February Eat To Live Thread - Page 4

[BrooklynDoula]

That is a good mantra. V-day is going to be bad for me because dh is taking me out and E2L is not so eating out friendly. I lost 6 pounds in he last 10 days, though, so I am feeling great about that. As long as I don't gain, I am fine with taking a day to be bad and then getting back on board. I like to think of this as a diet in the sense of how one eats instead of a diet in the sense of a temporary change in order to lose weight.

[Purple Sage]

Natalya and BrooklynDoula, you're both doing great!

I've hit a plateau...keep gaining and losing the same two pounds for the past two weeks. Maybe that's because my body is readjusting to having lost so much last month, I don't know. Nah, it's probably just that I'm drinking too much wine. I like that line, "do I want to lose it fast or slow?" I'm going to have to start using it.

Here's today's meal plan.

B: Ezekiel bread toast w/ banana & cinnamon
L: veggie soup and a big salad
D: baked potato, veggie soup, steamed kale & a small salad
S: fruit

[holyhelianthus]

tonight is going to be tough. i firmly believe in indulging every once in a while and it is V-Day so... besides us going out to eat at a rocking restaurant the girls and i are making cupcakes together. i feel that if the girls are allowed treats every once and a while (think holidays) they are less likely to "rebel" and go on a sugar/junk binge. still doesn't stop me from feeling guilty though...

quick question- how do you all prepare your veggie soup?

[mum5]

Hi there everyone. hope it's ok to jump in here?

I did start E2L about a year or so ago, did well, then kind of dropped it.
Well, I'm back!!! It's going to be summer again soon, and I really have to loose it. I have much more than most of you, so I really need to stick with it.

I LOVE the quote " am I going to loose it fast or slow" . I will try to remember it in times of dire need

Could some one give me a quick run down of the "rules". I did have the book, but not quite sure what happened to it. I should go and get it from Borders tomorrow, but want to go grocery shopping too, and not sure how cooperative the kiddos will be.

[veggiemomma]

Hello all! I am considering getting started with E2L, and will probably order the book soon so I can fully review it.

We are already a veggie house, and I could probably give up dairy rather easily, but I don't think DH and the los are going to be at all ready to give up eggs and cheese. I don't want to force them to maintain the diet and was just wondering if any of you are going it alone while others in your house continue with their "normal" way of eating? How have you worked it out?

Also, do you find that this diet is more expensive. Of course, it is always more costly to buy fresh, quality food as opposed to prepackaged, less nutritious items, but I am wondering how much my grocery bill will increase. I know you can't give me an exact figure, I just want to know if I am going to have a heart attack at the checkout counter! HaHa!

Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by ella-makes-3

Could some one give me a quick run down of the "rules". I did have the book, but not quite sure what happened to it. I should go and get it from Borders tomorrow, but want to go grocery shopping too, and not sure how cooperative the kiddos will be.

The Six Week Program

Good to see some new faces around here! Good luck

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by veggiemomma

Hello all! I am considering getting started with E2L, and will probably order the book soon so I can fully review it.

We are already a veggie house, and I could probably give up dairy rather easily, but I don't think DH and the los are going to be at all ready to give up eggs and cheese. I don't want to force them to maintain the diet and was just wondering if any of you are going it alone while others in your house continue with their "normal" way of eating? How have you worked it out?

Also, do you find that this diet is more expensive. Of course, it is always more costly to buy fresh, quality food as opposed to prepackaged, less nutritious items, but I am wondering how much my grocery bill will increase. I know you can't give me an exact figure, I just want to know if I am going to have a heart attack at the checkout counter! HaHa!

Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!

I'm kind of going it alone in my house. Dp and the kids eat vegetarian at home, but they are not doing ETL. I just load up on vegetables while they eat more grains and sometimes butter and eggs. Dp is a chef so he cooks a lot of food when he's home, and I do a lot of reheating leftovers when he's not.

I haven't found that our grocery bill has increased very much since I started ETL. We get a box of organic produce delivered once a week from Door to Door Organics, and I had to order a larger box so that went up a bit. But other than that, we buy beans and grains in bulk which is really cheap especially compared to meat. We also buy very little packaged foods anymore, and that's saving us money. I think it all evens out.

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by magstphil

quick question- how do you all prepare your veggie soup?

I wish I could answer your question, but I am not the cook in my family. Dp makes the best soup ever, but he doesn't use a recipe and I can never make soup taste as good as he does. All I know is that he puts in lots of onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tons of chopped greens, canned tomatoes, and whatever other veg we have, plus bay leaf and other seasonings. It's the herbs and spices that I can't duplicate.

[mum5]

Thanks Lemongrass. I did actually go to that site after I had posted.
I am probably going to start on Wednesday, as Sunday is dd2's birthday, and Monday I have to prep for a colonoscopy ( lucky me, huh!!) and then have it on tuesday, so Wednesday looks good for me.

In answer to the food bill, I found that it just depends on what you actually eat right now. We don't do prepackaged foods anyway, but we are meat eaters, so what we save on not buying fish, chicken , cheese etc. for me, will probably even out in the amount of greens that we will have to buy. I do remember that I had to go to the grocery store ALOT!!!

Veggimomma, when do you plan to start?

[veggiemomma]

Originally Posted by ella-makes-3

Veggimomma, when do you plan to start?

DH and I are going out of town for a conference and will be eating out every meal for 5 days. I don't think it would be a good time to start the diet, but I will try my best to pick things from the menu that fit the diet the closest.

I hope to start in earnest not this Sunday, but the following. That will give me time to get back from the conference and to thoroughly review the information so I know exactly what it is that I can and can't have.

I guess Buttermilk Buckwheat Banana Pancakes would be off the menu, huh?

[grnmtnmama]

i'm down another couple of pounds and another hole in my belt. i'm not being super strict because of all the exercise that i generally do - but trying the best that I can.

[mum5]

Buttermilk Buckwheat Banana Pancakes off the menu? No ! Why?
They are much better topped off with cool whip, artificially flavoured choc syrup and tons of those neon bright red "cherries" .
That's on the E2L plan right?::

grnmtnmama, that's such a great feeling isn't it!! Hope to be there with you soon.

[midwestmom]

Hi new mamas!

I did terrible today. I hit my six week mark and then crashed apparently. I lost 13 lbs in my 6 weeks, probably gained a lb or two today. We had a rough week of various illnesses and some other stresses, so I guess I comfort ate. Okay, back on the wagon again. I really want to drop at least another 10 lbs in the next 2 months (or less).

veggiemama-I didn't notice a huge increase in my grocery bill and my family isn't doing ETL with me. They eat more grains and still do eggs/dairy and occasionally meat although hopefully not for long.

ETA-grnmtnmama, I am so jealous. Awesome!

[veggiemomma]

Originally Posted by lemongrass

I haven't found that our grocery bill has increased very much since I started ETL. We get a box of organic produce delivered once a week from Door to Door Organics, and I had to order a larger box so that went up a bit. But other than that, we buy beans and grains in bulk which is really cheap especially compared to meat. We also buy very little packaged foods anymore, and that's saving us money. I think it all evens out.

Hey, thank you so much for mentioning Door to Door Organics. I had never heard of it...and I was MOST surprised to find out they actually deliver ib ny area. WOO-HOO! Produce around here is pretty close to pitiful. Last week, I bought a pound of Roma tomatoes for $6 for a salad. When I got them home and cut them open, every single one was rotten around the seeds. I had to throw the whole container out - the SAME day I bought them.

[Natalya]

hey everybody! i'm glad to see new faces too, welcome!

one thing i've been thinking a lot about, and visualizing is something fuhrman said in his book, something about your body rapidly replacing bad tissue with good healthy tissue because it wants helthy tissue so badly. this is another thing that has kept me firmly in this diet.

i went to a conference this weekend and had to bring one meal (and of course i got made fun of) . i also ate a lot more refined grains that i should have, but i def stayed dairy/meat free. really, to even think about cheese makes me nauseous. (and that is a big deal, since usually i LOVE cheese)

i just weighed today and have lost 2 more pounds! that makes 5 pounds in 12 days! i'm super happy. all my clothes are fitting loosely and i feel really good. so it's paying off, yay!

[midwestmom]

That is excellent, Natalya!

I did much better today. I went to the gym this am and stuck to the diet for all meals. Feeling better today. AF came though. Maybe that is why I cheated so badly yesterday.

[veggiemomma]

Well, I started today just to see if I thought the diet would be doable while I am on vacation. Still not sure about that, but today wasn't too bad. I was wondering, would some of you guys please post how much weight you have lost and how long it took? It says in the book that you could lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks. I think there is one example where someone lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks. So, what I want to know is...what can I REALLY expect to lose in 6 weeks.

I am more than willing to admit that I am the kind of person that needs to see immediate results. That is just my nature, I guess.

Also, do you snack during the day to get in your fruits, or do you try to eat it all at meal times?

Another question I have is in regard to beans. Do you all find it better to start with dry beans and let them soak everynight? I used canned chickpeas today, after I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed, but I know they still probably had a lot of salt.

I am only halfway through the book, but I can definitely see where this diet could be life changing, but difficult to stick with. I think the most difficult thing for me to give up will be salt.

Congratulations, Natalya!!!

[BrooklynDoula]

I had a great day and my weight is coming off nicely. I am thrilled about this.

My dh and I are veggie and so our both our kids. They do not E2L but I find it easy to just make food for myself. Dh cooks lots of veggie, although he uses salt, but I eat what he makes when he makes it (an he does the same me me usually). Why is salt a no-no? I can't remember from the book (which I gave away to MIL) and now I wonder. Anyone know?

Today I made a great white bean soup in a tomatoe base with tons of fresh basil, parsley, and rosemary. Lots of black pepper also. It is so good. Looking forward to eating it again tomorrow!

[BrooklynDoula]

I make my beans in a crock pot. I never buy canned unless I am out of town or something. I put them in at night and turn it off in the monring. They are perfect and it is so easy. Our crockpot cost about $25 and the savings probably paid for it quickly because we buy organic beans for less that a $1 a pound dry and cans are much pricier for less.

As for food bill, our bill dropped actually. Ds eats almost no cheese and dh eats what I buy him So, getting much less cheese saved a bunch. I buy cheap veggies and try for more seasonal fruits and veggies at the co-op. Tonight was brussel sprouts, beets, and kale.

[midwestmom]

Hollie-I lost 13 lbs in my first 6 weeks. I have another 10-15 to go.

Megan-that soup sounds good. Can you post the recipe if you have a minute?

I did pretty good on my diet today, but didn't exercise. Kids were cranky today and it is frigid here, so we didn't get out much.