Eat to Live/Dr. Joel Fuhrman/Nutritarian eating--anyone doing this?

1980amberc
1980amberc Posts: 17 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone doing/have done the plan from Dr. Joel Furhman’s Eat to Live book? Kinda old at this point, def not the trendy thing, but wondering...

I’m doing the 6-wk plan from the book as a “hard reset” to get back to healthy eating after seeing it on this blog: https://hellonutritarian.com/. I was looking for a plant-based diet plan to jump start my weight loss and get rid of all the junk that has crept back into my already plant-based diet. (So many of these types of aggressive kick-starting plans are heavy on things I don't eat, so this one appealed to me.)

I'm a super skeptic--about everything, and particularly things to do with diet--but this makes sense to me & I think it might be the answer to a lot of my difficulties...the weight, health, and mood issues I've always struggled with. The first week was insanely challenging, but I'm on week four and seriously feel better than I ever have in my life.

I'm curious: is anyone else out there doing this too??
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I tried it several years ago. It wasn't for me -- I need more fat in my diet to feel full and energized.
  • FitKat123
    FitKat123 Posts: 71 Member
    They have an active Facebook page.
  • serser28
    serser28 Posts: 161 Member
    Hi @1980amberc, I have been considering doing the 6 week plan for a while now and have decided to start it tomorrow. How are you getting on? Did you continue with a nutritarian diet after the six week plan?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    serser28 wrote: »
    Hi @1980amberc, I have been considering doing the 6 week plan for a while now and have decided to start it tomorrow. How are you getting on? Did you continue with a nutritarian diet after the six week plan?

    OP hasn't been in the forms since May 29th
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    I have trouble with plans that have an end date. What are you supposed to do after the 6 weeks are up? Does he have a follow-up "rest of your life" plan?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    I have trouble with plans that have an end date. What are you supposed to do after the 6 weeks are up? Does he have a follow-up "rest of your life" plan?

    Yes.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.
    A nutrient dense vegan/vegetarian diet. I've known a number of vegans whose eating looked NOTHING like the ETL plan.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited July 2018
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.

    If it's a vegan diet, why not just do regular vegan diet at a caloric deficit? Saves you money since you don't need to buy his book for that and you get the same results.
  • karenvandam
    karenvandam Posts: 23 Member
    My husband and I tried the nutritarian lifestyle for a while (about 1 year). While most of the advice is spot-on and well researched, I feel like I did not get enough protein. My husband lost quite a bit of weight, but much of it was muscle. I ended up with fatigue that lasted 6-9 months. During that time, my doctors couldn't find anything wrong. I decided to back off on the nutritarian diet in hopes that a less restrictive diet would help me feel better. Eventually, my issues resolved, but I gained 20 lbs.

    When I started on MyFitnessPal a year later, I was appalled at how low in protein my diet was even after I started eating meat again! I really had to work to get the recommended protein levels. In hindsight, I wonder if my fatigue was from not eating enough protein? Of course, I have no way of knowing what really caused my fatigue.

    I still feel like nutritarian is a good lifestyle and we still use many of the recommendations (for example eating beans and greens and loading up on high-nutrient foods). I just eat more meat and dairy than he suggests.

    If I had to do it again, I would use the nutritarian recommendations along with MyFitnessPal to make sure to get enough protein and other nutrients.

    Good luck on your journey!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    karenvandam wrote: »
    My husband and I tried the nutritarian lifestyle for a while (about 1 year). While most of the advice is spot-on and well researched, I feel like I did not get enough protein. My husband lost quite a bit of weight, but much of it was muscle. I ended up with fatigue that lasted 6-9 months. During that time, my doctors couldn't find anything wrong. I decided to back off on the nutritarian diet in hopes that a less restrictive diet would help me feel better. Eventually, my issues resolved, but I gained 20 lbs.

    When I started on MyFitnessPal a year later, I was appalled at how low in protein my diet was even after I started eating meat again! I really had to work to get the recommended protein levels. In hindsight, I wonder if my fatigue was from not eating enough protein? Of course, I have no way of knowing what really caused my fatigue.

    I still feel like nutritarian is a good lifestyle and we still use many of the recommendations (for example eating beans and greens and loading up on high-nutrient foods). I just eat more meat and dairy than he suggests.

    If I had to do it again, I would use the nutritarian recommendations along with MyFitnessPal to make sure to get enough protein and other nutrients.

    Good luck on your journey!

    Were your iron levels tested? When my anemia isn't properly treated I have crippling fatigue. Red meat is a great source of iron, as well as protein.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.

    Eat to Live is *not* vegan. The website even has a section for non-vegan recipes to show how animal products are incorporated into the plan: https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes/categories/2/main-dishes-non-vegan

    It's a largely plant-based diet that isn't based on vegan ethics. It heavily restricts or eliminates foods for reasons unrelated to veganism. And the recommended recipes include animal products.

    Yes, I should have been more specific. It's mainly plant based, and from there you could be vegetarian or vegan using his plan. But although he himself does not eat animal products, his plan does use some animal products. He is not against that. I have read his books, so I am aware of that.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
    edited July 2018
    fb47 wrote: »
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.

    If it's a vegan diet, why not just do regular vegan diet at a caloric deficit? Saves you money since you don't need to buy his book for that and you get the same results.

    Or someone could go to the library and read his book for free if they were interested in what he had to say. No money lost there. Or watch him on PBS..for free.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.

    Eat to Live is *not* vegan. The website even has a section for non-vegan recipes to show how animal products are incorporated into the plan: https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes/categories/2/main-dishes-non-vegan

    It's a largely plant-based diet that isn't based on vegan ethics. It heavily restricts or eliminates foods for reasons unrelated to veganism. And the recommended recipes include animal products.

    Yes, I should have been more specific. It's mainly plant based, and from there you could be vegetarian or vegan using his plan. But although he himself does not eat animal products, his plan does use some animal products. He is not against that. I have read his books, so I am aware of that.

    It's not a question of specificity, it's a question of accuracy. There are lots of plans that one can adapt to be compatible with veganism. It doesn't follow that the plans themselves are vegan. I don't think Fuhrman identifies as a vegan (I've been unable to find an interview or piece of writing where he does so, anyway).

    There's no reason to describe this plan as something it is not.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
    edited July 2018
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    YvetteK2015 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    If a diet has some fancy name, costs money to join and promises great result over a short period of time I would avoid it. These types of diets have a success rate of pretty close to 0% and result in nothing more than yo-yo dieting. Not only do those calories come back to you they often invite others to gatecrash the party.
    These diets are so restrictive and teach nothing about sustainable ways of maintaining weight and required nutrition for long-term health.

    Actually his diet is just a vegan diet really. You don't need to join anything. I'm not vegan, but I've bought many of his books and I've used many of his recipes, and they are out of this world amazing. So if people like being vegan or vegetarian, they can pretty much follow along with him.

    Eat to Live is *not* vegan. The website even has a section for non-vegan recipes to show how animal products are incorporated into the plan: https://www.drfuhrman.com/recipes/categories/2/main-dishes-non-vegan

    It's a largely plant-based diet that isn't based on vegan ethics. It heavily restricts or eliminates foods for reasons unrelated to veganism. And the recommended recipes include animal products.

    Yes, I should have been more specific. It's mainly plant based, and from there you could be vegetarian or vegan using his plan. But although he himself does not eat animal products, his plan does use some animal products. He is not against that. I have read his books, so I am aware of that.

    It's not a question of specificity, it's a question of accuracy. There are lots of plans that one can adapt to be compatible with veganism. It doesn't follow that the plans themselves are vegan. I don't think Fuhrman identifies as a vegan (I've been unable to find an interview or piece of writing where he does so, anyway).

    There's no reason to describe this plan as something it is not.

    He and his wife are vegan. I've seen them a few times talking about their lifestyle. Also, before he called his plan "Nutrarian", he talked mainly of plant-based vegetarian lifestyles. I haven't really follow him since he started talking about how plant based diets cure cancer, so I don't know how much it has changed since then. I do know he tells you how to incorporate animal products into your diet, but back then he mainly didn't. So I generally associate him with vegans/vegetarians...and plus since he is one.

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