Any Eat to Live Folks out there? - Page 3

[GoGoGirl]

I can totally relate with the coffee! I switched to decaf before starting E2L, but I think he doesn't think you should drink decaf either. I did start having it with unsweetened instead of regular soymilk...at first it tasted really bitter to me, but I guess my taste adjusted because now it tastes normal. It really is about the comfort though, there's just something so cozy about having a hot coffee in the morning!

CHILI! Yes, that was one of my best meals when I was doing the strict 6 week plan. I always kept a pot on hand so I could eat some leftovers whenever I was hungry but not up to making something eat to live-ish.

I had broccoli for dinner last night, with a soymilk-based dill and cumin sauce. Yum! I haven't started thinking about dinner tonight, yet. I fell off the wagon with meal planning a few weeks ago and I'm still not on track. When I was planning all my meals for the week in advance, I found E2L so much easier. It's hard for me to think of something on the fly, I guess. And then I end up eating broccoli for dinner!!

Rozziemama, what's your DH think about you doing Eat to Live? Does he mind that you're cooking differently? Did you get him to read the book too?

[MammaB21]

I've never heard of eat to live. Is the diet well rounded enough to do while nursing? DP doesn't eat meat, DD is allergic to eggs and peanuts, and I've been thinking of cutting dairy out for DS's fussiness. So I'll probably have the family on board for this.

[rozziemama]

Originally Posted by GoGoGirl

Rozziemama, what's your DH think about you doing Eat to Live? Does he mind that you're cooking differently? Did you get him to read the book too?

Well, DH is fairly supportive. I think he is skeptical - not of the benefits to the E2L plan, but rather just of my ability to follow through... He enjoys eating this way though, and has liked the two vegan/salt free/oil free meals I've made so far, and requested the same lunch as me - pile of mixed greens with sunflower seeds and black eyed peas (which I love BTW, haven't really eaten them much before).

At the same time, DH is not committing to the whole 9 yards - just eating what I'm eating when I make it... I think it will be very good for him though, as he put on a little baby weight himself.

How did you make the soy milk/dill sauce? Yum.

Fuhrman is wary of the chemicals used in decaf processing... so he warns against it... I interpreted the book to read that no caffeine is best, but in fact a small cup of caffeinated coffee is better than a decaf one because of the chemicals.
I anticipate that as the days/weeks go by I'm probably going to modify this eating lifestyle to allow for things like coffee or two servings of healthy whole grains. (or like last night, I had a little bit of corn in the chili and I had oatmeal for breakfast... and I also had some cooked carrots in the chili...).

[rozziemama]

MammaB21 you should take a look at the book or Furhman's website: http://www.drfuhrman.com/default.aspx.
The basic premise is that you are eating to maximize the nutrients in your food. So, that means mostly fruits and veggies - like, a TON of them - lots of legumes, nuts and seeds, and hearty whole grains, and nothing processed, etc. You don't have to be 100% vegan to do this (though it sounds like that might help with the allergies you all are facing).
I would wager, and you should probablytalk to a nutritionist to confirm, but if you're doing this correctly, your diet under E2L would be healthier for breastfeeding that otherwise. You're maximizing nutrients and eating really well if you're doing this as the book describes (though certain foods like brocolli might make babe a little gassy?).
Also while BFing it might be best to incorporate more nuts/seeds and things like avocado into your diet?
I have to say, I'd be 100% comfortable doing this while BFing, and even while pregnant. It is a very healthy diet.

[GoGoGirl]

Mamab21, I'm breastfeeding still and doing Eat to Live. I didn't start until DD was around 14 months though, so she was eating solids by then. I used to be on a yahoo group for this way of eating, and many women there also did it while breastfeeding. I know some of them added more fat to the diet though..Eat to Live is very low fat if you follow it strictly. If I was doing it while breastfeeding a younger baby, I would add more nuts and avocado than recommended on the strict plan (and maybe more starchy veggies/whole grains), and keep an eye on my supply just to be careful. It does sound like it would fit well with your food sensitivities.

Rozzie, tell me more about your greens and black eyed peas thing...is it a salad? I was thinking about it while nursing DD down for a nap, and I think I might try a similar dish, but with sauteed greens. I'm just trying to figure out what kind of sauce/seasonings to add.

The dill sauce is from one of the McDougall cookbooks. Of course I can't find the recipe now, but the measurements are something like:
2 cups soy milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
2(?) tsp dried dill
1/2(?) tsp cumin
some salt or soy sauce to taste, but I guess you'd leave that out if you're on the strict 6 week plan
**Put the milk and cornstarch in a sauce pan and bring to a low boil. Stir it until it begins to thicken. Turn the heat down, add spices, and just keep it warm until you're ready to serve it.

[rozziemama]

gogogirl - it was sauteed onions and garlic, portabello mushrooms and black eyed peas on an enormous bed of steamed chard. You could totally sautee the greens as well. Spices were mostly oregano. Something called "pizza seasoning" that is in my spice rack and that I think is really just oregano?

So, I guess I just went off the plan for lunch I was totally rushed this morning and didnt pack my lunch. I just ate a piece of pita and humus and a chick pea salad. Lots of olive oil, I think. And bread! ugh.

[GoGoGirl]

Whoa that sounds good, Rozzie. I'll definitely try it!

Dinner last night was sauteed garlic, spinach, and baby tomatoes in tomato sauce and oregano. It was so simple but DELICIOUS.

And don't stress about going off plan! (Says the mama who ate a super fatty chocolate chocolate chip muffin for breakfast!!) I figure that even doing half my meals Eat to Live is better than when I did all of them Eat to Die (as my DH calls non Eat to Live food, ).

[rozziemama]

Thanks for the good perspective GoGo.
Really what I need most right now is a decent night sleep like, 5 in a row.

[ameliabedelia]

My dh and I have been sorta doing this. We aren't following it completely, but we are trying to make sure we get the 2 lbs of (non-starchy) veggies in a day and the 1 cup of legumes. We're also trying to get at least 2-3 fruits/day.

We haven't totally eliminated all the other foods (we still eat eggs, and meat), whole-grains. However, we have found that just by adding in that many veggies and beans we're eating much less of the other stuff and losing weight anyway. Maybe not as fast as if you followed it completely, but we're still losing. And, this is much more do-able for us long-term. It's much easier to make a goal of eating that many veggies, then it is to think about all the stuff we can't eat.

[rozziemama]

ameliabedelia I think this sounds a lot like where I'll be heading... using E2L as sort of the foundation for how our entire family lives... But not denying ourselves anything per se.
After a week of eating only fruits and veggies and beans, nothing really changed on my body. I didn't gain or lose weight.
The only thing I noticed was that it was actually when I went out to dinner and ate some fairly healthy but SALTY food, it was so salty for me. And sweet stuff too - salty and sweet were suddenly really extreme after only a few days of eliminating sugar and salt from my diet.
Interesting, I thought. Since I've never thought of myself as an over-salter. It was surprising that 4,5 days of no salt would be so noticeable.

[JamSamMom]

This is such a great thread. It has inspired me to get back on the eat to live plan. I have both of the books, E2L and eat for health. I will start this week and post how things are going.

Michelle

[GoGoGirl]

Good luck Michelle! I need to get back on the plan, too. I feel like I'm always getting on and off...I should reread the books to get the reasoning back in the forefront of my mind. I've been eating a gross amount of Trader Joe's milk chocolate.

What do you all E2L mamas eat for treats? My best E2L treat is a spoonful of cold almond butter. It's creamy and cool, and I can pretend it's as good as ice cream.

[JamSamMom]

Thanks GoGoGirl!

Today is day 2 and I had a smoothie for breakfast, salad with veggie soup for lunch and I am not sure about dinner yet. Maby bean burrito with brown rice and salsa. So far so good!

Michelle

[lactivistmama]

I am glad I opened this thread! You all are very inspiring! I tried ETL awhile ago, but I didn't get a variety of foods and got bored very quickly! Maybe I will give t another try!!

[frugalmum]

I love ETL, it is one of the best nutrition/ diet books out there.  I don't follow it 100%, I have recently gone from strict vegan to omni, so I am eating about 10-15% meat/ dairy (which isn't a whole lot more than his omni alternative mentioned toward the back of the book).

Each day I aim to gorge myself on greens, veggies, beans, and fruits.  In between I eat moderate amounts of whole grains and nuts.  And recently I have added skim milk and a very small amount of chicken.  I feel great.  I do have days where I fall off the wagon and eat cookies or white bread, but I just get back on the wagon the next day!

I have a friend who was overweight, I gave him ETL knowing he would not be able to follow it 100%.  I told him, just try to follow it 50%, at least cut out refined grains, cut down on milk/ dairy, and eat as much broccoli as possible (that is one of the only  veggies he eats).  He has lost and kept off 15 pounds just by following those simple guidelines.

[frugalmum]

Originally Posted by ameliabedelia 

My dh and I have been sorta doing this. We aren't following it completely, but we are trying to make sure we get the 2 lbs of (non-starchy) veggies in a day and the 1 cup of legumes. We're also trying to get at least 2-3 fruits/day.

We haven't totally eliminated all the other foods (we still eat eggs, and meat), whole-grains. However, we have found that just by adding in that many veggies and beans we're eating much less of the other stuff and losing weight anyway. Maybe not as fast as if you followed it completely, but we're still losing. And, this is much more do-able for us long-term. It's much easier to make a goal of eating that many veggies, then it is to think about all the stuff we can't eat.

This is great and similar to how I view the book.  Honestly I wish he would write a book that includes his basic principles but is more realistic for your average person.  My sisters struggles with weight, I gave her ETL, but it was too extreme for her, there was no way she could go 90%+ vegan, eat huge amounts of salad, plus drop refined carbs completely all at once.  I tried telling her to just do it 50% or do it one day, but not the next, or whatever works for her.  But it was still too much for her.  So I wish there were a "steps" program where you  gradually work toward a level of following the plan that is realistic. 

[rozziemama]

HI everyone. So, here I am back a month (or more?!) later... after the first 5 days, I totally gave up. Granted, my normal diet isn't THAT bad, I just couldn't commit to the extremity of the full blown E2L when combining it with other stress factors in my life - work travel, parenting a toddler, etc etc. I wish I'd pushed through though, because I'll tell you - those 5 days, while I didn't lose a single pound (also frustrating, maybe I'd have been more willing to commit if I lost weight? more on that in a second) - it was actually the SALT thing that shocked me the most.  I actually felt like food I'd eaten normally was waaay over-salty when i re-introduced it, even after just 5 days. Weird, huh?

As far as weight loss goes, I'm 5'5" and weigh 137 pounds (135 on a good day ) ... the problem is that I was 5-7 pounds lighter than this before I got pregnant nearly three years ago... and I've got some body image/confidence issues because of that. It would be great to drop those pounds, and the E2L book made it seem like someone my height could and probably should (!) weigh 115 pounds... but then 5 days doing a very strict vegan version of E2L I didn't even lose a single pound?  I sort of felt like it was because I was eating too much - like, beyond my hunger point - even though it was just lettuce and greens and beans.  (and it wasn't a boring diet, a lot of the food we were eating was really tasty)

I'm thinking of trying it again, though. Especially if we can keep this chain going for support. There is something that feels very good linking E2L with mothering.com for me, though I get the sense our kids are all different ages.

[frugalmum]

Rozie 5 days is way to soon to expect weight loss!  Give it least 2 weeks if not a month before giving up.  My friend whom I mentioned in the above post did a more relaxed version-- basically he cut out refined grains and sugar, cut way down on meat and dairy, and heavily increased salad and veggies.  He lost 15 pounds but it took him about 3 months.  ETL is more of a lifestyle change-- I think some people can incorporate it more than others but even following the plan halfway is still a huge improvement over the typical American diet (not saying your diet is bad, but I think he mentions somewhere in the book that the average american only eats 2-8% unrefined plant foods!).  Currently I am at about 85% vegan (half of that unprocessed/ raw), no sugars or refined carbs, limiting oils, and I make sure to have at least 2 huge servings of broccoli or other veggie a day.  I do eat about 5-15% meat and lowfat dairy on any given day.  I guess what I'm saying is it's ok not to follow it 100% (at least IMO!) but definitely give it some time before you expect to see weight loss.

As far as what you should weigh, personally I think the low end of normal BMI or even the highest end of underweight BMI is a good thing to aim for, without looking at a chart I think this would be about 115-120 at your height.  Of course that would be very thin!  I am just under 5'9" and by ETL standards should probably be about 125-128.  I am pregnant now so not looking to lose weight but would like to be about 130 post partum after my supply has been established.  There are totally differing opinions on what is "normal" weight though so this is just my 2 cents!

I wanted to add that I am the only one in my family following ETL.  My kids eat lots of "bad"stuff and husband is heavily lacto-vegetarian.  I don't expect or even push them to eat how I do.  I do end up buying/ preparing food separately for myself, which is a pain, but I've gotten used to it by now.

[rozziemama]

Hi Frugal,

Thanks for your thoughts. I think the modified E2L would be right for me... That's what felt right after the 5 quick days... mostly because I wanted to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning but then brown rice or something else (even a starchy veggie) later in the day...

We don't eat much meat... but we do eat a lot of pasta, albeit mostly whole wheat but still! That needs to change for sure.

I'd love to weigh 120 lbs. It would be great. But I've weighed between 125 - 137 since I was 18 with a brief stint at a skinny 120-ish in college, probably not the healthiest eating time in my life however! 

Being back at 125 would feel great. The question is how to get there without feeling like I'm denying myself something... I guess that's where the extreme portions of broccoli come in