I can’t believe another quarter has whizzed by and it’s Fall already. It’s time for another check-up on my experience with Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program. In this report, I’ll fill you in on my results, as well as answer some questions that came across my blog regarding the ETL program.
My 2015 Q3 Eat To Live Results
As mentioned in my previous reports, my goal in 2014 was to lose 20 pounds. I lost 14.5 pounds the first month and then took the rest of the year to slowly lose the rest. During a vacation in early 2015, I regained some of the weight. And then because I allowed a busy schedule to interfere with my food prep routine, I ended up regaining a total of 10 of the 20 pounds I lost. That’s where I was at the end of last quarter.
Here’s what happened this quarter.
Broken Record
Before I write these reports, I review my calendar and take a mental journey back over the past few months to organize my thoughts about what happened following the Eat To Live program and what I want to say. I jump on the scale to see where I am, and then I review the previous one or two reports I wrote. As I reviewed my 2015 Q2 Eat To Live Report, I realized this report was going to sound a lot like a broken record. Here’s what happened.
My Results
During the first month of the quarter, I dropped 5 pounds. Once again, though, a busy schedule was the culprit excuse for gaining it back. But this was way more than my usual busy. You see, my in-laws decided to move to Chicago, but their place needed a complete gut rehab before they could move in. And when I say gut rehab, I mean absolutely everything needed to be redone, from the flooring, kitchen and baths, to changing out every single door, doorknob and light fixture. My husband and I have rehabbed a lot of real estate, so big projects don’t scare us. But my husband’s travel schedule meant most of the work was left to me. No problem. I’m game.
It’s one thing when you’re doing remodeling for yourself. It’s another when it’s your in-laws’ retirement home and you want everything to be perfect. I literally put 2,000 miles on my car driving all over shopping for fixtures and materials, and driving back and forth (30 minutes to 1 hour each way, depending on traffic) to their place to oversee the contractor and work.
The good news is that the place turned out spectacularly and my in-laws love everything.
The bad news is that I put food prep on the back burner which always has consequences. I didn’t have time to pack breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ended up going to the grocery store salad/hot bar a lot, getting deli sandwiches, grabbing a slice of pizza, etc. Every day I kept saying to myself, “Really? This is how you’re going to eat until this project is done?” But I was so dragged out by the end of most days that the thought of stopping by the grocery store on the way home, then cooking everything and cleaning up just wasn’t in the cards. If not for all of the activity from running around so much, I’m sure I would have ended up gaining weight.
So nothing changed this quarter. Although I’ve managed to permanently keep 10 pounds off, I continue to do the roller coaster thing with the last 10 I want to drop.
And that got me thinking……
Motivation & Preparation
In the last report, I wrote about the importance of motivation and preparation in making lifestyle and health changes permanent. Re-reading that section got me thinking. Do I really have as much motivation as I think I do? And how many times am I going to say that a busy schedule prevented me from doing the regular food prep I need to do in order to properly follow the ETL plan?
My initial motivation for starting Dr. Fuhrman’s program was to lose weight (see New Year’s Resolution – One Month on Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live Plan). But now that I’ve taken off 10 pounds, and my clothes feel better, I think I’m starting to settle – like this is enough. Do I really need to take off another 10? While part of me is saying, yes – just bite the bullet and drop the rest of the weight already, another part has become comfortable where I am with no real sense of urgency to do more.
It’s About More Than Just Losing Weight
Before I go further, I think I should clarify something. When I talk about slacking off on food prep and eating out instead, I still eat fairly well. Even if I haven’t prepped food at home, I always have bags of spinach, arugula and kale in the fridge to make green smoothies and plenty of apples, oranges and avocados to snack on. And at the grocery hot bar, I don’t go for mounds of mac-n-cheese and mashed potatoes. I’ll get vegetable curry over brown rice with cooked collards and green beans. And when I get pizza, it’s usually the Whole Foods vegan pizza loaded with vegetables and made with a thin, whole wheat crust. That said, food prepped by anyone other than you is almost guaranteed to have more oil and salt than needed, and probably some sugar snuck in.
When I started cleaning up my diet years ago (see this post and that one for the gory details), it was for health reasons. Now that those issues are basically behind me, I’m more concerned about eating the right things to prevent the types of chronic health problems that have plagued my family tree.
To try to determine if I’m on the right track in that regard, I get an annual physical and blood test to see if any concerns pop up. In my July Eat To Live Report last year, I shared the results of my blood test which seem to indicate that I’m pretty healthy on the inside, other than a Vitamin D3 level that’s on the low side. I’m getting another blood test in a couple of weeks and will share those results in my Q4 report at the end of the year.
I think my focus and priority is shifting away from weight loss and toward maintaining and improving my general overall health. And Dr. Fuhrman’s program is designed to deliver that. Even on bad days, most of what I eat is on the ETL program – I just tend to over eat nuts and carbs. And I still cook with a small amount of oil and salt which are strictly not allowed on the plan. My past experience with ETL is that if I eat according to the program, the weight eventually comes off, so I’m going to stop worrying about that and just see what happens. Stay tuned for the Q4 Report!
Answers To Commonly Asked Eat To Live Questions
There are a few questions about the Eat To Live program that have come across my blog in the past few months. Of course, reading Dr. Fuhrman’s books are the best place to find answers to your questions, but I think I can respond to these questions without doing too much damage!
According to Dr. Fuhrman, How Much Should A I Weigh?
Dr. Fuhrman believes that optimal weight occurs at least 10 percent below the average body-weight charts. He says a good rule of thumb is that a man should not have more than one-half inch of skin that he can pinch near his belly button, and a woman should not have more than one inch. If using a BMI scale, your BMI score should be below 23, unless you lift weights and have considerable muscle mass. A formula for determining how many pounds you should weigh is:
For Women: Approximately ninety-five pounds for the first five feet of height and then 4 pounds for every inch thereafter. So a 5′ 4″ woman should weigh 111 pounds.
For Men: Approximately 105 pounds for the first five feel of height and then five pounds for every inch thereafter. So a 5′ 10″ male should weigh approximately 155 pounds.
Can I Eat Yogurt On The ETL Program?
For the weight loss plan, all animal and dairy products are off limits. On the life plan, no more than 10% of your total calorie intake should come from processed or animal foods. Dairy (milk or yogurt) should be fat-free and unsweetened, and limited to 12 ounces or less per week.
Can I Eat Olives On The ETL Program?
I didn’t see any specific reference to olives in Eat To Live, but due to their high sodium content, I’m guessing that olives would not be allowed on Dr. Fuhrman’s program.
Can I Eat Balsamic Vinegar On The ELT Program?
Yes, balsamic and other vinegars are allowed on both the weight loss and life plans.
cheri says
Hi Amy. sounds like you are a little hard on yourself, seems to me that most of the time you eat very healthy. Love your salad recipes!!
cheri recently posted…Fully Loaded Breakfast Cookies/Bars
Amy says
Hi Cheri! Thanks for your comment. I’m just one of those people that when I set my mind to do something, I’m not satisfied until it’s completely done. I know I should ease up a bit!
Georgiann says
Lovely essay, got the enjoyment of reading
Amy says
Thanks, Georgiann. While it’s not always easy to write these posts, I hope that sharing my experience will help others!