Raw = Feeling Hungry All The Time!

[RawKinTheRaw]

Since going raw I constantly feel hungry! I think that is what I have "failed" in the past as well. How do you stay feeling full, not that over full feeling, but just not hungry. I always feel like my stomach is empty?! I hope that makes sense?!

[snoops]

Are you eating enough fats? Avocados, coconuts, nuts. Your body needs good fats. If eat those I am never hungry. If I don't I am never satisfied and am constantly thinking about what to eat next.

[RawKinTheRaw]

Oh no, I haven't had any of that, well raw almonds but that's about it! Great suggestion, perhaps some avocados in my salad today!

[T-Bird]

wheatgrass juice and chlorella really help me out - they fill you up with minerals and your body feels nurished - although you will still need other food and avocados are great

[Conscious Midwife]

Whenever I reraw I find that for the first several days I have to have a whole lot of fat intake...usually because I'm return to RAW from a crappy vegtarian lifestyle.

I also find that makign shakes with very ripe bananans and a nut milk I blend without straining helps.

:cool:My theory is that...
We when eatin crappy we are so use to overstuffing with crappy empty calories that is intial ahrd to feel satisfied

Then when the healing and metabollic improvements kick in the body desires more and mrore of the good live stuff for immediate use and storage just in case you create a nutrient debt again in the future

[michigan roman]

went thru same thing , took a couple years

- drank the non raw green tea constantly to supress appetite

- lemon squeezed in water also helped me

- a TON of chopped walnuts or sesame seeds plus avacado in my salads .
also a ton of vegis like brocoli and mushroom in my salads . a ton of fresh minced garlic clove dont hurt neither ;)

- bananas and walnuts ate together shall fill up a gut too

- BANANA / AVACADO / WALNUT / SESAME SEED

[NaturalMama]

For me it's been the opposite. I was way too thin, always eating but always hungry and struggling to maintain the little weight I had (5'3" and ate constantly to maintain 100-105 pounds tops if I was lucky). Since switching to raw I am satisfied, feel nourished and am effortlessly maintaining a healthy weight of 115 pounds while eating way less food. I do eat a lot of greens and I think that makes a difference. But, I have a friend that I shared the raw food diet with about a year ago and she bought Alissa's dvd and book right away and went 100% immediately and threw away her stove and all cooked foods (this was even in late fall when it starts getting cold and some people think raw foods and winter don't mix), she was very convinced. She said that for her, she was constantly hungry and eating all the time for the first few months and the her appetite changed and she began eating less and she was not feeling cold or hungry all the time. We have long winters so it was still winter when the always hungry and cold feeling went away. I'd say just keep eating, include greens and fats too, and your body will eventually need less and you won't feel hungry all the time.

[rawmiss]

Whenever I reraw . . .

reraw - that's the cutest way of saying "return to raw" that I've ever seen.

[VeGenesis]

Are you eating enough fats? Avocados, coconuts, nuts. Your body needs good fats. If eat those I am never hungry. If I don't I am never satisfied and am constantly thinking about what to eat next.

Don't over do this! Too much fat, even in raw food, can cause many troubles. Alissa has post on this site that she says her book is not a high fat diet!

I eat a young coconut OR an avocado OR an little bowl of jackfruit! I don't eat seeds, nuts nor add oil myself. My Honeybun says this is too much for her and eats only 1/3 to 1/2 of that.

Usually when I get hungry it is about my green smoothies. That is, not enough greens! I eat half a kilo a day. I've heard some recommend 1 pound a day! Your size is a factor - I am over 6'2 and 290 lbs! But if your are hungry - try more greens - it is likely your body is craving minerals!

You might also try more bananas! The potassium will help! I heard someone claim to eat "30 bananas a day" and lose weight to a sexy body! Well, for me about half that is just fine! (My Honeybun says I am getting more sexy all the time!)

I personally do better with more greens and just a little fat. Someone on another site helped me figure it out and I ate about 4-6% of my calories from fat. That is low, but it works for me. I have net friends that are more like 14-15% of calories from fat and seem to do well at that level.

So there are a few ideas. Personally - I would recommend adding more greens first. I have read many people who have cured their hunger that way.

[solarliving]

What has helped me this last week is starting my day off with fruit and making sure I eat enough of it. Getting enough calories. I used to do smoothies for breakfast, but now I start my day off with a big bowl of fruit cut up. The smoothie comes after that when I feel hungry. The next meal is usually something more with greens, and or non-sweet fruits like bell peppers, and cucumbers. The great thing is I don't have to force myself to eat a salad, it's that my body has gotten enough fruit and wants something else. I tend to eat the higher fat foods towards the evening. Avo's, nuts, seeds, etc..

I kept falling off the wagon and I realized that I wasn't getting enough calories. I would end up so hungry I would eat processed, cooked foods. Upping the fruit and veggie intake has helped me get through the cravings.

[VeGenesis]

I kept falling off the wagon and I realized that I wasn't getting enough calories. I would end up so hungry I would eat processed, cooked foods. Upping the fruit and veggie intake has helped me get through the cravings.

Good points! I knew a lady that was craving sweets. Cake, candies and like that. Until someone told her to start eating bananas for her first food. Last I talked to here she was eating half a dozen bananas, chunked into other fruits, she had no cravings, wasn't hungry and had lost about 20 pounds!

Sometimes we become so brainwashed by our old SAD diets that it is hard to accept that eating more is healthy!

[Tsurugi_Oni]

If you wanna fill up on fruit bananas would definately be the way to go. I could eat about 20 bananas a day easily, and thats not even doing any special physically.

Fats also definately help to satiate ya. A good guacamole will sit perfect in the stomach. I have a voracious appetite and those are about the only things that help.

[Green_Woman]

GREEN SMOOTHIES, GREEN SMOOTHIES and more GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!

These yummy drinks fill me up faster than anything else and the energy you get from them is INCREDIBLE. Plus they're the most bioavailable, efficient way to get your GREENS... it's practically like an injection of protein/nutrients. ;)

[stellaJewels]

Chia Seeds have helped me A LOT with that. Love the chia pudding and it gives me tons of energy, whereas fruit by itself makes me sleepy and then hungry again an hour later Mango chia pudding with chai spices is my fave

[Suz58]

What are you eating and how much?

Some people recommend 2Ibs of fruit at a time or a salad made with up to a Ib of lettuce plus toms, cuc etc and a small amount of nuts or avo. I am now managing 4 or 5 bananas for breakfast and it keeps me full for a few hours.

Is it real hunger? That gurgly feeling that we sometimes get might be to do with addictions, sugar, grains, fats and not hunger at all. If a small amount of a certain food make you feel better then it might just be withdrawal symptoms.

[RawKnitster]

Since going raw I constantly feel hungry! I think that is what I have "failed" in the past as well. How do you stay feeling full, not that over full feeling, but just not hungry. I always feel like my stomach is empty?! I hope that makes sense?!

In transition it is natural to be hungry and want to eat more. I believe Alissa's philosophy is to EAT IN ABUNDANCE throughout transition. Alissa has a post on RFT that states she didn't say we could eat whatever we want forever. So how long is transition? Perhaps it varies per person. I've been raw 18 months and sometimes still feel like I'm in transition.

In the beginning I found success by eating fruits all morning, every half hour, starting with watery fruits and ending an hour before lunch with heavier fruits like dried figs, dates or bananas. Lunch and/or dinner was usually a huge salad with greeens, chopped veggies, avocados, olives, nuts/seeds and an oil dressing. Three hours after a meal it was time for a snack.

If you are in transition eat as much as you are comfortable with. In my opinion a large variety of foods is best, but if you are craving bananas or cucumbers, eat your fill of them.

You can do it! :)