WHy I follow a low fat raw vegan diet

otillie03103

I came to the realization that animal food products are bad for your physical being after reading the China Study (please read this study). It was a wide eye opener. My husband and I decided to go vegan. No it,s not easy and no it is not a diet. It is a new way of life. So far so good. Yes we lost weight but more importantly we feel so much better. I actually love the food. We don't eat just raw but a variety of vegetables, beans, grains anf fruit and vegies. After 4 years of struggling with weight I have found a new way of life.

Love it! Everyone has to find their own path for what works for them for where they're at in their life. I wanted to share this because -like you - I feel sooo000 good and I love the food I eat. I think it's interesting poeple read this and think we're trying to "convert" others. If it's not for you, that's fine, but I don't understand all the negativity and backlash. Like if eating fresh fruits and vegetables was the worst thing a person could do. I think people also don't realize that I was coming from an obese lifestyle being 220 lbs. If anything THAT's what the concern should be - not that I'm no longer eating meat.

Exactly. I mention that I limit processed foods including gluten, dairy, soy, caffeine and sugar and everyone is down my throat about it, though I feel better then I have in a long time. I too did raw a couple of years ago and felt wonderful, wouldn't mind going back to it. I think people need to be respectful that everyone does their own thing that works for them and realize that we are doing it for total health and not just to lose weight. I often wish that we could see how healthy people are later in life - processed food eaters vs. whole food eaters. People can tell me over and over again that I can lose the same amount of weight eating junk in moderation, but I make the decision to eat food that is readily available straight from the planet and not modified in a science lab. I just feel better on it. I'm not going to start eating processed foods just because some people on MFP told me I should. As I would expect those who do eat processed foods not to start eating the way I do just because I eat that way. Everyone has what works for them and should be able to share it without ridicule. That appears to be what message boards have become these days...a place for people to find others they don't agree with and call them out on it. Keep doing what your doing elfo. I can vouch from my personal experience that health is not just losing weight, it's how you feel overall and I feel better eating whole foods. The better I feel, the harder I work at it.

jonnythan

Exactly. I mention that I limit processed foods including gluten, dairy, soy, caffeine and sugar and everyone is down my throat about it, though I feel better then I have in a long time. I too did raw a couple of years ago and felt wonderful, wouldn't mind going back to it. I think people need to be respectful that everyone does their own thing that works for them and realize that we are doing it for total health and not just to lose weight. I often wish that we could see how healthy people are later in life - processed food eaters vs. whole food eaters. People can tell me over and over again that I can lose the same amount of weight eating junk in moderation, but I make the decision to eat food that is readily available straight from the planet and not modified in a science lab. I just feel better on it. I'm not going to start eating processed foods just because some people on MFP told me I should. As I would expect those who do eat processed foods not to start eating the way I do just because I eat that way. Everyone has what works for them and should be able to share it without ridicule. That appears to be what message boards have become these days...a place for people to find others they don't agree with and call them out on it. Keep doing what your doing elfo. I can vouch from my personal experience that health is not just losing weight, it's how you feel overall and I feel better eating whole foods. The better I feel, the harder I work at it.

You made a very specific claim: that eating a certain quantity of calories in "processed" food caused you to fail to lose weight while eating those same calories in "whole foods" caused you to lose weight.

You were jumped on because that is essentially impossible, barring some bizarre and rare metabolic disorder.

It turned out that we were right. You told us that you did not weigh your foods, and therefore you do not know how many calories you were eating. Your claim is therefore invalid.

debrag12

is Trader Joe's raw vegan? Shouldn't you be making your orange juice?

Disclaimer: I have just come back from the pub so may not know what I'm typing.

What she has selected is. I'm pretty sure nobody crammed a steak and deviled eggs into her pineapple tidbits bag or grilled her orange juice with a side of bacon. :laugh: You must have enjoyed yourself at the pub!

Ok I am now confused. I only commented as she is RAW vegan and has stated homemade juice but also trader joes. We don't have trader joes in the UK so I know nothing about them other than they are not raw (I think). I don't get the whole bacon and deviled egg comment.

Trader Joe's is a grocery store that specializes in whole and organic foods. Pretty sure they sell orange juice that is both raw and vegan. I've actually never heard of cooked orange juice and I'm not sure what animal ingredients typical OJ contains.

Maybe I just thought unprocessed not packaged

explosivedonut

So let's see what happens this year??? I am monitoring what I eat and my workouts and I'm keeping a video diary. I will come back to this post on the first of every month with stats and pics. How do I track muscle gain for you guys other than pics?

Besides calipers, use a tape measure and track the size of all your limbs and muscle groups (calves, thighs, upper arm, lower arm, neck, waist, booty, chest). Choose a method, either flexed or unflexed, and measure those spots once a month.

otillie03103

Exactly. I mention that I limit processed foods including gluten, dairy, soy, caffeine and sugar and everyone is down my throat about it, though I feel better then I have in a long time. I too did raw a couple of years ago and felt wonderful, wouldn't mind going back to it. I think people need to be respectful that everyone does their own thing that works for them and realize that we are doing it for total health and not just to lose weight. I often wish that we could see how healthy people are later in life - processed food eaters vs. whole food eaters. People can tell me over and over again that I can lose the same amount of weight eating junk in moderation, but I make the decision to eat food that is readily available straight from the planet and not modified in a science lab. I just feel better on it. I'm not going to start eating processed foods just because some people on MFP told me I should. As I would expect those who do eat processed foods not to start eating the way I do just because I eat that way. Everyone has what works for them and should be able to share it without ridicule. That appears to be what message boards have become these days...a place for people to find others they don't agree with and call them out on it. Keep doing what your doing elfo. I can vouch from my personal experience that health is not just losing weight, it's how you feel overall and I feel better eating whole foods. The better I feel, the harder I work at it.

You made a very specific claim: that eating a certain quantity of calories in "processed" food caused you to fail to lose weight while eating those same calories in "whole foods" caused you to lose weight.

You were jumped on because that is essentially impossible, barring some bizarre and rare metabolic disorder.

It turned out that we were right. You told us that you did not weigh your foods, and therefore you do not know how many calories you were eating. Your claim is therefore invalid.

Above I said I do it for overall health and how I feel, not just for losing weight. If you ate two differnet items and one made you feel better then the other, would you not continue to select those foods? I never said I have a rare metabolic disorder. I am insulin resistant and gluten intolerant. I have been diagnosed by my doctor. It also makes me ovulate incorrectly and is why my husband and I cannot have children. So don't make claims that I am making up some disorder. How dare you! I am actually on supplements to correct the insulin resistance. Educating and "jumping on" are two different things taken two completely different ways. Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

DSTMT

is Trader Joe's raw vegan? Shouldn't you be making your orange juice?

Disclaimer: I have just come back from the pub so may not know what I'm typing.

What she has selected is. I'm pretty sure nobody crammed a steak and deviled eggs into her pineapple tidbits bag or grilled her orange juice with a side of bacon. :laugh: You must have enjoyed yourself at the pub!

Ok I am now confused. I only commented as she is RAW vegan and has stated homemade juice but also trader joes. We don't have trader joes in the UK so I know nothing about them other than they are not raw (I think). I don't get the whole bacon and deviled egg comment.

Trader Joe's is a grocery store that specializes in whole and organic foods. Pretty sure they sell orange juice that is both raw and vegan. I've actually never heard of cooked orange juice and I'm not sure what animal ingredients typical OJ contains.

I think maybe in this context "raw" is meant to mean "unpasteurized"? Is commercial OJ usually pasteurized? I don't drink juice, but I thought that was the case.

Akimajuktuq

Recommended Dietary Allowance for Protein
Grams of protein needed each day
Children ages 1 – 3 13
Children ages 4 – 8 19
Children ages 9 – 13 34
Girls ages 14 – 18 46
Boys ages 14 – 18 52
Women ages 19 – 70+ 46
Men ages 19 – 70+ 56

I AM NOT DEFICIENT IN PROTEIN !!!

57 grams is about half of what you need to optimally maintain muscle mass while losing weight.

The RDAs do not apply to people who exercise intensely, nor people who are losing weight. You might be eating enough protein to prevent actual disease, but you are not eating nearly enough to prevent excessive lean mass loss.

Your fat intake is another story. Your fat intake is absolutely low enough to cause serious long-term health problems. 8 grams a day is horrifically low.

>400 grams of carbs and <10 grams of fat is mind-blowing.

I've read through all this trying not to comment... and Jonnythan and I rarely agree... but this is NOT GOOD. OP you are feeling better now because raw vegans do feel better AT FIRST because of all the nutrients from the fresh produce. But a long term sugar based diet (few human societies ate massive amounts of fruit year round!), with almost no fat and barely enough protein? Sorry, human biology and history do NOT support that. Unfortunately your brain health will suffer and you won't even recognize how sick you are getting because you know you are "right". PLEASE read as many accounts from other vegans who have done what you are doing long term. There are many out there who have published their experience in a valiant effort to help people like you.

You may think you are an expert and that your critical thinking skills are better than most other humans (you have a condescending tone in your responses) but an interesting pattern has been observed: the least skillful/knowledgeable people tend to have the most confidence that they are right and cannot adequately assess or incorporate new information that challenges the view they currently hold. (Amount of education alone does not determine skill or knowledge.) I think malnutrition plays a big role in that tendency as well.

jonnythan

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

geebusuk

Maybe I just thought unprocessed not packaged

By definition, Orange Juice is processed?
Otherwise it would be 'Orange'.

Also - pretty much any food at all that we eat will have had it's genetics modified by humans.

However it may not have been humans wearing a white coat at the time, so I believe that makes it ok?

otillie03103

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

jonnythan

You may think you are an expert and that your critical thinking skills are better than most other humans (you have a condescending tone in your responses) but an interesting pattern has been observed: the least skillful/knowledgeable people tend to have the most confidence that they are right and cannot adequately assess or incorporate new information that challenges the view they currently hold. (Amount of education alone does not determine skill or knowledge.) I think malnutrition plays a big role in that tendency as well.

The Dunning–Kruger effect! One of my favs.

jonnythan

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

otillie03103

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

I didn't state that. It's apparent neither of us will change our minds, so in retrospect this entire conversation was pointless.

jonnythan

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

I didn't state that. It's apparent neither of us will change our minds, so in retrospect this entire conversation was pointless.

In contrast, it is my hope that other people reading the conversation will have their eyes opened about how important it is to weigh the food that you're logging, because - as you demonstrate - inaccurate logging can cause lack of goal attainment.

The conversation isn't about just me and you. It's about all the people reading along as well.

PRMinx

57 grams of protein? Wow.

LOL. I'm trying so hard to double that and then some. :laugh:

Espressocycle

This type of diet won't make you live forever, but it'll sure feel that way.

otillie03103

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

I didn't state that. It's apparent neither of us will change our minds, so in retrospect this entire conversation was pointless.

In contrast, it is my hope that other people reading the conversation will have their eyes opened about how important it is to weigh the food that you're logging, because - as you demonstrate - inaccurate logging can cause lack of goal attainment.

I stated on the other post I would look into a scale. I never said weighing was wrong. In fact I think my husband has a scale so I will ask him to pull it out. I just feel healthier on the diet I am on. You will chose what makes you feel best and what makes you feel best isn't going to be what makes everyone else feel best. The remarks I see over and over just say people are wrong, "calorie deficit," but don't mention the scale until you prod a bit longer. It acutally feels like bullying when people respond the way they do on here. People can be positive and helpful and state what works for them, but shouldn't be ridiculed for it. The scale was mentioned later in the conversation. People could have just said, hey by the way a scale is great, I found out the measurements were off without it, rather then this is false, this is wrong, you're wrong. Then after asking for an explantion I finally got the answer you were trying to get across. Negative reinforcement, for me, doesn't help, and that is exactly what I felt I was getting.

jonnythan

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

I didn't state that. It's apparent neither of us will change our minds, so in retrospect this entire conversation was pointless.

In contrast, it is my hope that other people reading the conversation will have their eyes opened about how important it is to weigh the food that you're logging, because - as you demonstrate - inaccurate logging can cause lack of goal attainment.

I stated on the other post I would look into a scale. I never said weighing was wrong. In fact I think my husband has a scale so I will ask him to pull it out. I just feel healthier on the diet I am on. You will chose what makes you feel best and what makes you feel best isn't going to be what makes everyone else feel best. The remarks I see over and over just say people are wrong, "calorie deficit," but don't mention the scale until you prod a bit longer. It acutally feels like bullying when people respond the way they do on here. People can be positive and helpful and state what works for them, but shouldn't be ridiculed for it. The scale was mentioned later in the conversation. People could have just said, hey by the way a scale is great, I found out the measurements were off without it, rather then this is false, this is wrong, you're wrong. Then after asking for an explantion I finally got the answer you were trying to get across. Negative reinforcement, for me, doesn't help, and that is exactly what I felt I was getting.

You're clearly pretty new to the forums.

Weighing food is one of the most-recommended things on the forum. It's often the very first question asked when someone says they're not losing weight. It's always mentioned.

Anyway, you were not in a calorie deficit when you were losing weight. If you are eating "the same calories" now and losing weight, the only possibilities are that you are burning more calories through activity or you were improperly calculating calorie intake.

otillie03103

Yes indeed, you guys jumped on me when I purely wanted to mention what made me feel good. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean you have to be condescending about it. I don't have to agree with you and you don't have to agree with me. End of story.

This is false. No one appears to have done that. It's the claim that you experienced vastly different weight loss on two isocaloric diets that people took issue with.

I still truly feel that I lose more weight eating healthier foods. If you disagree that is fine. There are others who believe this as well and have posted it on the message boards. You're not going to change my mind, so lets agree to disagree.

Well at least you have an open mind to the possibility that you're mistaken.

I didn't state that. It's apparent neither of us will change our minds, so in retrospect this entire conversation was pointless.

In contrast, it is my hope that other people reading the conversation will have their eyes opened about how important it is to weigh the food that you're logging, because - as you demonstrate - inaccurate logging can cause lack of goal attainment.

I stated on the other post I would look into a scale. I never said weighing was wrong. In fact I think my husband has a scale so I will ask him to pull it out. I just feel healthier on the diet I am on. You will chose what makes you feel best and what makes you feel best isn't going to be what makes everyone else feel best. The remarks I see over and over just say people are wrong, "calorie deficit," but don't mention the scale until you prod a bit longer. It acutally feels like bullying when people respond the way they do on here. People can be positive and helpful and state what works for them, but shouldn't be ridiculed for it. The scale was mentioned later in the conversation. People could have just said, hey by the way a scale is great, I found out the measurements were off without it, rather then this is false, this is wrong, you're wrong. Then after asking for an explantion I finally got the answer you were trying to get across. Negative reinforcement, for me, doesn't help, and that is exactly what I felt I was getting.

You're clearly pretty new to the forums.

Weighing food is one of the most-recommended things on the forum. It's often the very first question asked when someone says they're not losing weight. It's always mentioned.

Anyway, you were not in a calorie deficit when you were losing weight. If you are eating "the same calories" now and losing weight, the only possibilities are that you are burning more calories through activity or you were improperly calculating calorie intake.

Yes, I am new to them and people acted as if I should just know what they had been taught. That is why I didn't understand when I had been measuring my calories, or so I thought, and people kept saying calorie deficit. I asked for an explanation and got a "sigh" response rather then just explaining it. I was honestly asking for an explanation and people responded, to me what seemed to be in a huff response, when I thought they would want to be supportive. It's the same with every message board, and maybe I can't hear people's tones, but that is how they came across to me. I never said it was wrong for people to lose weight on processed foods. I said for me I felt it didn't work. I have the right to feel that way.

geebusuk

57 grams of protein? Wow.

LOL. I'm trying so hard to double that and then some. :laugh:

If I only got triple that, I'd be looking for some chicken breast to snack on!

Oh and not being able to run 5k - I suspect OP has a good deal of health benefits that could be gained from being generally more healthy. Despite not having done any running for ages I managed to knock out a 30min 5k off the cuff when I started again a while ago - 6 months before that did a rather a slow 10k (good bits of walking, including diversion to get my dog) not having done any cardio at all for some time bar one instance of running a mile and a half with dogs where I nearly collapsed at the end!

otillie03103:
One of the reasons you may get people not 'supporting' you as you want is that there is already absolutely masses of these questions answered and good information out there. On this forum and the intnernet - just click 'search' to find it .