>.> So I used to be a size 28, now with omni dieting and exersize I've been stagnet at a size between 24 and 22. My vegitarian roomate mentioned to me how some 350 pound guy went on a Raw Vegan diet and now is thin and even has abs! My goal is only size 18, but would going Raw Vegan be a good step to quicking this stagentness and getting me closer to my goal?



And other than the obvious fresh fruits and veggies, is there anything else I can eat?

Moving to Raw and Living Foods

well basically you can't eat anything cooked. no canned foods, no beans, no processed bread/crackers... no ice cream or soymilk either, and most cereals are a no-go.



you can eat fresh fruits, veggies, sprouts, some juices, sprouted bread, nuts, seeds... and you will probably be using the blender alot. oh, and you can eat hummus! and other non-cooked dips like that. yay!



someone with more knowledge help here... i don't know everything!



if you actually wanna go raw or even 99% raw, i'll do it with ya... we just gotta get enough money to buy all our own fresh ingredients, and keep the frickin' kitchen clean so we can prepare stuff!!!



julie

um... hummus is cooked my dears. one must cook the beans in order to blend them (ironically i just drained a batch of chickpeas about 2 minutes ago!) i thought about going raw and eventually decided "not at this time" and truthfully, probably not ever. it will make you lose weight, but you have to be very very carefull to get the right nutrients.

So like un-cooked, un-salted peanuts are okay?

In my opinion: NO!



Losing weight is all about eating fewer calories then you use.



The trick is to find a way of living that makes eating fewer calories livable.



Low carb diets have been proven to be low calorie diets. My guess is that is the same with raw food diets. The results from neither are based on the metaphysics in the diet books ( neither are based on science ).



I did the raw food thing as a teenager and it made me very unhealthy.



I think it is an unhealthy diet.



So does Jack Norris, registered dietician and vice president of Vegan Outreach:

http://www.veganhealth.org

You can actually make raw hummus. It tastes different than cooked hummus. I made raw hummus a few days ago. There are quite a few recipes for that.



I dont see myself going to 100% raw lifestyle. I am eating about 50% raw. I make sure I keep the weight on. I don't need to lose weight.



ToonQueen, here is a link to Raw food recipes.

Welp, I'm gonna try to be raw veggie until Jan 21. So in three monthes if I don't see results I'm getting some sweet and sour chicken from Hung Kitchen. :P

Hm.. Why don't you try going Vegetarian, then Vegan, and then raw vegan.. Omnivore to raw vegan is pretty drastic..

If you're just doing it for weight loss, I'd advise against it. You probably won't stick to it and you'll gain the weight back. If you really want to lose weight in a healthy manner and keep it off, it's better to decide what changes you can make in your diet that you can live with for the rest of your life. You need to permanently change your way of living. My advice is to focus on health. How can you be healthier? Do you eat a lot of junk food? A lot of high calorie/low nutrient foods? Do you eat too much overall? Do you get any exercise? Become aware of your portion sizes and of the difference between being satsisfied and being stuffed. Choose physical activities that you like and do them with some regularity. In my experience, these are the only ways that anyone--vegan, vegetarian or omni--will maintain a healthy weight. If you care about animal rights or welfare, and you want to be healthy, then by all means go vegetarian or vegan, but if all you care about is losing weight, you probably won't last long on a raw vegan diet or any other weight-loss plan.

Took the words right out of my mouth.





You'll never keep it off if you go raw vegan and then switch back to your normal way of eating. Quite obviously, it is that normal way of eating and the lack of physical activity that is keeping you the way that you are.

When trying to lose weight, you must make life changes- changes that will stick with you for your entire life. Take up running or yoga. Cut out all deep fried foods and stay away from white foods (white bread, white pasta, potato chips, etc. etc.) by substituting them with whole foods (whole wheat pasta, whole grain breads, etc.). Snack on carrots and celery instead of junk- soon it will be second nature. I would have never guessed that within two years I would no longer be craving chocolate or cake or cookies but that is now a reality for me. I don't find them appealing, anymore- I'd rather eat fresh fruits and veggies. Surely doing these things- making LIFE changes rather than short-term changes, will prevent you from gaining and will help you to lose.

calories in < calories spent = weight loss



eat things high in fiber and protein that have high nutritional density to fill u up. maybe raw foods have higher fiber, but im not sure. i know fruits do but they have lots of sugars.

actually, being your roommate and friend and all, i agree with eggplant and stellar. i don't think you will get enough to eat on a raw diet with our budget- you are already complaining you are hungry- and that could lead to health problems and more weight gain even! remember in HS when you ate nothing but OJ and a bagel every day for almost the entire year? that probably screwed your metabolism royally.



i agree with the above posters- going raw temporarily is not going to solve your problems. it's like going on atkins or the zone or any other fad diet temporarily- you lose the weight but if you don't keep up a healthy lifestyle, you gain it all back and get sick! you don't need a diet, you need a pattern of eating that you can like and follow your whole life. and maybe some excercise too- i have been thinking of starting an excercize plan, so maybe you could start with me.



going from omni to raw is huge- i'm vegan and i dont even think i could do it right! maybe just go vegan with me and we can eat like 75% raw food, and see how that goes? cut out all the junk food, fries and white bread, and crap you eat when you're with your dad, and you'll be ok. start eating more whole foods and fruits and veggies, less cooked stuff, and more healthy snacks instead of chocolate. :P drink lots o water. and we could start excercizing. and all would be good.



darn you, even after living with me you still have the standard american mentality of the quick fix! get it outta your head girlie!!!



(you know i say this all as a caring friend i want you to be healthy!)



^^^ read all those posts up there ^^^ they are full of wisdom!

i do something called "raw monday" every monday is a raw food day because its healthy and it makes me feel great



mabey you should have something like that too, i agree with FAFA going from omni to Raw Vegan is a bigg stretch



besides your going on about how much u love sweet and sour chicken



it dosent sound like your heart is in it Going vegan is a lifestyle not a "Loose 14 pounds in 10 days" fad diet

the best thing to do is take it a step at a time..get used to eating/living as a veg..then go to vegan and so on.. and do your research! each step you take seems to include a broader range of food choices..



raw/living foods are absolutely the most creative and tasty foods i have ever eaten!

My favourites are Mexican pizza, falafal balls, and ooohhh pumpkin pie (better than any pie i have ever had) yes all raw...

i guess it's like someone thinking that being vegan means you have little food choices..well living raw vegan lifestyle is just not biting into an apple or cucumber either...so far from boring.. but i agree w/everyone to incorporate the changes slowly into your life to make the transition positive and hopefully lifelong!

I agree completely with Fafa. That's a HUUUUUGE diet change there. O_O

I am really...*really* liking that idea! Thanks for sharing!

Going straight from omni to raw vegan is setting yourself up for failure. Take it slow -- I think that you'll both be more successful and more likely to stick to it.

Well, the thread is a bit old but the advice is good for life...

Seriously, start walking everywhere, all the time. I gained a ton of weight after a lifestyle change that took away most of my reasons for running around. When I went back (mostly) to my old ways, the pounds started coming off again right away. No dietary changes were made.



But fresh fruits and veggies are always a good idea!

Also, vegans are cooler than everyone else.

hummus doesnt have to be cooked.



raw hummus:



soak chickpeas until sprouted

combine the following:

lemon juice

garlic

cilantro



put all ingredients in a food processor and let it do its job until your happy with it.



eat with carrots or celery. or eat it like I do, with a spoon.

Hi!

The raw foods diet does have the capability to do marvelous things for an individual's weight and health. You will have more energy, be more alert, and not have to wash nearly as many dishes!



It is not an easy thing to do though. I was a raw foodist for about 8 months, and just stopped and went back to being a vegetarian about 2 months ago. Despite the fact that I felt healthier while raw, I had to start eating cooked foods again because I have an addiction to food (Not bad stuff, just bread, mashed potatoes, melt-in-your-mouth asparagus,etc.) and I need to work that out to be successful on a raw food diet. It takes a lot of dedication to maintain that dietary lifestyle. You have to give up anything that is cooked, which is just about everything aside from any fresh fruits and vegetables you consume, and salads (with no cheese, croutons, salad dressing, etc.) It is a big commitment, and requires a lot of will power.



Out of curiosity, what does your current diet consist of? Are you a vegetarian already? The transition may be more difficult if you have to give up meat and anything cooked all at once.



The transition phase may send your body into a little shock anyhow, because eating raw will detoxify you from all of the cooked, processed foods you normally eat. The theory behind this is that eating raw provides your body with better material to build (muscle, tissues, etc.) with, and your body is always repairing itself, so for a while after beginning raw, your body is going to break down all of your inner material and rebuild it with the better stuff. I personally got very tired, and would fall asleep very early for a few weeks, and my alarm wouldn't wake me. This did pass though, and I did feel spectacular after the initial detox.



I hope that this post isn't giving you a negative opinion of the raw food diet, it really can help, I am just trying to be honest and prepare you for what could happen. It really is amazing to think about how smart our bodies are, and how exciting it is to be regenerating your insides with higher quality nutrients.



There is a website that I frequented often while raw. It can be found at: www.living-foods.com. This site will explain in better detail the information I provided in this post, they have lots of articles on raw foods, and also a bulletin board where you can post messages. Their community is very active, perhaps more active than this board. The folks at living-foods are very nice and supportive. They tend to be on-line more during the week though, so if you don't hear from anyone 'til Monday, don't feel offended.



I hope this helps. I am planning to start raw again very soon, so maybe I'll see you on the boards.



Best of luck!

i wanted to know why people became raw vegans. i dont know much about it. so i started readin this thred. someone said that if you do this only fo weight loss, you're setting yourself up for faliure. im curious to know what the other reasons are for making this change.