Guest guest Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 Hello! My name is Becca and I've been exploring the raw food lifestyle. I was doing awesome for 2 weeks (no cooked foods, no soda, no coffee, no sugar) and lost about 6 lbs. I loved all the fruit especially-except the peels. Back in the day I followed the Fit for Life program and it was my only really successful weight loss program. I’m 36 and had gastric bypass surgery in 2003. I lost 130lbs approx and gained back about 60 lbs with not an end in sight...at least it seems like. Is there anyone out there following a raw food lifestyle that has had the bypass? I have a very small stoma-the entrance from my esophagus to my stomach is the size of a birth control pill. So whatever I eat I have to chew chew chew and sometimes that isn't enough and I throw it up. Cruciferous (sp?) veggies are the WORST-broccoli is my mortal enemy. Unless I really puree the veggies, I can't swallow them. I feel because I’m not chewing I don't get that satisfaction and I don't know if I can eat what seems like baby food. I've been in therapy for my food " issues " I am on my way to a much better relationship with food. I don't reach out for help like I should, but I thought I'd take a stab in the dark here and see if this is a lifestyle is something that is " doable " with someone whose digestive system has been rearranged. Thanks for listening. Becca Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.5/1356 - Release 4/2/2008 4:14 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 Becca- I think green smoothies would do really well for you. I am part of the eat 2 live group on , and we have been having a lot of posts about green smoothies. They are great! Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Hi Becca, Amy's idea about blending might be a good one for you. I would leave out the " green " part, however, if you've had problems with other vegetables. Generally, green vegetables are nutritionally inferior to fruit (they lack the sugar our bodies need for fuel) and they can be difficult to digest because of their cellulose content. Cellulose is the tough cellular membrane that causes broccoli and other cruciferous veggies to be problematic for many people. It sounds like you're thinking you need to eat lots of vegetables and this is understandable because of all the unquestioned respect that vegetables enjoy in the health world. This is not only not necessary, it can be harmful because it typically leads aspiring raw foodists back to cooked food since vegetables are not very satisfying. I would encourage you to build your transitional diet around fruits, only the tenderest leafy greens (like lettuce and baby spinach) and small quantities of nuts if you can digest them. I would also recommend eating small quantities in general and in simple combinations to make digestion easier. If you combine foods and have problems, it will be impossible for you to determine which of the foods was the cause. And in many cases, all the foods would be fine on their own but the combination makes it impossible for the body to simultaneously break them down. Fit for Life is a great resource for info on food combining. My other thought would be whether the damage to your stomach can be surgically repaired. With your discovery of raw food and removing the causes of illness rather than suppressing symptoms, you have finally found the way to fix your addictive and emotional issues with food. You can work on that in the healthiest way, by learning to change the way you think about food and the way you respond to the feelings in your body (like most of us have had to do), but to me it seems likely that your seriously compromised digestive tract will continue to give you problems. Have you explored the possibility of a " takedown " ? It's not a complete reversal but apparently takes the small pouch that was created by the original surgery and re-attaches it to the stomach so that food can once again pass through. The bad news is that it is generally reserved for people who have life-threatening problems after the original surgery and it may be difficult to find a surgeon to do it. Even if you get around that, you may not be a candidate because of physiological factors (how much scarring or decomposition of the tissues has taken place, for example). In any case, you can't go wrong eating raw. If you'd like information about the best foods to eat in general, I have a food chart on my website that may be helpful (http://www.rawschool.com/bestrawfoods.htm). Best of luck to you! Kind wishes, Nora www.RawSchool.com ---------- I think green smoothies would do really well for you. I am part of the eat 2 live group on , and we have been having a lot of posts about green smoothies. They are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks everyone for your great responses. Rawschool.com has a ton of info. One thing I've noticed is that when people post their pictures (those ones on the numerous websites that I've seen) ...everyone looks so " clear " . I'm not sure if that is the word I'm even looking at...clear, vibrant, yeah...clear. That is the word. I am starting on my journey to being clear. Thank you again. Becca On Behalf Of Nora Lenz Thursday, April 03, 2008 8:40 AM Re: Raw & Gastric Bypass Hi Becca, Amy's idea about blending might be a good one for you. I would leave out the " green " part, however, if you've had problems with other vegetables. Generally, green vegetables are nutritionally inferior to fruit (they lack the sugar our bodies need for fuel) and they can be difficult to digest because of their cellulose content. Cellulose is the tough cellular membrane that causes broccoli and other cruciferous veggies to be problematic for many people. It sounds like you're thinking you need to eat lots of vegetables and this is understandable because of all the unquestioned respect that vegetables enjoy in the health world. This is not only not necessary, it can be harmful because it typically leads aspiring raw foodists back to cooked food since vegetables are not very satisfying. I would encourage you to build your transitional diet around fruits, only the tenderest leafy greens (like lettuce and baby spinach) and small quantities of nuts if you can digest them. I would also recommend eating small quantities in general and in simple combinations to make digestion easier. If you combine foods and have problems, it will be impossible for you to determine which of the foods was the cause. And in many cases, all the foods would be fine on their own but the combination makes it impossible for the body to simultaneously break them down. Fit for Life is a great resource for info on food combining. My other thought would be whether the damage to your stomach can be surgically repaired. With your discovery of raw food and removing the causes of illness rather than suppressing symptoms, you have finally found the way to fix your addictive and emotional issues with food. You can work on that in the healthiest way, by learning to change the way you think about food and the way you respond to the feelings in your body (like most of us have had to do), but to me it seems likely that your seriously compromised digestive tract will continue to give you problems. Have you explored the possibility of a " takedown " ? It's not a complete reversal but apparently takes the small pouch that was created by the original surgery and re-attaches it to the stomach so that food can once again pass through. The bad news is that it is generally reserved for people who have life-threatening problems after the original surgery and it may be difficult to find a surgeon to do it. Even if you get around that, you may not be a candidate because of physiological factors (how much scarring or decomposition of the tissues has taken place, for example). In any case, you can't go wrong eating raw. If you'd like information about the best foods to eat in general, I have a food chart on my website that may be helpful (http://www.rawschool.com/bestrawfoods.htm). Best of luck to you! Kind wishes, Nora www.RawSchool.com ---------- I think green smoothies would do really well for you. I am part of the eat 2 live group on , and we have been having a lot of posts about green smoothies. They are great! --- Visit the Seattle Raw Foods Community: http://.org! Groups Links Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.5/1358 - Release 4/3/2008 6:36 PM Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.5/1358 - Release 4/3/2008 6:36 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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