Sweeet2th's Journal, 06 August 2014

Fantastic news !! 

Dang girl! You are getting it done!  

WOOOOOHOOOOOO! awesome on all accounts! 

You show them all, with the proof to back you up..How nice.. Keep up the good work, it conquers all!  

Good news. I get that same "post labs" tuneup tomorrow, and I have already downloaded my numbers. My doctor is going to be thrilled. 36 pound weight loss, blood pressure will be lowered as a result, A1C and Triglycerides are great, cholesterol is 81..... and as a bonus, my cardio exercise is helping overall health. 

How often do you see your doctor, Sweet? Quarterly? Twice a year? 

Congrats on your labs and your health! That’s great. I would like to say that it's not necessarily what you don’t eat, but more what you eat in combination with one another. Since you don’t eat meat or dairy, I assume that your fat intake is fairly low and your carb intake is fairly high. This is a good diet and it is what is recommended by our US government. Another good diet would be high fat and low carb. But you can’t do both. That’s where people get in trouble. If you combine high fat and high carb, your doctor visits don't go so well.  

I don't go to the doctor very often anymore, Eddie. Now, it's down to once a year, as long as everything seems to be functioning normally. And, actually, Brent, my diet actually isn't that "low fat". My fat intake is about 30-40% of my total caloric intake. It's virtually refined oil-free, (no inflammatory sunflower, safflower, canola, corn oils and only trivial amounts of organic EVOO) but I'm definitely not "fat free". I eat plenty of avocados, whole nuts and seeds. Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, tahini and sunflower seeds, are all a regular part of my daily intake because they supply me with fat, fiber AND essential micronutrients (manganese, selenium, lignins, etc. that refined oils lack.) And I definitely don't eat what the US government suggests, seeing as they advocate for the regular consumption of plenty of grains and dairy. As a former scientist who has been studying optimal nutrition (for the management of total-body wellness and chronic disease and NOT primarily for weight loss) for almost three years now (from primary scientific/medical publications), I have a hard time endorsing any way of eating that doesn't include plentiful amounts of a large variety of fruits and vegetables, independent of a person's macronutrient ratio preferences or choice to consume animal products. High fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, high protein, low protein. If someone isn't eating copious amounts of fruits & vegetables, focusing on high-quality NUTRITION (carotenoids, chlorophyll, anthocyanins and polyphenols just to name a few!) and not just meeting specific macronutrient levels/ratios, chronic disease will more than likely come a-knocking. All the fat, carbs and/or protein in the world don't have the chronic disease-fighting capabilities of a wide variety of whole, unprocessed plants. The number of new cancer cases is expected to increase nearly 45% by 2030, from 1.6 million cases to 2.3 million cases annually, and become the world's number one killer (According to the World Health Organization). So the consumption of high-quality, unprocessed nutrition has become more important than ever before. And this is only a personal opinion and not a judgement of other's choices, but if someone is eating a certain way solely to lose weight, that doesn't currently provide their body with all of the essential phytochemicals and micronutrients it needs to prevent and protect against chronic disease; I think they're setting themselves up for failure, and subsequent weight gain, because their diet is only a temporary weight loss solution and not a total-body wellness approach to eating. Eating certain macro ratios to lose excess weight is only a VERY small part of the total wellness puzzle, and everyone's body works slightly differently, so to each their own. :)  

Excellent reply sweet! I should have looked at your food journal before I wrote. <Embarrassed> I totally agree with everything you are saying, especially about the recommended US diet being terrible. I don’t eat grains either. I am guilty of not getting enough veggies though. However, I eat more of them now than I ever did in the past. Have you heard about the Gerson Institute in Mexico? They are curing cancer with a plant based diet (and a lot of juicing). The sad thing is that these methods are not allowed to be practiced in the US. It is only legal in the US to treat cancer one of three ways: Surgery, chemo or radiation. Anything else is not allowed in the US which is why they operate out of Mexico. If that does not support what you are saying about nutrients from fruit and veggies then I don't know what does. There is a documentary on Netflix about Dr. Gerson. I found it very interesting!  

You are espousing exactly what I have said many times. Do not "GO on a diet". That diet will end, and you will revert to old habits and undo everything you did during that 3,4, or 6 months you were ON a diet. Diet is a lifestyle, not a finite period of eating a certain way." And in your case, you have the science to back it up!! It is SO sad to read these posts from people who are say "I am going back on my diet". A) why did you stop it, and B) It is only going to work for the time you apply it. Diet is a lifestyle and eating habits that last for life. All the gimmick diets out there are just out there to make money from people so desperate that they will pay anything for a quick fix rather that intelligently apply the simple math that is weight loss. You have to burn more calories than you take in. Every day for the rest of your life. In my case, my plan included eating no beef, pork, or chicken, which keeps me away from fast food, and a diet of primarily fruit and vegetables. I have had to tweak WHAT fruits I eat, but for the most part, that, plus daily exercise, explains how I lost 65 pounds in 7 months. I love that you have the science behind you!! Awesome! 

Oh, yes. I know ALL about The Gerson Institute. I had a cancer scare in my 20's, and my family tree is riddled with it. If you're interested in some really interesting data about the benefits of plants combating the 15 top causes of death/disease, you should check out Dr. Michael Gregor's 2012 Year in Review video (it's on youtube) "Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death". He's a funny man, so it's not nearly as tedious as you might think it is. It's an hour long, but man, if that doesn't make you want to eat your vegetables, I don't know what will!! 

I watched one about how animals are penned, factory farmed, and inhumanely killed so homo sapiens can eat them.... I will never eat beef, pork or chicken again. It is incredibly done. Short but to the point. . sfglobe.com/?id=922&src=share_fb_new_922 .  

Everyone is on a diet. It may not be a weight loss diet but the way you eat, good or bad, is a diet.  

good for you!! congratulations! w00t! 

@Sweet/ with so many conflicting ideologies on food, we don't know what Saint to pray too! (I'm Catholic) I've been wondering about the necessity of consuming dairy and meat. I've seen a workshop on Dr. Furhman and even borrowed the library book. However, I've always been too afraid to cut out meat and dairy, as it seemed a health gamble for me, being a woman low on iron and scared of bone density deterioration. (osteoporosis). I like meat but like Eddie1261, I would prefer to give it up than encourage the suffering these animals go through. And I really can't afford meat from grass feed animals. Bad enough I have to buy eggs 3x the price because I support the 'chickens running wild'. Your post will make me revisit the option of going meatless and without dairy. As it goes against my values to feed off animals' suffering. Although, if no one ate meat some animals would become extinct, for sure. there would be no use for them... Congrats. It's quite a feeling of pride coming out of the doctor's office with numbers that show that we've taken care of ourselves... 

Yes, the research "du jour" can be confusing. I have gone back and forth several times in regards to what I think is optimally healthy for me to eat. Asking questions like: Is oily fish beneficial for the Omega-3's? Is fish a highly heavy-metal contaminated source of protein? Can I find a higher quality source of Omega-3's without the heavy metals? I try to weigh all factors in my decision-making process. One day, coffee is declared a "superfood" (one of the most overused terms in nutrition today, in my opinion!) and the next day, it apparently is dangerous!? The way I eat now didn't happen overnight. It's been a dynamic process. I spent months still eating fish, eggs (one of my former favorite foods!) and dairy, thinking I couldn't live a healthy, vibrant life without them. But I kept reading, and learning, and digging a little deeper. That's why I don't have any ideas set in stone as to what I eat. My food choices evolve as my education about optimal nutrition evolves. Right now, I know eating this way is what's best for me, because my body has responded so positively to these foods. Two years ago, I was ill. And I mean really ill. And now, I run 10K's, I'm taking up rock climbing and I'm becoming a health coach. The more I read, the more I study, and the more I know, means the more power I have to make the best possible choices. I do my best to keep abreast of all the current research journals, examine carefully what organizations fund each study, and make my decisions accordingly. This approach has lead me to an organic whole-food, plant-based diet. It suits my lifestyle, my budget, and my politics. It may not suit everyone, but it has completely transformed my life! 

Thanks Sweet! I'll check out the video.  

good for you!!! 

In order to get off my statin pill [to lower cholesterol], I had to limit my chicken to 1 ounce a week and I think I could stop eating it forever. I still eat 3 ounces of fish twice a week. That's it. I eat a lot of veggies and low sugar fruits. Mostly whole foods. I am eating plant strong.