Hello, everyone! I have been in a rut lately with my diet and exercise. I feel like I'm trying to combine several plans at once, despite ultimately trying to let go of dieting altogether.
Most days start out with a goal of intuitive eating, but by lunch I'm tracking on My Fitness Pal to make sure that I didn't over do it and that I still have plenty of calories left for the second half of the day. Then, by the time I go to bed I say "screw it" and end up back to an all-or-nothing approach to food and either overeat on junk that is lying around the house OR go to bed hungry because I ate over 2000 calories before dinner.
So... I have decided to start a more structured plan again. And why not try to do something completely, 100% different than anything I've already tried? While I'm at it, why not try to be the healthiest vegan that I can be?
Enter: Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman. This is basically a non-counting, whole foods, low-calorie (even though I won't be calorie counting, I know this is true about this plan), low-fat (ditto), very restrictive plan. It's basically the opposite of what I'm currently doing.
My book just arrived in the mail today, and of course I immediately flipped to the "how to" section. It's all about a six week plan that everyone who follows Eat to Live is supposed to start with. After the 6 weeks, it apparently gets less restrictive, allowing more whole grains and a "cheat" day. But here is the basic plan for the first 6 weeks-
UNLIMITED
Eat as much as you want:
- all raw non-starchy vegetables (goal: 1 lb daily)
- cooked green and non-green nutrient-rich vegetables (goal: 1 lb. daily)
- beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (goal: at least 1 cup daily)
- fresh fruits (at least 4 daily)
LIMITED
- cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains (up to 1 cup daily)
- raw nuts and seeds (up to 1 ounce daily)
- avocado (up to 2 ounces daily)
- dried fruit (up to 2 tablespoons daily)
- ground flaxseeds (up to 1 tablespoon daily)
OFF-LIMITS
- dairy products
- animal products
- between-meal snacks
- fruit juice
- oils
There also appears to be a limit to caffeine and all processed foods, even though that's not really spelled out in the "official" rules. I am going to read the book the whole way through before I start, and will tell you all anything that I find particularly fascinating or important. Also, if there is something in here that I find too good to be true, I will point that out too.
"Lose up to 20 pounds in 6 weeks!!!" seems to be a theme, which I know sounds hokey and impossible. Since I'm not weighing myself, I don't really care about that claim. I just want to fit into some 12's again, and I want to be the healthiest version of me possible. If this plan works for those goals, they YAY!
What do you guys think?
Have you ever tried such a restrictive plan,
and if so, did you have success?
12 comments:
I saw him speak last fall and I've got to say it sounds like an amazing plan. Having a husband and family who are not vegan at all and, I admit it, having some issues with giving up my large amount of grains has made me not try it yet. I am looking forward to what you think of it!
I'm most scared of these three things: less whole grains, NO SNACKS, and no diet coke. Outside of these, I think I'll be okay. But I think that 6 weeks is do-able and it will probably only suck for the first 10 days or so. At least, I hope so!
I think it sounds good- IF you hit the targets in the first category. Low calorie counts concern me - will you be exercising? I'm utterly terrible at following plans. They always backfire on me, but maybe your experience will be different.
I think that everyone has their own needs when trying to get "back on the wagon". Good for you for changing it up and trying to figure out what you need!
I'm actually on a really similar dietary plan, although it's not a weight loss thing as it is suppose to help with my MS. Now, that being said, I *am* trying to lose weight at the moment and this kind of diet, along with my daily workouts, has seen be drop 8 pounds in 18 days. So I'd say that goal is pretty attainable! Good luck!
LEAH,
I usually don't say this, but I honestly think the diet sounds too restrictive. I'm trying to follow Intuitive Eating for real--I mean legitimately go through all the steps. Why don't you try it with me?
This diet might work in the short term but it's STILL a diet and you will likely eventually go crazy on it. Why not take the plunge and really try to get away from diets for good?
That's just my two cents. I will always support you, no matter what. I just feel like you are grasping at straws with diets and it might make more sense to tackle the real issues.
you can do anything you put your mind to :) best wishes! i'm sure you'll make it through those 6 weeks no problem.
It annoys me a that you'll delete a perfectly reasonable post saying that controlled, restricted eating is nothing to be afraid of and can aid in food sanity by deemphasizing the 'I need it now!' mindset, then go and do something very restrictive like this. What happened to your 'intuitive eating is the only thing for me?' spiel?
Personally, I think 'intuitive eating' is often an excuse to binge or consistently overeat, and I'm glad you're owning that, but still somewhat irked that you'd delete a comment saying as much several weeks ago. I know you from the WW messageboards, for what it's worth, and that overreaction seemed beneath you.
Okay... I have not deleted ANY comments, so I am very confused by this. I may go ahead and delete that one though, because you are obviously very confused and trying to make me feel badly about something that isn't even true.
Good day to you, and please stop following my blog if someone's personal journey upsets you. I don't share on here to upset people, so please stop reading. Bye-bye
Your journey doesn't upset me! Just the comment deletion. This was a few weeks ago. I guess I could be wrong; if so, I apologize, it must've been a blogosphere glitch.
I am sorry if I came across as combative. Truly, I wish you the best with this and all of your efforts to make peace with food/your body. I've been where you are, that's the only reason I comment. For me, restrictive plans work best because I'm an abstainer, not a moderator: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2011/04/quiz-are-you-a-moderator-or-an-abstainer-when-trying-to-give-something-up.html That may be true of you. Whatever happens, I wish you the best.
I should have posted this link here....instead of incorrectly (twice) on your earlier post....apologies :(
http://chickabouttown.com/category/fitness/
I started the 6 week Eat to Live challenge today and I must say it's a whole lot easier than I thought it would be. Can't wait to hear how you're doing, Leah. Thanks for the inspiration :)
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