Dr. Fuhrman

DEEDLYNN

Anyone familiar with his program. Appears to be mostly eating clean. Just looking for any thoughts.

dwh77tx

Funny thing is I actually met with him back in 2001 after I was having some problems after my son was born. This was in NJ. He basically gave me an all veggie/nut/protein diet with all these supplements to try too. I'm sure he is very knowledgeable, but his suggestions were just kind of "out there".

mactaffy84

I got his "Eat to Live" book a while back. There is a TON of information in that book and the first time I read it, I thought "This guy is NUTS!". I'm on my 4th time reading it now and I find that it makes even more sense, and maybe he isn't off his rocker! I've been trying to follow some of his suggestions, but I'm not sure I can completely embrace all of it. At least not for the rest of my life. It is amazing how stuffed you can feel on relatively few calories, though. I do eat a ton of salad in a day and I do try to eat a lot of green veggies. I've really cut down on the processed stuff. But, he says that dairy is really bad, but I really like my Greek yogurt and I'm a sucker for a good cheddar. But I have cut back on that a ton as well.

I've seen him on various TV talk shows; he seems pretty sincere and passionate about that which he writes. If nothing else, he had opened my mind to some alternatives.

enigmachik

I went to a series of lectures that included Fuhrman, Rip Esselstyn (Engine 2 Diet), and Dr Caldwell Esselstyn (Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease). At first some of their ideas do seem a little extreme, but they have a ton of medical science to back them up. Of the three of them I liked Fuhrman the least. He was pompous and talked down to the crowd. He also used any and all means/excuses to try to extract money from people. It was a huge turnoff for me. The Esselstyns by comparison, were very friendly and compassionate. They seemed much more interested in helping people get healthy than in making a buck. The difference between Fuhrman's diet and the Esselstyns is pretty minimal. I believe following either will make you healthier than the average person eating the SAD (Standard American Diet), but if you're going to put money in someone's pocket choose one of the Esselstyn's not Holier than Thou Fuhrman.

AmiC0717

One of our new nurses at work is eating this way and when I asked him about his "lunch" he told me he's been trying this. I'll have to get more information. I notice he eats a lot of canned peas UGH

enigmachik

LOL about the canned peas! You don't have to eat canned peas if you don't like them. There are plenty of other veggies and beans etc...that you can eat instead.

mabug01

I like what he has to say, as well as Esselstyne and John McDougall. The problem is, when I eat all-carbs all the time, I just don't lose weight. So, I figured I would drop the weight first, then work on eating vegan.

enigmachik

Well it depends what kind of carbs you are eating. You should eat complex carbs from veggies, not refined carbs that are in grains etc...

susanswan

Dr. Fuhrman is all about prolonging your life and living the healthiest life possible. At first I thought he was kind of pompous, too. But over the last 13 months I know from my own experience and from listening to his lectures and reading his books that he truly does care about us. He wants us to be healthy. He said he became a general practitioner because he wanted to help people before they got too sick. He has put all of these thousands of research papers and studies into his own practice. It isn't necessarily about losing weight. It is about preventing cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases and type two diabetes. THAT is what he is so passionate about. Each and every one of us is headed straight for one or more of the above if we continue our Standard American Diet (SAD). If you eat the SAD diet, you WILL have one of the above. It doesn't matter what your parents or grandparents ate or died from or how long they lived. They are not you. They are not eating today's food full of chemicals and pesticides. The reason he sells products is because there are none out there like them. They are mostly loaded with sugar and salt and other additives. His patients need coaching through their diseases, but after they adopt his healthy lifestyle suggestions they are gone. He doesn't treat people for 30 years as they develop life threatening illnesses and then die like other doctors do. I can now see why he does what he does and sells books and products and vitamins, etc. I urge you to look into his website: www.drfuhrman.com and especially listen to some of these topics on the Nutritional Wisdom page under the EVENTS tab: http://www.drfuhrman.com/voiceamerica/nutritional_wisdom.htm

As Dr. Fuhrman says, "weight loss follows good health". You can believe it or choose not to believe it, but the science is proven on his thousands of patients that have recovered from all kinds of nasty problems. I have been following him for over a year now. I eat salt free, oil free, and more veggies, fruits, and nuts and cooked dried beans than ever. On my best days I am 80 - 90% vegan. I love eating this way. The boundless energy is great! My joint pain is gone when I stick to the eating plan. NO cravings. Never hungry. It does take planning and you do need to give yourself time to have your tastes change for eating this way, but how you will feel is beyond your wildest dreams. Ask anyone who is an avid follower and they would not change this diet for anything. When I go off for parties around the holidays I can feel my joint pain come back immediately. I wake up with a food hangover every day. I thought I just hated mornings, but it was the sugar, salt, and white flour laden food. My face and hands are swollen for days, my gut feels like I ate bricks for 3 days. I get back on my green smoothies and veggie stews and feel great again.

I only found ETL after I lost my first 60 pounds. I lost my last 10 with ETL faster than my first 10! And I am 55 and post menopausal, and work at a desk all day. My only exercise is walking the dog twice a day for 30 minutes each!

There is an active group on MFP called EAT TO LIVE. Take a look around there and see what you think.

deb3129

I think what he says makes an incredible amount of sense. When I decided it was time to make changes, I listened to him, the Esselstyns, watched Forks Over Knives, and it all made sense. I have been doing what he recommends since March. I have lost 115 pounds, I feel better than I have in YEARS, my skin looks fantastic, and my doctor is thrilled. I think that they turn a lot of people off because what they are suggesting seems extreme to us at first. But I really do believe he knows what he is talking about. I am eating a lot of food, and it is all really tasty, and I am very happy with my progress.

DebraYvonne

I am investigating all of these right now, particularly the Esselstyns. I have an IBS and I don't want to aggravate it which is what happened when I did the raw food diet 2 years ago. I suffered tremendously for quite a period of time even after I stopped it. That is my only concern with this so I am still in the preliminary investigation of what would work best for my body.

alexveksler

I got his "Eat to Live" book a while back. There is a TON of information in that book and the first time I read it, I thought "This guy is NUTS!". I'm on my 4th time reading it now and I find that it makes even more sense, and maybe he isn't off his rocker! I've been trying to follow some of his suggestions, but I'm not sure I can completely embrace all of it. At least not for the rest of my life. It is amazing how stuffed you can feel on relatively few calories, though. I do eat a ton of salad in a day and I do try to eat a lot of green veggies. I've really cut down on the processed stuff. But, he says that dairy is really bad, but I really like my Greek yogurt and I'm a sucker for a good cheddar. But I have cut back on that a ton as well.

I've seen him on various TV talk shows; he seems pretty sincere and passionate about that which he writes. If nothing else, he had opened my mind to some alternatives.

In addition to Eat to Live, I got Eat for Health. I am too, somewhat struggling with concept of not eating dairy, etc.. Although he does not say to cut it out completely out of your diet. He is saying to limit animal proteins to a 10% of your daily cal intake. Regardless, as I am reading it now, I have mixed feelings. Especially after accomplishing 75LB weight loss on a low-carb diet.

alexveksler

I am investigating all of these right now, particularly the Esselstyns. I have an IBS and I don't want to aggravate it which is what happened when I did the raw food diet 2 years ago. I suffered tremendously for quite a period of time even after I stopped it. That is my only concern with this so I am still in the preliminary investigation of what would work best for my body.

Hi deb... I don't have an IBS (i don't think), but I still noticed changes myself. I purchased his book Eat for Health and he actually touched it on the subject of having difficulties with raw foods. He is saying (I can't quote, but something like that) "if you can't tolerate that much at once, just reduce it and take time till your body learns to process it...". I am not a doctor, and I am not sure how much truth in his statements.

alexveksler

...
I only found ETL after I lost my first 60 pounds. I lost my last 10 with ETL faster than my first 10! And I am 55 and post menopausal, and work at a desk all day. My only exercise is walking the dog twice a day for 30 minutes each!

There is an active group on MFP called EAT TO LIVE. Take a look around there and see what you think.

Susan.. Thanks for the info and for the group name. I'd love to ping your brain sometimes. I am at the very beginning stage of this....

lisabinco

I like what he has to say, as well as Esselstyne and John McDougall. The problem is, when I eat all-carbs all the time, I just don't lose weight. So, I figured I would drop the weight first, then work on eating vegan.

I don't know to which diet you are referring when you say "eat all-carbs all the time" because that is certainly NOT what Dr Fuhrman's eating plan is, neither is it a vegan eating plan, necessarily. I've been eating based on Eat To Live and just got the new Eat For Health book and have been tracking all the food I eat for over 5 months now. It is surely not all carbs, of course. It is plenty of protein and healthy fats as well as healthy fiber and needed nutrients. I've lost an additional 23 lbs since I started and am very pleased and happy to spread the word about this health-promoting, science-based eating plan.

lisabinco

The difference between Fuhrman's diet and the Esselstyns is pretty minimal. I believe following either will make you healthier than the average person eating the SAD (Standard American Diet), but if you're going to put money in someone's pocket choose one of the Esselstyn's not Holier than Thou Fuhrman.

I think you should choose your eating plan on something besides the personality of the presenter. Perhaps a solid review of each plan and choosing which one is best for you, more workable for you, is a better approach.

lisabinco

Anyone familiar with his program. Appears to be mostly eating clean. Just looking for any thoughts.

I bought "Eat To Live" in mid-July 2011. I had been on Weight Watchers since Feb and had lost 25 lbs on it, but I was really looking tired and haggard, was having a hard time staying full, and was looking for a better, easier way to continue my weight loss journey. I am now over 5 months into eating the ETL way and I'm loving it. It is indeed clean eating, but it is first and foremost HEALTHY eating. For the first time ever in my adult life, I have moved into the non-anemic category on my last blood test. I credit Dr Fuhrman's eating plan for that success.
While I was already a non-meat-eater, I still hadn't learned how to eat well as a vegetarian (although ETL is not necessarily a vegetarian eating plan). ETL eating has done what WW could not: reduced the swelling in my finger diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and the pain is gone; it has cleared up a persistent rash on my face that steroid creams could not cure; it has helped reduce the persistent dark circles under my eyes, whether from better nutrition or better sleep I can't say; it has lightened the load on my knees by 23 more pounds so my joints don't ache all the time; it has brought me back to a health I haven't felt in over 10 years. How could I not love this?

ebonyrose316266

I just started this like a week ago and I really like.

@lisabinco
That's awesome!

legallyill

I started following Dr. Fuhrman, actually starting with his "7 day crash diet" which isn't really a crash diet, a few months ago. I got sidetracked because I was changing jobs, cities, and houses all at once, but now that I am all settled I started again for the new year. I've got 30 pounds to lose and I know his plan is the best way for me. Its not about calorie counting but since I use MFP I count anyway, and I end up rarely going over my 1200 calories even though I eat all day.

I don't miss the meat and he doesn't forbid it. As far as dairy, I try to save all mine for cheese, because I am never going to be able to give that up. I don't need it every day, but that's where most of my dairy is.

I know enough about eating healthy that I can occasionally step away from his plan, but for me it has been the most effective, especially because I am never starving and, even if I am technically over my MFP calories, I know I can always eat a fruit or vegetable if I don't feel satisfied.

I added most of you above because I want some MFP friends who follow Dr. Fuhrman's plan!

lisabinco

I started following Dr. Fuhrman, actually starting with his "7 day crash diet" which isn't really a crash diet, a few months ago. I got sidetracked because I was changing jobs, cities, and houses all at once, but now that I am all settled I started again for the new year. I've got 30 pounds to lose and I know his plan is the best way for me. Its not about calorie counting but since I use MFP I count anyway, and I end up rarely going over my 1200 calories even though I eat all day.

I know enough about eating healthy that I can occasionally step away from his plan, but for me it has been the most effective, especially because I am never starving and, even if I am technically over my MFP calories, I know I can always eat a fruit or vegetable if I don't feel satisfied.

Any diet is hard to follow when you're changing jobs, cities and houses!! I did the same about two years ago and it was only this year that I felt "settled" enough to start concentrating on getting myself healthy. It was just too stressful before, but this year was my year to lavish attention on me and what I needed.

I too am a fan of Eat To Live (and Eat For Health) because I don't have to count calories, do go over my MFP numbers routinely in many categories (calories, carbs, fiber, whatever), yet I don't worry about it. As long as I'm eating ETL food, I feel good and when I don't eat ETL food, I start feeling crappy again. It's a pretty easy choice for me.