Losing muscle and strength

[veganman]

I saw my physical therapist today for the first time since right before going raw. She was concerned about me, said I had lost weight, lost muscle, and looked like I was starving myself. I am not trying to. It is just so hard to eat when I am still digesting the last meal. I don't want to throw food on top of food, am getting about 87 grams of fat, but still taking in only 1500-1800 calories. Losing muscle, weak, bloated.......I need suggestions. I am going to see a chiropractor that might be able to help me and I told her I don't want to eat animal products. Hopefully, she won't try to get me to eat cooked food. I want to make this work, but I am having a hard time....

A typical day -

1 pint strawberries

1-2 hours later
1 green smoothie with 1 bunch kale and 2 large apples

1-2 hours later
5 bananas

1-2 hours later
Salad with 1/2 cup nuts or seeds or 1 avocado

4 hours later
1/2 cup nuts/seeds with dinner, large salad or 1 avocado


Any suggestions would be great.

[Lay-Lay]

I am sure that some of the raw bodybuilders on the board would be the better one to comment on this. But, in my opinion you may have loss some due to detoxing toxins and will probably gain some back later. Your diet seems kind of light, but what do I know about it. Is that what your body is wanting or what you feel you should eat???

[veganman]

I am sure that some of the raw bodybuilders on the board would be the better one to comment on this. But, in my opinion you may have loss some due to detoxing toxins and will probably gain some back later. Your diet seems kind of light, but what do I know about it. Is that what your body is wanting or what you feel you should eat???

Hi Lay-Lay - thanks for the reply.

Can you tell me more what you mean by "light"? I am packing in all the food I can without causing even more bloat and discomfort.

[Lay-Lay]

Well, I am not much on rules and if that is comforable for you then I say stick with it. But as an experiment you might want to try more fruit and less avocado and nuts or juice. Usually for breakfast I have a fruit smoothie and then 1 to 3 pieces of fruit or a fruit salad. At lunch I usually have 4 or 5 pieces of fruit or a big salad or a half of a watermelon. Dinner lately has been salad with dressing or a avocado or green patte and some more fruit and sometimes an evening smoothie. But thats just me!

[Davylp25]

Be careful eating alot of fruit causes men especially to cleanse and lose weight...

I would say balance more. Clean out your body more so that you can absorb the foods you eat. Liver flush, Colon Cleanse etc.

When I first started and I lost sooo much weight. I started at around 200 now Im 165 and finally my body has finished really cleaning out. NOW IT's time for me to begin rebuilding healthy muscle, etc. It's been a journey. If you wanna know more just email me... Im no expert... But I know what it's like to go through it. Men lose way quicker than women. Usually muscle as well.

Some people can gain or maintain on alot of fruit, OTHER cleanse and clean and lose weight on lots of fruit. You have to crack your code to find out. It could be
High Greens
Medium fats
Low fruits
Meaning alot of green, good amount of fats, not alot of fruit, but some.

[NuttyRawMom]

I also don't claim to be an expert here, but what I do know is that no matter what diet you choose, you won't build muscle if you don't use it. What type of exercise do you do? Work on more strength training and toning and your body will build more muscle.

[juliebove]

First you need to find the cause of the bloat and discomfort. Easier said than done, I know. For my daughter and myself, it was food allergies. She has a severe banana allergy. I'm allergic to almonds. But almonds are the only food (of my food allergies) that relate to a vegan diet. For us, all it takes is a tiny speck of the allergen for us to get sick. I lost 12 pounds immediately when I stopped eating the allergens. Now some people might use the theory of eating no more of those foods meant taking in less calories. But I wasn't. If anything I was eating MORE calories because I added pumpkin seeds and coconut to my diet. And the bloat was all in my stomach area. I used to look pregnant. Okay, I still do. Kinda sorta. All of my excess weight is in that area. But I used to look REALLY pregnant.

In looking at your food intake, it would seem that you are taking in enough fat. And probably enough protein. But maybe not. You might try adding in some sprouts for extra protein. Or even foods that contain a small amount of protein, like corn.

You don't give your age or say what (if any) type of exercise you are doing. It could just be your age working against you. The older you get, the harder you have to work at building and maintaining muscle. I read some figures about this but can't remember where. I want to say Reader's Digest. It was several years ago. They gave a specific exercise, say curls with a dumbell. A 20 year old would have to do 8 reps on a daily basis to build muscle. Now this example was using a weight that was heavy enough to where the muscle was exhausted with 8 reps. A 20 year old would have to do 12 reps and a 40 year old would have to do 15 reps! The article also went on to say that the person would have to do 2-3 sets of this exercise daily. Now math was never my strong point so it's likely I am missing something obvious here. I just know I am over 40 now and have to do a heck of a lot more reps than I used to to see results.

I also know if you are retaining fluid in any way, your muscles will be less visible. You might want to make sure that you are drinking enough fluid throughout the day. It sounds odd but not drinking enough water can sometimes make you retain fluid.

[yeahbethany]

I think you have to learn to eat more than 5 bananas in one sitting... =)

Can you aim for 10? You may not have the stomach capacity yet, but you can stretch...

[Judy]

Well, I'd say don't cram it in if you really can't handle that. Eating should not about being having to force yourself to eat. But you have to be really honest towards yourself and take a good look at food and your mental attitude towards it.
Are you physically active? Because if you want to build muscles, as someone said before, you have to use them.
Also, you need to figure out what causes the bloating and stomach cramps. You may be allergic to something, perhaps the nuts.
And I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have an eating disorder? Because I have the feeling you do. If so, you may want to look for professional help and not your standard nutricionist. The nutricionist will only be about the food, and this isn't just about the food. It isn't about calorie counting. This is about loving yourself more and changing your mental attitude. It hardly doesn't matter what food you eat, it can never be (fully) healing without the right attitude. I hope you don't feel offended by me saying this, because I don't know you, but I just have this feeling about you.

[veganman]

Wow - you guys are great! Thanks for all the wonderful responses!

For those asking about working out - yes, 3-5 times per week I am doing strength training. This has been decreasing, though, as I feel more and more tired and less able to lift. I will try to push myself to lift more, but it really wipes me out and I don't recover from the fatigue. Symptoms of overtraining without the overtraining. I think I am not taking in enough calories, but I am having difficulty getting more in without forcing myself.

As for the bloating, it isn't really a "bloat", but more of a full stomach. I should have clarified. I do, however, think there is something going on with my digestion as to how food seems to not move through me as fast as I think it should.

[solarliving]

maybe if you add more variety in your diet. I usually eat a green smoothie every morning but have been eating a couple of mangos instead. I ate another one last night and I think my body needs something in them. Try different veggies too. I am liking eggplant lately and lots of basil and tomatoes.

[Judy]

And what about wheat grass juice?

[ellenalesa]

Maybe smoothies would allow you to get more calories without feeling like you're stuffing them in?

Is hemp powder raw? Maybe you could use that as your protein powder.

Ellen

[Linda1970]

When you say bloating, do you mean constipated bloated or gaseous bloated?

[Graciebeliever]

Check that you are not bound up inside that will sap your energy a TON.

When my digestion slows man I feel it! I need a nap or I get cravings for the wrong stuff.

Some people won't use hot teas while raw, but if you do, then Senna tea is a MOVER so if you want some results Senna is for you :) You can make it in the way you make sun tea so as not to heat it and it works almost as well. thats how I make mine now. I also order it from a place that uses wild crafted and they say its raw.

I feel great after I use it :)