My diet was terrible, full of processed meals and fast food. I had strange rashes breaking out on my legs (I assumed from friction on the jeggings I wore since regular jeans were so uncomfortable). It hurt to wake up in the morning - the strain on my joints was starting to cause regular use of motrin. I had heart burn, indigestion, and who knows what my blood work looked like (I was too afraid to have it checked). I remember sitting in the drive-thru of Hardees, getting ready to order my husband and I two super sized meals, and thinking "this is going to be what kills me."
A few days after Thanksgiving, my journey began. I started with intermittent fasting - specifically OMAD. I ate whatever I wanted, but I only ate once a day. The weight started to come off. I dropped from 247 to 235. Through my research in intermittent fasting on youtube, I started to run across other "extreme" ways of eating to lose weight, and found out about a whole food plant based diet (specifically the Starch Solution through High Carb Hannah). I dismissed it initially - how could anyone lose weight eating potatoes, after all. But still - the thought nagged at my brain, and I found myself watching Forks Over Knives. I was convinced. I made my husband watch it. He was convinced.
On January 30th of 2017, I gave up meat and dairy. I continued to lose weight. I got down to 217 lbs within a few months, and was feeling better than ever. My allergies had disappeared, and old clothes were beginning to fit again. My husband had also lost weight - from 230lbs at 6'3, down to 195.
Unfortunately (for both of us) we then discovered the fantastic world of vegan junk food. He has maintained the same weight, but would like to lose about 15 more pounds. I'm a different story. I've been struggling to maintain - and often bounce back up to 224. I'm embarrased. Everyone I know in person or online... family and friends... they all know I eat this way, and I'm still obese.
I've continued to do research - looking for the magic bullet of weight loss in the plant based world. I cycle... I do a week or two of Dr Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" plan and lose 8 pounds quickly, and then burn out on that and go back to starch solution. I'll get tired of eating so cleanly and the weight not coming off fast enough, then I get fed up and just eat whatever I want (as long as it is vegan) and put the weight back on. It is maddening and absurd, and I've had enough. This way of eating either works or it doesn't, but I have to prove to myself that I am doing everything I can to follow the diet strictly. I can't be the reason it is failing. So I'm starting this blog as a food journal and weight loss tracker to hold myself accountable. I will post daily with my meals, and how I felt after eating them. Here are the guidelines I will follow:
1) No S.O.F.A.S (Salt, Oil, Flour, Alcohol, Sugar)
2) No snacking between meals (only 3 meals per day)
3) No alcohol
4) No calorie dense foods (nuts, avocado, raisins etc).
5) Weigh in daily, take the average weekly
In fact, here is a handy chart that shows how I will be eating - above the green line!
I do believe if I follow these rules diligently, the weight will come off. But I can't keep expecting results doing the same thing, and I don't think I'm going to make progress if I'm not tracking my efforts and documenting what I'm eating.
Dr McDougall says that the people who say they can't lose weight on the starch solution are not truly doing the diet. I'm hoping that I won't have to resort to calorie counting or portion control. I'm 35 - I don't want to spend the rest of my life at 220 lbs when I should weigh 130.
Most importantly, I want to be an ambassador of a plant based lifestyle - and get more people to eat in a health promoting way!
