by roundcoconut » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:45 am
I am thinking it might be worth looking at the big picture of what you're eating in what proportions. It's up to you! If you want to post a more comprehensive version of what you're eating, feel free.
I always think that the five pillars of healthy eating are worth reviewing:
1 - eating plant-based (i.e. real plants, "food as grown", from the produce aisle, not bought in boxes, cans, bags)
2 - eating calorie dilute (meaning: Whole foods are great, but if there aren't enough vegetables in the mix to dilute out the calorie density, it may be more difficult to achieve your goals)
3 - eating minimally processed (again, the produce aisle is your friend; don't blend your food except on rare occasion; don't fall for products at health food stores that are made FROM whole foods, like natural peanut butter or soy milk; eat some raw food on a daily or almost daily basis)
4 - eat a variety of foods (my comment: vegans love the most calorie dense foods, just like anyone, and will tend to include plant-based favorites like peanut butter, avocado, or legumes more than three times a week; no food should hog the limelight if you suspect that it's becoming too much of a crutch -- and in this case, I mean soy milk)
5 - eat low SOS - eliminate salt, sugar and oil as much as you can manage; they are appetite stimulants, and they tend to cause overconsumption. Why include appetite stimulants when you are trying to normalize and regulate your appetite??
So, I think it's really the big picture here, that needs to be addressed! I think you're probably doing really well, but IF you decide to make some tweaks, I think you'd have much better success doing big-picture things.
Soy milk is definitely a highly-processed food, and definitely also qualifies as drinking your calories, so it's got two major strikes against it. "Moderate" consumption, if you choose to do so, would probably be something along the lines of a few tablespoons in your coffee, or maybe max 1/4 cup.
But always, you want to make the changes to your diet that YOU personally are ready for, and excited about, and can most easily incorporate into your way of life. Pleasure is a big part of sustainability, so if that 3/4 cup (yikes) of soy milk makes life worth living to you, then tweak other things -- eat more broccoli, tweak your sodium use, lower the calorie density of your breakfasts, etc.
Good luck, and please let us know if we can help you with any detective work! Remember, it is a process. You get major cool points for doing this process, and aren't expected to be perfect, now or ever. You're doing well, and can do even better over time!
