Is a Vegan Fasting-Mimicking Diet Right for You?

August 8, 2022August 8, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

Dr. Valter Longo, PhD, is one of the most respected names in longevity and nutrition research. A native of Italy, Dr. Longo is the director of the Longevity Institute at the Universiyt of Southern California in Los Angeles. His book, the Longevity Diet, details his research into the lifestyles of some of the longest lived peoples in the world and provides real-world application tips for disease avoidance.

The Longevity Diet is based on five pillars: Juventology (the study of youthfulness), Epidemiology (the study of disease), Clinical Studies (randomized, controlled experiments), Centenarian Studies (the study of the longest-lived groups of people in the world), and the Study of Complex Systems (using an engineering approach to generate models to understand the complex interaction between food, cellular damage, and aging). The book advocates for a nearly 100% whole food plant based diet (allowing low-mercuty fish twice per week); low protein consumption (0.31 grams per pound of body weight per day); eliminating saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats in favor the othe healthy fats found in nuts and olive oil; eating a wide variety of plant foods; eating twice per day plus a snack; fasting for at least 12 hours per day (between dinner and breakfast); practicing a prolonged fasting of five days at least twice per year; and maintaining a healthy weight.

The book has specific sections dedicated to how his diet guidelines improve/prevent cancer, diabeted, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, there is a special discuss of Dr. Longo’s fasting-mimicking diet. He details how research suggested fasting for approximately five days every few months was extremely health promoting. Benefits include blood sugar regulation and autophagy. However, he discovered that by limiting protein AND carbohydrate consumption, and focusing on eating healthy fats such as nuts and olive oils, and complex carbohydrates in the form of vegetables; one could essentially trick their body into believing it was in a fasting environment. The body would behave as if it were fasting, but one could feel satiated and eat up to 1100 calories per day in order to have the energy to face family, work, and chores. He advocates that overweight individuals can follow this plan for five days per month every month to achieve consistent weight loss and reach their ideal weight.

I just completed my five day fasting-mimicking diet and I can attest that eating nuts and vegetables was not only do-able, but pleasureable! I lost weight, gained mental clarity and focus, and found myself not very hungry throughout the week! Dr. Longo asserts that this type of diet increases the production of stem cells, reduces abdominal fat, lowers risk factors for various illnesses, improve skin quality, increases mental focus, and decreases the compulsion of binge eating upon returning to a normal diet. I truly believe this is one of the most revolutionary health books I’ve ever read and can’t wait to post more about my experience! Click the link above to read more about The Longevity Diet, including who should avoid fasting-mimicking diet and how to use this plan to achieve your goal weight!

Practical self-care strategies · Satiating Plant Based Meals

Easiest Vegetables to Grow in your Garden!

August 2, 2022August 2, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

My husband and I are microfarmers, first and foremost. We’ve turned our suburban Colorado backyard and home into a massive producer of year-round vegetables! In the ten years that we’ve been farming, we’ve widdled our list of edible varieties down to only grow what we can really save money on. For example, we used to work so hard to grow corn, and by the time we finally got a nice harvest, corn was 8-for-$1 in teh grocery store! Also, I used to grow potatoes, and after hours of cleaning and scrubbing them, I got $5-10 worth even though they took up quite a few square feet in the garden! Another silly mistake we made was growing thing we didnt like to eat. Beets are fun and easy to grow, and we’d have big harvests which I’d post pictures of online. But sadly, the beets we didn’t immediately juice would rot away because neither of us liked them! Finally, we also used to grow things that we’re ideal for our climate here in Colorado and expect them to come out as big and beautiful as Texas produce- like watermelons (that turned out to be the size of grapefruits) and onions (that turned out to be itsy bitsy, too!). We’ve learned to focus on the most money saving crops, such as organically grown tomatoes, peppers, chilis, and winter squash, and abundant producers, such as green beans and zucchini! Check out this list of what we USED to grow, and what we grow NOW with our justification. Of course your tastes and favorites are different than mine! Just sharing the thought process behind what we choose to grow.

What we USED to grow	What we grow NOW
Corn (time and water intense, not abundant)	Green beans (delicious, huge harvests)
Sweet potato (not abundant, small harvest)	Zucchini (so so so abundant)
Potato (time intensive, inexpensive)	Pumpkins (save money at Halloween, seasonal treats, sentimental)
Peas (small harvest, takes lots of trellising and space)	Sauce tomatos (make dozens of quarts of canned tomato sauce)
Blueberries (difficult in our soil type)	Bell peppers (one of our favorite veggies, big harvests)
Cherries (struggle to survive Colorado winter)	Jalapenos (we love spicy, big harvests)
Broccoli/cauliflower (small harvests, lots of pests)	Raspberries (abundant, low maintenance)
Monster sized kale (it gets tough, doesn’t taste good)	Apples (very productive)
Onions (tiny compared to grocery store)	Plums (very productive)
Habenero peppers (tropical peppers don’t grow well here)	Pear (very productive, few pests)
Radishes (tough outer skin in our dry climate)	Various herbs (delicious, health promoting, seasonal cooking)
Beets (we don’t enjoy eating them)	Baby greens (delicate, easy to grow, saves tons of money)
Watermelon (teeny tiny harvest and size)	Roses (sentimental, favorite flower)
Cantalope (small harvest and size)	Edamame (fun, productive)
Parsnips (don’t enjoy them, small harvest)	Asparagus (perennial, low maintenance, productive)
Carrots (cheaper in store, time intensive)	Cucumber (easy, low maintenance, productive)
Yellow squash (we prefer zucchini)	Winter squash (saves money in grocery store)
Peaches (struggle with Colorado winter)	Zinnias (makes cut flower bouquets)
Celery (too skinny, small leafy harvests)	Strawberries (low maintance, tasty berries)

This is not a guideline telling you what to grow, but rather a thought-provoking discussion of why we grow what we grow! Gardening is a wonderful way to be active, get sunshine, and feel a great sense of accomplishment with every harvest! Follow https://www.instagram.com/perenniallykelly/ for garden updates in Spring, Summer, and Fall!

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Practical self-care strategies · Uncategorized

Is it possible to be overweight AND undereating?

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

We’ve heard it since 6th grade PE class. If you eat more calories than you need, you’ll gain fat. And in order to lose weight, you just need to eat fewer calories… or at least that’s what the experts in our lives told us. Doctors, PE teachers, coaches, family members, magazines, etc. all told us that we needed to eat less to lose weight. And if you wanted to lose weight and reach your ideal body weight, you listened, didn’t you? You listened to them:

you starved yourself
you got comfortable with the feeling of being hungry
you always ate less than you wanted (except for those binges that resulted from hours and days of deprivation)
you beat yourself up when you gave in to cravings
you always tried again every Monday

Fast forward past all puberty, childbirth, sedentary jobs, traumatic and painful times in our lives, and all of the stressful events in our life that contributed to weight gain. You may be left with unwanted fat, and completely baffled by how you could be constantly dieting for years and decades, yet still be overweight!

Kim Kardashian eats 1700 calories per day, and is 5’3 and 110 pounds. Have you tried losing weight eating by eating between 1600-1800 and still failed to lose a single pound? How can a woman or man who weighs 100 pounds more than Kim Kardashian NOT lose weight consuming the same amount of caloric energy that she does?

How can a woman or man who weighs 100 pounds more than Kim Kardashian NOT lose weight consuming the same amount of caloric energy that she does?

The answer, quite simply, is metabolism. What if I told you that the harder you have tried to lose weight, the more difficult it will be? The second you decide to drastically cut calories in order to maximize your caloric deficit, you are creating a plateau and will be stuck at that undesirable weight until you begin to nourish your body. The key to weight loss is slow and steady weight loss, otherwise your body will work against your best efforts. And you may be burning more than you thought you were! (Check out the weight loss calculator at the end of this article)

Reverse dieting is all the rage in weight loss and body building communities these days, but what does it mean? Reverse dieting is the act of beginning to add MORE calories to your diet at a slow rate, in order to end a diet or increase your metabolism. Everyone has heard about folks who lost large amounts on weight, only to return to the unhealthy eating habits of their past and regain the weight they lost (and then some!). Your body is designed for survival. If you overfeed, it will store the extra calories as body fat for a future famine when you may need that fat for energy! The problem is, that in America, that day of famine never comes, and our bodies are biologically designed to hold on to that body fat.

But what if I told you that gradually increasing the calories you eat might actually result in weight loss? I personally never lost a pound after months of eating 1700 calories, but when I increased my intake to 2000 calories of whole food plant based meals, I finally saw the scale move in the right direction! Of course everyone’s target calories are unique to their age, height, weight, and activity level! What types of foods are considered WFPB? Whole grains, root vegetables, legumes, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, of course!

You know what else happened when I increased my caloric intake? I felt happier and healthier. I was more energetic to squeeze in that dog walk. I had less brain fog and more focus. I became goal-oriented. I met my pedometer and step goals with ease! It is possible that the rut you are in is caused by under nourishing yourself, and if you simply increased your intake of healthy foods, you would feel re-energized AND would accomplish your health related goals! Reach out any time to discuss your weight goals with me. I’m here for you!

Also, I highly recommend the following calculator for weight loss. Track your calories for a few day and see if you are eating more or less than this target! https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

“Intuitive Eating” and Other Lies the Internet Tells

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

The internet is filled with people who want to tell you good news about your bad habits. 🧁 People who have never experienced obesity think that their 25 pound weight loss (if that!) gives them the authority to tell overweight and obese people that eating the foods that made them fat in the first place will result in weight loss, if they just listen to their bodies. 🤡 Here is the problem with that logic:

🍎 Obesity is caused by insulin resistance and overeating. If people could control their overeating, they wouldn’t be obese in the first place. What’s the solution? Eat the right foods that cure insulin resistance, such as those advocated by @masteringdiabets ! Whole food plant based low fat foods for the win!
🍎 Obese people often have stretched out stomachs from years of overeating. Is a 100 calorie pack of Oreos going to help them reach their a healthy weight? No- but a low fat whole food plant based diet allows for individuals to eat higher food volume since veggies, fruit, whole grains, potatoes, and legumes are so calorie dilute versus all of the processed crap in the grocery store.
🍎 Obese people have disregulation of their grehlin and leptin systems- which may actually be a genetic issue. Telling obese people to “just stop eating when you are full” is absolutely fat shaming. But filling up on high water content and fiber foods that stretches the stomach lining and effectively signals to the brain that the meal can end is the solution. Not oily foods or processed protein powders, but real whole plant based food filled with micronutrients.

I’m not afraid to use the word “obese” because I’ve been there. And when I studied neuroscience in my undergrad, my professors were involved in research equating the effects of high sugar and high fat foods on the brains of obese people to that of cocaine on the brains of addicts or alcohol on the brains of alcoholics.

I’m definitely not saying you can’t enjoy a slice of birthday cake or some vegan pizza on your date night, but if your goal is weight loss, the name of the game is discipline in eating whole food plant based to create a consistent calorie deficit. The caloric deficit is the only way, and it’s a lot easier to accomplish long term by focusing on whole foods!

I can help you clean up your diet for weight loss!

https://weightogovegan.com/weight-loss-accountability-coaching/

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

How to Lose Weight on a Budget

January 8, 2022January 8, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

Whether your new year’s resolution is to lose weight, go vegan, or follow a budget; this article is for you! I am one of the hundreds of thousands of people who quit their full time job in Fall of 2021. I was a teacher for 10 years before a second career in healthcare/medical education. At the start of the pandemic, I started a local business which took off and allowed for me to become a full-time entrepreneur! I now run three businesses AND am preparing to buy a second real estate property for investment purposes in the next few months!

Being a full-time entrepreneur has been so exciting, but there are certainly aspects that require adjusting when you are coming from the security of a 9-5 career. One of those things is the need for an emergency savings fund! Right after I quit my job, my home’s air conditioner broke (of course!!). $8,000 later, we had a new furnace and AC unit but a dwindled emergency savings fund.

My new year’s resolutions are to continue losing weight on a whole food plant based vegan diet AND to keep my monthly meals under $350 total per person! Here’s how my $350 in food cost is broken down:

$350 divided by 30 days in a month = $11.67 in food costs per day

Three meals a day = $3.89 each Typical meals look like the following:

Breakfast= 2 baked sweet potatoes (97 cents), totaling 0.75 pounds, with a drizzle of maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and hot sauce. Berry smoothie featuring 1 cup of frozen organic berries ($2.25) and 1 cup of frozen spinach (38 cents). TOTAL COST: $3.60

Lunch= 1.5 cups of rice (appx 50 cents) and 8 oz of frozen vegetable stir fry ($1.39), with 2 tbsp of teriyaki sauce, and an apple (75 cents)! TOTAL COST: $2.64

Dinner= A tray of roasted vegetables, including 3/4 pound of potato ($1 cents) and 2 cups of frozen green beans, (42 cents) and 2 tbsp of ketchup. TOTAL COST: $1.42

Dessert= 2 frozen bananas (60 cents) with 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to make chocolate banana nice cream! TOTAL COST: $0.60

These three meals cost $8.26 for the core food groups, allowing for some wiggle room in purchasing condiments, coffee, almond milk for that coffee, tea, etc!

Over the past several months, I’ve shifted my baseline diet to an ultra nutrient dense, whole food plant based diet. My current shift is to lower the cost of my groceries for financial freedom as I run multiple businesses and build an emergency savings fund! As I enter week three of this new eating and budgeting arrangement, it’s going great! Legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits for the win! Follow my blog and find me on IG for more budget-friendly vegan weight loss tips!

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

My New Years’ Resolutions

January 1, 2022 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

I’ve recently seen a lot of folks discouraging weight loss goals as resolutions. For skinny people who want to lose another 4.5 pounds, sure… maybe you should consider another goal for personal development. But for overweight and obese people facing a future of preventable diseases correlated with being overfat, the goal to lose fat at a healthy rate by eating more whole foods is not only admirable but achievable!

I have always struggled to lose weight. I’ve used food to comfort my own emotions since I was a child. I remember getting home from school and just eating and watching TV. Not eating normal after-school snack portions, but whole family sized bags of chips and cookies. I remember my mother trying to hide the snacks, but I’d always find them. I remember crying when she attempted to take the snacks away.

As I became an adult, I constantly yo-yoed between these binge eating episodes and starvation in the form of fasting. Even after switching to veganism, these unhealthy eating patterns continued. As I’ve switched to a whole food plant based diet consisting of whole, unprocessed plant foods such as root vegetables, whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit, I’ve been able to adjust my eating schedule to three square meals a day.

I no longer have binge eating episodes after many months of eating this way. I credit keeping junk food out of the house. Also, eating larger portions of non-starchy veggies with meals, instead of trying to eat small, calorie controlled, mini-meals, has helped me to feel satiated between meals. In the new year, the weight loss will continue. My goal is to document and share my weight loss journey. I hope to lose 5 pounds per month by continuing to avoid fatty, processed foods. I will also be cutting out alcohol consumption and gluten. Eliminating gluten is not for everyone, but both my husband and I seem to have sensitivities to gluten and feel much better without it!

And I’ll be doing all of this on a budget- a pretty extreme one if I do say so myself! My goal is for my food to cost less than $12 per day. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? That’s $4 per meal! I’ll be posting the costs of my meals in addition to the calorie content! I’m so excited to share all of this information with you and serve as a resource to inspire your health goals! My resolve is unwavering. I will not let anything distract me from my goals- I am going to relentlessly pursue this new, healthier version of me!

Happy new year to you and yours!

-Kelly

Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

Behavioral Change is Hard.

December 15, 2021December 15, 2021 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

I’m currently reading a book called “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Dr. Joe Dispenza, which I highly recommend. It is amazing how many of our behaviors are simply on autopilot when you stop to think about it. I recently yesterday from a romantic overnight stay to the big city with my husband, which we had planned many months ago. When we sat and thought about the things we had to do while in the city, our list comprised almost entirely of alcohol and junk food. Why? Well there are better vegan restaurants in the city, and we can’t visit our favorites without getting the seitan wings or the vegan donuts, of course! Also, what’s the point of booking a hotel in the city if you aren’t planning on visiting all of the amazing bars in walking distance? And it is Christmas afterall, so we want to do alllll the Christmas things (and cocktails and treats)! And the whole point of this romantic overnighter was to celebrate the fact that we met in the city 10 years ago this month! And guess what we did when we met? Ate junk food and drank at all the trendy bars!

So here I am, the girl writing the blog about whole food plant based eating, “allowing myself to enjoy some treats” on vacation. When I returned home, I had no regrets about anything we had chosen to do on our mini-vacation, but I did have an overwhelming feeling that all of the things I had just enjoyed were in direct conflict with my personal goals and aspirations. I had an overwhelming feeling that the person I want to be does not hit all the trendy bars and eat all the deep fried vegan goodies. Yesterday, I reheated a tray of leftover fried cauliflower, fried seitan, French fries, and doughnuts and the stomach ache set in- physical evidence that I needed to change my behavior.

My husband and I had long conversations about the people we wanted to be, and how they wouldn’t spend $45 on two cocktails at a downtown bar. We have financial goals that require stricter budgeting. We have physical body goals that require moderating or eliminating alcohol intake. We have mindset goals that require a clear, sober mind to foster growth. Start by determining who the person you want to be is, what they do in their freetime, how they spend their money, what they eat, what they drink, and what their hobbies are.

I have made a commitment to change the way I “have fun” and celebrate. I’m not mad at myself for these decisions, but I just realize that my programing has made it so I value the ability to “ball outrageous” at bars, restaurants, clubs, and hotels in the city instead of valuing going to the gym, eating healthy, taking a hike, meditating, doing yoga, etc. The person I want to be would not drop hundreds of dollars in the city and then say that they can’t afford to take yoga classes or invest in their mental, physical, and spiritual growth in other ways.

The holidays are a trying time for folks trying to lose weight. Some of our holiday traditions are deep fried, soaked in booze, and covered in powdered sugar. If we want to keep being the people we’ve always been, then it’s OK to enjoy these traditions. But if we want real behavioral change, we must look at modifications and substitutions that will allow for us to enjoy the holidays without the guilt and detriment to our goals. For me personally, I’m ready to change who I am and leave the sugary, fatty, boozy mental program behind in favor of a physically fit, energetic, happier me!

Mindset and Motivation

A Guide to the New Healthier You!

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

If you are overweight, you have an overweight mindset. As much as we want to feel like victims to a cruel world that made us fat, ultimately it was our decisions that made our bodies overly fat. Recovery starts by realizing that we have a problem with our current behaviors and taking responsibility for the changes we want to see.

If you are eating junky processed foods, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. If your day is largely sedentary, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. If you eat clean all week and then go buckwild on the weekends, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. In contrast, how would your weight look if you walked at least 5 days a week for 45 minutes, if you did strength training at least 2 days a week for 30 minutes, if you broke up long periods of sitting with a quick Zumba workout, if your everyday breakfasts and lunches were predictably healthy yet satisfying, if dinnertime prep consisted of chopping loads of fresh veggies and whole plant foods?

Perhaps you overeat when you are stressed out. Perhaps you can’t say no when your favorite snack foods are on sale. Perhaps you drink alcohol when you are bored or frustrated. Perhaps your alcohol consumption leads to decreased inhibitions when it comes to food choices. How do we get to be the people we want to be? How can we reprogram ourselves so that our baseline behaviors are healthy ones, perhaps with the exception of special occasions?

Highly successful people know that change comes from within ourselves. The change you seek is seeking you. The person you want to be is always one decision away. Each day, we must choose to be the healthier version of ourselves with our thoughts and behaviors. Would the healthier version of you finish off the tray of Oreos? Would the healthier version of you snack on processed foods while watching Real Housewives reruns? Or do those behaviors belong the the old you- the one that is long gone at this moment, because you decide it is so.

One of the first vegan resources I ever came across was a book series called “Skinny Bitch”. Her attitude, while controversial, was that if you wanted to lose weight, you had to stop acting like a fat person. You had to stop eating what fat people eat. And you needed to start behaving more like a skinny person. This approach received some pushback because there is thin line between this type of reasoning and the flawed reasoning associated with addictive eating disorders. However, I think that overweight folks do need to understand that they are never going to be like that one friend who can eat burgers and fries at the drive through and never gain a pound. If your life experiences have taught you that your genes are programed to accumulate adipose, then behaviors must be changed. And that all starts in the mind.

There is incredible research into manifestation and multiple universe theories that assert that we truly design our future with each thought, behavior, and action. However, this all begins with our thoughts- what we think is possible, what we think we are capable of… You are capable of living a healthier life. You are capable of sticking with it. You are capable of turning your life around and being an inspiration to others. But it begins with your decision to be the new you! More to come on mindset and motivation, but please reach out at weightogovegan@outlook.com or comment below if you are ready for the new you!

Fat Loss Strategies · Uncategorized

Hope for Those With Lipedema

November 27, 2021November 27, 2021 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

I strive to write weight loss articles for all people regardless of age, gender, etc. However, today’s post is specifically written for those who suffer with rare adipose tissue disorders, such as lipedema (NOT to be confused with lymphedema). Whether you have never heard of this condition or suspect you have it, keep reading!

Lipedema is a genetic condition believed to effect at least 10% of women. It is characterized by disproportionate distribution of body fat to the butt and thighs (and sometimes calves). Many people call it “painful fat syndrome” because the fatty accumulations are very sensitive to touch and pressure. It’s typical onset is puberty, and the fat itself is resistant to diet and exercise. Interestingly, lipedema is unlike normal fat deposits. The fatty tissue floats when the body is submerged in water, unlike normal fatty tissue. Additionally, it has less circulatory activity, making it susceptible to “holding on to the cold” even when the body is taken into a warm place following a walk in wintery weather. Observers and sufferers alike often refer to the appearance of the legs as “tree trunks”. Individuals in lipedema are often also diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos hypermobility syndrome .

When I learned that the extra fat on my hips, butt, and thighs (and the frames of the vast majority of my female family members) was attributed to this untreatable condition, I was both relieved and devastated… relieved that my struggles with weight loss were not just due to my lack of willpower, but devastated in what felt like lifelong sentence to live in a fat suit. The only approved treatment is liposuction, which is expensive and not covered by insurance. Often, it takes multiple liposuction treatments, as the condition progressively worsens over time and can lead to more serious medical challenges.

There is a great debate over the best diet for this condition, but I can attest that a vegan diet is by far the best option to slow the progression of lipedema. From the time the fat accumulation began on my pear shaped body, I experienced pain when walking or running. I would describe the pain as being located in the fat tissue and caused by the vibration of each step I took. However, as I’ve switched to a vegan diet high in anti-inflammatory vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc.; this pain in the tissue is nearly gone. I strongly believe that my dietary choices (high fiber, high water content, high nutrient density, loads of antioxidants, and strict avoidance of inflammatory foods such as dairy, etc.) have prevented me from progressing to the next stages of lipedema. Stage 2 is characterized as the fat from the thigh beginning to hang over the knee, and this has never happened to me in my 20 years since puberty (nearly all of them vegetarian, and the past 8 vegan!). Others my age have already typically seen their lipedema move to stage 2 by this point.

Over the past 8 years as a vegan, I gained weight in my arms and belly areas due to excessive enjoyment of vegan junk foods and stressful work conditions. I am slowly but surely losing this weight now with a clean, whole food plants based diet. This diet has slowed the progression of my lipedema, and is advocated by experts on the topic such as Chuck Ehrlich (see below). I accept that the stubborn lipedema fat that makes me extremely pear shaped may not come off my body without surgical intervention, but I am motivated to lose the non-lipedema fat in order to reduce the risks of disease associated with being overweight/obese, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancers.

This woman suffers from anorexia, but the lipedema fat tissue is unaffected by the starvation.

The stages of lipedema, from http://www.lipedema-simplified.org .

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

6 Unexpected Benefits of Switching to a WFPB Vegan Diet!

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 Plant Based KellyLeave a comment

I have tried eating a balanced diet of some healthy options and some vegan junk food vegan for 8 years, but switching to a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB diet) consisting of whole grains, root veggies, legumes, vegetables, fruits (and nuts and seeds sparingly) has had a host of unexpected benefits!

I can finally eat three square meals a day!
- I was never able to eat three meals per day in the past, and always had to pack snacks or plan for four (or five) smaller meals per day. This was due to intense hunger that made me hangry and unable to complete my work until I ate a sugar and fat laden vegan protein bar, an apple, and a handful (or seven) of nuts. Healthy right? Wrong. Switching to real foods has made it so I can enjoy heaping servings of veggies and starches with minimal-to-no added plant fats to satiation. This keeps me full for 4-5 hours after each meal for the first time in my life! The fiber and water content of the vegetables truly holds me over until my next meal. Healthy habits when I’m preparing my next meal while hungry include drinking lemon water and snacking on raw veggies.
I feel satiated for longer between meals.
- I felt so betrayed when I would pay dieticians and nutritionists to help me lose weight, and they would say, “Just eat when you are hungry. Eat intuitively.” Ugh. After hearing this for the upteenth time, I finally laughed in one of their faces. (I swear I’m generally a very polite person) This woman was skinny, always had been skinny, and clearly thought that it was my fault for stuffing myself beyond satiety. I replied, “I have to laugh when I hear people say that. I have two modes- hungry and overstuffed. There is rarely a time I won’t eat something when I won’t eat something. If I ate when I felt hungry, I’d be eating times per day.” Needless to say, we discontinued our relationship due to her inability to help me. What I’ve found is that switching to whole foods has taught me what it’s like to feel full after meals, stay satiated for several hours, and listen to my hunger gently starting to return after four hours. This hunger I feel now is not the ravenous hunger I felt when I was on a blood sugar and insulin rollercoaster of overeating sweet, salty, fatty vegan junk food. The fiber, nutrients, and water-content of vegetables and starches has been my food cure, and makes me feel like a “normal” eater after dysfunctional eating since I was a pre-teen!
I no longer feel the urge to binge eat after work.
- I worked for 10 years as a teacher, and started my career in low-income schools (Title I) in urban environments. Interestingly, it wasn’t until I started working in more suburban environments that I really started hating my job. I switched careers to find work life balance and worked in medical education in a hospital system. (Enter pandemic) Work has always consisted of long hours, a great deal of physical/emotional/social distress, and ending the day feeling completely exhausted, drained, and defeated. Over many years, I developed the unsavory addiction of walking through the door after work before my husband was home, switching on Real Housewives, and grabbing any snack or leftovers (or sometimes just a jar of peanut butter). I would always tell myself I’d stop at a few bites, but watching women on TV yell at each other and the constant hand to mouth movement was soothing to me in some weird way. When the pounds started to accumulate, I told myself that this dirty little habit, which resulted in 1000+ calorie intake on some occasions, had to end. Funny thing was, I couldn’t stop. I tried switching only to healthy snacks. That’s didn’t fix it. I changed the TV program. That didn’t fix it. The junk food vegan snacks and lunches I was serving myself was not providing the satiation and nourishment I needed. When I started eating Whole Food Plant Based, I slowly started to lose the ravenous feeling I felt when I got home from work. I started to feel the way I imagine people should naturally feel.
My energy levels are stabilized throughout the day.
- Good Lord. Stay out of my way if my blood sugar was crashing in the late morning after breakfast or early afternoon after lunch. I used to eat a full breakfast at 7:30a, a full lunch at 10:30, another full lunch at 1:30-2:30p and then my scheduled Bravo binge at 6:00. Oh, and don’t forget about dinner at 7:00! My attempts to lose weight consisted of limiting the caloric intake of all of those meals, because it was so difficult for me to work while starved. Years and years of my life went by feeling starved yet obsessed with food and feverishly anticipating my next meal. Now I eat three meals, feeling stable energy in between eat meal. I have the energy to complete all of my goals for the day.
I sleep soundly throughout the night.
- This is going to make some of your jealous, but I sleep like a freakin’ baby throughout the night. Sure, keeping tortured animals off your plate helps keep your conscious clean. But that high fat, high sugar junk food (and the booze I washed it down with at night) was causing me to wake up at 3:00am and struggle to fall back asleep. Worse than that, my brain would autoplay all the anxieties of yesterday, today, and tomorrow in an endless loop. This terrible routine is caused by a dip in blood sugar, and a resulting surge in cortisol in the 2-4am time frame. It is absolutely treatable by reducing processed foods and booze at dinner. Please reach out to me at weightogovegan@outlook.com or via IG DMs if you need help with this, because I suffered for years and am finally free of this awful burden!
I am losing weight!
- I am now losing about one pound of weight per week by eating according to Dr. John McDougall’s book The Starch Solution. In that book, he details a plan for “Maximum Weight Loss” which is based on the concept of filling half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables and the other half with starches such as whole grains, root vegetables, and/or legumes. Losing weight is truly REVOLUTIONARY to me, because I struggled so greatly in the past to do this despite extremely conscientious efforts. I reverted to disordered eating, every kind of diet, and fasting to try to lose weight, but nothing worked. When I learned that I had lipedema, which results in the accumulation of diet- and exercise- resistant fat, I all but gave up on the hope of ever achieving my goal. But I am finally am losing and feeling great about myself. I started this blog and my IG channel to inspire others to eat this way, the way humans were intended to eat! Please reach out if you need support!