Hey there, I really need your advice... please help....
I came to this lifestyle around three months ago after restricting my cals for several years.
I got down to 140lbs by resticting cals and eating high protein, low carbs (but with fruit). Also with binge and purge too due to low number of cals. I'm 5' 9" btw.
But then I came off the 'diet' and ate so much crap over the past 8 months the weight has ballooned. So tried calorie resticting again, which led to binge and purge, then phases of Dukan diet (like Atkins) and other fad diets - even Carb Addicts diet!!!! but then heard about this lifestyle.
But since starting this I have, and am still gaining weight. I'm around 160lbs now and look awful! I really want to get back down to 140 but healthily but I'm scared by eating so many cals every day I'm just going to keep piling the weight on. This is from the calories in vs calories out that I've alway been taught is the way to lose weight.
I eat mainly dates and bananas, apples, salads, and occasional rice, quinoa and rice pasta, oh and rye bread, around 3-3500 cals a day! I also ride my bike to work every day and run most days, or do some sort of exercise. I don't eat salt and my fat in take is really low. Why am I gaining weight still? Can any long termers give me advice about this please, as I am really considering going back to calorie resticting (I really don't want to do that though! )
Please give me advice how to lose the weight!!!
Kates xx
Tags: advice, calorie, calories, gain, loss, restriction, weight
Permalink Reply by Alexandra R. on Your body is coming out of starvation mode. You've been restricting for so long, it has no other choice. If you keep up the high carb low fat VEGAN lifestyle for awhile it will eventually come off and you will get to your ideal weight.
Remember--After a year on this lifestyle, Freelee still had excess weight that wasn't being lost. But she didn't get discouraged, she pressed on, and look at her now!
So you may gain weight at first, but in the long run you will be able to officially say you are one of the healthiest people on earth. This lifestyle is about health , NOT primarily weight loss. While weight loss can be an aspect of gaining health, your body may have other things it wants to fix first (your digestive system, your brain patterns, your arteries/cholesterol, your heart rhythms, etc) before it gets rid of excess fat.
Throw the scales out! Do not focus on a number; as someone who went through an eating disorder I know very well that you'll never be happy with the number you see. Life is too precious to determine your personal quality by a number on a scale. So dump the scale, eat ENDLESS fruits, get outside, do some sport, stay hydrated, and rest. You will see results in the long run.
Don't get discouraged!
Permalink Reply by PK on @Kate,
The good news is that at 5'9", 160 is not overweight, and may actually be an ideal weight for you. Females of child bearing age (even if not having children) are more healthy at heavier weights than the media photoshopped models.
Our focus is to get you healthy, and then your body will self regulate.
First thing is try to stay focused on one diet plan, preferably a low fat raw fruit and leafy green based diet such as ours. Jumping around and mixing two or more diets together will never result in long term success as no one can ride two horses with one bum.
The next thing is stay away from the grains, beans, potatoes, and other starchy foods. Many people are grain and starch sensitive, and a classic sign is weight gain in the belly area. Starches require insulin to be broken down, and can only be broken down into glucose. High levels of glucose and insulin lead to weight gain.
Fructose from fruit however, does not require insulin to be broken down, and only a little insulin is utilized in assimilation of fruits.
So, skip the wheat and focus on low fat raw fruits and leafy greens.
Now, when starting a nutrient dense plant based diet, one's body may become denser. Read more on healthy weight gain here:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/profiles/blogs/why-30bad-newbies-gain-...
And for optimum results and more tips and tricks, read our banana wagon tour:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/profiles/blogs/30bad-banana-wagon-tour
Peace, PK
Permalink Reply by Sunny Garcia on Hi, my heart goes out to you because I went through the EXACT same thing about a month ago. Its wierd because its like you are telling my story lol :)
Reason for the wieght gain that ive learned:
1. When on the raw food diet food is meant to be eaten and then digested and LEAVE your system. However, when elvis died an autopsy 10lbs of fecus in his intestine. Therefore, one reason of wieght gain might account for intestinal backup. But dont worry after time all the junk will come out of your system and then everything you digest will easily come out too. Watch when you go to the bathroom.
2. When digested food is meant to absorb nutrients and then leave in form of poop :) So if your eating fats(which have protien-keeping food in your system longer) or even rice, pasta and rye bread and quinoa, these foods still have a higher percentage of fat, and Sodium(which retains water) and less fiber(which help you poop) so im sorry to say in my experience at least these foods are noooo good. They are definately healthy, and if you plan on eating cooked then they are your best bet but as part of your daily diet I would not incorperate them. I understand the feeling of something cooked and in that case I would reccommed steam veggies with a homeade sauce such as blended tomato. But stay away from these food if you want optimal succsess.
Sorry if its so long but I just wanted to share my expirence with you. Because like you due to binging and eating lots of fruit I gained 10lbs. One month ago marks the date I transitioned making the mistakes of transitional foods(rice, pasta, bread) and eating lots of fats..but trust me at first its very difficult because you crave cooked and crave salts but it works. I started loosing 1lbs a week which is a healthy rate. I understand its uncomfortable feeling heavy but wouldnt you rather get to your goal wieght in a year and stay there than loose 10lbs in a couple months and binge feel like crap and gain it all back. Its a yo yo with binge eating.
So best advice that worked for me:
Eat until your full at every meal
Mainly fruits big salad at night
dont restrict calories on this diet because as a result your crave cooked junk
if you feel like eating cooked stuff yourself with fruits and veggies(because its better to be full on this food than you eat a small meal of cooked--in my opinion)
I am so faithful to this deit it truly works..please dont overanalyze it and keep it simple. Id do mono meals mainly. It will work for you, you will get there. I hope it helps! :)
Thank you so much for your help and advice - I really apprecaite it.
If you don't mind me asking how many calories do you eat in a day now? And what did you weigh before this lifestyle and what do you weigh now? Also how long did it take you to lose the weight?
Sorry to ask so many questions, but as you have been through it all by the sounds of it, your advice is just what I need :) xx
Permalink Reply by Sunny Garcia on Thats fine. I when I started I was restricting big time, My hieght is 5'9 and I wieghed 125..however I was so unhealthy it was impossible to maintain the starvation lifestyle but because I binged a lot I gained wieghed 145. After only two weeks im 140..however the scale number changes everyday because if I eat 10 bananas and lots of water then my wieght will go up significantly. So if I do wiegh myself its in the morning. I ussually eat 3000 calories. But I do exersice for about an hour a day. When I dont exersice I still eat about 2500 calories. I think that my body is still recovering from starvation because I ALWAYS want to eat but I see the results happening so im not scared to eat anymore
Hey! I can totally relate to your story. I was so frustrated at gaining weight at first, too. I started adding in more low fat cooked food which led to cooked food cravings and then I completely fell off the boat and went back to calorie restricting, which ironically led to more weight gain (and a lot of fluid retention from salt) to warn you! I finally was ready to kick the cooked food and go 100% 39 days ago and it has made the biggest difference. The weight is finally starting to come off! (Though I've still got a long way to go to get back in my skinny jeans.) Take PK and Sunny's advice and ditch the grains. Do 100% LFVR!! It's actually easier to beat the cravings this way, too.
Thanks Jessica, I really do appreciate your advice. Do you mind me asking how many cals you eat a day now and what you weigh, and what you weighed before this lifestyle?
Just trying to learn as much as I can as and as you have had the same experience, it's a MASSIVE help to me :) xxx
Permalink Reply by Beastie on IMO 3500 is far too much. Doug recommended about 2000-2500 and I follow people who have been in it for 20+ years. You will gain weight if you eat that many calories. IMO (and I know that many would beg to differ) weight loss is as a result of causing a deficit in calories. Extra calories don't just disappear! They gotta go somewhere! I'm not a believer of thermogenisis, only that some people have high metabolisms than other - thats why DR and FL stay slim cos they have kept the exercise up and their internal fire burns off excess calories they may eat.(Note DR has never been fat, not on SAD diet nor high protein nor HCRV as some men are born with very high metabolisms already - he could eat what ever he wanted and NEVER get fat!) If you are not doing a lot of exercise consistently for years and you start to eat too many calories, you will put on weight. Get that intern fire burning fast and then you can have as many calories as you want. Until then on 3500 calories weight gain is a given.
Thank you for your reply - I have always been active playing netball and going to the gym, and have been running almost every day (at least three miles) for the past three years. I now also do extra gym classes and ride my bike to work. I'm just so confused as I have read 80/10/10 and know about his and FL's calorie recommendations and they seem to conflict. So I just don't know how many I should eat.... how many do you eat and how much do you weigh? I really want to be healthy and lose weight! I've seen discussions on here people eat at least 3000 cals a day, some up to 7000 and are slim. I'm so confused.... any help or advice would be appreciated :) So you think if I eat around 2000-2500 that's good for weightloss? xx
Permalink Reply by Vice Abattoir on DR said that he used to eat big macs and also tried out the paleo diet (he and paleo diet are like a couple of exes) and also an ex-drug user, same with freelee. But the fact that they work out and they have a steady food scedule that they don't break, is why they don't gain. Most people change up their diet or add/remove stuff, which shuffles their diet and they get bad/good results. Some people just miss X food item(s) and start eating a lot of it, or just get bored and stop working out.
However, i'm on the same boat about the calories, i do see that when i eat "diet" calories i lose weight and when i go over, i gain weight. Simple as that.
So how many cals do you think I shoud eat - I'm 5ft 9 - 160lbs but was 140lbs last year..... any ideas, just so confused and do not know what to do.....??? x
Hey! Since going 100% 40 days ago I'm down 10 pounds, from 146 to 136. (Though I would love to get down to my tiniest at 118!) I'm pretty active -- I live in NY so I walk a lot and I also like to run. And I'll be honest the most brutal week I had was when I was eating only 2,000-2,500 cals. I got so exhausted. I was tired in the morning and could barely get through my runs. Now I am for a MINIMUM of 3,000 fruit calories a day. Salads, etc. only after I've hit my 3k of fruits. The weeks I eat the most, I have the most energy to work out, at my job, and that I look/feel the best (including my weight). Hope that helps! Also, I started taking B12 shots, too. Look into some of DR & Freelees videos on those.... And Michael Arnstein aka the Fruitarian has a really good video about transitioning and how to kick the cravings at night. It helped me a lot the first two weeks. http://www.thefruitarian.com/index.php/2010/10/taking-the-leap/
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