Fruit and Raw Veggies only Diet

Options
bekah818
bekah818 Posts: 179 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A couple of years ago I lost over 50 lbs on a veggie and fruit diet only. Over the years I fell off the wagon and I gained the weight back because I didn't do enough to maintain my weight loss. After college I got a job working in an office and I ate whatever and sat for 8 hours everyday and almost never went to the gym. I put on 40 of the 59 lbs I gained :sad::sad: :sad:

I began working out and dieting again, but I'm considering trying fruit and veggies thing for a while since I had so much success before. How I did it before was I only ate fruits and vegetables everyday with no limit and drank lots of water. If I wanted my vegetables cooked, I used non-fat zero calorie cooking spray and maybe a few natural spices for flavor, but that was it, I didn't add anything else to my veggies or fruit. No meat, no bread, grains, or pasta. Strictly fruit and veggies for a couple of months. It's hard at first, but I got use to it after 2 weeks. I want to try it again

What do you guys think?
«1

Replies

  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Options
    Sounds very low in protein to me, why not just do a vegan diet?
  • Kaylaef
    Kaylaef Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    Sounds very low in protein to me, why not just do a vegan diet?

    Yeah--i don't know where I would get any energy from doing this. If you look at my diary, I eat A LOT of veggies and fruits a day. But if I didn't have those two eggs in the morning, i'd loose my mind. Even if you wanted to throw some tofu into the mix, or some chickpeas might be a little better. Soy and almond milk, things of that nature. If you're trying to avoid complex carbs and meat products.
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    Options
    Personally, I'm not a fan of super restrictive diets for the purposes of weight loss. For me, this was/is a lifestyle change and I wanted to make changes to my diet/life that are sustainable and healthy so that will stick with them for the long term. Clearly, even though this diet helped you loose weight in the past, it was not sustainable. I'd recommend eating clean, healthy foods most of the time and exercising.
  • tomg33
    tomg33 Posts: 305 Member
    Options
    Eating only vegetables and fruit should work for anyone since the food has so few calories for its volume. You'd have to really bugger it up to not lose weight.

    However I personally do not like exclusion diets because the results really come by accident; you never know what is actually happening in your body and why you are succeeding (or failing!). The end result is that the diet is unsustainable and you have learned nothing about proper nutrition.

    For me, I can't really see why I would rather only eat vegetables and fruit when I can easily have my lean meats, dairy, eggs, nuts, etc as well and still lose weight, still get stronger inside and out, and overall be my best... It takes more thinking and more effort but I can honestly tell you that any time spent investing in yourself in this way will have rewards for every area of your life.
  • bekah818
    bekah818 Posts: 179 Member
    Options
    I appreciate the feedback guys. Thank you
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    That's why you got it back. I was on a very restrictive diet 14 years ago, which worked great, I lost over 30 lb in 6 months or something. Then life happened, I got a job, and couldn't bring my lunch (not done much where I'm from and there was no fridge), and I got it all back plus extra within 6 months (and I have the stretch marks to prove it).

    IMO, just a bad idea. Just eat normally but less of it and try to avoid the bad stuff as much as possible. That's a diet you can maintain.
  • SweetlyVague
    SweetlyVague Posts: 172 Member
    Options
    I think super restrictive diets are a horrible idea, personally. I feel like people won't stick to them forever, so once you're off the wagon, all the other foods you eat will hit you hard. Besides, no protein? Yikes.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    Options
    Was it really a success if you gained it all back? Doesn't seem sustainable and sounds like you'll just continue to gain and lose, gain and lose. Why not try something that would work for the long run?
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    Options
    When you restrict your eating too much that's when you gain the weight back once you change your eating habits. Are you going to live off fruits and veggies forever? If not, than don't eat that way now.

    Fruits and veggies only will cause you to lack a lot of protein. You need protein... you need fat in your diet. Eat a proper, balanced diet.
  • _Lori_Lynn_
    _Lori_Lynn_ Posts: 460
    Options
    I find this to be a very nice cleanse. A break from all the other crap you put in your system and a clean slate.

    I have been thinking about doing this for a while. How long did it take you to lose the 50 lbs? Did you stay on the cleanse/diet until you lost it all or did you take breaks. I read where you can add protein drinks to this diet in order to add some protein.

    I tried this for about three days and then I slowly added meat twice a day. One serving of nuts once a day and then one serving of yogurt. It was weird, bc all of a sudden, I was like, "oh, now I get out to eat healthy.. .this is it". It was like I needed to delete it all, start with the basics and add the other stuff. If that makes sense. I always knew how to eat right, but could never "do it". Once I got rid of everything and started over with fruits and veggies as my staple, it was like I was able to piece it all together and do it. I fell off the wagon and it seems I need a clean slate to do it right again. When I clean a room, I take everything out of the room and clean. I then replace each item slowly and with thought. It is easier for me to do it that way than to clean the room by taking away the junk here and there. Weird analogy, but that is what works for me.

    Also on the three days I did it, I found it to be kind of cool, bc I ate and ate and ate without guilt. And then at night when I loaded my diary, I found I was only at about 550 - 700 ish on calories each night. I was so stuffed, I couldn't believe it. That is why I started adding nuts first to the diet.

    Mind you, all of these negative comments above are coming from people who have never tried it. They mean well, but they have no experience. It taught me how to eat the right way. I felt sooo amazing afterward and you STILL didn't gain it all back, so it was worth it if you are ahead of the game due to it.

    Lets do it!
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,049 Member
    Options
    This is why you gain it back! You go on a DIET....what you ned to do is change your eating habits and start a lifestyle of fitness.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    Options
    You gained it all back because it's not sustainable for you to live that way. You should address the eating habits you have now that have caused your weight gain instead of drastically switching to something you can't continue.
  • _Lori_Lynn_
    _Lori_Lynn_ Posts: 460
    Options
    You gained it all back because it's not sustainable for you to live that way. You should address the eating habits you have now that have caused your weight gain instead of drastically switching to something you can't continue.

    she didn't gain IT ALL back. She gained some of it back. She is still at a 19 lb loss.
  • StrawberryThief
    StrawberryThief Posts: 115
    Options
    Eating only raw food is bad for you. Your body has evolved to deal with cooked foods.
    Eating lots of fresh fruit and veg is good for you; eating only uncooked fresh fruit and veg is not.
  • theCarlton
    theCarlton Posts: 1,344 Member
    Options
    You gained it all back because it's not sustainable for you to live that way. You should address the eating habits you have now that have caused your weight gain instead of drastically switching to something you can't continue.

    she didn't gain IT ALL back. She gained some of it back. She is still at a 19 lb loss.
    You picked out one irrelevant word to disagree with from some actual healthy advice........... please stop.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Options
    Two months is far to long to live off only fruit and veg. You'll lose a lot of muscle along with the fat and it's not sustainable in the long run. If you are only doing this to lose weight I think that in the end you'll fail and put it back on and what will go back on will be more fat but no muscle, making you worse off than before.

    Why not just eat in a way to can live with forever? A good balance of carbs, protein and fat with a reasonable calorie deficit and exercise. Lose the weight slowly and healthy so you can keep it off forever.

    More fruit and veg is never a bad idea but only fruit and veg for two months? You'll be at a very unhealthy calorie level and probably end up deficient in some key nutrients which could do real damage long term. Even just protein from beans, lentils, nuts and tofu will help if you want to avoid meat and dairy thought there is no real reason to unless you have allergies etc.

    I'm my opinion the best "diet" is one you can live with for the rest of your life. :flowerforyou:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Options
    80/10/10 for the win!
  • bekah818
    bekah818 Posts: 179 Member
    Options
    I find this to be a very nice cleanse. A break from all the other crap you put in your system and a clean slate.

    I have been thinking about doing this for a while. How long did it take you to lose the 50 lbs? Did you stay on the cleanse/diet until you lost it all or did you take breaks. I read where you can add protein drinks to this diet in order to add some protein.

    I tried this for about three days and then I slowly added meat twice a day. One serving of nuts once a day and then one serving of yogurt. It was weird, bc all of a sudden, I was like, "oh, now I get out to eat healthy.. .this is it". It was like I needed to delete it all, start with the basics and add the other stuff. If that makes sense. I always knew how to eat right, but could never "do it". Once I got rid of everything and started over with fruits and veggies as my staple, it was like I was able to piece it all together and do it. I fell off the wagon and it seems I need a clean slate to do it right again. When I clean a room, I take everything out of the room and clean. I then replace each item slowly and with thought. It is easier for me to do it that way than to clean the room by taking away the junk here and there. Weird analogy, but that is what works for me.

    Also on the three days I did it, I found it to be kind of cool, bc I ate and ate and ate without guilt. And then at night when I loaded my diary, I found I was only at about 550 - 700 ish on calories each night. I was so stuffed, I couldn't believe it. That is why I started adding nuts first to the diet.

    Mind you, all of these negative comments above are coming from people who have never tried it. They mean well, but they have no experience. It taught me how to eat the right way. I felt sooo amazing afterward and you STILL didn't gain it all back, so it was worth it if you are ahead of the game due to it.

    Lets do it!

    I appreciate this so much! I lost that 50 lbs within 5 months.. I know that's quick, but I felt so good. I had so much energy and I felt refreshed. And of course I didn't eat only veggies and fruits for five months. I started off eating veggies and fruits and slowly brought in meats, and then did veggies, meats, and fruit. And then I slowly brought in grains, nuts, and calcium-rich foods like cheese and yogurt. I felt so energized and healthy and I lost weight like crazy. My system needs a nice reset right about now. I appreciate everyone's feedback here, but I think I'm gonna go for it. I'll add you!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    Have you tried just eating a balanced diet that does not exclude so much? Just eating fruit and raw veggies sounds very sub-optimal for fats and protein. Enough protein is important for retention of LBM (strength training is also) and fats are very important for healthy body functions and hormonal balance.


    ETA: just saw the above post....*sigh*
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Options
    Honestly asking: If you've already tried it once, and it didn't work long term, why do it again? Find a nutrition plan that you can stick to forever. Best of luck

Categories