Is what you consider a normal weight now different than what you believed

[livenraw]

when you were eating SAD? We see those height and weight charts and many people think they are off base and too strict and that no one could ever way that little (someone who stands 5'4 weighing as little as 115 lbs on a small frame) yet I find that when it comes to eating raw, a lot of us have exceeded what those charts believe to be a healthy weight for us (in other words, we've gone BELOW what they consider a normal weight) I used to believe when I was eating SAD that being in the 120's was doable at my height of 5 ft, but now that I eat raw, I find that being at 105 is more doable and know that more might be coming off sooner or later as I continue to detox and rid myself of junk that I've stored up for years upon years. And I'm starting to believe that being at a weight lower than that would be even more normal. I'm hoping I'm making sense here.

[Autumn]

I agree. When I was on countless diets in the past, I thought I would be happy (and be healthy and look very slim) at 150lbs. Now I feel I should weigh more like 135. (I'm 5'7")

[tglasco4]

Thats interesting. My weight is actually higher than I thought it would be. I have a good friend who was raw before me. He is 6'2" and he weighs 140lbs. Very skinny. He is also an ND. He told me to expect to be around 160-170lbs on raw. Well, I have been as low as 185lbs (after a juice fast) but I pretty much stay in the low 190's. I am very happy the way it is because there are alot of people who believe raw makes people too thin. I am the fittest I have ever been since I was in high school now,but I have only been raw for about 18 months. So lets see what my body does in the next year or so, but so far I am bigger than I thought I would be.

[tvillemom]

Thank you T. for the info. I have seen some pictures of RAW people and sometimes they seem toooo skinny, even unhealthy. I wonder if its because of the certain things they don't eat, and lack of exercise? It is possible to gain muscle on RAW, right?
Wendi

[twinee1]

I always thought those charts somewhat deceiving. Every Body is different. A good example is me and my twin...we are same size, trade clothes alot..almost same exact measures...and I weigh 5 pds more. She runs more than me and I weight train and do plyo, step cardio more. My older sister is a rail, really thin, so I said ..what do you weigh ? and when she told me I was surprised she weighs same as my twin...but looks much much thinner...so again huh ?? Charting is deceiving.

[fiddler]

Here's a McDougall article that contains the Kempner Foundation weight chart.

http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/030700puhowdoIgainweight.htm

I used to think this chart was WAY LOW until I went raw and lost all the nasty fat/toxins stored everywhere in my body.

hth, Gil

[Autumn]

Holy Moly - I'm supposed to be even thinner than I thought?

:eek:

*THUD*

[fiddler]

Autumn, be careful how you read that table. McDougall warns that he does NOT suggest people set that weight as a goal -- but rather, that people observe that table as a comforting reference that they are NOT necessarily too skiny.

I don't pay much attention to tables anyway as each person's makup (bone mass, muscle definition, etc) varies.

Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?
[ Jerry Maguire quote ... :D ]

[Gosia]

many raw foodists have similar experience to yours, and mine has not been any different. I used to think that I was perhaps just a little bit to heavy, but not too much, before raw. I am about 5'4'', small bone, and was then about 119 pounds. I thought that if I go down to 110 ounds, I would be happy.

After some time on raw food diet, I went down to about 108 pounds. And, with it, came an unexpected discovery: According to the charts, I am at the lower end, but I still have excess fat on me!!! What on Earth happened? Well, the explanation is simple. Each year on cooked diet, I was losing some muscles while gaining fat at the same time. So, after many years on cooked diet, although I looked slim (due to my small bone buid, I say), I actually had lots and lost of excess fat on me.

My body eventually will get rid of the inferior tissues, and the excess fat will go away. At some stage, I will probably look very skinny, and later, I will rebuild my muscles (by going to work on a bike on daily basis). But, before this happens, there will be a super-skinny phase, a normal part of the process. I am accepting the process as it is. I don't worry about the charts, they are only based on the averages from the total population. I am not average. I am healthier than that.


All the best,
Gosia.

[truthseeker]

Well, I still have not been able to put any weight on and although I do live with out it, I do not like it. I'm very reserved to tell people who do not know me what kind of diet I eat. I know for a fact that most SAD people view me as sickly thin and I don't want people to translate that to the raw food diet.

Although I am very passionate about eating RAW and when asked I'll share just about anything ;)

[Gosia]

my son, who is high-raw, used to have legs like two sticks before raw. He looked pale, long and thin, like spaghetti. Now, he has some color in his face, and his legs do not look like sticks anymore! Well, he is going to school on a bike every day. His upper body does not look as good as his legs though. Reason - he has not been doing any exercise involving upper body. So, we started encouraging him to do some pushups.

Also, may I add that my son eats lots of fruit all day, and I attribute the positive changes that we've seen in him to that. He starts a day with glasses of orange juice, then has glasses of banana smoothie. Later, he likes to eat lots of apples. He likes bananas too.

Perhaps you could try your favourite type of physical activity? I am sure that your body will improve in time, as long as you feed it nutricious foods (to me, it's fruit :) ) and exercise as well.

All the best,
Gosia.