Sorry for the back-to-back posts. I find it really helpful to post here for accountability purposes
Today was MUCH better. Lunch was raw vegetables (chopped carrots, peppers, and cucumber in dill and lemon juice), fruit, and pumpkin soup. Almonds and chickpeas for snacks. Dinner was baked tofu, fruit, and steamed spinach. I'm super full.
I'm still drinking two cups of coffee in the mornings with 1 tsp and a splash of 2% milk in each in the mornings. Potentially 100 calories of dark chocolate or other sweet after dinner if I really want it (today I don't). I've cut out all grains so I don't feel like my additions will negatively impact my results.
Calorie counting and came in way under calories today. But I'm really full and coming off the last two weeks of high calories so I'm going to just take the low cal day.
jansan I have been really tempted to try to make almond milk. Our blender is not very strong though. I may try anyway...?
If it's not very strong, I'd suggest adding a bit of extra water so the solution is not quite as thick when blending. Then strain through a very fine mesh strainer, or even cheese cloth. I use a very fine metal coffee filter.
I need to go to the store and get some more veggies. It's amazing how many I go through on this diet. The ones I use the most often are frozen chopped spinach and frozen broccoli from Trader Joe's. I like the ease of just opening a bag and tossing them into whatever I am making. I also use quite a few canned tomatoes.
I need to start looking for more recipes so I don't get too tired of the things I do like. I am not a vegetarian/vegan by choice, and if the diet said I could eat all the meat I wanted, I would. But I made the choice that not eating meat was better for me, and I am feeling much better the past few weeks.
Thanks for the tips, jansan! Almonds are wicked expensive here, but it may be worth making a batch so I can replace my 2% coffee milk with almond milk. I otherwise am fine using soy.
Today has gone well so far. Same lunch as yesterday (diced carrots/peppers/cukes in lemon/dil and pumpkin soup) plus an apple and almonds. Dinner out tonight for a birthday with friends... Indian restaurant of course (I live in India) so I will be sharing dal with my fiance. He can eat all the naan . I've saved 600 calories for dinner, so hopefully if I use proper portion control that should be plenty to account for the lentils + oil in the dal.
My food scale from the US finally arrived today! I'm so happy. I've been without one for a while. Now I can really work towards the 1 lb of raw and 1 lb of cooked veggies
Hi all. I posted on here quite awhile ago. I am starting the eat to live six weeks today. I have tried to do this program before but have always allowed myself to be derailed. I believe that this is the ultimate and most healthy way in which I can eat and I want to make a commitment to doing the six weeks. ANyways hoping that daily(or close to daily) check ins will help me stay on plan and get to goal!
jansan- You are a big motivation! Thanks for sharing your story (I was looking back a few pages). And losing 17 lbs is awesome also. Hearing how good you feel is a great boost here on my first day on this program.
indiblue- I also am a little afraid to do this sans calorie counting. I know that if I am 100 percent following all his principles I wont have any issues losing weight without calorie counting. I am doing a slightly modified version though. I am drinking coffee almost daily and I use a touch of coconut or almond milk that is vanilla or otherwise flavored. I also am planning too allow an occasional 85% dark chocolate piece.
Here is the big thing that I know if not on plan at all. We have a weekly dinner date with some friends. I have, for years, been an almost vegetarian. I eat occasional fish, but no other meat. And also eat dairy and eggs. Everyother week we go to their home for dinner, every other week they come here. When I am cooking I know I will be able to eat on plan absoluetly. And I realise I could just tell them the changes to my diet, but frankly they already make such effort to accomidate me that I dont want to throw this at them. I can tell making dishes not completely meat centered is a bit strange and foriegn, and a little bit of a struggle for them. I am unwilling to throw that in the mix. So there will he three meals during the six weeks in which I may eat some dairy and eggs or more oil and fat than I plan. But I figure if I am calorie counting those days and keep my portions light, I don't believe this will totally ruin my efforts.
When I did this plan before I allowed the days we had our dinner dates as "free days" with the intention of simply tacking on additional days to the six weeks. This is a terrible idea, and often I would fo so off track, eat and drink things all day that weren't on plan, then inevitably I couldn't seem to get back on track the next day.
I am hoping that this modifed way of allowing a one meal stray from plan on occasion, and adhereing to a calorie goal that day, will be my saving grace to not sticking like I should 100%.
ma I feel the same way COMPLETELY. I also eat fish on occasion (1-2x a week), mainly because I don't want to inconvenience other people too much. And I definitely am not telling people that I am not eating anything right now except tofu, beans, veggies, and fruit. It would be too hard to accommodate.
Like you I'm modifying slightly to include maximum of one meal that is not strictly E2L if I have a social event to attend (going-away party, dinner with friends, etc). That + 2 tsp sugar and splash of milk each morning in coffee + small chocolate piece I don't think is enough to derail efforts but it IS enough to make sure I continue calorie counting.
Each day is getting just a bit easier. I'm really enjoying this WOE. Lunch is fresh fruits and veggies. Snacks are almonds, fruit, or beans (I love snacking on chickpeas!) Dinner is my soy or beans for the day plus cooked veggies.
I've lost a little bit of weight each day for the past 3 days, which is wonderful. Saw 121.8 on the scale this morning. It makes me extra motivated to stay on track
Hi Everyone,
I am planning on doing ETL next weekend. I will be doing 6 weeks just to see what happens. I've been on Dr. McDougall diet and have lost some weight but I keep on backsliding eating SAD food. I am hoping with turning it up a notch with all the raw and cooked veggies will make a difference. Right now I am re-reading my Eat to Live book. Anyone like to join me?
I am hoping that this modifed way of allowing a one meal stray from plan on occasion, and adhereing to a calorie goal that day, will be my saving grace to not sticking like I should 100%.
I look upon this way of eating as something I would like to be doing forever. And I have no intention of being a total vegan, or even vegetarian, 24/7/52. This has to be something I can live with.
I would guess I am 85% in compliance and things are still going well. I would love to be 100%, but I doubt that will ever happen and I'd rather do it this way than the old way I was eating. I feel great and have more energy, am losing weight and not starving, BP numbers are ideal (which they never were). If these sorts of changes stop as they well might, I'll be willing to consider staying more on the straight and narrow.
I also know and accept I am not deriving 100% of the health benefits that those who follow the plan more strictly do.
I've had a few perfectly on plan days, a few not. It's really difficult to eat out on this plan. We only eat out for social events- a friend's going away party, birthday party, etc- but they seem to crop up more than I would like!
At home it's quite easy to stay on plan. I love veggies. Right now chickpeas, baked tofu, dried figs, and steamed vegetables are some of my staples.
I'm not sticking to this plan like I want to. Today I made an agreement with my fiance that if I stay POP for the next 7 days he'll cook me one on-plan dinner. Here we go!
I'm going to start ETLish tomorrow. I may include a few variations but overall, I'm sticking to the veggie and fruit requirements and will measure my grains and starchy veggies.
Let us know how it goes. After close to 3 months eating 'this way' I am really liking how I am feeling. I feel strong and at peace. I never ate enough veggies, and now I put them first in the meal - then eat the other stuff second. Sort of.
For breakfast I steamed a large mixture of frozen veggies, added some whole grain cooked rice and some grated hard cheese over the top. I am feeling very satisfied. While the cheese is not on the program, it's the only dairy I eat. And this has to be a livable program for me to stay on forever more. I don't even think of it as a diet.
Yes, it is difficult to eat out on this plan. I think people with the most success cook their own food 95% of the time.
