Is it possible to gain weight on raw food?

[Guest guest]

Hi Nicole,

 

Yes, you can gain weight on any diet that's poorly conceived in some manner.

It's uncommon on most RF diets ... but I have encountered this before. Also,

if you have ever experienced any kind of hormonal imbalances, and

particularly if you've ever ingested (by eating, injection, etc.) any

hormones, this could be at cause.

 

Would require a conversation to properly understand what is happening, I

wouldn't care to speculate in email, too much like a sieve for information.

If you wish, please write to me at Elchanan to arrange.

Then you can post back in the group at your convenience.

 

Best,

Elchanan

_____

 

Nicole sci_lite [sci_lite]

Thursday, September 20, 2007 9:11 AM

rawfood

[Raw Food] is it possible to gain weight on raw food?

 

Hi,

 

I just joined because I've just begun eating raw. I'm about 5'3 " and 145

lbs. I consider myself very active. I run 6-10 miles nearly every day, and

will be running the chicago marathon october 7th. I don't lift weights.

That being said, I'm overweight by about 30 lbs, and I'd like to lose those

lbs. I'm italian, and so to lose weight in the past, I've starved myself to

a certain degree. I've cut out bread/crackers/pastas completely; I've eaten

mostly vegetarian until now- my weakness is cheese and other dairy products.

I'm currently eating raw, and I'm noticing my pants are getting tighter, not

looser. I'm drinking lots of water, and eating lots of greens,and taking

digestive enzymes to help my stomach out. Doing all this, I'm wondering what

exactly is going wrong here. Is it possible to gain weight/fat on raw food?

I know that people who are underweight will level out and then put back on

what their bodies need, but I'm overweight already and want to go the other

way. Does anyone have any experience/advice?

 

Nicole

 

Nicole

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Joe,

 

So the idea is to eat fruit all morning, then cruciferous veggies

in the afternoong, and a big salad for dinner. I've been getting

confused because it seems that with all I've read, there is no

clearcut plan to this, just to eat, and eat raw. I think that's

great, but I've been looking for a little bit more structure than

what I've seen out there. I'm in it for the lifestyle change, and

the health benefits with weight loss being a large part of that

goal.

 

Are there any fruits I should avoid eating initially while I'm

trying to lose? In at least one of the raw food recipe books I've

bought, I think it was RAW FOOD GOURMET, the author mentioned some

of the (fruit-based breakfast)recipes were more for maintenance

phases, but never really mentioned what would be suitable for

beginners, and never explained her idea of phases beyond that single

statement. I'm trying to limit the nuts/seeds that I take in,

because I want to keep the fruits and veggies centerstage initially,

until I get a real understanding of how my body will react.

 

I will make sure to keep the water and food separated. And to keep

the volume of water high.

 

I will definitely increase the cruciferous veggie load. I want to

see my hard work pay off, and weight loss is a very visible sign

beyond simply feeling much better.

 

I gave up caffeine and chocolate (I'll see about the raw

chocolate). I was talking to a friend and told her I was the

weirdest person I knew because I was an italian who didn't eat

pasta, and a barista who didn't drink coffee.

 

The dairy is gone. Just gone. I won't even let myself walk through

Whole Foods' cheese section in case they're sampling (and they

always are). I always end up with full sinus feeling after I have

dairy anyway, and who needs that?

 

I will definitely keep posting about any issues. If any of you guys

live in the Chicago area, let me know. I'm definitely looking for

local support, because my family thinks I'm woo-woo for eating raw.

 

Joe, again, thanks for your advice.

 

Nicole

 

 

 

 

rawfood , " Joe Postma " <joepostma wrote:

>

> Hi Nicole,

>

> If you are already overweight, then no you shouldn't gain weight on

> raw food, you should definitely lose. Only if you were severely

> underweight would you gain on raw.

>

> First, one thing that might surprise you, is that exercising too

much

> can acidify the body and keep that fat from disappearing! If you

> exercise (too much) everyday you could very well be creating a

toxic

> acidic load which your system is simply unable to handle at this

> point, because you are not taking in enough alkaline food.

>

> Cutting out the things you mentioned is excellent!

> Pasta/bread/crackers are all acidic and toxic dead foods, so good

> riddance. I understand the love of a good pasta though, so, you

can

> still treat yourself to it every couple of weeks if you have to,

and

> only if you're good in between!!!

> The cheese and dairy...take these out, big time! They are very

> clogging, very high in fat, provide little to no " real " nutrition,

and

> are again acidic and directly contribute to weight gain. Just

taking

> these out and not doing anything else would let you drop a few

pounds.

>

> You shouldn't need the digestive enzymes for the raw food...they

> provide their own!

>

> Lots of water is good, and will be more so when that fat starts

> dissolving because years of accumulated toxins will begin to be

> released for expulsion. This requires lots of water...listen to

your

> body, but do not drink WHILE eating...that dilutes the digestive

> enzymes and can turn alkaline food acidic.

>

> So, I think you simply need to eat MORE raw. Start the morning

with a

> glass of water, and THEN have juicy fruits until noon or even

> afternoon. Water in between as desired. This might be difficult

at

> first because you may go into withdrawal from whatever you're

eating

> in the morning to perk you up. Absolutely no coffee! If you're

> currently drinking any caffeine, that is also keeping the weight

on.

> It takes a while, months or even years, to get really used to

eating

> this way.

> In the afternoon have your veggies. AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. The MORE

> raw veggies you eat, the MORE weight you will lose, and faster.

You

> can use a dip sparingly, or find a raw recipe dip and use as much

as

> you want. Here is a typical veggie tray for me (all organic):

> broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, baby carrots,

asparagus, a

> few mushrooms, bell peppers, sprouts, celery, ...think of anything

> else throw it in. You can munch away at this all afternoon. You

> don't have to do this for the rest of your life, but it will suck

the

> fat right off your body for now! I just eat my salads now, I don't

> need the strong effect of the veggies anymore.

>

> At the end of the day, however, you will be very hungry. So you'll

> have to learn how to make a filling salad. There are many recipes,

> but mine is: red & green cabbage, black beans, leafy green

lettuce, a

> small chunk of feta minced, some onion minced, a few raisins, I

think

> thats it. For dressing, a whole lemon squeezed with a tbsp of

olive

> oil. Another dressing I am using lately is just salsa and a tbsp

of

> plain farmers yogurt.

>

> I mentioned a few " bad " foods above (i.e. feta, yogurt), but the

sheer

> volume of alkalinity and nutrition you are giving your body far

> outweighs the acidity of those things, and they simply make eating

raw

> more practically easy.

>

> It can take months or even years to really figure out HOW to

> incorporate raw eating into your life.

>

> I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions or

> would like more detail about anything.

>

>

> Cheers

>

> Joe

>

>

>

> rawfood , " sci_lite " <sci_lite@> wrote:

> >

> >

> > Hi,

> >

> > I just joined because I've just begun eating raw. I'm about

5'3 "

> > and 145 lbs. I consider myself very active. I run 6-10 miles

> > nearly every day, and will be running the chicago marathon

october

> > 7th. I don't lift weights. That being said, I'm overweight by

about

> > 30 lbs, and I'd like to lose those lbs. I'm italian, and so to

lose

> > weight in the past, I've starved myself to a certain degree.

I've

> > cut out bread/crackers/pastas completely; I've eaten mostly

> > vegetarian until now- my weakness is cheese and other dairy

> > products. I'm currently eating raw, and I'm noticing my pants

are

> > getting tighter, not looser. I'm drinking lots of water, and

eating

> > lots of greens,and taking digestive enzymes to help my stomach

out.

> > Doing all this, I'm wondering what exactly is going wrong here.

Is

> > it possible to gain weight/fat on raw food? I know that people

who

> > are underweight will level out and then put back on what their

> > bodies need, but I'm overweight already and want to go the other

> > way. Does anyone have any experience/advice?

> >

> > Nicole

> >

> > Nicole

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Nicole,

 

The structure of fruit in the morning, veggies and salad in the

afternoon and evening is the most conducive to long-term stability,

comfort, and weightloss. There are physiological reasons why this is

so, but I won't bother going over them here. Look up books on

" Natural Hygiene " for more info, such as " Fit for Life " and " Eat to

Live " . " The Ph Miracle for Weightloss " would be a book beneficial for

you as well.

I can't think of any fruits you should avoid at the moment. They're

all good I think. However, only eat one type of fruit at a time, and

allow at least 30 mins in between servings of different types. Give

bananas 45 or 60 mins on their own to pass through the tummy

completely since they have less water content. Any veggies can be

mixed just fine, and can be combined with EITHER a starchy side or

protein side dish (if desired). Never combine a cooked starchy veggie

(like potatoes) with protein, because this is very acid forming and

causes unhealthy weight gain. Never eat starchy veggies (like

potatoes) raw. Carrots are a toss up, but I think the baby ones have

less starch. I say enjoy the carrots with the rest of your veggies.

 

That's a fairly general guideline. Again, it will take a while to

develop your own raw skills, and others may have slightly different

suggestions. But the basic idea is the same...eat alkaline forming

raw fruits and veggies in proper combination and as much as you can.

Reduce or completely stop the acid forming foods, such as animal

products, cooked fruit, baked goods, grains and grain

food-derivatives, sugar and sugary foods, unhealthy liquids, etc.

 

Sometimes the most difficult part of eating healthy are the social and

family commitments we must maintain. The vast majority of people do

not have the intellectual braveness to consider a raw food diet, and

so it will be difficult finding support. I live in a city of a

million people, and I swear I am the only raw-fooder in it! But your

healthy thin body and total immunity from colds and flus will speak

for itself once you get there!

 

Cheers

 

Joe

[Guest guest]

Yes, I know a few who gained considerable weight following the

inapproprate and incorrect " advice " of some raw 'gurus' who promise you

can just eat all you want, all the fats included, and lose weight. To

be fair, SOME actually do this. I've seen it. Although losing weight is

not the only goal, it's a side-effect of gaining health, usually, and I

would never say a super high cashew diet is super healthy,

just " healthier " than a high fast food, SAD diet, etc. Still, this

advice always bugs me out because it's totally not true and easily

fallible in the eyes of science and any true gauge of health. But a

balanced raw diet (you have to find out what works for you within raw

vegan) would be tough to gain weight on UNLESS you were

malnourished/underweight. A lot of underweight people are able to gain

after some cleansing because their underweightnesss is due to

parasites, candida, or other imbalances that become corrected. Some

fast and then are able to gain HEALTHY weight. And some fast and are

able to lose unhealthy weight. It is all individual, but if you create

health every day, no matter what the initial effects, you will without

question reach your goals and your body will intuitively balance out.

Erica