# Raw Milk and Weight Gain concerns



## avendesora (Sep 23, 2004)

So I've been thinking about switching to raw milk, but I haven't convinced myself enough to make the 25 min drive to the dairy that is closest to us. (I wouldn't have to do that drive every week - luckily there are two or three other women in my neighborhood who do raw milk, and we could take turns picking it up.) One of my remaining concerns is just about the whole milk part of it. I've been drinking 1% for a long time. I've lost a lot of weight since my second baby was born because I cut out sugar. I've been really enjoying my new body.

Has anyone gained weight switching to raw (whole) milk? Anyone made the switch and not gained any weight? Not that weight is the end all, I just want to know if I'll have to be careful or cut back on my portions if I make the switch. Maybe raw milk is so filling that you can have less of it and not even notice that you're having less?

Thanks,
Aven


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

As long as I keep he grains and sugar out I can drink a lot of raw whole milk without the weight gain! And I am someone who can gain easily.

Jennifer


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## earthmama369 (Jul 29, 2005)

We switched last month and I haven't noticed any weight gain yet. I do feel satisfied with just one regular glass most of the time, whereas before I could drink 2-3 glasses easily. Then again, I am tandem nursing, so I might not be the best example in terms of weight gain.

If you don't want the full fat effect of drinking raw milk, I think you could pour the cream off the top and use that to make other dairy products (maybe butter?). I've been meaning to look into that.


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## MyLittleWonders (Feb 16, 2004)

I've lost weight drinking whole, raw milk.







That, combined with about 4 tablespoons coconut oil, real butter, 2+ eggs a day ... all those things that make doctors roll over in their graves. The fat in raw (ie non-homogenized) milk is *good* fat and if anything, should put you at your "ideal" weight (of course, if you are also doing other things like cutting processed/refined foods, sugar, and empty calories/carbs).


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## avendesora (Sep 23, 2004)

I still eat a lot of whole grains (literally - like wheat berries, etc... not the 'whole grain' lucky charms!!), and I feel really good eating them. We have cut out all white flour, except when my neighbor makes a lasagna for us (mmmm). I have cut out 99% of the sugar. So the carbs that I am eating are far from 'empty' carbs. We are vegetarian, and most of our protein comes from beans, which are also high carb.

If I start eating a high carb high fat diet, but it's all good carbs and good fats, will I still be alright?

Aven


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## guestmama9916 (Jun 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MyLittleWonders* 
I've lost weight drinking whole, raw milk.







That, combined with about 4 tablespoons coconut oil, real butter, 2+ eggs a day ... all those things that make doctors roll over in their graves. The fat in raw (ie non-homogenized) milk is *good* fat and if anything, should put you at your "ideal" weight (of course, if you are also doing other things like cutting processed/refined foods, sugar, and empty calories/carbs).









:

Limiting the processed foods in combination with the raw milk is working for me. Sometimes I have a cup of raw milk for breakfast on the go. It is very satisfying. I've thought about replacing meals with raw milk as a weight loss plan but I haven't tried that yet.

Kim


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *avendesora* 
I still eat a lot of whole grains (literally - like wheat berries, etc... not the 'whole grain' lucky charms!!), and I feel really good eating them. We have cut out all white flour, except when my neighbor makes a lasagna for us (mmmm). I have cut out 99% of the sugar. So the carbs that I am eating are far from 'empty' carbs. We are vegetarian, and most of our protein comes from beans, which are also high carb.

If I start eating a high carb high fat diet, but it's all good carbs and good fats, will I still be alright?

Aven

It depends what works for your body.


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## MyLittleWonders (Feb 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newcastlemama* 
It depends what works for your body.









: I know for my body, I need the healthy/high fats and high protein. I try to get my carbs through fruit and such rather than grains. I do still eat sourdough bread and oatmeal (and something bread or cereal like on occassion like multi-grain pancakes or pizza), but have removed most other grain/carb sources. I think you just need to listen, on instinct, to your body and let it guide you. But I definitely wouldn't worry about the fat in raw whole milk - your body needs healthy fat and that is a very good source of it (especially grass-fed milk







).


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## avendesora (Sep 23, 2004)

I'm still confused with trying to think about whole milk as a good fat. I've been taught so long that saturated fats are bad fats!

Would you say that pasturized full fat milk counts as a bad fat, while raw full fat milk is a good fat?


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## MyLittleWonders (Feb 16, 2004)

For the fat, it's more of a question of homogenization. Homogenized fat is bad. Non-homogenized fat is good. Our cells need saturated fats for structure. (I'll pull more information when the boys are asleep.) Pasteurized milk is bad in that the nutrients are killed during the pasteurization. So, pasteurized *and* homogenized milk is really bad in that there are no nutrients nor good fat.


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## Leilalu (May 29, 2004)

Since I've been drinking raw and non homogenized kefir, I have started losing some of the chub that seemed to stick to me after ds was born. i am running/doing yoga /pilates a lot . It just seems as though my body composition is changing. I definitely retain less water, have easier periods, etc. I also am not congested. I feel pretty healthy actually. Most of the time!









I was a soymilk drinker for YEARS. I think my body is finally starting to recover. I quit soy almost 2 years ago.


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## Leilalu (May 29, 2004)

I should add, I think drinking whole milk kefir is essential to permanent weight loss. It seriously curbs my hunger and sugar cravings


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## Ekatherina (Sep 20, 2004)

also when pasterizing you kill a lot of good things in the milk, vitamins etc....that is why raw is better also....
am drinking raw milk for years. i am only losing weight actually.


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## guestmama9916 (Jun 24, 2006)

Here is a great link for more information on fats. Saturated fats are not bad for you. After all, our bodies are made of saturated fat. Healthy eating is not what the mainstream doctors and major processed food companies would have you to believe. Healthy eating is eating whole foods. Saturated fat is an essential part of nutrition. Even my dad's heart doctor tells him to eat 17 grams of it a day. I don't limit myself though because saturated fats aren't the fats that clog arteries. Its vegtable oils, such as the ones found in margarine, that clog arteries according to a recent study published in the journal Lancet. I've been overweight since childhood even though I've followed low fat diets since I was 8 years old. For the first time in my life I'm losing weight and feeling much more energy by following a whole foods diet with lots of good fats and cutting the proccessed crap. The good fats curb my appetite so it works very well for me. HTH

Kim


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## guestmama9916 (Jun 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Leilalu* 
I was a soymilk drinker for YEARS. I think my body is finally starting to recover. I quit soy almost 2 years ago.

That's great! I read that soy will make your body "puffy". I believe it. Soy is in almost every processed food. Since I've been avoiding processed foods, I've also been avoiding soy. I noticed after about a month avoiding it, I wasn't nearly as "puffy".







Soy milk is a highly processed food too. They used to say that soy was a heart healthy food. Now researchers are reporting that it doesn't reduce cholesterol like they though it would.

Kim


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## Leilalu (May 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimbernet* 
That's great! I read that soy will make your body "puffy". I believe it. Soy is in almost every processed food. Since I've been avoiding processed foods, I've also been avoiding soy. I noticed after about a month avoiding it, I wasn't nearly as "puffy".







Soy milk is a highly processed food too. They used to say that soy was a heart healthy food. Now researchers are reporting that it doesn't reduce cholesterol like they though it would.

Kim

That makes sense! I just feel that even though I have a pooch from ds, and some extra pounds to lose, that my body is more "streamlined" than before, if that makes sense. I fell a bit more toned. I also think it was the soy that made me gain a lot during both pregnancies.

Homeade kefir, I can actually handle. But the store bought stuff makes me gassy as all get out.


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newcastlemama* 
As long as I keep he grains and sugar out I can drink a lot of raw whole milk without the weight gain! And I am someone who can gain easily.

Jennifer

I agree, it is the grains that put on the weight.


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## OlderThanDirt (Nov 7, 2013)

I noticed a significant difference right off the bat when I switched to raw, whole milk.

I've never been a fan of milk as a rule and have to make sure I get enough calcium in my diet because of that. Even as a kid, I always hated the taste and small of it and cannot gag down a glass of it to this day. I always put chocolate flavor in it or have it on cereal. For that reason, most dairy I consume came from cheese or yogurt for most of my life. I started buying Meyenberg goat milk and did better with that than with the cows milk as far as liking it better and using more. Then I discovered raw cows milk on a trip to Idaho.

I was hooked right off the bat. I still don't drink it plain, but that creamy wonderful goodness brought back memories of when I was a kid and we used to get milk and cream from a local dairy. No doubt, it's a different flavor and quality than what passes for milk in the store these days. So - when I got home, I found myself actually craving that good milk.I mean, flat-out "gotta have it now" craving. I found a local, inspected and liscenced dairy near my home and that's where I buy milk now.

This milk is whole and raw. It seems to have a high content of cream and my consumption of it has gone way up. I average over a pint a day now. In spite of this, I have lost weight. People say it's because of the enzymes and good bacteria and other natural qualities in the milk. Maybe so. I also think that because it tastes so good, I will often have a glass of choc milk or make a rice pudding and be satisfied with that instead of picking and snacking. I don't crave other foods like I did, so even though I'm getting significant calories with the milk I think my actual daily calories have decreased because the milk satisfies my appetite.

I have one big theory as to why this milk has the side effect of weight loss. The grocery store milk always claims that "'our farmers pledge no rBST'" Well a pledge is a promise, not a guarantee. Some farmers lie and there is no law that requires them to guarantee anything about whether theres rBST in the milk or not. I live where there are a lot of dairy farms and I'll tell you right now that the biggest farm DOES use rBST even though they deny it. The other farmers get mad because they stay honest and don't use it but the milk all goes into the same truck as the big farm and gets processed right along with the rest. So....even though most of the farmers keep the promise, one big farm lies about it. They can deny it all they want, but when they are milking the *same cow* three times a day - well that's a dead giveaway. Those girls have been treated allright. Word travels in the farming community.

I do think the rBST messes with some people. My weight gain is almost all related to hormones and perimenopause. I did not set out to lose weight, I just liked the milk and craved it. BTW I'm not pregnant, it was just a craving. Since I started buying this raw milk from the small farmer - my symptoms have all but vanished, the weight gain along with it. I want to point out that the difference was almost immediate too. This small farm bottles their own milk from their cows, so it does not get mixed with milk from other farms like the grocery store milk does. I still love cheese, but consume a lot less of it, I make my own yogurt from the raw milk. So, my own consumption of rBST has probably decreased a lot. Something to think about.

Raw milk comes with some risks. Cows are not real tidy creatures, even the cleanest farm can have contamination happen, that's why we invented pasturization in the first place. I think we need to remember that when we choose to go with raw. There are some nasty bugs and resistant strains out there so think about it before you do it. The farm I work with keeps a list of raw customers so that they can notify if there is a problem. I feel good about this farm, recognize the risks and feel like the rBST is a greater danger to my health than the risk of bacteria. So yes, I'm sold on raw but if you are thinking about it, educate yourself and get it from the cleanest farm that you can find.


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