Green juice/weight loss

[tames]

--Sigh-- Well, everbody is different. It is my opinon that for some green juice may slow down, and for others it may not. I have been drinking a Victoria Boutenko style green juice every day for the last two weeks. I was down to 140 lbs and have now lost 8 more. Talk about skinny. I got lots of bones showing that I never knew I had. I had held at 140 for about 4 weeks and hoping that I was now stable. But nooooo. So, for me, it may have introduced yet another detox period. I have been raw since July 1.

Since I am so thin now, the temptation to go to cooked is very great. I feel good, but I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I really look bad (as far as thin), and people are very genuinely telling me that I look very thin, and are very concerned that I will become anorexic. And yes I am eating avocados, salads, olive oils, nuts - all the fats. I also eat a lot of fruits too. Banannas galore. Bananna ice cream with walnuts and honey nearly everyday. I have even started eating late in the evening too since that was a "trick" to try. I am afraid to exerise too much for fear of burning too many calories. Besides, weight training is not going to make my face fill back out, I need some fat.

So, I am at 132 lbs today. 145 I can live with, 132 I have to do some serious thinking.

Sorry to be so discouraging. It is really funny how raw affects people differently. I would still recommend it to anyone, even though I may not last too much longer.

--Tim

[Rawma]

Tim,
Could you post the recipe for the green juice you are drinking? I am shopping for a good one!
Thanks,
Lisa

[Curleedst]

I am shopping for some good green juice as well.

[VeganVixen]

lucky ,lucky ,lucky .........

[Halo Aglow]

I would like to know this green juice recipe as well.

[Punky]

I wish I had that problem Tim
All kidding aside, I know males tend to worry about their weight loss
since some will be thinner than they would like or that they consider healthy looking. I only know enough to be dangerous here, but I believe I have heard many males lose a lot of weight at 1st detoxing (more so than women)than later "regain" it to a weight they are more comfortable
with. I think? it was Paul Nison that went thru this. Correct me if I am wrong someone...but read up on him Tim!
Sorry I am not more of a help with suggestions, but I did want to reassure you this happens to a lot of males esp. at the beginning.
If you have not heard of Paul Nison, he is a prominent lecturer & writer
in the raw food movement and has a website (not sure of the actual link but I am sure it will pop up if you google it).

[Punky]

http://www.paulnison.com/

[jaurequi]

tames, I'm so sorry you're struggling
I would hate for you to start eating unhealthily!
If anything, perhaps you could eat lightly cooked foods in addition to a predominantly raw plan? Maybe beans and steamed potatoes?

I hope, whatever you do, you do it with your optimal health in mind :)

A man, stephen Arlin, is supposedly a raw body builder and he states:

"I currently eat, by weight, about 70% raw, organic fruit, 25% raw, organic, green-leafy vegetables, and 5% raw, organic nuts and sunflower seeds. Note that I'm using the botanical definition of a fruit which is: A fruit is something that contains the seeds within itself for regeneration of the plant. Avocado, tomato, cucumber, squash, pepper, etc. are all botanical fruits." You can read his interview HERE

He has a book out (in the above link at the end of the interview) for which, I cannot vouch; however, perhaps it is worth a read before you make a final decision.

Best,

[tames]

Thanks all. I am still raw... I am trying some more grains/dehydrated stuff. We'll see.

My green juice is fast and easy. Using a blender:

1 cup water
1 apple (I like red delicious) cut in chunks
1/2 lemon with peel cut in a couple pieces
blend that up

Add
1 carrot - cut in chunks
1 stalk celery with green tops - cut in chunks
Several pieces of romaine lettuce or anything green you want. Just wad it up and stick it in the blender.
I add about another 1/2 cup water to thin out the thick goo.
If I want it sweet, sometimes I add some agave.

I then pour the goo into a nut milk bag over a large bowl. Then just "milk" it by squeezing out the juice. Put the pulp in your garden or compost pile.

This is VERY easy, and takes about 6 minutes including rinsing out the blender. The lemon with peel takes out the "gag" factor in green drinks!

--Tim

[shadymonk]

Being skinny and being healthy are two different things. Without knowing all the particulars, it is hard to say if your weight is good or bad. How do you feel? How is your energy level? Are you getting sick or weak? Have you considered that skinny may just be your body type? Just some thoughts.
-Chris

[Jackie1995]

Wow!

I make green smoothies, but I don't turn them into juice (i.e. leaving the pulp behind). With lots of variety, I drink the blended results, and *sigh* have experienced little or no weight loss.

But I feel great! And I get in my greens, which would be sorely lacking in my diet if it were not for the blending of various fruits and veggies (with kale or spinach being a staple of my smoothies).

In fact, a typical smoothie of mine hits at about 450 calories.

My recipe:
banana - 1 small or medium
honeydew, pineapple, nectarine, pear - pick one or two
yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, celery - pick one or two
flaxseeds - 1 tbsp
water, ice
kale, spinach, collards, mixed greens, other lettuce - pick one

blend like crazy!

Enjoy!!

Makes me feel good, gives me energy, but no weight loss at all. On the other hand, I'm not exercising for more than 45 minutes each day, and I'm working sitting down...so no surprise there, right?

Hope this helps a little.

[shadymonk]

Hey Tim, I just found this on Victoria Boutenko's website in the FAQ:
<<<I'M LOSING TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON RAW FOODS, HELP!
As far as body weight goes, everyone reacts differently to raw foods, but I do believe that your body does eventually reach an equilibrium. The symptom of weight loss can happen during the first year of transitioning to raw food because assimilation is still low due to toxins in the body. When the body is loaded with toxins it becomes unable to assimilate nutrients. Eating more food doesn't help. What to do? How to make the body cleaner? By cleansing it with the means of a raw food diet and even fasting. Eating more nuts cannot help. Nuts are not very easily digestible. As long as you are on a raw food diet and you have plenty of energy you are likely doing the right thing.

I also believe that there are a number of other factors that affect body weight. Stress seems to be my number one factor; as my stress reduces so does my weight. Something that so many people overlook though is the need for exercise. Of course raw is a great thing for the body, but exercise is equally important.>>>
Peace.
-Chris

[skeenan37]

Tames - I sent you a pm

[TimmyC]

I call mine Tim's Green Juice.

Benefits for me:
1. I am more energized the day I drink them
2. I am way more positive the day I drink them
3. I feel that I'm losing a ton of weight because I drink so much green.

These two things are hard for me to explain, because it's like I'm riding a high for the rest of the day! It is awesome.

However it might not be the best tasting drink in the world, but I don't care as these other affects are to great for me.

Recipie:

Makes 32 oz plus:

2 green sour apples
1 huge bunch of broccolli or 7-10 giant leaves of Kale
16-20 oz of water.

I blend it all together and sip through a straw. It's pretty simple, but it works well for me.

(Another Tim)

[Ariannah]

There should be a book called "Greens not Prozac"
My favorite fruit base for my green smoothies is watermelon. It's a "watery" fruit and makes it so I don't need to add water. This morning, my DH asked me to make him a green smoothie! and I used watermelon, banana, kale and baby greens. YUM! (Sorry, I don't have amounts of each)