Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

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Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby elcorazon » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:04 pm

I am coming from a typical dieter's restricting past. The only way I am used to losing weight is by starving myself. So finding it hard to accept the idea that with this diet you eat as much as you like and lose weight. I am tired of being fat and really want to lose weight but I don't want it to take forever either. How much can I expect to lose following this diet a month? I have about 120 extra pounds.
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Wild4Stars » Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:56 am

There is no need to restrict if you are 100% on plan. You must be scrupulous about NO OIL.

Your term "Eat all you like" really should be eat until you are comfortably full. Some people can eat until they are stuffed and miserable, and still eat a little more. Dr. M says to eat when you're hungry and eat until you're comfortably full. I consider that without restriction.

Starving yourself is not that answer. Since you still have weight to lose I think you know that. It's more about WHAT you eat than how much.
"If your lifestyle doesn't control your body, your body will eventually control your lifestyle." Ern Baxter
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Jeepsterhound » Fri Mar 20, 2015 7:38 am

It would probably help to keep a food diary at first so you can look back and see what works for you and where your mistakes might be. You will probably lose quite a bit the first few weeks, but as you get slimmer the weight loss will slow down. Everybody is different, so it's not really possible to say how fast the weight will come off. 3 or 4 pounds a week for the first few weeks is not uncommon. If you stick with it and be sure to avoid all oils and processed foods you will not only lose weight, you will feel better too.
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby roundcoconut » Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:37 am

elcorazon, I just want to mention a few things:

First, I think you will do very well on this way of eating, and I'm glad you're here!

Second, I want you to really understand what kinds of "restrictions" you do need, and what kinds you do *not* need. Any healthy way of eating has some healthy restrictions that work for your own long-term benefit.

You may want to do yourself a favor, and read as much as you can on this site, where people talk about what they really eat, and how they really implement the various suggestions by the plant-based doctors who we look to for guidance. The people here have had to make this way of eating work for them, in terms of what their favorite meals are, how they keep calorie-dense foods out of their diet (or from taking too large a role in their eating), when they eat, and how much they eat at a sitting.

If you tend to have the patterns of a food addict, then you'll soon begin to understand that this is not an "eat as much as you want of any whole food you want" but rather a set of recommendations to eat what is best for your body rather than what your cravings drive you to do.

Read Jeff Novick's Five Pillars of Healthy Eating and post them somewhere conspicuous: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=37450

Your new way of eating means that you are choosing food that is:
1 - Plant centered -- food as grown, straight from the produce aisle, (turning away from stuff in packages and brightly colored boxes)
2 - Minimally processed -- don't drink your calories, blend your food or make baked goods as "treats" (except on occasion)
3 - Calorie dilute -- this means that veggies are a new and wonderful part of your life; include a big bowl of steamed veg with each meal, even breakfast if you choose to eat it (last part being my opinion, not jeff's or dr mcdougall's)
4 - Low SOS -- Be particularly attentive to sugars -- they are no good for you -- but don't give salt or oil a free pass either. Eat the nutrition your body needs without dolling it up too much for your tastebuds.
5 - Variety -- Notice if there are certain plant foods that have become your new loves. If you notice yourself reaching for the same foods (think avocados, or peanut butter, because those are two of the densest things available to vegans), then either evict them or put them on a strict schedule.

We would *love* to help you through this, and be your source of help, ideas and motivation all the way through your journey. Use us! :)
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Wild4Stars » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:01 am

And remember that this way of eating is STARCH BASED.

So yes, calorie dilute is awesome and veggies are a great part of the diet, please don't forget the foods that satiate you which are starches.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, barley, winter squash, whole grains, etc. These things are the main part of the way of eating and are what keep you satisfied.
"If your lifestyle doesn't control your body, your body will eventually control your lifestyle." Ern Baxter
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby roundcoconut » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:06 am

Wild4Stars wrote:And remember that this way of eating is STARCH BASED.

So yes, calorie dilute is awesome and veggies are a great part of the diet, please don't forget the foods that satiate you which are starches.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, barley, winter squash, whole grains, etc. These things are the main part of the way of eating and are what keep you satisfied.


Yes, yes. Starch at every meal. Doesn't have to be a huge part of the plate, but at least a medium-sized potato's worth of starch. Less than that and you will be foraging like a wild animal.

Thanks for adding that, Wild4Stars! :)
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby ANGELOJ » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:20 am

Like you I did not believe that I could eat this way and lose weight. Especially coming from a history of believing carbs = fat.
I was convinced about the health benefits though and that alone made me try this out.
Two and a half years later of eating like this, I lost over 20lbs (now 161), eat more food than I ever have, feel fantastic!
Good luck!
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Wild4Stars » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:37 am

My husband only started this way of eating about 15 months ago. He was apprehensive but committed. I promised him he would never be hungry AND he would lose weight. He lost 45 pounds in 4 months and I kept my promise, he was never hungry. He told people, “I eat more food now than I ever ate when I was heavier.” And it’s the truth.

He also lost 6 prescription “maintenance” drugs that he was on for 25+ years and was told he would be on for the rest of his life. AND he no longer snores, that’s the bonus gift for ME!

There is no downside to this way of eating. None.
"If your lifestyle doesn't control your body, your body will eventually control your lifestyle." Ern Baxter
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby roundcoconut » Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:10 am

I just wanted to mention quickly that the title of this thread really raises a red flag for me, that you really want to develop a good relationship with food, and that there are ways to do that!

So, the red flag I see in your language is that you've been in that adversarial relationship with food for a long time. And the really great thing is that you're ready to get on the same side with food and start working in the same direction, toward the same goals. This is *breakthrough* and it is *beautiful*!

So I really want to make sure we set you up for success! A good game plan is everything.

Please begin to start envisioning meals that are good for you, and are going to energize you and improve your health with each day that goes by. Breakfast may be 1 cup (dry) of oats (cooked up with 2 cups water) with 1 cup of frozen blueberries. Maybe that's all you know for now. Lots of food, but staying with the game plan and never going back for seconds. Because you know you're feeding your body now. Because you know you don't have to indulge your cravings. At noon or so, you will move onto lunch. There will always be enough food. You will never again deny yourself basic nutrition. Picture yourself having eaten this huge breakfast, and how good you feel.

If you can, move ahead to lunch, and now you've got a huge half of a spaghetti squash (that is your starch), all cooked up nice, and three huge cooked carrots and a big wedge of steamed cabbage. And it's a ton of food, but you eat it, and it's very, very filling. You eat a bowl of cut up cantaloupe too, at the end of the meal, because you enjoy a little bit of sweet, and you do that just to be nice to yourself. And having eaten this huge lunch, picture how good you feel. Proud of yourself, knowing you're on the right track, knowing you and your body are on the same team now.

And that's how this works. Any cravings you notice -- they are not your body's needs talking. You are taking care of your body's needs, by giving it calorie-adequate meals, and the spaces between meals are important times for your body to digest, and possibly for your body to dip into the reserves of excess that you may have around your belly or your thighs. Any time your body wants to eat between meals, tell it, "Dinner is at 5. It's only 4 now. If you're hungry, there's some good thigh-meat in the downstairs cupboards. Have at it!"

I'm just giving you a snapshot that's based on what and how I eat (those are two actual meals I ate recently, and I personally don't snack, but some people here do). Go ahead and get started -- I just wanted to make sure you've got a good framework for what this plan looks like, and are set up for success. Read GlennR's journal too, to see how the whole momentum thing works!
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Ltldogg » Fri Mar 20, 2015 12:51 pm

roundcoconut wrote:
Wild4Stars wrote:And remember that this way of eating is STARCH BASED.

So yes, calorie dilute is awesome and veggies are a great part of the diet, please don't forget the foods that satiate you which are starches.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, barley, winter squash, whole grains, etc. These things are the main part of the way of eating and are what keep you satisfied.


Yes, yes. Starch at every meal. Doesn't have to be a huge part of the plate, but at least a medium-sized potato's worth of starch. Less than that and you will be foraging like a wild animal.

Thanks for adding that, Wild4Stars! :)


This is a Starch-based diet, which means at least 50% of your food should be starches. Yes, add the veggies, but remember, you don't need much and more is not better perse. Same with fruit.
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby graciezoe » Fri Mar 20, 2015 1:20 pm

I don't think spaghetti squash is a starch, I believe only winter squashes qualify.
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby Wild4Stars » Fri Mar 20, 2015 1:22 pm

graciezoe wrote:I don't think spaghetti squash is a starch, I believe only winter squashes qualify.


That is correct. I don't remember where I saw it but Dr. McD says that spaghetti squash is too low in calories to be considered a starch, it is counted as a vegetable.
"If your lifestyle doesn't control your body, your body will eventually control your lifestyle." Ern Baxter
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby elcorazon » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:00 pm

Thanks for the tips. I will give it a try and find out. Today felt more energetic and focused, not sure if it's the carbs normally I am sluggish and unfocused. If it's the carbs helping that would be encouraging to know.
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby roundcoconut » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:23 pm

OMG guys! Thanks for telling me that about spaghetti squash! I love it and will eat it with more abandon now.

It also doesn't fill me up very well (duh), so this is tremendous to know. Much appreciated!
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Re: Will I really lose weight withOUT restricting?

Postby sprout92 » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:32 pm

Roundcoconut, would you be able to give an example day with approximate amounts that you eat? I am inerested in how you eat and maintain a low healthy BMI. thanks
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