Don’t You Ever Crave Pizza?: Cravings and Weight Loss on Raw Till 4
Hi guys,
Today I got a really nice comment from a commenter and since I ended up writing such a long response, I thought I would put it on the blog for all to see. A special Q and A edition. If you have any other questions, comment below and I will try to answer them for you. Thank you all for reading and commenting, I love hearing from you.
Hi again, first of all I would like to thank you for your inspirational and interesting blog! I really love reading your posts. Yes, you are probably right in that I do not eat enough fruit when I try to follow the Raw until 4 or 80/10/10diet because on most days I fall off the wagon. I would really love to be able to follow the diet because I love to eat raw fruit and veggies and I feel amazing when I do. My biggest cravings are bread and dairy… On most days I drink around 3 litres of water with a little lemon in which gives me a lot of energy. The sad thing is that I have some extra pounds that I would like to shed and I think about this a lot! Why do I obsess so much over my fuller figure and yet I can’t take the right course of action in terms of my diet, it’s such a mystery to me. I used to be a lot slimmer due to the fact that I restricted my calorie intake but over the years I have grown tired of always being hungry, always depriving myself and never being able to eat the same dinner as my husband. So I can really relate to your posts on your weight struggles, thanks again for sharing.
Hi Sofie,
Thank you for commenting. I am so glad you relate to my ramblings about weight loss. I think about it a lot too. It is such an important subject for some women who have struggled with their weight. It takes up so much energy trying to solve the riddle of how to lose weight. I have hired this really amazing health coach who is helping me with my desire to lose the rest of my weight. She has given me a lot of support and insight into both how to lose weight and why weight isn’t the most important thing. Her name is Anthea Falkiner in case you want a coach too. It really helps. Anyway, bread and dairy are SO hard to give up. I tried to be vegan for around 5 years it seemed before I made the switch. I was even vegan for a year until I ate cheese and became addicted again. Then one day it seemed so simple to go vegan. I think it was because I read this book called The Lucky Ones by Jenny Brown who is the founder of the woodstock farm animal sanctuary. In the back she explains in clear detail what goes on in the dairy industry. I had never read it all laid out like that before. After I read the book I really desired to go vegan in a new way. I think knowing the truth about dairy really helps in giving it up. I myself did not fully understand it until i saw some videos of cows running after their children and crying etc. :((((
But another big piece is knowing what foods to replace dairy with. Like you can’t just eat some raw veggies during the day without being starving and going crazy by dinnertime and not having any control. It’s not your fault at all–i have the exact same problem. And so would everyone. If you don’t literally fill up with enough calories from fruit (raw vegetables have such minimal calories they honestly barely count) during the day, you won’t have any control. And you will definitely crave dairy and bread. So the trick is to eat enough fruit during the day that you feel full. It is harder than it seems. You have to have a ton of ripe fruit that you would enjoy eating always at hand. But if you master that, then it is easy! You won’t have any cravings at all, cause you will feel full.
mindful diabetic robby fruit stash
Also another thing my coach told me is don’t try to go fully raw. I was always thinking well if I go fully raw I will definitely lose all my weight in a flash, and it is kind of true. When I was raw in january I lost a shocking amount of weight. But I wasn’t happy restricting myself to only raw foods. My coach said, going 100% raw should be something you want to do because you KNOW you feel better eating that way. She told me to do it gradually. Like just notice how good you feel when you eat raw and notice how you may not feel as optimal when you eat bread and dairy. I know for me it is true, that when I eat a lot of bread it is a very different feeling then when I eat a lot of fruit. So now I am really happy I no longer feel the need to force myself to go 100% raw. Instead I am just going to gradually move towards it if that’s what makes me feel the best.
Another really important thing she told me about weight loss was…being 100% raw or 80/10/10 JUST to lose weight isn’t enough. Eventually you will fall off it. You have to do it because it makes you feel so good that you feel you are better able to fulfill your purpose in life. Like you have the energy to be productive and achieve your goals. She was like weight loss isn’t what really makes us happy. What makes us happy is being able to do what we feel we are meant to do in life. And if raw foods gives you the clarity and energy to achieve that, then great…but weight loss by itself isn’t a good goal.
mike arnstein the fruitarian winning a marathon
I totally get what she is saying cause just cause you lose weight doesn’t mean you will be happy. What really makes us happy is doing what we dream of doing and achieving our purpose or purposes in life. I have been so thin (in high school) and still thought I was fat. Thinness doesn’t make us happy.
But at the same time, I just dream of having this perfect flat stomach and looking amazing in all my clothes. I dream of people just handing me a huge trophy as soon as they see me, like, “congratulations for being the hottest person who ever lived!” lol. I totally understand why people want to be thin. Especially having been overlooked and teased for being the fat kid in my early life.
at the woodstock fruit festival when I asked doug graham about weight loss he was like just “eat fruits and vegetables and you will be ok”. I knew he was right because the only way I’ve ever managed to lose weight was by doing that.
two other thoughts that may be helpful (but you might already know): Have you read The Starch Solution or Maximum Weight Loss by john mcdougall? Some people like potato strong and high carb hannah have managed to achieve very easy weight loss eating starches and in a way I think it is a lot easier than raw till 4 because you can have such a wide variety of normal foods just without oil. It’s also good for raw till 4 dinners. But good to know the principles. you can have pizza, burritos, etc etc etc just healthy versions.
Another thing is just stick it out longterm! I have been at it 2.5 years i believe and very very gradually i have slimmed down.
One final thing, is do you track your calories with cronometer? It is very crucial I think. Cause if you don’t you may not even realize that you have only eaten like 300 calories all day.
Sorry this was so long, but I hope it helps!! And thanks again for the encrouagement and support.
Very true. Although I don’t think it’s realistic to go through life without eating any treats or pizza (I know you’re not saying this).
With a balanced diet you can afford to have days when you can have a nice dessert or take out. Since going on a diet and coming out the other end 16lbs lighter, I have found that I desire these things less and even my ‘cheat’ days aren’t as bad as they were before.
I’ve done some research around cravings here: http://tiny.cc/easyweightloss1
I agree Atif. It isn’t really realistic hah. Thank you for commenting and congrats on your weight loss.