Considering going vegan/ raw food- questions about getting enough calories!

I've been doing a lot of research on this for a while now, and I've come to the conclusion that going vegan or eating only raw foods can be a great health benefit!

Right now, I'm eating about 2750-3500 calories a day, don't work out, maintaining at around 120-125lb, (I'm 5'8") and a total junk food addict. I have to buy some type of fast food at least once a day, IE McDonalds, Ben & Jerry's, etc. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night I go out to parties with my friends and take in a good amount of alcohol. Then when the nights have ended, I come back home and finish entire boxes of cereal or cartons of ice cream.

Needless to say... I feel tired ALL THE TIME! I have literally NO energy to do any type of physical activity. I can't run for longer than 2 minutes without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Also, I have trouble taking part in daily activities.. like concentrating in class or not falling asleep at my internship.

I want to change my lifestyle. High cholesterol and diabetes runs in my family, so I don't want to give myself any health troubles in the future. If I go vegan or only eat raw foods, this will be such a big challenge for me! 

Anyway... sorry for that long introductory... but my main question is --how can I maintain my current weight and eat 3000 calories a day by going vegan or raw foods? I feel like this will be really hard to achieve without me feeling like I'm going to explode every second. I don't want to cut my calorie intake, because even when I eat 2000 calories a day I lose a significant amount of weight and start to look unhealthy.

Maybe you could try eating "clean" or less processed foods for a start instead of going right to raw only? That drastic of a change for you sounds like it'd be pretty difficult for you, considering what you're eating now.

Just my 2 cents :)

I've been trying to eat healthy for a long time now But I always end up consuming everything in sight. I'm attracted to going vegan/ raw foods because it will give me boundaries. I used to be vegetarian, but I was still eating really disguistingly. I think this lifestyle change will influence me to start living healthier and developing a better approach towards food. I'm not sure if this will be permanent!

I know nuts provide a lot of calories, but I just want a list of any other types of high calorie food as well?

Avocados are high in calories, and tofu is a fine source of protein and relatively calorie-dense. Check out the weight gain forum for a list of other calorie-dense foods.

However, I do not think that a vegan or raw food diet is the answer to your problems. The real problem is that you are going out and drinking heavily 3 nights out of the week. Don't get me wrong - I love to get my drink on - but you need to cut back if you want to feel better. You will not feel any better if you go out, get drunk, come home and eat a carton of Tofutti than if you go out, get drunk, come home and eat a carton of Ben & Jerry's.

Also, you are eating a ton of overly processed food which is awful for energy as well. There is plenty of vegan junk food out there (heck, you could eat a tub of Crisco on a vegan diet), just like you learned that there are plenty of horrible things you can eat on a vegetarian diet. As for a raw foods diet, you would definitely have fewer processed options. However, raw food diets are considered extremely restrictive (making it hard to stick with or get proper nutrition on), and the research supporting their "health benefits" is questionable.

Nothing is going to change unless you a) cut back on your alcohol intake and b) start eating natural, minimally processed foods. You don't have to be a vegan to do that, just like being a vegan does not guarantee that you are eating healthy.

Hi Mimi,

To try and answer your question, higher calorie raw foods include: avocados, seeds, nuts, oils (flax, olive, coconut, etc.), sprouted legumes (chickpeas, lentils, etc.), agave nectar, dates, bananas...  You might want to try eating raw until dinner for a week and see how that goes.  While it might seem tough at first, I think you could easily meet your calorie goal on all raw or high raw foods without feeling uncomfortably full.

Good luck!

you don't have to go vegan to eat healthily! in fact, i know vegans who eat really unhealthily as well (loading up on the oreos (yep they are vegan!) for instance)... it all boils down to the choices you make within that range of foods that you have decided to limit yourself to... (though i do support veganism because of animal welfare and climate change reasons. :3)

you could try to eat more meals (e.g., 5 or 6 meals a day) instead of eating a tub of ice cream or pack of cereal at a go, since if you do the latter, chances are you'll be tired in the day (not enough food, so low blood sugar) and tired after you eat (too much food, and your body gets overworked by the sheer amount of food it suddenly needs to digest). high cal foods would prolly be nut butters, trail mix (dried fruits +  nuts), granola... if you have morning and afternoon tea or squeeze in a light supper, say a peanut butter and banana sandwich and slosh on the peanut butter, or an avocado sandwich with veganaise, a quarter cup of trail mix, a bowl of granola and soy milk, a granola bar, etc.

also, you sound like you need exercise! especially if high cholesterol and diabetes run in your family!! start out with something light (say, taking a 15~20min jog/walk at least 5 times a week, and gradually try to increase the time spent jogging). what you eat is only half the story when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle! 

trust me, it's easy to get enough calories. i'm still struggling to lose the last few pounds.

Thanks for the tips guys!

I guess you're right.. I'm sure I'd find SOME way to make my raw food or vegan lifestyle unhealthy. It's hard to change bad habits. When I try to eat healthy, I just get "hungrier" for junk food. I am seriously considering cutting animal products out of my life either way though.. Not only for health reasons but mainly for my outlook towards animal cruelty. I also recently found out a lot of stuff about how eating less animal products can dramatically help the environment!