AM I the first Raw Vegan to GAIN WEIGHT

[RighteousYogini]

Day 6 and I've fed myself every raw dessert under the sun to my hearts delight...it's gotten me through hardcore caffeine withdrawl and energy drinks,e tc... thank GOD........but now id like to fine tune a little bit, slowly, ... so I dont feel deprived..anyone have any suggestions?
How can I slowly start cleaning up my RAW life?

For example, I eat late at night and I LOVE my sweets...im embarassed, but not including smoothies and salads etc, today I ALSO had:

handful dried appricots
lotsa raisins
apple
6-7 fudge balls
raw vegan cheesecake
handful of cashews

I need to lose about 10pounds.......and clean up my raw vegan dessert love! Help!

[Lesla]

I've been raw for a month and have lost 7 lbs. I know that dried fruit has a lot of calories because it is so dense. I actually keep track of my calories and exercise using an app on my iphone. It has helped a lot. Snacks can add up quickly! I may sprinkle a few dried cranberries on my salad, but I really try to not overdo it.

If you are trying to lose weight, keeping a food diary and adding up the calories will help. I love avocados, but have to watch those, too. They have a lot of calories and one day I ate 3 of them, lol. I also laid off the nuts and have stuck to sunflower seeds. For some reason, that has helped with the weight loss, too. Also, don't forget to exercise! :excited:

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks Lesla!
I teach yoga... and do yoga and spin, so exercise isn't a big issue, except the last week i just tried to get through the week . . . sleeping.. . . I dont have a cal counter tho............. wonder which foods are the worst?

dried fruits
nuts
almond butters
agave

[Lesla]

Just use google. There are all kinds of websites that will give you the calorie count of all foods.

[modernmonkey]

Forget calories and simply aim to eat foods in their most natural state with the least added ingredients.

You listed the items you had in ADDITION to your salads and smoothies. All you have to do is increase the size/or the frequency of your SALADS & SMOOTHIES and the OTHERS will naturally reduce. You are only eating those sugar and fat laden things because you are not getting enough nutrition.

Oh, and btw you are not the first raw vegan to gain weight because these kind of choices are rife in the raw food community.

You are doing great so far, keep focusing on being 100% raw and you'll get there.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Eat and don't worry, you will lose your weight. Sometime we appear to gain but we don't. Our organ rebuilt constantly and we do gain lb but not necessary body fat.

Some trick to cleanse your body faster: Don't eat late. Chew, chew and chew, you will eat less and be less hungry, drink tone of water (rule of tumb half in OZ of your body in lb. So if you are 100lb, drink 50oz of water,
8oz/cup)

It is critcal that you focus on feeling comfortable with this lifestyle and your health. The weight will balance out when your body is ready.

All the best

p.s Don't forget we always weight more when we are about to have our period too.

[RighteousYogini]

thats so helpful, raw mom!! Thank you!! And actually today... I reallly dont feel like any sweets at all.. I overdid it last night, but today, Im happy just juicing, salads and smoothies! AND.... totally over the caffeine. :excited::throwhearts::woohoo::dance:

thanks guys!

[modernmonkey]

You did it! Death to the caffeine!! :woohoo:

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks monkey!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mindful mama]

I'm sure I gained at the beginning. Don't own a scale but I could feel it. I hover between 118 & 128, a few lbs makes a difference. I too eat late, love almond butter & dried fruit. I did as the others suggested; BIG salads & smoothies. Juice fasting helped a lot to erase some of my habits & cravings. Still eat nuts & dried fruit, just seem better at listening & stopping.

Be well...

[mcster]

I bet you're not eating enough fat. It's beyond my comprehension why people worry about counting calories. Sorry but what a terrible way to live. Try focusing on nutrition and see what happens. Stop eating so many nuts and things like raw cheesecake and focus on eating greens and fresh fruits. Eat lots of good fats like coconut oil and avos. That will help you burn off bad fats in your body. It will also keep your satiated and prevent constant hunger and cravings that is more common with low fat/high fruit raw diet. Then you may want to start introducing some superfoods to your diet and see what kind of difference that makes to your energy level and recovery after yoga. Hope that helps.

[modernmonkey]

I bet you're not eating enough fat. It's beyond my comprehension why people worry about counting calories. Sorry but what a terrible way to live. Try focusing on nutrition and see what happens. Stop eating so many nuts and things like raw cheesecake and focus on eating greens and fresh fruits. Eat lots of good fats like coconut oil and avos. That will help you burn off bad fats in your body. It will also keep your satiated and prevent constant hunger and cravings that is more common with low fat/high fruit raw diet. Then you may want to start introducing some superfoods to your diet and see what kind of difference that makes to your energy level and recovery after yoga. Hope that helps.

If it is true that hunger and cravings are more common with low fat/high fruit raw diets, then it is simply because not enough calories through fruit is being consumed or not enough greens are being included. It is not because of the low fat. Increasing the fat is not the solution.

[sport]

I think that you should just eat what you want until all cravings are gone and you know that you are raw. Then you can start to get it right. If you try to reach the ideal before you are ready you may give in to temptation and fall off the wagon.
When you are ready I suggest that you use cronometer
http://cron-o-meter.en.softonic.com/
to keep an eye on what you are eating while you learn whet you need.

[Lady Green Jeans]

Lots of good advice here. I am finding this time raw has been so much different from my previous attempts. I may eat nut- or avo-heaving one day and the next only seem to want salads or something lighter. It is working out and have been enjoying a wider variety of simple and complex in my eating.

It will also balance out for you.

[mcster]

If it is true that hunger and cravings are more common with low fat/high fruit raw diets, then it is simply because not enough calories through fruit is being consumed or not enough greens are being included. It is not because of the low fat. Increasing the fat is not the solution.

I think you misread my post. I never said cravings are because of low fat. And consuming more healthy fats is certainly a way to curve cravings and lose fat especially when combined with exercise.

[modernmonkey]

I re-read your post.

Your immediate response to the OP was, 'I bet you're not eating enough fat.'
You do go on to add an increase in greens and fruits is important too.

So essentially you are suggesting eating more of everything.

But then you close with, 'It will also ... prevent constant hunger and cravings that is more common with low fat/high fruit raw diet' which prompted my posting because I disagree with the statement and believe in this context that it implies increasing one's fat intake to cure cravings (or decrease one's fruit intake but I know you're pro-fruit).

Finally, you even contradicted yourself in your last post to me.


I never said cravings are because of low fat. And consuming more healthy fats is certainly a way to curve cravings...