What is Eat to Live?

I've had a lot of questions from friends about this Eat to Live diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I talk about it a lot, and for those tracking my weight, you know I lose .5 to as much as 2 pounds in a day when I actually follow it (which is mostly during the week).

Eat to Live is a scientifically proven lifestyle diet that reduces and eliminates disease, and restores the body's natural ability to heal itself. Based on clinical studies, this way of eating can prevent cancer and remedy most diseases including Diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. I'm not saying it will cure these, but according to clinical studies, and based on thousands of patients of Dr. Fuhrman, this way of eating has been proven to do just that. Which is why I even stumbled across it at all.

Last year was a sad year for me because I lost several friends and acquaintances to cancer, heart attacks or stroke. Mostly cancer though. It was a surreal and heartbreaking year for me, and something that I'd rather not see a repeat of. It was also a wake-up call for me. Two of the women that died of cancer were both young, beautiful and vibrant. They were both what I would consider healthy, and losing them was a shock to me.

Anyway, this was what made Eat to Live appeal to me. I wanted a lifestyle that would see my body healthy for a long and active life, and according to what I read in the book, this was it. All based on clinical scientific data.

Okay, with that said, the diet is so simple. People who follow it are called Nutritarians. Not vegetarians or whatever, but actually Nutritarians. A Nutritarian is someone who eats a nutritionally dense diet, which is what Eat to Live is.

You should read the book, Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman for yourself. You can start at his website, or pick the book up on Amazon. It's a little technical, but it's worth the read. He covers every fad diet there is and the facts and science that relates to them. It's not just a weight loss diet, it's a lifestyle that prevents and eliminates disease of the body. But you can lose a LOT of weight on it quickly, too.

Breakfasts:
On a typical day, I eat fruit for breakfast (like a fruit bowl from Publix) or I make my own with bananas, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, oranges, tangerines, mangoes, pineapple, apples, etc. Any fruit I want in my fruit salad really. There are no restrictions. Just the recommended minimum of 4 fruit servings a day.


Most days I have a green smoothie, though. It holds me through to lunch better than just the fruit by itself. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Trust me. I will take some frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, and a big ol' heaping mound of fresh baby spinach (yep) and blend them all together. You can not taste the spinach and the smoothie is delicious. Sometimes I make it with frozen peaches, mangoes, pineapple and banana (always with the spinach though!)


Lunch:
For lunch I make a BIG salad. Seriously. Not some mealy little wimpy side salad, but a BIG-ASS salad. The salad is the main course of the meal for me and it varies from day to day, depending on my mood.


It might be romaine lettuce with tomatoes, red onions, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, sprouts, sunflower seeds, avocado or a bit of low fat feta cheese (though Dr. Fuhrman does NOT recommend cheese whatsoever) . I put a capful of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar depending on the flavor I want.


Or I might feel like something more summery and have a salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, strawberries, cranberries, apple slices or mandarin orange bits and crushed walnuts with a capful of balsamic vinegar.

Or I might have a more traditional salad.


Regardless, I always have a ginormous salad and I eat it first because it is the main course of the meal, and it is usually quite filling.

I also have black beans. I love them and there are plenty of vitally healthful reasons to eat them! I make them with chopped white onions, dices tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and cumin. Most days I do not eat them with brown rice, but some days I do. I eat at least a cup of beans each day.

Dinner:
I have a similar salad for dinner as well. I might have a Caesar instead, without croutons though.

Or I might have some cooked veggies and grilled tilapia or chicken.

I will have chicken or fish a couple times a week, but that's about all. I will eat red meat on the rare occasion only (as in once every couple months maybe).

Dessert:
If I'm really craving sweets, I'll have some fresh fruit that is in season, like strawberries or cherries, or I will make a smoothie with frozen mango and frozen peaches and banana (OMG, YUM!!!). That smoothie has the texture of ice cream sorbet and is scrumptious.

Lastly, I will have a small handful of raw sprouted almonds as well. I don't feel deprived at all.

I buy nearly everything organic when possible, especially spinach, strawberries, blueberries. My chicken is free range, anti-biotic and hormone free, and when feasible, organic.

My only weakness is eating out with my hubby on date nights or double dates with friends, but that's getting better the longer I eat this way, I make healthier choices when we eat out.

But that's an example of a day for me following Eat to Live. I lose weight and I very much enjoy it. There are weird random benefits that come with eating this way, too. Besides the easy weight loss, I mean. Like the fact that you will have healthy bowl movements at least twice a day (I do anyway), or the fact that your sh*t won't stink (seriously). Because of all the healthy raw fruits and veggies, the need for water seems greatly diminished, yet I'll go pee like I'm drinking lots of water. I sleep better than when I used to eat whatever as well.

Anyway, I do recommend it.

Wow. It has been a WHILE.

Sorry it has been soooooo long. I was actually a bit surprised to see that my last post was in July. So much has happened, I wouldn't know where to begin.

Well, the bad news is that I've still been half assing (is that really a word??) the Eat to Live diet. The holidays were off the rails and this new year has been a series of out of town trips and LOTS of eating out, soooooooo I've gained 3 pounds since last July. The good news is that because I have eaten a lot of good foods over all this time, I haven't gained back the weight I lost while following Eat to Live more fully. This is exciting to me because it likely means that once I actually lose all my excess weight, it will stay gone!

Last Sunday we actually had the opportunity to see Dr. Fuhrman live. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I found his presentation useful, interesting and entertaining. First thing Monday we started and I've already lost 2 pounds. This time I am committed. You'll see.

Been a while...

It's been a couple months since I last blogged. I kind of got caught up with my wedding and then our mini honeymoon, then the next thing you know, I got caught up with life in general. I've been meaning to blog recently, but as with all things important, you actually have to make some time for it. Though that's not quite true. You just gotta take the time to do it.

Anyway, just to catch you up on the latest...

Ever since the wedding, I have been eating mostly per Eat to Live, but with a lot of deviations (aka cheating). The bad news is that I haven't really lost much as a result. The good news is that I haven't really gained either. Usually in the past if I went off the rails on my diet, I would gain back everything I lost and then some. It's been a couple months and I have been holding steady.

We also went back to the gym on Monday and we are following the Fitness for Life workout plan (from the Body for Life book). We're still following more or less Eat to Live, but the workouts are from BFL. This morning we are weight training upper body. I am pretty sore all over at this point because we have worked out every day this week, and before that I was sitting on my lazy ass doing nothing. Though I am sore, it's a good sore.

Last night I re-read the chapter on the Eat to Live 6 week plan. Grant and I are going to follow it fully starting on Monday. In the meantime we will continue to workout.

Other news: Our "wedding" was a huge success! Everything was perfect and it was an awesome day! We went off to St. Augustine for the week after, and as usual, it was sublime!

After we got back, we discovered that our younger daughter had gotten engaged. Wow. More on that later as well.

Now that you are all caught up, I'm off to the gym this morning for upper body strength training.

lost 3 more pounds this week

Happy Sunday!

Sorry I have been remiss in updating my blog the past few days. I have been rather preoccupied with my anniversary wedding event which takes place a week from yesterday. My house is still in the midst of some construction happenings and currently looks like it exploded inside. I have a lot to do, but I feel strangely calm.

Anyway, I weighed myself this morning and was thrilled to see that I have lost more than 3 pounds this week. Last Thursday I started the morning by weighing myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had lost a little over a pound from my weight the day before. I was even more surprised to see that this occurred despite the fact that I started my cycle that same morning. Normally this time of the month, I gain a few pounds just in water retention weight. So, not only did I not gain, but I even lost some. Over the past couple days I continued to lose weight despite the fact that I'm dealing with "that time of the month" as well. Amazing.

Okay, so I do have a few things to note. First of all, this way of life is becoming more comfortable as I move along with it. I actually look forward to eating healthy, wholesome meals each day. I have by no means been perfect either, but I do find that the closer I follow the program, the more weight I lose.

Second, I was surprised to start my period when I did because that would put me right at about 28 days, and my cycle has been irregular for quite some time. I actually expected it next week sometime around my "wedding", so I am quite pleased that it came now. I also find that I'm not as moody or bitchy, especially considering the stress factor I have been dealing with on getting my home ready for about 100 of my closest and oldest friends and family. Some of which are flying in from other parts of the country to participate in the festivities.

Speaking of which, I went shopping a couple of days ago for my "wedding" outfit, and I tried on all these tops in XL, but one for one, they were too big! This is huge for me. I can now wear a large top comfortably! I had found just prior to starting Eat to Live that all my clothes felt too snug and I felt constricted in everything, but now my clothes fit comfortably! Anyway, I like the changes that my body is experiencing, and will continue to note them as I go along.

In the meantime my husband has continued to lose weight consistently and, as he puts it, "easily". He's lost 15 pounds so far and all of his pants are practically falling off. In fact, we have these white linen pants he's supposed to wear for the "wedding", but they are a bit too big for him now. By next week, they will most likely be way too big. So, off to the mall we go.

Learning along the way.

So, I learned a valuable lesson over the weekend with regards to my diet and overall health. Last diet post I mentioned that I was down by 10 pounds and going strong. Well, I had a hiccup over the weekend, but I learned a valuable lesson, so it wasn't a total loss.

I should back up to Friday to create the whole picture. So, we waited way too long to eat on Friday, and to make matters worse, we needed to go grocery shopping BAD, which leads to the remaining "hiccup" over the weekend. Grant wanted Mexican and I have to say that I do have a soft spot for decent Mexican food. We went out to dinner relatively late and starving (which is never a good idea) and we kicked off dinner with a margarita (not really allowed on the diet, but it was one of those weeks). I ordered all vegetarian-type food, but there was nothing but a little lettuce as garnish and some guacamole, so it was definitely nutrient deficient.

For the first time in 10 days, I slept badly. I woke up at 4:00am aching and miserable. I took some calcium-magnesium and went back to bed. Unfortunately, Saturday was even worse. We woke up at 7:30am to do our neighborhood spring street clean-up. We grabbed an apple each and headed out. It was hot and humid and we were out there for nearly 3 hours (since only 6 other residents came out to help, argh). Anyway, after the street clean up, I came home and showered and then had to go out to meet my daughter at 11:15am. We were out of fruit and quick veggies were also depleted. So I dashed out to meet my daughter and had not eaten anything since that last scraggily-ass apple at 7:30am. This was bad. I had the shakes, but figured I was having lunch with my mom at 12:30pm - I could last.

I met my daughter at the salon and at about 12:15, my mom called to cancel our lunch date. Damn. That meant I either had to eat alone, or go home and find something to eat. I went home. Besides, my house was mid a few construction/repair/improvements in anticipation of my anniversary event, and I needed to be there to guide it anyway.

I threw some random foods together, but nothing like my big, yummy salads or anything even close to that nutrient density. After that, it was project after project and before I knew it, it was after 8:00pm and I was starving again. We grabbed our 13 year old son and headed to a local Indian Restaurant. We finally ate at 9:00 or so, and by then I had eaten nan, samousas and papadon, so I had officially gone off the deep end. I followed it with vegetable curry and a little butter chicken I stole from my son. It was divine. Unfortunately, I had another sleepless night.

Leasson learned: make sure I always have LOTS of food available and DO NOT allow my kitchen to run dry before shopping. It's so easy to stick to the diet when I have the food there.

By Monday, I had gained back 1.5 pounds. Crap!

Day 10 - Lost 10 Pounds

Okay, I have to say that this is the easiest diet I have ever done! I don't feel deprived. I don't feel hungry. I don't feel like I'm having a melt down. In fact, I don't feel like I'm on a diet at all! Of course waking up and finding myself a pound or so lighter is a bonus, too!

One of the things that Dr. Furhman mentioned in his book (Eat to Live) is that my taste buds would change and that my cravings for crap food would dissipate (he didn't actually call it crap food, but it was implied). I'm happy to report that he was correct on both counts. It's like my taste buds have been asleep for the past 38 years and now they have come alive. I love the many varied flavor combinations that are available in salads alone and I never imagined that making a salad the main dish of my meal would be such a delight. As far as cravings go, they are virtually non-existent. In fact, it seems my taste for meat is greatly diminishing altogether.

Anyway, I'm loving it so far. There are a couple additional bonuses I have to report as well. First, I have a condition that is called a "geographic tongue", which is more descriptive than technical. For years my tongue has had cracks and indents and markings that hurt, they actually look like a geographic or map on my tongue (I know, gross. sorry). This is supposed to be an indicator that I need B1, but you should know that I have taken every kind of B1 and B Complex supplement over the years (along with dozens of others). I've gotten it to be mild, but never entirely gone. When I started this diet, I decided to stop taking supplements just to see if my body could heal based on nutrition alone. As of today, my tongue is almost clear and it doesn't hurt. This is the best it's been in years.

Lastly, I am sleeping better because my dreams now are fairly calm (I always dream), which is a big deal because I went for months and months having bad dreams. They aren't really nightmares, but more like really stressful dreams that go on the whole night. For example, I dreamed that Grant and I were at a restaurant with a City Official (apparently we took him to dinner), but the waitress took forever to come. The whole time I was worried that he was annoyed. Eventually she came over, but she was slow and seemed like she didn't understand what we were trying to order. Then I waited the whole night and she never brought our food. Other people came and went and they ate, but we never did. I ended up being irritated the whole night! Another night I dreamed that my granddaughter and I were walking along a very narrow wall with a 100 foot drop on either side and she refused to hold my hand. That dream went on the whole night! Nothing happened to her, but the stress and fear for her safety felt just like it would in the real world. I would wake up after these dreams exhausted and feeling like I hadn't slept. This past week my dreams have been much calmer. They're still weird, but not upsetting or stressful in any way.

Anyway, this is a longer post than I meant to write originally, but I had to share all of it!

Day 8 – Eat to Live

Well, it's been a week since I started this new way of eating and I'm pretty impressed.

I weighed myself this morning and, drum roll please....I weigh 215.6!! That's a whopping 8.2 pounds!! And Grant lost almost 11 pounds!! It's funny because we weighed ourselves this morning and we were both surprised, but even he said that it doesn't really feel like dieting. That he can't believe how easy it has been.

Yes, this is easier than we thought, but not without some work and rework. I went back to the diet chapter in the book more than once and fine-tuned the points that we were violating. I also cheated a little on the weekend. Not a lot, but a little, so I imagine I could have lost more if I'd been more disciplined. When I say I cheated, I mean I had a couple of pot stickers, a couple bites of chicken creamy crepes and a bite of cheese cake. But I still ate what I was supposed to eat. I also discovered some awesome food and flavor combinations that I LOVE. I will probably share those here too.

So the weight loss was good, but there have been a couple additional benefits I didn't expect. For example, the first few days I have to say that waking up was rough. I was tired and did not feel rested despite 8 or even 9 hours of sleep. Then on day 4 or 5 it changed, drastically. I woke up one morning and noticed that Grant was up and about. I could hear the click click of his keyboard from the office down the hall. The sun was up, but my alarm had not gone off. I had set my alarm for 7:50. I figured it was 7:30 or so and I attempted to go back to sleep, but it was futile as I was wide awake. After about 30 minutes of looking out the window, opening and closing my eyes, I finally looked at my iPhone to see if my alarm was getting ready to sound. However, I was shocked to see that it was only 7:20 which meant I had been up since 6:50 or so. How cool is that???

The same thing happened the next day too. The only day it didn't happen was Sunday (mother's day), and I figure that was because the alleged cheating on my diet took place the night before, along with a glass of white wine.

So the weight is coming off. I feel great. I love eating this way and can honestly see myself doing this for the rest of my life. In the meantime, I've started reading The China Study and all I can say is wow. It's not another diet, it's just more science behind this diet.

Day 3 – Eat to Live

Okay, so I lost another 1.5 pounds. That's 4 pounds in two days. Not bad at all, AND I don't feel like I'm really dieting.

I did learn a valuable lesson today though, which is to prepare for meals and ensure that I have snacks on me. I went to the office today "just to handle something quick", and I ended up there the whole day. I didn't eat until nearly 2:00pm and I got a headache. Annoying. It could have been avoided easily. The headache persisted all day until I went to bed. Argh.

Note to self: ALWAYS take some fruit, nuts or baggies of veggies to munch on.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Day 2 – Eat to Live

I weighed myself first thing and found that I'd lost 2.5 pounds right off. Probably water weight, but it's a start! I woke up feeling really tired and wanted to go back to sleep. I don't know if it's because my body is adjusting to the diet or if it's because I need more sleep. I have to say that it's very convenient to have fruit for breakfast though! I made a big fruit salad and I must say, it is so delightful to indulge in fruit!

We had lunch out and I had a seared tuna on a salad. Tasty, but quite filling.

In the middle of all this I made my husband get some moles checked out and while we were there, the Dr. decided to remove 3 of them and have them checked out. I was there when they did it and I watched the whole thing. It did not bode well with my stomach, so my appetite is slightly hampered. I'm not even remotely interested in red meat right now, either. Fine. I'm not supposed to have it right now anyway.

For snacks, we have either an apple with some peanut butter, or a small handful of raw sprouted almonds (yum!). I haven't had any cravings and it seems to be going good. I'm still amazed at how much I have to pee. Anyway, another day down and I'm pretty sure I can do this.

Eat to Live – Day 1

First this this morning I weighed myself. I weighed in at a whopping 223.8 (OMG!!!!!) Well, that's what happens when it's a free for all and no diet structure. Damn. This is exactly what I aim to solve!

I started out this morning with a big fruit salad, loaded with watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew melon, grapes, pineapple and some blue berries. I ate it all and it was marvelous! God, my body was craving fruit. After that I went about my day.

By lunch I was starving. We went to the Bunny Hop Cafe and had the salad bar. According to Dr. Fuhrman, we're supposed to think BIG, so we each made a heaping salad. I can't imagine no dressing and don't know that the salad dressings match the criteria, but whatever – I figure I'm eating great anyway. So I added about a tablespoon of their Caesar dressing. I also had a bowl of black beans. Rather bland honestly, but it's something. All in all, lunch was quite tasty! I'm beginning to think I can do this.

Throughout the day I don't feel particularly hungry, but even more interesting is that I'm not thirsty either. Usually I am quite thirsty even though I drink a lot of water. I strongly suspect that I'm getting the hydration I need directly from the foods, just like the book says. Oh, and I had to pee like 10 times throughout the day. Fascinating.

Okay, so we cheated a little at dinner. We made a tilapia fillet – cooked in the frying pan with fresh garlic and lightly coated with olive oil. I also made asparagus and a side salad. Delicious! I felt satiated most of the day.

So far, so good. Let's see how I sleep tonight and I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Preparing for Eat to Live Diet

First of all, I had to get ample quantities of the right foods. That was no big deal, just LOTS of fresh fruit and vegetables to offer some variety and some raw, sprouted nuts, along with a few other miscellaneous items.

I decided to treat this diet like an actual scientific experiment on myself. I decided to document all my body stuff before and follow up with it during. This is because I have obvious body issues like being overweight, but I also have dozens of other issues that while not as obvious, still bother me. I made a list of all of these points so that I could track them.

As for the science experiment, I am going to follow this diet and note the improvements (or lack of improvements) on these issues as I go along.

I will weigh myself and start the game...

Eat to Live – This is the diet I've been looking for

Okay, so my friend Hans told me about the book Eat to Live. He said he was pretty sure that this is the natural diet for mankind. I immediately went to Barnes and Noble and bought it. I spent the past week reading it and I have to say I am really impressed. This diet may be just what I've been looking for, though I find it hard to believe that I will lose as much weight as it claims I will in the first month (20 pounds or so). It just seems impossible.

The basic premise is that you eat tons of fresh veggies and fresh fruit, like they are the main course and anything else you eat is like a condiment or minor compliment to the meal. It's written by an MD named Dr. Fuhrman, and it's all based on valid scientific evidence. There's no hype and he writes with such certainty that you get the idea that he must be either brilliant or a fraud. He says that if I follow his diet, I will lose all the weight I need to, my cravings will go away, my allergies may go away and my body will be stronger and healthier than it has ever been, AND he has hundreds of patients that prove this claim. I don't have to buy any special foods, supplements or devices. I don't have to give up any real nutrient dense foods (like fruit!!!), and I don't have to drink lots of water either.

Here's what has impressed me so far:

1. He has hundreds of real patients who have lost as much as 300+ pounds. They also keep the weight off.
2. His formula is to eat foods that have a very high nutrient to calorie factor, which promotes health and healing.
3. Patients that come to his practice with type II Diabetes can generally stop taking insulin and drugs within a few weeks on this diet.
4. You don't have to drink lots of water because you are consuming fruit and veggies in quantities that naturally hydrate the body (there's a nifty concept!).
5. There are tons of scientific research to back up this diet 100%.
6. My friend Hans has lost 13 pounds in the last two weeks on the diet.
7. You don't have to exercise to see results, though he says you'll probably want to when the body is ready.
   

I'm ready for a diet like this. Something wholesome, but aggressive. Now to prepare...

I'm not really fat. Okay, maybe a little.

How I got where I am now:

In my late teens I was all of 121 pounds and could wear a size 4/5 pretty comfortably. Not bad, considering that I'm 5 foot 4 and I have a body that is naturally curvy. When I had my son I gained a whopping 62 pounds. After he was born, I eventually settled back out at 135-140. Then I had my daughter and ballooned up to 202 when she was born. Over time and with a very strict and rigorous diet, I got back down to a size 7 and about 135 pounds. I still had 10 pounds to lose and followed the program to the letter. Then I plateaued and nothing we did seemed to break the plateau, then a week later I had gained 3 pounds and I was flabbergasted. My husband asked if I was really following the diet or if I was cheating. I was indignant. Ironically, just 10 pounds from my ideal weight, I had plateaued because I was pregnant with my third child. My husband apologized and rejoiced in the miracle of another child while I blissfully packed on 75 pounds. After my daughter was born I slowly lost the pounds I had gained over the next two years and finally settled out at around 150. Then four years later I had my son and was at an all time high of 220 when he was born. Well, he was my biggest baby, but not big enough to justify that much weight. When he was about 2 years old I didn't bother weighing myself, but I was wearing a size 20/22 and I was miserable.

Over the next decade I tried a number of diets and managed to get myself down to a snug fitting size 16 (where I am today) and my weight seems to be fairly stable. I say “fairly” because it seems that I can lose weight (though slowly), but when I do indulge (which is really NOT that often), it seems that 3 or 4 pounds are easy to put on. This is the exact point that I have been trying to address. I find it difficult to believe that for the rest of my life I should be relegated to watching every last thing I eat and experiencing guilt when I do indulge. I am just NOT interested in living like that and I can't believe that I have to live like that forever.

During my quest to find out what is actually making and keeping me fat, I have come to a couple conclusions:

1. I believe that there is a specific cause for my body's degenerated ability to handle carbs, sugar and fat. And it's not some blanket reason of “because they are bad for you”, because that is not the whole truth and I don't even eat that many of them, and I know plenty of people who eat much worse than I do and they do not have weight problems.

2. I believe that once the real cause is determined and addressed, that it can be remedied and full quality of life and health can be restored and I wear whatever I want, whenever I want and look and feel great.

I lived the first couple decades of my life enjoying life, I didn't worry about whether I was fat and I didn't spend time concerned about my body. I think of a body as a machine, like a car, and when it is tuned up and running well, you don't have to think about it, you just run it. Sure, you make sure it looks nice, and you get a tune-up every now and then, but the overall maintenance should be a no-brainer and should simply be a part of living.

The point is that there is an answer, and when the correct cause of the problem is isolated, it can be addressed and the body will balance itself. That doesn't mean that it won't require a corrective diet to rebalance parts of the body, or require adding specific nutrients that the body may be lacking in. But the correct handling will manifest results, and if it's the right handling, those results will be lasting, right?