Well-Meaning Food Saboteurs and Other Diet Killers

[DenverGuy]

The starch solution is the only thing that works for me. However, I keep running into problems. (I exercise a lot - cycling, weights, etc. I realize that exercise does very little for weigh loss). I need to lose 10 lbs. - I have lost 17 on the starch solution.
As soon as I go off the plan, even a little, I immediately gain weight. That seems to be the case with even one meal. I have a friend visiting from Taiwan who keeps making food and wanting me to eat a dinner each day made by her instead of what I normally eat. She thinks it's weird and not good that I eat the same stuff every day. But I like it and it works!
Typically I do the beans/lentils/rice thing at lunch, and potatoes and broccoli at dinner. Dinner is now usually something with rice noodles or something else that I don't normally eat, and I can feel the weight gain. I don't want to be rude, and she doesn't understand what's happening. And she keep reminding me that I need to lose weight. I then mention that I have to stay with my diet, but she doesn't think that's the problem. Frustrating.

I went out with friends the other night (I don't do that often), drank a lot, and we all put down a lot of chips and salsa. It was fun but it takes days to get back in shape.

I find it very difficult to maintain eating well while traveling. I tend to eat and drink more when I am somewhere else.

Does anyone else run into this stuff? I like to live and have fun, and I try to eat right, but my body is very unforgiving, and it's not easy to maintain balance. I look at other people and what they eat. If I did that I'd weight 300 lbs. as I can't get away with anything.

[sirdle]

I have not had this problem, but if I did the first thing I would try would be to manage it with calorie density.

Start with a raw salad (no dressing) or steamed vegetables and try to fill up on that before any of the other food arrives. Then I'd try to stay away from anything with oil or salt. Oil (obviously) will pack on the calories, but salt (at least for me) stimulates my appetite and will lead me to easily overeat.

Eating In -- The rice noodles don't seem like they would be much of a problem... what are they prepared with? Would it be possible to ask your friend to prepare them without oil and salt? And to have plenty of steamed veggies?

Eating Out -- Would it be possible to find an appetizer from the menu that is more friendly than the chips?

Just a few thoughts.

Good luck!

Cheers,

[gracezw]

I agree with you that exercise does very little for weight loss. One can always eat to gain the weight and more back!

I don’t know about you, but eating is a very private business for myself. I don’t eat with anybody, not even with my family. The three of us have different eating places and different eating times. It is not just about what I eat, it is more about how to protect myself from all sabotaging situations and people. I have developed my own ways to create and maintain friendships/relationshps that do not have food involved.

Yes, it is more difficult to maintain eating our way while traveling. Each trip also provides an opportunity for us to learn about how we get off the wagon and develop plans to correct it.

It is possible to live and have peace and pleasure without eating all the wrong food items. I now have an increasingly strong focus on my own health. I read addiction recovery books(SAD food addiction being part of it). Meditation and mindfulness training have helped me a lot too.

I am in the middle of Kevin Griffin’s book,

One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps Kindle Edition
by Kevin Edward Griffin javascript:void(0)(Author)

This is what I have got from his book: as we take away all the negative qualities of mind including craving and addiction of food, alcohol, drugs and etc, we experience the deep, meditative peace and pleasure.

[Grammy Ginger]

When I started this journey, I fell into some of the same traps you mention. This is where I am a decade later.

1. I will never eat or drink anything to save another person's feelings. Not ever. If a person pressures you to do something you don't want to do, they are not really a friend at all but a bossy, pushy, controlling jerk.

2. I will never knowingly eat oil, not one single drop. It is nothing but poison to my endothelial cells. I've seen my grandmother's heart on the surgeon's monitor. My children and grandchildren will never have the same shock where I am concerned OR at least it won't be my fault. Dr. Esselstyn told me personally last fall to never eat a single drop of oil in any bread, crackers, chips, tortillas, or as an ingredient or cooking aid ever. I've read the same advice from Dr. M and many others. You can dip corn tortillas or sliced cucumber in the salsa. My mom eats it with a spoon.

3. It is not hard to stick with this plan while traveling. I always take stuff with me such as oatmeal, oat clusters, home dehydrated beans, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, fruit and/or salad. Every menu I've ever seen has at least a salad and most have baked potatoes if you must eat in a restaurant. Also, if you have to leave a bit hungry, it isn't like it's your last meal for the rest of your life. There will be more food later on. I just went to San Francisco with my mom. I took my home dehydrated beans, cheese sauce, and salsa all in a sandwich bag. I ate a cup of beans three times, and the bag is still nearly full. (but the TSA agents took it out of my suitcase and tested it for chemical residue at the security checkpoint--lol)

4. I never, ever, ever consume alcohol since I tried it in high school. As with oil and other poisons, I don't partake because I respect myself too much to imbibe poison. I like to be in complete control of my body, mind, and emotions. Too many bad things can happen when mind-altering substances are consumed. I'm confident enough to have a good time without masking the real me. I bet you are, too. Drink club soda with lemon or water with an olive if you don't want to call attention to yourself.

[DenverGuy]

[quote="Grammy Ginger"]When I started this journey, I fell into some of the same traps you mention. This is where I am a decade later.

1. I will never eat or drink anything to save another person's feelings. Not ever. If a person pressures you to do something you don't want to do, they are not really a friend at all but a bossy, pushy, controlling jerk.

Great post, and I especially love the above quote!

[Dougalling]

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives video. Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?" It's actually a sneaky way of getting people to watch the video.

[gracezw]

Excellent!

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives . Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?"

[Willijan]

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives video. Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?" It's actually a sneaky way of getting people to watch the video.

Great way to deal with non-McDougallers' questions! It is really hard to explain my diet without making an hours' long speech, and nobody really listens.

[gracezw]

Very well said!

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives video. Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?" It's actually a sneaky way of getting people to watch the video.

Great way to deal with non-McDougallers' questions! It is really hard to explain my diet without making an hours' long speech, and nobody really listens.

[AnnetteW]

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives video. Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?" It's actually a sneaky way of getting people to watch the video.

This is such an amazing answer, and I hope to try it some time.

[PJK]

Travel is not so easy for all of us. If you're especially open to new experiences, as I am, then passing up on exotic food is difficult.

For ex., I vacationed recently in New Orleans. The food there is delicious, and definitely not McD.-compliant. I tried saying no to all that. It wasn't easy.

Some people don't feel the need for new experiences. They're happy eating broccoli every day. But for others, that's a huge bore. And a challenge.

It's a continuum along a major personality trait. (Doug Lisle has a presentation on this somewhere.)

[barryoilbegone]

What brilliant gems these quotes below are: Drs McDougall, Ornish, Campbell, Barnard, Lisle etc: if you're reading, variations of something like these should definitely go into the next editions of your next books -

I like to say "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to talk about my food until they have watched the Forks Over Knives video. Anytime they bring up something about what I'm eating, I ask, "Have you watched the Forks Over Knives video?" It's actually a sneaky way of getting people to watch the video

I will never eat or drink anything to save another person's feelings. Not ever. If a person pressures you to do something you don't want to do, they are not really a friend at all but a bossy, pushy, controlling jerk.

!

I think Forks Over Knives is a good one (and maybe What the Health, or UnSupersize Me as well being good alternatives as well?). If somebody says they like reading over movies, we've of course The Starch Solution, The Healthiest Diet On The Planet, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, or Undo It! to recommend.

My next question though: what do people think is the best podcast/audio clip to likewise recommend, if someone has only a relatively short time (say 15-30 mins), and if we want to get the most bang for the buck for information, in a short space of time?

[Grammy Ginger]

Of course, Dr. McDougall has a zillion and a half minute long videos on nearly every subject connected with the whys of eating plants only.

I love this one by Dr. Esselstyn to explain why no oil https://youtu.be/b_o4YBQPKtQ

Also love this one by Jane Esselstyn to explain the connection between fat and diabetes https://youtu.be/MonwPt4LIN0

Both are less than 6 minutes. Enjoy!

[PJK]

For those curious about the interaction between personality types and health, see Doug Lisle's presentation, "The Perfect Personality."

He explains the theory of the 5 personality profiles: openess, conscientiousness, extraversion/intraversion, agreeableness, stability.

These are all spectrums or continuums. Like a scale of 1 to 10. You might be a 3 for openess, a 7 for stability, etc.

Some of these can make adhering to a diet very, very difficult.

Good to know what you're up against!

Here's the link:
http://esteemdynamics.org/video/the-perfect-personality/

PS - for those who don't know Doug Lisle, he is a psychologist who is affiliated with the McD. program. And quite funny!

[Dougalling]

For reading material, I refer them to Dr McDougall's Color Picture Book. It's short and so very sweet.