I'm not a nutritionist, and I'm not a doctor. I have nothing against vegan and vegetarian processes foods because let's face it... I love cheese, and I refuse to give that up.
I like soy ice cream...and burritos and all that. And when I was a vegetarian and watched my foods, I managed to keep my weight steady (i was still fat).
You say you're 5'2 and 130 lbs.. YAY I'm 5'2 too.
By what I found, 130 is NOT overweight. Ideal weight for 5'2 is 122. 8 lbs over? You're not over weight at all. You're within healthy range.
Also take into effect your muscle tone. Honestly? If I work out, I don't look at weight, I look at how I look in the mirror. Do you look okay in the mirror? Are you happy?
I think that should be your first concern right? Not your weight. Weight changes over the course of a day, where you're located, etc.
At 130 babe, you are doing GREAT. :) keep it up.. I'm trying to get back there.
May 19, 2008 Rating
Cheese Burritos? by: Anonymous
I'm confused, you mentioned being raw vegan and you're referring to cheese burritos? Could you elaborate?
Please note something very very important, even if you are using cheese made from soybeans - being vegan doesn't mean being healthy. This is a serious misconception that people have.
Cheese, regardless if from soy or animal form, is processed, processed foods loose most of their nutriments during their processing, and this is bad, even slightly processed foods (well, anything cooked mostly) such as bread or rice (at the exception of GABA rice) lose their nutriments.
I call this empty calories because those are calories with no value for health, they are just calorie reserves for the body. Avoid them if you want to be healthy; rule #1: no processed foods.
I know it's hard, but when you'll be healthy at 70 years old you might find this somewhat rewarding.
We are what we eat. I eat 75% raw foods, mostly cucumbers, red bell peppers, carrots, beets, apples, cantaloupe, strawberries, zucchinis, tomatoes, pears, lettuce, cauliflower, raisins, etc.
I get the good fats from nuts and seeds (which I sometimes throw in my homemade soymilk) and avocados. I'm not a cook, and because the food is raw, it doesn't take more than minutes to prepare.
I also juice a lot, because it doesn't remove the good nutriments (vitamins and other anti-oxidants).
Needless to say, I don't drink alcohol, just mineral water. I vary water brands from time to time, but I stick to artesian water mostly. I also drink tea as caffeine doesn't seem to harm me or prevent me from sleeping.
Food is fuel for the body, now what kind of fuel do you want to put in there, premium or regular?
May 18, 2008 Rating
Thyroid by: Jen M
I think you're exactly right.... I have yet to find the balance in my diet.
I'm hoping by doing this fast I will have cleansed myself of toxins that are leading to my cravings of bad stuff like bean and cheese burritos! Ha!!!
May 18, 2008 Rating
Raw vegan by: Anonymous
I am 75% raw vegan, the last 25% are slightly processed foods such as rice, bread and homemade soy milk. I love it and would never give this up.
As a raw vegan, I do not need to worry about adding food supplements, simply because vegetables themselves provide WAY ENOUGH of the nutriments my body need.
The last 25% are "empty calories" from bread, rice, but soy milk provides me the 8 essential amino-acids.
I completely agree that everybody's needs are different, so is our gastrointestinal system, nevertheless, I seriously doubt that adding any supplement would make you feel better, instead you should balance your diet differently, i.e. less carbohydrates and more fat possibly.
It takes a great deal of time and experiments to find the right equilibrium for one's body, but it seems that you yet have to find the right balance in your diet.
Please be prepared, this process takes months and is obviously relative to your lifestyle.
Should your lifestyle change, your diet (read: carb/protein/fat balance) must change with it.
May 18, 2008 Rating
Last comment was by JenM by: JenM
Sorry, I accidentally showed my comment as anonymous but it is from JenM
May 18, 2008 Rating
SLUGGISH THYROID by: Anonymous
Well I have been working out and watching what I eat since I was about 13 years old and I'm currently 38 years old.
I also am a raw vegan (about 95%) and eat organic everything (if possible). I'm not overweight by much.... I am 5'2 and weigh almost 130lbs so I am overweight for my height and I'm actually pretty petite.
I'm not really using a "sluggish" thyroid as an excuse for being overweight but I have difficulty losing weight and lose it at a really really slow pace.
I workout 4-5 times a week including cardio at least 4 of those 5 times plus weight training, yoga (my favorite of course and the HARDEST to me!), spinning, kick boxing, etc, etc.
So for the amount of workouts that I do I shouldn't have to worry about eating "outside the box" every so often BUT I do..... if I eat spaghetti or a burrito the standard American diet for as little as 2 days I literally will gain 5 pounds and that is NOT pigging out....
So, I have "guessed" I had a slow metabolism and just thought it was my unfortunate genetics. I have recently been taking a nutrition course and am studying to be a health and nutrition consultant through a company called "total health mastery" and as a result of the research and reading of books and studying, etc I have taken 2 simple tests to determine what vitamins and/or minerals my body is low on.
One of the tests my symptoms included "feeling creaky in the morning, motion sickness while traveling (that's a weird one isn't it), sensitivity to cold, hair dull, lifeless, poor response to exercising, gain weight easily, clogged sinuses, slight depression and menstrual irregularity.
The 2nd test I took I had to take my temperature every morning for 4 days and if my temperature was below 98.7 that is an indication of under active (or sluggish I called it) thyroid.
My temperature has been around 97.2 in the mornings. Sooooooooooooooooo, that is how this was determined to confirm my suspicions.
So, the supplement that I ordered is all natural (I dont know exactly what's in it because my cousin ordered it for me - she is already a certified nutritional consultant) and I'm going to try it for a month.
But you're right, I normally don't take supplements because I feel everything I need I get from my food...
I do lots of juicing of greens, veggies and fruits plus smoothies of the same and of course nuts and seeds (which is basically the living/raw food way of eating).
Any suggestions or recommendations you may have is appreciated too!!! Thanks for commenting.
May 18, 2008 Rating
Sluggish Thyroid? by: Anonymous
What's a sluggish thyroid? And what supplements are you talking about?
I've completed several 30-days fasts and I haven't taken any supplements, they're useless and expensive.
And regarding the thyroid thing, it's usually something people find as an excuse for being overweight.
We're a nation of overweight people, I've never heard an Asian or European complaining about a sluggish thyroid.
People are obese because they eat too much, and too much of the bad foods, not because we happen to be the only ones on earth (that'd be surprising) with a sluggish thyroid.
It's like saying "Oh I'm big boned" this is just not an excuse anymore. Time to lose weight.
