DIETING.......(BLECH!!)

Kathy...
Your advice is awesome. I believe I will take it. And yes, as you can see in my earlier post, I have started with the oatmeal. Really, I just started reading this book and got all "gung ho" with it. You know how it can be sometimes.


And Fab40, you are correct too. But sometimes diet books, especially this one, can be really convincing when they start throwing numbers at you and statistics. Starts to really make you doubt what you have thought all along. But, I agree with everyone in that I have to be able to live with this and the reality of living the rest of my life without cheese is very unrealistic. Not that I couldn't train myself to do it, but I don't really want to, atleast not right now. My life is way too hectic right now to get that complicated. My diet surely doesn't have to be an additional burden!!LOL!!! Meat products may be the root of all evil but I cannot live my whole life totally without them.

I am going to take from the book what I may and modify the rest to suit me accordingly. No matter what Dr. Fuhrman says.


I am still going to watch my total calories though and my nutritional labels, so nobody go into a tizzy!LOL! I am NOT quitting!LOL!

Thanks all..you all are great!:)
 
Janice,
Thanks for sharing your experience b/c I just finished that book and I could have written just what you did!(I would have hated Romaine lettuce by the end of day 1). I've decided that for my sanity and long term success I HAVE to follow the Life Plan and not the drastic 6 week plan (Why the hurry to lose weight??). I don't have heart disease or diabetes and am within 10lbs. of goal weight so why be miserable?

I like Dr. Fuhrmans advice to keep it simple.
So, Simply:
1.Eat as much green vegetables as possible (without being miserable)
2.Lots of beans
3.Fresh fruit 3-4X per day
4.Extra large serving of vegetables with every meal
5.Avoid refined starches,fats,and animal based products

The Life Plan Food Pyramid is a great summary of recommendations and it really is something that one could live with and feel satisfied.

Sorry I can't live off 1,100-1,400 calories per day and still have friends and stay married :)!

Keep us posted on what works for you!!
 
I'll just chime in hopefully short and sweet. I have followed Dr Furhmans plan and I do beleive in its validity. It is a way of life for me...not just a diet! I needed a change. I also know that this way is NOT for everyone, and I realize that with every passing day...:)...I don't remember who posted about not building muscle without eating real protein but I disagree. I have not had any animal protein in 7 weeks. I have lost the weight I had gained and see once again my muscles. Along with changing the way I eat I am doing a P90X rotation. I am 45 and I have the best muscle tone I have EVER had before. I do use Whey Protein powder also, as I know how good it is for muscle recovery after a strenuous workout. I also disagree with MEAT IS GOOD FOR YOU. I beleive the saturated fat in it can greatly increase your risk for certain cancers. Especially if you eat way too much more than is normal.

Janice, I am sorry you had to go thru those 2 days. But I think you have gotten good advice and I know you will definitely find what works for you...I will also say I am very blessed as my husband of 23 years :)...shares the same beliefs in this change of diet as I do...and that really helps! Good Luck...:)...Carole
 
Carole?

Carole, I'm curious as to why you don't consider whey protein, which is derived from cows milk, a source of animal protein?

Congratulations on finding an approach to eating that has worked so well for you.

Debra
 
RE: Debra

I consider animal protein and dairy protein a bit different. During the process of turning milk into cheese, whey protein is separated out. I use Whey protein because it has the highest value in providing branched-chain amino acids, which result in building and retaining muscle tissue. So I guess if you want to get technical I would then be a Lacto vegetarian. As I usually say..."whatever works"....Carole
 
Meat

I read in the recent TIME magazine article about obsesity that when humans added meat to their diets (a gazillion years ago) the human brain grew 4 times its size.......evolving to the size it is today. So, with that tidbit, it would seem that meat and/or complete proteins have positive roles in our diet. Atleast to some extent.....Just wanted to add that....
 
RE: Meat

Hi Janice,

I don't argue that protein doesn't play an important role in diet and health. Just because our brains may be 4x larger doesn't mean we are 4x smarter, though lol!

(I meant this in a jovial, not argumentative way :))

Gina
 
RE: Debra

> I consider animal protein and dairy protein a bit different.
>During the process of turning milk into cheese, whey protein
>is separated out. I use Whey protein because it has the
>highest value in providing branched-chain amino acids, which
>result in building and retaining muscle tissue. So I guess if
>you want to get technical I would then be a Lacto vegetarian.
>As I usually say..."whatever works"....Carole
>

That's some spin, there!;-) Have you ever thought of going into politics?
Dairy products and eggs ARE considered animal protein (though not animal flesh).
 
RE: Meat

Just because our brains may be 4x larger
>doesn't mean we are 4x smarter, though lol!
>

:D
Especially since it's said that we only use 10% of our brain's capacity anyway!

Interesting about the increase iin brain size, but I have a hard time believing that merely adding meat to the human diet produced this change. In that case, all carnivorous animals would have huge brains, while vegetarian animals would have smaller brains.

And why wouldn't omnivorous humans continue to increase their brain size, to the point where they look like David McCallum in an old episode of "The Outer Limits" (big head!). Not a good look!

Also "stimulating growth" is a factor in cancers. So growth is not necessarily a good thing (perhaps the faster you grow, the faster you age, and the sooner you die).
 
Kathryn

>
>That's some spin, there!;-) Have you ever thought of going
>into politics?
>Dairy products and eggs ARE considered animal protein (though
>not animal flesh).


Actually I hate politics...and I still think of dairy or even eggs as NOT the animal protein (flesh) I was referring to and that I have taken out of my diet...I would say we all have a right to our opinions...:)...Carole
 
RE: Kathryn

I would say we all have a right to our opinions...:)...Carole

I agree completely...on things that are a matter of opinion and not fact. Fact: there are only two sources of proteins in the known universe: animal proteins and plant proteins (minerals do not supply protein).

Misclassification like "X is not an animal product'protein" bother me (obviously!) because they can lead to confusions that cause people (restaurants and individuals) to serve animal products to those who avoid them.

Enough nagging from me! ;-)
 
RE: Meat

This is a correlation not an effect. The addition of adding meat to the diet correlated (not caused) with other developments including brain size. One interpretation is that the increase in brain size allowed man to be able to add meat to his diet more easily (ie. development of tools, cognitive ability etc)not that eating meat caused the brain to get bigger.
 
RE: Meat

I totally agree, Kathryn. I was thinking about the 10% factor also. I also have considered the faster growth-faster aging-cancer connection.

Gina :)
 
Interesting....I just assumed if the brain grew larger that it grew larger for an important reason, not just to take up space!LOL! I wish I still had the article so I could refer back to it, but no such luck!!


Kristine....you are very right. Portion control is what it is all about....for weight loss. But, for an overall healthy diet you have to consider balance as well and I was much more concerned about that than total weight loss. But, I do realize that if I lost a bit of weight and cut down on cheese, I would see the results I am looking for anyway.:)

Hey...got a question about soy milk and steel cut oats. Soy milk....why does it all taste watered down, like watered down SKIM milk? And some varieties taste more like watered down baby formula to me than a milk-type product. The transition is hard, even coming from skim milk! Do you guys know of any thicker varieties? I have purchased the 8th Continent light and regular vanilla (which has a funny chalky taste ala protein shake) and the Soy Dream regular which pretty much tasted like vanilla water.


Also, what is up with steel cut oats? Exactly how tall of a container do I have to use to nuke these babies? I have failed miserably each time, progressing each time to a taller container. The ingredients just boil out of the cup. Last time, I used a container that was narrow and almost as tall as the microwave opening. I have to check it every 10 seconds or so which seems silly. Am I doing something wrong?
 
steel cut oats

I'll pass on the milk questions. I drink non-fat milk & frankly the taste of 2% seems rather creamy. But, I will confess that I cannot drink soy milk straight up - chalky is a good description.

I've never had any luck cooking oats in the microwave. Do you have a slow-cooker? I can send you an all-night recipe. DH & I do eat hot cereal for breakfast most mornings, but chose old-fashioned oats (5 minutes) or other whole grain cereals which vary in time from about 2 (oat bran) to 10 minutes. The steel cut oats are great & we'd eat them more if they didn't need attention, & so much time.

A thought, maybe you just need to use a lower power in your microwave when you cook the oats.

Debra
 
RE: steel cut oats

Hi Debra,

I understand what you mean about 2% milk tasting too creamy. After you've switched to skim, anything else seems way too thick.

Have you tried Silk Vanilla soy milk? It's the best, IMHO. Lots of soy things taste chalky or have an aftertaste, but I actually like the Silk better than regular milk now.

Gina
 
Hi Janice,

I read Debra's post before yours, so here's a repeat...

Have you tried Silk Vanilla soy milk? It's the best, IMHO. Lots of soy things taste chalky or have an aftertaste, but I actually like the Silk better than regular milk now. I think Silk has a kind of 1% consistency. I never thought I'd like soy milk, because I used to love regular milk so much. When I bought the first carton, I put like a teaspoonful in a glass and sniffed it. It didn't smell like anything, so I drank it, and surprisingly, liked it. They make smaller maybe 8oz containers for on the go that can be found in the dairy section, so that might be a good way to try it. Even my dad has caught on. He thinks it almost has like a light chocolate milk taste, which I haven't noticed, but it's good nonetheless.

Gina
 
Hey...got a question about soy milk and steel cut
>oats. Soy milk....why does it all taste watered down, like
>watered down SKIM milk? And some varieties taste more like
>watered down baby formula to me than a milk-type product. The
>transition is hard, even coming from skim milk! Do you guys
>know of any thicker varieties? I have purchased the 8th
>Continent light and regular vanilla (which has a funny chalky
>taste ala protein shake) and the Soy Dream regular which
>pretty much tasted like vanilla water.

Some soy milks ARE watered down: the "low fat" ones.
I can't speak to them tasting like watered down baby formula (when were YOU drinking that? ;)) or skim milk, because I haven't had dairy milk since the 1970's. One brand you might try is Silk soy milk. In addition to regular and vanilla and chocolate, they also make an unflavored (and acquired taste) and a new "enhanced" soy milk that contains flax oil (you can't notice) and some antioxidant vitamins. Edensoy soy milk is also a bit thicker.

I haven't tried 8th Continent, but I think that Soy Dream was thinner than some others.


Also, what is up with steel cut oats? Exactly
>how tall of a container do I have to use to nuke these babies?
>I have failed miserably each time, progressing each time to a
>taller container. The ingredients just boil out of the cup.
>Last time, I used a container that was narrow and almost as
>tall as the microwave opening. I have to check it every 10
>seconds or so which seems silly. Am I doing something wrong?

I don't know what it is in these that makes them boil over so much. I've had o.k. success with a glass mixing bowl!
Also, you could soak them overnight so they take less time to cook. Maybe that will help. (I used to cook up a triple batch on the stove when I had time, then save two servings in microwave-safe bowls for the next two days. When I was ready to eat them, the oatmeal was all solid and packed together, but I would chop it apart with a spoon, add some soy milk, and microwave to heat it. It turned out great ( and didn't do the boil-over thing).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top