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Has anyone tried the Eat for Life plan? Saw a PBS special on it last night and want to hear other's experiences - if any - of the plan. Reviews online are mixed.
I found nothing "gimmicky" or over-regimented ever worked for me. I'm not saying this scenario wouldn't work for everyone, just giving my own input.
ONLY eating the correct amount and working out has worked for me. Not "eat all you want of X but not Y," food "combinations," deliberate IF (I sort of do IF dinner to lunch naturally), vegetarian, vegan, large-percentage raw (have never done full raw), Atkins, South Beach, "Eat This...Not That," Weight Watchers where you count the points instead of calories as if that's going to make a difference somehow, the Cabbabe Soup Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, Paleo, French Women Don't Get Fat, Wheat Belly principles, the Mediterranean Diet, what the latest celebrity was doing, shakes, powders, eating only in-season...absolutely none of the probably more than a dozen different "plans" of someone else's ever worked for me long-term. Short-term they took a few pounds off, sure. But someone once gave me a great piece of advice (I guess it's ironic considering this plan's name): "When it comes to an eating plan, don't start on anything you won't be able to continue to do your entire life." That has worked SO well for me; it really keeps things in perspective.
My Dr recommended this diet for me, he is on it as well. He lost 30 lbs in the first 40 days. I've been on it for 18 and I am down 14 lbs myself. Full disclosure, I have modified it a bit because I see it as extremely restrictive. For me, its more about calories, fruits and veggies, water, no processed foods or white bread. Limited whole wheat flat breads are fulfilling enough(very limited quantity) I wasn't sure how I would deal with no meat, but actuality haven't missed it at all.
My Dr recommended this diet for me, he is on it as well. He lost 30 lbs in the first 40 days. I've been on it for 18 and I am down 14 lbs myself. Full disclosure, I have modified it a bit because I see it as extremely restrictive. For me, its more about calories, fruits and veggies, water, no processed foods or white bread. Limited whole wheat flat breads are fulfilling enough(very limited quantity) I wasn't sure how I would deal with no meat, but actuality haven't missed it at all.
I've heard it is very labor intensive. Have you found it to be?
Hey, I did something similar to that. And I've never even heard of the "Eat for Life Plan".
Overall, it was easy once I did the mental re-inforcement. Only the first week was difficult.
Kind of a long story. Take it for what it is.
My office mate went from a sickly 300 lbs. to a healthy 160 lbs in a year. I saw his improvement with my own eyes so I decided to try it too. Me, coming from the "more-protein,-less-carb" mindset (which worked for a bit, but not really).
I had a physical and bloodwork done on Sept. 15, 2014 to baseline myself. I was 215 lbs, taking several meds for high blood pressure, hypertension, early diabetes, high-cholesterol (248),... basically dangerously unhealthy and prime candidate for a stroke or a heart attack. I hated the feeling of having all the meds in my body. I couldn't take any of the statin drugs to control my cholesterol. Too many side effects.
I started trying to be a vegetarian, but sometimes gave in to eating seafood or chicken on some weekends. Struggled for the first week. I had to reinforce mentally by re-reading vegetarian books (Dr. Esselstyn) and watching health videos like "Food Matters", "Forks Over Knives", "Food Inc.", and youtube videos by Dr. Neal Barnard, etc... I think this mental re-inforcement is as important as eating the right whole plant food, because it kept me going. And seeing how animals are treated in corporate feed lots, ... I don't want to be part of that.
Nov. 4, 2014 - my next physical and bloodwork. My doctor was amazed.
My overall cholesterol went from 248 to 155. HDL/LDL/Triglycerides were all normal (don't have the exact numbers right now).
Blood sugar normal. Doctor said no more diabetes for me.
Blood pressure normal.
Basically, I got myself healthy enough to get off all the meds, which was my goal.
Bonus: I lost weight - went from 215 lbs to 176 lbs, even with all the starches and complex carbs in my diet. No calorie counting either. I ate until I felt full, which isn't hard to get to with vegetables.
Oh, and no exercises, other than the occasional walk.
This was only my trial, to see whether it would work for me. It did. Spectacularly! In under two months.
I've learned much more since then - like fruits and complex carbs are not bad for me at all.
My main food groups right now are:
Green vegetables, brown rice, Beans, lentils, and peas
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin
Whole grains and foods made from them, such as oatmeal, pasta, and whole-grain breads
All kinds of fruits
And also learned that Vegetarian is a diet, while Vegan is a philosophy. I'm not a Vegan yet. But can probably be, once I give up liking leather.
Now, a bit over a year later, I'm on cruise control, still following this no-oils-whole-plant-food-vegetarian diet. And walking 3-5 miles everyday. Feeling strong and really healthy.
I don't miss the beef or pork either. In fact, I don't like the smell of cooked meats, even on the grill. My addiction to meats, cheese, eggs, fats and sugar are gone. And it really is that - an addiction.
I know it's not for everyone. Just wanted to share what worked for me.
I've heard it is very labor intensive. Have you found it to be?
Not at all, a meal of fresh fruits and veggies takes no longer to prepare than say cooking a hamburger and fries. The wife and I have started eating Morning Star products, meatless burgers, BBQ Porkless sandwiches and their Spicy Buffalo Chickenless patties are great. Like I stated, I'm not following this verbatim, just keeping a close watch on calories, no processed foods and staying vegetarian.
Eat whole foods. Mostly whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, and legumes with no or relatively little in terms of animal products. Cut out processed foods, especially sugar.
You will lose weight and be able to eat as much as you want whenever you want.
He recommends a low-fat, plant-based diet with a lot of variety (greens, beans, grains, nuts, fruits, etc.). He's also not shy about discussing the added benefits of things like ground flax seed, Hibiscus tea, B12, Vitamin D supplementation, and so on.
I also follow Dr. McDougall. His approach differs from Dr. Greger's in that he places a very strong emphasis upon the need for starch (mostly potatoes and whole grains) as the mainstay of one's "diet;" supplemented by legumes, fruits and green veggies. You fill up on the starches.
I don't think Dr. McDougall recommends any supplementation beyond B12, and he frowns upon the regular consumption of nuts, but only because he seriously doubts that most people have the self-control to only consume a "handful" each day.
Dr. McDougall's website has a variety of recipes, as well as educational materials: https://www.drmcdougall.com/
Tomorrow's Free Webinar: Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 11 a.m. PST
Title: Live Webinar with Dr. McDougall and Mary McDougall
Description: Mary McDougall talks about making easy meals, stocking your pantry, cookware, Mary’s Mini and more!
Presenter: Dr. McDougall and Mary McDougall
The webinars are posted on his website by the following Friday for those who can't make the live sessions.
Finally, I go to YouTube to see what Drs. Neal Barnard, Colin Campbell, and Caldwell Esselstyn have to say.
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