30 days 100% raw, but...

[DC Nurse]

...I haven't lost a single pound! In fact, I've gained 3! And I haven't "cheated" once.

In my gut, "raw" just makes sense, even though it flies in the face of my medical training (my nutrition professor preached 6-7 small meals each day, with a balance of veggies/animal protein/carbs). My #1 goal right now is to lose weight (I have about 15 pounds to lose). Since going raw, I don't feel one bit different--not better, and not worse. Can anyone help me?

Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: green smoothie with lots of greens, and a few bananas

Snack on fruit until noon (today, it was half a cantaloupe & two green apples, each about 60 minutes apart)

Lunch: Big salad of dark greens, tomato, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, red pepper, with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of ACV. Sometimes, I'll add Alissa's mock salmon pate or her broccoli soup.
Dessert: either 5-6 honey dates, or 2-3 raw cookies

Snack on fresh fruit or veggies until dinner. Sometimes (rarely) a handful of soaked nuts. And a few raw olives.

Dinner: salad, and raw veggie sushi or some raw gourmet-type recipe (I love Alissa's book, so it's often something from there). Nothing too nut-heavy, just the average Alissa-type recipe.

I try to drink water, but don't always get 8 glasses. And I run around quite a bit at work.

If you're still reading this epic post, bless you! And, please please help!

Oh yeah, and Hi Everyone! I love this board! Hope I can stay raw and be a part of your beautiful community.

Any suggestions are welcome. My ears (and heart) are wide open.

[Jamie]

DC Nurse,

Don't give up!!!! You CAN STAY ON RAW!!! Your doing great :D

Well, other than some motivational, encouraging words,, I really don't know.. Seems like you are eating great! I, too, will be curious to see other replies. If you have been on for 30 days and you are drinking lots of water, and eating really close to 100%,,, unless you need to step up on the exercising,, but sounds like you do stay on your feet alot.

Sorry,,,I"m not much help :(

Best of luck,
Jamie

[Denise Nicole]

Are you exercising at all?

[VeggieGirl]

Hi DC Nurse,

Are you really a nurse in DC? I lived in NoVA for 2 years and loved it. Anyway...I think a bit more info about you will help us to answer your question.

-The first thing I want to ask is - are you actually 15 pounds overweight, or is it that you would just LIKE to lose 15 pounds but actually don't NEED to? (people have many ways of relating to their bodies) :)

-Secondly, what were you eating before you went raw?

-Thirdly, I think personally it's a good idea to track your calories for the first couple weeks if not month of going raw. I discovered recently (after being raw for 10 months now) to my horror that I was actually only eating about 1000 calories a day, which is not enough fuel even for a tiny person like me. So, it goes on both sides - by being rigorous about tracking for even a couple days you can see if you are eating too much or not enough. There is a free program at www.fitday.org or .com? that I have found to be good.

-Fourthly (is that a word)? I would be interested to know a little bit more about your exercize program.

And finally (bless YOU if you are still reading!) - the fact that you haven't lost weight in 30 days raw doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean it's not working, it doesn't mean it won't work if you keep it up... (because how could you ever know if that's true?) Every body is different. I encourage you to enjoy the process for the process itself and let go of the outcome. You are doing some marvelous internal healing and cleansing and rebuilding. You never know what is *actually* going on inside, but trust me, it's good. I invite you to stay raw for a YEAR and THEN see what happens. :)

Cheers and love,
VeggieGirl

[rawpriestess]

sounds like you are eating great.

All I know is that raw is the best way for humans to eat, so keep it up.

I know you haven't lost any weight, and have even gained 3 pounds, but are your clothes fitting better? You may have lost fat and gained muscles. This often happens when people take up an exercise program, especially at first, they see no weight loss but their clothes fit much better.

That might be it.

Also, just keep eating raw, and allowing your body to detox, and you will reap the benefits of cleansing your body, and feeling so much better.

[DC Nurse]

Thank you so much for your help! I am so touched that you all answered with such caring! And wow Veggiegirl, you totally have the beautiful raw glow! Was that picture taken when you were already raw?

To answer your questions:

1. No formal exercise program yet. I move a lot at work, and walk whenever I visit a friend in the neighborhood. I thought going raw by itself would produce weight loss. I guess I have to let go of that dream, don't I?

2. I really do think I should lose 15 pounds. I'm 5'3, and weigh 133. 120 (or ideally 115) seems like a healthier weight. My skirts are usually size "large", which seems too big for my petite height.

3. Before going raw, I ate a "healthy" SAD (how sad indeed!). Basically, I ate according the the standard American nutrition recommendations. A careful omnivore, you could say.

4. I also use fitday.com. Like you Veggiegirl, I was shocked to find my calories hovering near 1000 when first going raw. But I've consciously kicked it up to 1300 - 1500.

5. Alas, my clothes fit no differently. For a while, I thought weight was falling off by how a favorite skirt fit, but a week later I noticed it was just that the waistband was torn!

6. And I initially thought of mentioning this, but didn't want to offend anyone. Nora Lenz's diet scares me! She eats NOTHING! And she's so strict. I could never survive like that.

Does this help? And, thank you again!!!

[twinyoga]

I think you're getting really good advice. I'm 5'3 (and a half!) and I weigh around 124. I too would like to be around 115. But that's thin for us. So these last 10lbs. or so come off very, very slowly. All I can say is if you enjoy being raw and know how good it is for you, then keep it up and enjoy it. After being raw for a while, your tastes will probably simplify and maybe that will encourage some weight loss.

But you still have to exercise a little bit! Some cardio and weights. Not just for weight loss, exercise is important for your body.

Good luck.

[RawTruth]

Nora Lenz's diet scares me! She eats NOTHING! And she's so strict. I could never survive like that.D C Nurse - Nora explains on her website that this is not how she began. She began just like we did. And, she does not advise people restricting themselves when they start eating raw & living foods. Many long time living foodists find, after a while -- a year or more, usually, that they are no longer as hungry and their bodies don't need as much food anymore. I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom that tells us that we must eat a certain amount to survive. But -- this is important: we needn't worry about this when we start eating all raw.

Just keep on going. The weight WILL come off eventually. Your body is doing what it needs to be doing now. Be sure to eat plenty of food; don't scrimp. It needs all those ripe fruits and vegetables to heal itself inside. It has the wisdom to do this -- in its own time and in its own way. Your job is to keep providing it with the raw materials, literally.

And, yes, you must move your body reguarly and vigorously. The easiest way to do this is to get a simple pedometer and put it on your waistband every morning when you get dressed. Then, just make sure you walk 10,000 steps that day. If that means you have to walk during your lunch time, eat your veggies, then walk. Or, get up a 1/2 hr. earlier and roll right out of bed and out the front door. Or, when you get home, walk away from your house (in any direction) for 15 minutes, then turn around and walk home. That's another 30 minutes right there. When you've walked 10,000 steps, draw a star on your calendar Yay for you! Then, do the same thing the next day. And, the next. Soon, it will be a habit.

The raw lifestyle isn't just about the foods we eat. It's all the ways we take care of our body (all raw food, pure water, exercise, sunshine), our spirit (meditation/prayer), our heart, our soul, and our community.

Keep it up; you'll get there! Trust.