Day 41 - Energy & Weight Gain

Raw Shaz 2011 (self portrait)

Check it

I was in a restaurant yesterday ordering some food and it was the usual - what do they have that is raw? Hmm looks like salad again.

The way I order salads now is to give a standard intro:

"Please could I have number 7, but without the meat/fish/eggs and no dressing or sweetcorn, but could I have olive oil and vinegar?"

(Varies depending on the exact menu to hand).

Sometimes it requires me to repeat myself a couple of times. At which point I ignore the bit after dressing. Sometimes it goes smooth like a baby's bottom. Then I get adventurous and add:

"Do you have mushrooms? Raw? Could I have a couple of those? But not tinned, and not fried or anything. Just plain raw mushrooms. Thanks!"

But yesterday I went a little too far and I added:

"I am on a raw food diet".

I guess she only heard the word "diet". And she says: "You are on a diet? What more do you want to lose? There will be nothing left of you!"

I joked and said something about how I was proof that the diet worked really well and you should have seen me before I started, and laughed a little.

The truth is, her comment did hurt me a bit.

See, I have always been underweight and I have found it either irrelevant or slightly embarrasing, depending on how many comments I draw from others (always other women).

But it seems, since I have gone raw, I have lost even more weight. And my guess is I am around 53 kilos right now. Seeing as I am 1.76m, this is not very good - even for my standards. So I am on a mission to gain weight. Which is a challenge if you are a raw vegan (ha, especially a reluctant one!).

I have been researching and you know what I came up with?

Mind-blowing really. The most effective way to gain weight is to eat more and eat frequently.

Who would have Adam-n-Eve'd it.

I will also be emphasising:

• Increase my protein intake - Sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds
• Increase my carbs intake - fresh fruits (and dried fruits), fresh vegetables (esp. leafy greens) & wholegrains (eg raw bread)
• Increase my fat intake - cold pressed oils on sandwiches, salads etc.

If anyone has any other clever tips, please do comment! Thanks...