Anyone here trying to "just eat real food" via the forks over knives diet advocated from the movie with the same name?
I have been trying it for most of this year. slowly phasing out meats, most cheese and milk, incorporating more plants n fruits.
I haven't truly counted calories or done any serious working out, and I haven't lost significant weight.. Mainly just maintained my weight (which is huge bc I'm a binge stress eater).
But I feel physically better. Not as many headaches, joint pain, bloating. I "feel" good. Which is nice.
After watching the movies and reading a number of books. Prevent and Reverse Heart disease, The China Study etc. I switched my family to a whole food plant based diet 18 months ago. To date I have lost 70 lbs, My husband has lost 30lbs, my teenage daughters lost 35lbs and 15lbs. Our blood pressures are no longer borderline high, cholesterol has plummeted, skin has cleared up. I love it, it took awhile for me to relearn to cook and you kind of shift how you view food after a time, it isn't about what meat is being served as much as which grain or starch is. I continue losing weight steadily and almost effortlessly, I walk now everyday and started some easy pilates. I've never felt so well in my life. And with all the yo-yo dieting over the years I never got close to the weight I am now, I only could sustain the effort for the first 30-40 lbs before I gave up on the shakes and the caloire counting and the food plans, now I just eat food, whole plant foods in whatever creative combinations I come up with and I don't have to leave the table unless I'm done.
My dad and his wife adopted this diet several years ago. My dad has always been thin and he stayed the same. His wife lost a little weight , she wasn't really a large size to begin with. But, I notice her skin just glows. She also said her blood work had improved hugely since she began. They also don't eat any oil at all either.
Not eating any oil can be bad because our foods contain fat soluable vitamins and if you don't eat fat with your meal, they pass right on out of the body.
I eat a whole foods diet, whole grains, fruits, veggies, meats, certain oils (like olive), nuts and I eat plain yogurt and cheeses.
At the same time any of you switched to plants based diets, did you also stop eating processed foods? Or are you still eating boxed stuff and snack foods/ sugary foods?
Forks over knives and Dr. McDougall & Esselstein et. al. made me really look at my idea of dieting and what exactly I wanted from it. They are mostly about reversing disease. Losing fat is also about reversing disease. I really started to look at food in a totally different way. My diet is now mainly vegetarian, although I occasionally eat meat, and all the rest. I think it is really what you do 99% of the time and not 1% of the time. If I want to go out an eat meat, I do, making sure that the portion size is reasonable.
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Quilter: Oil -- do you mean fatty acids? Fats are available in all foods. That is how they press them out to make the oil in bottles you buy in the store. Some just have more than others. Oils such as vegetable oils like corn have only been around for a few years (1899 Wesson oil made of cotton seed oil came out for general sales as a food, that is 116 years). Earlier, oils came mainly from meats. For example bacon grease, or the oil from rendering fat. (This was also used for making soap, candles, and oil for lamps). Olives have been an exception. If you were not living in an area where olives are produced, you didn't have any olive oil. Same goes for coconuts. People always make the mistake of thinking that the way it is now, is the way it has been for thousands of years. This fat epidemic has been only been going on since the late 70's to 80's and that is when the food system started to change globally.
No one really ever had to eat a teaspoon of oil. Ever. Now, voluntarily is a different matter, but if you have the sickness of obesity, then possibly you should not do that.
I only eat local meat and organic chicken, my own veggies or organic from shop, whole dairy that's organic and/or grass fed when available. When I buy something like tortillas, I buy raw with less than five ingredients usually. I feel really good at fifty and I've lost 17 pounds in three months. I do watch my portions at breakfast and lunch, but I usually "go for it" at dinner. No aspartame and very little cane sugar was the key for me "resetting" my metabolism. I read EVERY label before deciding to buy/eat. I cook with butter, lard, olive oil, and coconut oil. I've got some grape seed oil I need to try. I no longer take cholesterol meds because no longer needed. My good cholesterol is up and my bad is down. I drink loads of water and ice tea w/Stevia is my caffeine fix.
This is largely the diet I was raised on when I was under 100lbs at graduation and wedding and two babies. I've got a ways to go but I don't think I'll ever change my eating habits again.
I watched Forks Over Knives just recently, and alsoHungry For Change, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, Fed Up, and Vegucated (if I spelled that one right). I grew up on a farm where all the cows had names and they were treated humanely. They were grass fed in the summer,turned out to pasture. All of our chickens were free range. That was decades ago.The family farm is fast becoming a thing of the past. It was a real eye opener to finally realize that we've been lied to all these years. I toyed with the idea of becoming Vegan and tried to go that route several times over the years but I didn't quite understand how to mix the beans, lentils, nuts, and tofu in order to provide enough protein and how to still get the right amount of B12. I really do not like vegetarian "cheese" you buy in the store and want to try to make my own cheese from nuts. It wasn't until I bought the books "End Of Dieting" and began to listen to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's lectures on UTube that I made a firm decision to reduce and eventually eliminate most if not all animal protein. Then I discovered Mimi Kirk. If you aren't familiar with her Liv eRaw book, and Juicing Encyclopedia check this awesome lady out on UTube. Living with others set in their own ways makes it difficult to go completely vegan but it is the way I prefer to eat.The first thing I noticed was my skin rashes are gone and I feel better. The weight loss will come after my body heals itself and the metabolic processes are corrected after many years of the wrong kind of diets.
Just wanted to pop in and update about my dad and his wife. although the Forks over Knives diet is working great for my dad, his wife has started to have high blood pressure again. I know she gets exercise and she eats TONS of greens. They also don't eat processed foods. They grind their own flour and oatmeal and sprout everything. My dad is actually worried about her and thinks she might need to reevaluate the forks over knives diet but she refuses to check out a different way of eating. Maybe its just her body chemistry? some people need different things than others? Don't know but just wanted to update.
Last edited by Pinkhippie; 06-07-2016 at 10:42 AM.
PinkHippie: My BP dropped dramatically the first week and now I have issues again; especially in the morning. We've gone whole food, plant based for the past couple months. My BP still goes out of whack! Especially in the morning. I thought I would notice a bigger difference in feeling better. We've both lost about 10 pounds is all and haven't had our blood checked. This eating plan is so labor intense. We eat oatmeal or whole grain cereal every morning with fruit. We usually have a salad for lunch and E2 recipe for dinner. I'm feeling like giving up! Why can't I find the right eating plan? I walk or do some exercise 5x a week. I'm about 50 pounds overweight and just can't get my body to respond!
Yes I have been following a plant based diet and try to keep the fat at minimum (although I do include things like chia seed, flax seed, avocado etc) So far It has helped lose a bit of weight and feeling better! Hope to continue with it I don't restrict or count carbs or calories. Just no processed foods , no oil and no animal products.
Forks over knives?
I don't restrict or count carbs or calories. Just no processed foods , no oil and no animal products.
