Eat to Live Questions

[Jennifer in MI]

Okay - after the thread a few days ago about quick weight loss, I checked this book out of the library. I only need to lose about 10 pounds and just haven't been able to get it off. Anyway, I started it 2 1/2 days ago. Already, I'm a bit overwhelmed!! Please tell me this gets easier!

 

I am spending SO much time in the kitchen chopping, chopping, and more chopping!!! This is the way I've always wanted to eat and I've told dh that in the past. But, I think I need a cook or at least a prep chef here to help me out!! Also, shopping was insane!! I spent a LOT more than usual and it filled my fridge. I can see that I'm going to need to shop for more mid-week.

 

Also, I'm following his 7 Days of Nonvegetarian Meal Plans. Is it normal not to be able to finish my meals? I'm always SO stuffed! I end up saving some of it for a snack as I do get hungry between meals.

 

Today I had:

 

Breakfast - oatmeal with banana (he recommends 2 cups, but I couldn't eat even half of it!), 1 T ground flax, 1/2 c. soymilk

 

Lunch - HUGE spinach salad with orange sesame dressing (other veggies were mushrooms, onions, peppers, avacado, sprouts, and an orange), rolled eggplant (eggplant with peppers, onions, garlic covered in tomato sauce) - this I couldn't finish!

 

Snack - apricot

 

Dinner - Another HUGE salad with the same dressing from lunch, steamed broccoli, 3 oz salmon

 

Dessert - Soymilk/mango/pineapple smoothie

 

Does this sound about right? I know there are no beans today, but this is his menu and I had quite a bit yesterday and tomorrow's menu is high on the beans too.

 

Thoughts/advice??

[abbeyej]

Just a few quick thoughts...

 

The chopping *is* insane, but I found it got a little better with time. Do you have a food processor? I use that a lot for salads/slaws of sturdy veggies (cabbage, broccoli, summer squashes, carrots, radishes, etc) and it saves time. I also make soups where I just rough-chop the veggies and beans, then later purée.

 

Same for the grocery $$$ -- the first few weeks, we found it was very high, then as we settled into a pattern, it fell right back where it was before. Obviously there are some things you spend less on, and some things more, but for us it evened out.

 

Yes, it's totally normal not to be able to eat all that food! I *try*, but I no longer feel guilt if I can't consume my full lb of raw *and* my full lb of cooked. I make an effort, but if I only meet the goal for cooked today and raw tomorrow, etc, I figure I'm still eating a ton more veggies than I would have otherwise. When dh was doing it with me strictly, he joked that it was the only diet out there where at the end of a meal you found yourself saying, "No! Please! Don't make me have another bite!" lol...

 

And yes, I gave myself free rein to snack on fruits and veggies if I was hungry between meals. I couldn't eat all those veggies at meal times alone, and early on I did feel hungry between meals. (I found that went away.)

 

Oh, and about your menu: it all looks good to me. For my sanity, I find it easier to focus on cooked *or* raw at each meal. *Either* a giant salad with lots of veggies and beans on top, or a giant slaw and some veggies for dipping in an oil-free hummus, etc... *Or* a big plate of roasted broccoli or other veggies, or several bowls of veggie soup, etc... It just makes preparation so much easier when I'm doing one or the other.

 

Would that help with the chopping/preparation issue too?

[Janie]

Well I'm all new at this and really don't have extra time this summer to do a lot of figuring out. Plus, my book won't be here until tomorrow.

 

That said, the chopping hasn't been a problem for me. Maybe because I'm used to fixing large amounts anyway. Last week (my first week), I cut a huge salad (lettuces, yellow squash, sweet red/orange/yellow peppers, onions, shredded carrots) and put into a Tupperware-type container. That lasted for the two of us about three days. I added grape tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and sometimes sunflower seeds upon serving.

 

We had that for lunch with hefty amount of beans. For dinners, we just ate simple cooked veggie combinations (cabbage, asparagus, bok choi, carrots, mushrooms) and more beans. We really like dried garbanzo beans. Some nights, I threw a bag of frozen broccoli in the microwave. The brown rice is a nice addition some nights. Also, it was great to find that our favorite salsa has only natural ingreds and no sugar in it. It is good on top of beans or rice. And it's good with celery sticks.

 

I found that I like pears (in natural juice, but drained), pineapple, and banana all chopped and mixed together for breakfast.

 

I cannot eat all that is "required." So, I eat a good amount and leave it at that. If I try to force myself, I'll end up hating it and quitting. I get hungry in between, but I've been so busy, that I've just ignored it. I usually drink about 84 oz of water per day. But, I've kept the little bit of salt that I use and haven't given up my morning coffee(s) and creamer. That's just non-negotiable. :)

 

This might not be an EoL purist way, but I'm doing much better than I was before. My goal is to continue it until our trip the end of July, then resume it that weekupon return when I start back to school.

 

Keeping busy (which I am. very.) is the best thing for me. I don't have time to stop and eat between and I don't have time to think about it.

 

There's something rewarding, in a strange way, to go to bed with a few growlies in my tummy.

I feel better about myself--more in control--because of that. From Sunday to Sunday, I was down 4 pounds. I *feel* down too. That's important to me.

 

One day last week was really rough, but I just knew I only had to get through that day. I did and things were better after that.

 

I want to try the whole wheat pasta with a weak tomato sauce, but I'm afraid I'll overdo. I love pasta.

 

Meal by meal, day by day, week by week. :)

[eternalknot]

When I was younger, one of my jobs was to prep veggies (family restaurant). It never gets more exciting, but it does become easier once you get a blind technique and rhythm going and can zone out. Good tools help, too. I'm a purist, only use knives; my friends all have those chopper things from Pampered Chef (and rave about them)!

 

I don't do ETL, but I'm familiar with the philosophy; it's very similar to the way I grew up eating. We eat tons of fruit and veggies, nearly all of it needing to be prepped in some way, shape or form. I dedicate the better part of an afternoon to this preparation. It's considered an extention of my grocery shopping day/chore, so that it doesn't get put off.

 

I prefer to shop 2-3 times a week for fresh ingredients, but job demands usually force me to make only one grocery trip each week. Anything I bring home gets prepped immediately, as soon as groceries are unpacked - veggies are washed, diced, chopped, whatever. The only exception would be apples and pears, which we cut on demand because I have "browning" issues LOL.

 

If I'm prepping alone, I'll put on a good CD or DVD and get the week's worth of chopping done. Half of the time my 8 year old helps prep; I like these times. We sit across the table from one another, talking and chopping. The time just flies!

[Jennifer in MI]

Just a few quick thoughts...

 

The chopping *is* insane, but I found it got a little better with time. Do you have a food processor? I use that a lot for salads/slaws of sturdy veggies (cabbage, broccoli, summer squashes, carrots, radishes, etc) and it saves time. I also make soups where I just rough-chop the veggies and beans, then later purée.

 

Same for the grocery $$$ -- the first few weeks, we found it was very high, then as we settled into a pattern, it fell right back where it was before. Obviously there are some things you spend less on, and some things more, but for us it evened out.

 

Yes, it's totally normal not to be able to eat all that food! I *try*, but I no longer feel guilt if I can't consume my full lb of raw *and* my full lb of cooked. I make an effort, but if I only meet the goal for cooked today and raw tomorrow, etc, I figure I'm still eating a ton more veggies than I would have otherwise. When dh was doing it with me strictly, he joked that it was the only diet out there where at the end of a meal you found yourself saying, "No! Please! Don't make me have another bite!" lol...

 

And yes, I gave myself free rein to snack on fruits and veggies if I was hungry between meals. I couldn't eat all those veggies at meal times alone, and early on I did feel hungry between meals. (I found that went away.)

 

Oh, and about your menu: it all looks good to me. For my sanity, I find it easier to focus on cooked *or* raw at each meal. *Either* a giant salad with lots of veggies and beans on top, or a giant slaw and some veggies for dipping in an oil-free hummus, etc... *Or* a big plate of roasted broccoli or other veggies, or several bowls of veggie soup, etc... It just makes preparation so much easier when I'm doing one or the other.

 

Would that help with the chopping/preparation issue too?

 

YES! Thank you! I just needed to see how this works for other people. Good to have "permission" to split up the cooked and the raw veggies. I haven't finished the book yet, so I didn't know if there was a particular reason there was some cooked and some raw veggies at every meal.

 

I'm so glad to hear that the hunger between meals goes away! That has been bothering me a bit - not the hunger so much, but the fact that he said I wouldn't feel it as much as I am!

 

LOL about what your dh said! It's SO true.

 

I do have a food processor. I haven't made many soups yet and I bought the slaw pre-shredded (lazy - I know!). But, I'll have to get it out and use it for the salad stuff. Never occurred to me!

 

The really good news - as of this morning - I'm down 4 pounds! I only have about 10 I wanted to lose. (Although, he says I should weigh 135 - I'm 5'10"! That would mean I should lose another 8. We'll see how I feel after 10.) Pretty good for eating as much (and more) as I want!

 

Well I'm all new at this and really don't have extra time this summer to do a lot of figuring out. Plus, my book won't be here until tomorrow.

 

That said, the chopping hasn't been a problem for me. Maybe because I'm used to fixing large amounts anyway. Last week (my first week), I cut a huge salad (lettuces, yellow squash, sweet red/orange/yellow peppers, onions, shredded carrots) and put into a Tupperware-type container. That lasted for the two of us about three days. I added grape tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and sometimes sunflower seeds upon serving.

 

We had that for lunch with hefty amount of beans. For dinners, we just ate simple cooked veggie combinations (cabbage, asparagus, bok choi, carrots, mushrooms) and more beans. We really like dried garbanzo beans. Some nights, I threw a bag of frozen broccoli in the microwave. The brown rice is a nice addition some nights. Also, it was great to find that our favorite salsa has only natural ingreds and no sugar in it. It is good on top of beans or rice. And it's good with celery sticks.

 

I found that I like pears (in natural juice, but drained), pineapple, and banana all chopped and mixed together for breakfast.

 

I cannot eat all that is "required." So, I eat a good amount and leave it at that. If I try to force myself, I'll end up hating it and quitting. I get hungry in between, but I've been so busy, that I've just ignored it. I usually drink about 84 oz of water per day. But, I've kept the little bit of salt that I use and haven't given up my morning coffee(s) and creamer. That's just non-negotiable. :)

 

This might not be an EoL purist way, but I'm doing much better than I was before. My goal is to continue it until our trip the end of July, then resume it that weekupon return when I start back to school.

 

Keeping busy (which I am. very.) is the best thing for me. I don't have time to stop and eat between and I don't have time to think about it.

 

There's something rewarding, in a strange way, to go to bed with a few growlies in my tummy.

I feel better about myself--more in control--because of that. From Sunday to Sunday, I was down 4 pounds. I *feel* down too. That's important to me.

 

One day last week was really rough, but I just knew I only had to get through that day. I did and things were better after that.

 

I want to try the whole wheat pasta with a weak tomato sauce, but I'm afraid I'll overdo. I love pasta.

 

Meal by meal, day by day, week by week. :)

 

Oh - I like the idea of pre-making some of the salads and adding the things that go bad at mealtime. I can do that!

 

I haven't been able to give up the salt either. I don't use much, but really like the taste of it! I did give up my coffee, but plan to add it back after the 6 weeks. I also plan to add back eggs in the morning. I love my scrambled eggs and really miss them. But, for 6 weeks I can do anything!!

 

I KWIM about going to bed a little hungry. It actually feels good. I've been trying to lose these last 10 pounds for a while now and that's one thing that I really learned to like!

 

Thanks!

 

When I was younger, one of my jobs was to prep veggies (family restaurant). It never gets more exciting, but it does become easier once you get a blind technique and rhythm going and can zone out. Good tools help, too. I'm a purist, only use knives; my friends all have those chopper things from Pampered Chef (and rave about them)!

 

I don't do ETL, but I'm familiar with the philosophy; it's very similar to the way I grew up eating. We eat tons of fruit and veggies, nearly all of it needing to be prepped in some way, shape or form. I dedicate the better part of an afternoon to this preparation. It's considered an extention of my grocery shopping day/chore, so that it doesn't get put off.

 

I prefer to shop 2-3 times a week for fresh ingredients, but job demands usually force me to make only one grocery trip each week. Anything I bring home gets prepped immediately, as soon as groceries are unpacked - veggies are washed, diced, chopped, whatever. The only exception would be apples and pears, which we cut on demand because I have "browning" issues LOL.

 

If I'm prepping alone, I'll put on a good CD or DVD and get the week's worth of chopping done. Half of the time my 8 year old helps prep; I like these times. We sit across the table from one another, talking and chopping. The time just flies!

 

That sound so nice! Chopping with your 8 yo.

 

I think I'm going to have to start doing some of this - chopping when I shop.

 

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate reading how you're making this work for your family!