Is this a realistic weightloss goal on Raw?

[Bihaku]

I've been high raw (70% ?) since October 2011 until now, while eating some cooked foods occasionally, especially when the weather got extremely cold where I was just desiring a hot bowl of soup. And I have lost weight for the first time in my life. I was 260 lbs in October and now I am 243. 6 lbs. But I can't say, I don't know, that Raw did it totally, because since October as well I got a new job where I have to stand and walk around on average 7 hours. The last time I was on the board, I was complaining that I needed to lose the weight, because my knees were hurting me really bad where my knee was bulging where I needed to wear a knee brace to work and i was popping pain killers. And oh, yes, I went since October nut oil-free and didn't consume any nuts as well to keep my diet as low fat as possible.

So maybe the combination of high raw + moderate/high activity at work caused me to lose 17 pounds in 6 months. Regardless, I am encouraged to do raw higher since the weather is getting warmer, where eating room temperature or cold raw foods seems more pleasing than in the winter time. I am trying to shoot for 95% raw, because I tried sprouting and I just got moldy food that went in the garbage and that was lots of money wasted. Therefore, if I was going to cook anything it would be quinoa, because I can't spout, but quinoa would be the only thing I would heat up.

My question is, if I try to make efforts to exercise (outside the mandatory physical routine of my job) and got 95% raw, do you think I can get out of the 200s (in pounds) within 3 months? Basically, lose 44 pounds within 3 months to put me at 199 lbs. That is me losing about 15 pounds a month by eating nothing but fruit and vegetables. No low oils and very low on nuts.

I just want to get out of the 200s so badly so some of my physical health problems will just go away.

[SunshineMN]

Don't forget you do need some fat in your diet. Vitamins A, D, E and K all require some fat.

"Fat-soluble vitamins include the vitamins A, D, E and K. They're essential for general good health, the daily repair of body cells and efficient functioning of body organs. As the name suggests, they're carried into the body by fat." Quoted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/dietary_vitfat.shtml

[MysticTree]

Rather than set that kind of target I would suggest that you just eat as close 100% raw as you can and see what happens. Keep up the moderate exercise and appreciate the weight that you do lose rather than the weight that remains after that time.

Don't starve yourself. No nuts, no oils is quite harsh and you might just be setting yourself up for failure. Try to eat the way to will eat forever now. That way it is a sustainable method of weight loss.

[Living Food]

I agree with SunshineMN and Mystic Tree, you need some fat in your diet...cutting it out won't make you lose weight any faster, either, despite what most people think.


I am trying to shoot for 95% raw, because I tried sprouting and I just got moldy food that went in the garbage and that was lots of money wasted.

Read the thread http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?64973-Sprouting!&highlight=sprouting%21 if you want to learn how to sprout correctly.

[PansyLo]

^ Agreed, check out that thread.

You should try sprouting again. I killed all the sprouts I first tried to grow. I've now successfully sprouted alfalfa a couple of times and I'm now feeling pretty confident about trying more. I'm going to buy some more big jars soon and give a few different things a go.

I'd say from what I've heard and experienced that you're better to go 100% raw and eat what you want until you feel comfortable with it and stable, then try cutting down on nuts/naturally sugary foods/whatever and upping your exercise.

If you're still eating cooked foods it's going to interfere with the raw diet so you wont be able to tell if it's working or not. I think you're much better just to get right off it and work from there.

[Raw Angel Mom]

This is wonderful that you are making room for raw food and you plan to add more.

It so so much easier to commit 30 days of 100% raw food. The more your digestive system is efficient, the more you will lose weight or should say restore balance. Cook food age you and also your body needs to utilize its own enzyme to process that food.

You can lose one pound a day if you go religious about raw food and don't do gourmet but if your mind feels deprive, you won't be able to stick to this life style, unless you have a very deep motivation.

What i recommend is to do what feels right to you! You can have better result if you consider to go with 100% raw food or if you want to do this gradually then, yes it will work too as long your choice of cook food isn't counter balancing everything. Make sure your choice of cook food is from fresh plant food and organic/vegan. Any animal product will slow down the process or food packed with chemical/preservative and highly process ingredient.

Find your own limits but also challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone.

Focus always on health, losing the weight will be the side effect.

All is well!

[Bihaku]

Don't forget you do need some fat in your diet. Vitamins A, D, E and K all require some fat.

"Fat-soluble vitamins include the vitamins A, D, E and K. They're essential for general good health, the daily repair of body cells and efficient functioning of body organs. As the name suggests, they're carried into the body by fat." Quoted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/dietary_vitfat.shtml

I can get all those vitamins from fruits and vegetables. I got enough fat on my body being 240 lbs, that fat is the last thing I need to put in it. I did 3 months without buying any nut oils or consuming nuts and my health didn't deteriorate any.

[Bihaku]

To Mystic Tree:

Not harsh, I did it all winter. The only fats I gotten was eating young thai coconuts with the meat once or twice a month, but I ate that for potassium. I noticed before I went no fat that I wasn't losing any weight at all on raw. I did the nut oil and nuts thing. As an obese person, I just see added fats as a hindrance to my weightloss, not a benefit at all.

I got the idea from several raw foodist on Youtube that said that the common mistake of being a raw foodist for weightloss is consuming nut oils, lots of nuts and dates. That should be use for bulking up only (putting on weight), because all these nut and date recipes that many raw foodist push out on the internet is one of the main reason that new raw foodist who want to lose weight start complaining about gaining weight and they get turned off by raw foods and search for a cooked food weightloss alternative. A raw foodist trying to lose weight should be low fat to no fat.

[Bihaku]

To Living Seed,

Well, you need to go to Youtube. There are several people on a low fat to no fat Raw Diet and over a few months they got skinnier. One is Dan the Man, Dan McDonald aka Life Regenerator on Youtube. And there is a Fruitarian American chick living in Spain (Liz y Arturo) and she hardly eats nuts or seeds and doesn't buy nut oils in a bottle either. She is athletically toned.

I mean, once I lose the desired weight I will incorporate those things back into my diet, but I really need to get out of the 200s as quickly as possible, because of my knees and my big hanging gut feels very uncomfortable. And the weather is getting hotter (March is 80s degrees right now, usually March is 40 degrees where I live) and being fat plus hot weather just don't mix. It's torture. If Spring is already hot, the Summer is going to get worst.

Like I already made a plan, that for me to get out of the 200s, I need to lose 13 pounds every 3 weeks for the next 3 months by July 1st.

[PansyLo]

^ It sounds like you've got it pretty sussed.

I'd really recommend cutting out the cooked food (from what I've read) as it's only going to hinder weights loss. I quote Living Food



"Your liver is responsible for eliminating/burning the fat stored in your body, and also in charge of detoxifying everything that enters your body (from food, water, air pollution, etc.). Because of this, almost everyone's liver is clogged and overloaded with the toxins we are putting into our bodies on a daily basis, and so you cannot lose fat easily. The major reason your body stores fat is not because of excessive calorie intake (in a healthy body, your metabolism would regulate itself to burn of any extra you ate, or slow down if you don't eat enough), but because you actually store toxins in your fat cells in order to prevent them from killing you when your liver and other elimination organs are overburdened. This is why so many people lose lots of weight when they do cleanses. I do not advocate water fasting, but juice fasting is great for detoxifying your body while still providing optimal nutrition. Your body is given the rest it needs to break down your fat cells and be able to deal with the toxins that were stored in their. A clean body is a healthy body is a fit body.

An important point is that people who fast or attempt to lose weight on the SAD often lose far more muscle mass then fat; this is because their body is actually choosing to break down the muscle instead of the fat, because burning their fat cells would result in a toxic overload that would kill them."

You should try 100% and see if you notice any change. :)

Also what kind of exercise are you doing?

As you get more fit it will be easier to increase your exercise and as a result lose weight faster.

Just stick with it and you're going to see some massive changes. :excited:

[SunshineMN]

Sounds like your mind is already made up. Not sure then why you asked for our opinions...

Good luck however, in your endeavor, and I hope you achieve your goals. :)

[Living Food]

I can get all those vitamins from fruits and vegetables. I got enough fat on my body being 240 lbs, that fat is the last thing I need to put in it.

There's a huge difference between dietary fat and the ketones your body releases when it burns fat cells. For one, dietary fat is actually necessary to assimilate fat soluble vitamins in you intestinal tract, no amount of burned fat cells will accomplish that.


Well, you need to go to Youtube. There are several people on a low fat to no fat Raw Diet and over a few months they got skinnier. One is Dan the Man, Dan McDonald aka Life Regenerator on Youtube. And there is a Fruitarian American chick living in Spain (Liz y Arturo) and she hardly eats nuts or seeds and doesn't buy nut oils in a bottle either. She is athletically toned.

Different things work for different people...if low-fat works for you, great. I'm just putting this information out there for people who won't do so well on it. In general, fats (in moderation) are a valuable tool for weight loss, because they remain in your stomach longer and keep you full longer then protein and (especially) carbohydrates. The main cause of weight gain is refined carbohydrates, not fat as we're lead to believe. The only way that eating nuts would inhibit weight loss would be if you ate way too many of them becuase they're calorie-dense. In moderation, they're not only fine, you probably should include at least some to keep you full longer and meet your dietary fat needs.

But again...its your choice.

[EvolveWithFlavor]

dude, anything is realistic

The Raw Food Diet will literally turbocharge your weight loss

[Revvell]

Sounds like your mind is already made up. Not sure then why you asked for our opinions...


That's my question. I know 6 people who went 100% raw and every one of them eliminated excess weight quickly and were eating mostly nut-based dishes. Many of the people I see who don't eat natural fats look drawn and dry to me yet, do what you want! If the issue is really plant-based fats and you think eliminating them is going to make a difference, consider that when you add them into your food program, your weight will increase.

Best to do a sustainable food program now. 3 months is really not enough to see if what you're doing is causing health problems or not, especially at your weight. It would show up much sooner on a thinner person.

BUT, as was said, you already have the answers so, nothing we say ~ unless we agree with you ~ will make a difference. Enjoy!!!

[qwerty988]

I think there's also an element of HOW MUCH nuts/dates/oils are you eating? Some people don't lose weight on raw because they over-eat.

I think when you're dealing with recovery from an eating disorder, it's probably easier psychologically for you to just eliminate all those foods than try to eat them in moderation.

I SO GET THAT! I'm not obese, but my weight fluctuates and I can get 20-30 pounds overwieght. But I LOVE food and I LOVE to eat and have very little self-control with these types of foods. Probably the biggest struggle I've had with raw is learning how to incorporate healthy fats in a reasonable amount on a daily basis.

What works for me is to just use nuts as an ingredient in VERY simple, basic recipes such as smoothies, creamy raw soups, dressings, and sauces for zucchini noodles. I never snack on them and I don't make dehydrated meals containing them. I only dehydrate simple snacks I can over-eat guilt free (like kale chips, crackers and eggplant jerky).

I use oil in salad dressings and simple dishes freely. I just started adding a tablespoon of chia seeds in my smoothies and am experimenting with adding a little avocado. IT'S SCARY to incorporate fats when you're trying to lose weight..... but I feel so much better and more satisfied, and I know I'm doing the right thing for my body. I'm good with roughly 1/2 an avocado a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I don't usually have more than a handful or two of nuts added to foods in a day, probably between 1/4 and 1/2 a cup -- some days I don't use nuts at all.

Anyhow, that's just MY take and my experience -- this is a journey and you'll figure out the right balance that works for you! :heart:

[rawconvenience]

It has been my experience that weight loss comes from a combination of proper diet and lots of exercise. Lifestyle.

[MysticTree]

I did 3 months without buying any nut oils or consuming nuts and my health didn't deteriorate any.

How do you know?


And why are you asking opinion when you aren't interested in the answer.

Eat raw and lose weight. It really is that simple for the very great majority.

[EvolveWithFlavor]

Definitely go for some professional help

Anything is possible, all you have to do is see 73 year old Chef Sal's example