How to Lose Weight on a Vegan Diet: My Experience with 80/10/10 or Fruitarianism
fruitarian/raw till 4-er Loni Jane
I was vegetarian for 18 years and I did not lose weight, even gradually. I thought I was eating very healthfully, and I enjoyed great health through all of my teen years and early twenties, almost never becoming sick.
Then I decided to go vegan for animal rights reasons and I wondered if I would lose any weight. I did not. I was vegan for about 6 months, before I decided to start eating more fruits and vegetables when I started learning about fruitarianism, a form of raw veganism.
That’s when everything changed for me.
I could definitely say that eating fruits and vegetables is the only way I have ever discovered to lose any weight longterm.
I used to be really into the fat acceptance movement, with one of my favorite bloggers being Ragen Chastain of DancesWithFat.com. I still am, and totally agree that people should love their bodies at any size.
But now I realize that a lot of people who have accepted their body size after having failed at hundreds of diets as most have, have never tried eating a high carb low fat lifestyle, because it is very counterintuitive and seems crazy when you first hear about it. And most have never even heard about it.
No one needs to lose weight…but if they want to…this lifestyle could make it happen for them, as it has made a lot happen for me.
Mainstream weight loss advice is terrible.
It’s quite sad really. The media is constantly harassing you to lose weight and yet giving you advice that will never allow you to lose weight longterm and maybe even cause you to gain weight instead.
For example, the simple equation of eat less calories than you burn….
So obvious and yet such terrible advice.
Allow me to explain. If you restrict your calories to try to lose weight, your body will panic and you will get verrrrrrry hungry. You will then look for the most concentrated form of calories available to feel satisfied. I used to eat cheese at times like that. Which is very high in fat.
Many people call this emotional eating, but it is really a simple law of the body. You are hungry. You need food. Yet society tells us it is possible to starve the body to lose weight. But the body is smarter than you, and isn’t going to let you starve it. It needs to keep you nourished and alive.
On the other hand, fruitarianism allows you to never restrict your calories, yet still lose weight.
How is this possible?
You keep the fat in your diet really low…because fruits and vegetables have very little fat in them.
What I have realized is the amount of fat you need to eat to lose weight is so small that people would cry when they heard it.
What if I told you…that you needed to eat ONLY fruits and vegetables. (and other low fat whole foods are an option too like potatoes and rice)
Yeah, and no avocados or nuts either. (well, sparingly)
Ha. People wouldn’t like it.
But it works and you’ll never be hungry and you’ll never have to starve yourself. And you’ll experience a ton of other health benefits.
I tried to lose weight my whole life before finding fruitarianism, and it sounded insane to me too when I started.
Therefore I understand why many people dismiss it as unhealthy and insane.
But many people are not very open minded and don’t like to give things a shot before dismissing them completely.
One good thing about me is I always keep an open mind…or so I think. I gave it a nice two week trial.
It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Mostly because people aren’t very supportive because it sounds so crazy. Trust me, I have endured my fair share of laughing at the case of bananas in my room.
Anyway, yeah it’s extreme.
But the benefits are also extreme. Which is why I kept on with it, after trying it out.
When I first read 80/10/10 by Doug Graham, I think I laughed at his meal plan. There was no possible way I was going to live life on only fruits and vegetables for life. LOLOLOLOL.
But now I see his point.
I agree that keeping your calories from fat at under 10% of your total calories will make you lose weight. It will also skyrocket your health.
At least it has worked for me. Which is really saying something! I am going to try to find before and after pictures of myself for an upcoming post.
In order to do this, you basically have to eat all fruits and vegetables and 1/3 of an avocado max per day or a small handful of nuts max.
Or you can do something like Raw till 4, and for dinner have something very low in fat like potatoes or rice with a fat free sauce. (this is what I try to do).
Some people would rather die than eat this way probably, but there are a lot of benefits that make it worth it.
For example, when I drink a fruit smoothie in the morning, I literally feel like sliding into a split as I drink it. Or sliding up into a handstand on the wall. Or doing ten pushups.
But when I eat something high in fat, like hummus which has oil in it usually, I feel like sliding into a chair and relaxing. Often I will fall asleep soon after. It is a very comforting feeling, but I feel my body being like drugged almost and sedated…in a good way sometimes…but not in an energetic way.
Other benefits are that your skin looks instantly better the more fruits and veg you eat. Also your body over time will lean out. Sometimes I look in the mirror in the morning and am like wow, I did not look like this before.
(80/10/10 er Megan Elizabeth’s before and afters)
Also, I think my fitness has gone up a lot. I don’t have a way of testing this, but things that used to be hard in my dance class are a lot easier for me now. (Maybe I got stronger though)… It was definitely WAY UP when I was 100% raw.
My cramps also dramatically improved as I wrote about here.
I also feel like I am eating real food and feel really glad that I have gotten away from all the marketing of processed foods.
Anyway, I really recommend trying 80/10/10 if you are looking to lose weight in a very healthful way that will nourish not starve your body.
To be honest, I hate telling people about ways they can lose weight because I hate the idea of implying that people should try to be thin when I know that people are beautiful at every size, but I also feel like if someone does want to lose weight anyway, and is open to making a huge but healthful lifestyle change, then I owe it to them to tell them about what worked for me.
And 1 disclaimer: remember to brush your teeth very well twice a day when starting a fruitarian diet, because all the sugar in fruit can cause cavities but not if you brush your teeth thoroughly.
Hi Victoria,
Nice post. I love your writing! I am starting a vegan magazine for women. Would you be interested in contributing?
I am trying to find vegan writers who have existing blogs (like you). This way we can include your blog link with your articles, so people can read more by you.
I have been vegan for 1.5 years and vegetarian for 10. My hope is to make this magazine like a co-op…bringing vegans together to create a monthly piece of work targeted toward vegan women or women thinking about going vegan.
Please contact me at mortlieb721@gmail.com if you are interested! I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
Maggie
Hi Maggie,
I’d definitely be interested in contributing. very cool you are starting something like this. I will email you.
“for women”
you sexist bitch.
I assume this is a joke! LOL!!! (Sorry teragram1124 if this offended)
This is really interesting and out of the ordinary for a vegan diet. Looking forward to adding something different to my new year diet plan!
I am glad you liked it Bonnilee! Thank you for commenting. Yeah check out freelee the banana girl on youtube. You will really be inspired!! <3
Thank you so much for this post. I have been transitioning into a vegan lifestyle and mostly raw at that and had been gaining weight. I have just ordered The 80/10/10 book and can’t wait to get started. Thanks again!
So glad it was helpful, Taylor Isabelle. Yes, you gotta read 80/10/10 yay. How did you get into it? I need to do an updated post cause I have started doing very strict raw till 4 (like eating no foods with oil in them whatsoever) and have lost even more weight even though I am eating better tasting foods. I was inspired by this guy potato strong’s website and make his potato recipes a lot for dinner, and I feel I look a lot thinner now. 80/10/10 is amazing and if you can do it, you will experience so many benefits. I’d love to know how it goes for you!
There is no evidence that the sugar in fruit causes cavities. Most people already brush their teeth twice a day, so that last sentence really makes your blog less credible, and I”m an 80/10/10 eater for 4 years.
I would not feel comfortable removing that last line, as I know I’m not the only person who has experienced tooth problems as a result of dramatically increasing the fruit in their diet. I realize it might scare people away, and I think 80/10/10 is awesome, but I think it is very important to remind people to brush carefully. I am almost positive eating a lot of dates when I first started eating raw and not brushing properly caused tooth problems for me, which luckily healed on their own over time and I didn’t need any fillings, even though the dentist told me I was making a huge mistake (luckily i got a second opinion). I think it is awesome that you have been doing 80/10/10 for 4 years though, and would love to hear about your experience.
you should have added to wait a half an hour after an acidic fruit or they will brush away their enamel. i tend to use straws, and if i eat the fruit, i will swish some water to remove the excess acid and sugar.
great points! I have heard that vaguely about acidic fruits, but never stated so clearly…i will do that. and great point about swishing with water.
I’m a former dental assistant and that is completely untrue that fruit in sugar doesn’t cause problems. It sure does. You are the one who isn’t credible, not the author. There is endless proof out there. She’s being honest and informing them they’ll need to brush more often. It’s good advice.
I m ordering this book but I am concerned with how much sugar is in this diet. I am by no means a health guru but you always hear too much fruit is bad because sugar is sugar. Any opinions or facts on this? Ireally enjoyed your article!
Yay! You will love 80/10/10. There is a huge section on there about exactly that question. I totally agree that there is a huge campaign against sugar telling you sugar is evil and “I QUIT SUGAR” and all these people cutting out sugar. What I have learned, and you will read about in 80/10/10, is there is basically a war going on with two camps…the sugar is evil, carbs are evil, high protein high fat camp…..and the high carb, low fat, low protein camp…which is 80/10/10 and raw till 4 and other plant based no oil vegan diets. The sugar is evil people are ahead for now and basically everyone thinks it is common knowledge that carbs make you fat and sugar is evil. I have found this definitely NOT to be the case in my own personal experience. I tried doing the low carb thing basically my whole life as I always wanted to lose weight. HA. Never lost any weight. But when I tried this underground totally counter intuitive HIGH CARB thing, it worked and I finally lost weight. It’s great, cause I love carbs. Just to give a really basic answer, fruit comes in the perfect package of fiber along with it’s sugar that helps the sugar to digest perfectly. Eating a ton of fruit causes like magical benefits. I urge everyone to try just eating 20 bananas in one day and see for yourself the difference in your skin alone. Check out freelee the banana girl on youtube, she has a lot of educational vids. But yeah, I totally get where you are coming from because basically every thing and every person in every mainstream news source is constantly saying sugar is evil. It honestly makes me sad to see people restricting their calories so much and cutting out all the foods that would give us energy… every cell in the body runs on sugar. Will you please comment on my Facebook page or blog when you get the book and let me know your thoughts. I realize this is very underground…but I tell you, it works. Just remember to brush your teeth well!
Fantastic article! But may I ask, Did you experience any weight gain when you went onto 80/10/10? I started Raw till 4 two weeks ago and have already put on a considerable amount of pounds. I am eating between 2300-3000 cals a day, which is the recommeneded amount. Do you have any idea how many calories per day you typically consume?
Yeah, that is so tough! I know there is a lot of controversy about this in the community. Like Freelee and Durianrider recommend unlimited carbs and would say you are eating the perfect amount and eventually long term you will lose it all plus more and look like freelee. But then people like Andrew Perlot and Swayze foster say they gain when they eat more than like 2000-2500, but then durianrider makes videos about them saying what idiots they are…so who knows!!! When I was doing fully raw…I was making it to around 2500 a day using cronometer and I was losing tons. But on raw till 4 which I am doing now…I stopped using cronometer and stopped worrying about carbing up and drinking like ten banana smoothies, which has been a lot less stressful. I just eat till I am full but don’t force it down like I was trying to do to make sure I was getting enough cals. I still wonder if I should be eating more and if that would make a huge difference in my energy levels though. I wish I had been keeping close track of my weight, but I vowed to not worry about weight and just stick with the lifestyle longterm so I barely weighed myself at all. Just recently I weighed myself and noticed I’d lost ten pounds from where I was a year ago. But I feel very happy with that because i think i look really different. Back to your question….I really don’t know the answer. But I would love to know what happens…like whether it falls off. I did THINK I was gaining weight I remember the first two weeks of raw till 4…but don’t know if it was real or imagined. My weight loss took like this whole year so longterm I think things will even out, but it takes a really long time. In the meantime, you feel really good and will notice like …health changes…but not necessarily weight changes…but eventually you will lose…at least that’s what happened to me. I remember even when I was fully raw I kept trying on this skirt i wanted but it never fit….now a year later it does fit…so eventually it will happen, just at a snail’s pace, which is better though than never…and I’d never succeeded in losing a significant amount of weight and not regaining in my whole life… Keep me updated!! I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter…
Thank you so much for ur reply. I am starting to notice that every single person is different when it comes to raw till 4 and weight gain/loss. I think I am going to experiment with going fully raw and eating less. I do find it stressful to stuff down all the necessary calories and feel uncomfortable afterwards. I’m hoping to find a nice balance where I still have a ton of energy, but don’t stuff myself…and I would very much like to lose what I put on….gaining is never fun…Haha,
ha! i think that is a good plan. I’ve heard many people say similar things…like don’t try to stuff it all in. I know the dilemma though… freelee and durianrider can be very persuasive!! Please keep me updated cause i’m interested to know how it goes. I think you’ll find the more raw you eat, the better you feel, so let me know if you start feeling diff! xoxo
Go on a kidney tonic hun this shouldnt be happening x
care to clarify?
Hello! :) thank you so much for this post.. =) you are such an inspiration!.. I must ask though.. is there a book or menu I can follow? I have been really trying to lose weight and have been failing.. I also find myself just naturally not wanting meat of any sort in my body.. so I tried the raw vegan diet.. lost about 8 pounds first week.. but then gained it all back.. then shortly after I started having lots of acid reflux (I’m assuming due to all the acidity from the fruits).. any solutions for this?
I mean I’m sure there must be certain things I can eat and mix with each other.. but maybe I’m mixing the wrong things.. I think that’s what I need help with.. Also when I try to make green smoothies.. They always taste gross… any recipes that taste good? Because I’m sure the things I have been mixing together have been maybe bad combinations.. lol thank you so much! :)
-A true want to be healthy girl:
Cindy
Hi Cindy! Great questions!!
For some people, I’ve heard “food combining” is really important. Certain foods digest at different speeds than other foods, so when they meet in the stomach they can cause unpleasant reactions. a food combining chart i found by googling: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Food_combining_chart.jpg
I’ve heard many say following food combining rules makes all the difference in the world. For me, I never really noticed any problems with that…but some people definitely do.
As for books or menus to follow. I definitely recommend 80/10/10 by Doug Graham as it explains the whole theory behind the lifestyle so well. I have bought many people’s ebooks for recipes, but i find I never follow them. The simplest thing to do is just eat fruit, any kinds during the day. But google some no oil salad dressing recipes if you are going full on 80/10/10. I also like fully raw kristina on youtube’s recipes.
As for Green smoothies, I never make them that much anymore. I just do straight on fruit smoothies and try to eat greens when I can. I prob should eat more greens. But I don’t feel green smoothies are the be all and end all, since I was drinking them daily for months but didn’t notice any difference until I started eating a ton more fruit. Not to sayy greens aren’t important, but maybe focus on eating fruit for breakfast and lunch and a salad with dinner! That’s when I noticed huge changes.
Are you trying to go raw till 4 or 80/10/10. If you want to go 100% raw vegan 80/10/10, it might be worth it to hire a health coach. Ellen Fisher is a 100% fruitarian and offers very reasonable rates for Skype coaching. I hired her for a session. only $35 dollars. She has so much experience and could answer many questions. I also downloaded her recipe book you can find on her website mangoislandmamma.com and it is beautiful!! and the recipes look so good. I would highly recommend it.
Also, just know that you have to be in it for the long haul to lose weight. It took me about a year to go down a size or two. And you might not notice anything happening for months. (if you go 100% raw you will, but you will prob regain if you fall off it). so yeah, go in for the long haul. But you’ll love it! It’s a really great lifestyle for so many reasons. OK let me know if you have any further questions. And thank you!!!
I just read Grahms book and am excited to start on this journey. I’ve never been in a position of under eating, so it’s a little strange. I was a little disheartened by all the hype on commentary on-line but then I found your post and feel like I’m not losing my mind. thanks
WOW i am very excited for you that you are starting on the journey. I would love to hear how it goes for you. I am very curious…what commentary on line were you disheartened by? There is so much drama in the community always haha. I am wondering what things were the ones that were making you feel like you were losing your mind hehe xoxo
hi can you comment on how expensive it is to eat this way? I am vegan and I have started to do fruit smoothies in the morning..dates and bannanas ect but is there a way to do this and not spend the whol paycheck lol
LOL. I know, it is expensive. Luckily bananas are cheap. I’ve heard it is good to go to different grocery stores and check the ripe fruit in the bargain bins. Also I have heard you can get good deals if you explain to people at farmer’s markets you are fruitarian and tell them you will be buying a ton of fruit.
sorry that’s paycheque :) And, yes I do realize it is an investment in your health, but can you please address cost. Also if possible can you comment again on the high sugar levels and calories in fruit. I was eating more veggies and I am eating rice an potatoes, no oil except for a treat…but I am still feeling concern about eating 20 dates and 4 bannanas for breakfast then more bannanas and apples for lunch…?
There seem to be two ideas about this–some people follow freelee’s directions to eat 2500 cal minimum very seriously….I used to try to pack in ten-fifteen banana smoothies as well, but after a while stopped trying to pack in so much fruit as I found I felt better just eating till I was full, and it is easy to over eat eating a huge smoothie to the point where you feel tired digesting all that food. On the other hand, if you eat too little calories especially in the beginning you will have cravings and not be able to stick to eating only healthy foods. The cravings will overpower you. So you have to figure out how much fruit is enough to keep you full and satisfied without overeating. On the other hand, some people like sasha from rice and raw recommend packing in the fruit like freelee does saying it makes her feel a lot better when she eats very high calorie even though its hard to get it all down. You have to experiment and see what makes you feel better i guess.
If you are worried about high sugar levels, I would definitely read 80/10/10 by Doug Graham. It explains that in great detail and I never worry about that. I try never to worry about high cals either, because I’ve found over time I lost weight and never once restricted my cals.
Keep me updated on how it goes for you and your findings!! xoxo
Newly vegan and am trying to sort it all out. Have read soooo many things about not having enough fat causing thinning and dullness in hair. What are your low- fat suggestions for growing long, healthy, lusciius hair?
Hmm, I really haven’t noticed this being a problem. I feel it was maybe the opposite! I’m not sure though. But 10% fat as in 80/10/10 is the amount recommended by drs so even though it seems really low fat it is actually adequate fat. Also, I think I have noticed my hair falling out less. But I have a ton of hair to begin with, really too much actually. It is very long and growing longer…so I would not worry about it. When I was all raw I noticed the few gray hairs I had growing back in brown at the root even…so I think 80/10/10 is great for hair. But let me know what else you have heard about it, and let me know if you have any problems with it!!
I am starting my 9th week on Raw Till 4 — 80/10/10 today. I have started to gain and am feeling so discouraged. I average between 2500-3000 cals a day, sometimes more. I am active (power walk 5 times a week, and do 100 squats 5 days a week). Usually, I’m consuming more like 90/5/5. I am hoping this weight starts to shed. I am trying to be patient and see if my body is truly healing like Freelea and Durianrider suggest. But, I was at a healthy weight before, and I just wanted to lose that last ten pounds. I love eating so clean, my energy is amazing. My hair and nails are off the charts! But, the gain is scaring me. I don’t want to take myself to far off the course of good health. Send good vibe people!
Oh man…that is so tough. Your blog is amazing. I checked it out. And I love your youtube channel! I just subscribed. I will definitely send good vibes your way. I hope you will keep us updated on your youtube how your journey continues to go… very interested! Thanks for reaching out!
hi there! this post was great, very informative. I have been a vegan a vegan for almost 2 years now! I initially lost 30 pounds with eating strict and exercise, but I’ve been at a plateua for quite a long time. I’ve tried this lifestyle twice. Both times eating exactly what freelee eats…and I gained weight. I’ve been told that if you wait it out you’ll eventually start to lose but it’s really scary for me since I have a wedding next summer! I love 80/10/10, it makes me feel so alive! but I just can’t risk not knowing if I’ll eventually lose the weight or not. What should I do? :/
I definitely would be scared as well. When I started this, freelee didn’t say as much that you would gain initially. Now I feel like there are lots of people talking about their initial weight gain. I did not know about it, so I just jumped in, but if I had known about it, I probably would not have tried. Each time you gained weight so you know it makes you gain…hmm. Here are some options you could think about:
1. try out eating fruit only till you’re full during the day. Don’t worry about hitting the 2500 calorie bare minimum she recommends. I used to drink ten to fifteen banana smoothies as well but have stopped doing that. On the recommendation of Ellen Fisher, a 80/10/10 raw vegan, I started trying to eat more whole fruits instead of in smoothies. And she said I should just stop eating when I am satisfied. I know a lot of other raw vegans do this as well. They don’t force themselves to eat more than they want. Some people feel better eating higher calories and “Smashing it in” as durianrider/freelee say, but many people do not feel better this way. I myself feel better eating whole fruit and stopping when I feel full….though I do sometimes wonder if I’d have way more energy if I smashed in higher calories. But yeah, not everyone agrees with them on eating 2500-3000 cal minimum, and many people say they gain when they do this. (like swayze on youtube).
2. Try going fully raw for weight loss? I have never heard of anyone gaining weight going fully raw. I myself always lose a lot. You feel amazing but it is difficult because it takes so much preparation, having ripe fruit on hand at all times and dealing with eating socially.
3. I have been hearing that some people who gain on raw till 4 have had weight loss success switching to a starch based mcdougall lifestyle (like jojo, check out her youtube channel fantastic idea lets do it). Potatoes and rice are extremely low in fat…with no added fat of course. I myself have been curious but I enjoy eating fruit so much now and feel so good on it….I can’t imagine that eating potatoes and rice for breakfast and lunch would make me feel better. I’ve also experienced so much improvement in my health and skin since I started eating fruit, I can’t see how starches all the time could be better….but it does seem to be working for some people, so possibly try out that?
4. stick it out for 5-7 years and look like freelee? It is amazing that when she had been fully raw for 2 years (as I saw in a video she posted recently) she was still chubby and people used to say she was too fat to be a fruitarian…I believe her that it really has taken all of 5-7 years for her to lean out the way she has. For me too…I never feel I am rapidly losing weight, but over the past year and a half I have definitely lost weight. It seems like it will never happen, but little by little…at a glacial pace…the weight comes off and now I am a medium in clothes instead of a large.
So to sum up, maybe try not eating so many calories, but only till satisfied, eating more whole fruit instead of smoothies, trying fully raw, experimenting with a starch based mcdougall lifestyle, or sticking it out for the long haul.
Let me know what you decide to do, if anything. Best of luck <3
and one more option. I remember swayze from fit on raw (her youtube channel) saying as soon as she started adding salads into her daily meals and more vegetables in addition to fruits she lost weight. So that is another thing to try. Making sure to get in a salad. Freelee never seems to eat a slad just a couple of lettuce leaves with her potatoes…but on 80/10/10 you always eat a big salad for dinner with lots of savory vegetables. And dr. Graham says 80/10/10 won’t work properly if you’re not getting in the vegetables as well as the fruits (as I remember reading in a section of 80/10/10).
Thank you for this honest discussion.
I am 2.5 months into RT4, was happy with my weight when I started, and have now put on 12 lbs! My original goal was to detox from nuts & cacao, in order to cleanse my body and hopefully get pregnant.
Banana smoothies freed me from nuts & cacao on Day 1.
Plus, I am delighted to be newly pregnant.
However, I am seriously questioning whether I should change things up a little given my current little project. : )
Right now I am eating bananas, dates, romaine lettuce, potatoes, rice and pasta with salsa and an occasional avocado — pretty standard Freelee guidelines. I add in a salad here and there, too, with carrots, tomatoes, peppers, zukes & cukes. My previous diet was mostly raw vegan: kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, chickpeas, chia seeds & tons of almonds and cacao.
I am really at a cross roads with my diet, and I am not sure what to do. I don’t want to restrict at this time, but I am concerned to be carrying this much extra wt so early in the game. I’m still thrilled ‘ tho, even in my dietary confusion. : ) Hmmm….. Any thoughts?
Thank you for your comment Heather and congratulations on getting pregnant!! That is amazing. Very happy for you. Some thoughts: One thing Ellen Fisher, who is a raw vegan with an awesome blog mangoislandmamma, told me is that sometimes smoothies are not that great because you drink the whole thing no matter whether you go past your point of hunger or not. So she was like try to eat fruit whole rather than in smoothies. That is an idea. Though she said she still has smoothies but just not as much as freelee. Also, I have been wondering about freelee’s advice to get 2500 cals minimum and drink 1000 calorie plus smoothies. I feel it is good in one way as it helps people get over calorie restriction and not fall off the lifestyle completely. However for me, I don’t feel I am in danger of falling off the wagon completely and going back to eating animal products even if I do get really really hungry. Therefore I don’t feel the extra precautions to carb up till you can’t drink anymore banana smoothie are necessary. I asked doug graham about this at the woodstock fruit festival…I was like is it true if you drink more calories you will have more energy and he was like no not at all. If you eat more than you want it won’t be good for digestion etc. He disagreed with what freelee and durianrider especially seems to promote. They are a bit vague I feel when it comes to this topic. I feel they don’t want to tell anyone to calorie restrict….which is cool…but I don’t feel it is necessary to tell people to eat way more than they would naturally want. I don’t know that is just my recent thoughts on it. I’ve stopped making 1000 cal smoothies etc. Yet there is a danger as well that you will feel crazy if you try to eat too little fruit. I experienced it recently after coming back from the woodstock fruit festival…I began experiencing severe cravings…i think i was very undercarbed there because i wasn’t making the effort to carb up ENOUGH. It is a bit complicated. Other ideas for you to try that I have heard people talk about frequently for weight loss: try eating water rich fruits like melons rather than fruits like bananas and dates. Also have you heard of Roger Haeske? His savory veggie stew recipes are really good and I recently bought his recipe for raw spaghetti with a special sauce that he keeps sending emails out about saying it will help you lose a ton of weight. I like his newsletters a lot, they are very informative, even though he can be a bit wacky. He sent out an email today talking about how not everyone can eat all the fruit they care for and stay slim like freelee and durianrider say. He said he started noticing it a lot with his coaching clients. Freelee says eventually longterm the weight will come off….but I don’t know. It was interesting at the woodstock fruit festival some people looked like the picture of incredible glowing health and some people were still not freelee the banana girl thin…I feel some people might have to tweak the diet a little to them to get results…I”m not sure. But yeah…ideas to ponder: 1. try eating mono meals 2.try eating whole fruits instead of smoothies 3.try eating more water rich fruits 4.check out roger haeske’s savory veggie stews recipe which have tons of greens in them and vegetables (a lot lower cal then fruits but very filling and tasty at the same time) 5. if you are trying to reach an arbitrary calorie minimum, consider just listening to when you are full instead and not smashing down the carbs…. But at the same time, maybe your body needs the extra fat for the baby? What do you think?
I have followed Freelee for four years. Been eating raw til 4 about a year. I’m 47 beginning menopause when most wen put in weight.
I really believe in the science and I have stuck with it and finally I have released the last 15 lbs so 40 in total over 4 years.
I think there can be a huge amount of metabolism repair to be done depending on the person.
I feel free now. No dieting. I eat as much as I want of the right foods as she promotes. I don’t count calories and all my clothes are loose and look great.
I wake up and look at my body and am proud and love it. It’s an amazing freedom.
Thank you for commenting Ann. That is awesome and very encouraging to hear.
Ann, Was your 40 lb weight loss spread over time — like 10 lbs a year — or did it happen all in the last year — or the first year? Just curious how it was for you.
Over the four years I lost from low cal then put back on 20 when I went to normal calories. I think as I worked out to improve my metabolism and ate raw til 4 my body found the balance. The last 15 came off over the last 5 months.
Awesome! 15 lbs in 5 months! I wish I could be so lucky. : )
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, as last night was a particularly hard one for me, lying in bed, feeling my skin expand under my chin, thighs, calves, belly, backs of my arms and back. It can feel like torture.
Tossing and turning into the wee hours, I swore I needed to find a new way, and yet, I’m feeling ready for breakfast right now, and I just might start peeling 6 or 7 bananas and start eating — I have at least 120 bananas in my house, at the moment!
And, yes, the energy is great, but it just can feel so uncomfortable at times. Was it this hard for you at times? It sounds as if Freelee really struggled for 2 years with this lifestyle, but for many of the other RT4 proponents on youtube, it was more instant.
I am not sure if this lifestyle is too hard for me, or if I just need to stay the course. Sometimes I feel as I am on a merry-go-round I don’t know how to get off.
awww heather, that’s so tough. Sending love <3 What is the hardest/most uncomfortable part for you? Maybe I know of something that could help as well...
Thank you both for the awesome feedback. I really appreciate it. Victoria, you are so kind to give me so many ideas. I will definitely check out Roger’s site. Yes, it feels freeing not to have to keep to the 4000 calories a day they recommended for me, but at the same time to eat until satiated. I like your idea of tailoring my food to me. Thanks so much, Ladies!
If you desire, feel free to communicate on this thread…maybe others will benefit from it too. xoxo
Oh, Ladies, I am incredibly moved by your willingness to communicate with me, despite my confusion. You both have my sincerest appreciation.
If it would be helpful to others, I suppose I could continue here, but Ann, I am honored that you shared your email, and would gratefully accept your offer.
When I mentioned merry-go-round above, I meant that I really like the foods I am eating on HCLF, and I wouldn’t really even know what I would prefer to eat instead. I want this lifestyle to work for me.
Plus, today was better. I had those 7 bananas, one-by-one vs my usual smoothie. And for lunch today, I had almost 2 lbs of red grapes. Then a salad and corn pasta for dinner with salsa for sauce. I didn’t use cron-o-meter yesterday, but I have a sense that I ate a lot less today. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing?
Also, grapes for lunch, instead of more bananas might have been a good idea, as my limbs tend to swell up after eating a lot of bananas. I often sneeze, and get a little temporary asthma, too. The thing is I like bananas, so it is mind-over-matter when it comes to entertaining a possible allergy. Plus, I have so many on hand at the moment. I may react because they’re not organic. I do wait until they are good and ripe, which I found to be really important.
Just a little update. I am falling asleep tonight, feeling immensely supported. Thank you! : )
Is it possible you could remove this so my email is no longer in the thread? Much appreciated. Thanks.
done, hope you are doing well!
Hi, Just wanted to follow up that I spoke with “Ann” — she recommends (and sells) Juice Plus. I think I am just going to persevere on RawTil4, instead of supplements at this point (except for B12), but I’ll keep you posted. : )
Thank you for following up Heather and keep us posted on any progress
If you’re going to share our private conversation, then share it in the context it was. I did not poach you to sell you something. I shared with you what worked for me. I asked permission to take this out of the thread. I’ve never asked to speak to someone else off the thread, nor have I ever promoted myself.
Additionally, if you search this thread in the past, my own struggles are on here from maybe a year to year and a half ago.
When you are over 40 which you are, there can be tremendous metabolic damage which I shared with you. It’s way more than calories in, calories out. It’s hormones and metabolism and the only way to heal is fruits and vegetables.
80/10/10 and R24 all share the commonality of fruits and vegetables, which Juice Plus is. It’s not a supplement. It’s classified by the FDA as FOOD. It is not remotely synthetically created like supplements.
Sorry if you misread or misunderstood our conversation. I never misrepresented myself. That you put my name in quotations tells me that you found me to be fake. Just because I wished to be anonymous on a public thread doesn’t make me fake.
I ended a six year weight loss struggle with my product. I was sharing that. If you wish to suffer longer, that’s your choice. My product has a 100% money back guarantee up to 120 days which I told you. If it doesn’t work, one can get a refund, which has never happened yet to any of my customers. They thrive on it.
Hi!
I’m 5 ft low (haha), 23 years old and weight 100 lbs. How many calories should I consume?
Right now I’m at my ideal weight but my body is totally flabby and I guess I’ll have to say I’m skinny fat. Is food alone going to change that or is exercise the ONLY option?
In my opinion, you should consume as many calories as it takes to satisfy your hunger drive. I don’t count calories anymore, though it can be really helpful if you are trying to stick to being all raw–cause it helps you remember to get enough calories so you don’t get super hungry at the end of the day. I honestly think eating fruits and vegetables will do the most to improve your appearance from the inside out in subtle ways like getting rid of cellulite and stuff like that. I think fruit can definitely make you look more toned. But you should try getting into a sport or form of exercise you love. I personally choose pole dancing as it is awesome, and I think it has helped my body look and feel better too—cause it made me more flexible and loose and free in my body as well as stronger. Would you ever try it?
Thank you so much for your answer :)
I’m confused because Cronometer and several other sites say I should be consuming 1.700 cals to maintain my weight -_- Isn’t that a bit restrictive?
I’ll definitely try pole dancing, I’ve always wanted to but never got the courage to do so!
:))) Very restrictive! I know there is a box I checked when I first signed up for cronometer that was like 80/10/10 or something like that. Once i clicked that box it had all the right ratios in place…so I feel like you may have to change the settings. (I have heard other people wondering the same thing.) As for pole dancing,i was way nervous to start too but it was love at first spin. It has changed my life for the better in so many ways. You won’t regret it! You will love it! <3
I did change the settings. I went to Profile, then to Macronutrient Ratio Targets. The options are: None, Even, Zone Diet, Paleo Diet, LFRV 30bananas.com, Low Carb Ketogenic, and Custom. I’ve been using the LFRV 30bananas.com and that’s the amount of calories I “should” be eating. Don’t get it….
That is really weird. I wish I knew what the issue is. Maybe try asking in the rawtill4 group on fb or the fb group reach4raw. There are a lot of people who use cronometer no those groups and I feel like they may know how to fix it.
Hi, this is probably due to the amount of exercise you do.
no it definitely wasn’t…I was WAY MORE active before, training for marathons and running every single day intensely for about an hour and never lost weight till I started this lifestyle. It’s amazing. I also was pole dancing for years before I started this lifestyle and saw no noticeable difference until I started with a fruit based diet.
Hey there, I’ve been doing very low fat and high fruit for almost 2 years. I lost a little weight but have landed, stuck, for awhile. Did this happen to you? How long has it been?
Hi Nichole,
For me…I have been doing it for about a year and a half now…I keep thinking I have stalled losing weight but little by little I think the trend is downhill. Like now I weigh in low 140s where when I started I weighted at high 150s. It is very slow going I agree, but I like this way of eating and have never found a better way to lose weight and have it effortlessly stay off. I feel like my weight stalls for months and then another pound or two comes off. Here are some ideas though that I have heard other people talk about to speed up weightloss on a high carb low fat vegan diet.
1. if you are following raw till 4s recommendation of eating 3000+ calories a day, maybe try eating only till you are satiated instead of stuffed.
2. try eating more juicy fruits like melons, instead of more high cal fruits like bananas.
3. try eating more vegetables and greens
4. some people seem to have more success with weightloss on a starch based vegan diet. Would you ever try that? I sometimes wonder, but I feel fruits and vegetables have got to be the best…but some people who can’t seem to lose more weight on a high fruit diet seem to have better luck with starches.
5. try working on other lifestyle factors like going to sleep early, drinking a lot of water when you wake up, and getting enough exercise (durianrider recommends biking)–i actually really recommend durian rider’s ebook Carb the Fuck UP. It has a lot of very interesting info in it about sleep and hydration and exercise tips.
6. I have heard some people do cleanses and fasts to heal the body and then they are able to lose weight they formerly could not lose. I barely know anything about it and know it can be dangerous for some people, so definitely do a ton of research about this before attempting–but i have heard some people talking about this like fruitphile on youtube in one of his recent videos on his fasting experience.
hope this helps. let me know if you have any questions or comments!
You’re awesome, thank you so much
:D thank you for the kind words Paula!
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Would u recommend total raw for fast weight loss? It’s just about 5 kilos and then raw till 4 for slow healthy weight loss?
to be honest, yes. That has been my experience. For example, I am on my 23rd day of totally raw right now ( I wanted to do 30 days for month of january). I have experienced a dramatic weight loss. It is very hard to get enough calories in totally raw. It is intense. I thought I would try 30 days of all raw and then see if I could maintain the weight loss with raw till 4. I am not sure if I will gain the weight back, or if the fat will stay gone.
Just be sure that you are ready to do totally raw. It is quite a challenge. You might fall off the wagon and binge because you may get super hungry. If that happens have a backup option like steamed vegetables or sweet potatoes or regular potatoes! You might experience some strange detox feelings when you do totally raw as well. So be prepared for that. I am just not sure if you lose 5 kilos on all raw rapidly (which is very possible)…if you will gradually gain it all back if you go back to raw till 4. Over time you will definitely lose weight on raw till 4, so I wouldn’t worry about losing the weight eventually. It just might take a year. In my experience, my weight fluctuated a bit depending on how much unprocessed food i was eating, but despite it all, it went down gradually over the past two years. So yeah…i had the same question myself…and the answer remains to be seen. thank you for commenting and let me know what you think.
I have been eating 80/10/10 for quite a while now but i always made sure to not eat more than 2000 calories, but i actually feel like eating more and so today i decided to experiment eating 2500 cals for one week and see if i gain any weight. I’m so excited ☺️
That’s great! Trust your body. Let me know how it goes, like if you feel better and more energetic. I suspect you will, especially if your body is craving it. Thank you for commenting :)
Hey thank you for this! Love the brushing the teeth part! I’ve really been brushing my teeth more on this eating habit, so it’s been alright:)
That’s great!! Yeah, I think the problem is real…and it’s great that you are heeding the advice as I didn’t when I first started. But it ended up ok! Thank you for commenting :))
I was just wondering if you can eat dried fruit such as sultanas and raisins on this diet? :)
Yeah…well technically if you are doing 80/10/10 by the book I guess dried fruit doesn’t qualify as fresh, ripe, raw fruit. But you definitely could and still be a high carb low fat vegan. Watch out though cause I was shocked to see that the raisins that were in my house had oil in them. But I think most raw folders eat dried fruit for snacks sometimes…that’s why they have dehydrators. I know I do. But the only thing is, be careful with your teeth and some dried fruit. Make sure to brush carefully cause dried fruit can stick to your teeth and cause cavities. Thank you for commenting!
While I do agree with the message Freelee and Durian are sending out. However, I just wanted to note to everyone, although Freelee consumes high calories, bare in mind she does not have a job, and exercises WAAAAAAYYY more than the average person (even though she claims she doesn’t). Many of her videos show long bike rides (i mean LOOOONG). So she is burning off a huge amount of calories – so her intake should not be a guideline to an average person who works out “regularly.” Again, I am for the lifestyle Freelee is preaching, however get your sources from other Raw fooders out there – as she lacks credibility and if you’ve seen most of her videos you would see that she often sends out conflicting messages. At one point she was saying to restrict calories and in another she said binge. In some videos she also preaches false messages like women don’t need their periods.
And personally, I find Freelee obnoxious. She is was too concerned about looks and is using those videos to show off her body 90% of the time. I find other people tend to provide information in a better and more constructive way than Freelee. I also find her videos quite offensive to overweight people. We get it – she’s in love with her body – I don’t need it rubbed in my face EVERY video, especially since I find her way too skinny for MY liking (too much 11 year old boy, too little woman).
On another note, I just discovered your blog and so far love it :)
Thank you very much. I definitely understand where you are coming from. When I first started this lifestyle I was trying to follow raw till 4 exactly and pack in as many calories as possible from fruit. Like making 15 banana smoothies. And making sure to get over 2500 calories a day. After a while, I decided maybe I didn’t feel the best doing that as the smoothies took a while to digest and I felt sluggish afterwards. At that point I thought maybe free lee’s philosophy was wrong and I should just eat when I was hungry. However when I tried only eating when I was hungry on raw food, I had an extremely emotional and undercarbed month of what some would call detox. So now I am back to somewhat agreeing with free lee’s recommendation to try to get in a minimum amount of calories. If people tried only eating when they were hungry on fruit or raw food they would not stay on this lifestyle for long (I think its different with starches because you feel fuller for longer). However at the same time I agree that you shouldn’t smash in the carbs…and have heard many people say they gained weight doing that (I personally did not gain any weight smashing in the carbs, but gradually lost some over a year). So now I am confused what is the best way….I feel you really have to tweak it yourself and figure out how many calories a day you feel best on. It might take a little bit of smashing in the carbs. So now I sympathize more with what they are trying to tell people…but at the same time, it seems to lead many people astray and cause them to gain.
Sometimes I feel she is offensive to fat people as well, and having always considered myself overweight I find it offensive too. I wonder whether she was ever really that fat to begin with because if she was she would remember what it was like and be more sensitive. Overall though, I think she means the best and is really trying to help people and animals. She definitely helped me lose a lot of weight and I am forever grateful for her introducing me to this lifestyle. I love her body type, but I think it is great that people love all different kinds of body types. All women are sexy and beautiful, if they only believe it themselves, is my belief about life.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment and saying you love my blog. It’s a wonderful compliment to hear. xo
Hi, Ive started yesterday, lost a pound by this morning. I only eat till im satisfied. I cant eat a lot anymore like i used to on low carb. I love sweet potatoes and brocolli so i eat cooked vegan food at night and raw fresh fruits during the day.
I feel satisfied quicker now and snack on fruit when i watch tv.
I also cycle for 30min every morning.
I also believe that one should burn more calories than one consumes in order to lose weight.
Ill post again on my progress.
LV
That sounds ideal! Doesn’t get much more perfect than that. I support you and hope you start feeling great. Give it a few weeks (my guess is 2.5 weeks) and you will start feeling like a different person. Please do keep me updated! Best of luck to you on your health journey.
You’re such an inspiration! I’m sure you’ve already answered this 100 times over, but once you fully committed to your new fruitarian lifestyle, how long did it take for you to start noticing your weight loss and/or body changing?
Thank you very much. I don’t think I have ever answered it. Here is the thing…if you commit to being 100% fruitarian you are gonna start seeing pretty instant results I’ve found from my multiple trials eating fruitarian. Like definitely within 3 weeks you will start seeing major results (at least in my experience), though I start noticing changes within the week, like for me, my skin tone and face always starts looking better (or so I think) and you start seeing some weight loss. Also depending on how much fruit you’re eating you will start feeling really light, happy, and buzzed. If I had been able to stay 100% fruitarian I am sure I would have seen very rapid weight loss, like I probably would have been at my ideal body in a couple of months because you notice the weight falling off. However its not easy to stick to, so I am doing a more raw till 4 thing or just eating high carb low fat fruits and vegetables and starches, cooked and raw. Weight loss happens a lot more gradually when you are not eating all raw but it can be a lot more sustainable and less stress. I think it took like a year to look really different, but after about 2 years on this lifestyle, I think my body keeps on getting better and leaner in little ways. Sometimes it seems like you are not losing any weight but over the year you will. After a while it becomes so much easier and you don’t even have to think about it anymore. But give it time and know it’s not a quick fix, but for me it was the only thing that worked. And it did work quicker than i thought it would. I was not convinced it would work at all as every other diet had failed me. That’s what’s amazing about this–it isn’t a diet at all. You never have to restrict your calories ever. I would suggest making youtube videos when you first begin so you will be able to look back and see how much your face and body have changed. Keep me updated please!!
I really like what you wrote.You are very inspiring and I appreciate your honesty. :) I have been watching Freelee for a while. I was just wondering did you workout, and how much often (if you did), what kind of workouts did you do(; running, cycling gym…) besides you changed your diet.
Thanks a lot, lovely blog ;)!
thank you so much. I did not really work out at all–no running, cycling or gym. I do pole dancing! Which is a great workout but the studio I go to is more dance and less pole so I really do very minimal working out. If you are eating vegan whole foods or raw foods…you will lose weight without working out. Good luck to you my dear!!!
I just read all the comments and am excited to try this out. I briefly tried raw till 4 and felt good but it was tough and -20 C out at the time so I wanted warming foods. I am going to take all the advice here and see what I can do. I do follow Ellen Fisher and am intrigued and in awe of her lifestyle. Living in Hawaii would be amazing! Anyhow wish me luck and I will come back and post in a few weeks!
Going fully raw is an awesome experience and I highly recommend you try it out! That being said, if you do fall off of it, check out high carb hannah’s channel and try a vegan whole foods diet after that–it might work better for you longterm. But being fruitarian is super cool and you should go for it and see how it goes for you. I agree that it is much easier to be fruitarian in warm weather…I was having a really hard time this winter, but I just came back from Hawaii and it was so easy in comparison. Even Mike Arnstein the fruitarian says that if you are living a fruitarian lifestyle in a cold climate eventually you wave the white flag, surrender and move to somewhere tropical. I still hope to live somewhere tropical someday. But please do keep me updated. Have you read 80/10/10 yet? It is the bible for fruitarians. Let me know if I can help in any way.
I’ve been vegan for almost 3 months now and for the first 2 I have been following a raw till 4 approach (minus the excessive calorie requirements since I’m only 5’3 and want to lose weight). I have seen some changes however I have weeks were I’m severely bloated and just feeling lethargic. Most of the time I’m high energy and I feel amazing! This past month I have been allowing cooked foods before dinner and I find it much easier. My parents aren’t paying as much each week for groceries (produce is not easy to get on the east coast) and I can go out to restaurants and other events with friends and family and eat without packing a banana and feeling awkward and out of place. I feel better but I’m not sure if this is a good option for weight loss? I figure that as long as I’m mostly eating high carb low fat low sodium through fruits, veggies, grains, potatoes, and brown rice, (and occasional fats like hummus or guacamole), that the weight will still come off due to the removal of animal flesh and dairy. Can I have your opinion on this alteration?? It would be much appreciated :) thanks!
taylor, I was worried about the exact same thing in the beginning. I thought if I didn’t eat fruit and starches in the right order I would gain weight. Now I do not worry about eating fruit for breakfast and lunch and starches only for dinner, I eat them whenever I feel like it. Over time you will still lose weight doing that! For sure. I did. I also find it sooooo much less stressful this way and am so much happier with my diet. Do you watch the videos of high carb hannah on youtube. Lately they have been really helping me. She did a video on this subject….can I lose weight eating starches and fruit? The answer is of course! You will definitely continue to lose weight by eating those foods. High Carb Hannah recommends placing the focus on unprocessed vegan whole foods….so that includes everything you mentioned veggies, grains, potatoes, brown rice. I agree that if I stick to unprocessed whole foods I continue to lose weight whereas if I eat a lot of bread I feel like my weight loss slows. Anyway, you are doing great and on the right path. Check out high carb hannah’s vids and keep doing what you are doing. I feel much less stressed eating raw till whenever than raw till 4. At the same time over time your taste buds will change to crave raw food and fruit so it won’t be as hard as it was in the beginning. As for feeling bloated and lethargic…it could be a couple of different things…maybe bad food combining? My raw food coach said try to make 2 out of 3 meals raw but it doesn’t have to be raw for breakfast and lunch…it could be cooked for breakfast, fruit for lunch, salad for dinner. Just make sure you wait a couple of hours in between cooked and raw meals to see if it makes you feel better. As for the lethargy, could it be lack of sleep? Sleep is so important….sleep could be more important than diet. Try getting 10 hours and see how you feel and going to bed like at 8 or 9 pm (that is a tip durian rider recommends. He says 9pm LATEST). You’re on the right track! Hope these ramblings helped! Let me know if I can help more.
Some more thoughts: for me, weight loss was noticeable like you said but very gradual over the course of a year or two…Like I thought I could notice a lot of great changes but I only started going down clothing sizes after the first year or two. So it WILL happen….it just might seem like it’s not happening or going at a snail’s pace….I am vegan for life for the animals so for me it is actually relaxing cause i know it’s out of my control….and i will be doing this for life…so the weight will just gradually continue to come off since I’m never going back to eating meat or dairy and gradually learning to prefer whole foods. 3 months is awesome but just know that it may take a whole year or more for you to see some dramatic results. But like I said, 3 months in, I was really happy with what I looked like. GOOD LUCK!!! YOU won’t need it :))
Freelee and her guy has faught with DrDouglas and has disrespected him so much. I am not a fan of them. I believe you should choose, are you in their team or for 80-10-10… Last question- where do you get ur vit B12? And will my child be healthy if im breastfeeding?
Luckily since I don’t know them personally I feel I don’t have to choose in order to stay friends with one of them. I think they both have taught me a lot and I think 80/10/10 is good for some people who have more serious problems and need healing on a raw food diet and raw till 4/ eating cooked food is helpful for some who are endurance athletes or just want to lose weight and already feel pretty good.
For b12, I take a supplement. And check out Ellen Fisher and Paul and Yulia on youtube cause I know they breastfed their kids on a raw food diet and have made videos about it. Thank you for the comment :)
How is 80 10 10 working for type 2 diabetes people?
Do you know “mindful diabetic robby”? I think he has type 1 diabetes and eats 80/10/10. He says type 2 diabetes can be completely sured on it I believe. Check him out on fb and youtube and maybe you can contact him and ask him your specific questions. Best of luck!!!
I’m seriously considering starting the 80/10/10 diet to boost my health (I’m currently vegetarian), but so many people tell me that it’ll lead to serious nutrition deficiencies. What do you think? Do you take any supplements?
Many thanks!
you should join the group on fb “vegan fruitarians” and read the pinned post in the group which as tons of great info, and you can get daily inspiration from all the people thriving there on raw veganism. I think you are much better off than most of the population eating 80/10/10 as most people eat like powdered dead fried foods and fruits and vegetables contain the highest quality and quantity of vitamins and minerals of any food. However people often recommend vegans supplement with b12, vitamin d….and some people go further and say take a multivitamin just to be safe. IN my opinion, EVERYONE is going to tell you…OMG don’t you know eating that many bananas will kill you from potassium poisoning???!! And “SUGAR IS THE DEVIL” “THAT”S SO UNHEALTHY TO EAT SO MANY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES”–lol it is just laughable really and as soon as you see the crazy effect eating this way has on your whole being…you will be able to laugh them off. I had teeth problems when I first started though from eating to many dates and nuts together…before I had read 80/10/10 so be careful to brush your teeth carefully. That is the only problem I ran into. Also make sure to eat enough calories and my tip is to eat a lot of bananas cause they make you feel good. But join the group vegan fruitarians, read the pinned post (or they might boot u out before you have a chance to join in) and I will see you in there!!! GOOD LUCK!! And don’t pay no mind to the haters and nay sayers. most of them know nothing about health. sad but true.
I really like the idea of trying this diet because I’ve struggled with my weight my whole live. I often watch videos from Freele or other hclf vegan youtubers and read books etc. But I always ask myself what to eat, i really have no idea. All of those youtubers just say they are eating a big amount of fruits and vegetables but i’d really like to have something concrete. I just can’t imagine what to eat every day on this diet! I’d be very thankful if you’d reply.
Hi Lulu, I also struggled with my weight my whole life. Have you read the book 80/10/10 by Doug Graham yet? It is really the bible for eating this way…if you want to do a fruit based diet. If you want to do a stack based vegan whole foods diet check out The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss by Dr. McDougall or The Starch Solution. You can also subscribe to the channels of high carb hannah or potato strong for recipe ideas. They have great ones I use. For raw vegan recipes if you want to go fully raw check out fully raw kristina’s new book the fully raw diet on amazon, freelee’s latest raw till 4 ebook which I just got (it’s really good) or check out melissa’s raw food romance on youtube. She has amazing recipes. The basic idea is just eat A LOT Of fruit for breakfast (something like 5-8 bananas), A lot of fruit for lunch (like 5 mangoes) and more fruit for dinner if you’re still hungry and then a huge salad with a low fat dressing. You just eat plain fruit all day basically. But I definitely recommend reading 80/10/10 or the other books mentioned. They go into a lot more detail than the youtubers. And you CAN and WILL lose weight eating this way. I thought i never would and i did. Let me know if I can help u in any other way or be more specific! Let me know! xoxo thank you for commenting.
I have been vegetarian but mostly vegan for almost 10 months now and have been very frustrated that I haven’t lost any weight. I’m passionate about the lifestyle and the animals but one perk that I was looking forward to was being able to eat healthy foods in abundance and not gain weight. My body has definitely changed, but I have maintained the weight I started at. I’m going to give HCLF a try because that is the only thing I haven’t tried haha. Thanks for this article!
yeah i was vegetarian for 17 years and didn’t lose any weight. I was still overweight. I didn’t even lose weight when I first went vegan. fruits and vegetables is the way you will lose weight! Give HCLF a go. It worked for me! Thanks for commenting :)
I must say I’m very impressed that you are still responding to people’s questions. I just started totally raw diet. I have lost 7 pounds in less than a week. I know I should be happy but I’m not. I feel like I’m only losing water weight and not burning real fat. I look at the mirror and I don’t really see changes. In fact, I feel more bloated and jiggly with all the fruits intake. I don’t know what to think. Although my goal was to lose weight…my primarily concern is burning body fat and getting muscle tone. I have uneven fat deposits on my body and I just want to get rid of it. So my question, did you experience rapid weight loss when you started, and did you have doubts at the beginning that you weren’t really burning fat. I just feel uninspired even though I’m losing weight.
Yes I did experience rapid weight loss when I started. It is mostly water weight in the first week due to removing salt from your diet. I started noticing weight loss though about after 3 weeks. One week is nothing! nothing at all. You need to be patient. If you are totally raw, the weight will come off but it can take months. I know it seems crazy that you aren’t losing weight faster cause you’re eating the healthiest possible things on earth…but even so it will take time. Crazy right….Make sure to eat enough calories so it isn’t torture to stay on the diet. Have you been feeling more energetic? Any other benefits besides weight loss? Focus on those…the weight will come off in time. Check out lissa’s raw food romance for inspiration on fb if you haven’t already. <3 let me know if that helped or I can help in any other way!! Just for reassurance, I have been doing a more whole foods low fat vegan approach for the last year or so, and I still think raw is the best for weight loss and feeling the most benefits. cooked food is just easier but not half as effective. IMO.
I thought of another tip for you. Make sure to take before and after pics. The pics can reveal much more about what is really going on than the scale.
Thank for your post. I believe it is important for one to take care of themselves.
thank you for commenting with your support <3
I read this blogpost and was asking myself if you still do rawtill4/fruitarian?
I have restricted my calories for many many years (I am 31 now) and are afraid that when I increase the calories I will gain a lot of weight. Most days I eat around 800 kcals, high carb low fat, no grains..mostly raw.
Did you restrict your calories before you came on this lifestyle? may I ask how old your are? (because most story’s I read are from younger girls who have a faster metabolism anyway)
Do you think that fruits are better for weight loss than starches?
thxs again :)
Great questions.
1. I am 30.
2. I did not really restrict too badly before I came on this lifestyle…I did in some ways like trying not to eat a lot. I definitely don’t eat like I do now where I eat as much as I want. But I never succeeded in restricting myself to an extreme degree, like 800 cal a day. I did not gain any weight when I came to this lifestyle (i thought I might have the first week but as soon as I cut out oil and ate more fruit I quickly began to lose).
3. I do not think I had a fast metabolism at all as I was overweight basically my whole life even though I did not binge eat or seem to eat more than anyone else. I was always vegetarian and trying to eat very healthfully (before I was vegan) so my metabolism is not good. I was never able to lose weight before high carb vegan. We are about the same age and I think that you are not too old at all to lose weight. I know it is scary to hear the stories of people gaining weight who restricted before…if I had heard that when I started I might have never switched, but no one talked about that when i started and it didn’t happen to me.
4. As for the question of whether fruits or starch is better for weight loss, I don’t know. I am still trying to figure it out for myself. I know if you go fully raw, you will lose weight the quickest. And you will experience the most benefits, like beauty, skin glowing, energy, etc. But can you maintain it? That is very important. Fruit and raw foods give u amazing benefits but sometimes it is almost nicer to just chill and eat more starches. Some people seem to lose weight better with more starches for example high carb hannah. I think if you eat starches without oil and salt though you will experience great results. I am not sure if what I do counts as raw till 4 anymore. I often eat fruit for breakfast and lunch though. But sometimes I eat starches. I basically try to eat a whole foods vegan diet with no oil and salt…but I still try to eat more raw foods than starches just because I think it is better for beauty and health but I’m not even sure if it is more effective for weightloss.
Have you checked out high carb hannah’s e book lean and clean…it is pretty good if you think you will feel better on starches. It describes how to eat starches in their most unprocessed state to lose weight…like not adding oil and salt.
But if you want to try raw, join the group vegan fruitarians on Facebook and check out lissa’s raw food romance channel on youtube and freelee is back to being raw again for inspiration.
I know it is scary to think about gaining weight when u stop restricting but you will be sooo happy to get rid of that mindset and feel free to eat whatever u want. I know not everyone who restricted in the past gains weight….if you are smashing in the cals as they used to promote on raw till 4 you might but if you are just eating till you are satisfied and not binging you won.t I hope this helps. I am still trying to lose a little more weight myself and fiddling around with raw and starches too.
I just want to fuck you. That is all.