Can you lose weight but still get bigger?

[Apples'nAvos]

I was wondering if it is possible to lose weight, but actually lose muscle at the same time, gain fat in place of the muscle and then be "bigger"?
I've gone from 124lbs to 120lbs in the time i've been raw (in the 2nd week now) and I'm 5'3". I've kept my exercise routine up (45mins cardio every other day - if i do any more - time wise, or frequency wise - i neve last and end up not going for a whole week) but i swear the softness on my hips and belly is going nowhere. Am I just being paranoid?
I'm also struggling a bit with the whole idea of just eating, no matter the quantity,as long as it's raw, even if it is eat nuts, avodaco, coconut. The bulk of my diet is fruit and veggies, but whenever i have a fat source, it's so ingrained in me to try and calculate the amount of fat in that food source and if it's "too much".
I'd like to get down to 115-117lbs, but am doing my best to release that thought and remind myself that my body will even out where it's happy. A new mantra for myself: "My body will intuitively lead me to the foods it needs to reach and maintain the weight that it will be most healthy at"

[karenisraw]

I don't measure or count anything because I #1 wont stay on a diet like this and number two, when you learn the philosophy behind eating raw and it all comes together and finally makes sense to you, you realize that a set schedule of eating doesn't make sense if your body needs more greens one day for certain nutrients or more or less fats another day to rebuild cells or whatever.

When I first went raw, I major ate everything I could find till I was stuffed, then detoxed big time, now a few weeks later, I seem to be rebuilding my body and my body is also using the extra fat in my body.

My body's nutritional needs vary from day to day. Some days I don't want my blue green algea, then all of the sudden I will be thinking about wanting it. The same for fats, minerals and different fruits and vegetables.

My very favorite, avocados, did not seem appealing to me yesterday and still not today.

I guess it took me 40 years to break away from the idea that if you did not follow the food guide pyramid (US Government) then I would somehow deprive my body. Well that structured pyramid stuff got me fat and unhappy.

I would follow what your body says.

[kmik]

During the first 30 days (at least) your body is going through a lot, trying to figure out if you're serious about eating raw forever, in which case it can abandon it's old self-preservation ways of protecting itself against the bad things you've put in it. With time it will adjust and start functioning properly, and you may just wake up one morning, look in the mirror and say "WOW!" Until then, keep plugging away, doing what you know is best for you :-)

[jaurequi]

Apples'nAvos, yes, you're being a bit paranoid ;)
No, really, that's a valid question. I've heard lots of people claim to actually gain weight because they started working out, but the truth is, they also increased their caloric intake and ended up exceeding their requisites.

What can happen *at first* is that you build muscle underneath your fat layer so it appears you are "bigger"; the scale can also reflect a weight gain which can be water, muscle (which is heavier), or both. The fat *will* burn off with regular, consistent, proper exercise; it doesn't happen overnight :).

So your temporary "bigness" will not last.
Again, one gains weight (negative weight, fat) from excess calories, mostly.
You hear folks say they eat more fat now and actually lose weight (myself included). However, this does not mean that eating fat=weight loss, necessarily -- it can be a bit deceptive. All factors must be taken into consideration. The truth is, when you increase your fat intake (good fats, I'm referring), most of the time, you will eat less overall and therefore consume less calories and *that* results in weight loss. It's not the fat, per se, but the reduction in overall caloric intake. Same happens if you are a big carb eater -- cut down and you will lose weight.
This is what happens to Atkins folks: they eat tons of crap and think it is the crap that is making them thin, when the truth is they have decreased their overall calories without realizing it -- that's it;it's that simple (but dangerous).

Now there is some truth, in my opinion, to the good fats metabolizing better and being utilized by the body as nutrition as opposed to bad fats (heated, inferior oils) which go STRAIGHT to storage as fat. Good, necessary fats (raw) feed our brains and we need them; however, this is not license to go wild and gorge on it. Moderation in each part of our diet -- carbs, protein, fat -- is wise. In that order they should be consumed; however, there is room for slight variations according to our individual constitutions. Example, 80-10-10 is good for some; for others75-15-10 is right.
We can still gain weight from excess fat as stated above, and, excessive fat (even good fats) are not good for us for other health reasons. Same goes for excessive protein, etc. We must strive for balance.
A good book to read is The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell.

Best,

:)

[tglasco4]

I was wondering if it is possible to lose weight, but actually lose muscle at the same time, gain fat in place of the muscle and then be "bigger"?
I've gone from 124lbs to 120lbs in the time i've been raw (in the 2nd week now) and I'm 5'3". I've kept my exercise routine up (45mins cardio every other day - if i do any more - time wise, or frequency wise - i neve last and end up not going for a whole week) but i swear the softness on my hips and belly is going nowhere. Am I just being paranoid?
I'm also struggling a bit with the whole idea of just eating, no matter the quantity,as long as it's raw, even if it is eat nuts, avodaco, coconut. The bulk of my diet is fruit and veggies, but whenever i have a fat source, it's so ingrained in me to try and calculate the amount of fat in that food source and if it's "too much".
I'd like to get down to 115-117lbs, but am doing my best to release that thought and remind myself that my body will even out where it's happy. A new mantra for myself: "My body will intuitively lead me to the foods it needs to reach and maintain the weight that it will be most healthy at"

Hey Apples,

I think what everyone has already said is excellent. Be patient, eat right,exercise consistently and the changes will surely come. I did notice however that you mentioned Cardio as your workout routine, do you do any resistance training? 2 days per week of that (probably 20 minutes a session) in addition to what you are already doing will also help you in your quest.

Peace.

Todd

[RawTruth]

Apples'nAvos --

It's been mentioned in the above posts, but I think this bears emphasizing: give it time. You've been raw for just a very short time. Be patient. You've started on what will hopefully be a life-long change in your lifestyle. Give it time.

[Apples'nAvos]

Thanks everyone! :)

I'v been doing my cardio regularly for amost 2 years now, but I really detest lifting weights, even though I know it's good for me. I'm going to check out a yoga class or 2 this weekend. I've taken a few before and really enjoyed it. I also have some weights here at home, as well as resistance bands, so I'll motivate myself to dust those off and start using them. My excuse has been that I literally don't have time to hit the gym for another 30 mins, but I do have a 1 hour gap inbetween school and work when I'm home that I can at least do SOMETHING. And I've made soooo many changes to my lifestyle in the past 2 weeks, that one more can't hurt. :)
RawTruth - thank you for your patience. You have already told me once or twice that I need to chill and just take it slow, but I am very impatient and want it all now now now. I guess because I know that I wasn't eating anything NEAR a real SAD diet before I went raw (I was a very healthy vegetarian, in the sense that all my foods were whole grains etc, but they were cooked) and I've made all these wonderful changes recently so I figure that my poor body has no excuse not to jump right in with me, love the changes and just "get with the program". LOL - i guess that's a lot to ask. I'll try and be a bit more patient,

[RawTruth]

I hear ya on that! I also was a vegetarian prior to eating only live foods - for many, many years. I thought I was eating the healthiest possible. Though there were times in recent years when I relied more on veggie "fast food" (prepared vegetarian products), for the most part, I was strictly whole grains, veggies, fruit, soy, etc. - along Dr. McDougall's guidelines. Other times I was macrobiotic and/or totally vegan. Coffee had crept in there, but "only" water-decaffeinated . . . etc. I've said it before, but it bears repeating --- the difference once I went raw was (and remains) like night and day. As David Wolfe says, cooked food is poison (regardless of whether it's "healthy" cooked food or not)!!

You're doin' good, Apples!

[mindelicious]

Also remember as your body is getting the nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes it needs your body knows what it is doing. Maybe there is something that is more important to your body to take care of now, instead of concentrating on losing excess weight.
A week and a half into 100% raw I got a cut on my foot and after a week it had not improved very much, I was really worried. In a couple days I realized that the rash/bumps on the back of my neck that I had for a very long time were gone, and with in a week the cut on my foot was healed. My body decided what it wanted to put its attention on first and foremost and I don't know why--but it did what it needed to do.
Like everyone has said give it time--your body knows what it is doing now.