"Eat everything you want" vs. watching what you eat

[Mrs. Papaya]

So I've done a month of 100% raw and am continuing on for a little longer because I enjoyed it so much. One struggle that I have had during this time is whether to take Alissa's advice, which is basically eat whatever you want without worrying about it -- whether it's nuts or avocados or lots of fruit, etc. If it's all raw, it's going to work out okay and you will still lose weight.

But then there seems to be this whole side on this forum made of people who believe you should really limit your nut/fat (and even fruit/banana) intake to watch your weight. I'm a little confused and don't know who I should listen to. Obviously I WANT to listen to Alissa, and have for the most part, which has at least made my raw time happy. :) On the other hand, while I lost some weight, it hasn't been a whole lot. (I am grateful for every bit I did lose, but then I worry I am "doing it wrong" by eating too many nuts.)

Just curious if you have any input. I did listen to that podcast interview where Alissa stressed that if you're eating all raw, it will work out. I guess I can't help but feel a little dismayed that other people seem to lose up to 20-25 pounds in a single month, and I have not lost anywhere near that. I know I shouldn't compare myself to anyone else, but it does make me wonder if I should be more diligent about my food/calorie/fat intake.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i look at it this way... when it's broke i'll fix it. till then... nothin' needs fixin'

so when your body begins to say that it doesn't want x, y or z anymore... and it wants (let's say) more simple foods... then gift it that.

there is no ONE way to do raw... but (that said) this forum is here to support those who are following alissa's philosophy (which i believe in 100%)... and that is... eat raw. eat what your body asks for... and trust.

and so far... it's totally worked for me. i just bought myself some 27" jeans last week!

[lovenlife]

Listen to your body...that is the key to raw success.

[RawSar]

Allo Mrs Papaya ! Love your user name, its my fav fruit! :heart:

For me when I first switched to 100% raw i ate whatever I wanted as long as it was all raw and vegan. After about 3-5 months (cant remember now) I lost all my excess fat on my body. It was awesome because my diet was high in fat and I never stressed about what I was eating (which I think plays a big part when losing weight) Few years later of not changing much of my diet or exercise I remained at the same healthy weight
BUT
then I wanted to take my health and fitness to the next level. My body fat % was at a healthy number, somewhere under 20% but I still had a small layer outlining my body which I wanted to get rid of. SOooooo... I cut my fat intake down and worked out harder. To maintain now I continue to watch my fat intake but when I do eat it I make sure its mostly raw coconut OR another healthy raw vegan fat - I dont stress about how much I eat of it when I do but I definitely do not eat nuts and seeds by the handfuls daily as well as 1 whole avocado a day too.
This is just me,
Hope that helps

[DebB]

All that I can say is that for me - I cannot eat whatever I want whenever I want. I gain weight too easily. But I've got some challenges as in thyroid issues and such. *Ü*

[OnMyJourney]

Just as a possibility (unless you're eating tons of nuts and oils), I'd say maybe it's not "what" you're eating, but how you're "combining" it. Chapter 13 in LOLF has a nice chart to help with figuring this out.

I've been re-reading many parts of LOLF and to make things a bit clearer, Alissa doesn't say eat massively and heavily FOREVER. She says that in the beginning coming off sad, the gourmet recipes help to fill the void by keeping you from going back to SAD because they keep you feeling full. You need fats, but Alissa notes that if you're trying to lose weight to get your fats from places like avocado and coconut and not from nuts and oils. You need some fat in your diet in order for it to be balanced..but there are ways of getting it (avocado, coconut - as examples) w/o over doing it. However, she doesn't over stress it for beginners because eventually things tend to balance out. If you listen to your body it's amazing what you might here! I know that's been the case for me.

I just had a thread ("talking to myself") about this. She doesn't say over indulge in anything as a lifestyle, but don't sweat the small stuff.

[changeisgood]

Be sure you are exercising everyday or almost everyday. It makes a hugh difference. And drink loads of water.
It's only a month+ for me, and I went from being sure I filled myself up to eating simple (smoothies,juicing,salads,fruit) and not only listening to my body,but talking to it. Taking time to listen to what it says. And is so happy I listen to it that it makes all the raw foods feel even more alive in my mouth thehn when I bought it fresh.
My first trip to the store I bought everything and anything raw. The variety of nuts I bought are still sitting untouched by me.
I went from puting alot of olive oil on my salads (used to drench them) to a drizzle and allow the flavor of the meyers lemon and spices to make my tastebuds feel special and well taken care of. It worked itself out. I didn't understand this concept when I was told the same thing, but its magic!
My fats are the same as what has been said, avocados, young coconuts.
I have had miracles in my life (no IBS- put away the heating pad!), and also notice there is less fat on my body. I am 57 and before starting, I had that wrinkly skin above my knees, it is gone. I even notice some wrinkles have lessened and disappearing and I look and feel young,and good about myself.
Don't just grab onto one line in a book. Read the whole book, three times over and then again. Perhaps get a buddy to tell your food plan for the day.
And most of all, be honest with yourself. Your body will thank you in return.

[MimiYoyo]

It depends on a lot of things....like how much you weigh, how much you want to lose, what is your activity level, etc.

It also depends on what you define as "eating whatever you want". I can guarantee that if you sat around eating nothing but nuts, avocados and drenching everything you see in oil, you'd gain weight.

For smaller people like me (5'5" and under 120 lbs), it's easy to gain with fatty food and no exercise. There is no way I could consistently consume 2,000 calories a day, not exercise and then not gain weight. A lot of nuts, oil, avocados, etc. would add up pretty quickly. I don't avoid those foods, but I do limit them.

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with calorie counting. I like to record my nutrients in Calorie Count to make sure I'm getting what I need.

[sport]

I am on that side of the forum that you refer to and do not eat nuts and avocado and anything that will slow down my digestion but I will be the first person to tell you that it would not have worked for me in the beginning if I had not done it Alissa's way.
Eat what you want and make sure that you are satisfied. Do not eat something that you do not want just because of the old belief that you have to get so much protein. If you do not want to eat nuts then do not eat them. It is hard to get truly raw nuts and they are expensive.

PS. I do not eat the way that I do now to watch my weight. I would not mind putting on a few more pounds and I lost too much weight following the "eat what you want rule" so I think that you will too as long as you keep it raw.

[blizzardfrisbee]

I've only been raw since August but I've found it to be true---listen to your body! My body is now telling me what it wants and doesn't want. :excited:

[modernmonkey]

Hi

There are two ways to go raw.

1) Start by eating anything raw and slowly find out what works and what doesn't, gradually loosing weight and levitating toward a bespoke diet designed around you. Pros=easier transition from SAD. Cons=slow weight release, some unhealthy choices

2) Start by eating a simple, stripped bare raw, low fat diet and slowly introduce more complex raw and find out what can and cannot work for you, levitating towards a bespoke diet designed around you. Pros=faster weight release, quick elimination of cravings, healthier choices, quicker journey to healthy bespoke diet. Cons=more sudden transition from SAD (but I like that).

I prefer number 2. It's how I started, it's how I lost lots of weight, it's how I combatted my cravings & bingeing and ditched my SAD addictions to texture, volume and sugar.

I've learned on this forum that both can and will probably lead to the same destination. It all depends how quickly you want to get there and how much you are prepared to sacrifice from your former diet.

[bananaberrie]

i look at it this way... when it's broke i'll fix it. till then... nothin' needs fixin'

so when your body begins to say that it doesn't want x, y or z anymore... and it wants (let's say) more simple foods... then gift it that.

there is no ONE way to do raw... but (that said) this forum is here to support those who are following alissa's philosophy (which i believe in 100%)... and that is... eat raw. eat what your body asks for... and trust.

and so far... it's totally worked for me. i just bought myself some 27" jeans last week!

Size 27" jeans!! Wow you go girl :cheer: I have seen the first post in your before and after thread, but you must have lost even more to fit into those jeans. You go Girl!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

yes i have :wuv

thanks!

[bananaberrie]

yes i have :wuv

thanks!

Do you have a pic of you recently somewhere?

Oh and congrats!

[Raw Angel Mom]

My first year of going raw, i absolutely eat everything i wanted. Nuts, sweatner, desert, gourmet. Every day. I went underweight after 9 months, lol...

I lost all of my fat, it is only when i started to eat rice that i started to gain the weight. (I am 100% back now)

I am not a doctor, neither an expert but speaking for my own experience, there isn't any way i would have been able to stay on raw food if it wouldn't have been for the gourmet. We also need the good fat in order to lose the bad one

I ate tone of fruits, nuts, avocados, cold press oil etc..... I kept losing the weight. This was my body, and this is how i responded.

If you feel deprive, you are increasing your chance to go back to your old ways.

Your body will guide you. Right now, don't worry about this and just enjoy this journey.

I am very happy with a very simple diet now, i am there because i went with Alissa phylosophy. I am eating still what i want but my taste has changed, I no longer enjoy gourmet food as i used to, only occasionally.

[MyRedPanda]

Well, based on past experience, what I *WANT* to eat is raw food. Because when I give myself a free pass to eat whatever I "want" eg which would be just whatever everyone else may be eating, I wind up sick and feeling like crud. Case in point - chips and salsa with cheese dip last night for super bowl. Seemingly harmless but still made me feel like crap all day today. Funny how the healthier I become the more simple things, like crackers, make me feel like so horrible after I eat them now. And lets not even get started on real cheat food, because I would probably wind up in the ER if I ate something fried or a donut. lol. When crackers make you sick, you know its time for an intervention! I feel best when I am juicing, having a protein shake every day, and getting plenty of raw fruits, vegies, and nuts. period. I think any time I eat something else it is mostly from peer pressure for whatever reason (ie social situations).

[GoingtoRAW]

When I was doing 100% raw (working to get back there now), I ate whatever I wanted as long as it was raw and I lost weight and felt great. I didn't count calories or weigh anything. I simply ate 100% raw food. My body basically told me when to lay off of something. For instance, if I ate raw nuts too many days consecutively I might have a little stomach distress so I would stop eating them for a few days. Sometimes I would get tired of certain fruits and vegetables so I would make different choices. As long as what I put in my mouth was raw I didn't have any problems.

[Amii]

I agree with the post that you should adopt a mono, simple, low-fat approach and when you've got the results you want (which could be anywhere from a month to a year IMO) start incorporating overt fats into your diet and see how you respond.

Never limit your fruit intake, though! That's a surefire recipe for drastic calorie deficit and will send you straight back to the stinky, cheesy pizza!

For me, if I eat more than half an avocado in one day I feel really clogged up and sleepy. Same if I use olive oil. Since starting to dabble in raw over a year ago I've never eaten any nuts or seeds.

One of the worst pieces of misinformation floating about the diet scene is "Bananas are fattening". They are 3% fat. Three percent. Literally no more than five calories in a large banana is coming from fat. Seriously just nom on bananas all day long :D they won't make you fat.

[libusha]

Wow- thank you for posting this post. I've just been lurking around forums trying to figure out how it's best to do 100% Raw, generally just seeing what's being discussed and how to get the benefits efficiently...

I have so many questions around this and the more I look at different view points the more confused I get.. How many greens do you need daily? Should you eat a salad daily? Are there any further guidelines that can help? All of you who are intuitive about your eating what are the main points over lapping?
Definitly that everything is simple, low fat mainly? How frequently do you eat? Help this muct be the most confusing thing ever!

Thankyou!!

[sport]

How many greens do you need daily? Should you eat a salad daily? Are there any further guidelines that can help? All of you who are intuitive about your eating what are the main points over lapping?
Thankyou!!
I think that it is safe to say that everyone agrees that you should have plenty greens and that you should rotate them and not stick to the same ones.
Green smoothies are great to get your greens in as are green juices. You do not need to eat salads if you do not want to.
Eat as often as you want but eat until you are fully satisfied. Get plenty variety but not at each meal. The less complicated a meal is the less taxing it will be on your digestive system.
If you find that a meal upsets you it may not be anything in the meal that is causing it but the way you have combined them so try them all again in different combos.
The best piece of advice that we will give you is to enjoy your food. Eat what you want and what your body is asking you for and be happy.

[libusha]

Thank you so much for your response! I'm always scared to ask questions in case I spund stupid! I'm so glad I did now! :)

So "plenty of greens"- I usually have a green juice with about 15- 20 leaves in the morning. Is that plenty? I find it easier to have them without the fibre,I used to have green smoothies but could never get as many greens in as into the juice, so now i just have them every now and then with a few leaves but not as a means to have the daily greens.

I'm just slowly getting the hang of the food combination thing now! It's so interesting, thanks for your help!