A quick update to my ETL journey, I've finished two months now and am down 20 pounds. It may not seem like a drastic weight loss, but I have three conditions that make it extremely difficult for me to lose weight. In fact, my endocrinologist told me earlier in the year that it most likely wouldn't be possible for me to lose weight. (You can't see me but I'm sticking my tongue out at her ).
I'm considering going back to the stricter 6 week plan again but keep putting it off, so maybe I'm just happy where I am. The LIFE plan is indeed liveable for life, so I might rather lose weight a bit slower (1-2 pounds a week) and keep up my daily exercise than ramp back my food that much.
I have one additional question. I'm concerned about the levels of protein I would be intaking on an E2L diet. I track my food and usually add eggs, tuna (I do eat sea food), or steamed shrimp to days when I'm not hitting my protein targets of 30% a day. I find it quite difficult to get near this target when only eating tofu, beans, and veggies.
Do you have any perspective or advice on this? Would adding in a low carb, no sugar protein shake be an absolute no-no? Or maybe I don't need 60-90 g of protein a day like I've been aiming for...
Thanks!
I wouldn't worry about getting 60-90 grams of protein a day. However, the plan does allow for seafood/eggs/meat a few times a week.
If it makes you feel better, you could try the plan while still including it daily. Just make sure the majority of what you eat is fruits/veggies/beans/tofu (Dr Furhman thinks eggs/meat/seafood should be eaten as a garnish or side dish to a vegetable meal).
I would stay away from protein powder as it's quite processed and the goal of the diet is to eat whole foods.
Good luck, let me know if you try it!
Last edited by Wildflower; 10-20-2011 at 12:26 PM.
I am starting a modified version of E2L today. I kind of started it two weeks ago then stopped, then had a guest here (which meant lots of not-on-plan meals) then we had a dessert party at our house...
I don't have the book but I'll basically just eat a LOT of vegetables (cooked and raw), fruits, nuts, and beans, with an occasional starchy veg. I don't really eat grains so that won't be a problem. No avocados in India really, unfortunately, so fats will come from oils and nuts. I will add in tuna and eggs every now and then as needed. I also am unable to get unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened soy milk, so I'll be sticking with regular soy milk and skim milk. It has sugar, I know, but I think since I'll be eating no grains hopefully it won't have too much of a net effect.
Another question for wildflower and any other E2L experts...
Do you count calories at all while on E2L? I approached this assuming I can follow the general gist- nothing processed, no animal products, lots of veggies, no grains/starches. I didn't count my calories yesterday but did today and have eaten a lot calorie-wise, even though I haven't eaten much E2L-wise, if that makes sense.
In other words, I've had:
- Veggies (and oil): 1/2 c sauteed spinach with onions, tomatoes, a little oil, and Indian spices, 1/4 c okra sauteed in similar seasonings
- Beans: 1 c chickpeas, no salt or oil
- Nuts: 15 almonds (less than 1 serving)
- Fruit: 1/2 banana, 1 apple
From what I understand, I haven't eaten nearly the vegetables (cooked and raw) I need to, nor the fruit. No avocado, no flax seed, not enough nuts as I'm permitted.
Yet I'm at 800 calories exactly, only 400 to go if I continued on my 1200 calorie/day track. It's doable to get in the rest of the required vegetables, flax, and fruits, but I could VERY easily overdo it and up over 1200 calories.
Does E2L suggest that calories dont' matter as much if the nutritional density of those calories is increased? Is that the nutrients/calories equation I keep seeing?
I'm quite nervous to just follow E2L and not track calories, or to allow calories to go higher than 1200. I lose VERY slowly on 1200, even with reasonable exercise (30-45 minute runs, lifts, yoga, 3-5x a week).
Hello Everybody. I have been gone for quite a while, so I apologize in advance if I have missed much of the background info on the last 5 or so pages.
With that being said, indiblue, Dr. F. says that most people will still lose weight even when consuming higher than normal calories because their bodies process the healthy foods well.
If you are still worried about going over 1200 cals, have you tried cooking your veggies with broth/seasoned water instead of oil? The calories and fat in oil add up really quickly and take away from the "actual food" that you can eat in a day. I limited nuts myself, but I ate avocados and olives so it probably evens out. Just my two cents...
Thanks JBrum! I would love to be able to eat more than 1200 calories and lose... so I'll just have to experiment a bit and see what happens. I'm a *little* skeptical that calories won't matter as much, only because I eat super clean to begin with and still have to stick to 1200 to see slow results. The only things that will change in my diet under E2L are switching over to soy milk and cutting out peanut butter. But I'm hopeful!
Yes, I actually rarely use oil for my veggies and prefer to steam or roast them. It was a bit of a coincidence we had two types of sauteed veggies the other day. And you're right, oil adds up quickly.
Yesterday I did quite well until the evening- went to a Diwali party (I live in India) and ate several hundred calories of sweets. I didn't go too much over my calories, but I know all the sugar was terrible.
No more social engagements for a while (I think) so I plan to be quite diligent about staying OP
I didn't count calories at all. I ate whatever I wanted as long as there was no added sugar / fat / grains / dairy / eggs / meat. I didn't restrict nuts, but I didn't go crazy either - maybe a few tablespoons of almond butter (no sugar, no added oils) with a banana or a 1/2 cup of nuts. I also ate tofu/tempeh, avocados and olives which have naturally occurring fat in them.
The theory is, if you are not eating oils/refined carbs/sugar, it's actually quite hard to over eat on veggies since they are low in calories. Combine that with the fact that beans/veggies are very filling (due to high fiber/water content) and you actually should be eating less than you were before. Also, as another poster mentioned, the body responds better to the low sugar/fat calories and will burn through more quickly than animal protein.
Last edited by Wildflower; 10-28-2011 at 10:28 AM.
I have decided that I am going to continue calorie counting because I am not sticking with the plan exactly. I am not able to get the full 1 lb of raw vegetables he recommends because I live in India and raw vegetables are a big risk. I eat them when I can (mostly things I can peel, like carrots, or things that aren't dug out of the ground, like peppers) but raw broccoli, cabbage, and spinach are too big of e-coli risks to eat in large quantities.
So, I'm eating more cooked veggies and more beans. The latter of which is VERY easy to overdo.
I also have not cut out sweets altogether, and this is absolutely something I'm working on.
Otherwise I'm really enjoying living a more plant-based diet. I should have been doing it all along, and I do expect to continue this WOE permanently. Hope that there are others who can check in with me here and keep each others accountable!
My brother stopped by last night. He has been working out of town so I don't see him much even though he lives across the street pretty much.
I was really worried this eating style would not work for him Been about 5-6 weeks and he says he has stuck to it as best as he can not being at home much. He found a vegan restaurant he loves!
He is down 17 pounds and looks very good.
Shocks me because he was such a huge meat eater!!! I'm talking a pound of hamburger at a sitting!
His wife and daughter each down 8-9 pounds too.
A few mishaps with some desserts and a meal or two but otherwise they say they are on plan.
I've been eating my version of ETL for about 2 1/2 months. I've only seen Fuhrman's pbs special, and just the other day got the book from the library.
I'm rather old (in my 6th decade) and didn't anticipate losing very fast. Especially since I too don't stick to the program to the letter. But in the past 2.5 months I've lost about 17-18 pounds and am tickled pink! I'm rarely hungry, and if I am, I eat something. I exercise, but nothing out of the ordinary. And best of all, I feel great. And the food is tasty - but then I am a good cook.
Right now I'm making a lentil/vegetable stew, which currently is the mainstay of my eating. I serve that with a bit of whole grains such as brown rice.
He recommends a pound of cooked, and a pound of raw veggies. I don't get anywhere near the pound of raw however. I keep intending to, but just dont.
My other 'cheats': daily hot tea (tea is not even in his book's index), artificial sweetner, gelatin (for making blender ice cream w almond milk and fruit), half glass of red wine when I desire, and occasionally 1T olive oil in salads.. And a bit of 80% chocolate most days.
I do not believe in deprivation.
I'm finding this way of eating very easy and if this rate of weight loss continues, I'm not sure I'll believe it. I would have been happy as a clam with 1 pound/week.
This feels like losing weight without dieting!! I don't understand why more people don't try it.
EZ kudos to your brother and his family! What great progress. Even if he returns to an omnivorous diet I'm sure parts of the E2L philosophy will carry over.
I really want to do E2L "for real"- which for me would mean cutting out my sweets. I was able to find natural (sugar-free) soymilk here, which is great. Downside is, it tastes like water... but that's ok. I don't mind giving up milk.
Everything else has been easy. I still can't do the huge salads every day, but I'm trying to eat a lot of bell peppers and carrots, and huge salads when I can. I bought some spinach yesterday and washed it three times, so I may just bite the bullet today and eat it, fingers crossed
I would love to see any E2L recipes you guys have and want to share. Or meal plans. Inspiration is great, and using this board as a support as I ween myself off of sweets would be wonderful
Indiblu - Be careful with the spinach - if I remember right (and I am not exactly I microbiologist, I work in banking! ha!) e coli can't be washed away, because it has been absorbed into the plant from the water/soil.
You should probably just cook the spinach. I don't think getting 1 lb of raw veggies in that important if you eat a ton cooked.
As far as recipes, I've been making a dish of cooked kale (I chop it up and then saute it in a frying pan), sauteed onions and cumin seeds. Last week I added a little apple cider and sliced apples to the mix. Delicious side dish to be served with baked tofu brushed with mustard and tamari.
Other dishes I've been eating a lot of include dahls and lentil soups and vegetable stews. I make a big pot and eat it all week. Oven baked tofu or grilled tofu, grilled veggies (especially asparagus) are also favorites.
If you need something sweet, I've been eating medjool dates. Dried fruit is technically restricted during the first 6 weeks, but I figure it's better than eating cookies and they are so sweet it really takes care of my cravings.
I have a recipe for sunflower cinnamon date "truffles" if you would like it. It requires a food processor or vitamix to make it though...
I was able to find natural (sugar-free) soymilk here, which is great. Downside is, it tastes like water... but that's ok. I don't mind giving up milk.
If you have access to nuts such as almonds or cashews, you can make nut milks - if you have a strong blender. Soak the nuts over night, then put in blender, cover wtih water and pulverize. Strain, add a bit of vanilla, and a bit of sweetner, and you have a very nice 'milk'. You might have to dilute it with enough water so it's not high in calories.
I also make lots of lentil soups/stews with lots of veggies. I rarely get as many raw veggies as cooked because when I am hungry I want to eat - and I almost always have some sort of veggie concoction ready to re-heat. I just finished eating a large bowl of soup now.
wildflower you're right about the spinach. I get so frustrated because technically all leafy greens here are "dangerous"- almost no one eats them raw. I miss salads so much that sometimes I just eat them and hope for the best (like yesterday- big old bowl of spinach, right before I read your warning post haha). My fiance and I have only been really sick once in the past year so I use that as my "excuse"- that getting sick here is just par for the course and why miss out on salads for the next 8 months? Not necessarily a wise decision- e-coli is nothing to be messed with.
I try to get creative with making alternative "salads"- roasted corn, cucumber & carrot in lemon and dill, peppers in balsamic- but it's just not the same as a huge bowl of spinach or romaine... or mesculun!! Oh how I miss mixed greens!
I have been craving kale like crazy but unfortunately it's not available in the city where I live.
Soups have been a mainstay of my diet lately as well. Yesterday I did a pumpkin-ginger that called for coconut milk, which I replaced with soy milk. Unfortunately it didn't taste nearly as good with the soy milk.
The dates are a good idea. They are wicked expensive here but could be worth it. We also have some frozen mangoes left over from mango season I could use as "dessert." It's really just a question of commitment on my part- I really could give up the sweets if I actually committed to it.
I'd love the sunflower "truffle" recipe. My food processor is broken- would a blender work?
jansan I have been really tempted to try to make almond milk. Our blender is not very strong though. I may try anyway...?
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