January ETL - Nutritarian New Year!
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Just catching up with all the posts! I've just returned from a week at my mother's (taking care of her to give my sisters a break, and visiting with said sisters). I got way more exercise than I normally get but I fell victim to mom's very large container of roasted (but unsalted) deluxe mixed nuts. I ate WAY too many of these absolutely delicious but oily nuts. I'm up a few pounds because of it. What a slow learner I am. So back to basics today.
@ liapr — For my recipes, I use fresh spices when I can and I tend to use more than the recipe calls for, especially when using dried spices. My new crockpot has a timer so it is easier not to over-cook things. Also, water-saute certain things beforehand, like onions and garlic and spices together. I do that in the crockpot first, then dump everything else in and let it go. After cooking, for some dishes, I will add a splash of lime juice (this is great for chili) or I will puree some of the liquid with chickpeas or cashews and then add it back into the pot for a thickening agent. Peanut butter works nicely, too.
And heck, add a little salt if you need to if it means eating well otherwise. I can’t do it because my blood pressure shoots right up with just a bit of salt. I’m that sensitive to it. Hubby is not. He just salts whatever I make and eats it. That said, as you gradually decrease salt intake, you will find your taste buds will change and you will need less and less salt. Eventually you’ll discover the actual taste of the food instead of the salt, and things that used to taste fine to you will now be too briny to eat. That was a pleasant discovery for me, to start tasting the subtle taste of vegetables. Asparagus is like a burst of flavor to me now, without oil and salt to disguise it. A pleasant discovery.
Carla, one day at a time is the way to go right now. For me, when I first started, I didn’t think about the “forever” part. I just did it. I already was living some of the health issues that obesity causes, and that was a big motivator for me. Forty pounds later, feeling SO much better and being a normal size again, it was much more a part of my lifestyle by then and thus it slowly became just a part of who I am now. It helped (and still does) that hubby just eats what is put in front of him and is also happy to be at a more normal weight again. Nutritarian is just part of who I am now and we’ve both fitted it into our lives. We just joke now about foods we don’t eat anymore; sometimes we talk wistfully about eating a whole large pizza on a Friday night, but honestly, the craving for most of that stuff just isn’t there anymore so for me, at least, it is just something I look back on but don’t dwell about.
@tdh1991 — an excellent summary!
I re-read the ETL book every now and then. Yes, the whole book. I find I understand it better each time. Some concepts didn’t stick the first time. I highly recommend re-reading the book, and highlight passages that click. Each time, I get something new from it.
OneTwenty — sorry to hear you will give up on this diet. I found that I never get severe sugar drops anymore (what I call “the sugar shakes”) because the food is so dense. It is not a diet that one can “do” for 6 weeks and then walk away. It is really a lifestyle change and some of the big benefits can take months or years to notice. My sisters too have a hard time making a lifestyle change, even though they are envious of my success. I think it is harder for meat eaters, even though there is no requirement to be vegetarian on ETL. Bottom line for me is if I don’t do this, I WILL end up a Type II diabetic with high blood pressure and joint issues. I only have to look at my mom to know this.
Looking at your typical diet, it doesn’t quite follow what Dr F outlines in the ETL book. I’m guessing your portions of veggies isn’t near as much as he would recommend. That is one thing I found hard to wrap my head around, but I do eat much larger servings of veggies now. Big servings. My salads are the size of a mixing bowl now. For high salt eaters, cutting salt drastically may cause the low energy. Gradually decrease the salt? Gradually increase fiber if you’re not used to that much fiber. It takes 2 weeks or more for your gut to adjust (it has to change the gut flora to handle the fiber increase).
I’m back on track starting today.0 -
I'm very wordy today. Sorry about that. But one more thing for those struggling:
Knowing and understanding the reason WHY I am eating ETL. It helps to stick with ETL when I understand the science behind it. I'm not good at just following "rules." I need to know why. Once I understand the rationale behind something, and know it to be logical and based in fact, I find it much easier to do what I know I need to do. That's why reading the book all the way through, as Dr F recommends, helped me focus on what I needed to do to recapture my health. And re-reading the book all the way through as many times as it takes to truly understand what he is saying, helps me re-focus on the reasoning behind the lifestyle change.0 -
HI guys - so nice to read through everyone's posts! Seems like everyone is having an active and pretty healthy January so far
Just a quick note to say hello! My husband got the job we were hoping for so we are spending this weekend thinking about houses and moving and getting our house ready (which is semi-terrifying!). Can't wait to end or at least dramatically decrease our commutes!!
Thanks for the recap, Terri!
Happy Friday
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HI Lia---good luck with your transition. Moving is exciting and worrisome. Hope you will have a smooth transition and sell your house quickly.0
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Dinner tonight: ohsheglows.com/2012/02/26/cozy-millet-bowl-with-mushroom-gravy-and-kale/. I made it once before last year, and it was very tasty. Very little oil in the original recipe and easily omitted. Couldn't find millet at the grocery though, so I got couscous instead.
Next project for today is to get that treadmill put together. It's not doing me any good in pieces.
Terri, great summary, thanks for that!
Lia, congrats to your hubby!
Gotta go get cooking. I didn't have lunch at the office today since I only went in for about 4 hours, and I am super hungry! I brought some work home to do tonight so I need to get on that after treadmill/laundry/cooking. Busy day.
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Lisa, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. You are really an inspiration for how to live ETL.0
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Well, it took me all week to register a new loss, but I'm very happy to report that it's finally happened.
Now I have 12 days to kick it into high gear before I leave for Mexico. I'm hoping for about a 7 lb loss. Wish me luck!! 
I also re-started the Cize videos yesterday with my son. I'll be able to do half the program before we leave. Then I'll decide if I'm gonna start at the beginning again after we get back, or if I'll just pick up where I left off...0 -
Well done Karrie!
Got the treadmill put together. It isn't as smooth as I hoped it would be, but I'm going to play around with the tension on the belt until I get it working better. I think I just need to get used to it. You can also put some silicone spray under the belt that should make it roll more smoothly.
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So, what's February going to be? Fitness in February? (I'm all up for other suggestions as I don't really feel like working out!!!) Speaking of which, nice job Karrie on doing the Cize videos. Good luck losing the 7 lbs before Mexico!!
Weigh-in day today and I'm down 4 whole pounds! That makes 16 lbs total for my first 4 weeks back on track. I'm super happy with that.
Mihani, I hope the treadmill works out well for you. Great job getting it put together! I added the chili recipe to our growing list of recipes. No guarantees anyone else will love it like I do, I've just never been particularly good at making a good chili and I was happy with this one.
Lia, congrats to you and your husband on the new job! We're waiting another few weeks before listing our place. We want to get the yard cleaned up but it has been too windy here to put in that effort just to have it all blown to smithereens! We think we may have found the place we want to move. 10 acres, about 30 minutes from town so a bit far, but love the property and the house. And, if we do get it, I'll have a pool to swim in!!! (Funny that you'll be reducing your commute and we'll be increasing ours!)
Thanks for the encouragement, Lisa. I know we can get back to the point where eating this way is just the norm. Already the cravings are way down. I went from having terrible headaches every day to only having a few this whole month. I'm way less cranky, too.
Teri, thanks so much for posting all of those ETL details. I know that I need to re-read my Dr. F books. While I feel like I have the general concepts, there were a some very good reminders in there for me.
Dinner out tonight for my husband's birthday. We're going to a restaurant that is vegan friendly and hopefully not too far off from our ETL lifestyle - I already know what I'm getting! Garlic Veggie Stir-fry with tofu. And a fresh spring roll with peanut sauce for an appetizer. Yum!!!
Here's to a great ETL February for all of us!!
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Carla, thanks for reminding me! I seem to miss the transitions of the months a lot lately. I think because I’m always so far behind on everything, I can’t stand to think another month has gone by and I’m still far from getting caught up. Thanks for posting that chili recipe. It sounds great, I’ll try it. I make a pretty mean chili myself, and I like the mixture of beans also. Gives it a lot of texture rather than having just one or two kinds. Woohoo for 16 pounds in 4 weeks!!! You are doing great! I’m going to get on the treadmill tonight and see if I can’t get on a roll with it. I’m so used to the motorized one that I think it’s just a matter of adjusting to the manual. Glad to hear your headaches are clearing up. Happy birthday to your hubby.
Off to start the February thread!
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@lisabinco thank you so much for sharing that and glad it worked out for you, hope to get to there soon too 0
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