Weight Gain--What's this about??

[Blazin'Jane]

Ok, so I lost 30 lbs. in my first 3 mos. of RAW early this year. Then I lost another 8 over the next 4 or 5 mos., then stabilized, or so I thought. I was at 135, a nice weight for my 5'6" body, and I felt great. Now, I am starting to gain again, about a lb./wk, and I am distressed about it. I've examined my diet for new things and find things like maca, raw cacao, coconut oil, hemp protein. Are any of those things weight producers?
I eat 2-4 avos/wk. I have a little fat in my morning green smoothies a few days/week. I generally have some nut cheese or a seed pate` with my salad at lunch -- maybe 1/2 cup. And until this week, ate about 1/2 c. brazilnuts a day. I've cut those out for awhile, cut out the raw cacao, and still my weight just crawls up. Any ideas? I really don't want to get any heavier. I eat about 8-10 pieces of fruit a day and get LOTS of exercise--swimming biking, yoga, free weights, etc. Oh, yeah---I'm 100% RAW--'have been since Dec. 27. Any ideas now??
Thanks!

[barbluv]

Could it be that with your active exercise plan, that you are building muscle and that weighs more than fat.

[Ginger]

Try eating more juicy high water content fruits.

[alicemagooey]

Hi Jane.

I do believe that cutting out the fat in the morning smoothies will help.
For me, it is the fat that puts on weight..

I also think that your muscle mass probably weighs more than your body mass used to , as mentioned by poster above...so that would account for some weight gain.

Brazil nuts are definitely a weight builder.
coconut oil also.
I would think that you could safely eliminate them.

avocados.in my opinion, i would say stay with them as they are good quality protein (in my opinion).
From my experience, they are high in fat, and will keep the weight stable.
But everything else about them is so good, and so digestable, and , for a very active lifestyle like yours, i would think they should not be eliminated.

the above comments may not apply,
HOWEVER
I just remembered that you get good quality protein also from the sprouts which you mix in to the drinks which you take when you bike distances.
Perhaps, if you use your sprouted beans and legumes as a protein source, you would not need even the avocado.
I think you might need to go to a protein counter like
www.fitday.com and check your protein counts there, and fat counts.


Best thing is to experiment...reducing definitely the fats and oils for a while. see how that does you.

best wishes, take care
alice

[Blazin'Jane]

Thanks, all! (She said just after devouring three spoonfuls of almond butter!)

[Blazin'Jane]

Problem solved!! It took a week of no brazil nuts or raw cacao, but my weight is slighlty under 135 this week. I am so pleased that the fix was so simple, just as suggested in Alissa's book!

[styersky]

I find that sweet fruits must be limited for me to lose. Just a suggestion.

[Blazin'Jane]

Thanks. i seem t be under control again. I jsut love those sweet fruits. It's the nuts I can get very compulsive with.....

[Florawithoutmuchfauna]

hi jane ,

I'm thinking the weight gain might be from the active lifestyle and that fact that you're adding alot of protein in your diet (hemp seed , nuts ) all of this are very good high sources of proteins especially the hemp seed. A weight gain like this shouldn't set you panicking cause it higly likely that its just muscle mass , and proof of that would be that your clothes still fit ok. But I'll def have to disagree with alicemagooey on that coconut oil is a weight builder cause it def isn't. Coconut oil actually raises your metabolism making you lose weight , its even been dubbed the low fat 'fat'.

[lily]

I do think it comes down to individual metabolism. It really does seem to be a case of trial and error. My experience tallies with what alicemagooey says: 1/2 to 1 avocado a day is fine, and a little very light salad dressing (olive oil, water, lemon juice and cider vinegar in equal parts) but once I introduce nuts, coconut oil, chocolate or cacao, the weight creeps on.... pity....

Also, I find it's OK to eat quite a lot of sweet fruits (not bananas), but if eat foods with agave or honey in them, that puts the weight back on, too.

lily

[pingo420]

Carrot juice will help you lose Wight quickly

[pingo420]

Carrot juice will help you lose Wight quickly

[nfracer]

I too have had this "issue"....so much so that I walked completely away frow raw for several months only to recently come CRAWLING back head hanging low after gaining EVEN MORE weight! I am very active too and I think it's hard for endurance athletes or active people to find their balance. However, that being said, my biggest reason for "staying raw" is to NOT have to worry about calories, fat, blah blah blah....I did enough of that in my "previous life" of an obsessed dieter. I find that because I was raw for close to 2 years before straying I learned how to "cut corners" and have "just a little bit" of someting "non-raw" which would lead to more like a shark frenzy......Maybe this is not you at all. The only thing that is currently working for me is a few days of MC for me to clear my head and "clean out" toxins and come up with a plan....and yes, I am still working out while doing MC (only 2 days and today I am adding a melon meal for dinner)......So my plan and advice......"Take out the trash" (cleanse) and begin again......just eating RAW and listening to your body! Have a great day!

[rawfigure]

I too have had this "issue"....so much so that I walked completely away frow raw for several months only to recently come CRAWLING back head hanging low after gaining EVEN MORE weight! I am very active too and I think it's hard for endurance athletes or active people to find their balance. However, that being said, my biggest reason for "staying raw" is to NOT have to worry about calories, fat, blah blah blah....I did enough of that in my "previous life" of an obsessed dieter. I find that because I was raw for close to 2 years before straying I learned how to "cut corners" and have "just a little bit" of someting "non-raw" which would lead to more like a shark frenzy......Maybe this is not you at all. The only thing that is currently working for me is a few days of MC for me to clear my head and "clean out" toxins and come up with a plan....and yes, I am still working out while doing MC (only 2 days and today I am adding a melon meal for dinner)......So my plan and advice......"Take out the trash" (cleanse) and begin again......just eating RAW and listening to your body! Have a great day!

I am with Di on this one !

I am gald it was so easy to figure out ! I too had to drop the Brazil nuts from my diet !