Gaining Weight On A Raw Food Diet…Not For Long

A year ago I turned to a raw food diet in desperation to lose weight, gain a new positive perspective on life and get my happy back, and it worked. However, recently I started gaining weight on that same raw food diet. WTF, I was eating 100% raw, working out like a crazy person 5 days a week and gaining weight. And it wasn't muscle it was mush.
So after taking a hard look at my diet I found the mistakes that I was making that made me pack on pounds.

1. Eating way too many nuts.

Nuts are healthy but you can't eat a 1/2 pound every single day and expect rapid weight loss. I think I was eating 1/2 pound in the morning and 1/4 of a pound at night, if not more. I was doing this almost every day.
I was having serious work stress and it was making me crave crunchy foods that I would eat if I was hungry or not.

So now I rarely eat nuts, since I will over dose on em.
Nuts in moderation are great, you just can't eat a truck load.


2. Eating late at night. This is one of the worst. If you eat late your body isn't burning off the calories you just consumed so they get stored in the cells as fat, depending on their glycemic index and weight creeps up on you. Plus you wake up feeling like crap and not well rested because your body had to work all night digesting food.


3. Eating dehydrated fruit, yes it's vegan but it has a ton of sugar which raises insulin levels and unless your sweatin' to the oldies right away, it's going take up residency in your cells as fat. Hello cellulite :(

4. Using too many "healthy" sugar substitutes like Stevia and Xylitol. They are much better than real sugar or the other substitutes, but you don't want to use them as a crutch and put it in everything. I think it's best to keep food as natural as possible.

5. Not drinking enough water. Sometimes I wake up and I am thinking why am I so hungry. But it's not actual hunger it's dehydration. Because I can remember being thirsty in the middle of the night and too lazy to get up and drink some water. So while I am getting ready in the morning I try to drink at least 1 liter. The goal is to 3 liters a day

6.Waiting too long to eat. Doing this can turn into a sabotaging situation where you're so hungry you end up in a dangerous place like taco bell or the food court. If slips happen, don't get down on yourself or give up, let it go, get your self back on track asap and keep going in a healthy direction of a mostly raw vegan diet. Be sure to pack healthy snacks. Because we all know Sh*t happens sometimes. lol.


7. Eating too much in general, especially out of boredom. You can eat a lot on a raw food diet, especially if it's almost all greens. But I was over eating tons of fats like avocados, coconut oil and nuts which caused me to gain weight.

8. Don't eat while wearing a moo moo or the I gave up on life sweat pants. Too much wiggle room around the waist could be a recipe for disaster. I made the moo moo mistake last night:( Fitted clothing is usually better, save the moo moo's for sleeping.


THE SOLUTION


1. I had to stop the nuts. They were making me nuts almost to the point where I would get so depressed that I would slip into my old habits. Like being a hermit, negative thoughts, impulse buying etc.


2. Ease up on the dehydrated fruit. In a pinch it's better than other packaged junk food, but again moderation is the key to success. Gluttony is just bad in general even if it is raw food. It's better to get a grip and have control over eating habits. Like anything else it takes practice, but before you know it you just stop eating when satiated and no need to unbutton the jeans.

3. I had to throw my hands up and say screw it, I am going to throw some broccoli and spinach on the George Foreman grill and eat some damn cooked food. I know it's dead and I killed the enzymes, but I feel better, I am not bloated and I have lost weight.

4. I am not trying to be a perfect 100% raw vegan anymore. I was trying so hard to fit into this perfect mold, that I started obsessing over food and eating everything in sight.

I remember when I was a vegetarian and I met this guy that was vegan and he was super fat. Back then I was thinking how is this possible he's vegan and still fat, well now I think I know why. I hope he discovered his mistakes too. lol :)

5. Have something to look forward to. When I am just working and sleeping with no fun in sight, bad habits creep up. Luckily they are shot down pretty quick, so it helps to have some fun things planned down the road to keep you moving and grooving in the right path.

6. Keep a journal. Bite and write


Stress is always going to be there, so there is no need to stress about being a perfect vegan. After I decided to just roll with the punches of daily life and do my best under the circumstances to stay healthy, things are falling back into place, weight is coming off and I am getting my happy back, again.


XOXO,
Kim