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So I'm feeling I need to reboot my diet from it's current condition: addicted to sugar, fat, animal protein, etc... to something based on a plant diet. This is for health reasons & I feel it would help to go to someplace that would get me through the initial weeks of where I wouldn't have easy access to unhealthy food.
Also I want it to be based on something like McDougall's whole grain based diet that I could adopt when leaving & not something that leaves out several food groups like some of the "fat farm" type places that I suspect do for fast loss but wouldn't be sustainable for me upon leaving. Weight is certainly one issue but adopting a practical diet & dropping fat/sugar addictions are my primary focus.
And I haven't been on vacation for a several years so I want to somewhere for a few weeks for a change of scene as well, a break in the routine. So I'm open to non-US places as well, but I'm not wealthy either nor need luxury "spas" - pool, gym & especially walking/hiking is optimal. Any boot camp places around like this?
You might check out the Engine 2 immersion programs. They are only for 1 week in various locations (Asheville, Sedona) but it sounds similar to what you're looking for. I haven't been to an immersion program but will be attending Plant Stock in Asheville later this year. Also there's True North in Santa Rosa where you can stay and eat healthy, plant-based meals. Some go there for healing and fasting but you can also go just to eat their food and stay at their facility. There's also Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico where Chef AJ goes each year as a guest chef (I follow her program for healthy eating). It sounds very nice from what I've read!
Thanks, this is pretty much what I have in mind. I briefly came across Rancho La Puerto in my search, it sounds interesting, as does the other 2, wasn't aware of the Engine 2 program so that's a great suggestion!
I took a brief look at it, $600+/day.... even if it was $6K for 2 weeks it could be a possibility, but for 10 days that's a lot!
Yeah, I can't afford any of these programs. I just watched a ton of videos and got books through my library by all of the whole food, plant based gurus.
Dr. McDougall also does a live webinar, and you can watch the previous episodes for free on his website. They're also on YouTube. He tends to ramble off on tangents, though, so I prefer to watch his older seminars and read his books. I think living his entire life trying to get the medical profession to listen to how diet can cure heart disease has kind of worn him down. He can come across kind of ...what's the word... not quite fanatical, but just really super frustrated.
But, his science is very rational.
I also watched videos of seminars by Dr. Essylsten (he's the dad of the Fire Engine 2 guy), and also Campbell who wrote the China Study.
If you just start watching videos and reading, and making some changes, you can also do it that way, like I did, if you can't afford the live-in programs.
I chose McDougall's starch-based diet, for 2 main reasons: 1) I thought it would be easier to stick to, since I love pasta and rice and tortillas, etc., and I wouldn't feel hungry; and 2) because it would be cheaper. I'm very low income, and can't afford a lot of fresh produce. The other diets that I read about or watched videos about, showed people filling up grocery carts with tons of expensive fresh produce. I can't afford that. For instance, that Fire Engine 2 video shows him going to a Whole Foods store with different people, and just grabbing tons of fresh produce, and in my mind I'm thinking, whoa, there was $8 worth of peppers, there was $10 worth of this and that....no way!
My main staples are tortillas with a taco mix I make up in huge batches and freeze in baggies. I put beans and rice and tons of veggies like frozen spinach (cheap), canned diced tomatoes (cheap), squash (pretty cheap - got 12 small ones for $4), canned corn, frozen bag of onions and sweet peppers (cheap), can of sliced jalapenos (cheap), fresh cilantro (really cheap), and spices.
Other staples - whole wheat spaghetti with spaghetti sauce, or stir fry sauce (cheap at Walmart) and some canned mushrooms and canned water chestnuts and canned baby corn, maybe some fresh baby bok choy. I cook up a big batch of the Asian sauce and veggies and freeze it in baggies. Put it over rice or spaghetti noodles.
Bake red potatoes in the microwave and cut up and eat like french fries with ketchup.
And I make a lot of soups. I also make my own hummus with just a can of garbanzo beans with the juice put into a blender with some lemon juice and hot sauce and a little soy sauce. Eat it with Wasa whole grain crackers.
Anyway, this diet is way cheaper, I still get my veggies, but they're cheap and cooked. I can buy my stuff at Walmart, instead of Whole Paycheck.
FWIW.
Last edited by NoMoreSnowForMe; 05-10-2018 at 11:10 PM..
Yeah, I can't afford any of these programs. I just watched a ton of videos and got books through my library by all of the whole food, plant based gurus.
Dr. McDougall also does a live webinar, and you can watch the previous episodes for free on his website. They're also on YouTube. He tends to ramble off on tangents, though, so I prefer to watch his older seminars and read his books. I think living his entire life trying to get the medical profession to listen to how diet can cure heart disease has kind of worn him down. He can come across kind of ...what's the word... not quite fanatical, but just really super frustrated.
But, his science is very rational.
I also watched videos of seminars by Dr. Essylsten (he's the dad of the Fire Engine 2 guy), and also Campbell who wrote the China Study.
If you just start watching videos and reading, and making some changes, you can also do it that way, like I did, if you can't afford the live-in programs.
OP, I agree with NMSFM. You could watch McDougall's past workshops on YouTube for free, attend the webinars, read his books, and checkout his website.
Wow, that wellness retreat is a good deal. I can't afford it, but it's a good deal LOL.
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