Re:Weight Gain Problems?

[Guest guest]

I hestitate to answer this, because I don't want to discourage anyone from

NT way of eating. However, I have experienced weight gain, and I don't like

it. I am 57 and was raw vegan for quite a few years. I was able to keep my

weight down and I loved being thin. I had lots of energy most of the time, but

after a few years I started feeling depressed and sluggish. I reluctantly

changed to a NT diet about 5-6 months ago. I found a good source of raw

pastured

milk and I began eating lots of raw yogurt. My body seemed to crave it. I lost

my desire for fruits and salads right away (strange for me who never tired

of fruits and veggies). The yogurt satisfied me so that I wasn't hungry

between meals, and I had always been a grazer. I felt great.

Fast forward to present: I continue to eat the yogurt (now with fruit or

maple syrup), raw eggs occasionally, cooked salmon or chicken sometimes,

fermented carrots & saurkraut, lots of fruits, seldom any grains (but I ferment

or

sprout when I do). No matter what I eat, I want more. I can eat a quart of

yogurt a day and still want more food. I feel like a bottomless pit. I thought

this food would fill me up, but I want to eat constantly, yet I seldom have a

desire for salads anymore.

Some of my weight gain is definitely muscle. I've not changed my exercise

routine any (fast walk 4-5 times per week), yet I am more muscular in my arms

and legs. But I've also gained fat. None of my pants fit. I have lots of

energy for the most part. My goal is no longer a thin body; instead I want to

feel

healthy and stay that way. Health is very important to me. And it doesn't

feel good carrying around an extra 10 pounds or so (I haven't weighed myself in

years so I don't know the exact amount, but it feels yucky physically, not

just psychologically).

I am discouraged. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I'm not sure what. I

think I've allowed myself too much license to eat after years of being so

disciplined.

BTW, I think a change to NT from processed junk food is absolutely a huge

step in the right direction. Even if you have some weight gain, so what? You

would have to be healthier. My case is a little different. I haven't eaten

processed foods in years (or at least very rarely), so I'm not completely

convinced that I am healthier than before.

Need to go to bed and quit rambling.

Sharon

**************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel

deal here.

(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)

[Guest guest]

I've experienced some of the same transition and symptoms, though not to an

extreme.

My take is calories in/calories out still applies. No doubt native people got

almost

continuous exercise (?), even if not always as intense as your walking much of

it would

have been. Having added much nutrient dense (also calorically dense) animal

foods to

your diet that hadn't been there before increased your calorie intake

considerably, so that

even the good amount and pace of walking may no longer be enough for weight

control.

Easing your weight standards is good (new research showing heavy people often

very

healthy, and thin not always). In addition, you could consider: 1) increasing

exercise, particularly adding weight lifting, and 2) read The Okinawa Diet for

what I feel is counterbalancing perspective on nutrient dense foods. Okinawa

traditional eating still

involves nutritious, whole foods, but the overall intake is not so calorically

dense. The

nutrient/calorie dense animal proteins take a back seat to nutritious low

caloric density

foods (fruit, veggies, anything with a high water content like milk, soup,

well-cooked

grains, even pasta). Divide the calories per serving by the weight in grams per

serving to

see where a food falls on the scale of low caloric density to medium to high.

The water

content as part of food (not as in glasses of water) registers fullness with

fewer calories.

You don't go without plenty of meats and fish and eggs and milk, but they are

layered

into a plate covered with foods of lower caloric density. I feel I can eat as

much animal

product as I can burn the extra calories of. I have increased exercise to handle

the higher

load. I'm not set in stone about any of this, so I open to others thoughts. I

realize this can

be seen as flying in the face of the NT emphasis on loading up on nutrient dense

foods,

but I personally feel a balance of water-rich, low-caloric-density foods (most

of which are

plant foods extremely high in antioxidants), with nutrient-rich,

high-caloric-density

foods, and exercise, feels healthiest for me. The ratios change as I notice

changes in how

I feel and look. I notice I feel most peaceful getting a good portion of

water-rich foods in,

but my energy and digestion are better having added in more animal foods.

[Guest guest]

..> processed foods in years (or at least very rarely), so I'm not

completely

> convinced that I am healthier than before.

>

> Need to go to bed and quit rambling.

> Sharon

My sympathies, Sharon, for your feeling yucky.

If you are putting on fat and constantly hungry, that points to

possibly your insulin being a little too high, for you. Also moving to

meals, with rest times between eating, instead of constant grazing,

allows insulin to stay low.

Have you tried moving away from the sugars in fruit and yogurt, and

substituting more saturated fat? Or at least moving to veg and butter?

It sounds weird but veg and butter will keep insulin down, where

sweetened yogurt and fruits, do not.

[Guest guest]

You could also try substituting some short-chain saturated fatty acids (butter,

meat ...) for

medium chain SFA (coconut oil). The latter is supposed to be less likely to be

stored as body

fat since it's used immediately to boost metabolism. (It also has huge supplies

of valuable

lauric acid.) I cook my scrambled eggs in it (won't stick in stainless steel). I

also fry other

items in it when I don't have bone broth to use. Butter for frying kills the

enzymes of the

pasture raised butter. I use that unheated.

[Guest guest]

Maybe you're eating too much fruit ?

I never eat more than one fruit a day...

most days no fruit at all and never on it's

own, always with some fatty food because

I have glucose sensitivities. Also, with all

the lactose from the milk products that's

more sugar you're ingesting. With me and

my glucose sensitivities I make fat #1,

protein #2, vegetables #3 and reserve

fruits as a special treat otherwise my

cravings and weight go up.

>

> I hestitate to answer this, because I don't want to discourage anyone

from

> NT way of eating. However, I have experienced weight gain, and I don't

like

> it. I am 57 and was raw vegan for quite a few years. I was able to

keep my

> weight down and I loved being thin. I had lots of energy most of the

time, but

> after a few years I started feeling depressed and sluggish. I

reluctantly

> changed to a NT diet about 5-6 months ago. I found a good source of

raw pastured

> milk and I began eating lots of raw yogurt. My body seemed to crave

it. I lost

> my desire for fruits and salads right away (strange for me who never

tired

> of fruits and veggies). The yogurt satisfied me so that I wasn't

hungry

> between meals, and I had always been a grazer. I felt great.

>

> Fast forward to present: I continue to eat the yogurt (now with fruit

or

> maple syrup), raw eggs occasionally, cooked salmon or chicken

sometimes,

> fermented carrots & saurkraut, lots of fruits, seldom any grains (but

I ferment or

> sprout when I do). No matter what I eat, I want more. I can eat a

quart of

> yogurt a day and still want more food. I feel like a bottomless pit. I

thought

> this food would fill me up, but I want to eat constantly, yet I seldom

have a

> desire for salads anymore.

>

> Some of my weight gain is definitely muscle. I've not changed my

exercise

> routine any (fast walk 4-5 times per week), yet I am more muscular in

my arms

> and legs. But I've also gained fat. None of my pants fit. I have lots

of

> energy for the most part. My goal is no longer a thin body; instead I

want to feel

> healthy and stay that way. Health is very important to me. And it

doesn't

> feel good carrying around an extra 10 pounds or so (I haven't weighed

myself in

> years so I don't know the exact amount, but it feels yucky physically,

not

> just psychologically).

>

> I am discouraged. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I'm not sure

what. I

> think I've allowed myself too much license to eat after years of being

so

> disciplined.

>

> BTW, I think a change to NT from processed junk food is absolutely a

huge

> step in the right direction. Even if you have some weight gain, so

what? You

> would have to be healthier. My case is a little different. I haven't

eaten

> processed foods in years (or at least very rarely), so I'm not

completely

> convinced that I am healthier than before.

>

> Need to go to bed and quit rambling.

> Sharon

>

>

>

> **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your

travel

> deal here.

> (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I agree that perhaps we need to relax our standards about what our weight should

be.

I have gained at least 5 lbs. since slowly changing to NT over the past 10

months.

I also now have great energy, stable moods and no longer struggle with blood

sugar

problems.

I've always enjoyed being thin, so it's a bit humbling for me to deal with the

weight gain.

There's a great book called THE DIET CURE, by Ross ( which I recommend

everybody

read) that basically says that as your body heals itself from years of

undernourishment,

dieting, nutrient-void foods, e.t.c., it will definitely go through a period of

weight gain -

because fat is the bodies way of healing itself.

Looked at in this context, the weight gain is actually a good sign.

I was macrobiotic for years and exercised obsessively until a year ago, so maybe

this is

what's going on.

your body could just be craving what it needs.

I've decided I can be happy with some extra weight if I feel this good.

Kate

> >

> > I hestitate to answer this, because I don't want to discourage anyone

> from

> > NT way of eating. However, I have experienced weight gain, and I don't

> like

> > it. I am 57 and was raw vegan for quite a few years. I was able to

> keep my

> > weight down and I loved being thin.

>

[Guest guest]

What do you mean by veg and butter

>

> .> processed foods in years (or at least very rarely), so I'm not

> completely

> > convinced that I am healthier than before.

> >

> > Need to go to bed and quit rambling.

> > Sharon

>

> My sympathies, Sharon, for your feeling yucky.

>

> If you are putting on fat and constantly hungry, that points to

> possibly your insulin being a little too high, for you. Also moving

to

> meals, with rest times between eating, instead of constant grazing,

> allows insulin to stay low.

>

> Have you tried moving away from the sugars in fruit and yogurt, and

> substituting more saturated fat? Or at least moving to veg and

butter?

> It sounds weird but veg and butter will keep insulin down, where

> sweetened yogurt and fruits, do not.

>

[Guest guest]

> What do you mean by veg and butter

I just meant, have lots of vegetables with butter or other healthy fat,

instead of calories from fruit and sugar.