A Calorie Restriction Diet is just about the worst idea EVER!
If someone told you that going to the toilet too often was bad for weight loss, would you just sit there dying to take a pee, but holding on for dear life so you can lose some weight?
Well, this is really the same sort of logic we're using when we try to apply the principles of a calorie restriction diet.
How many wild horses are fat? How many monkeys? The horse certainly isn't thinking, wow, I've already had a good amount of grass today, better skip dinner, don't want to be getting fat now. And the monkey in the banana tree isn't thinking, well I better not overdo it, gettin' a little paunchy these days.
From Fat to Fabulous: The Smart Girl's Guide To Raw Food Diet Weight Loss
98% of all diets fail - these are not good odds.
Yet the moment we have excess fat on us, the dieting industry is the first place we turn.
If you're like me, you've probably spent years on one diet or the other. And yet you DON'T have your ideal body.
It's time for a radical shift in the paradigm about weight loss and for a true understanding of what makes us fat in the first place - hint: top of the list is DIETING!
So why on earth did we ever get sold on this idea that we need to restrict ourselves when it comes to food?
Well, generally because the foods we're eating are not our natural foods. Domesticated animals often get put on a diet too and have weight problems just like humans. This is because we're feeding them the same processed diets that we eat.
If you take a person who is living on junk and cut that junk in half, they're going to feel better. Of course.
But if you take that same person and totally revamp their diets to cut out all the crap, then why would they ever need to restrict, ever again?
When we return to our natural foods - fruits and vegetables - there is no longer any need for a calorie restriction diet.
Sure, if you've been abusing your body for many years and confusing its signals, it may take a while to 'catch up' to the new way. So if you've been starving yourself for years and suddenly start eating enough so that you're satisfied and happy and not a cranky, depression prone stimulant addict then possibly you may gain some weight. So what. It's worth it.
You will lose the weight again. If you're eating the right foods, and have enough fuel in your tank to do the vigorous exercise that you've been putting off for years, you will get into the best shape of your life.
A calorie restriction diet does one thing, and that is to instruct your body to store fat. A low fat raw food diet is about abundance, it is about focusing on what you DO want - health and fitness - and achieving an awesome body as a happy side effect.
A calorie restriction diet is all about focusing on what you DON'T want - fat, and expecting somehow for good things to come out of suffering and deprivation. It just doesn't work that way.
Calorie Restriction Diet: Restricting Calorie Intake Leads To Bingeing
When you restrict your calories your body responds by sending out very very strong requests for fuel, and this results in powerful cravings for high calorie foods. Binge eating disorder is entirely caused by attempting to diet. You don't have an eating disorder, you don't need to go to Overeaters Anonymous, you are just frikken hungry!
I love watching The Biggest Loser and always find it so strange to hear about these obese folks who were previously eating 5000 calories a day, and got so huge, yet I personally know people who eat 5000 or more calories a day on a high fruit, low fat, raw vegan diet, yet all that means for them is that they are running marathons and frequently winning too! They have lots of energy and they are super lean!
So the problem isn't that the obese people are eating 5000 calories, the problem is what those 5000 calories are made up of, and the constant diet, binge, diet, binge cycle that nearly every overweight person indulges in regularly.
Following a calorie restriction diet for weight loss
If you are in the position of needing to lose some fat, then the best thing to do is to make sure that your overall fat percentage (by calorie) is under 10%.
By cutting the fat to less than 10%, you will automatically be drastically increasing your carb intake. Make up those carbs from fresh fruits and vegetables, and be sure to include a pound or two of leafy greens per day (protein is WELL taken care of on a natural diet. Leafy greens are super high in protein. You will easily meet all your protein needs, as long as you are eating whole foods and enough calories, no need to even worry about it!).
You can put your green leafy veggies in your smoothies to make green smoothies, or you can blend them up with veggies for a great raw soup.
Now, you're going to have so much more energy with this low fat high carbohydrate, high nutrient diet that you will be able to exercise really HARD and that, together with your body finally getting what it needs in terms of nutrients, is what will burn off the fat.
Our bodies are so much more intelligent than our minds. It doesn't make any sense to starve ourselves on a calorie restricted diet, as it is just our minds deciding on a course of action for our bodies. And the results are seldom what we really want.
If the body has what it needs, in terms of sufficient fuel and plenty of nutrients, it will get to work in rebalancing every area, including our endocrine system (which controls our metabolism!).
With low fat raw foods there is never any need to go on a calorie restriction diet.
Fatty, cooked foods are so high in calories that a person could eat 5000 calories in one day and still be hungry (like those obese folks who just can't get satisfied!)
Yet, if you eat 2500 or 3000 calories (more for men) of low fat raw vegan foods, you are going to be buzzing with energy and so satisfied a craving couldn't get near you.
If you want to eat cooked foods, then keep these as simple as possible, such as steamed vegetables, rice or potatoes (always keep it high carb, low fat!). Keep fatty foods (nuts, coconuts and avos) to a minimum (but if you eat enough other foods, you will automatically not crave too many of these high fat foods, so no need to 'restrict' these either!)- as these pack in the fat calories, and these are what are so easily stored as fat on our bodies.
Put binges and disordered eating caused by calorie restricted diets behind you for good!
When you eat sufficient quantities of high nutrient foods such as fruits and vegetables you DON'T have crazy cravings and disordered eating. A calorie restricted diet that limits your consumption of these high nutrient foods is the best way to bring on an eating disorder!
Can Fruit Make You Fat?
No, it will not make you fat! You will be totally full and satisfied long before you could ever overeat on fruit to the extent that it would make you fat. And even if you did overeat on fruit, the body can easily deal with some excess carbohydrates, burning it off as heat, or giving you a little more energy in your workout to burn off those few un-needed calories.
The truth of the matter is that when people gain weight, it is generally because they UNDERATE on fruit and therefore OVERATE on other things, e.g. high calorie fatty foods.
Raw Food Gainers: Putting on Weight With Raw!
If someone comes from a strong calorie restriction diet background and then suddenly switches to a raw diet and eating plenty of high quality carbs and enough calories, they may gain some weight. So what! Put it in perspective! Focus on what you DO want - health and fitness, and give your body a chance to balance itself out. Enjoy how good it feels to finally just chill the heck out and eat enough food to be totally, completely, amazingly satisfied. Enjoy how good it feels not to be constantly preoccupied by thoughts of food, to forget about food altogether between meals, to release all the stress and paranoia around eating. Enjoy how good it is to have real energy, and stable emotions.
Putting A Calorie Restriction Diet Mindset Behind You
Remember, it did not take a week to get your body into the shape it's in, it won't take a week to get out of it. Be patient with yourself, love yourself, and enjoy every step you take towards your goals. Just eat, get those carbs in and really LIVE your life.
I enjoyed this video from Freelee. I'm sure you will too!