Eat To Live 6 Week Challenge

I just found your post are you still doing this? I have just heard about this book and plan on getting it. I would love to try the challenge with you...

I should have said I'm trying to lose weight ahead of a national conference in November, so I like the idea of another 6 weeks of focus.

A few things that helped me:

Try to hit all the habits he recommends, but especially target one habit each week. I started by making SURE I always got my 1 pound of salad every day, then moved on to 4+ fruits per day, and so on.

Carbs are killer. I am borderline diabetic and cannot have more than one serving a day to see results. If you're hungry, increase the fruits and veggies; odds are you are not having enough.

I'm not impressed by the Eat to Live recipes. Look up vegan recipes for better, more creative ideas.

I am trying to start this as well. I have had success with it in the past but have not stuck with it. I have not regained weight though and it has changed my perception of my eating habits drastically. I would love some support in the kick off

Here are a few things I've learned, if helpful:

1. Beans seem to be the hardest on everybody's systems. Although at first you might have digestion trouble when you introduce all the veggies, this seems to go away. For some people beans continue to pose problems, however. Two years ago I introduced a daily salad in my diet and have maintained that habit, but the beans were among the first things I stopped eating when I fell off this eating plan. I strongly recommend introducing beans slowly, maybe a quarter to half the amount, and give your body time to adjust. Also, don't forget tofu counts as a bean. You need more variety over time, but it's a good stand-in.

2. Get creative with the salads. Don't think of restaurant salads as your basis. I keep on hand several different kinds of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds, and pick one fruit and one nut/seed each day, whatever sounds good. There are a lot of different kinds of greens, so mix those up, too. A little kale, a little romaine, a little cabbage. Celery and dried pineapple taste surprisingly good together! I keep scallions handy because they are easier to chop up than a big round onion. I eat my salads in the morning because I find it very hard to get a good-tasting salad later in the day when I'm out and about.

3. I don't make my own dressing 90% of the time. Annie's and Newman's Own dressings work fine.

4. I wised up from my first attempt and am committing to only one habit at a time while doing my best with the rest. I started with raw vegetables because they make me feel so clear-headed and focused. I don't even have to think about this habit because I've been doing it for 2 years. Then I committed to 4 fruits/day. Then I added flaxseed (mostly because it's an easy habit to remember; I usually mix it somehow with my fruit). I still get most of the rest of the plan every day, but guaranteed right now I always get my salad, my fruit, my flaxseed and nuts. I've built myself up to this point. Still remaining as goals for me: 1 pound cooked veggies and 1 cup of beans every day. I get these sometimes, but not all the time. It hasn't hurt me at all to do it that way. I've lost 20 pounds so far and see no signs of slowing. So I would say, do what you need to do to make the habits stick.

Last but not least, I have learned that I do need to take care of emotional eating along the way. That desire to eat emotionally doesn't go away just because the food is healthier. I can see that even though right now it doesn't bother me, the closer I get to my ideal weight, the more that emotional eating will play a role. I am trying to work on new habits that don't use food to handle my feelings. ETL is not a panacea for that problem, it just helps buffer you against it by making sure you have the most nutritious meals possible.