Started a new diet based on Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formul
 

Hi,

June fourth I started a new diet based on the book by
Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss.
http://www.drfuhrman.com/weightloss/about.aspx

He is a strict vegan.

He says for the first six weeks to eat
I. 2 huge salads each day -- eat at least a head of Romaine lettuce or similar green each day
II. At least 4 fresh fruits a day
III. Limited grains and starches of no more than one serving a day
IV. A cup or more of beans or lentils each day
V. No more than an ounce of uncooked nuts a day.
VI. Absolutely no animal products (Milk, cheese, eggs, and fish are off limits.)
VII. Flax seed
VIII. Mushrooms (good meat replacement because of texture and good helpful plant chemicals)
IX. cooked and uncooked low calorie veggies like broccoli


On top of this vegan diet, I am also eating 98% Wheat Free / Gluten free.


My goal is to loose weight and to feel better. I also hope that my body responds in good ways.

So far I feel a little more clear headed. :)
(It would help if I followed the plan a little more closely.) lol

Hubby is helping with the cooking. :) :)

M.

there are down sides to a diet like this...
 

1) you can become B12 deficient. You may last up to 5 yrs depending on how much is stored in your liver. But don't count on 5 yrs.

2) the amino acids in vegetarian foods are low in methionine and cysteine. Methionine is used in the body to make SAM which is a methyl donor to 3 things:
a) liver health/regeneration
b) joint and tendon repair
c) neurotransmitter synthesis

3) Certain blood types do not do well on vegan diets.
The book Your Body Knows Best goes into that genetic research.
http://www.becomehealthynow.com/arti...nutrition/234/
People with Type A are often most comfortable on a vegan type life style.

4) vegetarians often become depleted in zinc. This is because the phytates in the
vegetables complex zinc and prevent its absorption from the GI tract. Most foods
high in zinc are seafood and meats. (both not included in vegan fare).

It is my opinion that severely restricted diets like this one are not healthy in the long run. We evolved as Omnivores, so our bodies expect certain nutrients to function well.
Ovo-Lacto vegetarians often do better than vegans.
And eliminating fish? That is the worst of all! JMO.

Going gluten free is a good idea. You will see what works for you that way.
Many people are gluten intolerant today (I suspect NSAIDs for causing that)

This restrictive diet is similar to the Cell Program by Dr. Jensen-Kittley. She uses a similar
elimination diet early in her program to detoxify and identify things people react to. Once people identify what is bothering them, they can return to other foods in moderation.
One thing I learned from reading her was that the nightshade family and Lily family are hard for ME.

Her program is very interesting-- check it out:
www.obesitysanswer.com

And depending on your age--- you may have to invest in Beano!

edit to add... the typical deficiencies I list here are slow to develop...you do not see them
immediately. But with time low zinc== hair falls out, immunity goes down, poor protein== hair loss, and low B12 leads to neuro damage slowly.

One has to make sure you are getting enough Omega-3s from this diet as well. Dr. Ornish made this mistake on his drastic cardio diet which is similar to this one, and when his patients started to die
he added Flaxoil supplements.

dear mari
this sounds so exciting. I hope you keep us posted and tell us what you eat and tell us how you feel and of course the weight loss.
if you soak lentils for an hour in water, my friend said they aren't as gassy.
I wonder if you can use Indian seasoning.
I need to lose weight so badly and I love romaine lettuce and lentils. I don't eat much meat. What does it say about eggs?
Bobby
I just ordered the book from amazon

Dear Morgy,
He says to eat 90% of your calories from plant sources -- which prob means no more than a few eggs a week --- I'm not a mathematcian :cool:

But eggs are a great source of protein so if you like them, eat them and accommodate them into the diet.

Good luck.
I'll let you know.

M.

Both my tdoc and my accupunturist want me on the plant based diet.
I think that the tdoc pretty much eats like this.

The premier usefulness of eggs is the CHOLINE. They remain the highest source of choline in our diets (liver used to be the highest--but no one eats liver anymore). Also many eggs today are Omega-3 enhanced and provide DHA for the brain.
Choline is basically used to make acetylcholine and phosphotidylserine for our brain cell membranes.

thank you both so much. i eat a lot of eggs

Dear Mrsd,

Thanks for your good input.
I learn when I read your posts.

I have Dr. D'Adamo's blood type books. I am type O.

I can take supplements for some of the things you mention.
I already take Methylcobalamin b12 and Omega Brite fish oil. I had forgotten zinc but I some here that I used to take in addition to my multi vit.



I just looked up methionine and cysteine on Wikipedia. Thanks for telling me about them.

Unfortunately, fish grosses me out. I imagine that all the waters (wild or farmed) are polluted. -- yeah, I know that that is not totally rational.

Thanks for the links.

I have not committed to this long term.
I'm going to try it for the rest of the summer and see what happens when school starts.
I'll re-evaluate then -- maybe try adding eggs and dairy.

M.

I think you would
 

enjoy Dr. Kittley's book and website.

She has found many organic reasons why people feel bad or
are overweight. Her main diet is to identify and ultimately eliminate foods that cause cravings and water weight gain
for people.

And this differs for each person. She is very big on gluten free eating. Estimates today are that 1 in 150 are gluten intolerant.

Dr. Kittley also suggests using Taurine and Inositol daily.
Now the inositol may be a problem for bipolars, esp those taking Lithium which depletes inositol. No one knows if this lowering of inositol is the real mechanism whereby lithium is actually working. But I have introduced inositol into our home and all 3 of us use it to reduce anxiety. My husband can tolerate higher doses, but I stay around 500mg daily.
This has something to do with insulin resistance because inositol is lost in the urine of diabetics. Also inositol is used in PCOS treatments now. Taurine is also useful for improving gall bladder functioning and complexing with cholesterol and moving it out thru the bile.

I personally think Dr. Kittley is the most sensible of all the diet doctors I have read. She is amazing in fact. So do check her out.

I think it is alot easier to do a dietary change like this in the summer. At least for me being in cold weather affects appetite signficantly. (but I know you are in Fla...so that would not be so much of
an issue). I always lose some weight every summer, and gain it back every winter.

It sounds okay, but it seems like a new diet is coming out every day or so these days and often there isn't a lot of science to back up the claims.

I personally like Weight Watchers and lost 25 pounds on their system several years ago and have kept it off with only a few slip ups. DH lost 35 pounds. They have two programs...one of which has one awards and doesn't require point/calorie counting. You can also do it on-line. Both encourage eating foods that are low in fat and high in fiber. They also encourage folks to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Exercise is encouraged as well. Often times people know what to do, but they need a system for guidance, the accountability of the scale, help with faulty thinking and encouragement during the rough spots. I think the meeting rooms help with those things.

Sometimes our bodies don't respond as anticipated. I do believe that with careful observation, we can often make personal adjustments just for our own needs. For example...if you find yourself saying "I seem to gain weight whenever I drink milk." Well...my answer would be don't drink milk and think about reducing or even elimnating other dairy products as well.

I think that for a very large percentage of people, it does boil down to portion control, chosing quality (low fat/high fiber preferred) foods, drinking water and keeping our bodies moving.

Other folks, might have metabolic difficulties and probably need to seek additional insight from a physician or nutritionist.

Very recently, I have noticed that I have started to gain some weight unexpectedly. Upon review of my situation, I probably have every known risk factor for weight gain out there...thyroid issue, stress, taking a medication that is known to be problematic, over a "certain age," female...etc. My doctor suggested that I take 200 mgs of Chromium Picolate daily and this seems to be helping. I also know I do better when I drink plenty of water...but this 'ol gal seems to be stubborn!

Other than the B12 concern and possibly the lack of calcium in the diet you mention, perhaps it is not too bad. Does he encourage regular exercise? Be sure to take a multi-vitamin mineral supplement (at the very least). I'm sure you will want to check with your physician at your next visit.

Wishing you much success with your weight loss and good health goals.

p.s. Check out a cereal company called Nature's Path. They make unusual cereals. One is called "slim" and is low fat/high fiber. Some have flax seed in them Delicious! Also...Portabella mushrooms are almost "meaty" in texture...I can see where that could be "like" a meat substitute.
http://www.naturespath.com/products/cold_cereals

HI mari,
I jsut caught up with this thread....
I am worried that you are not getting enough protein....
Vegatarians eat a lot of soy protein...are you eating soy?
It is the only vegatable that is a complete protein all by itself.
other wise YOu have to mix certain things together to get a complete protein...like rice and beans.
I am glad that you are trying a new diet...am hoping that it makes you feel better.
good for you for trying this.
bizi

Hi,
Thanks for the support. http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/happy/goodvibes.gif
And I do feel better eating this way. :)
I'm doing this with weight watchers both in meetings and on line.


Fuhurman allows but discourages the use of soy and grain products.

His big thing is to eat tons of raw veggies and lots of greens . . . .the very things that are generally missing from the Standard American Diet.

Regarding protien:
He points out that per calorie, broccoli has double the protein that steak has (steak's calories are in fat). . . same as spinach and so on.

He says in his book that his diet supplies 40-70 grams of protein daily on a 1200-1800 calorie diet.

He has lots and lots of research and he explains about how calcium from plant foods is more easily absorbed by the body than calcium from animals. He also explains that protein combining does not have to happen at the same meal -- it happens over the course of the day.

Also, I have common sense and if it stops working for me I know to make adjustments. I appreciate your checking up on me.

M.

Edited to add:
He does recommend taking vit B12, vit D, and a good multi.

here is a good reference for you:
 

This is a really good reference to show exactly what foods
contain:

Example: Broccoli:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/2357/2

This is for a cup of hard boiled egg:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/d...products/117/2

beans:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/2325/2

This resource is very helpful to learn which foods have which amino acids in them.

My favorite is Edamame beans (this is soy, which I don't understand your diet's restriction on)
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/v...roducts/9873/2

When I get back in September, I'll look your history up to see how you are doing!

Best of luck with the new diet Mari, I know I feel better after changing the way we eat. I need to start juicing more again but it's kind of a pain to wash up the juicer. :p I hope you continue to feel good and that you lose weight so you feel healthier. As far as I am concerned it's all about how you feel, and from the sound of it you are feeling better, so that's a good thing! :D

Have a nice trip MrsD! And thanks for all the informative links, your posts are always so enlightening. :D

thanks
 

Dear Mrsd,
Those charts are so cool.
They even provide the inflammation factor -- something I have begun learning about.
Mari

Wow!
I jsut watched the coolest movie.
Crazy sezy cancer by kris carr
It was great.
She talked about a whole foods diet....I watched her use a juicer it was amazing....
she said that wheat grass has a lot of protein in it!
She also uses a lot of avacados, and coconut milk
Stevia as a sweetener.
No meat products at all.
Are you juicing?
bizi
90% whole foods 10% cooked....
wow!http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm#table3

Protein for a vegan diet is the above link.

Mari...wow that is interesting that you are doing this in conjunction w/ ww. The program does allow for some flexibility...esp. if you are willing to eat a lot of veggies (fiber).

Here is an interesting article (I think):
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/n...src=RSS_PUBLIC

I read it fast...but I think it features a study about prudent eating. Folks who ate less meat (probably less red meat and fats), more veggies, less sugar...seem to have less heart disease and overall better health...will re-read later...but wanted to get it down! LOL!

Wishing you (and all of us really!) continued good luck with your good health/weight loss!

Diet
 

I lost 40lbs about 2 years ago and have kept it off, by keeping a daily food diary, in which I keep track of digestion issues, medication issues, every meal and snack, exercise, and mood for the day. I try to look at it as a plan of being healthy for life. It also helps me see what foods affect my mood, or if I gain weight, what am I doing differently..I keep it in a binder and generally just track what is going on.

For instance, I was putting on a few pounds and I looked at what was different, and I noticed I had been guzzling lots of gatorade after exercise, and I realized gatorade is loaded with sugar, and calories, as much as sugary sodas. OR I am having anxiety, so I am eating because of that..

I did see a nutritionist about 2 times to get me started. I use the FDA Pyramid as a guide. Eating the recommended daily allowances of fruit and vegetables, at the recommended serving size. I felt like milk and dairy were causing me to gain, so I cut it out, except for yogurt, which is good bacteria for the stomach. My nutritionist had told me to avoid soy milk or soy in general, something about it can cause digestion issues for some peoples.

I generally eat the same fruits and vegetables every day, but I do have one cheat day. Less daily variety for me means, anything on cheat day will make me happy.

Just sticking to fruits and vegetables and chicken or fish. From what I gathered from the nutritionist, everything is about proper digestion and high fiber choices.

I eat stawberries, blueberries (berries are lower in sugar) and romaine with green peppers, broccoli, chicken or fish, and yogurt or sugar free things for snacks.

I do have a penchant for eating bad stuff at about 8pm, so I have tried to do cinammon raison english muffins, with peanut butter and maybe a few cookies, but not an entire box. I used to buy low fat cookies and such, but I realized just eating the reese cup, is less calories than eating a bunch of fat free grahmn crackers!!!

I do take 900 mg of seroquel, which can make you want to eat the entire house, and I take nothing for anxiety, which causes me to eat a bit more also. I am usually a "all or nothing" person, so I am just trying to learn balance.

Dear Bizi,

Pam is the master juicer here.
I don't know much about it.
Occassionally hubby comes home with a whole bunch of carrots and juices up a storm.
I love avocados. I need to remember to buy some.


Dear Vowel Lady,


Thanks for the link.
Do you have to fight any cravings? I'm ok with sugar as long as I stay away from it. Sometimes I crave good bread.
Hubby is the cook in our household. He does a good job of the whole foods diet and low fat stuff. For example he makes lots of one dish means with lots of veggies and then some rice on the side. I've been skipping the rice lately.



Dear RoadRunner,
:welcome_sign:

It's great to hear about someone who has been successfull!. . . especially on Seroquel!

Sounds about right. This sounds like what my sister's nutritionist told her. It is good to hear it again.

Keeping a food diary works for me too -- when I do it.
Keeping any kind of diary works. Maybe I need to keep a sleep diary to fix my weird sleep patterns.


That English muffin snack sounds delicious!


We had another poster who gave himself a free day like you describe. I'm going to try to find the thread and bump it up.

Thanks for sharing your tips and your success.

Mari

what can you put on the vegetables?

Probably Fuhrman would say anything except animal products (no butter, no cheese products, . . ..but then even he breaks his own rules.
He would also say something low fat.
In the back of the book he has a list of low/no fat commercially available dressing that come to 20 calories a serving. They are basically vinaigrettes.

He has a few recipes for salad dressings. Here are two.

Zesty Tomato-Garlic Dressing
1/2 cup tomato or tomato vebetable juice
2 tsp lemon
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 oz low fat tofu (optional)
Blend together



Thousand Lost Island Dressing
2 hard boiled egg whites
1/2 cupt chopped celery, cucumber, or chopped steamed string beans
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
Blend together



Hubby makes a kind of sauce with a mixture of water, organic molasses, wheat free soy sauce, and little bit of oil -- the results are a little bit like a stir fry.

I used to put cold spaghetti sauce on microwaved broccoli when I was single. That was one of my favorite diet foods.

Mari

thank you..can't wait for the book to come...i like a low fat ginger salad dressing...the sphagetti sauce with broccoli sounds great...i guess olive oil with garlic would be all right.
do you drink coffee with milk? if you did and cut it out do you miss it. Is tea allowed?
bobby

coffee
 

He says no coffee or caffinated beverages -- especially during his initial six week period.

However, his main concern is that one eat lots of veggies and fruits and virtually eliminate animal products.


I don't drink coffee at all and have tea every once in while so this was not an adjustment for me.


I can tell you that it is hard to eat out on this diet. A friend took me out for dinner at a marvelous Greek restaurant earlier tonight. I ordered a Greek salad with no feta cheese. I had a little hummus on the side.
It's a new adventure in a way because it forces me to see food in a different way -- not used to eating lots of veggies and fruits every day.

M.

is hummous and babaganoush on the diet
you are so lucky you aren't addicted to coffee
what are your favorite drinks?
do you have any food cravings now? if so what?
this diet sounds a little like fit for life by the diamonds
I am really excited for you
bobby

Yep, I have to fight sugar cravings at times.
I get them when I'm under stress or over tired. They come at night.
I do better when I eat eggs...honestly. So, I see the wisdom in Mrs. D's posts. There is something magical about them.
I just found a "bar" of some kind designed for diabetics that you buy at Walgreens (forgot the name...sorry). I might use this in a pinch. It is low fat, no sugar, high protein and has 5 grams of fiber in it. I think it was about 130 calories. I thought it would make a good emergency breakfast and/or snack. It was chocolate in flavor. This might also help to reduce cravings. However, nothing really beats good wholesome "real" food.
I think Chromium Piccolate is helping me a bit with this.
I bought Celestial Seasonings Green Tea Bags. Bought the Decaf and Regular and I'm mixing them. I drink one glass every couple of days...this seems to help a little too.
Also...love that Magic Bullet...really fun!
I did a modified Fit for Life by the Diamonds and lost a lot of weight and felt great!

topamax a mood stabilizer gets rid of some of the junk food craving and sugar

cinnomin helps stabilize blood sugars too!
It comes in capsules, the bottle says to take 2.
bizi

boy does it!

i am the worlds biggest chocolate freak. since starting the cinnamon i rarely have any sweets. when i do, it more because lil'monkey made cookies..and you know mommy has to try one.

we took hubby to a really nice brunch buffett to father's day....i didn't even go to the desert bar.

i buyit at walmart. inexpensive. i do take 3 right before and during my period. :o

mari, i am doing a modified south beach diet. all whole foods. cut out breads, which i didnt' eat much of any way.

i haven't cut out caffiene 100%. too scared about the mirgaine issue. like vowel lady, i do the 1/2. decaf tea. lots of water and i'm not a soda drinker.

:hug: ty for sharing your diet journey mari.

the book eat to live arrived. I am reading it slowly. So far I haven't gotten to the meaty part. I wonder if i can give up coffee and milk
bobby

:eek: both? right away?

let me know if you can substitute soy milk. i think i could give up coffee if i could have tea. the warm drink is a comfort. :o

hubby got the book a few weeks ago. he falls asleep reading. 1 page a night.:rolleyes: i think i'll nab it from him. :wink:

doing this for a living for so many years has made it hard for me read diet, health and fitenss books for enjoyment. but i'm back on the learn and wrinkle my brain track again. let me know what you think of the book.

There are many nice decaf teas out there now. There is even a decaf version of Constant Comment's hearty breakfast one.(the dark blue box...it is now called Bigelow English Teatime)
Also nice is peppermint tea. I use this alot on vacation when it is cool/damp...it is very warming and nice. (no caffeine), and in the winter.

Of course there are decaf green teas now. I use Salada, which has a light citrus overlay.

I don't drink coffee anymore..it upsets my stomach. Mega upset. I loved it tho when I could, but it often made me very jittery.

most of the tea i drink is decaf. once in awhile i'll have cup of a full leaded. i love the fruity herbal ones. iced mint teas are wonderful. heck..in texas inthe summer..all ice tea is wonderful. :p

maybe it's a childhood thing. i love the smell of fresh ground coffee brewing. makes my kitchen smell just like my greatgrandma's in the morning. :D

i only drink 1 cup of mixed decaf (organic i got at sams) and flavored regular.

i do know that no caffiene would be better. :o

Dear Morgy,
There is no meaty part to his book.
His organization is all over the place.
He spends a lot of time on how plant based diets are good for people.
->I like that he provides lots of research and a good index.

He spells out his six week into diet plan in Chapter 8 --especially pp.181-184.

On page 140 he mentions that he was a vegetarian in the early 1970s while he was on the U.S. World FIgure Skating Team. http://www.goldenskate.com/competiti...oam/jaca.shtml -- see 1976 when he came in third in pair skating.
While exercising 5 hours a day, he ate huge amounts of fruits veggies, raw nuts, and whole grains. -- he includes this to demonstrate that he got plenty of protein.


On page 69 he mentions the China-Cornell-Oxford Project:
http://www.ctsu.ox.ac.uk/projects/cecology1989/

(About a year ago I bought the book called "The China Study" that explains the study. Supposedly some parts of this study are flawed. Still, it is an interesting and useful study.)


Chapter 9 has the shopping plan and some recipes.

Page 90 provides of list of calcium dense foods. It turns out that Bok choy, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, and even romaine lettuce are good source of calcium.

At the bottom of page 115 he basically sums up his plan:

Quote:

. . . eat as many vegetables, beans, and fresh fruits as possible and less of everything else.

Pages 122-126 talks about good oil and ground flax seed.

Here is his version of the food pyramid: page 187.

I hope that I didn't spoil the book for you.

I'll be interestd to see what you get out of it.

The best way to look at a drastic diet change imo is to first think of it as ADDING foods instead of GIVING UP foods. So I am focused on adding 2 bowls of uncooked veggies to my diet each day. I am not usually successfull, but that is my goal.

Mari

Hi, All,

Like some of you I have been reading popular diet books since I was in middle school and medical research on food since I was 18 or 19. It's one of my hobbies that I return to every once in while.

Still. I am not an expert.
Also each body on the planet is different and requires unique care that no one book can address. Even most nutritionists do not understand how unique we are.

Also, a drastic change in diet can cause weird things to happen like detox.

The beginning of each diet book I have read mentions that you need to check with your doctor. HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
As a general rule, they stink when it comes to food advice.

Still this would ideally be the right way to go:
-- get a really good work up from a really good MD,
-- then get some really good advice from a really good nutritionist.

What I am saying is forget this book. I only posted to tell you I was trying something new.

I appreciate the words of encouragement and the insight from others. Also, sometimes it is fun to talk about food. Thank you.

M.

If I find a better way to stick with it I will definitely share tips. :D

link to a green site:
 

Going green? See the top 12 foods to eat organic.
bizi