plant-based eating

[brooke_kelly]

hi
i have decided to give plant-based eating a try. i found the plan from old posts! the basic premise is:

Unlimited:
all raw vegetables (goal: 1 pound or more)
cooked green vegetables (goal: 1 pound or more)
beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (goal: 1 cup or more)
fresh fruit (goal: 4 or more)
eggplant, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms

Limited:
cooked starchy vegetables and whole grains...corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, breads, cereals..- (max: 1 cup)
raw nuts and seed..not roasted.. (max: 1 oz)
avocado (max: 2 oz)
ground flaxseed (max: 1 Tablespoon)

Off-Limits:
dairy products
animal products
between meal snacks
fruit juice
dried fruit

i think it sounds very interesting! and they say you lose a pound a day?!?!
here is the original thread: Plant-Based Eating

i am going to post my menus and results here, anyone who'd like to join me-- please do!

[brooke_kelly]

Well, day one is going pretty well

Breakfast was just black coffee because i didn't go to the store first to prepare.

Lunch was a varied selection of beans, veggies, olive oil and spices (very, very yummy).

For snacks i had half and apple with a touch of almond butter and a mini macadamia-apricot bar.

Dinner is about to be stir-fried veggies with tofu and brown rice!

I was a good day, I have a lot of energy-- but i must say this rapid increase of fiber is doing a number on my system haha.

[jezzie]

As a semi-vegetarian I will be following your posts with interest.
BTW: I get about twice as much as the 'recommended amount' of fiber.



.

[brooke_kelly]

well, the day is about over and i can hardly believe that i did it! i followed these vegan rules and i feel great! i ended up having some mac nuts after dinner-- i am excited for tomorrow!

[brooke_kelly]

Well, so far day two is going as well as day one I had half an apple with a 1/4 C oatmeal for breakfast, along with a coffee with soy-cream and stevia. I am about to make a bean dish for lunch.
I have to say, I am actually feeling better mentally and physically already. I woke up with a boost of energy this morning! I went out to the pool after lunch and I felt slimmer already!
I also want to address my weigh-in issue. On one hand, I want to weigh-in and see my progress, but I also know myself and know that if the scale showed anything less than wonderful news, I would feel dejected. I am going to wait a while, I might even be like two weeks-- this thursaday I am going to see my fiance for a pool and partying weekend, so I don't want any bad weight news before that trip. And I probably won't want to weigh first thing back after a weekend that I am sure will include drinking
I will just wait and see!

[brooke_kelly]

yum yum... i just had a great dinner! i had a five bean salad i made, 2 baby roasted potatoes, and a big green salad. it was pretty good! i think i am done eating for the day after that big meal.

[Maggy]

Can't wait to see how this works out...You are doing great!! KUTGW!

[thealything]

hey, this sounds interesting... I have read a lot about how this is a healthful way to eat. I won't be abandoning Atkins anytime soon, but I WILL be following your posts with interest... this is a way of eating I would like to eventually transition towards, minus the beans and etc, instead adding fish and eggs.

[brooke_kelly]

wow, i am glad for the support from you guys! thank you, thank you!

so today, i didn't weigh-- BUT i measured... i lost an inch of both my waist and my hips!

i am feeling good, and my body seems to be adjusting to all the fiber, haha. today i woke up and had my soy coffee but i wasn't feeling hungry (VERY weird for me) so i went out and did yard work for a couple of hours. i am having SO much energy.

for lunch, i had 1/2 a can of black eyed peas with a couple spoonfuls of vegetable bruschetta and soybean salsa. i micro-waved it for 30 seconds and there was my great lunch, haha.

i'll post again after dinner!

[brooke_kelly]

well, i am preparing dinner right-- grilled veggies and light tofu with a little brown rice-- and i had a few snacks. i had a bite of an apple that was not so good, a hand full of carrots, and a few spoonfuls of my bean salad from last night. interesting note today; i smell fruity!

[brooke_kelly]

good afternoon!

well, today i woke up again without a big appetite. i had my soy coffee then an apple an hour or two later. i just had my lunch: red beans and vegetable bruschetta. i am really feeling thinner-- weird, but today when i measured my waist it was even an inch smaller than yesterday
i am tempted to weigh, but i am feeling really happy with my success at this point, i am not going to spoil it by possibly upsetting myself. since i started on the 21st, the 4th of July would be close to two weeks. I think I am going to weigh on the 4th. Also, if the plan really is about a pound/day, i would have reached my goal!
ok, well i am going to post my dinner later. bye bye

[brooke_kelly]

uhhhh! so i went out to dinner tonight and it was hard to find something. i ended up eating a house salad with oil & vinegar and about 3/4 C of french fries-- not ideal but still within reason! it was ok though, and i feel just fine! night night

[fluffybear2]

Well, good for you!

I decided awhile back that I will too and it's changed my life. I love it and feel healthier than ever. The best part is that my digestion has improved immensely. I had developed diverticulosis and a plant-based diet cured it! Also I just have a general sense of well being and a LOT more energy. I am following the McDougall plan, but there are many other plant-based diets out there that work.

[Maggy]

My daughter just decided to go vegan, so I too am watching with curiosity. Best of luck to everyone and thanks for the link I may start this WOE also. It sounds so healthy, and I have been some research and meat and it's making me sad...no details, but I can never think of it in the same way again. KUTGW!!!!

[brooke_kelly]

maggy, i know... with some of the info it's really hard to enjoy certain foods!

well, today was pretty good-- i was REALLY hungry because of pms i believe i had:

-soy coffee
-can of garbonzo beans w/ veggie bruschetta
-vegan trail mix (pepita, almond, seed, some dried fruit)
-LOTS of stir-fried veggies, some tofu, and a little brown rice

[brooke_kelly]

fluffybear, i totally agree about the energy! i just have so much and i FEEL healthy and lighter.

[fluffybear2]

Originally Posted by brooke_kelly

fluffybear, i totally agree about the energy! i just have so much and i FEEL healthy and lighter.

I have been following the McDougall plan and feel great, but not losing quite as fast as I want (about 1-2 lbs. a week), so think I will switch to the Eat to Live plan by Dr. Furhman which is the plan outlined in the original post. It has less starchy food so I think it will probably work best for me since I have such a slow metabolism.

[thealything]

are you measuring your calories at all?

[fluffybear2]

Originally Posted by thealything

are you measuring your calories at all?

I don't know about everyone else who eats this way, but I don't count calories.

[Moretta]

This plan sounds interesting.

[Moretta]

Can someone share what do you use for salad dressings.

I may purchase Dr. F's books. It really does sound interesting and healthy way of eating.

[belleadonna]

I was a vegan for many, many years. I guess that I got bored with it but I still am a veggie and fruit lover. It's a great way to eat but just be sure to supplement with B12 and essential fats notably missing in a truely vegan diet.
I now eat just meat, veggies, nuts, and fruits. Beans don't really agree with me but sometimes I eat them because they are so good. I just load up on enzymes when I eat them.
I am trying not to limit my diet to just certain foods but to just watch my caloric intake but I am not a fanatic about it. I just kind of keep track in my head. I also avoid any processed foods and only eat them once in a blue moon.

[LoraJR72]

I mentioned this on another thread about meat-free muscle guys. One of the other guys supplements with rice, hemp, and pea proteins, gets enough fat from flax and hemp seed oil, and he is avoiding foods high in saturated fat. He eats small ports of complex carbs throughout the day from brown rice, quinoa and oatmeal, and gets simple carbs and sugars from whole fruits.

He uses Vega whole-meal replacement and added chlorella and maca root which aids in hormonal balance, and helps in recovery.

One of the books he's reading and used some of the guidelines was (get this) Brendan Frazier's "The Thrive Diet".

[brooke_kelly]

hello all!

well, i have returned from my weekend of fun-- i did pretty well, i ate some dairy in breads and i drank some but all and all i did ok. it was great to feel slim for all of the time in the pool. tomorrow is back to strict adherence.

for dressings, i like annie's goddess dressings, olive oil and herbs, and i like to try different vegetable bruschettas with my salads/beans.

[Moretta]

How much salad dressing are you using in your salads?

Anybody have Dr. F's book?

[brooke_kelly]

moretta,

i use about 2 TB, but i really don't worry about the fats. i just try to have at least one big fibrous salad a day, 1 can super fibrous beans a day and other fruits and veggies. my "system" clears at a pretty fast rate so not too much "sticks"-- i feel like that is why i am losing weight.

honestly, i have never been eating more and felt as thin.

[Moretta]

Brooke: Do you have Dr. F's book?

Do you mind posting your menu.

I'm thinking of purchasing his books, but it seems so straight forward.

[fluffybear2]

I have been on Dr. Fuhrman's website and checked his book out of the library. He doesn't emphasize starches as much as Dr. McDougall. He says you should eat a lb. of veggies and fruits each day and most of them raw. Just look for salad dressing with the lowest fat grams or percentage of fat.