11 lbs gone in <20 day the plant based - whole foods way.

very well written blog. thanks for sharing

Thanks!

Congrats!!! I commented on your blog, but I'll comment here too...

I've been doing a plant based, whole foods challenge for 16 days now and the results have been incredible. I've lost 5 lbs on a small frame so that's huge for me. My wierd skin issues I was having are 98% better. I feel great. Cravings for junk are gone. I was previously a junk food junkie. Its fun trying new things to cook too. I think I am losing weight because I'm finally feeding my body the nutrients it needs, instead of 1200-1500 empty calories.

I absolutely agree. I am eating 1200 calories a day, same as always, but I am shrinking faster than ever. In fact, If it keeps up, I'll probably boost my calories and slow down the loss. I'm waiting to see if it will level out in the near future..

You mentioned oil free hummus. Do you use tahini?

No tahini. Just garbanzos and a little bit of water in the food processor until the desired consistency is achieved. Then I add one or more flavors: jalepeno peppers, roasted red peppers, garlic, horseradish, whatever else sounds good. It's so easy & delicious.

Congrats!!! I commented on your blog, but I'll comment here too...

I've been doing a plant based, whole foods challenge for 16 days now and the results have been incredible. I've lost 5 lbs on a small frame so that's huge for me. My wierd skin issues I was having are 98% better. I feel great. Cravings for junk are gone. I was previously a junk food junkie. Its fun trying new things to cook too. I think I am losing weight because I'm finally feeding my body the nutrients it needs, instead of 1200-1500 empty calories.

I absolutely agree. I am eating 1200 calories a day, same as always, but I am shrinking faster than ever. In fact, If it keeps up, I'll probably boost my calories and slow down the loss. I'm waiting to see if it will level out in the near future..

I would guess if you stick with this (you sound motivated like me) you will quit even thinking in terms of calorie count. I was eating about 1,800 target and in reality more like 2,100. I've lost 9 pounds in 7 weeks, eating around 2,100 calories/day. I'm 14 pounds from my ultimate goal. I cut out alcohol last week, so I'm definitely consuming less calories, of which were empty calories. I'm planning the alcohol abstainence to last 4 weeks, so we'll see what changes that brings.

I suspect you are right. I was on vacation last week and didn't count calories. I just ate plant-based, whole foods when I was hungry. When I got home I was down 3.6 lbs. When I began plant-based living 3 weeks ago, I had about 35 lbs to lose, so I was worried initially that I might eat too much if I didn't track calories. After all, I still wanted to reach my goal weight. I found out quickly that wasn't an issue. I eat a MUCH larger volume of food now because everything I eat has low calorie density. Now I mostly track to keep a food journal. It seems that if I eat when I'm hungry, I land right at about 1200 calories.

Good luck with abstaining from alcohol. I lost 80 lbs in 8 months last year, and I know it's because I wasn't drinking. I am abstaining now, too, because I am shooting for optimal health and I know alcohol doesn't do my body any favors. The good news is that my friends always have a designated driver!

Congrats on your success It is a great time to eat healthy...there are so many resources out there. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! There are lots of great resources, indeed! I approached this pretty confidently because I found so much great information with relatively little effort!

I just have to comment on how cute your dog is in the background!

Thanks! That's my beloved "Elvis". He loves riding in the car. Nothing beats a HUGE Pit Bull smile! :laugh: