Initial weight gain upon going raw

[EscapeArtist]

Did anybody gain weight on raw initially, but eventually stabilize and lose it? In about how much time/weight?

There's already about 20 pounds I am hoping to lose, but I am eating so much on raw to acquire that filled feeling that I am gaining about 1 pound every 3 days. Very scary. I am hoping that this is only temporary

[Aleesha Sattva]

haven't you been raw for awhile? you joined this forum in june 2010...

[EscapeArtist]

I joined out of interest in 2010, went kind of 50%, did the 30 day challenge in December, fell off and started up again. So I haven't been raw long term, and even during the 30 day challenge I was still trying to find the full feeling and gaining a bit o' weight... I hope there is an adjustment period?

[Stina]

Not uncommon. You may need to think your fat intake. In a short period of time you will be operating on a different feeling other than fullness. I occasionally cheat (joke) and make life easier on my body by water fasting for one day. Can't do more for now because I'm a working woman.
And how is your exercise program? I'm not wondering about it as a tool for weight loss, rather as a way to buoy your metabolism and to regulate your appetite.
My last trick is to mono eat. My system loves me for it when I do that.

[modernmonkey]

Dear EscapeArtist

I have been reading your desperate posts and I really feel for you. Your reasonable mind wants change, improvement and health. Your food animal wants fullness, satisfaction and pleasure. You are in a terrible conflict as the two battle their way to get what they want whilst leaving you unable to make that escape your name suggests.

What I see here is the classic diet/fail cycle. I know it very well because I have suffered it for 13 years but before I go on, I can say a raw lifestyle CAN and WILL see you have success just with the right approach.

With any weight loss diet we are given a list of what we can eat and what we should limit. 99% of diets allow foods which just never quite give us the nutritional content our bodies need, this opens us up to temptation which through shear hunger (NOT LACK OF WILLPOWER WHICH DIETS TRY TO ARGUE) we finally respond to it and then surreptitiously introduce more and more of what we should limit.

I see here you have approached raw food like a weight loss diet.

You are allowing yourself to eat raw food and limiting your SAD food. You WILL fail not because you lack willpower but because you are in the classic diet/fail cycle. This is the reason why the diet industry is worth millions. Another reason for turning raw is to ESCAPE the diet industry, accountable for so many women's issues with food.

I imagine you eating raw, getting hungry, never quite feeling satisfied, allowing yourself a little healthy SAD, still not satisfied and then before you know it you are back on SAD or consuming too much high fat raw. This is NOT your fault. The diet industry and supermarkets have us locked in a lose/lose situation which makes them millions.

So I would like to offer you an alternative which has seen me break the diet/fail cycle and lose weight and stay raw. I had a wobble but I solved it in one week.

Some people can start 50% raw, slowly build it, slowly eliminate SAD and lose weight. For reasons only you know, you (nor I) is one of them.

My suggestion is to decide the day you will become 100% raw. Eat as much fruit as you like. Any fruit all day. Eat fruit until you find that fullness, eat fruit until you find that satisfaction, eat fruit until a craving goes, eat fruit until your voice in your head fades out. For dinner, (you won't be hungry but you are doing this out of necessity and obligation to your body) have as much leafy greens and vegetables as you can manage and a small amount of avocados, nuts or seeds. Or a green smoothie.

This approach WILL eradicate cravings and the desire for cooked foods and you will lose weight and get lots of nutrtion.

In time as you feel you have more of a grip on what you eat you may be able to introduce raw recipes or even increase your good fats. You may even be able to take in a SAD meal with little negative consequence!

I am forever grateful to the woman who showed me this way and I am sure she doesn't mind me passing the message on.

I hope this can help in any kind of small way. Good luck. PM me if you want.

[Basenjimamma]

I have been reading your desperate posts and I really feel for you. Your reasonable mind wants change, improvement and health. Your food animal wants fullness, satisfaction and pleasure. You are in a terrible conflict as the two battle their way to get what they want whilst leaving you unable to make that escape your name suggests.

What I see here is the classic diet/fail cycle. I know it very well because I have suffered it for 13 years but before I go on, I can say a raw lifestyle CAN and WILL see you have success just with the right approach.

With any weight loss diet we are given a list of what we can eat and what we should limit. 99% of diets allow foods which just never quite give us the nutritional content our bodies need, this opens us up to temptation which through shear hunger (NOT LACK OF WILLPOWER WHICH DIETS TRY TO ARGUE) we finally respond to it and then surreptitiously introduce more and more of what we should limit.

I see here you have approached raw food like a weight loss diet.

You are allowing yourself to eat raw food and limiting your SAD food. You WILL fail not because you lack willpower but because you are in the classic diet/fail cycle. This is the reason why the diet industry is worth millions. Another reason for turning raw is to ESCAPE the diet industry, accountable for so many women's issues with food.

I imagine you eating raw, getting hungry, never quite feeling satisfied, allowing yourself a little healthy SAD, still not satisfied and then before you know it you are back on SAD or consuming too much high fat raw. This is NOT your fault. The diet industry and supermarkets have us locked in a lose/lose situation which makes them millions.

So I would like to offer you an alternative which has seen me break the diet/fail cycle and lose weight and stay raw. I had a wobble but I solved it in one week.

Some people can start 50% raw, slowly build it, slowly eliminate SAD and lose weight. For reasons only you know, you (nor I) is one of them.

My suggestion is to decide the day you will become 100% raw. Eat as much fruit as you like. Any fruit all day. Eat fruit until you find that fullness, eat fruit until you find that satisfaction, eat fruit until a craving goes, eat fruit until your voice in your head fades out. For dinner, (you won't be hungry but you are doing this out of necessity and obligation to your body) have as much leafy greens and vegetables as you can manage and a small amount of avocados, nuts or seeds. Or a green smoothie.

This approach WILL eradicate cravings and the desire for cooked foods and you will lose weight and get lots of nutrtion.

In time as you feel you have more of a grip on what you eat you may be able to introduce raw recipes or even increase your good fats. You may even be able to take in a SAD meal with little negative consequence!

I am forever grateful to the woman who showed me this way and I am sure she doesn't mind me passing the message on.

I hope this can help in any kind of small way. Good luck. PM me if you want.

Modernmonkey;
I read this, re read it and got to say..THANK YOU..I needed to hear this..I was raw for 8 months, 100% raw and felt like a million bucks, something happened and all of a sudden I fell off the turnip truck..I have been fighting to get back on it for months now...this helped me..I will follow your advise to Escape Artist and I will do this...thank you.