Eat to Live for Health not Weight Loss?

S

sparrow

Cathlete
Hi All:

I've just finished this. I really like his ideas and recipes but am curious if any of you have done this for health/clean eating as opposed to straight weight loss? I don't need to lose weight (I'm happy with my body - yay! Finally!) and certainly don't want to lose my muscle tone but have been looking for a plan that will push me back to more natural eating. I used to eat that way most of the time but have gotten v. lack the last year or so!!

TIA

Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett
 
Hi Sparrow:

That's exactly what I am doing with Eat to Live. I do not need to lose weight, either, but want to clean it up. I really love the feeling I have when I follow his suggestions: a really, really clean vegan with more veggies and less grains.

(She writes as she enjoys a Cape Codder...:7 :7 ):7
 
Hi Sparrow..first off I did ETL for health reasons as I am a true believer in this way of eating being very healthy for you. I did need to loose some weight then and I did, but now I eat like this for my ethical beliefs, besides health. The only drawback is that my family is not supportive as they think it is just a phase. I am working on that and I believe I will eat this way for the rest of my life...:)...go for it!!!
 
I think ETL is definitely a health-based program and that the 'diet" angle is primarily to sell more books and reach more people (and may have been pushed by the publishers, since "diet" books sell better than 'health and fitness" books...unfortunately).

Coming out in March is another health-based vegan 'diet' book by Brendan Brazier (author of "Thrive") which is going to be called "The Thrive Diet." I'm waiting impatiently on that one.
 
Thanks for the info on "The Thrive Diet" Kathryn. I will impatiently wait for that one too...:)
 
I have a lot of respect for Brendan Brazier. I read the Organic Athlete website, and several Vegan athletic ones too. I eat mostly vegan. I really don't have any weight to lose. I could lose 5 cosmetic pounds, but mostly, I just want to stay healthy and prevent problems down the road, since I'll be 50 this year.

So, I guess, yes, I eat for health not weight loss, but if I gain a little, I eat less. Easier to lose 2 lbs than 20!

Liane
 
Even if I didn't have 75lbs to lose I would still go by this way of eating for the health benefits. This book is a real eye opener!
 
I have been following E2L strictly for health (it has been well over 9 months now). For me, I find it a very clean, natural way to eat. The most difficult part of the lifestyle was giving up coffee, olive oil and salt (and not necessarily in that order), but in time anyone can adapt to a healthier way of life. ;-) The more I read the more I realized I could protect myself with diet from many of the most common diseases of our society so I follow it. As you probably already know, it is well researched and documented with over 60,000 studies backing it. I find it is truly a great healthy way to eat. :)
 
I would think it wouldn't be problematic (in terms of maintaining your weight) as long as you're careful to get enough cals, don't you think?
 
>I would think it wouldn't be problematic (in terms of
>maintaining your weight) as long as you're careful to get
>enough cals, don't you think?

As long as you eat enough avocados, nuts and seeds you can maintain your weight in a very healthy way. I lost quite a bit of weight in the beginning (not knowing how to juggle it for my metabolism), but as I learned how to eat better I just added more nuts, seeds and avocados to compensate.:) I have no problem maitaining my weight now, but I must admit I do have to eat a very large volume of food. (The size of my regular salads are twice the size of a standard size shoe box... and that is only for one meal.) I don't mind....I enjoy my large meals and feel really good about eating them.:)
 
Robin--
how did you make the choice to reach a higher calorie level through nuts and seeds vs. grains? Or do you do a combination of both?

I run a lot and found the limitations on whole grain carbs and even starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes were tough for me to stop from being light-headed and dizzy. I eat a vegan diet, but not the ETL 6-week challenge plan.

Even with Ia full cup of beans per day, I still found I needed to add whole grains to my diet to feel adequately fueled for exercise -- but maybe that's my particular body chemistry and/or my not understanding how to do the ETL plan correctly.

Any thoughts?
-Barb:)
 
Barb, have you tried eating more beans and mixing them with brown rice? I know Dr. Fuhrman also recommends eating whole wheat pita bread. Maybe you could try that with some nut butters...

Carolyn
 
Carolyn--
Thanks for the idea--I do eat brown rice and food for life bread -- so I don't eat any refined grains at all. Maybe I am misunderstanding the program, though. I thought you could only have 2 servings per day of whole grains and 1 C of beans total?

I eat more servings per day of whole grains like brown rice, or bulgur and I definitely get 1 C of beans total or I do 1/2 C beans and 1 C of soy milk. Otherwise, I'm entirely vegan in my food choices -- just in quanitities, I don't match up with the ETL recommendations for whole grains and I can't see doing over 2# of veggies per day...


My trouble is limiting the whole grains to 2 servings per day. Maybe I don't need to do that and I am doing ok??

-Barb:)
 
Barb, it seems to me that you can up your bean consumption (which is unlimited I believe), and up your fruit consumption (in smoothy form perhaps with soymilk). If I were you, I'd eat my allowance of grains before I worked out and then decide from there if you need to add more. He does say that your diet should be adjusted to meet your needs. It is possible that you need more carbs, especially since you are active.

Carolyn
 
Carolyn--
Thanks for your thoughts. That is helpful. I am basically doing grains pre and post workout and have tried a lot of things for later in the day: more fruit, a smoothie with fruit, but not more beans -- and I think I will keep working at it.

I didn't realize beans were unlimited so I will try adding an additional serving of beans at a later point in the day.

:) Barb
 
>My trouble is limiting the whole grains to 2 servings per day.
> Maybe I don't need to do that and I am doing ok??
>

I don't see what's wrong with grains (as long as you don't stay with the acid-forming ones or those that are overused in the Americal diet in general, like wheat and rye). Grains like quinoa, teff, amaranth, buckwheat, wild rice should be just fine to add (most of these--I'm not sure about teff, but it's true of the others--are actually seeds and not grains, so would fit more into the nuts/seeds category, believe it or not). Millet is also a good alkaline grain.
 
Thanks, for the info Kathryn--
does this mean bulgur and whole wheat berries are "wheat" or a grain & seed?
Ditto on the question for brown rice and whole wheat couscous?

I will try amaranth, quinoa & millet.

I just got Lorna Sass's new cookbook on using whole grains ---with nice charts on how to cook all of these types of grains...

-Barb
:)
 
>does this mean bulgur and whole wheat berries are "wheat" or a
>grain & seed?

Bulgar and wheat berries are wheat (bulgar is cracked, steamed wheat. Wheat berries are the whole grain. Coucous is wheat as well.


>Ditto on the question for brown rice and whole wheat
>couscous?

I don't understand the question on brown rice? Brown rice is rice.
 
Kathryn--
What I meant is whether the whole grain forms of wheat are acidic or grains that you think are not optimal to eat and if so, why? I didn't understand the alkali and acidic reference you made to wheat in the American diet.

My question about brown rice was the same --do you think eating brown rice and say eating wheat berries is not as healthy as eating amaranth, quinoa?

-Barb
:)
 
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