Calories and raw food diet?

Marilyne13 · February 2011

I have been looking into the raw food diet lately and decided to try it for a while...they all say you can eat as much as you want and not count the calories...I tried and I gained 2 pounds.
This morning I decided to start counting the calories again just out of curiosity and was shocked to see that there was almost 300 calories in my morning fresh" fruits and vegetables" juice...
As anyone tried the raw food (80%- I eat smoked salmon and cooked grains too) and lost weight without counting calories?
Any tips on that diet?
I would love to hear about your experience

NightOwl1 · February 2011

The only thing that matter for weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Diets that tell you that you can eat as much as you want on certain food items and not have to count aren't good diets. Eat what you want, just make sure to to count your calories and you'll find success.

RMinVA · February 2011

Could be that you are retaining water if you just made that change. A lot of people run around partially dehydrated and don't even realize it. Then when they start eating more veggies and drinking more water they absorb it like a sponge. Eventually that water does leave your body though.

I haven't done a raw food diet, but I have several friends that have. And I have incorporated "raw" days into my diet in the past. Theoretically, you would naturally be limiting calories due to the "bulk" involved from eating fresh fruits and veggies. But, too many calories is still too many calories, regardless of where they come from. Add in raw nuts (which are allowed, but hard to find) and a few other calorically dense items, and so much for limiting calories.

Additionally, you said you are ony doing it 80% of the time...cooked grains are calorically dense and need to be portioned. And smoked salmon is usually loaded with sodium, which could also lead to water retention.

Hope that helps.

luv2ash · February 2011

The only thing that matter for weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Diets that tell you that you can eat as much as you want on certain food items and not have to count aren't good diets. Eat what you want, just make sure to to count your calories and you'll find success.

Agreed-except change that "Want" part to make sure they are healthy calories---lean protein, not processed carbs. Good luck!

MarjorieSf · February 2011

Marilyne13,
I haven't tried that "diet", but it's not something your mind will let you use long term

. And if you gained weight, it's probably because of the water content of the vegetables. You didn't say how much you were exercising. It's really a simple matter of eating healthy (raw foods are excellent) and burning off extra calories. I have lost 20 lbs. so far and right now, I am stuck on a plateau. So, I am going back and looking at where I am falling off the wagon or where I need to up my exercise intensity.
What works for me is portion control. I actually got this idea off the internet. It said to take a 9 inch plate and divide it. 1/2 is ALWAYS salad; 1/4 is a meat and 1/4 is a starch (like potatoes, peas, beans, etc). I put anything I want on the plate, not piled high, but no more than 1/4 of the plate and drink water with my meal. And, no seconds. You do this with plenty of vigorus exercise and I guarantee you will lose weight. P.S. I have also cut all breads, pastas, rice, pizza, hamburger buns, rolls, etc. and all desserts except fresh fruit (between1/2 cup and one cup) everyday.
Good luck --

livindia · February 2011

I ate a raw diet for @ 6 months 2 years ago. I ate NO grains or fish, just raw fruits and vegetables and did not count calories. I lost 20 lbs. in one month but eventually found the diet too extreme and switched to a vegan diet. I let sugar in after my Mom died and began to eat tons of carbs so gained weight. I say cut out the grains and you will begin to lose weight rapidly.

mandypizzle · February 2011

I lost weight on the Abs Diet without counting calories. That diet is not all raw foods but it is possible to lose without counting. You need to make sure you watch your portion sizes more than anything. Eat every 2-3 hours. And you really should stay away from fruit juice. All that added sugar will not do anything for your weight loss. Keep to whole fruits and veggies or make them into smoothies if you want to drink it.

bugnbeansmom · February 2011

maybe the sugar in the juice?

stephilderton · February 2011

I think, though, the point of a raw foods focused diet is what the raw foods do for your body and energy level. Raw foods give us much of the hydration that we lack. They also give us the nutrients (namely fiber!!!) that pre-prepared, processed, or canned foods lack. These two, along with the inevitable jump in energy and the "cleaner" feeling, make it easier to burn calories.

Marilyne13 · February 2011

Thanks for the reality check everybody...I was just hoping not to have to count the calories but it seems that even with a super healthy diet that will not do it

Calories in vs calories out
I guess I should make that my motto from now on.

P.S This is my first post ever, I cant believe I got so many answers so quickly...I never thought of using the support of the group before, but now I am definitely going to tap into the power of this community. THANKS!!!

angcubby · October 2012

you want to be sure that you aren't eating too many fats like nuts, avocados, etc. Focus on fruits and veggies and green juice. Your body will do its thing and eventually it will find your perfect weight. The raw food lifestyle isn't about weight, it's about health.

JessieTangerine · October 2012

The reason why people say that you can eat as much as you want on a raw foods diet without calorie counting is because the foods are much more nutritionally dense so you can eat much more for fewer calories compared to convenience foods. They also have oodles of fiber which help you feel full more quickly and for longer periods of time. Juicing really is really just another form of processing, just like cooking and grinding. Although it has health benefits such as increasing the variety of vitamins in your diet, the juicing process alters food. When you juice veggies and fruits, the fiber is filtered out (you only get a small amount of the pulp and pith in the vegetable). If your morning juice is not tiding you over, try instead eating everything as a salad. For one, it looks like more, tricking your brain into thinking it is going to be eating more. But it also retains the fiber keeping you full much longer.

Calories and raw food diet?

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