How we add weight: what's healthful, what's not ( WAS: Is it possible to gain weight on raw food?)

[Guest guest]

Nice one, Erica. There are only a few common ways to gain " weight " :

 

1. Add body fat.

2. Add lean tissue.

3. Add water weight.

4. Clog your digestive tract and accumulate fecal buildup.

 

1 occurs when we consume more energy (calories) than we expend.

2 occurs as a result of physical activity ... ONLY.

3. occurs when we consume salt and/or other substances that the body cannot

remove, and therefore must dilute and store for now.

4 occurs when we consume a sufficiently poor diet that our bodies cannot

move things through the digestive tube as quickly as we eat them.

 

#2 is healthful. The rest are harmful, with RARE exceptions for #1. But rare

means RARE ... the odds that this one applies to you are nearly zero.

 

Gaining weight by eating more ALWAYS involves some combination of 1, 3, and

4 and is therefore almost ALWAYS destructive to one's health.

 

Gaining weight through increased physical activity always results in

increased lean tissue ... muscle, bone, and related tissues.

 

I would also briefly reiterate what I've shared in the past, that

weight-loss goals are almost always inherently self-defeating. A focus on

overall health, and upon improving body composition (as opposed to body

weight) are more sustainable, more achievable, and more healthful, both

physically and emotionally.

 

Hope this is helpful!

Elchanan

_____

 

rawfood [rawfood ] On Behalf Of

Erica

Friday, September 21, 2007 6:24 PM

rawfood

[Raw Food] Re: is it possible to gain weight on raw food?

 

 

Yes, I know a few who gained considerable weight following the

inapproprate and incorrect " advice " of some raw 'gurus' who promise you

can just eat all you want, all the fats included, and lose weight. To

be fair, SOME actually do this. I've seen it. Although losing weight is

not the only goal, it's a side-effect of gaining health, usually, and I

would never say a super high cashew diet is super healthy,

just " healthier " than a high fast food, SAD diet, etc. Still, this

advice always bugs me out because it's totally not true and easily

fallible in the eyes of science and any true gauge of health. But a

balanced raw diet (you have to find out what works for you within raw

vegan) would be tough to gain weight on UNLESS you were

malnourished/underweight. A lot of underweight people are able to gain

after some cleansing because their underweightnesss is due to

parasites, candida, or other imbalances that become corrected. Some

fast and then are able to gain HEALTHY weight. And some fast and are

able to lose unhealthy weight. It is all individual, but if you create

health every day, no matter what the initial effects, you will without

question reach your goals and your body will intuitively balance out.

Erica