January ETL - Nutritarian New Year!
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Hi guys
So nice to hear from everyone
My T25 arrived and I was sooooo excited, except I threw out my back on Sunday. It has been aching for awhile, and I was hoping that I could beat it's demise by working on my core strength, but I must have done something funny. It's already much better because I've been stretching like a fiend and got my massage therapist to look at it this morning. So I'm hopeful I can try it out tomorrow or at the very least, next Monday. For now, I'm sticking to walking on the treadmill because that stretches my hips well too!
I've had two great days in a row! No crappy sugar! Hoping it will help me this week...
Terri, terrible about the snow! I hope you're enjoying the time to stay warm inside. I made the berry explosion muffins but didn't let the frozen fruit thaw enough, and my muffins were super mushy. Let me know how yours turn out!
Mihani, the wings were sooooo good! But it was a lot of cauliflower, and my tummy was out of whack the next day. I use this recipe: http://evolvevegan.blogspot.ca/2013/06/cauliflower-wings-revisited.html
Peas, it took me at least a full year to get used to automatically making all my meals with vegetables without actually THINKING or trying to. I still have a long way to go... I think it's a process for everyone!
Have a great Tuesday all 0 -
Hi, everyone - I'm new to this group and I'm so happy I found you all! I first read Eat to Live about 2 years ago. I thought the science was sound and it actually made perfect sense to me, but it just sounded too hard to do, so I never tried to incorporate it into my life. Well, here I am at 53 years old and over 100 pounds overweight. I feel tired all the time, my back aches when I stand for too long, and I'm just plain unhealthy. I am definitely addicted to sugar.
I am determined to get healthy this year, and to do it the right way. I'm convinced eating a whole foods plant-based diet is the way to go. I started about 10 days ago, and I have to say I feel pretty good. I am deviating from ETL only in that I am using 1 T olive oil on my salads, and I'm also using salt. So far, so good.
I'm hoping that by joining this group, I will stay motivated and get the support I need for the tough times ahead (which I'm sure will come). In the meantime, I'm very surprised by how much I like lentils!
This coming weekend, my goal is to cook some vegan meals to get me through next week. It's too much to think about having to do all the prep work every night after a full day's work. I want to be able to reach into my fridge, pull something out, and stick it in the microwave.
Looking forward to being a part of this group! Enjoy the day and stay strong!
CP0 -
Hi noexcuses! Welcome!
Hi all. I'm on day three of lentil chili with a base of a cup of spinach for lunch. What a yummy lunch that has been!
G-bombs for the day almost complete! I'm out of mushrooms, must stop at the market on the way home.
cheers!0 -
Welcome noexcuses! Sounds like you are off to a great start with ETL. It is definitely a process and all of us here are following ETL to our own degree of adherence. I recently started adding a bit of oils back into my days mostly for the flavor and because my skin just felt so dry. Not sure if ingesting oil helps with that though, but you can use such a tiny bit compared to what most recipes call for.
Oh no Lia... sorry about your back! Hope you feel better.
Karrie, rolls are hard to resist. Bread is my major compulsive eating trigger, much more so than sweets.
Sabine, I like the bed of spinach for your chili idea. Another great way to add some greens.
Terri, glad you're back to your workouts. I have always been in awe of your calorie burn!
Today was okay for me food-wise. I am really stressing over some things and I need to figure out how to get a little balance in my life. I have hit a stall on the scale but mostly trying to concentrate on nutrient dense right now and not worry about calorie deficit so much. I was letting too many starches and sweets creep into my diet. Again, I don't DO moderation lol.
y'all 0 -
Wowzers, you guys are so determined it's great to hear your positivity through snow, back aches and sugar addiction! (I've also gone sugar-free and its a *kitten* for the first couple of days, but my moods have improved remarkably!! Stay strong!!)
Yesterday was ok, I made arancini with leftovers so are a couple of those which put me out of whack but I also felt really hungry about an hour before my hot yoga class... I'm noticing how less-nutrient dense foods don't fill me up! Doh! But I made a green juice and was much better!!
I'm going to make the bars this afternoon with my girls and her friend, will need to omit the banana for Apple purée as my eldest can sniff a banana out a mile away!! I'm just browsing Pinterest for some lunch ideas...
Glad to see this forum is so active, it's so nice to hear how everyone manages. Where are you all based, US? Only I'm in the UK and Dr Fuhrman is not that well-known over here... Yet!
Jo 0 -
Welcome noexcuses! Congrats on the new lifestyle. I'm relatively new to the group also. I recommitted to ETL about a month ago, and I'm feeling so much better already. I've also lost 14 lbs :-) (though I still have a ways to go). If you want to cut out oil for salad, there are some good recipes out there for nut and seed based dressings. But if a little oil and salt helps you stay with the plan, then that's worth it I think.
It's been a good couple days for me. I got good workouts in on Monday and Tuesday, and we made good slow cooker vegetable curry last night.
StarLovesSky, yes, I'm in the US. Dr Fuhrman is still unknown to most people around here too, though I think he's getting better and better known. I do have someone else in my 12 person group at work who does ETL!0 -
Hi Jo! Awesome that you've gone sugar-free, inspiring!! Do you notice a big difference? This is day 3 for me... my problem is the weekends. If I can make it through this one (and I WILL make it through this one), then I know I've got enough momentum behind me that I will be more confident going forward. I will try and stay strong!
JCN, congrats on the loss!! That is fantastic. Mmm care to share your curry slow cooker recipe? I just got one for christmas and am still looking for some ways to use it
Sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch, Mihani. Any light at the end of the tunnel right now? Maybe some extra at-home yoga? Good strategy though going back to basics and thinking nutrient dense, I'm sure it'll make a difference!
Welcome CP! Nice to have you here Sounds like you've got a great foundation already too. I found that having a giant prep Sunday makes the week SO much easier and then eating ETL seems like a breeze (if you can avoid the snacks, lol, my problem).
Sabine, what a great idea, having a bed of spinach there. I have a tough time getting in raw greens sometimes, though I have more cooked greens. Thanks for sharing
My meals today:
B - green smoothie with kale, banana, blueberries, almond milk, hemp seeds, and cinnamon; coffee with soy milk
L - tex mex casserole (what else?) and avocado; celery sticks; pineapple
S - apple; nectarine
D - green romaine salad with mixed veg and baked tofu on the side0 -
Lia, I found a copy of the curry recipe here
http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/03/22/no-hurry-vegetable-curry/
We left out the coconut milk because we didn't have any, though I'm sure it would be tasty with the milk too.
It's from "Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson. We do a number of recipes from that cook book on a regular basis, though this was our first time trying the curry. I love the slow cooker. We prep the recipe the night before and put the container in the fridge over night. Then we just need to turn it on in the morning. And then dinner is all ready when we get home!0 -
Hi Jo! Awesome that you've gone sugar-free, inspiring!! Do you notice a big difference? This is day 3 for me... my problem is the weekends. If I can make it through this one (and I WILL make it through this one), then I know I've got enough momentum behind me that I will be more confident going forward. I will try and stay strong!
JCN, congrats on the loss!! That is fantastic. Mmm care to share your curry slow cooker recipe? I just got one for christmas and am still looking for some ways to use it
Sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch, Mihani. Any light at the end of the tunnel right now? Maybe some extra at-home yoga? Good strategy though going back to basics and thinking nutrient dense, I'm sure it'll make a difference!
Welcome CP! Nice to have you here Sounds like you've got a great foundation already too. I found that having a giant prep Sunday makes the week SO much easier and then eating ETL seems like a breeze (if you can avoid the snacks, lol, my problem).
Sabine, what a great idea, having a bed of spinach there. I have a tough time getting in raw greens sometimes, though I have more cooked greens. Thanks for sharing
My meals today:
B - green smoothie with kale, banana, blueberries, almond milk, hemp seeds, and cinnamon; coffee with soy milk
L - tex mex casserole (what else?) and avocado; celery sticks; pineapple
S - apple; nectarine
D - green romaine salad with mixed veg and baked tofu on the side
Great day! mine today:
B-smoothie of kale, spinach, berries, pumpkin, hemp soy milk.
S-nuts
L-salad the size of my head (with sardines on it)
S-raw cauliflower and broccoli
D- creamed leek and cauliflower soup (and a glass of red wine, I'm weak!)
Clearly we have lots of cauliflower.0 -
Hey Liapr, you're doing amazing getting to Day 3!! Most of my friends found cold turkey from their sugar addiction too much, keep going! I had been sugar free for about a year, weight literally dropped off me and I went from 88kg to 65kg (ish) without really trying! Then I comfort ate my way through a personal loss and now I'm back on it. (I'm officially back on day 2 of sugar free!) last time my sleep improved, my moods were so so much calmer, I didn't get that afternoon slump of energy & my size practically glowed! It's crazy to think I was slowly poisoning myself due to my sugar addictionHi Jo! Awesome that you've gone sugar-free, inspiring!! Do you notice a big difference? This is day 3 for me... my problem is the weekends. If I can make it through this one (and I WILL make it through this one), then I know I've got enough momentum behind me that I will be more confident going forward. I will try and stay strong!
I've gone sugar free again as it totally makes sense to be. Even my girls have taken it on board after I spoke to them about my poor health and how I intend to live long enough to embarrass them at their weddings! Ha! I'll happily hold your virtual hand through withdrawals... Hydration is key and if you crave sweetness of highly recommend medjool dates if you can get them - they taste like toffee! Soooo delish!
You've all had really healthful days, having read your posts it seems most kick off the day with a green smoothie? I've been doing a small portion of overnight oatmeal stacked with loads of berries... We had lentil and bean soup for lunch but we've had no salad as I my veg box didn't deliver any!! So the kids had leek & veg quinoa & I made a 'mostly' green juice (used the remnants of the spinach - bleurgh!) Hit the hot yoga studio again this eve and now I'm shattered! Apologies, long reply!! Sweet dreams xx
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Sabine, mmmm I love cauliflower! Sometimes my stomach gets mad at me if I eat too much of it though. That soup just sounds delicious.
JCN, thank you!! That's an awesome idea. I will give it a whirl! As I mentioned a week or two ago, my first slow cooker recipe was a huge flop and I haven't tried it again, haha.
Jo, yay we can go sugar-free cold turkey together! I already have a headache today and I'm guessing it's from that. Great that your kids are with you though, that will make a big difference! My fiance is also trying, but I'm the leader with ETL and sugar-free so far. I do have medjool dates though, I will try them when I'm feeling weak!0 -
I think I will jump on the no-sugar bandwagon! I need to keep my cravings under control and keeping sugars and starches to a minimum is very important to that goal.
Jo, I’m in the U.S., Ohio. How did your bars turn out? Great tips on reducing sugar.
JCN yay for workouts and slow cookers!
Lia how is your back feeling?
Sabine, the leek and cauliflower soup sounds really good. As does wine.
I would call today a fail. I ate a bunch of saltines for some reason. And some dark chocolate. And some popcorn. In addition to my good stuff… breakfast of oatmeal, lunch salad, and dinner red lentil cauliflower curry. I don’t know what triggered the snacky munchies. Ugh.
Tomorrow will be better!
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HI all and welcome to to the newbies.
Lia: thanks for the cauliflower wing recipe I am going to make those for Super Bowl Sunday.
I will serve them with fresh veggies, hummus and fruit.
Congrats to all of you doing the no sugar ban. I should join. I always do well for a week of 2 then succumb to my cravings. Guess I need to fill up more on salad during the day.
Had a relaxing snow day. I did not end up doing all the cooking I had planned so we will be eating the same left overs for awhile. Maybe tomorrow I will have time to cook. I did spend my day catching up on my paper work. Made a pretty good dent in the stack.
Today:
B: Oatmeal and fruit
L: salad butternut squash soup
black bean and quinona soup
big salad, hot cocoa w/ almond milk
s: berry explosion muffin (they came out very mushy and I had to cook them way longer then the recipe said. I did make some as cookies which turned out much better)
Off to the gym in -8 deg weather0 -
I'm so impressed by how well you guys are all doing! I gave into the tortilla chips sat on the kitchen side... Arrgghh! Anyhoo, the bars are being prepped this morning as I was pulled into candle making with the kids... And I've got some 'pecan Bon bons' to make so that I'm breakfast and snack prepared!! I'm also making tonight's dinner and prepping tomorrow's slow cooker... And trying out an almond crusted aubergine dish which sounds absolutely lush!
Sugar-free day 3, I'm managing to keep up hydration but keep forgetting to log it. Which resulted in me forgetting I'd downed a litre of water and wondering why I was peeing so much! I think the combo of no sugar propping me up and hot yoga resulted in the best nights sleep since my youngest was born!!! She's 2.5! Woke up this morning at 6 to go to the gym.. Then remembered I hadn't signed up for one!! Think in my awakening stage I must have been dreaming about a gym, so signing up for one this afternoon. But my skin has broken out in spots which I suspect is my body clearing out the sugar.
Tdh - berry explosion muffins? I'm intrigued! If they're ETL then I could add them to my breakfast armoury!!
Liapr - well done on leading the way with your fiancé! Headaches defo sound like they are from withdrawals, especially if you've cut out those notorious sugary drinks as majority contain a shed load of caffeine too! Be gentle on yourself. I found a 'alternative foods for cravings' on Pinterest. Almonds are good apparently!!
I'll check back in later, have an awesome day with love from the UK!!
Jo0 -
They work better as cookies but if I was to make these again I would add less berries and only use fresh strawberries.
Berry Explosion Muffins
Talia Fuhrman
Serves: 12
Preparation Time:
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans or 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added or low sodium white beans, drained
10 Medjool dates, pitted
2 bananas
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen strawberries, thawed and divided
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla flavor
1 teaspoon alcohol-free almond flavor (optional)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, almond flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a cup, mix ground chia seeds with 1/2 cup water and let sit until it forms a gel, about five minutes.
In a high-powered blender, combine white beans, pitted dates, bananas, half of the thawed strawberries (leaving the other half to be put in the muffins whole), chia seed gel, vanilla and almond extract. Once blended, combine with the dry mixture and stir thoroughly until well-combined.
Drain the remaining strawberries and stir in along with the blueberries and raspberries so they are evenly distributed throughout.
Place cupcake papers in a 12-cup muffin pan and spoon in batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Note: To make cookies, drop batter by spoonfuls onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Per Serving:
CALORIES 180; PROTEIN 6g; CARBOHYDRATES 39g; TOTAL FAT 1.6g; SATURATED FAT 0.2g; SODIUM 4mg; FIBER 6.5g; BETA-CAROTENE 35ug; VITAMIN C 15mg; CALCIUM 84mg; IRON 2.1mg; FOLATE 38ug; MAGNESIUM 63mg; ZINC 0.9mg; SELENIUM 7.8ug
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Hi guys!! Happy Thursday-Almost-Friday (and snow storm day for us, I think).
Thanks for the tips, Jo! It's actually so helpful hearing how other people do going off sugar, and even the side effects. My face has broken out this week too and I was wondering which of my food habits had caused it! I will check out that Pinterest page too, great idea. So far I've been doing okay and relying on yummy fruits. Even the fuhrman desserts are nice too. PS Holy moley your body was raring to go today!! That's awesome waking up ready to gym (even with no gym, lol) PS again, I'm from Ontario, Canada actually!
Terri, I'm happy it wasn't just me that made mushy muffins!!! I will try them as cookies next time. Great ingredients and flavour but yes, so mushy. Terri,
Mihani, lots of room on the band wagon! And actually helps my accountability that we are all doing it together!! Today is day 4 no sugar for me. It's amazing how easy it is when I decide not to do it at all, but impossible when I tell myself to do it only a little lol. I only ever last sugar-free for a few days, but I'm hoping I can have a totally clean February.
Also, Mihani, don't worry about the munchies. Everyone has days like that! And I think it's amazing you don't eat cake every day after your stressful long weeks, LOL! My back is doing much better though, thanks. I've been doing lots of stretches and decided I will start T25 on Monday! Just doing regular treadmill stuff this week instead. How are your hands?
B - oatmeal with seeds, raisins, cinnamon, and a bit of maple syrup
L - rice with kale & mushrooms; apple + nectarine
D - unknown; if I get stuck here, then a burrito; if I go home, a nice big salad and tofu again
Hope you all have a good Thursday! xo0 -
Today's plan, thanks to hubs' early morning cooking:
B: green smoothie kale, spinach, berries, hemp, soy milk
S: almonds
L: roasted brussels and carrots, cauliflower and leek soup
S: kashi bar good question! probably vegetarian potstickers 0 -
StarLovesSky wrote: »
Liapr - well done on leading the way with your fiancé! Headaches defo sound like they are from withdrawals, especially if you've cut out those notorious sugary drinks as majority contain a shed load of caffeine too! Be gentle on yourself. I found a 'alternative foods for cravings' on Pinterest. Almonds are good apparently!!
I'll check back in later, have an awesome day with love from the UK!!
Jo
'Shed load' in American is '*kitten* load,' correct?
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Terri how much snow did you get? I want to try the cauliflower wings too.
Jo, I had to look up aubergine again. I always forget it’s eggplant. It’s a much prettier name than eggplant. I’d love to see that recipe.
Lia, hope you didn’t get stuck. Glad your back is feeling better.
Sabine, I love potstickers. Trader Joe’s has really good frozen veggie ones, the only frozen ones I’ve ever tried that didn’t get mushy.
Scott’s back, yay!
Yesterday was a better day. Less snacky cravings.
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Sabine, I have roasted brussels for lunch today! Along with some roasted zucchini instead. Do you make your own potstickers?!
Yay Scott returns! Happy to have our token male back around
Mihani, I ended up staying at my parents, which is down the street from where I work, so it wasn't tough. Plus I got to sleep in a bit! I ended up writing a detailed budget for our wedding, which was somewhat terrifying, but I would rather know! Glad you had a better day yesterday
B - Oats, raisins, seeds, maple syrup; navel orange
L - brussels and zucchini; lentil chips and hummus;
S - apple & nectarine;
D - we are heading out for a fancy dinner with my in-laws and my fiance's siblings tonight; it's not vegan I don't think, but at least vegetarian. A salad to start, eggplant rotini in tomato sauce, and dessert. I am going to decline the dessert or see if they will do fruit...
TGIF!!! xo0
