Weight Gain and Nutrition Balance

RawaholicRawaholic Raw Newbie

Hey

Comments

  • rawforhealthrawforhealth Raw Newbie

    hi raw. Sorry you’re struggling so much! As for the weight loss…are you eating nuts and other good fats like oils. avocados?? I did read that when following a raw diet appropriate for you, overweight people can lose and underweight people can gain. Also…perhaps seeing a raw food nutrionist (if there is one ;) Be careful eating too little fat..it can not only lead to extreme weight loss but alot of other health problems as well..the body needs a certain amount of fat to function (just not as much as those following the SAD think ;)

    A good way to know if you are at a healthy weight is to calculate your BMI (body mass index). Although it doesn’t take into account muscle mass, which will add some weight, it is a good measure of a healthy and unhealthy weight. You can find a bmi calculator with a simple google search…there will be a large range of what is healthy weight and what is underweight, overweight, etc. I just calculated your BMI and it was around a 15, which is severely underweight.

    Also..something to consider…when you were vegetarian..were you eating alot of soy??? Alot of people don’t know this but research shows that consuming alot of soy can put on weight…that’s why alot of vegetarians become overweight even without eating meat and animal products (also alot of vegetarians still eat junk food ;(

    One last thing..if you want to share…did you lose a ton of weight quickly because of not eating enough or because of continuing to purge, even if less so than on vegetarian diet?

    Hang in there!!

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    First of all, you should probably forget about fasts, at least for now, while you’re so underweight. Fasting will only make your system more out of whack. Without having a clear idea of what you eat on a daily basis, it’s tough to give you advice from a food and nutrition standpoint. Obviously you need to gain weight, but you want to do it in a healthy and gradual manner. Do you fear fats? Can you start adding small amounts of healthy fats that are also quite nutritious, such as avocado or seed or nut butters? Would this trigger your urge to purge? What about whole fruits and vegetables, particularly leafy greens? Can you eat these comfortably without feeling anxiety or having to count calories, carbs, etc.?

    To be even model thin, you should be at least 20 pounds heavier than you are right now. Healthy averages for your height are higher than that. Your body can’t be functioning properly at this low weight. I know firsthand about diets gone too far, anorexia and bulimia. It is not easy to unlearn behaviours that set in and grab hold of you. You CAN do it, though. The fact that you are reaching out to others is a sign that you know what you need to do and that you want to help yourself, but you just don’t know how and are scared of losing control and watching the 75 lbs creep back on. It won’t happen if you eat for health and not for emotional reasons. It will take time to learn again how to eat and not fear food, but it is definitely something that you have the power to do.

    If you want to talk privately about this, please e-mail me at jweiser68@gmail.com.

  • rawforhealthrawforhealth Raw Newbie

    yes definitely agree with sweetpea…fasting is not a good idea if this thin, but my guess is you probably know that but the anorexia/bullemia cycle could make you more prone to wanting to fast i guess.

  • i agree with others: hard to give advice unless we know what youre eating on a daily basis.

    how is your digestion? how do you feel when eating heavier raw foods like nuts, seeds, avocado? any other health problems?

    how old are you now?

  • RawaholicRawaholic Raw Newbie

    I lost a lot of my weight from fasting for as long as I could stand (usually 2 days on practically no food and a lot of liquid) before having a huge binge and purge right before going to bed. And yes I ate a lot of soy and white flour when I was vegetarian. Right now I am trying to build some muscle mass (which I am sorely lacking) while trying to gain weight by swimming laps for about twenty minutes three times a week.

    When I eat my stomach can be somewhat sensitive. But I don’t know if it’s just me being self-conscious or not.

    I have a hard time eating nuts, seeds, avocados, and various oils, even though I know I need them (and I think avocados taste great as well as almonds, macadamia nuts, and coconut in any shape or form).

    I have no problem with veggies and fruits (especially fruits, the majority of my diet is made up of them).

    I am an 18 year old female.

  • i wouldn’t be surprised if you had a mild celiac condition and bile occlusion (liver and gall stones) from eating all the soy and wheat while you were vegan/vegetarian. grains, starches can really wreak havoc on the digestive system.

    from my own experience, doing some liver/gb flushes has been the best decision ive ever made. i was 100% raw for a year and dangerously underweight as well, even though i was eating a lot. since starting to do some flushes (ive done 8 now) ive gained 15 lbs and its mostly muscle. i have more energy and im sleeping less.

    it might be worth looking into for you. if you are still struggling with bulimia, then thats a different issue and you should seek professional help. the only downside with that is whoever you go to will probably tell you youre not eating enough protein and you need to eat meat or soy again.

    heres my blog where ive posted a full guide to liver/gb flushing and “lifefood” which is slightly more refined version of raw vegan food.

    http://jes-livercleanse.blogspot.com/

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    I’m sure you can see why the binge and purge happened right after the fasting, so I’ll leave that one alone, but I do want to address muscle mass. It’s a great idea to build muscles, but you’ll only do that if you’re taking in enough calories, in the form of nutrient rich foods. Can you tolerate small quantities of fats, but more often? You could have 1/2 of an avocado on a salad or in a lettuce wrap or smoothie, then have a few nuts (like 8-10) later. Dress your salads with a small amount of olive, flax, avocado or hemp oil. These are very modest amounts of fat, but it will help to spread them out throughout the day, so that you never feel overloaded in your stomach or as if you’re swallowing a lot of fat at one meal. It will also help give you energy for the lap swimming. I’d hate to think that you’re exercising a lot but on very few calories. Your body will be very grateful if you allow it to have some fats. Once you become comfortable with that amount, and you can see that you’re not gaining vast amounts of weight, you can add a few more nuts (and seeds), an extra splash or two of healthy oil or the other half of the avocado. Go slowly, but plan to make incremental changes and your body won’t freak out. The weight gain you need to regain your strength and health will come, but in a healthy, gradual way.

  • RawaholicRawaholic Raw Newbie

    Thanks DreamBrother I’ll check out your blog, and thank you 1sweetpea I think I’ll give your suggestions a try and see how that works out. :)

Sign In or Register to comment.