My Experience with Raw Vegan 80/10/10 Challenge Month
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ernestbecker
Posts: 232 Member
I'm not advocating a diet plan. I don't tell people what they should or shouldn't do.
For those interested I am posting the top 10 likes and dislikes of my one month Raw Vegan Challenge. I'm not sold on any particular diet plan. Last year, I did the Atkins diet. In both cases, I lost body fat and weight (Atkins 15lbs, and Raw Vegan 8lbs). What I can say, is I felt much more energized on the Raw Vegan diet than I did the Atkins diet. Getting to ketosis on Atkins was extremely painful, and it was "way" more challenging for me to cut carbs on Atkins than it was to cut fats and protein on Raw Vegan. Because I push my body to extremes (both racing a bike and body building) I'm still searching for a balanced approach that works for what I do. Again, I'm not pushing a diet plan by posting the results of my trial. Not hating other's plans, just sharing.
The diet itself was great overall. I actually enjoyed it because I love fruits! One thing I can say, at least for ME, is that I'm no longer afraid of carbs that come from fruits and veggies. I ate them in abundance and lost weight and body fat.
Top likes:
1. Love, love fruits and ate plenty of them
2. Meal preps were easier and took less time
3. Loads of energy - no spikes. (I was surprised)
4. Used less toilet paper! yes. I'm sure those of you doing this full time can relate. It's just different. cleaner.
5. When I was done in the bathroom, I was done. It all comes out regularly and completely. Very nice side effect when you're getting ready to ride 100 miles.
6. Lost body fat overall. This was an unexpected finding, after all I'd been taught, and read about carbs in the body building world
7. Maintained my lifts in the gym. Even set new bench press (185lbs 5 rep) and leg press (835lbs 5 rep) PR's.
8. Maintained riding level on the bike. even when I went to spring training and rode 250+ miles!
9. Mentally satisfied that I was eating completely "natural". very subjective item I know.
10. Found a lot of great friends on MFP!
Top dislikes:
1. All the reasons our culture now defines as comfort foods! There were times I wanted "my ____" you name it.
2. Cooked foods. I wanted a hot bowl of chili during the super bowl. I was cold and I craved it.
3. The amount of food you have to eat to maintain calories
4. The amount of time it takes to eat food!
5. When you run out of fruit, you can't just go to the pantry and grab something
6. Not sure how I get the "supposed" needed nutrients on just fruits and veggies doing this long term B12, etc...
7. Lost weight from 165 to 157. I don't want to look too skinny. It's vain, yes. But, I'm a bit that. (I'll explain what I think the weight loss was below.
8. Very inconvenient at times when socially eating!
9. Finding fruits in season
10. Cultural aspect, i.e. eating what's put in front of me when visiting friends or family and not appearing rude.
Possible reasons for weight loss (some of you may know better):
1. According to sources I've read, standard American diet takes 72 hours once it enters the body and once the by-product (waste) exits the body. Meaning, we always carry +/-3 days’ worth of food in our bodies. Raw Vegans claim, that raw foods exit in 24 hours. Meaning: Once the body is cleansed of all the excess, there's only 1 day of food hanging around in there. That's less weight on the scales if this is really happening. My guess.
2. Loss of body fat from my bike riding (which has had an uptick) and gym time (which has dropped off a bit because of the riding).
3. Maybe not drinking enough water but I never do!
4. Possible muscle loss from lack of protein. I have to consider this as a possible cause since I don't really know. What I do know, is that I didn't lose strength in the gym size in the legs, arms, hips or chest. I only lost size in the waste. But, who knows?
What I ate:
1. bananas
2. oranges
3. Dates
4. apples
5. mangos
6. papayas
7. green beans
8. broccoli
9. spinach
10. grapes
11. Raw pumpkin seeds
12. morning star vegan sausage patties (ok, this was a cheat)
13. beans
14. carrots
15. blueberries
16. strawberries
17. blackberries
18. red mills muesli with rice dream
19. pineapple
20. red wine (not sure if this is a cheat or not)
21. peanuts
22. tomatoes
23. onions
24. sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries
25. coconut water
26. other various fruits and veggies.
If you have any questions, please message me direct. Thank you.
Ernie.
For those interested I am posting the top 10 likes and dislikes of my one month Raw Vegan Challenge. I'm not sold on any particular diet plan. Last year, I did the Atkins diet. In both cases, I lost body fat and weight (Atkins 15lbs, and Raw Vegan 8lbs). What I can say, is I felt much more energized on the Raw Vegan diet than I did the Atkins diet. Getting to ketosis on Atkins was extremely painful, and it was "way" more challenging for me to cut carbs on Atkins than it was to cut fats and protein on Raw Vegan. Because I push my body to extremes (both racing a bike and body building) I'm still searching for a balanced approach that works for what I do. Again, I'm not pushing a diet plan by posting the results of my trial. Not hating other's plans, just sharing.
The diet itself was great overall. I actually enjoyed it because I love fruits! One thing I can say, at least for ME, is that I'm no longer afraid of carbs that come from fruits and veggies. I ate them in abundance and lost weight and body fat.
Top likes:
1. Love, love fruits and ate plenty of them
2. Meal preps were easier and took less time
3. Loads of energy - no spikes. (I was surprised)
4. Used less toilet paper! yes. I'm sure those of you doing this full time can relate. It's just different. cleaner.
5. When I was done in the bathroom, I was done. It all comes out regularly and completely. Very nice side effect when you're getting ready to ride 100 miles.
6. Lost body fat overall. This was an unexpected finding, after all I'd been taught, and read about carbs in the body building world
7. Maintained my lifts in the gym. Even set new bench press (185lbs 5 rep) and leg press (835lbs 5 rep) PR's.
8. Maintained riding level on the bike. even when I went to spring training and rode 250+ miles!
9. Mentally satisfied that I was eating completely "natural". very subjective item I know.
10. Found a lot of great friends on MFP!
Top dislikes:
1. All the reasons our culture now defines as comfort foods! There were times I wanted "my ____" you name it.
2. Cooked foods. I wanted a hot bowl of chili during the super bowl. I was cold and I craved it.
3. The amount of food you have to eat to maintain calories
4. The amount of time it takes to eat food!
5. When you run out of fruit, you can't just go to the pantry and grab something
6. Not sure how I get the "supposed" needed nutrients on just fruits and veggies doing this long term B12, etc...
7. Lost weight from 165 to 157. I don't want to look too skinny. It's vain, yes. But, I'm a bit that. (I'll explain what I think the weight loss was below.
8. Very inconvenient at times when socially eating!
9. Finding fruits in season
10. Cultural aspect, i.e. eating what's put in front of me when visiting friends or family and not appearing rude.
Possible reasons for weight loss (some of you may know better):
1. According to sources I've read, standard American diet takes 72 hours once it enters the body and once the by-product (waste) exits the body. Meaning, we always carry +/-3 days’ worth of food in our bodies. Raw Vegans claim, that raw foods exit in 24 hours. Meaning: Once the body is cleansed of all the excess, there's only 1 day of food hanging around in there. That's less weight on the scales if this is really happening. My guess.
2. Loss of body fat from my bike riding (which has had an uptick) and gym time (which has dropped off a bit because of the riding).
3. Maybe not drinking enough water but I never do!
4. Possible muscle loss from lack of protein. I have to consider this as a possible cause since I don't really know. What I do know, is that I didn't lose strength in the gym size in the legs, arms, hips or chest. I only lost size in the waste. But, who knows?
What I ate:
1. bananas
2. oranges
3. Dates
4. apples
5. mangos
6. papayas
7. green beans
8. broccoli
9. spinach
10. grapes
11. Raw pumpkin seeds
12. morning star vegan sausage patties (ok, this was a cheat)
13. beans
14. carrots
15. blueberries
16. strawberries
17. blackberries
18. red mills muesli with rice dream
19. pineapple
20. red wine (not sure if this is a cheat or not)
21. peanuts
22. tomatoes
23. onions
24. sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries
25. coconut water
26. other various fruits and veggies.
If you have any questions, please message me direct. Thank you.
Ernie.
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Replies
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Thanks for sharing this. I sent you a PM. if you setup a group I'd like to join it. I've been wanting to try this myself for a long time. I'm new.0
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I'm not really sure food takes 3 days to get through ya...
I'm not sure why you went to both extremes of the diet spectrum, but glad you had results with both.
Question is...what are you going to do now?0 -
I'm not really sure food takes 3 days to get through ya...
I'm not sure why you went to both extremes of the diet spectrum, but glad you had results with both.
Question is...what are you going to do now?
Hey man, thanks for the comment. Yea, on the food passing through, I've seen various studies that ranged from 48 hours to 72. So, everyone's different. I've read also that raw food takes less time, some estimated 24 hours. Again, not a perfect science and definitely varies by individual. That said, I'm not 100% sure how to account for the weight loss completely and those were just ideas based on what I read.
As to why I tried both, and who knows, maybe another? I experiment. I went a full year for example eating 40/40/20 and 3000-3500 cals and lifting 4-5 times per week in the gym to see if I could add muscle bulk. The diet I was eating is considered clean by the body building community. Minimally processed foods, veggies, sweet potatoes, chicken, beef, whey, etc... a few cheats now and then. For my body, I gained about 7lbs and then it all came to a halt. As a competitive cyclist, I didn't really need the extra weight anyway. This is my default diet btw. What I do know, is that I can eat a heck of a lot more fruits and veggies than I thought I could as a result of doing the 80/10/10 experiment. That my be a good thing for the hot Texas summers!
What am I going to do now: Until it warms up, I'm going back to my default of 40/40/20. When the heat begins and as my bike racing picks way up, I'll do a hybrid of 80/10/10 and default.
What do you do?0 -
What was your average calories for a day?0
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I think I aimed for 40/30/30. Can't say I ever did well hitting it though.
People around these parts dont believe me, but it seems eating raw food nets you fewer calories.
For example almonds give you 32% less energy raw as opposed to in a nut butter.0 -
What was your average calories for a day?
2400-3300 depending on activity level that day.0 -
I'm not really sure food takes 3 days to get through ya...
Yeah, I don't think that either. Eat some corn, a nice little bookmark, and see what you find the next day...0 -
I think I aimed for 40/30/30. Can't say I ever did well hitting it though.
People around these parts dont believe me, but it seems eating raw food nets you fewer calories.
For example almonds give you 32% less energy raw as opposed to in a nut butter.
I had to eat a **** load of fruit and veggies to hit the calories. Unless I ate bananas or dates. Dates are extremely calorie dense. I can see how fruits and veggies could be a staple in warmer or more tropical climates because of the hydration factor. In TX, during the Super Bowl game and 30 degree weather, I craved a hot bowl of chili like you can't imagine!
I'm also a big fan of whole grains, nuts, peanut butter, seeds, etc...0 -
Did you eat your sweet potatoes raw? It seems like they would be a little hard.
What did you use for fuel on long rides? When I ran far last year, I used date balls as fuel. I'm not sure if they qualify as raw vegan or not (I don't know the rules): rolled oats ground into flour, mixed with cocoa powder and dates in the food processor, with a little honey to keep them together and some salt for electrolyte replacement.0 -
Did you eat your sweet potatoes raw? It seems like they would be a little hard.
What did you use for fuel on long rides? When I ran far last year, I used date balls as fuel. I'm not sure if they qualify as raw vegan or not (I don't know the rules): rolled oats ground into flour, mixed with cocoa powder and dates in the food processor, with a little honey to keep them together and some salt for electrolyte replacement.
I put them in the vitamix with other stuff to sweeten it up. man, you can eat car tires if you run them through a vitamix, lol. As far as long rides, I ate dates as my fuel source and also carried a banana or two. But the dates did the trick. used only water in my bottles.0 -
Sounds like an interesting diet challenge! I always feel best eating about 75% this way, but my body rebels if I cut out whole grains altogether. Agree that B12 would become an issue (with any long term vegan diet!) if not supplemented.
Re: food taking 3 days to pass... I just read about this in a nutrition textbook. "Intestinal matter passes through the colon within 12 to 70 hours, depending on a person's age, health, diet, and fiber intake." I mean, it's probably generally faster than that, but just sayin', it's not uncommon.0 -
Sounds like an interesting diet challenge! I always feel best eating about 75% this way, but my body rebels if I cut out whole grains altogether. Agree that B12 would become an issue (with any long term vegan diet!) if not supplemented.
Re: food taking 3 days to pass... I just read about this in a nutrition textbook. "Intestinal matter passes through the colon within 12 to 70 hours, depending on a person's age, health, diet, and fiber intake." I mean, it's probably generally faster than that, but just sayin', it's not uncommon.
what do you eat the other 25%?0 -
Sounds like an interesting diet challenge! I always feel best eating about 75% this way, but my body rebels if I cut out whole grains altogether. Agree that B12 would become an issue (with any long term vegan diet!) if not supplemented.
Re: food taking 3 days to pass... I just read about this in a nutrition textbook. "Intestinal matter passes through the colon within 12 to 70 hours, depending on a person's age, health, diet, and fiber intake." I mean, it's probably generally faster than that, but just sayin', it's not uncommon.
what do you eat the other 25%?
I was vegan for 9 years and mostly my diet sucked. But the times when I felt good, I was eating mostly raw fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds (75%), then some cooked whole grains and a variety of legumes. On occasion, tempeh, and even more rare (but when I was craving a protein boost) some sort of seitan (wheat-gluten-based) item.0 -
So in summary, you **** a lot, you lost muscle mass, you had a difficult time with adherence, and you restricted yourself from foods you enjoy?
No thank you!0 -
Sounds like an interesting diet challenge! I always feel best eating about 75% this way, but my body rebels if I cut out whole grains altogether. Agree that B12 would become an issue (with any long term vegan diet!) if not supplemented.
Re: food taking 3 days to pass... I just read about this in a nutrition textbook. "Intestinal matter passes through the colon within 12 to 70 hours, depending on a person's age, health, diet, and fiber intake." I mean, it's probably generally faster than that, but just sayin', it's not uncommon.
what do you eat the other 25%?
I was vegan for 9 years and mostly my diet sucked. But the times when I felt good, I was eating mostly raw fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds (75%), then some cooked whole grains and a variety of legumes. On occasion, tempeh, and even more rare (but when I was craving a protein boost) some sort of seitan (wheat-gluten-based) item.
Holy cow. I had no idea about Seitan:
Nutrition Facts
Vital wheat gluten
Amount Per 100 grams
Calories 370
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.8 g 2%
Saturated fat 0.3 g 1%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.8 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 29 mg 1%
Potassium 100 mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 14 g 4%
Dietary fiber 0.6 g 2%
Sugar 0 g
Protein 75 g 150%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 14% Iron 28%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 0%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 6%
look at all that protein!0 -
So in summary, you **** a lot, you lost muscle mass, you had a difficult time with adherence, and you restricted yourself from foods you enjoy?
No thank you!
Well, I actually pooped the same but it was cleaner and was completely done in one sitting (sorry for the graphics here) so I actually used less toilet paper, I don't think I loss muscle mass because I kept my size and strength and even made PR's, and yes, adherence is an issue during an experiment because I gave up things I think are good for me like grains, nuts, seeds to test the claims of the 80/10/10 community.
And to be clear, my posting is not an invitation to try it. It's a posting to share my experience. I assume others will want to try and come here to the forums seeking advice or experience with 80/10/10.0 -
In for cleaner poop.0
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In for cleaner poop.
haha, no Shi___?0 -
In for cleaner poop.
Fruity poop is the best poop.0 -
I'm not really sure food takes 3 days to get through ya...
Yeah, I don't think that either. Eat some corn, a nice little bookmark, and see what you find the next day...
I've seen a reminder of things like corn and red wine as fast as 8-10 hours later. Yes, I have a very healthy system, and an extremely happy colon...0
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