But the scales say I’m FAT!
I know many people especially ladies came to the low fat raw vegan lifestyle due to a desire to balance their weight once and for all. A large part of my own motivation to go raw included my fluctuating weight.
Today I decided to write about the scales and how they can be so inaccurate when it comes to objectively measuring fat loss/gain.
Mum & I foraged free mangoes from the side of the road today
Most of us jump on the scales, look down and frown 
... generally closely followed by a few personal put-downs…but are we jumping the gun and unwittingly letting a lil’ ol number dictate our mood for the day? Without actually inquiring as to whether the weight-gain is from fat, fluid or food?
The following factors should be taken into consideration as you take that step onto the scales…
- Glycogen and water weight levels vary throughout the day so this will affect the number on the scales as much as 1/2-1.5kgs.
- If you weigh yourself at any other time than first thing in the morning before drinking water and after having a bowel movement then you are just adding your food weight in your colon to your total kgs. You may as well fill your pockets up with sand.
Free mangoes....mmmm
- Glycogen stores can also increase your overall body weight, Glycogen is the stored form of glucose, you will find it mainly in your muscles and liver, once stored with the accompanying water (water is needed to store carbs in the body) a full glycogen tank can add an extra 2 kg to your total weight! So that’s why you may see an increase in your weight overnight sometimes
- Remember the scales do not just weigh fat, it weighs fat, water, organs, bone, everything. So when you decrease or increase your weight the scales can’t deferiantiate and tell you if it’s fat or not you have lost or gained…even those Tanita body fat scales are apparently highly innacurate…I was told by a leading exercise physiologist that the scales send an electrical impulse up one leg which then hits the bladder and travels down the other leg, only ever measuring the fat in an individuals legs (& quite innacurately at that!)
I'm eating LOTS of melons lately., this will last me a few days
More accurate fat measuring techniques are skin-fold pinch test, water tank (hydrostatic weighing) where apparently you are lowered into a water tank after exhaling all air from your lungs. There is also an impedance test (which I’ve had myself & found to be fairly accurate) which works by measuring the amount your body fat impedes an electrical current.
BMI is another inaccurate way to measure bodyfat because it doesn’t descriminate between fat & muscle! My ex-boyfriend who was a top bodybuilder carrying a mere 5% BF and loaded with muscle came up as obese using the BMI scale 
Half a kilo of fat is about the maximum you can lose each week, yeh there are heaps of low carb diets out there that will show an initial decrease in total body weight but is it sustainable? No way, I don’t know about you but Im sick of the yo-you diet BS… the weight that you lose from these low carb diets is only water because of the decreased intake of carbs plus the fact that the body lets go of water it has been holding to dilute the current pollution in most people’s bodies.
The scales can definitely come in handy if you are wanting to keep track of your hydration, for example – say you weigh 60kg before your run then you jump on the scales after the run and you’re 58kg, this means you have lost mostly water (& a bit of glycogen weight) so replacing those 2kgs with water first then fruit soon afterwards is extremely important to maintain our hydration levels & homeostasis, in this way the scales can be very useful…
Also glycogen stores are being lost, this is especially apparent in a person fasting, I have done many short water fasts, longest being 8 days or so. Within those 8 days I would lose about 5kg, at the time I thought it was all fat but in such a short period like that, the loss was from a depleted glycogen stores (from lack of any coming in) plus the water that accompanies the carbs and maybe a small percentage of fat after 8 days. I have always gained back every ounce I have lost after a fast…plus some.
If you are a womyn reading this I really hope you embrace muscle as your friend, it is so valuable to have metabolically active muscle tissue if we want to speed up our metabolism and lose the fat the sustainable way. Muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are…muscle-building strengthens bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life, enhancing balance and stability not to mention building confidence and self-esteem.
So should we be aiming for fatloss anyway? I say no. Losing something is a form of deprivation and the Low Fat Raw Vegan lifestyle is about abundance not deprivation! Who really cares if your weight fluctuates a few kgs here and there, this also happens to animals in nature, we are conditioned to think that skinny = good and while being lean and healthy is the goal, rediculous unhealthy weightloss should not be, well not if you want to keep your sanity any way….Cut your carbs, lose your mind as far as I’m concerned but that’s another blog…
If we focus on gaining health and fitness and not on losing something then our chances of success are multiplied…Keep your mind firmly focused on the healthy body & mind of your dreams and before you know it you WILL be in that body, I am a living example of this being true.
My obsession with my weight could’ve killed me in the end…downing weightloss drugs, ecstasy and other stimulants in an attempt to shed the kg’s…man glad I’m off that merry-go-round…You can read more about it here if you haven’t already….
So I guess the take home from this blog is -
Don’t be a slave to a number on the scales! Be a healthy shining example of health and fitness, build beauty from within so it shines outwards inspiring others who come in contact with you. Keep in mind that the scales are a very innaccurate way to measure fat loss and fat gain… It’s ultimately all about how you feel and when you feel vibrant & healthy you generally look vibrant & healthy! so quit jumping on the scales every 5mins and get a life! Who really cares if you have a few extra kilo’s on you anyways?? Fluctuations in weight is NORMAL and if you think getting to say 60kgs on the scales will make you happy, think again…You will get to 60kgs and you will still be unhappy and all of a sudden 55kgs will make you happy and so the painful cycle continues…I’m outa that loop! Happiness comes from within & especially easy to attain after a large fruit meal!
Keep it sweet & juicy
Lovefreelee
This is me eating all the fruit i care for, I gave up the scale obsession & started eating as much as i wanted, fruit doesn't make you fat!!...
Don’t let your brain shrivel like a prune…
So I have been fairly preoccupied lately but I’m still lurking around!!
Have been spending the last couple of weeks on the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, hanging with about 6 of my closest low fat raw vegan friends. There is so much fruit around here at the moment – plenty of melon, mangoes, bananas, papayas…also the boys have been tucking into DateOrade (soaked blended dates with lots of water).
Top inspired by orange Anne
Also I just spent a few days with my dad and he is now cooked vegan for the next few weeks! Touch down! That’s 4 members of the family vegan so far….one to go…
Today I’m going to explore the importance of adding pure water to our diets. I remember once reading an interview when I was about 15 years old with SuperModel Elle McPherson… in the interview Elle was talking about her morning routine, I remember her saying she downed 2 litres of water first thing, since then I have been much more focused on hydration and consistenly drink 1 litre of water on rising followed by another 1-2 litres throughout the day.
Why add water?
Well our bodies are around 75% water – every one of our cells, our tissues and organs need water to function optimally.
So water makes up almost 3/4 of our bodies total weight! Ironically this water level is equal to many fruits and also to the planets water balance. The brain is about 85% water (shrivelled prune anyone?), bones 35% water, blood 83% water and the liver 90% water. Apparently 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated
We no longer live in a tropical rainforest environment where we would’ve received a good portion of our water requirements from the environment via our largest organ – our skin.
The main dehydrating factors to consider these days….
- environmental pollution – cars, factories, airplanes etc
- Cooked food, put a biscuit through a juicer and see how much juice you get….now try an orange..
- Air conditioning and heating – we lose about 120mls every hour we sit in this artificial environments
- Makeup
- Household chemicals, paints
- Chemical dyes in clothing
- Negative emotions
- Prescription and recreational drugs
- Getting burnt
A teeny 2% drop in our body’s water supply can spell dehydration. If you’re doing any kind of physical exercise, you’ll need more water to replace the loss from sweat.
I’m happy to report that mainstream medical opinion seems to remain strong on recommending adults drink eight glasses of water a day…but it’s important to remember, if you’re an active person, if you’re unwell, eating dehydrating gourmet raw foods or breastfeeding, your water requirements will be much higher.
http://www.youtube.com/user/fruitbatanneI met the lovely fruitBatAnne! On Day 42 of oranges only
Water is amazing as it works to energise every cell and organ in the body. It is crucial to every bodily operation and when we become dehydrated, the body instinctively begins to ration water to each organ.
Enzymes, hormones and coenzymes are all dissolved in watery body fluids and act on metabolites (amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) that are similarly dissolved.
Unfortunately it’s a very rare occasion to get written a script for water!! Obviously recommending water as a solution doesn’t pay the bills.. It’s a shame when you look at all the ailments water has been associated with treating: allergies, asthma, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, alcohol dependency, lower back pain, neck pain, and on and on.
Says it all really
How can you tell if you need to drink more water?…
One simple indicator DR and myself like to use is urine colour, it may not be foolproof but it has proven to be very accurate, if there is an odour, or a strong colour, you’re not drinking enough water. Rather than get to this stage make sure are drinking at least 2 litres a day, of course this amount can increase significantly depending on many factors, a few including climate, exercise and individual health history.
If you want more “pure” thoughts then I suggest you keep yourself hydrated! Water is a perfect conductor of electricity and this becomes important in the day to day operation of our bodies. This electrical potential of brain chemistry must be present for any of our “thoughts” to take place. Remember that no matter how purified and clean the water is you drink, careless words and thoughts can destroy beauty-full crystals formed within.
Darrick foraging breakfast...he's single girls, lovely raw dude
Some water facts…
- Water is the adhesive that bonds your cell structure.
- Enables food to be metabolised optimally
- Keeps wrinkles at bay & a shrivelled prune brain!
- Water is such a miracle! It acts as a solvent for waste products like carbon dioxide, urea and various electrolytes that the body excretes. Water is necessary for the safe transport of these waste products to and from all cells of the body.
- Enzymes, (an important part in the healing capacity of your body), only function optimally when we have enough water. Enzymes in our stomach need to bathe in water before they are activated in preparation for digestion.
- If you enjoy having soft skin, efficient eliminatory system and a sharp brain then i suggest you get enough water!!
- Water is the bodies lubricant
- Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
- If you want to drop Kg’s quickly (for health reasons) then drink more water & cut salt out completely! When our systems receive enough water then fluid retention decreases, a long with an improvement in gland and hormone functions
- Water helps to clear up constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent.
- If you are having mental challenges or concentration problems then there is a good chance you are dehydrated. Migraines and head aches are a sure sign of a dehydrated system. I am much happier when I am hydrated, try it.
- Water forms the base for saliva
- Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.
Our health is only as good as our weakest link so if you are dehydrated make sure you start drinking much more water so you are peeing clear 8-12 times a day! I truly believe that before true health can occur we need to be properly hydrated.
Water is the only element known to man and womyn that exists naturally in all three of the following states:
* in a “solid state” such as ice,
* in a “liquid state” as water
* in a “gaseous state” as vapor.
These different water “states” have been absolutely essential to the development of our world, plants, foods, bodies, health…not to mention the part the play in our heating, cooling, power and our electricity…(I suggest you stay out of heating and airconditioning as much as possible if your aim is to increase your hydration).
So Nobel Prize-winner George Wald, had a strong belief that our Universe was designed to support life. He came to this conclusion through his study on the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
He has been quoted as saying ...”They all have unique properties that fit the job and are not shared by any element in the periodic system and LIFE everywhere has to be made of some combination of these four simple building blocks.”
The solution to pollution is dilution! Sooo Drink up! P.S – The Sea Shephard is one of my hero’s…
Keep it sweet & juicy
