calorie restriction, fasting, green smoothies & raw food.

[iwuvmydoggy]

Hi. :)

I've been yoyoing forever. I'm currently at my hugest weight ever.

I wanted to try raw food-- I've been going back & forth with it. Only reason is money. Anyway.

What if I skipped 1 week worth of food per month- maybe two (alternate?), then ate nothing but green smoothies, that only equaled 1000 to 1200 calories per day?... and exercised 4 to 6 hours per day? mainly cardio, but with some resistance training?

Would that be too extreme?

What's "healthy"?... What are the bare minimums that I need to exist?... In regards to caloric intake?

I'll exclude anything from my diet & eat anything. I just want this fat gone.. Indefinitely. I'm extremely frustrated right now. I just want to cut the fat away from my body & be done with it, but I know that would be counter productive.

Thanks for your time.

Oh.. I'm not as psycho as I'm coming off, I've just got a lot on my mind & am fed up. I just want to know what to do, flat out, no BS. I don't want to buy any more books. I just want the bare minimums acceptable for sustaining life. Taste and enjoyment of what I am eating are completely irrelevant to me at this point.

[MysticTree]

I don't think that will work. You'd still be yo-yo-ing but with different foods. The exercise would be too great and the calories too low.

You can eat cheaply on raw but don't look for a weight loss that is unhealthy. You took time to put the weight on and it takes time to get rid of it.

Concentrate on a healthy raw diet and the rest will fall into place. Don't deny yourself pleasure in eating. Don't punish yourself. Indefinite weight loss calls for an indefinite lifestyle.

What you are suggesting is unsustainable and will promote yo-yo-ing. Learn what it is that is behind your food problems and deal with those issues. While you do this, eat a varied (inexpensive) raw diet. When you come to accept all there is about yourself you will lose the weight but until then you will struggle.

[Revvell]

I agree with MT.... it's funny about us humans... we go from one extreme to another. There's a saying "The solution is often the problem itself."

Everything you say you want to do will cause the problems you're already having.

I've interviewed two gents, both of whom were 400 pounds to begin with. One eliminated 100 pounds in the first year. I asked how he did it... did he restrict calories, nuts, seeds, etc. and he said he ate anything he could as long as it was raw ~ to stay raw.

The other eliminated 200 pounds his first year drinking green smoothies all day long.

As MT said ~ what you're planning on doing is unsustainable. Exercising 4-6 hours a day? You doing that now? Ever done it?

My question is, once you get to your desired weight how you going to sustain it? Once you begin eating "normally" again... you'll gain it back. No way you can exercise 4-6 hours a day for any length of time. You'll burn yourself out and when that happens ... BAM! You'll be back where you began.

Look long term. Raw is a lifestyle... not a short-term solution to a life-long issue.

[iwuvmydoggy]

On the biggest loser type shows, they have the people exercise 4 to 6 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours at night. if you're really fat, 2 or 3 hours in the morning & 2 or 3 hours at night & if you only do 2 hours, you fit in a middle-of-the-day workout for 2 hours. that's not too bad. it's not all at one setting. i suppose that may be what is making you all cringe. i suppose i should have elaborated, but i was having a bit of a panic attack yesterday & mainly just wanted to vent & so you all were the recipients of my madness. lol sorry!

in regards to the calorie restriction thing-- i've read on various websites that eating less means longer life.

the only eating green smoothies & juicing would only be until i dropped a good portion of the weight i want to loose. i figured if i was going to skimp on calories, i could at least eat the healthiest things for me & get all of my probiotics & vitamins & stuff in via my green smoothies. green smoothies are easier for the body to process & absorb the nutrients. i thought it would be better than just eating like a bird, because it's more nutrient-dense & for fats & stuff, i could add coconut oil or some other kind of oil & just drink green smoothies throughout the day & juice with the gerson therapy juice-- carrot apple.

then follow that by doing water fasting for 1 to 2 weeks of the month, to allow my body to purge toxins from itself & because i've read that fasting is good for you, too. i would alternate weeks. maybe start out at 2 weeks and gradually reduce my fasting to 4 or 5 days out of the month, when i'm at my goal weight.

i would of course gradually introduce more food into my diet- raw food.. and continue losing the weight & the closer i got to achieving my goal weight, reduce the amount of exercise i do, just like they do on the biggest loser type shows and gradually get myself on a "normal" "balanced" raw diet once i am at my goal weight.

you must understand that getting the weight off is my main priority, as my doctors all say i'm gonna die unless it comes off.. and their key words are "ASAP" and "SOON"... so i really don't care at this point how i get it off or what i have to endure to get it off, i just NEED it to come off & *REALLY* don't want some bozo charging me to have him cut up my guts with an exacto knife. that thought doesn't comfort me whatsoever.

now that i've explained my idea a little more clearly & not in a panic state, i hope it came across better...

if you want to help me, tell me what to eat, exactly... it doesn't help when someone is vague & says "eating raw can be inexpensive." -- really? HOW?... what is so inexpensive to eat? what would you pick that was inexpensive? give me examples and example meals for a whole day, using all these cheap foods & give me an average cost of how much money per week for 1 person to maintain a raw diet? 50 bucks a week? 40 bucks a week? what exactly do you consider to be inexpensive?

i don't want to buy anymore books. just tell me. i'm tired of buying books.

also, i don't watch the biggest loser, my mom & dad do & they're always threatening to put me on there & telling me what the contestants do to lose their weight. i'm not a couch potato.

[Revvell]

I'm not cringing and there are a bunch of threads on here telling people how to eat inexpensively. Good luck on your journey!

[MysticTree]

the way I see it is this. Real life is not a TV show. It is real life.

Eat a varied raw diet and eat plenty of it and you will lose weight. Cultivate a fun, sustainable exercise routine and you'll help that all along.

But if you fail to address the issues you have or think there is any quick-fix for life then you will flounder. People who succeed with raw are those who do it because it make sense to them. Those who do it solely to lose weight and without dropping their wonky thinking about calories will fail just as they have failed on any other diet.

The weight is a symptom. Treat the cause of the symptom and the symptom will melt away.

Be healthy. Extreme dieting isn't healthy. Extreme, sudden weight loss isn't healthy. I think that no matter what we say, the bottom line is that you don't want to be healthy - you want to be thin. You are looking at the whole thing topsy-turvy.

[gin3]

Do you have Costco? I hope so you can get huge bag of baby spinach for around $5-6. I don't remember the exact amount. I use this with frozen strawberries from Costco (sorry don't remember the price) and banana's for my smoothies. Also they have 6 head bag of romaine for cheaper than 3 head bag at local store. I don't buy other produce from them b/c in my area my local store is cheaper. I've learned to buy whatever produce is on sale and lots. This week peaches are on sale I'll buy some that a fresh today and some that are harder but will be ripe by end of the week. Kiwi on sale, mushroom and baby carrots, etc. BUY WANTS ON SALE. By doing this it does mean I eat peaches as my main fruit then next week or so apples or whatever is on sale. Bananas are also cheap. I don't eat any gourmet raw food b/c I don't have a dehydrator.

[RawnieColeman]

I wholeheartedly agree with the slow and steady approach. In the past 18 months alone I have lost and gained more than 50 pounds on two separate stretches. I was well over 200 lbs and cut down to the low 160's, the following summer I was up to nearly 220 and now finally, after months of hard work, I'm back down again into the 160's.

Losing weight (for me at least) is rather easy, keeping it off is another battle. As the late, great Jerry Cantrell said "reduction is addictive too"

That being said, slow results are frustrating too. I have taken the advice of losing no more than half a pound a week, and I don't believe a snail pace is conducive to results either.

So there are two extremes you should avoid:

1) Cutting so fast that you fall off the wagon hard enough to make you rebound all the weight you lost.

2) Cutting so slow that you feel like you are torturing yourself for nothing. You disregard your current method of eating and exercising as being worthless.

As far as just destroying yourself in the gym, I have followed that recipe and it will only lead to disaster. I was working out 1-2 hours a day, five days a week. I wanted results and I wanted a years worth NOW! All I got was a compressed lumbar disc and a nice vacation from the gym.

Currently, I'm using dumbbells and body weight exercises 3 days a week, and no more than 30 minutes a session. Believe me when I say (in spite of all those gym rat maniacs who try and tell you different) that is ALL you need. I have achieved my previous physical peak in a couple on months with only dumbbells and body weight exercises that took me nearly twice as long to achieve using very heavy weights in the gym. Your body will lose fat, and build muscle just as fast as it want's too, take a few months to learn that pace well and get in stride with it.

Check out this maintenance calculator and plug in your info: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?66061-calorie-restriction-fasting-green-smoothies-amp-raw-food.&p=671995#post671995

Based on the calorie information it returns, pick an eating plan that will have you losing 1-2 pounds a week (a pound of fat is 3500 calories so take that number and divide my seven and that's your daily deficit). Also, try and shoot for three hours of some combination of cardio & resistance training a week, and no more than that for at least 6 months.

[MysticTree]

Just to qualify:-

I started back on raw at the end of April.
My goal was to feel well. I wasn't bothered to lose weight although my doctor said I should.
I wanted to feel a million dollars again.

So I set out to eat anything I wanted as long as it is raw. That includes 1-2 avos a day, nuts (smallish amounts) and raw oils. At first I ate a lot of nuts; that seems to be a common thing when going raw. I eat less now because I don't need them as much but I digress.

I do not count calories. I have no idea what my calorie intake is and I don't intend to find out!

I have a fairly low exercise program. I do an hour of hooping once a week and small spurts of hoop practise throughout the week. When the weather is fine I cycle home from work 5 days a week. 5 miles which takes me about 50 mins.

I am losing weight. 47 pounds so far.

I am not killing myself with exercise nor starving myself. I consider my metabolism to be my friend and I do what I can to support it because it's my metabolism that allows the weight to come off. If one goes to the minimum calorie scenario then the metabolism shuts down and the weight doesn't come off as well.
It is necessary to eat in order to lose weight.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Without question, you need to focus on your heath. Losing weight will be the side effect.

You say no more books etc... but get Alissa Dvd's anyway. She will make it sound easy and achievable to do raw.

For money and to eat less (yes less calorie mean leaving longer, but you don't want to feel deprive but get the nutrient you need)

If you are open mind. Eat as much fruits you want in the morning up to lunch. You need the fruits as per doctor morse to flush your lymph system. I eat so much less since doing that myself. If you want at some point a heavy breakfast, you can learn how to make a granola, etc. (Never try to allow guilt or excuses to dominate you, make a responsible choice and never judge your choice. Be always grateful for every little step that you do and that is allowing your body to heal)... The more you do fruits in the morning, the more your body will cleanse.

Learn to make green smoothie. They heal addictions, balance the PH of your body and heals you in so many ways. Many time we over eat due that we need essential nutrients, green smoothie will do the trick.

Visit dan liferegenerator on youtube. He sells a dvd lose one pound a day. He is very knowledgeable concerning the property of fruits, greens and herbs. I recommend also dr. Robert Morse (morsend on youtube)

Doing raw food is easy and the way to go. You will eat far less this way.

***Trick to save money and eat less:

- fruits/green smoothie as mention ( you need sugar for your brain so eat your carb this way unless you have fruits sensitivity, they don't make you gain weight as people imposed so much fear, they are tone of slim people that eat mainly fruit and they are slim like a tooth pick).

-CHEW, CHEW AND CHEW.. If you don't take the time to chew, you won't digest your food properly, it will ferment and you will eat more
-Eat at peace- Make it sacred to eat your meal and bless your food

-Learn to sprout... It cost pennies and it is so healthy

-Buy from your local farmer

-Learn about wild eatable plant, they are free and the most loaded in mineral, very healthy nutrient and energy for you.

-Visualize that you are always provided and you are healthy and slim already. Surround this vision with love and gratitude. Put this vision in the now, don't trust your mind but your heart.

Learn to make gourmet raw food, you will need that for the day that you have strong cravings.

Craving can come from parasite, a detox might be something you want to consider down the road.

Most of all, honour your feeling and this is wonderful that you just let them out. Your feelings and judgement you had about yourself is just energy that is ready to be release. Remember that you are whole and perfect already. You are loved and deserve only the best. Give yourself permission to be free from any limitations. Believe in you because i do.

Many blessings to you beautiful goddess.

[Norie]

I just want you to let you know that I COMPLETELY understand how you feel. More than 50 pounds ago, I wanted to shoot myself in the face every time I passed a reflective surface. If it were possible, I'd get the kitchen scissors, rip myself open and tear the fat off me. Fat is a suit you cannot take off at the end of the day. It's like a cage the suffocates you. Everything is more difficult. You feel like everyone is watching you. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through the suffering that being overweight can bring you.

I would've done anything and I mean ANYTHING to drop even 5 pounds. My ultimate dream was to wake up one morning and all of a sudden be skinny and never have to worry again. Wouldn't that be the most wonderful thing in the world?

Anyway I read your idea and it sounds like it will work. It would be incredibly difficult though. Especially if you are transitioning from a 'typical' diet! I think a lot of people here are concerned for your health, especially with the water fasting idea. If you truly are as overweight as you say you are then it is true that getting the weight off is your priority. The method may be extreme but it may be the lesser of 2 evils. I would definitely agree that the green smoothie and juice idea would be extremely beneficial not only in reducing weight but improving your general health.

If you wanted my advice I would instead of doing the water fast so often, I'd substitute every second water fast you planned to do with your regular juice/smoothie routine with the addition of raw salads. Perhaps limit the amount of food you are consuming during this period. Like if you were usually having 6 glasses of juice a day, instead have 2 small glasses and one salad and heaps of water. The only reason that I suggest this is that I've had the most success losing weight when I alternate the quantity I'm eating frequently- whilst still eating. I have water fasted before and it's made me extremely ill, but everyone reacts differently to it.

You know yourself better than some random people on a food forum do. You will know what's right for you. Either way I am absolutely sure that introducing raw foods into your diet will be a step in the positive direction for you and I hope you feel better for it. :)

[MyRedPanda]

You don't even need to exercise - if you go on a juice fast (or green smoothie fast) for a few weeks, your body will release the stored fat. No reason to be exercising for 4 - 6 hours a day, that will cause a sports injury (trust me, I know because I used to be addicted to exercising and working out that much is not normal).

[Revvell]

... exercising for 4 - 6 hours a day, that will cause a sports injury (trust me, I know because I used to be addicted to exercising and working out that much is not normal).

Not necessarily. My partner and I used to do it 5-7 days a week. It was something we enjoyed doing... not something we felt we HAD to do. Neither of us ever injured ourselves. Is it normal? Not any more. Can be natural... depending on the "why" of it. "Normal" now is :15 a day if one is focused. Then, there are others in between who get in about :30-:90 a day.

I would NEVER tell someone who is looking to eliminate a substantial (or even a little) bit of weight to not get up and move. Movement creates health, tighter skin, stronger better musculature and bones, etc.

[MysticTree]

and a healthier mind :)

[Revvell]

and a healthier mind :)

Nod,nod,nod.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Watch this youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/liferegenerator#p/a/u/0/QPZKsu_F52E

Enjoy!