26 lbs lost - 6 weeks on Eat to Live

tntmom87

I've never heard of Dr. Fuhrman or the Eat to Live program, but I just happened to run across this on Pinterest today and decided to look into it more. I'm very intrigued, but nervous. I'd like to give this a try (I need to do SOMETHING), but I'm going to do some more research. Love hearing of everyone's success with it though!

LifeChanges42

I was just told about this diet yesterday. I downloaded the book to my kindle today and I am eager to read about it and read this thread (and any other threads I find on this topic).
We have LOADS of food allergies in this house. Funny thing is, half of them are animal derived. I hope the foods will also avoid the remaining allergens we have. I have been contemplating clean eatting for a while. This seems like it may be my road map!
SO EXCITED!!!

juliebean298

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juliebean298

Are you doing the vegetarian way or the regular way? I saw how that if you do the vegetarian diet it helps you lose more, but I'm sure if you went back to eating meat the weight would come back. Congrats on doing so well though!!

Eating unhealthy meat and dairy products is not the "regular" way of the ETL program. It is meant to be a plant-based (vegan) diet, or at the very least, vegetarian with very limited amounts of dairy. If you are continuing to eat animal products, you are missing the big picture of this plan. Meat and dairy are the very foods that cause the diseases that the ETL program is trying to reduce through adopting a vegan diet. I've been vegetarian for over 8 years, and vegan for over 2, and I can tell you that you will feel so much better after you cut that crap (no pun intended) out of your diet! You should read up about the China Study, I believe that is mentioned in the ETL book.

honeysprinkles

glad it seems to be working for you and has you feeling better! that's great

HealthyFitNTrim

As of 3/2/13 I made a choice to cut out all diary, meat and just eat a plant based nutrition life style. I had already purchased the Dr Furhman's eBook I had not started to read it yet... one day about 2 months later I saw him on Dr Oz I watched and said wow that is what I have been doing not even knowing it so I also brought the book in print I started reading it. I feel great, no more shortness of breathe I take the stairs up now at work, where before I could not, I have less joint pain and have not had a flare up with lupus since.

For me after seeing many shows on the meat industry and seeing all of the problems my friends and family have I have come to realize that yes it has to be the meat, diary, cheese, soda, and processed foods we eat that is the problem. Not to mention not moving enough sitting all day at work does not help either. Since 3/2 I have lost 16lbs, I have been at stand still now so I am starting to exercise more as I continue with this new life style.

Good for everyone who is having success with this program.

Michelle

Onemrbuzz7

I finished day4 today and it was hard.I wanted white pasta ,However my biggest concern today was going to the bathroom.I hope I get used to the roughage as I made a few trips.Tel me it gets better,
Good luck Michelle

marhod5

Whole foods plant based diets ROCK!! I'm somewhere between McDougall and Esselstyn and Ornish, but they are all healthy and great for weight loss!

MsAnn07

Bump

ldbuster0

Congrats,

You have more will power than me. I started this one time, but I gave up. I might have to to start again.

TheWalkingWahine

These are inspiring posts -- thank you all.
I plan to read the book now.
(Bump)

craziecritter

This poster cjc166 has deactivated their account!!

coco3382458

i will be buying this book. It kind of reminds me of "skinny *****" book from what everyone is talking about on here. I could cut out meat easily but the dairy would be a challenge

edit:skinyy b!tch

HealthyFitNTrim

Great to hear success stories, what ever you choose if you stick with it you will see progress. Best of luck to everyone. Thanks

Michelle

BarbaraPandoBehnke

Hi everyone,

I started the Eat to Live 6 week plan June 13th of 2013. It's been a little over 5 weeks and I've lost 5 lbs. I have not been doing the strict version, I have had meat 1-2x a week, plus I went straight to the Eat for Life 90% version of the plan.

While I do want to lose weight, I only want to lose about 10 lbs and the goal for me was to live a healthier, nutrition-conscious lifestyle. In this case, I am not exercising regularly at all. I do think with regular exercise and 100% strict observance, I could be losing more weight, faster. However I am pleased with the results of this effort thus far. One thing that holds me back is that I live with a husband and two little boys who show no interest in also following Eat to Live, so I am making my own meals and helping hubby with meals for the three guys. That takes time and extra planning in an already packed day, leaving pretty much no time for exercise.

I'm hoping to finish the first 6 weeks and assuming I can keep on the 1 lb a week minimum, I'll sign myself up for another 6 weeks and try and get started with at least a minimum level of exercise.

I'm encouraged to see so much success by others on this path, it gives me hope. Today in particular I was discouraged b/c I made the mistake of weighing myself last night and I haven't lost any weight since last week. I appreciate your having written your successes for those of us experiencing temporary setbacks.

Chandrahayes78

I did Eat to Live last year and started at 194lbs and ended at 151lbs over four months. Salads get boring very quickly so I had to get creative regarding my eating plan. When detoxing on the six week plan it's important you follow the portions exactly. My close friend who completed the challenge with me didn't have big weight loss because she didn't follow the portions. I followed the rules exactly as is and had a huge success. You're going to have to get creative and spend some time researching recipes and thinking about substitutes. You will have kitchen failures, lesson learned move on.

Braggs is your friend, learn how to use it because it doesn't go on everything. A food processor is a necessity. When your body says it's time to exercise listen to it. I started with walking, graduated to running and then added some of the OnDemand Exercise programs available on my cable box. Eventually I took on P90x which I found to be really challenging but it was nothing compared to Insanity.

First, follow the suggestions regarding beans. Whole Foods sells no salt beans for about $0.89 and you can find black, pinto, kidney, and white beans. Use the recipes in the book, some of them are yummy. For example the Quick Banana To Go is a wonderful way to start the day as well as the Chocolate smoothie. If I don't have time I just have a massive fruit salad with bananas, kiwi fruit, blueberries and pineapple and if I'm really hungry then I'll have a piece of Dave's Killer Powerseed (fruit juice sweetened) with raw nut butter.

For lunch I like the black bean hummus however I use white bean because I like the texture better. Baked yams, black beans with broccoli. Salads with apple juice sweetened dried cranberries and raw pecans (watch the portions they're packed with calories) with balsamic reduction. Naked taco salad with homemade guacamole, black beans sauteed with garlic and onions or try a homemade black bean patty, homemade pico de gallo and asparagus. Or simply a house salad with fresh veggies in Braggberry dressing. Sometimes to change up my salad I add steamed or grilled (without oil) to top it off. Another favorite is grain bowls which is versatile and can be eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner. The one I love is quinoa, cilantro, garlic, tomato and avocado.

Other things I love?
Homemade enchiladas! Just cut out the cheese and use cabbage for the shells or sprouted grain corn tortillas. It's the herbs and spices that really make the dish. You can go online to get a general idea of how to make a plant based enchilada sauce, cook everything in low sodium veggie broth and cut out oil. Lasagna is great and you can replace the cottage/ricotta cheese with extra firm tofu just make sure you dry it out, add lemon juice and Italian seasoning. Instead of pasta shells I used eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash as a replacement. During the six week challenge I avoided vegan cheese because it's basically all oil and completely processed. It's okay to add it back in after the six week just remember it shouldn't account for more than 20% of your daily intake. The other thing I LOVE is pizza. I use fresh basil and stick it in the food processor with pine nuts, garlic and maybe a little bit of Daiya. My favorite toppings are artichokes, onions, mushrooms and garlic. I use whole wheat Lavish for the crust. Cook it on a pizza pan at 425 F on for 15 minutes. Another favorite is homemade black bean patties wrapped in raw cabbage or romaine.

Mix it up and find things you love, that's one piece to a puzzle. Hard day? This to shall pass, believe in yourself because you can do it.

gigi_RN2013

Interesting ..

snowmanluv

Congrats! Totally believe you!!!. Once I went to unprocessed foods...it went away. I try to eat at much natural foods as possible. I say this because if you go somebody house or work function you can't help it. If I have once in a blue moon then ok.

mimi8182

This sounds great. I'm curious and hopefully can do this one day. Do you find it difficult in social settings/eating out?

abinfullestbloom

Thank you for the thorough post! I am new to eat to live and really appreciate all the detailed ideas you posted. I also have been stuffed since I began, despite a pretty low calorie consumption.

abinfullestbloom

I watched forks over knives last night with my family, which i found really helpful in explaining to my family the importance of a plant based diet, especially because there was no way my husband was going to read ETL. They are not fully on board, but they are slowly coming around.

xxmarysmxx

bump

spoiledpuppies

Kind of off-topic, but...it looks to me like the original poster deactivated his/her account (but originally joined in 2011). That made me wonder whether the post was a marketing ploy by the author/publisher/etc to get people talking about it. Then someone else said they first heard of the book on Pinterest the other day. Clearly the follow-up commenters have legit stories they're sharing, but I'm just wondering if the book has a new social media campaign going on.

MissFitt2

I'm not sure? I've deactivated my account before. And even if it was from the author/publisher, the plan really works! Marketing is all about getting the word out there. I've never felt better! And losing weight is the bonus.

itcanbedone13

bump for later

Mady1911

I started the nutritarian life-style "Eat to Live" by Dr Fuhrman 6 weeks ago, a little skeptical, as it was a huge departure from the way I was eating. Previously, I was using 20% under TDEE with high protein (200g/day) and high fat (100g/day), and was losing just around 1 lb/week which was respectable. However, I would still have binges, cravings, and need to eat constantly.

I made the switch after watching "Forks Over Knives" and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" on Netflix. Those documentaries completely sold me on the power of a whole foods plant-based diet. 6 weeks later I'm 26 lbs ligher (10 lbs the first week, and an average of 3 lbs/week therafter), I'm now just merely overweight as opposed to obese, I no longer need to count calories, I can eat until I'm satisfied, and my cravings and binges are gone. I no longer need coffee to function in the morning, my leaky bladder disappeared, and my hemorroids no longer bother me. My mood has improved dramatically, I'm a generally happier person, and I've noticed that I've been handling stress much better.

I've got 30 more lbs to hit my goal weight, and I'm very confident, for once in my life, that I'm going to get there!

May I please advise everyone who wants to give this a go to have an ok from their doctor first. Trying something this drastic ' by the ear' or eyes in this case, can have horrible consequences.
Congrats for your weight loss!

optimisticShark

I am starting this on Monday and wanted to know how do you guys eat the beans... I mean should it be soaked and boiled or just soaked in water for 8 hours? My guess is boiling might reduce the nutrients from the beans. Not sure though.

chk7

Today is my first day on E2L. As far as beans, I've looked at some of the recipes on Fate Free Vegan Kitchen. There's a lot of really creative ways to make beans. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/tag/eat-to-live

drinknderive

Going vegan really is not a drastic "diet". You're consuming plenty of calories, protein, calcium, etc. You just aren't eating garbage, processed foods.

lisaellenc

Ok I'll admit I started this healthy eating purely for weight loss. I am a tried and true meat lover, I am also a marathon runner and run 3-4 times a week, bike 3 times a week And weight train 3 times a week. My body decided it needed to keep extra weight on ( this is my theory) and despite my high activity I was heavier than I wanted to be. I got tired of people telling me "muscle weighs more than fat" when I am pretty sure that inch around my middle was Definitely not any form of muscle i have ever seen. My goal is small to many 15-20 lbs and to feel good. I am entering week ten, I am still losing about a pound a week so I am almost there! I have just started to reintroduce non vegan options. And they don't taste as good as I remember. I have heard the comments about needing protein to train and I have heard the naysayers comments about never being able to do that. However if you are motivated you can do it. Even if you cheat -which I'm not endorsing even if I did on occasion-- you are still making an amazing change and you will see a difference.