Weight Loss Tip: Commit to a simple and sensible food plan that will enable you to lose weight at a healthy rate.
For Example:
- 1 shot of wheatgrass juice twice a day between meals.
- 2-3 12 oz glasses of Rejuvelac (Nature’s Gatorade. Don’t drink it after 6 p.m. unless you plan to stay up late!
- 1 12 oz glass of energy soup at breakfast, lunch and dinner — with 1 T of ground flax and 1 t of kelp powder or dulse stirred into it. If the mixture is too thick for your taste, add some rejuvelac but be sure to drink the full 12 ounces of energy soup. Some of us find it easier to drink it in a glass.
- 1 cup of fresh organic fruit; 1/2 cup of sprouted and dehydrated quinoa or buckwheat; 8 oz almond milk for breakfast.
- For lunch and dinner: 1 large salad including 1 cup of greens and 1 cup of sprouts; 2-4 oz of raw crackers (You can make your own or buy them. We like the Foods Alive brand of flax crackers). Two tablespoons of raw salad dressing. You can make your own. Foods Alive also sells some wonderful flavored flax oils that you can use as dressings. If you use the oil-based dressing, limit it to 1 T per meal.
- 1/4 cup of nuts for an afternoon snack. Almonds are the best to eat because they are alkaline but you can enjoy a few cashews up to three times a week.
- 1 cup of fresh organic fruit and 8 oz of almond milk for an evening snack. Up to three times a week, you can substitute your fruit and almond milk for small serving of a raw dessert, smoothie or a raw granola bar.
This is simply an example of a plan that has worked for some raw foodists. You may need a plan with more or less food depending upon your nutritional needs. If you have a condition such as diabetes or cancer there may be foods you want to avoid — or make certain to include in your daily food plan (for example, cancer survivors often drink fresh carrot juice daily and many diabetics avoid high sugar fruits such as watermelon and bananas). You may want to talk to a nutritionist or certified raw food health counselor and ask them to help you develop a plan that works well for you. After your first 10 days of detoxing (during which time you will drop weight quickly), you should look to lose 7 to 12 pounds per month — depending upon how much weight you have to take off.
Weight Loss Inspiration: “Focus on your weight and you will lose recovery. Focus on your recovery and the weight takes care of itself.”
Having a simple food plan is one way to stop the obsessive and compulsive thoughts that plague compulsive overeaters, bulimics and anorexics. When we make a commitment to follow a plan every day, we can stop giving so much thought to food and start thinking about living our lives with new found robust energy and enthusiasm. Having a food plan is a tool — not a prison sentence. If we stray from our plan, we don’t shame ourselves. We get right back on track with the very next meal. After awhile the food plan should feel comforting, like a cozy sweater. If it feels like a straight jacket, you are holding onto it too tightly. Remember, you have only yourself to please on your weight-loss journey. The weight will come off if you stay committed and avoid an obsessive attitude about weight loss and eating.
Also be sure to avoid obsessive weighing. You will know when you gain or lose weight by how your clothes fit you. It is a good idea to pick one day a month (women: not near the time when you menstruate) as your weigh-in date and to only weigh yourself once a month. More frequent weighing can lead to obsession about food or dieting.
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Robert Morgan, Naturopath 