessions that come with the guilt of overeating sad and even undereating it as well.. Just try to relax and have what you want for a week or two=)

totally agree with this, in the beginning you need to just get used to eating the new foods and not worry too much about the details. When you are used to the new way of eating your eating habits will evolve. have you read this post from alissa?

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=369


oh, and my opinion about the original question, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.....absolutely not! it's not calories in, calories out. This is an outdated concept. Unfit foods clog up the body, so even if they're 'low calorie', they are still causing imbalance and accumulated waste matter.....you could eat 500 calories worth of raw veggies or 500 calories of cheeseburger, and the cheeseburger is going to stick in the body and leave residue, while the raw veggies are going to digest properly and head right out for elimination!

[iluvmangos]

I would love to just be 100% raw...But my main concern is weight loss- and I struggle even at 100% raw, no salt, no nuts, no gourmet!
I am at the gym everyday with a personal trainer and I do not eat after 18h...
Any advice?

It's just not fair :(

Are you sure you don't have a thyroid problem?

[PammieTaj]

I think for most overweight people (at least for me) it is shocking how LITTLE you actually have to eat to maintain your weight, and even more shocking just how even less you have to eat to lose weight. I have totally lost sight of what "normal" eating is, i have forgotten what real hunger feels like. So now i'm training myself and my brain to wait for actual hunger to set in before i eat. Sometimes, i'm so hungry that i'm not even hungry any more!! And then i can go hours and hours without eating or without any hunger. This is all new to me.

but what works is to EAT LESS. If you're not losing weight, you're eating too much, even if it is the healthiest food on earth, it's still too much.

The most shocking thing to me is how little I *move*. My husband got me something for my birthday by GoWear that keeps track of how much I move and sleep and how many calories I use each day. It's really pretty interesting technology. It's amazing how little energy I use and how little I move. It takes an *hour* on my elliptical trainer to get over 5,000 steps per day. Ideally, we are told by 'experts' that we need to get in 10,000 steps a day! I can do that on a busy day in my retail job, but on a not so busy day?

It might be more reasonable to keep a journal of some kind in which you time study yourself. How much time you spend moving is maybe more of an issue than what you eat. I knew I was a bit of a couch potato, but it was so much worse than I thought it was.

[Silveretta]

@ Iluvmangos- I checked several times and it was always OK...

[iluvmangos]

@ Iluvmangos- I checked several times and it was always OK...

Do you eat very little fat? Some people actually need fat to lose weight. Low fat doesn't always work for people. If you've been eating very low fat, you might want to up your fat intake. I know that sounds anti-weight loss because we're so conditioned to think that fat is evil, but it isn't really. It can actually help you lose weight. Some people do have to limit the fats, though. It just depends on your body.

Also, those tests for hypothyroidism they do aren't always accurate, especially if they're only testing your TSH. If that's all they did then I wouldn't trust the results.

Recommended Labwork (http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/)

[jesslcochran]

I think for most overweight people (at least for me) it is shocking how LITTLE you actually have to eat to maintain your weight, and even more shocking just how even less you have to eat to lose weight.

Gabriele, to me it goes to show how little a person NEEDS to eat. For me I used to eat a lot but I don't feel like I'm eating that much less while raw. I do eat less though and that's because I'm more satisfied when I'm raw. I don't feel I need as much.

I have a theory that if you get the nutrient you need then you're hungry less. If you eat when you're hungry then it's all good. I've found that I'm eating about 4 or 5 small meals a day while raw when I eat just when hungry. From what I've read in fitness magazines and websites that's actually the healthiest way to eat. Several meals a day (small ones in comparison to what you eat when it's 3 meals day).

I believe in eating what you want. What a lot of people forget is that after a while what you want changes. Eventually you just don't need as much. You don't feel the urge to gorge yourself on food. You're still eating what you want but you're not eating as much as you used to.

NOTE: I'm just starting raw today but I've been raw several times in the past. The longest was while pregnant with my now 4 yr old. This is what I've found to be true when raw for over a month. (I'm hoping this time I stay raw for good)

*hugs*
Jess

[gabriele]

Gabriele, to me it goes to show how little a person NEEDS to eat. For me I used to eat a lot but I don't feel like I'm eating that much less while raw. I do eat less though and that's because I'm more satisfied when I'm raw. I don't feel I need as much.

I have a theory that if you get the nutrient you need then you're hungry less. If you eat when you're hungry then it's all good. I've found that I'm eating about 4 or 5 small meals a day while raw when I eat just when hungry. From what I've read in fitness magazines and websites that's actually the healthiest way to eat. Several meals a day (small ones in comparison to what you eat when it's 3 meals day).

I believe in eating what you want. What a lot of people forget is that after a while what you want changes. Eventually you just don't need as much. You don't feel the urge to gorge yourself on food. You're still eating what you want but you're not eating as much as you used to.

*hugs*
Jess

I agree with every word of this. My body is getting all these nutrients and before, when i was eating a ton of chocolate and chips all day long, it was high on calories but starving of nutrition. A body just doesn't need so much to function every day.

[Humanist]

oh, and my opinion about the original question, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.....absolutely not! it's not calories in, calories out. This is an outdated concept. Unfit foods clog up the body, so even if they're 'low calorie', they are still causing imbalance and accumulated waste matter.....you could eat 500 calories worth of raw veggies or 500 calories of cheeseburger, and the cheeseburger is going to stick in the body and leave residue, while the raw veggies are going to digest properly and head right out for elimination!

I agree. All calories are NOT equal. The way to lose weight is to eat only foods that your body can assimilate and eliminate. If you do that, there is no need to count calories. This means eating only bio-available calories from living organisms, not inert calories from dead sources such as salt or cooked foods.