Help! Can't seem to get enough carbs!!

[Melindaxl]

Hi, I'm a raw foodest and I eat alot of fruit, but I still can't seem to eat enough were my body feels satisfied! Also my nails are so thin and break so easy!
I do around 1 hour of tae-bo daily, I walk with my bodyfriend 30 min. 3x a week, I help my parents by keeping the house clean(two story house), doing the laundry, doing some of the shopping & helping my dad with the yard (our yard is big)! I do alot of cardio because for some reason, I can't seem to get any results using weights or exercises like yoga!! I wish I could because I would love lifting weights and doing exercises with them, where I would have alot of different choices!!
I eat alot of bananas because it's too hard for me to get enough carbs using other fruits, I still eat like a couple of apples & oranges everyday, but my main food is bananas -to make sure I get enough carbs!!
I still can't seem to get enough in me though!! The only way is if I have around 20 bananas a day and in order for me to be able to do that, I have to make alot of smoothies - I only use ripe bananas, water & ice!!
Today, I ran out of ripe bananas so my blood sugar went very low and I got very weak!! I have a whole closet full of bananas, but there just not ripe enough yet!!
I feel like I'm hungry all the time and I'm not loosing the fat I want to get rid of! I'm 24 and my weight is around 140 and I'm like 5'5 or 5'6. Here is how I normally eat!!

8:00 a.m. smoothie w/ 2 Lg. apples, & 2 med. bananas, 1/2 c. water & 1 c. ice.

12:00 p.m. smoothie w/ 5 Med. bananas, 1/2 c. water, 1 c. frozen bananas & 1 c. of ice

3:00 p.m. smoothie -same as 12:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. raw soup smoothie w/ 1-2 oranges, 1 lg. tom, 4 celery stks, 4-5 c. lettuce, and about 1 lg. carrot.

9:00 p.m. smoothie-same as 12:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me, I feel like I'm eating way too much, I'm not overeating though! I just eat until I'm satisfied! I feel like I'm starving for carbs all the time!! I know there's lots of people on the raw diet that do more exercise and activites, etc. then me!! Has anyone else had a problem with balancing the diet out with your activites? Can anyone help me?
Thanks for your time and help in advance. Take care and have a great day!!
Melindaxl

[Revvell]

From what you've posted, you are not eating any fats. Where are the avocados, nuts and seeds? Without oils and fats, your body will not feel satisfied AND you will not be able to assimilate fat soluble vitamins.

Where did you get the idea being raw means only fruits? Hon, get some greens and some fats into ya!!! You are missing LOTS of nutrients one of them being calcium.

Injoy ~

Revvell

[misslinda]

WOw, at least your consistent Have you tried incorporating more veggies?---fruits are the most easy to digest for the body so I'd imagine your body utilizes it pretty quickly.

Also just a thought, I wonder if your body is not getting the enzymatic reaction at its best bc/ of the smoothies. When you "chew" , the saliva provides enzymes to help breakdown the food so the body can process it more efficiently digest and assimilate. How 'bout try eating the fruits instead of smoothie.

Do you stay away from nuts by choice? water intake?

no other problems?


To your health,
Linda :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

It doesn't look like you are eating too much, but maybe you should throw some solids in there. Perhaps it would satisfy you better if you take the time to chew some of it, like perhaps, for dinner.

Based on your weight and exercise you mentioned, you should be eating at least 3000 calories from what you burn off. Have you tried grapes or mango or other sweet fruits when you are out of bananas?

You might also want to check out Janie's food logs on her journal site to get an idea. She's very small (smaller than you are) and was sometimes getting over 3000 calories a day, yikes. I can't tell where she puts it all but she's pretty solid from looking at her pictures. Sounds like you and her are on similar high carb plans.

http://www.ringlet.org/

[Melindaxl]

Thanks everyone for your info!! I don't eat much nuts, seeds & avocados because they put inches on me and I mean just a little bit of them does that!! Plus if I get to eating them most of the time I can't seem to stop, I love them too much!! Also it's hard for me to do my cardio when I have more fats in my diet, it makes it harder for me to breath while doing cardio-don't get me wrong I'm not that out of shape where I have heart problems! I wear a size 10 in pants! I do better sticking to the 8/1/1/.
I don't eat much raw vegetables because I crave for the toxins then! I can't seem to be satisfied with my vegetabes plain! So I really have to make a raw soup out of them for me to enjoy them. I live in Bloomfield, Missouri and you don't get all the great produce here! We don't have the money to order organic, I wish we did, but we don't! Actually it's pretty tight this way too!! I tell my self my health comes before any other things I want in life- if you don't have a life, you can't get those things you want in life!!
I'm going to try to start eating my fruit more whole again, I believe that is part of it!! I love other fruits, but some of those other fruits are too expensive for us! Mangos are around 1.30 each! I have parent to eat the sad diet and it's hard to have room in the refridgerator for the melons!! I love melons too!!
In a few years or so , I plan on getting married if my health is doing as good as it is now!! I have epilpesy and right now I can't drive and do other things girls my age could, but doing as good as I am now-up to next December-I should get those rights back! See my epilepsy was so bad I passed out driving one time & been rushed to the hospital a couple of times! I was having them like every other week, but now I haven't had one since the first week in December 2004.
I hope I explained everything! Thanks again for all you'll help! I'll try them out!
Melindaxl

[Revvell]

*looks around up at the ceiling, whistling a silent tune*

[joy]

Something that made a big difference for me with workouts was incorporating more greens, for their protein and mineral content. They give lots of energy for workouts and facilitate muscle growth.

If you don't like salads or vegetables plain, you might try tossing some greens into a smoothie. You can add several cups without really altering the taste.

Also, fats (nuts, avos, seeds) and fibers (celery, lettuces, some fruits) slow the absorbtion of carbs, which will extend your body's energy, rather than dispensing it in one quick burst. If you're unwilling to add these things, I don't know what to tell you, as a fruitarian diet isn't something I'm too familiar with.

[Melindaxl]

Thanks I'll try to add some more greens and see how I do! What do you do with the nuts, avos, seeds? How do you eat them without adding salt to them?
Thanks again!
Melindaxl

[joy]

If you like avos, they're good tossed into a salad or mixed with tomato, lemon, corn, and onion (if you use it). It sounds like you don't use much salt, so you probably wouldn't need it.

Of course, you can always do elaborate desserts and dishes with nuts, but for a simpler diet, just eat some plain. A single brazil nut has all the selenium you need for the day, and a few pumpkin seeds have your daily zinc. Sunflower seeds and flaxseeds are high in protein, great in crackers, and if you're not accustomed to lots of salt/spices, you could make those with veggies (celery, tomato) only.

If your diet has evolved to the point where you don't use condiments (mine hasn't :) ), you might do just fine enjoying things as they are, or simply omitting the seasonings.

[Melindaxl]

Thanks! Joy! That sounds good, but I still have to use condiments to enjoy my vegetables, but salt makes me get bloated and seasonings make me itch. I guess because they're toxins and maybe my body's more sinsative to them then what it used to be! I wished I could use condiments without any problems!! That's why I can only enjoy them in a raw soup because it mixes the flavores more and makes it where you can taste the natural salt better, where I'm not craving for salts condiments!!
Thanks again!! Melindaxl

[VeganVixen]

maybe you need more protein without the fat? -I cant handle fats well at all ,I sometimes feel like my carbs are going out the window ,when I do-I add raw organic nutiva hemp protein powder go to http://www.nutiva.com/products/0_protein.php for more info

[Sharon in Colorado]

VV I can tell you love your hemp! ;)

[Melindaxl]

Thanks, but where does hemp come from? I've never heard of it before? I might try it, but sometimes I have to watch my protein just as much as my fats! That's why I normally do better on the 8/1/1. I think you all are probabley right though, maybe I need something to help stay in my stomach a little longer. like maybe a little protein once in awhile and a little of fat once in awhile. I would mostly stick to the protein though and only have a very little bit of fat, so I won't get to carried away with it!
Thanks again, I'm going to try to start having my fruits with alot of greens too!! Have a great day! Melindaxl

[asil]

Hi Melindaxl,

It sounds like you're doing all you can to imrove you health. Excellent! I'm no expert on your body, obviously, but I wonder if you might think about this: you say you don't do well with fat and protein. But by your own account, you're not doing so well without them. Why not try adding a bit of fat and protein to what you already eat? Say, oil and lemon juice on a salad; nuts in your smoothies; nut butter on a banana. Even just a bit will make you feel more satisfied. It will also solve the condiment problem -- salads taste SO much better with dressing. And BTW, I think most people here fix their own condiments, so you won't have to worry about the itching you get from commercial condiments (which often have MSG or MSG-like substances).

Good luck!

[VeganVixen]

lol ,I sound like a commercial!!! hee hee -thay need to PAY ME for that!!!!! ;)


anyways ,hamp is a seed ,and IS related to cannibis -but DOES NOT have the thc content ...

the hemp protein has VERY little fat ,I think 2 g of fat ,11 g protein and 14 g fiber (no sugar)