How Do I Lose 80lbs Quick On A Raw Food Diet?

by Tee
(Washington, DC)

Tee's Question: I have transitioned to raw food and am eating 90% raw, and I do eat sprouted bread every other day.

I am a licensed massage therapist and work long days and massage is very physical. I am only 5'1" and need to lose 60-80lbs.

Yes that is a lot, but want to loose by my birthday.

I weigh 182lbs.

I do green smoothies 6 days a week: one day I just need a break.

My question: Most recipes from the various sites and raw food gurus include olive oil (120 kcals a Tbsp, nuts (loaded w/kcals) and avocados, which I love, but I'm eating almost 1/2 or 1 per day and I know this is too much, but it seems to fill my appetite.

How can I lose 60-80lbs in roughly 5 1/2 months?

I'm walking on treadmill and doing light weights (5lbs w/high reps) as I want to be toned, but very lean, not bulkly. I am African American, as our bodies are shapely..yet, I want to lose the breast and buttocks fat as well. Thanks.

Andrew's Answer:

Hi Tee.

You're right, you're not doing your weight-loss quest any favors by using recipes loaded with oils and other overt fats.

The key is to forget those, along with the sprouted bread and other processed junk, and instead embrace a simple, delicious, low fat diet of whole raw fruits and vegetables.

Although you don't tell me nearly enough about your diet for me to come to any conclusions, my guess is you're also making use of other toxins which cause water weight retention, such as salt. Getting rid of these can cause a quick burst of weight loss up front.

After that, you're weight loss will come from fat.

The Diet:

A healthy raw food diet is, at it's heart, very simple, and recipes play a minimal role.

Fruit should be your main calorie source, but you should also be eating 3-6 percent of your calories from vegetables, particularly lots of salads of leafy green vegetables.

Wondering how you can enjoy your salads without loads of avocados, oils, salt, and other spices?

Here's where the simple part kicks in again.

Learn to make healthy low fat raw dressings from whole fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Weight Loss:

When you get rid of the processed junk and instead go with whole raw fruits and vegetables, weight tends to come off quickly. Often, people won't even have to try particularly hard to lose weight.

However, at the end of the day, those who are serious about dropping pounds should plan for a modest calorie deficit, which is easy to track when you just eat fruits and vegetables without the "invisible calories," like
oils.

I generally recommend a caloric deficit of no more than 500 calories a day for people who are not particularly good at resisting cravings. This will allow you to lose a pound a week, which is very sustainable.

If you're determined to go faster than this, then of course you can, but you'll be facing more cravings as your caloric intake declines.

If you're confused about how to follow a healthy raw food diet while shedding pounds quickly, check out my book, Raw Food Weight Loss And Vitality.