*Cross-posted at
http://discoveringthewordofwisdom.com/
March 1, 2014
Dear Reader,
Today is my 67th day eating a Whole-Food Plant
Based, Word of Wisdom diet. My official
weigh-in day is Sunday, tomorrow, but unofficially, I sneak a peak at the scale
once or twice more during the week. So unofficially, I can tell you that I’m
down 44 lbs. (This includes the weight I lost doing less than 100% WFPB October-December 2013).
These two facts are significant because I have never before
stayed on a diet longer than 3 weeks and I have never before lost more than
28lbs on a diet.
·
In 2003 I lost 28 lbs in 14 days on “The
Doctor’s Quick Weight Loss Diet”, a predecessor to Atkins. All I ate was beef,
chicken, eggs and ketchup. On the 15th day I broke my ‘fast’ and
drank a Mountain Dew and then ate everything I’d been missing and quickly
regained the weight. I spent the next 3 years trying unsuccessfully to stay on
the diet long enough to lose the (then) 100lbs I needed to lose. That diet may be the reason I went can’t
stand eggs!!
·
In 2006 I did LA Weight Loss. It was hard
because it required animal protein.
There was a vegetarian plan but it required beans and I couldn’t (still can’t) stand them; they make me gag. I
lost 16 lbs in 3 weeks and then I graduated college, moved to a different state
for Graduate school and reverted to my standard fast-food diet. I gained about
60 lbs during grad school and even more after.
·
In 2009 I did Metabolic Research Center,
including a [short-lived] stint on the HCG diet. The animal protein requirement
once again was a big factor in my not being able to adhere to this plan
long-term… that and I was always hungry and had enormous cravings for
salt-sugar-fat!
·
In 2011ish I did Medifast…. spent a lot of money
to be very hungry! I was never able to be compliant for more than 2-3 days at a
time.
·
In 2010-12ish I discovered Dr. Fuhrman and
attempted his approach. I loved the cashew-based faux cheese sauces. I couldn’t
stomach the 2 lbs of veggies per day and was still craving lots of
fat-sugar-salt pleasure trap foods. While I enjoyed the green smoothies made
with fruit, I consistently gagged on the green, drinkable salads sans fruit! I
saw frequent references on his discussion forums to the McDougall plan and how
“those people” at a lot of potatoes, but the Nutritarians- those who followed
Dr. Fuhrman’s dietary approach- knew that potatoes made you fat. I was pretty jealous of anyone who could lose
weight eating potatoes. It sounded like a much better deal than rabbit greens
at the time.
·
In 2012ish I found Dr. McDougall’s discussion
forums. I had read The China Study by then and I became convinced that a WFPB
diet was the best way to eat, and that animal protein was not necessary for
human health in most circumstances. However I still felt guilty about the Word
of Wisdom. Wasn’t there a scripture somewhere that said that we weren’t
supposed to command others not to eat meat?
I tried to rationalize—perhaps if I just didn’t eat meat, but didn’t
share my diet with anyone else, it wouldn’t be a sin? Then I read Jane’s book in 2013 and well,
once the spiritual aspect fell into place it was just a matter of getting past
the pleasure trap addictions. I started my journey on December 25, 2013 and I’m
happy to say I’m still going strong. This is the first time I’ve ever stayed on
an eating plan so long (and I don’t plan to stop) let alone lost weight doing
it. The fruits of this diet are good!
While thinking about what to write this month, I decided to
address several topics that have surfaced for me in February:
·
Food/ What I’ve been eating
·
Weight loss: how much, how fast
·
IBS: What to do next?
·
Questions and Support from Friends
·
Will power: How am I staying on this plan?
·
My Next Steps
·
Questions for You, the Reader
Food/ What I’ve Been
Eating
Last month I was really disappointed with my rate of weight
loss and so I knew that I needed to cut down the calorie density. I kept a food
log for February. The first few days, as you can see, I was finishing up what I
had on hand of my higher calorie-dense plant foods: tofu-based ‘taco
sauce’; walnut-chocolate-chip
cookies. I added in non-starchy
vegetables in the form of Shepherd’s Vegetable Pie and Carrot/Zucchini
loaf. Yes, my vegetable consumption has
primarily been at lunchtime so there’s room for improvement. That will come
with time.
The abbreviations are: B= Breakfast; L=lunch; D= Dinner;
S=Snack; ??=I forgot to write an entry
February Food Log
Sunday 2-2-14
B-carrot loaf, 2 c.chip/walnut cookies
S-2 c.chip/walnut cookies
L-carrot loaf, mashed potatoes
D/S-3 c.chip/walnut cookies
Monday 2-3-14
B-cherry pie oatmeal + 1 banana
S-banana
L-shepherd’s vegetable pie, 2 c.chip/walnut cookies
D-taco rice
S-3 pink fingerlings w/ mustard
Tuesday 2-4-14
B- taco rice
S-banana
L- shepherd’s vegetable pie, 2 pink
fingerlings w/ mustard, banana
S-2 pink fingerlings & two small yukons
(baked fries) w/ mustard
D-taco rice
Wednesday 2-5-14
B- taco rice
S-baked potato fries w/ mustard
L-carrot loaf w/ mashed potatoes
S-baked potato fries w/ mustard
D- carrot loaf w/ mashed potatoes w/ S&S
sauce
Thursday 2-6-14
B-taco rice
S-banana
L-carrot loaf, mashed potatoes
D-??
Friday 2-7-14
??
Saturday 2-8-14
B- oven fries from 2 large yellow potatoes
L-taco rice
D-taco rice
Sunday 2-9-14
B-taco rice, banana
L-oven fries w/ mustard; (2 hrs later) taco rice
D-carrot loaf, mashed potatoes w/ S&S sauce
Monday 2-10-14
B-taco rice
L- carrot loaf, mashed potatoes w/ S&S sauce
S-1 small pink fingerling w/ mustard
D- carrot loaf, mashed potatoes w/ S&S sauce
Tuesday 2-11-14
B- taco rice
S-banana
L- carrot loaf, mashed potatoes
D-fingerling potatoes w/ mustard
Wednesday 2-12-14
B-taco rice
S-banana
L- carrot loaf, mashed potatoes, a few grapes
S- fingerling potatoes w/ mustard, remaining grapes from lunch
D-taco rice
Thursday 2-13-14
B- taco rice
L- carrot loaf, mashed potatoes, banana, a few grapes
D-fingerling potatoes w/ mustard
Friday 2-14-14
??
Saturday 2-15-14
??
Sunday 2-16-14
B- taco rice
L-taco rice
D-oven fries w/ mustard
Monday 2-17-14
B- oven fries w/ mustard
S- oven fries w/ mustard
L- oven fries w/ mustard
D- brown rice, kale, cauliflower cheesy sauce
Tuesday 2-18-14
B- oven fries w/ mustard; 2 bananas
L- oven fries w/ mustard; 3 bananas
S- oven fries w/ mustard
D- oven fries w/ mustard; frozen grapes
Wednesday 2-19-14
B- carrot/zucchini loaf w/ mashed potatoes
L- carrot/zucchini loaf w/ mashed potatoes; pink oven fries
D- oven fries (pink and yellow)
Thursday 2-20-14
B-oven fries; banana
L- oven fries; banana
S- oven fries
D- oven fries; banana; frozen grapes
Friday 2-21-14
B-oven fries; 2 bananas
S-3 baked fingerlings w/ mustard
L-carrot/zucchini loaf; mashed potatoes
D-oven fries
Saturday 2-22-14
B-carrot loaf; mashed potatoes
L-rice w/ kale & cauliflower cheesy sauce; cold baked pink
fingerlings w/ mustard; banana
S-banana
D-oven fries; baked fingerlings w/ mustard
Sunday 2-23-14
??
Monday 2-24-14
B- overnight steel cut oats w/ baked apple (cinnamon, brown sugar) and
½ banana
L- carrot loaf; mashed potatoes; banana
D- oven fries, banana
Tuesday 2-25-14
B-overnight steel cut oats w/ ½ banana
L-carrot loaf + mashed potatoes + banana
D-oven fries
Wednesday 2-26-14
B-overnight steel cut oats
L-carrot loaf + mashed potatoes + banana
S- banana
D-none (not hungry)
Thursday 2-27-14
B-overnight steel cut oats
S-banana
L-carrot loaf + mashed potatoes + banana
D-oven fries
Friday 2-28-14
B- overnight steel cut oats
L- carrot loaf; mashed potatoes; banana
D- oven fries
As you can see, I’m fairly redundant in my meals. Some might
even go so far as to label them monotonous or bland. That would be okay with
me. I eat things I like and I don’t force myself to eat things I don’t like; I
keep snacks on hand during the workday (usually a banana, sometimes cold baked
potatoes) and I make starch the center of each meal. This formula has been
working for me in terms of compliance because I don’t feel like I’m missing out
on anything or being punished.
Overnight Steel Cut Oats have been a fantastic breakfast
find! When I eat them, I’m not hungry for a mid-morning snack. And they’re yummy!
Weight loss: how
much, how fast
Its not easy being a living, breathing fat storage machine,
aka a woman. Since I’ve been overweight since childhood I don’t really know
what my normal-weight body would look like. But I’m beginning to suspect I have
the ‘curvy genes’ Dr. Doug Lisle speaks about in his presentation How toLose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.
This being the case, I’m going to have to eat lower on the calorie density
scale than someone with slimmer genes, in order to get down to my ideal weight.
That being said, I would love
to be losing at least 4 lbs per week, every week. That’s not happening. However
after my January frustration I did lose 7 lbs, 1.5 lbs, 4 lbs and 3 lbs for my
weekly February weigh-ins. So a total of 15.5 lbs this month. That’s pretty
decent, all things considered!
IBS: What to do next?
One of the biggest health issues impacting my daily life
(aside from my actual excess fat) is IBS-D. I haven’t had true diarrhea, except
maybe once, since beginning this way of eating full-time, 100%. However I still have constant urgency, at its
worst in the morning. When I need to go,
I need to go now, right this second,
excuse-me-can-I-cut-in-line,
gotta-find-a-bathroom-in-the-next-minute-and-a-half-or-this-is-gonna-get-ugly. Its
always an emergency. I re-read the section on colitis in Dr.
McDougall’s Digestive Tune-Up and found that his suggestions were:
1.
Eat a starch centered, whole food plant based
diet
2.
Eliminate gluten
3.
Do an elimination diet
I’ve got #1 covered.
The only remaining source of gluten in my diet are the bread crumbs in
the carrot loaf, of which I still have half a dozen servings in my freezer. I
intend to use those up and then continue on 1-2 months gluten-free to see if
this clears up. If it doesn’t, then I
suppose I’ll have to consider an elimination diet…. not something I’m looking
forward to!
Questions and Support
from Friends
I suppose everyone gets these questions eventually. I
finally started getting them this month… well-meaning friends and colleagues
have asked me:
·
Where do you get your protein?
o
Snarky Answer: The same place the cows get it.
o
Real Answer: All plants have protein. Even broccoli.
·
Where do you get your fat?
o
Snarky Answer: Umm, I think there’s enough on my
body to last a good, long while.
o
Real Answer: All plants have fat, even lettuce.
Potatoes for instance, are about 1% fat.
·
Aren’t potatoes like the worst food for you?
o
Snarky Answer: Not as bad as beer! (This came from a conversation where a friend
was telling me how much money she spent on beer each month. I joked that I
didn’t spend any money on beer, but I sure spent a lot on potatoes!)
o
Real Answer: No, potatoes are nutritionally
complete all by themselves. They’re very healthy and have been a staple in the
diet of many long-lived, healthy populations. They get a bad rap because of how
they’re consumed: fried, with butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon.
I have been fortunate not to encounter anyone trying to stop
or detract me from my way of eating. Many do not understand but they’re kind
and sincere in their questions. On the
opposite side of the spectrum, I have a few colleagues at work who consistently
check in on me, wanting to know how I’m doing with my New Years Resolution to
eat 100% WFPB for all of 2014 and encouraging me. One colleague in particular
recently returned to an all-vegetarian and mostly-vegan diet, telling me that
she was inspired by my dedication to a plant-based diet and she wanted to feel
her best again. Like me, the first health issue she had reversed was acid
reflux. What a joy it is to never have
to deal with that again!
On Valentine’s Day my supervisor put a heart-shaped box of
chocolates in each employee’s mailbox… except mine. In mine, she left a package
of nuts and seeds. I thought it was an incredibly thoughtful and supportive
gesture…. even though I’m not going to eat them because they have oil on
them. Right now they’re stashed in my
car to give to someone in need.
Will power: How am I
staying on this plan?
The short answer is: I’m not using willpower very much. In
Doug Lisle’s talk on The Willpower Paradox
he explains how researchers discovered through a series of experiments that the
power in willpower is glucose. In other words, if we are to resist succumbing to
foodie temptations, we need to have eaten recently.
I work at a preschool as a Speech-Language Pathologist. I
teach several classes per day and consult in others, all of which have a snack
time. Even though I’m doling out snack foods that are not WFPB several times
per day, I’m no longer tempted by them on a regular basis. There have been two
exceptions this month. Once I was
tempted by the scent of ‘Nillla Wafers, which brought back a childhood memory
of making banana pudding layered with ‘Nilla Wafers, with my uncle. To keep
myself in check, I read the ingredient panel on the box and reminded myself I
do not want to put those things in my
body. The second time occurred last Thursday when I was helping another class
with their pizza-making. Both the scent of mozzarella cheese as it was grated
and the scent of the pizzas baking awakened, to a comparatively small degree, a
craving in me even though the actual sight of the pizzas was rather off-putting
to me: so oily and grease-laden. Even
though I wasn’t truly hungry, I ate a banana while keeping an eye on the
toaster ovens. The craving dissipated. The
power in willpower is glucose.
My Next Steps
There are several areas that I’ve identified that I need to
work on over the upcoming months. In no particular order:
·
Resolving IBS-D/ urgency if it is possible to do
so through diet
·
Adding exercise
·
Increasing vegetables
·
Not eating when I’m not hungry and stopping when
I’m satisfied
At the moment I’m not particularly motivated to commit to
any of them since I have a rather large project for my current doctoral class
looming over my head this month along with increased caseload and other
pressures at work. I feel like I have enough on my plate. Nonetheless, I know
that I can do this… the same way one
eats an elephant: one bite at a time… (Is that a poor analogy for an herbivore?
TeeHee) and that it would be a disservice to myself to tell myself I can’t. In January I worked on staying 100%
WFPB. In February I worked on adding
vegetables. In some future month I’ll
work on increasing them. For March I’m going to work on adding exercise… and to
make it realistic, I’m going to have my goal be to walk 15 minutes 2 times per
week. It may not be much in the bigger
scheme of things; its certainly not an hour of cardio per day like is often
recommended for weight loss. But its what I can do now, this month. It’s a start.
Questions for You,
the Reader
So if you’ve made it to the end of this rambling post, I
thank you for reading and supporting me in my journey.
Sometime this month I hope to be taking progress pictures! I
took “before” pictures and decided to take progress pictures every 50lbs. I’ve
definitely seen more roominess in my shirts and a coworker noticed on Thursday
that I’d been losing weight; I hope the camera shows it, too. J
If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear from you…
·
If you lost weight eating WFPB, what was your
average weekly loss?
·
Do you eat the same things over and over like me
or do you eat a lot of variety?
·
What are your favorite go-to meals?
·
Do you snack?
Until next month-
Duffy
