Vegetarian / Raw Food

All nutritional guidelines still apply with raw/vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. If you eat more calories then you burn, you will gain weight. If you eat raw/vegan crap, you will not be healthy. The type of food and type of calories matter a lot. How much of your calories are coming from carbs, protein, fat? This is a big one!!!

You want to raise your metabolism? Start an aerobic workout routine, lead an active lifestyle, meditate, eliminate stress and learn about the mind & body connection.

You want to be healthier? Educate yourself about nutrition and exercise. Learn how your body works, how it processes food, calories, carbs, protein, fat, sugar, vitamins and minerals. Listen to your body, learn what it needs and what it does not.

It takes a *kitten* load of WILL POWER & DISCIPLINE in today's age living in a land of abundance to stay healthy and follow a 100% Raw/Vegan lifestyle. If you got what it takes, you will reap some amazing health benefits. However, if you are "sick of the diets", I am not really sure this is the lifestyle for you.

Going raw to lose weight means you need to stick to an 80/10/10 ratio (80%- fruit 10%-carbs 10%-fats). I know plenty of raw vegans who are very healthy and have lost weight following that plan. I am vegan and lean towards raw vegan when I get the chance, my favorite restaurants are all raw vegan! If you have a vitamix and a food dehydrator you can eat gourmet without "cooking" anything.

I love the spiralizer for making noodles out of zucchini (or any hard veggie or fruit). They are delicious raw with pasta sauce or as an addition to a healthy wrap. F

I've been vegan for 25 years. I've been raw for nine. Neither raw nor vegan is a weight loss plan. Unless you're one of those people on YouTube who eat nothing but bananas wrapped in kale, you're going to need a dehydrator, a high speed blender, a spiral slicer, a juicer.... Also, since you won't be cooking anything, produce should be organic. All of which is rather expensive. Food preparation is time consuming- crackers and breads can take days in the dehydrator.

Raw food is terrific for many things- it can alleviate many chronic conditions. It did wonders for my migraines and allergies, but it did not make me lose weight. That required calorie counting and daily exercise.

My diary is open- feel free to check it out.

There are two main diet styles within raw vegan. Gourmet raw (this is high fat, can be low-moderate carb) or the LFHC (low fat high carb/801010) camp. Some people follow one strictly over the other. I focus on high carb because it makes me feel best and is easy. I love fruit, salads, smoothies, and don't bother with dehydrators or expensive equipment. A vegetable spiralizer, chefs knife, and my blender can handle most of my meals, no problem. That being said, I will eat gourmet raw, too. Usually it's because of a craving or I am going out. Plus, I like to try new things in the kitchen. Another note about my diet, I am not strictly raw. Most of my meals are fresh, but I enjoy having a cooked meal with my partner or friends. You can incorporate ample amounts of raw foods into you diet without a lot of fuss or going 100% raw right away. The benefits of nutritious plant foods simply prepared is easily and immediately available. People make it more complicated and restrictive than it needs to be.

One unexpected side effect since becoming more raw? I don't use myfitnesspal as much*. I eat large portions of foods without guilt or worry. I stop when I feel full and have stopped planning dinner at lunch. This is huge change considering for a year I followed the Zone diet where I was constantly thinking about food as I was hungry all the time.

Good luck on your journey!

*I like myfitnesspal. I don't like obsessing about food & feeling hungry.

SconnieCat wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

"Sick of diets"

Asks for advice on an extreme fringe/trend diet.

Yeahhh...but then doesn't want any discussion on CICO. So just tell OP what she wants to hear and no one gets hurt.

I had some friends that tried the raw food diet. It only lasted about 1 month in all seriousness. Some things have carried over and they still do some raw foods, but not to the extreme they were. It seemed to be very time consuming. Maybe if you had a written menu it might help.