My Chart

[MichelleRAWMOO]

Hi Guys, could you guys check my chart and see what you think, I have a bad habit of not eating enough ( Crazy I know, how did I become overweight lol ) So I have created a fit day chart to calculate the values, my vitamins seem to be lacking though, this seems like a lot to eat in one day, even though its calorie dense.
The chart has indicated that at my current weight I burn around 2700 calories a day ! to lose 2.5 LB a week I need to drop calories by 1200 but I have gone higher than this, I would say dropping cals 1650 a day.
I would be grateful for some tips, or pointers.

Thanks Guys !

[Amie Sue]

Hello there,

I have been tracking my eating through Fitday as well for the past 29 days. I have come to learn that when we don't eat enough calories our bodies go into starvation mode and hold onto fats!! I too use to believe that I was only allowed 1,200 calories a day. So I started to up my calories to 1,600-2,000 a day. I haven't lost weight but I have gained either which I sure thought for sure I would. It went against everything I learned in the SAD industry. I know it's hard but give it a try. Just watch your fat intake. Here is a link to all of my daily logs if you want to take a peek. I am eating a low fat raw vegan diet with tons of fruit. I am also in the process of healing my body by taking myself off of a handful of supplements and vitamins. I am learning to get all that I need through my foods. Plus, after I studied my Fitday nutrition, I found out that I was getting WAY to many of certain vitamin between eating them in my foods and taking "that" vitamin by pill form. So my body is feeling the detox.

I looked at your attachment and you really need to increase your calories!!
http://nakedfoodcafe.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=10vymh8zimnmm

[Sheila Murrey]

Hi Michelle,
I do not know if any or some of this will be of help to you or not but here goes:
I used to be a weight consultant for Jenny Craig. There I learned portion control, non-food rewards - so that I wouldn't need to reward myself with various desserts or fast foods, cut out soda's, drink more water, strategies for how to deal with dining out, how to weigh myself weekly (wearing as little as possible, same time of day before eating), and how to manage all the change or not, in emotions, addictions, understanding slow and easy does it - lose no more than 2 lbs a week for best results, else you may put the weight, or some of it, right back on etc.

There are as many ways to hold onto the weight mentally / emotionally. At any rate, I've tried lots of things too, before coming to raw foods, EFT (emotional freedom technique), pills, exercise, yoga, various supplements, and more. The raw foods are working for me. I've used caloriecount.com and others to count my calories. I've done the Secret strategies too, visualizing, feeling as though I want to feel once I'm at my perfect weight number, and more. I tell you, and others who've "tried everything" will perhaps also tell you, there's a lot of gimmicks out there and a lot of diet dogma and rules. ARGH!

It seemed when I finally let go of many of the restrictions and just kept things simple, the weight began to come off. I am seeing a kinesiologist currently to heavy metal cleanse, and he's restricted me from various foods like corn, soy, and oats, and I am detoxing from mercury and aluminum. Other than that though, I am raw. I still eat fish, but 2/3 of the fish I eat is also raw. I only drink wine occasionally and it's raw. I do not count calories or weigh myself anymore. The doc weighs me once a month, and I have lost weight every month since I began raw (mid Dec. '08).

I can tell you that I have one raw cacao and banana smoothie for breakfast. I add in various superfoods that I like and seem to agree with me. Blue green algae, wheatgrass, goji berries, or inca berries. I use almond milk and / or coconut juice. I recently discovered my almond milk is not raw. I have yet to go to making my own raw almond milk so this keeps me at probably a 85-90% raw diet. I add other raw greens, either from a powder supplement canister or my own fresh organic greens. I now have my own small backyard herb and vegetable garden. I've never done that before! This is all a process, at least it has been for me. For lunch I have a salad with my own homemade dressing which is either olive or coconut oil, with herbs, raw almond butter, tahini, or peanut butter added in. I add all kinds of fresh vegetables like squash, tomato, onion, beets, etc into my green salad. For dinner, same salad or something out at a restaurant but I take my own homemade dressing in a 2 oz Tupperware container. I then either have raw fish or lightly seared or broiled. The seared or broiled is perhaps twice a week - this is so my family and friends will not freak out on me about being vegan. And because I love fish! I have been telling them all that I am progressing toward veganism but not to worry I'll be sure I'm getting all my protein and B-12 (which is the only things anyone ever seems to worry or express concern to me about) when the topic comes up. They've all watched me lose over 25 lbs in six months and go from a tight size 16 to 12s and have some of those fit loosely - so they all know what I'm doing is working. (they just have to criticize me for something or tell me to "be careful"). At any rate, I eat raw cacao, coconut oil, agave and some sort of fruit or nut every night for dessert. Yes I limit the amount but not because I feel I need anymore. I do not have any cravings. None.

Comparing this with my diet of a few years ago which consisted of fast food, pizza, and lots of pasta and meat, well undeniably things are different. But as I had given up so many of those things I couldn't lose the weight until going raw. Even on Jenny Craig I only lost 30 lbs only to put it all right back on when I quit eating their food, and quit taking their supplements. I don't discredit them though because they did teach me other life skills that I still employ, like being able to take my little container of homemade dressing with me to restaurants and not feel guilty or embarrased about it. And I will even get a to go box for my salad on the off chance that I cannot eat it all because I'm busier talking than eating! :)

I don't eat dairy or bread at all anymore and I do not miss it. I eat no gluten, no pasta and such. I lightly steamed asparagus until the last raw food potluck where I learned that just marinating it for 24 hours in the fridge with a mixture of Nama Shoya or Braggs, with olive oil and herbs makes it just as good and then it is raw! So onward and upward and love the journey please! It's the most exciting (food) thing I've ever done and I am so excited to be here sharing it with you!

lots of love,
sheila