Any plant-based eaters?

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katied37
katied37 Posts: 25
in Food and Nutrition
A few months ago, I adopted a mostly plant-based lifestyle after reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I feel GREAT, but didn't lose any weight at all. He encourages people to eat "unlimited" fruits, veggies, and beans. I think that this is okay for people who have been eating junk their whole lives and have a ton of weight to lose, but I only need to lose 10-15 pounds and have been eating relatively healthy for most of my life. Now that I am signed up for MFP and am counting calories, I hope the weight will start to disappear.

Has anyone else read this book or tried a plant-based lifestyle? Any thoughts?

Replies

  • cbowe428
    cbowe428 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi! I am currently eating a mostly plant based diet as well.i read the book "the china study" and it explained the concept of not being able to over eat as this: that our bodies will fell and be more full with plants and that our brains will have such a vast array of nutrients that we won't need to eat as much. So basically, you should be satisfied by the time you reach reasonable calorie limits. Calories are calories, though... So if you eat 3000 calories of plants or other foods you are gonna gain weight. (I'd be willing to bet it would be nearly impossible to eat that many calories of solely plant based foods in a day though!) if I were you I'd count calories for a few weeks and set a weight loss goal. If you are gaining weight, lower calories, if you are loosing too much, up the calories. Overall I love eating as much plant based unprocessed foods as I am able because I know I am protecting my body and I actually get to eat more food which is awesome!
  • RunReadEat
    RunReadEat Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm a plant-based eater, and think that, while generally you can eat plant-based foods pretty freely, not all plants are created equal. I don't really count calories, but am conscious of what I eat. So, while I feel free to eat as many leafy greens and true veggies as I want (I love arugula), I don't treat fruit or starchy foods, like butternut squash or rice, the same way.

    I haven't read Eat to Live. Do you recommend it? I switched over to a mostly plant-based food about 6 months ago and also feel great and am always looking for more information about plant-based lifestyles. (I hate the word "diet.":tongue: )
  • rayyesnk
    rayyesnk Posts: 24 Member
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    I haven't read Eat to Live, but I've watched Forks over Knives and I have the cookbook. I try to eat healthy, whole foods and I try to generally eat gluten free. I don't eat many fruits because of the sugar. I don't eat completely plant-based but try to lean in that direction (I feel like I need eggs and some seafood once in awhile for protein). I eat a lot of quinoa and veggies.

    Like you, I'm only trying to lose 10-15 lb. That seems to be the hardest amount to lose and maintain!

    I know I don't exercise enough ... but I never really counted calories or nutrients. I mainly paid attention to ingredients, not amounts. Now, with MFP I'm trying to do both! I just started 3 days ago so don't have any real success/ failure stories yet ... good luck everyone!
  • katied37
    katied37 Posts: 25
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    I loved Eat to Live. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a plant-based lifestyle. I watched the Forks Over Knives documentary, which is also great!

    rayyesnk, I also eat seafood every once in a while. Probably once or twice a month.

    ECPadgett, I also hate the word "diet." If I call this a diet, it feels like there is a start and end date. I like to think of it more as a shift that will improve my health for the rest of my life!

    I agree with you all about counting calories and limiting fruits and starchier foods, while consuming "unlimited" green veggies. I think that MFP will help me truly understand portion size and which foods are better choices, calorie-wise, than others. I don't think I will count calories for the rest of my life. I just want to get to a place where I can lose weight successfully.
  • jennnny
    jennnny Posts: 65
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    I'm transitioning to a vegan diet and I'm almost all the way there. I'm trying to loose about 15-20 pounds but since I started switching over to vegan I haven't notice much a weight change either. I notice I go over on sugar almost everyday from fruits and I find trying to get enough protein has been pushing me over on my carbs or calories. So I'm afraid I don't have any advice for you but I'm definitely looking for more plant based eating friends here on MFP! :)
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
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    I eat a mostly vegan diet. When I started out 2 1/2 years ago, I was hungry ALL the time. My appetite was never satisfied due to the lower protein and fat content of the diet and I ended up gaining about 10 pounds eating very healthy foods. I cut out a lot of starches and made sure to increase my protein a little bit and it felt easier to eat normal portions of food again. The weight did come back off.
  • FrankWorsley
    FrankWorsley Posts: 106 Member
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    Bump
  • phykes203
    phykes203 Posts: 10
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    I'm plant based now too. I was pretty much eating that way after being diagnosed with cancer and reading too many research studies to count. I watched and learned about FOK, China Study, etc, after all this...... and almost all of it matches.

    I read "The Pleasure Trap" and it helped me see that I needed to go cold turkey with the few animal products I still consumed (mostly cheese/dairy) and I gave up all animal products for Lent. I figure 40 days will turn into a lifetime. (Super great read, BTW. Strongly recommended)

    And I refuse to use the term diet too..... it denotes torture and a limited time plan to me, so I avoid it.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    I have been plant based since March of last year. I have lost a LOT of weight, but I clearly needed to lose a lot. When I first started out, I did not count calories, and ate as much whole, plant based food as I wanted. Then after I lost about 50 pounds I found my fitness pal and started counting calories.
  • haralvarez
    haralvarez Posts: 2
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    I think counting calories helps--a lot. I don't do it all the time, just periodically. When I get out of practice, though, I almost always start to eat more calories than I should. YOu might try tracking how many calories you eat for a week or two. You may be consuming more calories than your body burns.
  • teaelcee
    teaelcee Posts: 7
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    I am reading "Crazy, Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr and am looking to move toward a primarily plant-based diet. I was a vegetarian for 15 years, but I was what Kris calls a "muffin vegetarian". I essentially replaced meat with carbs. Now I am eating small amounts of meat, fish and shellfish, but I would like to have a diet where 90% of the time I ate vegan, gluten-free, with the other 10% of the time being free to indulge. I've become a bit vegetable obsessed, actually. I'm even trying to grow my own vegetables off my teeny-tiny balcony for the first time this year.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for the last seven years, and I'm definitely having trouble with the last 15 pounds or so. I try to keepmy dairy low anyhow (it was a huge part of why I got so fat to begin with), but even more so after watching forks over knives. I try to eat as whole-health, plant based as possible, but it is difficult to do given my time constraints. I definitely have to keep watching calories, but part of that is my tendency to go off-plan and eat things I know I shouldn't.
  • Spadowski
    Spadowski Posts: 38
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    You can definitely gain weight or plateau on a plant-based diet. Dried fruit, nut butters, and nuts can add pounds really fast if you aren't counting calories. A few years ago I lost about 35lbs going raw vegan, but I think it was because I primarily ate leafy greens. I moved in with some unhealthy eaters (carbatarian sugarholics), and gained 20lbs over 2 years, so here I am, now living with my DH and kicking those pounds to the curb. We live in Wisconsin, so cheese is kinda in your face, and then it goes in MY face. I love it, but I limit it, and am still losing weight, slow and steady. I was plateauing for a while and then kicked my activity level up a few notches and got over the hump. It seems that counting calories and a bit of exercise is truly the best way to shed unwanted pounds. Like duh, right?
  • katied37
    katied37 Posts: 25
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    The only thing I'm having trouble resisting is sugar! It's the cookies that get me. I have tried satisfying that mid-afternoon sugar craving with something healthy like black bean brownies, Medjool dates, or an apple, but I don't think that's really helping to fight my sweet tooth. I'm still giving into the craving. I need to find a way to NOT eat something sweet at all when I'm craving sugar - even if it's fruit. Any suggestions, plant-strong friends? :)

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