Eat to Live (the diet not the thread)

[Amethyst]

I am 30 pounds overweight. I am trying to lose weight without jumping on the Atkins bandwagon. I came across Dr. Furhman's Eat to Live diet (it is vegan) and I have been following it for two weeks. It says to eat as many raw fruits, veggies, and greens as you want. In addition you are to eat 1 serving of nuts and 1 cup of beans a day. A serving of whole grains daily is optional. I have only been on 3 diets and those were a long time ago. Is the Eat to Live diet effective (in terms of weight loss) ? Does it make one feel better after being on it a long time? I also get exercise 5 days a week in the form of yoga and kickboxing. I just am not losing weight. I am not gaining but I am not losing and I have followed it pretty strictly. I didn't know if anybody had any advice, ideas, or tips. Or if anybody had ever tried it before and what did they think?

[CountessKerouac]

I find that when I eat all the veggies and low-cal fruit I want, with some soy products thrown in, I lose the most weight. Yes, it is *healthier* to eat plenty of whole grains, but for me personally, too many grains does make me maintain weight and not lose. When I am on a diet, nuts are a no no for me too. Calcium, fruits, veggies, and protein is the only way I can lose. Emphasis is on the fruits and veggies. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE SUGAR IN FRUITS. Fruits are good! :up:

I know people are going to yell at me, but I lost a lot of weight eating the following foods:

- Unlimited raw or cooked non-starchy veggies. This includes anything green, broccolli, carrots (yes, eat them!), cucumbers, zucchini, etc.
- Apples, oranges (good metabolism booster!), peaches, nectarines, watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, etc.
- Lots of CALCIUM rich foods like soymilk, soy yogurt, and so on.
- A few servings of tofu, soy protein, Boca burgers, tempeh and seitan
- 1 serving of a whole grain such as oatmeal, oat bran, wheat bean, shredded wheat. No cereals unless it's something like shredded wheat.

After I lost the weight, eating lots of whole grains did not cause me to gain any weight. Do not fear whole grains! It's only when I am trying to LOSE that I avoid a lot of them. Whole grains are essential for good health.

[Amethyst]

Thank you for your response. It was very informative. I usually only eat about 150 calories at most from whole grains a day. I don't do soy because it is expensive and makes me feel weird when I eat it. I will certainly try and focus on the veggies. I have been having a lack of energy lately in spite of a very high fruit and veggie consumption.

[CountessKerouac]

Thank you for your response. It was very informative. I usually only eat about 150 calories at most from whole grains a day. I don't do soy because it is expensive and makes me feel weird when I eat it. I will certainly try and focus on the veggies. I have been having a lack of energy lately in spite of a very high fruit and veggie consumption.

If you don't eat any soy, eat the whole grains. You can't just eat veggies and fruits! :) Your lack of energy could be from lack of grains. It is not really the "lack of grains" that makes a difference in weight loss per se, it is higher protein. Try edamame beans! They taste nothing like soy.

[CountessKerouac]

Oh, I forgot to mention beans! Duh. :doh: Beans are essential!

[Amethyst]

I eat about a cup to a cup and a half of beans a day! I love kidney, pinto, black, navy, baked, garbanzo....I should be a spokesperson for bean growers :tired:

[Shadowlee]

Are you measuring yourself as well as weighing yourself? If you exercise 5 times a week, you could be building muscle mass, which weighs more then fat. This will look like you haven't lost any weight when you stand on the scales, but you are still losing fat.

Don't always trust the scales :no: Dig something out of your wardrobe that was too tight and try it on again. You might be surprised!

[Amethyst]

Are you measuring yourself as well as weighing yourself? If you exercise 5 times a week, you could be building muscle mass, which weighs more then fat. This will look like you haven't lost any weight when you stand on the scales, but you are still losing fat.

Don't always trust the scales :no: Dig something out of your wardrobe that was too tight and try it on again. You might be surprised!

Well....I don't know if that is a good idea :think:

I gained 30 lbs my first 5 months at college. So none of my old clothes are even close to fitting me. Think "can't even get them on they fit so bad" kind of fit. I live in track pants and T-shirts so my current clothes are pretty forgiving. I wouldn't be able to tell if I lost weight using them.

[MollyGoat]

My family and I had great success with the diet. My fiance and I lost weight immediately and had SO much energy after being on it a couple of weeks. My mom lost a significant amount of weight and brought her cholesterol down to under 200 for the first time in her life. My stepfather's BP dropped to normal levels.

You sound like you are doing really well, and maybe, like someone said, the scale is just not communicating the proper information; ie, that you're gaining muscle and losing fat.

Also, remember that the more raw and cooked non-starchy vegetables you eat, the faster you will lose. If you're not getting the full two pounds, try to really aim for that. And remember that a serving of nuts is one small handful only! Nuts are my stepdad's downfall :)

Good luck!

[GTChick01]

I find that when I eat all the veggies and low-cal fruit I want, with some soy products thrown in, I lose the most weight. Yes, it is *healthier* to eat plenty of whole grains, but for me personally, too many grains does make me maintain weight and not lose. When I am on a diet, nuts are a no no for me too. Calcium, fruits, veggies, and protein is the only way I can lose. Emphasis is on the fruits and veggies. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE SUGAR IN FRUITS. Fruits are good! :up:

I know people are going to yell at me, but I lost a lot of weight eating the following foods:

- Unlimited raw or cooked non-starchy veggies. This includes anything green, broccolli, carrots (yes, eat them!), cucumbers, zucchini, etc.
- Apples, oranges (good metabolism booster!), peaches, nectarines, watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, etc.
- Lots of CALCIUM rich foods like soymilk, soy yogurt, and so on.
- A few servings of tofu, soy protein, Boca burgers, tempeh and seitan
- 1 serving of a whole grain such as oatmeal, oat bran, wheat bean, shredded wheat. No cereals unless it's something like shredded wheat.

After I lost the weight, eating lots of whole grains did not cause me to gain any weight. Do not fear whole grains! It's only when I am trying to LOSE that I avoid a lot of them. Whole grains are essential for good health.

This sounds like a good plan. I have been at a plateau for months and I can't figure out why. I know I'm eating WAAAY too many grains and nuts though (peanut butter is the debil!).

I'm gonna try this plan for a few weeks and see if I can't lose that last 7 lbs I want to lose. :)

[lil_onyx_piggy]

I want to lose my freaking jelly roll and I am only 14!!! I don't want to read I freaking book I just want a simple to learn about diet that works!

[@Raeven]

perhaps you should try to accept your body as it is, LOP

[tearhsong2]

I want to lose my freaking jelly roll and I am only 14!!! I don't want to read I freaking book I just want a simple to learn about diet that works!

When you're 14 you shouldn't worry so much about losing weight because your body is still growing and developing. Eating too little and exercising too much can cause some problems. Just worry about being healthy. Eat enough of the right foods ( check this out (http://www.vegsource.com/nutrition/pyramid.htm) ) and get some exercise and things will sort themselves out.

[lonesomedove]

My family and I had great success with the diet. My fiance and I lost weight immediately and had SO much energy after being on it a couple of weeks. My mom lost a significant amount of weight and brought her cholesterol down to under 200 for the first time in her life. My stepfather's BP dropped to normal levels.

You sound like you are doing really well, and maybe, like someone said, the scale is just not communicating the proper information; ie, that you're gaining muscle and losing fat.

Also, remember that the more raw and cooked non-starchy vegetables you eat, the faster you will lose. If you're not getting the full two pounds, try to really aim for that. And remember that a serving of nuts is one small handful only! Nuts are my stepdad's downfall :)

Good luck!

Mollygoat, what kind of dressing did you guys put on your salads?? Did your mom do it for the 6 weeks? How much weight did you guys lose? Thanks.

ld

[mer-girl]

out of curiosity, what is the plan?what do you eat?

[Cassiel]

All right, you guys inspired me to go and get the book, so I read it yesterday and now I"m trying it. It's not too different from what I've been doing but I'm much more focused about getting those raw and cooked non-starchy vegetables. I have a few questions now though. I haven't really been eating nuts and I'm not a huge nut fan...I like peanut butter, is that a nut? Could I have a tablespoon of that a day as a substitute? Also, why does eating the full 2 lbs of veggies make you lose faster? As far as I know, losing weight is still calories in - calories out. Eating this particular diet makes it much easier to achieve the low level of calories needed for weight loss without feeling starved and lacking energy (and is much healthier than simply cutting calories, it seems), but does eating all those veggies really make your body let go of fat faster? I have a terrible time getting the full lb of raw veggies but I might be achieving the full lb of cooked. I just can't eat that much, and this is coming from a marathon runner.

[MollyGoat]

I haven't really been eating nuts and I'm not a huge nut fan...I like peanut butter, is that a nut? Could I have a tablespoon of that a day as a substitute?
OK, I'm going to tell you what I think Fuhrman would say, and then I'm going to tell you what I think.

Fuhrman would probably say no, because peanuts are roasted, which means that the fatty acids have broken down and they really aren't very beneficial anymore, in the way fats are supposed to be beneficial. Peanut butter also contains acrylamides, which are potent carcinogens, but not in very high levels--you'll find them in much higher levels in things like potato chips and french fries.

My opinion is that a tablespoon of peanut butter would probably be OK, add some OK, but not great, fats to your diet, and give you a protein boost.

Remember the nuts are optional, not required. But my feeling is that if you're not eating the raw nuts, and getting the good fats from there, you really need to be taking BOTH two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds a day AND a tablespoon of EFA oil every day. (Use the kind that's a combination of oils, not just one--try to get one with flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil and/or borage oil.) This will ensure that you're getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturates to keep your brain and your skin healthy, which can sometimes be hard to do on Fuhrman. If you're getting that, you won't need to worry about the nuts.


Also, why does eating the full 2 lbs of veggies make you lose faster? As far as I know, losing weight is still calories in - calories out. Eating this particular diet makes it much easier to achieve the low level of calories needed for weight loss without feeling starved and lacking energy (and is much healthier than simply cutting calories, it seems), but does eating all those veggies really make your body let go of fat faster?

Calories in/calories out is a huge myth that for some reason the so-called experts have embraced in our culture. It's just not the case. If you sat there eating 2000 calories of ice cream a day, you would feel, look and weigh very differently than if you ate 2000 calories of veggies, beans, fruits, and nuts. Some foods--including raw vegetables, some cooked vegetables and whole nuts (not nut butters) have what's called a thermogenic effect on the body, i.e., they encourage you to burn calories during digestion. In the case of most vegetables, this means that you are actually burning more calories during digestion than the vegetable itself has--that's why the more veggies you eat, the more weight you lose. The same can't be said for ice cream, bread or any of the other junky foods! So what you're eating really does make a difference in weight loss, not just number of calories.


I have a terrible time getting the full lb of raw veggies but I might be achieving the full lb of cooked. I just can't eat that much, and this is coming from a marathon runner.
Honestly, if you are getting a pound to a pound and a half of veggies a day, I think you are doing great. Eat until you are full and satisfied and don't worry about it. Good luck! I hope it works out for you. I'm also trying to go back to a more Fuhrman-esque way of eating, but I'm working on my breadmaking skills right now, so it's tough! :)

[lijahbaby]

To add to what Molly said, I think it is also true that the calories that come from fat are much easier to store in tha body as fat because they are already in storable form where as calories that come from protein and carbs have to be converted to be stored. Does that make sense? I am not sure how to explain it better.

[MollyGoat]

That's true--your body has to work to store carbohydrates (especially complex carbs) as fat because it has to convert them first. If I remember correctly, for every 100 calories you consume as carbohydrates, your body can store about 40 as fat. For every 100 calories you consume as fat, your body can store 98! So it's not a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

Also, when you consume foods that are high in sugar, your insulin levels spike, which means more of the calories you've consumed are stored as fat.

[Cassiel]

Wow, you answered my questions so thoroughly! Thanks! :D

[lonesomedove]

Is anybody doing this right now?? If so what were your results, thanks.

[Cynthia Blue]

I just picked up this book yesterday... I've been vegetarian for over 14 years, and I am probably half way, or 3/4 way, there already. But not quite. I started running and weight lifting last October, and I'm getting more fit, but I having a huge problem dropping the layer of fat that is covering me. I try to get down to 1500 calories a day, but then I'm starving! Bah.

So I'm going to try his method, see how it works. :)

[Ella]

Is anybody doing this right now?? If so what were your results, thanks.

I was just going to ask the same thing!

[~Linda~]

Hi, may I join in?

After reading this and another thread about EAT TO LIVE, I went to Amazon and ordered myself a copy. Today was Day 7 of eating no animal flesh (yay!). I need to lose weight and want to continue this new-found (to me) lifestyle, so I'm hoping this book will help give me some direction. Weight loss wasn't the motivating factor to go veg (it was the suffering of animals), but weight loss will happen by eating more healthful, whole foods.

[lonesomedove]

I've had the book for awhile, but just started again yesterday, so this is day two for me. I'm trying to lose weight (about 30 pounds) as well as feel better. I'm also training for my first marathon, hopefully I can stick to the 6 weeks.