January ETL - Nutritarian New Year!

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Replies

  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
    HI all,

    Looks like everyone is getting thru. Winter is always tough to get through.

    I had a relapse this week. But got back on the wagon yesterday. It is a reminder that I am a person who cannot take a cheat day or even a meal it sets me off for a bender. I had a really long streak this time. No cheating since my start day on September 1.

    So, today lots of green smoothies and a detox. This weekend I am going to try my first fast. Shooting for 2 days. My husband is going out of town this weekend so is the perfect time to do a fast. No smells of food around.

    Still struggling with the portion control so no weight lost keep gaining and losing the same 5 lbs. but it is still better then where I was last year.

    Florida was nice: did not have great weather but certainly better than here. I have one more trip planned the end of Feb.

    Welcome back Joan. I went vegan on 09/01/2015. I do no wheat, no meat, no dairy. Slowly, getting used to the new diet. My husband still grumbles but when he eats the old way he has trouble with his digestion.

    Everyone have a great day.

    Terri
  • Carla_wfpb
    Carla_wfpb Posts: 1,331 Member
    Sabine, 'de fart' made me laugh out loud.

    Terri, I'm just like you and cheating is a very slippery slope for me. My husband is on board with this plan which helps a lot but he still wants to be less strict about it than I do. At least once you slip up you get right back on track. That is awesome. Last time I slipped about a year went by *sigh*

    Nice to see your post Sloth! Glad you are a part of our group. Even the last year when I wasn't on ETL, it wasn't because I didn't believe it is healthy and sensible. It takes discipline and lots of effort. I like that in this group everyone knows the concepts and just does what they want to with it. It is a work in progress for everyone.

    I am down 3.1 lbs for the week, about 2 lbs more than I was expecting. 12 lbs loss over 3 weeks time so far. I'm really happy with that, but a long way to go and that is why it is coming off faster for me. Every time I want to have a snack or eat something bad I have a cup of herbal tea. I call it a 'pit-tea' party. I'm going through a LOT of tea.... :)

    We got an electric pressure cooker this weekend. We made 3 recipes and 2 of the 3 turned out really good. Dry beans in the pressure cooker - awesome! No sodium and they are perfectly cooked and not at all mushy like I'm used to with canned beans. We made a fantastic bean chili that had both of us grinning at each other like morons. I also made apple pie steel cut oats...banana, apple, cinnamon sticks, fresh nutmeg. Mmm! The flop was creamy broccoli soup. The flavor isn't bad at all but it has blended tofu in it that gives it a slimy texture *shudders* We're going to try to eat it anyway, lots of good ingredients in there, but never again!

    Happy Monday everyone! Here's to a good ETL week!


  • liapr
    liapr Posts: 648 Member
    Anyone here affected by the heavy snows that hit the states? We didn't get touched by it at all in Ontario.

    Terri, welcome back :) Glad you got to some warmER weather at least.

    Carla, you're totally right, I really think I need way more salads and raw veggies in my diet. And less wheat :| I am going to experiment this week. I was at a big birthday bash on the weekend and had a lot of carbs and am feeling the bloat today! At least, like you said, I do feel like I'm much healthier already and heading in the right direction..

    Sabine, I didn't know that trick about the foam or that it "de-farted" lollll. Good tips!

    Sloth, I think the phrase is "easier said than done". I feel like I can talk a lot more about ETL than I can do...

    Mihani, interested in hearing how the new treadmill is!! Have you taken her for a spin yet?


  • Carla_wfpb
    Carla_wfpb Posts: 1,331 Member
    Mihani!! I totally forgot you just got a new treadmill until I read Lia's post. I also am interested in knowing how it is working out for you. I hope it does the trick, at least until you want to fix your old one. I have my treadmill in the garage and I feel guilty every time I look at it!

    I live in the Seattle WA area, so no snow troubles here. We had maybe 1/2 an inch one day this year and that's it. Hope anyone dealing with the snow is staying warm and has power! Lia, I'm from Vancouver BC & moved to the US a few years ago with my husband. Not exactly next door to ON, but just saying :)

  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
    Carla what about tahini instead of tofu?
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Carla, "pit-tea" party is awesome lol. I like it, will use that. I regret to say that I did not put the treadmill together yet. It is all unpacked and ready to be put together, but I had a ton of work to do and there were a couple naps to take yesterday in between working. I will get on the assembly.

    Welcome home Terri! Glad you had a nice visit.

    Scott, I think you do better than you give yourself credit for, and you're still here!

    Lia, glad you had fun at the party. We were supposed to get just a couple inches of snow, but it ended up missing us completely. Yay!

    I have only had about a 6 pound loss so far this month. I'm kind of disappointed, but I have only myself to blame. My "little slips" in reality are more like big huge slides down great big hills. So the goal this week is to get back to strict 6 week plan living, and stop with my little additions and modifications, at least for a few weeks.

  • whats_her_name
    whats_her_name Posts: 716 Member
    My 15 lb loss is now a 13 lb loss for the month so far. I did juice a bit over the weekend, but I ate real food for the most part. I did partake in some carbs, but they didn't taste as good as I wanted them too. My stomach is bothering me a little today because of it (and a little yesterday too). But for the most part I tried to stick to vegetables, fruit, nuts and a little rice. I did have a bit of chocolate - because I deserved it after juicing for 3 weeks!! But even the chocolate didn't taste as good as I had hoped it would...

    But with real food on Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I'm very happy that I have only gained 2 lbs. I will lose that in short order!

    So today I am going back on the juice. I didn't juice for breakfast, because I need to get groceries, but I'm going to run and buy some juice at lunch. Then I'll juice myself tonight. My recipes are really so much tastier than the ones available at the juice bars...

    I am going to see if I can't juice all the way through to February 12th, when I leave for Mexico. I think it shouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as I can stay in the zone....!! :smiley:

    Wish me luck!!!


    My brother's wedding was lovely - I'm glad we went. And the weather on the island was beautiful. January in Canada and we ate our lunch outside in the sun on Saturday!! And the spring flowers were about 2 inches out of the ground. No snow until we went up the mountain a bit. And we were good to walk around in sweaters - it was 7ºC and gorgeous --- I really need to move...
  • Carla_wfpb
    Carla_wfpb Posts: 1,331 Member
    One Twenty Three, I haven't read any of his books in a while, but 1 oz of nuts or seeds a day or half an avocado for weight loss is what I think Dr F recommends. Active people at their desired weight can have up to 4 oz. So there's some wiggle room. I have a small amount with every meal to max out my absorption of phytochemicals and to keep a level blood sugar.

    Karrie, amazing job over the weekend and with all of your juicing! When my husband and I tried to juice I'm not even sure we made it through the first full day! So nice that the weather cooperated for your trip.

    I'm making more chili this week and doubling the recipe. We'll probably eat it every week for the next 3 months straight and then be sick of it. My mom is coming over tomorrow to celebrate her birthday. Luckily, while she doesn't really follow the ETL plan, she is happy to eat the food I make and even enjoys it. We're going to go for a walk along the ocean and have a cup of tea, then come back for some chili and salad at my place.



  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Karrie, great loss! Glad you had a fun trip.

    OneTwentyThree, as Carla said, definitely you want some fats, just very limited during the 6 week plan. I eat a little more than an ounce most days, I like to have a few walnuts in my oatmeal, sunflower seeds on my salad, maybe a few almonds with my apple. Seems to keep me more satiated. I also sometimes use Newman's Light Balsamic on my salad which has oil but it's very flavorful and a little goes a long way.

    Carla that chili sounds delicious, did you post the recipe?

    I haven't put the treadmill together yet. I had a lot of work to do when I got home and just finishing up, have laundry in the dryer. I'm going to bed early. I got a decent night's sleep last night and my cravings for junk today were non-existent. Definitely a correlation.
  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
    HI 123: you should be having some fats with every meal. Dr. F recommends his healthy dressing for salads.

    A quote from his Eat for Health Book

    Page 196
    Eat for Health is not a fat free eating style because our bodies require healthy fats from whole foods, the way nature intended us to consume them. My eating style features creamy dressings and dips created with nuts, seeds and avocados. by eating this way, we receive the lignins, flavonoids, antioxidants, minerals, and other protective phytochemicals that come along in the package.

    My salad dressings utilize whole foods as the fat sources: almonds, cashew, other nuts and seeds, avocado, and tahini. These health fat sources are blended together in a high powered blender or food processor with other healhty ingredients to create delicious creamy dressings and dips that you can feel good about indulging in. Always use raw nuts and seeds......

    In his Nutritarian handbook he has a few easy reading tables:

    I find this table sums up his diet pretty well

    Cooked Green Vegetables: 2-3 servings per day
    1.5 cups kale
    1.5 cups mustard, turnip or collard greens
    1.5ps cups bok choy
    1.5 Cups broccoli rabe
    1.5 cups chinese/napa cabbage
    1.5 cups spinach
    1.5 cups brussels sprouts
    1.5 cups swiss chard
    1.5 cups cabbage
    1.5 cups broccoli

    Raw Green Vegetables 2-3 servings per day
    3 cups watercress
    5 cups spinach
    5 cups romaine, boston, red or green leaf lettuce
    5 cups argula
    5 cups mixed baby greens
    1.5 cups raw broccoli
    1.5 cups cabbage
    1.5 cups green pepper
    2 cups zucchini
    1.5 cups snow peas

    Non-Green Vegetables 1-2 servings per day
    1 cup carrots
    6 radishes
    1 cup red pepper
    2 cups radicchio
    1 cup cauliflower
    1 tomato
    1/2 cup chopped onion or scallions
    1/2 cup cooked mushrooms

    Fruit 3-5 servings per day
    1.5 cups strawberries
    1.5 cups raspberries
    1.5 cups blueberries
    2 plums
    1 orange
    1.5 cups cantaloupe
    2 kiwis
    2.5 cups watermelon
    1 apple
    1.5 cups cherries

    Beans 1-3 servings per day
    1/2 cup-1 cup lentils
    1/2 cup -1 cup red kidney
    1/2-1 cup adzuki beans, black beans, pinto beans
    1/2-1cup split peas
    1/2-1 cup edamame
    1/2-1 cup chidkpeas
    1/2-1 cup white beans
    4 oz tofu

    Nuts and Seeds 1-3 servings per day (1serving if you are trying to loose weight + 2 tbs flax seed daily)

    1/4 cup sunflower seeds
    2 tbs ground flax, hemp or chia seeds (do one of these daily does not count for serving)
    1/4 cup seasame seeds
    1/4 cup pumpkiin seeds
    1/4 cup pistachios
    1/4 cup pecans
    1/4 cup almonds, walnuts, cashews
    2 tbs raw nut butter

    For any newbies hope this info helps.


  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Just catching up with all the posts! I've just returned from a week at my mother's (taking care of her to give my sisters a break, and visiting with said sisters). I got way more exercise than I normally get but I fell victim to mom's very large container of roasted (but unsalted) deluxe mixed nuts. I ate WAY too many of these absolutely delicious but oily nuts. I'm up a few pounds because of it. What a slow learner I am. So back to basics today.

    @ liapr — For my recipes, I use fresh spices when I can and I tend to use more than the recipe calls for, especially when using dried spices. My new crockpot has a timer so it is easier not to over-cook things. Also, water-saute certain things beforehand, like onions and garlic and spices together. I do that in the crockpot first, then dump everything else in and let it go. After cooking, for some dishes, I will add a splash of lime juice (this is great for chili) or I will puree some of the liquid with chickpeas or cashews and then add it back into the pot for a thickening agent. Peanut butter works nicely, too.

    And heck, add a little salt if you need to if it means eating well otherwise. I can’t do it because my blood pressure shoots right up with just a bit of salt. I’m that sensitive to it. Hubby is not. He just salts whatever I make and eats it. That said, as you gradually decrease salt intake, you will find your taste buds will change and you will need less and less salt. Eventually you’ll discover the actual taste of the food instead of the salt, and things that used to taste fine to you will now be too briny to eat. That was a pleasant discovery for me, to start tasting the subtle taste of vegetables. Asparagus is like a burst of flavor to me now, without oil and salt to disguise it. A pleasant discovery.

    Carla, one day at a time is the way to go right now. For me, when I first started, I didn’t think about the “forever” part. I just did it. I already was living some of the health issues that obesity causes, and that was a big motivator for me. Forty pounds later, feeling SO much better and being a normal size again, it was much more a part of my lifestyle by then and thus it slowly became just a part of who I am now. It helped (and still does) that hubby just eats what is put in front of him and is also happy to be at a more normal weight again. Nutritarian is just part of who I am now and we’ve both fitted it into our lives. We just joke now about foods we don’t eat anymore; sometimes we talk wistfully about eating a whole large pizza on a Friday night, but honestly, the craving for most of that stuff just isn’t there anymore so for me, at least, it is just something I look back on but don’t dwell about.

    @tdh1991 — an excellent summary!

    I re-read the ETL book every now and then. Yes, the whole book. I find I understand it better each time. Some concepts didn’t stick the first time. I highly recommend re-reading the book, and highlight passages that click. Each time, I get something new from it.

    OneTwenty — sorry to hear you will give up on this diet. I found that I never get severe sugar drops anymore (what I call “the sugar shakes”) because the food is so dense. It is not a diet that one can “do” for 6 weeks and then walk away. It is really a lifestyle change and some of the big benefits can take months or years to notice. My sisters too have a hard time making a lifestyle change, even though they are envious of my success. I think it is harder for meat eaters, even though there is no requirement to be vegetarian on ETL. Bottom line for me is if I don’t do this, I WILL end up a Type II diabetic with high blood pressure and joint issues. I only have to look at my mom to know this.

    Looking at your typical diet, it doesn’t quite follow what Dr F outlines in the ETL book. I’m guessing your portions of veggies isn’t near as much as he would recommend. That is one thing I found hard to wrap my head around, but I do eat much larger servings of veggies now. Big servings. My salads are the size of a mixing bowl now. For high salt eaters, cutting salt drastically may cause the low energy. Gradually decrease the salt? Gradually increase fiber if you’re not used to that much fiber. It takes 2 weeks or more for your gut to adjust (it has to change the gut flora to handle the fiber increase).

    I’m back on track starting today.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    I'm very wordy today. Sorry about that. But one more thing for those struggling:

    Knowing and understanding the reason WHY I am eating ETL. It helps to stick with ETL when I understand the science behind it. I'm not good at just following "rules." I need to know why. Once I understand the rationale behind something, and know it to be logical and based in fact, I find it much easier to do what I know I need to do. That's why reading the book all the way through, as Dr F recommends, helped me focus on what I needed to do to recapture my health. And re-reading the book all the way through as many times as it takes to truly understand what he is saying, helps me re-focus on the reasoning behind the lifestyle change.
  • liapr
    liapr Posts: 648 Member
    HI guys - so nice to read through everyone's posts! Seems like everyone is having an active and pretty healthy January so far :)

    Just a quick note to say hello! My husband got the job we were hoping for so we are spending this weekend thinking about houses and moving and getting our house ready (which is semi-terrifying!). Can't wait to end or at least dramatically decrease our commutes!!

    Thanks for the recap, Terri!

    Happy Friday <3
  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
    HI Lia---good luck with your transition. Moving is exciting and worrisome. Hope you will have a smooth transition and sell your house quickly.
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Dinner tonight: ohsheglows.com/2012/02/26/cozy-millet-bowl-with-mushroom-gravy-and-kale/. I made it once before last year, and it was very tasty. Very little oil in the original recipe and easily omitted. Couldn't find millet at the grocery though, so I got couscous instead.

    Next project for today is to get that treadmill put together. It's not doing me any good in pieces.

    Terri, great summary, thanks for that!

    Lia, congrats to your hubby!

    Gotta go get cooking. I didn't have lunch at the office today since I only went in for about 4 hours, and I am super hungry! I brought some work home to do tonight so I need to get on that after treadmill/laundry/cooking. Busy day.

  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Lisa, thanks so much for sharing your experiences. You are really an inspiration for how to live ETL.
  • whats_her_name
    whats_her_name Posts: 716 Member
    Well, it took me all week to register a new loss, but I'm very happy to report that it's finally happened. :smiley: Now I have 12 days to kick it into high gear before I leave for Mexico. I'm hoping for about a 7 lb loss. Wish me luck!! :wink:

    I also re-started the Cize videos yesterday with my son. I'll be able to do half the program before we leave. Then I'll decide if I'm gonna start at the beginning again after we get back, or if I'll just pick up where I left off...
  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Well done Karrie!

    Got the treadmill put together. It isn't as smooth as I hoped it would be, but I'm going to play around with the tension on the belt until I get it working better. I think I just need to get used to it. You can also put some silicone spray under the belt that should make it roll more smoothly.

  • Carla_wfpb
    Carla_wfpb Posts: 1,331 Member
    So, what's February going to be? Fitness in February? (I'm all up for other suggestions as I don't really feel like working out!!!) Speaking of which, nice job Karrie on doing the Cize videos. Good luck losing the 7 lbs before Mexico!!

    Weigh-in day today and I'm down 4 whole pounds! That makes 16 lbs total for my first 4 weeks back on track. I'm super happy with that.

    Mihani, I hope the treadmill works out well for you. Great job getting it put together! I added the chili recipe to our growing list of recipes. No guarantees anyone else will love it like I do, I've just never been particularly good at making a good chili and I was happy with this one.

    Lia, congrats to you and your husband on the new job! We're waiting another few weeks before listing our place. We want to get the yard cleaned up but it has been too windy here to put in that effort just to have it all blown to smithereens! We think we may have found the place we want to move. 10 acres, about 30 minutes from town so a bit far, but love the property and the house. And, if we do get it, I'll have a pool to swim in!!! (Funny that you'll be reducing your commute and we'll be increasing ours!)

    Thanks for the encouragement, Lisa. I know we can get back to the point where eating this way is just the norm. Already the cravings are way down. I went from having terrible headaches every day to only having a few this whole month. I'm way less cranky, too.

    Teri, thanks so much for posting all of those ETL details. I know that I need to re-read my Dr. F books. While I feel like I have the general concepts, there were a some very good reminders in there for me.

    Dinner out tonight for my husband's birthday. We're going to a restaurant that is vegan friendly and hopefully not too far off from our ETL lifestyle - I already know what I'm getting! Garlic Veggie Stir-fry with tofu. And a fresh spring roll with peanut sauce for an appetizer. Yum!!!

    Here's to a great ETL February for all of us!!

  • Mihani
    Mihani Posts: 3,879 Member
    Carla, thanks for reminding me! I seem to miss the transitions of the months a lot lately. I think because I’m always so far behind on everything, I can’t stand to think another month has gone by and I’m still far from getting caught up. Thanks for posting that chili recipe. It sounds great, I’ll try it. I make a pretty mean chili myself, and I like the mixture of beans also. Gives it a lot of texture rather than having just one or two kinds. Woohoo for 16 pounds in 4 weeks!!! You are doing great! I’m going to get on the treadmill tonight and see if I can’t get on a roll with it. I’m so used to the motorized one that I think it’s just a matter of adjusting to the manual. Glad to hear your headaches are clearing up. Happy birthday to your hubby.

    Off to start the February thread!